The future of commercial emulation

[mos6507]

I picked up a copy of Activision Anthology Remix edition for Mac/PC (I like that it's dual-platform. You don't normally see that outside of stuff authored with Director) in budget jewel-box format for $5. It seemed like Atari 80-in-1 was quick to hit the bargain bins also. It's got me thinking that at least on the PC platform, after a very long run, commercial emulation is officially over. On consoles, because of DRM, it looks like it may be getting a second wind. I don't have a modern console so I don't know how well the virtual arcade stuff is doing. (The most recent system I got is a GP2X and you know what people run on that.) What do you all think?

[Jess Ragan]

I think that meta-emulation is the future of classic game collections and micro-transactions. I just played Rush 'n Attack on the Xbox 360, and I was surprised by just how much the sharpened graphics and CD-quality sound add to the experience. I was never a fan of this unforgiving side-scrolling action title set in Cold War Siberia, but the enhanced audiovisuals in the Xbox 360 version make it a whole lot easier to appreciate.

 

JR

[Bruce Tomlin]

I picked up a copy of Activision Anthology Remix edition for Mac/PC (I like that it's dual-platform. You don't normally see that outside of stuff authored with Director) in budget jewel-box format for $5. It seemed like Atari 80-in-1 was quick to hit the bargain bins also. It's got me thinking that at least on the PC platform, after a very long run, commercial emulation is officially over. On consoles, because of DRM, it looks like it may be getting a second wind. I don't have a modern console so I don't know how well the virtual arcade stuff is doing. (The most recent system I got is a GP2X and you know what people run on that.) What do you all think?

I think the no-fuss presentation (no need to install anything), and maybe even reducing user choice (the user picks one title at a time instead of getting a dump of games, when the mere presence of a crappy game in a collection may make the user feel less happy!) may be much more important than DRM.

 

After all, the lack of DRM didn't put those games into the bargain bins, the lack of user interest did.

 

Not only that, but most of those were Atari-era games, which don't have much relevance any more to anybody but us wierdos. Regular people want to play the big names that they remember, like Zelda and Mario Kart and Chrono Trigger... the very games that command ebay prices beyond their rarity.

[Video]

The problem with commercial emulation is...well...your just rereleasinga bunch of old games for a new system. You can expect one for Atari, and Activision to be released at least once for each system made.

 

But with the computer....well, if you got them 15 years ago, you can still play them today....so there's not really a huge call for them on the computer, especially when you can go out and get ALL of them for free via emulation anyways. The market just really isn't there.

[opeygon]

But with the computer....well, if you got them 15 years ago, you can still play them today....so there's not really a huge call for them on the computer, especially when you can go out and get ALL of them for free via emulation anyways. The market just really isn't there.

 

I agree with video. I use quite a few emulators and wouldn't spend more than five bucks on one for my pc. You know, why buy the cow...

[warmachine]

The problem with commercial emulation is...well...your just rereleasinga bunch of old games for a new system. You can expect one for Atari, and Activision to be released at least once for each system made.

 

But with the computer....well, if you got them 15 years ago, you can still play them today....so there's not really a huge call for them on the computer, especially when you can go out and get ALL of them for free via emulation anyways. The market just really isn't there.

 

That isn't necessarily true. I think there is some success in commercial emulation, but it mostly has to do with name recognition.

compilations by atari and activision don't sell well because they haven't been top tier brand names for almost two decades.

 

Just look at the nintendo wii forum. nintendo zealots are going ape shit over downloadable emulated games, even though many of them

own the actual cartrages on all of the formats that nintendo decided to rehash them on, and will pay nintendo's inflated prices simply because

it's nintendo. When the next nintendo system is realeased, they will do it all over again.

 

It's just that atari and activision don't have the kind of power to turn people into drooling money tossing zombies.

The same thing happens with disney zealots. they will buy bambi and cinderella on hd-dvd and blu-ray even though

they own those movies on beta, vhs, laser disc, dvd ect...

[Shannon]

As much as I like commercial emulation and support it (financially) in everway I can. It will never be the same as getting an emulator and playing ROM's in an emulator. Why? Because of all the licensing issues that go along with it. There are lot of titles that will never see the light of day because of this. It's so bad to the point that they've actually changed the music within games (frogger, bomberman). You'll NEVER see something like Tapper with the original Budweiser graphics in a commercial product.

 

That being said Xbox Live (360), Virtual Console (Wii), and the PSP seem to be doing fairly well. The Capcom Classic collections are really nice and have alot of added value. Just like the Activision Anthology (although the blur just kills me) with the unlocking of extra content.

 

I dunno. I guess I'm just one for preserving as much of the original content as possible. Something that the community will always do a much better job of. But as I said above, some of the commercial versions have some really nice material. Just wish it was more consistent.

[Video]

The thing that made the WII console thing such a success, was instead of paying $20 for all the games, you paid $5 for just the ones you would actually play. Activision and Atari are just the top ones I could think of. There's also Midway, Taito, hell, even Sega, these are just the top few that come to mind. But it's still the same thing, it's the same game on last system, and the system befor, and the same as what will be on the next, next gen.

 

I don't care to pay for games the way Nintenod's doing it on the Wii, for one, what happens when your system craps out on you? Buying one game at a time is great and all, even if you are paying an inflated price for an altered game to run on a modern console. But I'd never do it unless I got a hard copy of some kind.

[kidnicky]

If your system "craps out on you",Nintendo lets you redownload any retro titles you previously had onto your new Wii.

[n8littlefield]

I don't care to pay for games the way Nintenod's doing it on the Wii, for one, what happens when your system craps out on you? Buying one game at a time is great and all, even if you are paying an inflated price for an altered game to run on a modern console. But I'd never do it unless I got a hard copy of some kind.

 

When your system craps out, since your games are registered to you, Nintendo allows you to download them to your new console (assuming you again register the system to yourself).

 

I think one of the main reasons that some commercial emulators just don't appeal to me, but the Wii one does, is that these games are built for immediate play. You don't want loading times just to play a quick round of Asteroids or Pacman. Unfortunately, by the time you've found and inserted the disc, had it load, gone through their credit screens, gotten to the menu, chosen a game and waited for the loading time, the whole fun of a quick round has passed. Having them a click away on the Wii is much better and to me more in the spirit of most of these games.

 

I do think compilation discs are pretty much dead at this point. The online delivery methods of the consoles and Gametap easily outclass the traditional game compilation. It's much easier to convince someone sitting on their couch to pay $5 for Punchout than it is to convince them that 20 old Atari games for $20 is a good deal when they can see current generation "Greatest Hits" like God of War, Halo, or Zelda WW for the same price.

[Atariboy]

"When your system craps out, since your games are registered to you, Nintendo allows you to download them to your new console (assuming you again register the system to yourself)."

 

No, they don't.

[Raiu]

It's so bad to the point that they've actually changed the music within games (frogger, bomberman).

 

Not quite relevant to the topic, but... the music on Frogger was changed? For which version? (Is Yankee Doodle copyrighted, or something?)

 

-DS-

[Shannon]

I'd have to play the Frogger on the GBA Konami classics to remember but they did change the music.

[mos6507]

In related news:

 

http://arstechnica.com/journals/thumbs.ars...e-top-five-list