NovaXpress #1 Posted October 2, 2003 http://www.starroms.com/index.php They offer arcade ROMs from Atari at $2 each download. I don't know what to think about this yet Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Atariman #2 Posted October 2, 2003 ... that still doesn't sound legal. I mean, in order for them to do that, they would have to own the rights to each title, right? Or at least the code... and I seriously doubt that at $2 a game they are making enough money to do that. Sounds kinda fishy.... but I guess they haven't been closed down (yet). But still... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Bryan #3 Posted October 2, 2003 Yeah, I'm curious about this. It sounds like it could be a scam. -Bry Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Nukey Shay #4 Posted October 2, 2003 So who owns the license to these programs of old? Infogrames? And if they did, why sub-license the name out to another party when they could easily set up their own page of downloads and collect all the monies? And if they did allow it...why does this site have no pages that display this agreement? It's a scam. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
NovaXpress #5 Posted October 2, 2003 the more you look at that site the funkier it gets. I would feel sure that Atari would have a huge presence on the page, yet they are barely menioned. The page says that much of your $2 goes to the copyright holders and a portion of profits goes to support emulation efforts. Sounds way too vague. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
liquid_sky #6 Posted October 2, 2003 if you are going to get roms anyhow, why pay for them and possibly give money to people who dont deserve it? http://thenationnet.com if you want roms, at least this way you know its grey area and you dont have to pay money to (most likely) a nerdy 15 year old. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DanBoris #7 Posted October 2, 2003 So who owns the license to these programs of old? Infogrames? And if they did, why sub-license the name out to another party when they could easily set up their own page of downloads and collect all the monies? And if they did allow it...why does this site have no pages that display this agreement? It's a scam. Infogrames (or whoever actually owns the rights) probably didn't want to bother. If these guys where offering them some sort of percentage deal then it would be easy money and little to no risk for the company who owns the rights. There has been a lot of discussion on the MAME developers list about this and there is no concensous yet as to whether this is legit or not, but I think people are leaning towards it being real. If it were a scam why wouldn't they put up more games from other companies? Dan Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Paul Slocum #8 Posted October 2, 2003 That site was slashdotted yesterday. I really doubt they would still be operating if they hadn't worked out a deal to legally sell the ROMs. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MegaManFan #9 Posted October 2, 2003 Maybe, maybe not. But with the words "as low +AS+ $2 a pop" I'm not hugely impressed. That means you'll pay $2 minimum apiece if not a LOT more. The whole point should be keeping it affordable, and the truth is that's not. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Nukey Shay #10 Posted October 2, 2003 What are credits?StarROMs credits are redeemable toward the purchase of any game that StarROMs offers. Credits have a nominal cost of 25 cents each, but the cost goes down the more you purchase. Because many of the games StarROMs offers are priced so low (as low as $2), we require users to set up an account and buy at least $10 worth of credits in order to keep our average transaction size (and costs) at a reasonable level. The average Rom costs 18 credits...and 15 credits are given to you for "free" as a first-time buyer. You need to buy at least $10.00 worth of credits. That's 55 credits (40+15...could buy 3 games). So for the first 3, roms are about $3.33. Each one after that (not including the "frequent buyer savings") would be $4.50. I still think it's bogus. I mean since there is no license agreement, what's to protect roms that you buy (and therefore should be legal)? And the other shoe...since there is no agreement, can I make as many copies of that download as I wish, to do with as I please? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Nukey Shay #11 Posted October 2, 2003 BTW they link Mame.dk (not Mame.net) in the help section "I bought the roms...now where do I get the emulator??" Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Gregory DG #12 Posted October 2, 2003 It all sounds curious, but the site does read "Download LEGAL ROMS." Which makes me wonder... Maybe the owners of the ROMS are getting compensated from this site? On the About us page it reads: A large percentage of the proceeds collected by StarROMs are paid to the owners of the games. The StarROMs library of game titles is always growing. If you are a copyright owner of classic video games and would like to participate, please contact us. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Gregory DG #13 Posted October 2, 2003 I also noted that all the ROMs are from Atari. Perhaps they are the only ones to get onboard so far? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Atariman #14 Posted October 2, 2003 that still sounds odd. Why would "Atari" even give this a second glance. I can't imagine them actually spending the time to work something like this out. As for the "Legal downloads" part... well -- I *could* put "Selling LEGAL cocaine" on my website... but it still wouldn't be legal for me to do so... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
eldunko #15 Posted October 2, 2003 Midway's gotta be in too, because there's some Atari Games titles in there too... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MegaManFan #16 Posted October 2, 2003 Honestly, if this really was a legal site, I think it would look a lot more professional and the games would cost a lot less. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Gregory DG #17 Posted October 2, 2003 Honestly, if this really was a legal site, I think it would look a lot more professional and the games would cost a lot less. Dunno, seems like $2 per game ROM is about right for greedy software houses. Especially ones that had zero to do with the actual game code. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Gregory DG #18 Posted October 2, 2003 IGN has covered this story. Says the site is cooperating with Atari. http://pc.ign.com/articles/452/452716p1.html Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
sku_u #19 Posted October 2, 2003 Buying the cart is cheaper. Sheesh. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MegaManFan #20 Posted October 2, 2003 Tell me about it. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Gregory DG #21 Posted October 2, 2003 Buying the cart is cheaper. Sheesh. If you know where to find the arcade version of Asteroids in cartridge form, let me know! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
sku_u #22 Posted October 2, 2003 Buying the cart is cheaper. Sheesh. If you know where to find the arcade version of Asteroids in cartridge form, let me know! Here are 61 to choose from. Knock yourself out! http://search.ebay.com/search/search.dll?c...ari+anniversary Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Gregory DG #23 Posted October 2, 2003 Here are 61 to choose from. Knock yourself out! Those are CDs man! Can't you tell the difference?! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
sku_u #24 Posted October 2, 2003 Here are 61 to choose from. Knock yourself out! Those are CDs man! Can't you tell the difference?! Eh, Tomato Tomado Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
+DamonicFury #25 Posted October 3, 2003 Looks fairly legit to me. There even is a license agreement with Atari, Inc. http://www.starroms.com/games/0001/license.php I've been hoping for something like this for a long, long time... and I'm itching to support it... but jeez, it IS a bit pricy. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
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