Will developers port their digital titles to next gen?

[DaytonaUSA]

One thing I'm worried about with the idea of selling a current gen system for a next gen system is the fact no psn/xbla titles will carry over.

 

I wouldn't mind repurchasing some. But if the case of the Wii u is an example, none of the digital titles I enjoy have gotten moved over, and its more than concerning.

 

Specifically Sega's old classic 3D arcade games like Daytona USA, or remakes of games like Jet Set Radio. I would naturally think they'd come over, but again I also thought sega would be first in line to do so with Nintendo and they haven't.

 

What do you think? Do you think we will see a majority of older digital titles being immediately ported, or do you think it'll be over a year or two before developers even bother...or worse, never bother at all?

[+Gemintronic]

Forcing people to re-purchase games is way more evil than never porting it at all.

 

At least give me an improved version with extras.

[DaytonaUSA]

True. But I love certain games so much I would anyway. I just find it alarming that no one has announced that they're bringing their old games over.

[+Gemintronic]

I'd rather they bring back backwards compatibility. An 8 core AMD can handle PS2 games with very few issues.

[DaytonaUSA]

More concerned about ps3 psn games.

[TheGameCollector]

More concerned about ps3 psn games.

 

Yeah I would hate to not be able to reacquire Vandal Hearts: Flames of Judgment if my system broke down and the game disappeared from the online store. Hopefully it will at least stay put for a long time.

[DaytonaUSA]

Exactly. If what happens to this gen is the same that happened to the original Xbox, tons of games and dlc will be lost forever. I'm just hoping porting is not only easy, but encouraged. As I don't want to simply pray this stuff will be out there to redownload on old hardware forever.

[cimerians]

Thats why I switched to PC a few years ago for primary gaming. At this point I no longer buy anything from Xbox Live or PSN. Usually the exclusivity only lasts so long and it eventually ends up on PC.

 

As of right now, I'm in the hole just like everyone else. I have a lot of Xbox Live and PSN content that I wont be able to play on next gen systems so I'm figuring I'll keep those old consoles around and hooked up for a long while.

 

Also, I read somewhere that the architecture for the next gen machines make it impossible to port and instead require complete remakes to port them over. Lots of work I don't think many publishers will do.

 

Haven't read much more about it so I'm not 100% sure.

[Pixelboy]

This is the age of disposable software. Nothing will be "ported over" unless developers and publishers are certain to make a profit from it.

[Hatta]

Exactly. Digital content from this era will largely be lost, like so many silent films and early episodes of Doctor Who.

[Mord]

What do you think? Do you think we will see a majority of older digital titles being immediately ported, or do you think it'll be over a year or two before developers even bother...or worse, never bother at all?

 

I've always treated it as "never bother at all" for the vast majority of it. Expect to rebuy anything that does get ported over since all the fees with recoding the games (totally different hardware) and getting them put on the various servers will cost the devs money. Something devs are always complaining they're never making enough of in the first place.

 

I've spent approximately 40 bucks each in digital games on the PS3 and 360 under the above assumptions. I simply bought a few things to customize the particular consoles I owned without any expectation of them ever moving to the next gen. Since that's the reason I bought that little amount in particular, I'm not going to care what they do with the titles on the next gen platforms.

 

Only inconvenience I'm going to really go through in the short term is that I'm going to have to put the rest of the games I've bought over the years into the console (I have a lot still factory sealed due to lack of time) just to make sure they download the required bug fixes that appear to be in every single game this generation. (I've yet to put a disc game in either console without being informed of bug patches/"updates" that need to be downloaded.

 

Granted some of those "required patches" seem to do little than to add in-game DLC advertising (I'm looking at you MvC3 )

Edited September 19, 2013 by Mord

[DaytonaUSA]

Thats why I switched to PC a few years ago for primary gaming. At this point I no longer buy anything from Xbox Live or PSN. Usually the exclusivity only lasts so long and it eventually ends up on PC.

 

As of right now, I'm in the hole just like everyone else. I have a lot of Xbox Live and PSN content that I wont be able to play on next gen systems so I'm figuring I'll keep those old consoles around and hooked up for a long while.

 

Also, I read somewhere that the architecture for the next gen machines make it impossible to port and instead require complete remakes to port them over. Lots of work I don't think many publishers will do.

 

Haven't read much more about it so I'm not 100% sure.

 

In a way pc is just as bad over time, though. Old software I have often can't run on new machines no matter what you do. I still have old computers laying around just to play them lol. It's one of the things I liked about gaming on consoles. No matter how old the game the hardware was out there and getting them to work together was easy, obviously.

 

Now with downloads and dlc, that's largely not true anymore, and its become just as hard to keep your old software working as it is to ensure your digital purchases on consoles will be yours forever.

[cimerians]

In a way pc is just as bad over time, though. Old software I have often can't run on new machines no matter what you do. I still have old computers laying around just to play them lol. It's one of the things I liked about gaming on consoles. No matter how old the game the hardware was out there and getting them to work together was easy, obviously.

