Poll: New vs Retro

[Bizzaro Stormy]

So there are lots of retro games that get attention, but you can only play many of them on older systems/modified computers. There are also lots of new games on the horizon that require new consoles or upgrading your PC. Are you more likely to buy an older system to have access to this vast library, or are you more interested in buying the shiny new system to take advantage of unknown and possibly glorious things to come?

For me personally I was somewhat in the middle until this most recent console generation. I have no interest in the new systems except possibly for the WII U. Even entertaining the possibility of getting that one is being generous on my part. The libraries of the old systems are so extensive and the surplus of games and hardware to play them on is so massive that I think for the foreseeable future I'll play retro games and whatever is made available for the PS3. However, that is just my own very backwards and bigoted opinion. What does every one else think?

 

[Tuesday Night Fever]

I've had no real interest in buying new consoles for a while now. PC master race, and all that crap. But seriously, why spend hundreds of a dollars on a console that doesn't have much on it I want to play and no guarantee that will change in time?

I'm more likely to continue doing what I did with the Playstation 3. I bought one after the PS4 came out and the price on the PS3 and its games plummeted on Amazon. I bought the console and pretty much all of its top games, all brand new, for less than the price of a new PS4 and a game or two for it.

So vote goes to old, I guess.

 

[Mutant1988]

I'd sooner buy another PS2 than a PS4, so retro I guess.

Though the retro snobs probably won't allow me to call the PS2 retro.

Really, there's so much wrong connected to modern consoles that I just don't feel like playing along any more. I'm perfectly content with sticking to PC (Which the consoles pretty much are) where I can play games and not be bothered by excessive DRM measures, monopolized marketplaces and restrictive OSs.

 

[Wintermute_v1legacy]

I'll just stick to what I have, my PC. Not the biggest fan of consoles but I do own a PS3, which was a gift from my brother, because I'd never buy one myself, which is cool because I finally got to play console exclusives like Uncharted and, God of War, etc.

 

[MysticSlayer]

I'd go with the new console. Having a massive library means nothing if I spend all my time looking for the handful of games that still hold up today, and that's really what I spend most of my time doing on older consoles. And because of the "holds up today" part, I can't really rely on the nostalgia-fueled fans of those games. At least with new consoles, I can be mostly certain that I'll continue getting decent games for the next few years (even the Wii managed to do that despite horrible support), and there's probably a greater chance that I can enjoy games that others say are really good.

 

[heroofheroin]

I probably toe the line between the two categories. regarding retro, the classics that have aged well are good shit, but the stuff that hasn't is ghastly.

 

[Olas]

I've created a rule that I won't buy any new games until I've completed my back catalogue which will keep me busy for a while, and even before that I never bought games anywhere close to release, so I have absolutely no reason to invest in anything new.

 

[G00N3R7883]

I'm on PC, I'm always on the lookout for exciting new games but I also spend alot of time replaying old favourites. For example the last couple of weeks I've just replayed The Witcher 1 & 2.

For the purposes of the poll, I voted new because there will come a time that I'll need an upgrade (unless developers suddenly drop their obsession with graphics). Hopefully not for a while yet.

 

[CaitSeith]

I think I would stuck with my PC. With it I can play both retro and new games.

 

[MajorTomServo]

Though the retro snobs probably won't allow me to call the PS2 retro.

Weirdly, I consider PS2 retro, but not Gamecube. Probably because I mostly played Gamecube when I was younger, and I don't want to admit I'm getting old.

Anyway, retro. It's cheaper, you have 100% ownership of your games, and they're more casual friendly (and by that I mean, any average Joe can pick up Super Mario Bros and know what to do. They might not be very good, but they'll at least be able to "get it." When one of my non-gamer friends picks up a modern game, they spend most of the time asking me "WHAT DO I DO?" as the camera wildly swings around).

 

[JohnnyDelRay]

Stick with what I've got for as long as I can hold out, or until there's a significant price drop on the "new" console in question, and any exclusives that I want to play. I've done it for all 3 playstations, XBOX 360, and am doing it now for PS4. But apart from Bloodborne, there's nothing, so I'm waiting it out rather comfortably on my PC. Which slowly gets upgraded as time goes on anyway.

