First generation where you no longer have a home console

[HoshiChiri]

The one thing I like about downloading games to a modern console is that I can play them without putting a disc in to prove that I own it. Quick and easy. The sad thing is that once the console is abandoned, the games will probably stop working.

 

That is my #2 concern for downloaded titles right there. (#1 being 'how do I restore my games if the system they're on dies after the servers go offline?")

 

I'm going to be paying quite a bit of attention to the 360/PS3 as they fade into 'retro' territory to see how this kind of stuff is handled. Until then, I'm clinging to my physical media like moss on a rock!

Edited February 22, 2016 by HoshiChiri

[Skippy B. Coyote]

That is my #2 concern for downloaded titles right there. (#1 being 'how do I restore my games if the system they're on dies after the servers go offline?")

 

I'm going to be paying quite a bit of attention to the 360/PS3 as they fade into 'retro' territory to see how this kind of stuff is handled. Until then, I'm clinging to my physical media like moss on a rock!

I'm in very much the same boat. There are some games that I really love and think are fantastic for their respective genres out on the 3DS eShop right now (Ironfall: Invasion, Moon Chronicles, and Dementium Remastered mainly) but the lack of physical releases for them make me really hesitant to spend the money on them again. And I say "again" because I already spent $50 buying those games once only to end up selling my old 3DS at one point without realizing that the games were keyed to the system and not my online account with Nintendo, so now if I want to own these games again when I get a new 3DS I'd have to pay for them all over again and pray that my 3DS never dies on me. Then there's the Xbox 360. On that system I paid for and downloaded a good $100 or so worth of games over it's lifespan, then later down the line my hard drive failed and I lost them all. After that I got a new Xbox 360 and went to re-download the games, only to find that half of them had been removed from Microsoft's servers and were no longer available for download.

 

It's such a shame that so many good games coming out these days aren't getting physical media releases, because all it takes is one hardware failure (or the eventual and inevitable shutting down of the company's servers, in the case of Non-Nintendo brand digital download games) and those games are lost forever and you are out a substantial chunk of money. With that in mind, I too will be sticking to games that come on physical media from this point onward. I've already been burned too many times by the digital download sales model and I'm not falling for that again.

Edited February 22, 2016 by Jin

[HoshiChiri]

I'll still bite on the occasional download title- I'm loving Unravel, for example- but I'll never buy a download if I can get it on disc. Typically, I'll only download a select few titles that both look amazing & are cheap enough that I won't mind buying them again if/when they get a physical release (like Shovel Knight and Child of Light.)

 

It'll be interesting to see if the digital model for consoles starts to disappear when the PS3/Xbox servers go down and people realize they're losing their collections (if that is what happens.) I know for a fact my pro-digital friends don't seem to be thinking about that right now, maybe it hasn't occurred to them it could happen.

[Bill Loguidice]

It'll be interesting to see if the digital model for consoles starts to disappear when the PS3/Xbox servers go down and people realize they're losing their collections (if that is what happens.) I know for a fact my pro-digital friends don't seem to be thinking about that right now, maybe it hasn't occurred to them it could happen.

 

I'm pretty sure the Sony and Microsoft servers for their respective consoles/handhelds are unified, so as long as they're both in the videogame business, there's little chance of the ability to download those titles going away anytime soon. What will almost certainly go away at some point is the ability to play those games online, but then that's par for the course for just about any online multiplayer game - regardless of platform - given enough time.

 

I don't need to pass down my digital collections to my children. I'm sure they don't want most of my obnoxiously large physical videogame and computer collection either. In the end, it's all just stuff meant to be enjoyed in the here and now. If some of the digital goes away in 20 years, so be it, as I'm pretty sure there will be plenty of other stuff of interest to take its place.

[AAA177]

Didn't read through the entire thread, but I read many posts; this is a great topic.

 

Just a couple comments from my perspective.

 

I do own a Wii because of the Virtual Console. I still enjoy playing Resident Evil on the recent consoles. In fact, I recently completed one of the missions of Resident Evil 6 on PlayStation 3. I also, to some degree, would like to get a PlayStation 4 simply for Snoopy's Grand Adventure (I think that's the name). I think that game would appeal to many of us here.

 

I don't necessarily mind the length of a game, but the difficulty is what I do not like; of course, all videogame systems had that issue. These days though I think the word has gotten to publishers that not everyone can complete a difficult game. I actually was able to get through Resident Evil 4, Resident Evil 5, and Resident Evil 6, with the latter being very forgiving.

[Blazing Lazers]

 

That is my #2 concern for downloaded titles right there. (#1 being 'how do I restore my games if the system they're on dies after the servers go offline?")

 

I'm going to be paying quite a bit of attention to the 360/PS3 as they fade into 'retro' territory to see how this kind of stuff is handled. Until then, I'm clinging to my physical media like moss on a rock!

The example of the servers for the original Xbox is all one needs to know. The servers and online account services for last, current, and future generation consoles WILL be taken down when it is no longer convenient for those controlling them to support them. Plenty of titles have already had servers dropped, it's simply a matter of time for the rest.

[imstarryeyed]

I stopped at the WiiU which I really like and I do not own a 360, PS4, or Xbox One and have no intention of buying one.

 

Every generation we just see more and more examples of games that are living up the prediction... make patches available for consoles and you will blow open the door to broken games at launch. The recent griping about the new Street Fighter V game are just the latest example, but I am afraid there will be many many more in the future.