 

Now with downloads and dlc, that's largely not true anymore, and its become just as hard to keep your old software working as it is to ensure your digital purchases on consoles will be yours forever.

 

Not as much these days. Dosbox and GOG changed all of that and even Steam is getting pretty good at running older stuff. Also, most things on the PSN store can be run on a low end PC as well. I've gone from XP to Win7 to Win8 and most of my back catalog of PC games are fully playable. A little tinkering on some difficult games or glide wrappers on late 90's games and your in good hands. 64 bit OS does pose a problem but mostly its only with installers and not the games themselves. There's ways around that too.

 

I know...its a pain in the ass to tinker with settings and I'm not saying the PC is totally exempt but it sure as hell doesn't leave you out in the cold as quickly as a console can it seems.

 

They may design these next gen systems to last a while and be compatible in the future, who knows....I hope so!

 

Seems Sony is gearing up to to make that happen with streaming the PS3 games you own so you can play them on the PS4:

 

http://www.ign.com/articles/2013/09/19/sony-plans-to-launch-gaikai-ps3-library-in-2014

 

I'm not excited about streaming but if there's zero lag and it works I'll be ok with it. Somehow I don't think it will be without bugs but if anyone here has had Gakai maybe they can post thoughts.

[DaytonaUSA]

 

Not as much these days. Dosbox and GOG changed all of that and even Steam is getting pretty good at running older stuff. Also, most things on the PSN store can be run on a low end PC as well. I've gone from XP to Win7 to Win8 and most of my back catalog of PC games are fully playable. A little tinkering on some difficult games or glide wrappers on late 90's games and your in good hands. 64 bit OS does pose a problem but mostly its only with installers and not the games themselves. There's ways around that too.

 

I know...its a pain in the ass to tinker with settings and I'm not saying the PC is totally exempt but it sure as hell doesn't leave you out in the cold as quickly as a console can it seems.

 

They may design these next gen systems to last a while and be compatible in the future, who knows....I hope so!

 

Seems Sony is gearing up to to make that happen with streaming the PS3 games you own so you can play them on the PS4:

 

http://www.ign.com/articles/2013/09/19/sony-plans-to-launch-gaikai-ps3-library-in-2014

 

I'm not excited about streaming but if there's zero lag and it works I'll be ok with it. Somehow I don't think it will be without bugs but if anyone here has had Gakai maybe they can post thoughts.

 

 

One of my favorite games when I was an early teen was Moto Racer for the PC. I saw GOG had it up for sale, and I downloaded it immediately. But the game doesn't play on modern setups... it made a lot of people ticked off in the comments that they sold a game that wasn't functional despite the fact they said it was.

 

That's been my only experience with GOG. I guess I should give them another shot, but that first experience just left such a sour taste in my mouth. Especially since GOG basically said, fix it yourself, to the community. Not what I consider very business like.

[cimerians]

 

 

One of my favorite games when I was an early teen was Moto Racer for the PC. I saw GOG had it up for sale, and I downloaded it immediately. But the game doesn't play on modern setups... it made a lot of people ticked off in the comments that they sold a game that wasn't functional despite the fact they said it was.

 

That's been my only experience with GOG. I guess I should give them another shot, but that first experience just left such a sour taste in my mouth. Especially since GOG basically said, fix it yourself, to the community. Not what I consider very business like.

 

 

They do the best they can but definitely give em' a shot. I have over 100+ games from them and only have a handful I had to tinker with like 'run as admin' or change a setting....

[Pixelboy]

When a download-only game does well but only marginally so, no one is surprised that it doesn't get "ported over" to newer consoles, and falls into obscurity as years go by. Sometimes it's quite regrettable (what's going to happen to Shadow Complex?) other times no one really cares all that much.

 

What really troubles me is when a developer/publisher leaves a good game fall into limbo when it could clearly be successful if re-released on disc: Would you buy Mega Man 9 and Mega Man 10 sold on a single disc? I sure would, but Capcom doesn't seem to care...

[DaytonaUSA]

As long as I can redownload my stuff I don't care I it's not for sale. Why I'm worried: when Xbox live for the original Xbox was taken offline, so was all the content. If you bought the stuff and wanted to redownload the dlc or game on your 360, tough luck.

 

If its not ported, fine. But I'm hoping I'll still be able to connect to redownload a file got forbid my hdd dies in the future on my ps3.

 

It's poor decisions by corporations like that that encourage hacking. Just look at the Wii. People couldn't redownload their vc and Wii ware games when their system was lost or stolen. So they got their purchases back the hard way.

Edited September 20, 2013 by DaytonaUSA

[Cybergoth]

But if the case of the Wii u is an example, none of the digital titles I enjoy have gotten moved over, and its more than concerning.

 

I could possibly be missing something, but so far I thought the exact opposite is true and all Wiiware games can be moved over to Wii U via SD card?

[DaytonaUSA]

Sorry. Meant Wii U to Wii U. Though Nintendo helpedbme through that today despite the fact I don't have the old one any longer. See my other thread in this section.