"What is retro? " discussion....

CiDeRmAn

And, if that's the case, and I've no reason to doubt my retrograde aging wizard, then the bulk of the ephemera that makes the consoles great will be lost, with fans relying on whatever the streaming subscription services will offer in their library.
Perhaps, with sufficient time, running accurate emulation or streaming will be a given and running local code on non local processors will be an everyday occurrence, I have my doubts tbh.
It means that this past generation of consoles may be a lost one, in less time than we think.

So, as described elsewhere, when it's time for the PS3/360 to be considered retro it'll be too late to find a console to play them on.
The only saving grace is the massive ownership and, as a result, we might have a grey market of working parts sourced from dead consoles.

IInteresting times.

Chris_Heilong

Mobile phone marketing is to blame....

CiDeRmAn

Chris_Heilong wrote: »

Mobile phone marketing is to blame....

The what now?

Chris_Heilong

Moblie phone companies came up with the whole upgrade scheme with an attitude that your old phone was now redundant after only 2 or 3 years and you needed to get the latest version because it was quote unquote "Newer and there for better" this attitude has spread in the the general populous that old things become quickly outdated, Apple and their many iPhones come to mind. I am lucky I got my son into retro games when I did(he is 8 years old now) because all his friends turn their noses up at anything "old", when they are over in my house they dont even look at my arcade cabinet, more interested in the Xbox 360. One of his friends said he will only play sequels because they are newer and that means they are better.

The world is a messed up place, for example most people think I am mad to be driving a 1997 car and dont realise I imported the car myself and paid around the same price they did for their 2009 car, the reason is because it is more fun amd in alot of ways superior to its modern counterpart.

CiDeRmAn

Well, the upgrade trend was kinda kicked off years ago.
NEC made a business out of selling mostly successful add ons for the PC Engine and TG-16, with RAM packs and CD Rom drives, expanding the core machines capabilities.
Sega tried this with the MD and failed miserably.
3DO tried it, with only Steve owning the M2!
So, there is form.
In fact, it's arguable that the modern era of consoles, which have been on the market since 2005, have been sold with the minimum upgrade requirements, including non essential camera devices and associated gimmicks.
People are accustomed to owning a console for some time, so the hardware is relatively fixed.
The software, might be different, with people updating their copy of NFS or Fifa on an annual basis.

Perhaps Phone and Console ownership diametric opposites,
With consoles staying the same and software changing and phone changing but the OS at least always appearing consistent.

Flaregon

once they stop making games for that console, so yah ps2 is retro.

CiDeRmAn

Flaregon wrote: »

once they stop making games for that console, so yah ps2 is retro.

Then the PSP is retro and, well, it's not.

Flaregon

CiDeRmAn wrote: »

Then the PSP is retro and, well, it's not.

your opinion.....not mine.

Retr0gamer

CiDeRmAn wrote: »

Then the PSP is retro and, well, it's not.

PSP is still getting games released on it. XSeed announced the Brandish Remake for it a few weeks ago.

CiDeRmAn

Flaregon wrote: »

your opinion.....not mine.

Actually I'm just echoing someone else's statement earlier in the thread.

And, there is very little "fact" in this matter, it's mostly subjective opinion and, at best, commonly felt distinctions that amounts to the entire debate on "what is retro".
So, yes, of course it is my opinion, as valid am argument as anyone else's.

eddhorse

My opinion is that the PS2 is Retro and the PSP is not.

Playstation Portable:

Release date
JP December 12, 2004
NA March 24, 2005
PAL September 1, 2005

Discontinued
JP June 2014
NA January 2014
PAL Q4 2014

PlayStation 2:

JP March 4, 2000
NA October 26, 2000
EU November 24, 2000

Discontinued
JP December 28, 2012
NA January 4, 2013
EU January 4, 2013

Going by those dates though I'm now unsure

CiDeRmAn

Ah, I'd have to say the PS2 is retro now, along with the GC and Xbox.
Just the games are all broadly similar to the games we play now, no real jump in concepts or execution seen in more modern consoles.
The visuals have improved, the loading times remain.
The games now need day one patching.
Some require installing.
The big change is perhaps the online focus, both in terms of multiplayer online but also more idiosyncratic approaches, such as Dark Souls, and massively multiplayer titles, though the Xbox pioneered the console based online experience, with MS owning the field up to the PS4 coming shoulder to shoulder at last.

