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d21lewis on 25 July 2017
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SvennoJ said:
d21lewis said:

I just want all of my games universal like my MP3s are universal or by movie discs are universal. I think that being tied to a single device is keeping gaming from being all that it can be. 

 

I'd be cool with a new standard in performance every few years as long as it's capable of running everything that came before. My 2001 DVDs still work on a device I can buy today but my 2001 video games (depending on the console) only run on my 2001 device. That sucks.

That's a nice idea, yet my dvd player doesn't play VHS tapes, nor does my CD player play casettes or records. At some point technology makes a jump at which it will cost a lot extra to keep supporting the past. Should consoles from now on always stick to x86 architecture to keep supporting the past? Plus optical discs won't be around forever either.

Should XBox One not have dropped Kinect?
Should Switch not have dropped the second screen?
Should PS4 have stuck to the cell?

MS has been smart to keep their SDKs compatible accross gens. Or have they? MS hasn't secured a first place yet and aren't doing so hot atm. Focussing on delivering the best games for the hardware seems to be more appreciated than universal games.

Perhaps next gen we'll get universal BC back again on Sony and Nintendo systems. Or they'll switch to a new architecture and don't support this gen at all besides remasters. It won't make much of a difference in sales.

In that case (which actually I thought about earlier) most of the movies that were on VHS are made available in DVD/Blu Ray format (or even digital!) so even if your current hardware isn't compatible with previous formats, it's pretty likely that there's some way your current hardware can legally watch a version of your old movies or play your old music.

 

That's all I want. I know games age really fast whereas other media (books, music, movies) are more timeless. I'd love for games to reach a point where they aren't lost to the passing of time because the hardware that runs it became obsolete.

 

I'm pretty much full digital these days. It's cool to see some of my digital purchases from long ago still available on my current gen stuff. Anyway, I'm rambling. Gotta get up for work in a few hours. Have a good night! 

 

😄