racketboy.com

its interesting that this debate has been going on for 2 years...

alienjesus wrote:

o.pwuaioc wrote:

Exhuminator wrote:Well I can play Atari 2600 games on my 2015 smartphone, so what's your point there? My line of thinking is in keeping the platforms distinctive to their inherent selves. If you start throwing retro-compatibility into the equation it changes the discussion dramatically and dilutes the original point. The point being that the PS2 itself is an outdated system, and the games which were designed for it inherently equate to being outdated as well, at least technically speaking. Therefore the act of playing PS2 games no matter the conduit equates to an act of deliberate retro sensibility.

Granted. Let's strike that one from the debate. I was thinking of official compatibility, but perhaps that's still too contentious.

Yeah, this really didn't make much sense. You can play Atari and Intellivision on PS2, NES on Wii U and ZX Spectrum games on tablet and in browser. I wouldn't deny any of them are retro, so modern compatability is a bit of a moot point.

Note again I said official compatibility, as in I can pop in a PS1 disc into a PS2. So because 2600 games played in the 7800 (and many other reasons), I would not have considered playing the 2600 retro during the lifetime of the 7800. But it's a moot point now.

If I play a 2001 PS2 game on a 2015 PS4, that doesn't make that 2001 PS2 game suddenly a 2015 PS2 or PS4 game. It's still a 2001 PS2 game.

Thus playing that 2001 PS2 game on a 2015 PS4 is willingly engaging in retro behavior. Because I'm playing a 2001 PS2 game in 2015 when I could be playing a 2015 PS4 game on a 2015 PS4 instead, with that being the modern behavior.

The PS2 is legitimately outdated and obsolete. It is officially old. With that information in tow, based on the dictionary definition of "retro", one has to logically conclude that playing a PS2 game in 2015 is indeed a "retro" endeavor.

o.pwuaioc wrote:Note again I said official compatibility, as in I can pop in a PS1 disc into a PS2. So because 2600 games played in the 7800 (and many other reasons), I would not have considered playing the 2600 retro during the lifetime of the 7800. But it's a moot point now.

But you can't play a PS2 disc on any current gen consoles either, unless I'm missing something?

But yeah, OK, I'm dragging this out needlessly now.

alienjesus wrote:

o.pwuaioc wrote:Note again I said official compatibility, as in I can pop in a PS1 disc into a PS2. So because 2600 games played in the 7800 (and many other reasons), I would not have considered playing the 2600 retro during the lifetime of the 7800. But it's a moot point now.

But you can't play a PS2 disc on any current gen consoles either, unless I'm missing something?

But yeah, OK, I'm dragging this out needlessly now.

Really? PS4 nixed PS2 support? I must have forgotten.

Another reason to be an old-school gamer. ;P

But yeah, seems we're done here. Whether or not you view playing the PS2 as retro will depend on your experiences growing up with it. For Bone and me, that's a no, for Exhuminator (and maybe alienjesus?) that's a yes. But at least we're finally asking the right question now.

If I engage in a two-year-old argument about PS2 that occasionally gets side-tracked regarding the definition of retro, am I retro-arguing?

samsonlonghair wrote:If I engage in a two-year-old argument about PS2 that occasionally gets side-tracked regarding the definition of retro, am I retro-arguing?

Touchè

Not for me. However, I guess in case you tend to imply this generation of gaming (the GC and original Xbox) as "retro", you would probably be the type, which could also include the PS2 to fall under this description.

This thread rules, time for another bump. The PS2 is over 15 years old by now. Claiming the PS2 as a modern console is akin to arguing that the NES wasn't retro in 2000.

Think about it guys: no hud menu, no HDMI, wired controllers, DVD drive, memory cards, no DLC, primitive online, etc. Anyone who doesn't consider the PS2 to be retro seems to be ignoring just how far console standards have come since its inception.

The TS obviously is asking whether the PS2 could be considered a "classic" by now based on its age. "Retro" has never been the right word to refer to legitimately old games; it's what you call modern games that mimic an older style. You don't call a game you pre-ordered that's coming out in six months "futuristic".

With that said, I think the PS2 is old enough that it's a classic by now.