 

[TranshumanistG]

So there are lots of retro games that get attention, but you can only play many of them on older systems/modified computers.

I disagree. Nowadays more and more old systems get simple-to-use emulators that can be run on generic mid-end PCs and worse so the only point in owning those old systems is the wanting to participate in historical reconstructions. Additionally some of the games are getting updated and re-released by their rights holders or recreated as free remakes by enthusiasts, which allows them to be enjoyed on modern systems even without an emulator.

OT: I stopped getting excited about the new and unknown around the time the original Crysis got released. I can see the difference in visuals but it's just doesn't feel like that big of a deal like people are making it out to be. Motion controls and Oculus Rift piqued my interest for a little bit, but I quickly discarded them as nothing more that silly gimmicks. Add to that the necessity to spend money on gear to run new stuff and I get one more reason to enjoy the vast amount of good older games that were made for now outdated hardware. Even if I try out newer games nowadays, its likely to be retro-styled or look like it was meant to run on last-generation hardware, or the one before that. Also, I hate playing a game knowing that I'll have to wait before being able to play all of it and with all the modern DLC and Season Pass stuff, even if I buy modern games, I prefer to wait for a 'complete' edition.

 

[fenrizz]

Most likely an old system.

I'm not getting the PS4 yet, though I probably will eventually.
For now I'm focusing my gaming money on the NES, SNES, N64 and PS1.

 

[stroopwafel]

New for me. Like MysticSlayer said there are a ton of old games but few that actually hold up over time. I played games extensively since the early NES days but games I consider pure timeless quality are only a handful(A Link to the Past and Super Metroid definitely top that list). And there is no denying that there is a certain charm in the simplicity of oldschool game design(particularly 8/16-bit) but by and far I prefer modern games now. Despite the many gripes I have with business practices and buggy software launches there is no denying the complexity and sheer depth of games have increased dramatically. Comparing oldschool games to modern games is basically apples and oranges now considering the vastly different technologies and design philosophies(primarily when it comes to new and redefined genres).

To be honest I only consider the Super Nintendo library to still be as good as it ever was. Most games on early 3D consoles before the HD era with all those low-res polygons just aged horribly in my opinion, but not the SNES. I think games were at their peak on the system as far as 16-bit sprites go, before tailing off onto disc-based 3D technologies which are only recently coming onto their own(similarly as the Atari/early home computer run-ups to the SNES).

So yeah, the best is still to come I guess?

 

[Smooth Operator]

Well I'm on PC so I know the old stuff will be made to work in one way or another and new hardware does not only serve new games but a much better entertainment/work experience overall.

But I don't buy overblown nonsense for imaginary shit that might come, I get sensible improvements for stuff that I have.

 

[Johnny Novgorod]

Next thing I buy will probably be a PS4, though I'd like to get another SNES someday (original disappeared).

 

[Drathnoxis]

I'm not likely to buy either, considering I already own virtually every old console that's worth owning or a console that can play it's games. The only one's I'm missing are atari-2600 and the Sega consoles, but strangely I don't hear about must play Sega exclusives very often.

I guess If I had to choose though, I would buy one of the old consoles I'm missing rather than a PS4 or Xbone.

 

[infohippie]

As a PC gamer, I don't really have that dilemma. I can get various emulators and virtual machines to provide nearly any gaming environment that has existed. My only real problem is console games that don't map well to mouse and keyboard, and that's only an issue for me because I hate using controllers.

 

[Doom972]

Unless you're talking about Xbox 360 or PS3 games, you don't need an old console or make any special modifications for a PC. A moderate PC can run all existing emulators.

I often switch between playing new games and old games. I like both and don't see a reason to choose one over the other.

 

[Bernzz]

Retro of course, the Metroid Prime games were some of the best-oh, you mean retro like old games...

I voted "stick to what I've got", because my PC and Wii U provide any game I need these days. I have no desire for the lineups of the PS4 and the Xbone, so they'd be a waste of money.