Racketboy and the Future

[alienjesus]

Another cool article would be something like 'The best bargains on Virtual Console/XBLA/PSN'. Basically we look at the prices of retro games on the download services versus their price on eBay and suggest which ones might be worth braving a digital download for instead of splashing out. Plenty of stuff worth mentioning on there like Dynastic Hero, Dracula X, Harvest Moon, Demon's Crest, Alien Soldier, Misadventures of Tron Bonne, Tombi, Suikoden and Radiant Silvergun amongst others.

There's probably enough for a ton of articles here, so perhaps we should think how to divide it up.

[8bit]

Another cool article would be something like 'The best bargains on Virtual Console/XBLA/PSN'. Basically we look at the prices of retro games on the download services versus their price on eBay and suggest which ones might be worth braving a digital download for instead of splashing out. Plenty of stuff worth mentioning on there like Dynastic Hero, Dracula X, Harvest Moon, Demon's Crest, Alien Soldier, Misadventures of Tron Bonne, Tombi, Suikoden and Radiant Silvergun amongst others.

There's probably enough for a ton of articles here, so perhaps we should think how to divide it up.

I think this a really neat idea!! It completely bridges gap between retro and modern consoles and the fact that these games we all want to own can be hard to find and expensive. Dividing them up amongest either platform (XBL, PSN, VC) or generation would probably work. I'd love to see this idea come to fruition and would be happy to help if needed.

[Fragems]

There is a variety of newer ways to get into retro gaming. I think the GoG article shows that they are open to articles with that in mind.

I'm sure there are some people who would be willing to right up articles about compilations(Rare Replay, Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection, etc.), clone systems(Retron 5), Digital Releases(GoG, Steam, Nintendo, PSN, etc.) and the variety of other stuff. We already have a lot of useful info on the forums I'm sure there are plenty of threads that could be compressed into an article and thrown on the first page.

For instance I know it's been talked about quite a bit but I would love a guide on how to do translation patches and hacks on the Retron 5 as well as a list of games with solid translation patches available.

[BoneSnapDeez]

Another cool article would be something like 'The best bargains on Virtual Console/XBLA/PSN'. Basically we look at the prices of retro games on the download services versus their price on eBay and suggest which ones might be worth braving a digital download for instead of splashing out. Plenty of stuff worth mentioning on there like Dynastic Hero, Dracula X, Harvest Moon, Demon's Crest, Alien Soldier, Misadventures of Tron Bonne, Tombi, Suikoden and Radiant Silvergun amongst others.

Don't forget Shantae!!!

An article about retro imports that are now available in the US digitally could be useful too. Stuff like Umihara Kawase, 8-bit Lost Levels, Nazo no Murasame Jō...

An article about the best "modern retro" games (modern games in a retro style) would be neat but I'm not sure how to approach something like that. Maybe do it genre by genre (platformers, RPGs, etc).

[aaron]

I like that idea a lot.

[marurun]

So, what are current options for folks who want to play retro games, shy of buying original hardware and software?

I think the answer is simply emulation, coupled with a decent controller. If one wanted things to feel a bit more authentic, run the audio visual output to a CRT TV and use a system-respective controller with a USB adapter.

I feel the best way for a site article to focus on this would be on legal methods that are currently available to consumers. We shouldn't fail to mention emulation, but the article focus would have to be on purely legal avenues.

[Forlorn Drifter]

Another thing to possibly touch (if we can consider PS2 and such retro) would be repackages of those games. I would possibly be interested in doing an article that covers disc re-releases/HD Versions on PS3, such as the God of War Collection, Splinter Cell Collection, Hitman Collection, etc. Though, someone on here might have more/better knowledge of such things.

[nullPointer]

I feel the best way for a site article to focus on this would be on legal methods that are currently available to consumers. We shouldn't fail to mention emulation, but the article focus would have to be on purely legal avenues.

Is the intent to keep articles focused on the more "high brow" aspects of retro gaming or are there truly concerns about legality? I mean emulators aren't illegal, neither is describing how to use them. We have an emulation section in the forum, and plenty of "mainstream" sites run articles about emulation. Heck even Racketboy has a history of some really interesting emulation focused articles.

I guess I feel like MAME cabinets, ROM translations, PinCabs, and various advancements in the area of emulation are some of the most thriving and dynamic aspects within our retro gaming hobby. I definitely don't think emulation should be a primary focus of Racketboy by any stretch of the imagination, but equally I think writing it off as a footnote or treating it with kid gloves is willfully choosing to ignore an important aspect of the hobby (regardless of whether you fall into the pro or anti emulation camp).

OTOH this is coming from a guy who believes that emulation is the most reliable path towards true preservation within our hobby (short of hermetically sealed vaults, but what fun is that), so perhaps take the above with a grain of salt.

[Fragems]

I love emulation and agree that roms and disc images are probably going to be a major pieces of preserving many games down the road. That being said copyright holders aren't to keen on the idea of unlicensed copies and random/idiotic claims of infringement aren't really all that rare. For instance look at Nintendo's relationship with youtube they go after people for simply posting game play footage .

So pretty much while I don't think emulation should be passed over it would be a subject that could easily open a can of worms if not handled carefully.

[marurun]

I think fragems has hit on it. We've always made references to emulation, but I think an article focusing on retro in the current generation effectively bridges some important gaps, and avoids the issue of dealing with ROM files.