Retr0gamer

I can't really think of the XBox as retro. Not because of how new it is but more that there was so little on it that makes it stand out. There's only a handful of good exclusives on it.

CiDeRmAn

Hey now!
You see the CDi as retro and it's great to nothing but sh1te on it!

The Xbox has PGR, Steel Battalion, Amped, Kung Fu Khaos, Panzer Dragoon Orta, Crimson Skies, Geometry Wars, Outrun 2 off the top of my head.

Atavan-Halen

I don't think you can strictly define retro gaming/consoles by a timescale or release date or whatever as it's going to differ from person to person depending on their age. For example, now I'm making a bit of a generalization here but most of ye were kids or grew up in the 8 to 16 bit era, or beforehand, so you may have more of an attachment to the megadrive or SNES and regard those as retro, moreso than say the PS2. Whereas people born around then, in the early 90's. now entering their 20's, grew up with the PS1/PS2 so would probably regard those as retro whereas you guys might not see it that way. I know for me part of the reason I took an interest in older games was that I felt I missed out on a part of gaming and it's history and wanted to experience it for myself.

I would think that while the physical hardware and technology itself would be considered retro, the games and enjoyment you can get out of them anytime can still be current and fresh. Especially if you're trying out a new series that looks interesting on the SNES or whatever. You can have the same new experience from booting up a SNES game you've never played as you can from downloading the latest AAA title on you PS4 and playing it for the first time.

julan

For me retro is something in the 80's and 90's which brings back a lot of childhood memories

CiDeRmAn

julan wrote: »

For me retro is something in the 80's and 90's which brings back a lot of childhood memories

But what if your childhood was in the 00's ?
Does that mean that the 360 I'd nearly retro too?

But you're right, an enormous part I'd the nostalgia factor, remembering good times past when you first owned the game/console.
It's one of the reasons why original hardware is so important, the manner of how a game is played is almost as important as the games themselves.

Retr0gamer

For me on the other hand it's playing all the stuff I missed out on as a kid when I couldn't afford it.

megaten

I know if someone managed to do portable ps2 emulation I'd probably be done with buying new games forever so that's probably the cut off point for me.

In general I think a good rule of thumb is anything two genearations behind. SO ps2/GC/Xbox is retro but ds and psp are not ince their direct successors are still on the market.

the groutch

my benchmark of retro is that the console two generations ahead is firmly established in the marlet.
So Gamecube & GBA are, Xbox & PS2 are a couple of years away.

krudler

Retr0gamer wrote: »

For me on the other hand it's playing all the stuff I missed out on as a kid when I couldn't afford it.

People bitch about games costing too much these days, ha! go back to the early 90's when a copy of Street Fighter 2 on the snes was around 60 Irish pounds, it might have even been more.
And games back then a lot of the time you could finish in one sitting unless it was an adventure or multiplayer game. We did tend to replay games a lot more though, less choice since it was usually Christmas/birthdays that I got games so we made em last. Stuff like Turtles in Time, Mario Kart, SF2, DK Country got played to death until you knew them backwards.

Flaregon

julan wrote: »

For me retro is something in the 80's and 90's which brings back a lot of childhood memories

there are 16-18 year old who started gaming when they were 3-5, that have epic memory's of the ps2.

CiDeRmAn

Flaregon wrote: »

there are 16-18 year old who started gaming when they were 3-5, that have epic memory's of the ps2.

The PS2 is one of THE epic consoles ever released, such a great library of games.

Tipsy McSwagger

For me personally Retro ends with the Dreamcast. An awesome console that was ignored by the masses and non gamers who bought a PS2 because it was the thing to do at the time (it's a great console don't get me wrong but I LOVE the Dreamcast).