 

Gaming budgets have been so blown up out of proportions that there are no new concept games coming out but just the rehashes we have tolerated for the last 10 years.

 

I guess that is the reason I am into Neo-Retro (a term I use at my game store here in Corpus Christi), new games for classic consoles are great as they really are fun, don't get caught up in just graphics and you can pick it up and play and just enjoy it. I am really liking the games that were once promised and only now due to the hard work of talented programmers are now realized.

 

In any case I am just happy to share my views too.

[Keatah]

The kid turned on the PS4 to play something and had to sit through a system update, a game update, and two or three restarts, it took like nearly 20 minutes.

 

It's why I do not play modern consoles.

[HoshiChiri]

The example of the servers for the original Xbox is all one needs to know. The servers and online account services for last, current, and future generation consoles WILL be taken down when it is no longer convenient for those controlling them to support them. Plenty of titles have already had servers dropped, it's simply a matter of time for the rest.

 

The big difference between the original Xbox and the 360/PS3 is going to be actual games. One didn't actually download entire games for that system (to my knowledge.)

 

There is no doubt in my mind that the servers will eventually go down. I'm just wondering what that will mean for what's on our hard drives. Will I no longer be able to play Ilomilo because the system can't tell if the right 'owner' account is present? If that's not an issue and the games continue to run (sans online components), what happens if the hard drive dies? Is the game gone forever? Will we be able to move games to other hard drives and tie them to other user names, or will we see a future of 360 collectors with piles of drives around, forced to login as 'xXx_C0cKsWaG_xXx' because it's the only way they can play a specific title?

 

There's a lot of stuff in place now to prevent free sharing of games that, while perfectly reasonable on an active platform, will be a huge detriment to collecting once support stops. I'm waiting to see if they choose to remove those restrictions, or if they let entire digital catalog basically become useless.

[+save2600]

The kid turned on the PS4 to play something and had to sit through a system update, a game update, and two or three restarts, it took like nearly 20 minutes.

 

It's why I do not play modern consoles.

 

Hey, maybe in an accidental sort of way, kids might be learning a little something about having patience? They're already programmed and brainwashed to tolerate all sorts of nonsense, not the least of which - putting up with the worthless practices video game makers put us through today.

 

Just wonder if this generation will ever finally say or admit that enuff z'nuff's already?

[+Random Terrain]

Since most kids have a little finger wipe-ity beepity boopity machine in their hands at all times, they can look down and beep and boop while they wait for console or game updates. No need for patience when you have a world of entertainment in your hand.

[Ransom]

Since most kids have a little finger wipe-ity beepity boopity machine in their hands at all times, they can look down and beep and boop while they wait for console or game updates. No need for patience when you have a world of entertainment in your hand.

 

It only works so many times a day, though, even if you're a teenaged boy.

 

OH! You meant a smartphone. Never mind.

[Skippy B. Coyote]

It only works so many times a day, though, even if you're a teenaged boy.

 

OH! You meant a smartphone. Never mind.

"Beep"ing and "boop"ing, is that what the kids are calling it these days?

[Eltigro]

I'm not usually an early adopter or whatever. I have had consoles from each "generation" when they were current (unless you argue that the TG does not belong with the Genesis and SNES). I had an NES before the SNES/Genesis/TG-16 era. I had a TG-16 before the Playstation/Saturn/N64 era (is this where the Jag goes?). I had a Playstation before the Dreamcast/PS2/XBox/Gamecube era. I had a PS2 and Gamecube before the 360/PS3/Wii era. I had Wii and 360 before the PS4/XBoxOne/WiiU era. Of the ones I owned, I'd say only the TG-16 and the PS2 were owned within a year of their release. All the others I got after they had already been out for a while.

 

I guess if there was a "generation" between the 2600 and the NES, I didn't have that. My step brother had a 5200, but that was it.

 

I do not have any "current gen" system. No PS4, no XBoxOne, no WiiU. At least not yet. I may still get one... probably either the XBoxOne or the WiiU. Time will tell if I get one before the next ones come out. (Isn't Nintendo making noise about a new one?)

 

As far as why, well, there haven't really been any games that I feel I just gotta have until just recently. Most games that came out for the XBoxOne, for example, were also available on the XBox360. Or they were online only games or just a genre that I wasn't that interested in (first person shooters). It's only recently that more games have come out that are only for this gen, and that I'm interested in (biggest one being Fallout 4). But honestly, there are still lots of games that I'm interested in in the PS3/360/Wii generation. Of course, as far as that goes, there are still games in the NES/SMS/7800 era that I'd like to get and play more of.

[+save2600]

Since most kids have a little finger wipe-ity beepity boopity machine in their hands at all times, they can look down and beep and boop while they wait for console or game updates. No need for patience when you have a world of entertainment in your hand.

 

Kidz today:

 

 

And they parent:

 

 

 

…monkey see, monkey do! Now put that cell phone down and wait for more updates y'all!

[Nutsy Doodleheimer]

 

Kidz today:

 

 

And they parent:

 

 

 

…monkey see, monkey do! Now get out your cell phone y'all's!

No. This is the kids and their parent's. "Dad, what are you eating?" "I don't know son, some good shit." "Can I try daddy, for shits and giggles?" "Well shit, why not?"

 

http://youtu.be/oAQubtm-IPg