Retro Consoles: Why Does It Work?
For some time now, the web panics, we hear about retro games, retro consoles, and even new retro consoles.
We'll find out what it's about, why internet users love it, and how publishers benefit.
"Retro" means what?
The Retro, What Is It?
With current trends, one is entitled to wonder.
It is merely a matter of bringing up to date an object, a concept, a game, or any other subject that has been fashionable in the past and arouses a certain nostalgia for users.
Retro can touch on many subjects. We mentioned earlier video games, a real fashion phenomenon nowadays, but it also concerns fashion, the automobile, music, and often, the fields of creation and digital support.
Why does it work?
Nowadays, what will be called Retro Gaming takes an increasingly important place in the world of video games, says "Gamers." From the simple reissue to the reboot, through the remakes, the publishers do not stop.
But why would people buy a game that has had its day or that they already know the plot? Nostalgia.
Who did not have a great game in his youth? Pong, Pacman, Crash Bandicoot, Metal Gear Solid, and many others ... So many games that have had, one way or another, an influence on our current vision of the video game and have defined, as the time, the quality criteria of our games today. That's how they became references.
These references, the publishers have understood, are exploitable in many ways, either by taking out yet another suite, applying a graphic redesign or by allowing to replay on our current platforms. And that, it pleases, precisely because of this great nostalgia.
What is done or not done?
The actions of video game publishers have a strong tendency to frighten the community of players; they are often demanding and very critical. As a result, publishers may or may not be able to afford certain things, and that is where the difficulty lies. Sell an improved product, why not; sell a copy of an existing product, be careful! But where is the limit? This is a debate that rages at all times on forums and social networks. Some people agree with adding content; others think it would change the nature of the game. There are, of course, copyright laws on this subject.
What is selling?
Comes the big question: what is selling? The answer is simple; everything is marketing. The old consoles are resurfacing, with the latest Super Nintendo Classic, earlier with the SEGA Megadrive Classic or soon with the Atari box. The games do not cut: for some years, we see many returns to the old arcade gameplays, reminiscent of the most classic platformers, such as could be found on the arcade at the corner bar. Even the phones get started, with the iconic Nokia 3310. In short, everything goes!
List Of Retro Gaming Consoles
- Super Nintendo Classic
- Super Nintendo Classic Mini
- SEGA Mini Console Megadrive HD
- SEGA Megadrive Classic Game
- SEGA Mega Drive Ultimate Portable
- Atari Flashback 8
- Atari Flashback 7
- Atari Flashback Portable
Recalbox
We will talk here about emulation with Recalbox. When we talk about emulation, we talk about launching a game on a medium that is not his.
This is what Recalbox offers us via the Raspberry Pi 3.
To do so, we will need:
- a Raspberry Pi 3
- a power supply for the Raspberry Pi 3
- a keyboard, to install Recalbox
- a micro SD card of 16GB minimum
- it is advisable to bring a joystick
- and finally, this is not mandatory, but you can provide a box for the Raspberry Pi 3
What makes a good Reboot?
If a publisher wants to re-adapt a product, he must, of course, respect specific rules to be successful:
- The minimum: fix what was wrong before. Of course, nobody will buy a product that he knows full of dysfunctions.
- Update the characters: the game must not be a pale copy of the original. For that, comfortable, it is necessary to modernize the aspects.
- Do not count ON on nostalgia: yes, to be successful, it is not enough to rely on the old public, it is also necessary to create a new one.
- Be patient: do not take out the reboot of a product a year after its release, users would feel scam.
In the end, is it good or not?
Your turn to judge! Some will say yes, others not. But keep in mind that all this is just a hobby, the goal being to have fun. The nostalgic will be satisfied; while the others will have fun on the last Call Of Duty, Battlefield, or Star Wars Battlefront and who knows, maybe they will change their minds at the announcement of the reboot of the game that marked their childhood!