Flaregon

Tipsy McSwagger wrote: »

For me personally Retro ends with the Dreamcast. An awesome console that was ignored by the masses and non gamers who bought a PS2 because it was the thing to do at the time (it's a great console don't get me wrong but I LOVE the Dreamcast).

Dream cast had an awful looking huge controller in my opinion, the ps2 just had the swag required to win out, simple.

o1s1n

Flaregon wrote: »

Dream cast had an awful looking huge controller in my opinion, the ps2 just had the swag required to win out, simple.

The Dreamcast controller is great! Shame it didn't have a second analog stick, but what's there is fantastic.

The D pad on it is lovely.

CiDeRmAn

Yep, have to agree, the controller was pretty nice indeedy.
I was also a fan of the steering wheel and the legend that is the arcade stick for the DC.

Doge

Retro is anything that isn't current gen....











(Just so i can get away with posting PS3 games in the GETS thread! )

CiDeRmAn

Oh, you can post anything you like on the Gets thread, no probs

Doge

CiDeRmAn wrote: »

Oh, you can post anything you like on the Gets thread, no probs

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y9L3BjZfXKk

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?p=91888454#post91888454

KeRbDoG

Doge wrote: »

Retro is anything that isn't current gen....


(Just so i can get away with posting PS3 games in the GETS thread! )

Second that, retro is anything that's not current gen.

Easy way to tell if its not current gen: you are offered a cheese sandwich in return when you try and trade in the system or its games in GameStop.

Flaregon

o1s1n wrote: »

The Dreamcast controller is great! Shame it didn't have a second analog stick, but what's there is fantastic.

The D pad on it is lovely.

I never say it was bad, it just look clunky and looks sell consoles

CiDeRmAn

Flaregon wrote: »

I never say it was bad, it just look clunky and looks sell consoles

Oh, the DC not selling had nothing to do with the controller, it had to do with excellent pre-release hype of the PS2 by Sony and poor expectations by those who felt by underwhelmed by Sega post Megadrive.
I don't think the Dualshock sold any consoles at all, it was the belief that Sony was cool and had the games you had to play and, in the PS2 era, they were right!

Retr0gamer

Excellent Sony pre-release hype? Thought their advertising was terrible back then. The PS1 at the time was so synonymous with gaming at the time that if Sony sent someone around to **** on the doorstep of every customer they would have wanted a PS2 even if it have no games to back it up.

BGOllie

There's two things I consider when talking about retro.

The first one is the hardware architecture and the hardware convergence we've seen since the ps2/xbox . ie when consoles started to be designed as pc type architecture. I'm over-generalizing, but since the ps2/xbox era we're just seeing itteration of the samestandardized hardware format ...just boxed. When the ps1 came out it was truely a next gen leap, and a massive one. But the ps2 or the xbox felt more like a video card upgrade. It was still awesome, but by then we were simply expecting it.

The other one I would consider is the establishment of gaming conventions. Again, since the ps2 I haven't seen any drastic new breakthrough in gaming and gameplay conventions, all of these having already been established by previous consoles and especially with the Playstation. I'm talking about stuff like controler standards, exploding barrels, health bar, 3 lives... the wasd system on pc games I would consider retro...

When I consider this, I can't put the ps2 or the xbox as retro but the ps1 clearly is. That said, I still have a ps2 some goooog games on that machine

keanebg1

I collect everything gaming wise from Atari to Xbox 360/PS3. But retro gaming's golden age was the 1980's. That's where my gaming memories start with the Atari, Spectrum, C64, Sega Master system...etc And retro stops for me after the SNES, Megadrive, Amiga, ST mid 90's era. Somehow after that once all the consoles and computers started using CDs they haven't aged as well. The PS1/Sega Saturn early 3d games seem very dated & hard to like.

I do like the Dreamcast, PS2 and Xbox - but they are not retro yet.

Andrew76

Was doing a bit of a clearout today and came across a few Amiga games in a drawer, have a box full of them. Funnily enough Another World was only mentioned in another thread recently. That little red disk was so very important. Anyway, definitely retro in my book.



A screen most Amiga users knew very well: :pac: