Each console generation, we see the repackaging and remastering of games from previous console generations. Besides offering republished classics, consoles have also had backwards-compatibility with older game carts and discs. As manufacturers push for digital-only distribution, what does this mean for gamers and collectors? Let’s take a look at the history of these concepts and their implications for the industry going forward.
The Atari 2600 came out in 1977 and was a runaway success story, shortly finding its way into the average home. Atari took this momentum and continued to develop hardware and software at a rapid pace. They soon created the 5200 as a home console version of the 400/800 Atari computers. But one mistake Atari made was not including initial support for 2600 cartridges.
(When the Atari 5200 (above) came out in 1982, it didn’t accept 2600 cartridges).
(Asteroids on the 5200 and the original 2600 version – the earlier being a different size).
Instead, Atari tried re-releasing a lot of the 2600 classics, remastered with updated graphics, for the 5200 instead (also porting over the already-coded 400/800 games). At the time, there were many consoles on store shelves with proprietary cartridge formats (leading up to the video game crash of 1983). So, Atari suffered a consumer backlash for not supporting their successful 2600 game library.
To this effect, Atari finally released a hardware attachment that allowed 2600 games to be played on the 5200. Atari also released the later 7800 with backwards compatibility for 2600 games . The inclusion of 2600 support also served to help with the fact that the 7800 didn’t have a lot of 3rd party support (mainly because it was released with lackluster hardware for the time).
Nintendo did the same thing as Atari almost a decade later, but with great success. And, instead of making an official attachment to allow NES cartridge play, they remastered existing games over to the new 16-bit format.
(Nintendo’s remastered Super Mario Bros. truly looks stunning)
Due to its release being well after the video game crash, consumers no longer feared being stuck with a console with lackluster games – especially with the excellent Super Mario World as a pack-in title. And in 1993, to the excitement of Nintendo fans, Super Mario All Stars brought the original Mario trilogy over to the SNES – remastered with updated graphics. All Stars and other blockbuster titles helped guarantee the success of the console – which had a long, profitable lifespan without needing backwards compatibility with the previous system.
(If you are curious what an attachment that would adapt NES cartridges to the SNES would look like, see the third-party Super 8 attachment by Innovation/Tristar above)
This is also the approach that game producer Namco took over the years as well – licensing their arcade classics out to various companies on nearly every console.
(Pac-Man had 3 releases on the NES alone – two from Tengen and one from Namco)
But this wasn’t the end of backwards compatibility to boost early console sales. Often gaming consoles are created and sold at cost (or even at a loss, like with the PS3 at launch) so that the manufacturer can make back the money on licensing fees (which 3rd party developers pay to produce games on the console). So to be successful, manufacturers need to quickly distribute these consoles into homes – creating the audience for licensed game developers .
(At one point the $599 PS3 console was estimated to cost $840.35 to build, leaving Sony with a $241.35 loss on each console)
It takes 3rd party developers time to generate new graphics/gaming engines on the new console, so there’s also often a gap in best-selling titles to entice newcomers. The need for games at launch to fuel momentum has previously given cause for backwards-compatibility (being able to play older-generation media on the new console).
(The PS3 lost compatibility with the PS2 shortly after the initial release)
Unfortunately backwards-compatibility with older system media dwindled with the last console generation’s PS3 and Xbox 360. The Sony PS3 didn’t have the power to emulate the PS2, so the early models included special hardware to compensate. The PS2 hardware was later removed to save on costs. (All PS3s will play PS1 media using software emulation) And while the original Xbox 360 started with software backwards-compatibility for original Xbox games, not all titles were supported and later the software patches required ceased entirely. Modern systems like the PS4 and the XBox One are incompatible with older system media entirely.
(From Xbox One compatibility with Xbox 360 and original Xbox: FAQ)
Instead of compatibility with older media, companies are repackaging best-selling titles digitally for (re)purchase through the console’s online marketplaces. To fans of these consoles/games, this is somewhat controversial – as not all games are making the transition and those that do come at a premium price.
(Companies still do occasionally sell remastered or collections of games physically.)
Many also complain about expensive re-releases not really being remastered or enhanced – just merely upscaled and resold (like with Tomb Raider for PS4). Also, like the PS3 playing PS1 games via a software emulator, some expected the Xbox One to allow gamers to play their old Xbox/Xbox 360 discs or the PS4 to allow PS1/PS2 games. But, in the end, neither offered support for older media. We can expect this to be more of a trend as media moves to digital distribution.
Unlike Sony and Microsoft, for two (maybe three) generations Nintendo has opted to make less-cutting-edge consoles and sell them mainly through excellent in-house, high-quality titles (rather than garnering third-party support with CPU/GPU advancements like Sony and Microsoft). To help bolster console sales and diversify the line-up, Nintendo produced the Wii Virtual Console, a storefront with monthly releases of classic games. Nintendo also wisely allows Wii U backwards-compatibility with the original Wii games as well (in fact the Wii U upscales games from the Wii automatically).
However, despite seeming more consumer-friendly than its rivals, Nintendo also receives its share of complaints – such as charging a fee to move Virtual Console games over from the Wii to the Wii U. Gamers who have spent a lot of money buying/rebuying digital titles of past consoles are not happy with having to pay more to migrate the games (especially with no bulk transfer option).
(The Super Famicom with Satelliview hardware and the Sega Channel cartridge)
The idea of digital-only distribution isn’t as new as one might think. Nintendo offered a cartridge-slot attachment (Satellaview) for the Super Famicom in 1995 where games could be downloaded through a cable service at different times of the day.
(BS Zelda came out on the Satelliview and Wily Wars came out on the Sega Channel)
Sega did the same thing with the Sega Channel in 1994. For example, Sega offered a remastered Mega Man 1-3 as Mega Man: Wily Wars as a download service through Sega Channel. And, aside from the device they were downloaded to, games created for both systems were never given official physical releases (though roms and pirate carts of these games abound).
As we move to a digital-only environment, console manufacturers will continue catering to their gamer audience while at the same time moving consumers away from the idea of owning physical releases and toward the idea of paying for a gaming service. In the last console generation, we saw the decline of backwards-compatibility and the rise of online marketplaces. And, already, brick-and-mortar stores are offering codes for game downloads instead of boxes with discs (and probably, in the future, will do away with anything physical other than the game system hardware).
(Amiibos are collectible statuettes that communicate wirelessly with the Wii U and 3DS for various games.)
Not all of these changes are negative. It’s certainly more convenient for gamers to pay for and receive a game digitally than to drive to a physical store. And as Nintendo has shown us lately with the latest Amiibo craze, there are other avenues for collectors to pursue.
Now for shameful self-promotion:
I sell hand-made (or modded) items (like back-lit custom Game Boys) here (etsy).
And I also sell extra used games and manuals I pick up here (ebid) and here (ebay).
Also, please follow me on Twitter and Instagram (@UrzasRage) for pics and announcements.
Proceeds from my shops either go back into my collection as game purchases (so that I have more to write about), for more game-chasing, or are given to gaming-related charities.