classic gaming via modern technology: your opinion?

[ac_90]

im curious to hear what collectors have to say about the mingling of modern technology with classic games and hardware

i was into collecting and playing a variety of different retro consoles and games over the years, but modern technology has made it so easy to access and play these games that it hardly seems worth the effort and money if it isnt a passion for you.

emulators and roms used to be difficult to obtain and had a tough time replicating a similar experience, but nowadays you can buy usb adapters to use the original system's controllers, and many emulators come with filters and audio/video settings to potentially duplicate the experience of the original hardware! not to mention things like dreamcast emulation can be considered a step above the original hardware since there are plugins to run games in 1080p, or things like adding online multiplayer to snes games through programs like zbattle!

it seems like we're moving into a digital age with everyone and their mother having access to internet, downloadable games, and hardware that can run everything on a box half the size of your nes; so i was just curious as to why people still love it? as an example, i currently have a wii hooked up to the tv in my living room that has nes, snes, n64, gamecube, and wii all playable with their original respective console's controllers via adapters. the portability, accessibility, cost effectiveness, and simplicity is light years ahead of what it used to be.

for myself, things left in my collection are simple items that are just cool to have. i no longer see a point in collecting things from mainstream systems or anything that can be easily obtained for free via other methods.

[J T]

I like a combination of both. For whatever reason, I just like the experience of playing on original hardware, especially with systems I played when I was younger. Part of it for me is about wanting to experience the game as it was originally intended. Part of it is the nostalgia of dealing with cartridges and plastic and everything feeling exactly as it did years ago.

That being said, I enjoy playing emulators as well. I like having easy access to a ton of games, to be able to play them anywhere on a laptop, and I like using save states. There are some things I prefer to play on an emulator because it looks better or because I want to be able to save whenever I want to.

So, I'm mixed on this issue.

[SkyLlama]

I'm not fond of emulators, except to play stuff I'll never own. I have this weird thing about having the console and game there with me as they were intended to be played.

I know it's all in my head but playing them with the original hardware *feels* different then playing them via the computer, however old games are quite good on the Wii.

For the average person playing via emulators or thing like the Wii's VC are very good options, but some of us want to play via the original for whatever reasons.

Both have their pros and cons, so it's hard to say which it better for a particular person.

I for one only collect video game stuff and don't see it as much different from any other collection. I like have something to show people.

[Runefaust]

Emulators an' Roms have their ups and... well, not too many downs now that I think about it, lol. I mean, save state is very handy, keybinding fast forward is a huge time saver, an' having a ton of options and filters at your disposal is pretty cool.

However, playing the games on the console, on my good ol' CRT television, there's just no beating that original experience. As an artist, and a collector, the packaging of a product has a lot of appeal to me. This is one of the reasons I started collecting and importing when I was in middle school. The Japanese packaging rocked an' I didn't have to wait for localization. I got the game earlier than any of my friends, lmao!

Today, most of the games I'm interested in are much cheaper than they were back then, so that's a plus, lol. Ebay's got a ton of CIB and imported games that I want for less than $50. And, another personal preference, I've always preferred cartridges over discs. I mean, seriously, just look at how durable those NES cartridges are!!

Bottom line is, instead of cars, coins, stamps, etc. the only thing I'm very materialistic about is my gaming library. Even though you buy the game to enjoy the software, having the hardware gives that extra sense of validity. I don't get that sense when I purchase DLC.

But, this is all personal preference. I choose to buy the old classics instead of downloading them because I have the consoles to play them an' a diehard passion for retro-gaming. But am I goin' to fork over almost $200 to play Bishoujo Wrestler Retsuden? ... Hellz no, lmao!

[yomomma1]

I guess I can't say I hate emulation, as many games are emulated officially(such as games released on compilation discs, xbox games on xbox 360, wii virtual console) However I do not like what most people think of when you say emulators. I am never going to download a rom of a game that I could just buy physically or buy through download.

[Nintendork666]

Sometimes I use my Dreamcast to emulate games for consoles I haven't been able to pick up yet.

Other than that, I haven't been into emulation since I was much, much younger. Even with my USB SNES controller, and ZSNES; it just isn't the same. I'm not sure what it is, a plastic fetish perhaps.

[Ivo]

I think classic gaming via modern technology is great.

I respect any purist or collectors - nostalgia is certainly a factor there for most of you and that is great too.
But down the line, in the future the original hardware is going to fail.

Also some of the reasoning here is flawed, for example many of the classic videogames you play "the way they were intended to be played" were actually downgraded arcade ports! How many of you are actually getting arcade cabinets and boards instead of running MAME? And so on.

Will you only read a book if it is the first edition? I respect anyone that says reading the same copy they read when they were younger feels different of course. On the other hand if classic works of literature where not reprinted in new paper and now digital how many of them would still be around and read by readers? Eventually it is going to be the same with many classic games.

The very first games that existed are already in such a situation - there are very few copies of the hardware from these pioneers from the 70s, 40 years later... Not that many of the games actually hold up very well now, but in 10 years time it will be 80s games that have been around for that much time, and in 20 it will be 90s games that have been around for that much time and so on.

Ivo.

[BRIK]

It's all got to do with the collecting point of view. I enjoy tracking down and collecting the hardware and software as much as I enjoy playing it.

[dsheinem]

But down the line, in the future the original hardware is going to fail.

Why? My VCS and Odyssey 2 work fine, as do some handheld games I have from the 70s. If they've lasted 30 years, what's to say they can't last 30-40 more?

[pepharytheworm]

But down the line, in the future the original hardware is going to fail.

Why? My VCS and Odyssey 2 work fine, as do some handheld games I have from the 70s. If they've lasted 30 years, what's to say they can't last 30-40 more?

Ivo must treat his hardware bad.