TheIRS

Although I don't doubt this is impossible, it seems like an difficult task to execute well, perhaps too difficult to even bother with. I understand some older consoles and games can become difficult to obtain sometimes (as an example, Conker's Bad Fur Day has, sadly, been climbing in price for a while now, and I don't expect that to change), but I have to wonder if the GOG team would even consider the venture to be worth starting in the first place. The safest guess is "no."

darvids0n

Doubt this will ever be legal (UNFORTUNATELY :( :( )

Robo4900

The only problem with this is that you'd need to use emulators that don't use a copyrighted BIOS, which means that most emulators that work properly are out of the question.
And, all consoles that can be emulated without the BIOS had their games all sold as full games on cartridges(Or Mega-CD/Sega CD perhaps. I'm not completely sure), which means that GOG would have to make deals with the Copyright Owners, so this would be slightly complicated, but it could work.

TovarisX

Maybe the SEGA and other old publishers can accept that but Nintendo never... But i have mood to buy here old console games like Sonic, the Hedgehog, Super HangOn, original Castlevania Games (Rondo of Blood - PC-Engine), Final Fantasys and more.

Ericreed47

I don't understand why so many are offended by this and hate it. Its a great suggestion and frankly I don't know why its not already a part of the website. Plenty of great games have only been released on consoles! Moreover, different versions of games often went onto consoles with different features and some people may want to play the console versions instead of the computer versions! Got my vote.

DShiller

Emulators are viable... if your computer is up to 2013 standards (seriously, I'm emulating my ps2, and up until I updated my 2010 computer to a late-2012, I couldn't run any game at all).
Moreover, more recent console/OS emulators require the bios - which belongs to the manufacturer. Thus, GOG could offer the emulator but not the files required to play games.

It's just not something GOG can undertake, even with existing emulators, if only because there's the chance that your rom or iso won't work properly.

But I'd love for Sony to release their own PS2 emulator...

tfishell

I don't think the OP deserves the flack he seems to be getting simply for bringing up the idea. I'm guessing, however, that most companies are not interested in doing this.

Chebwa

This is easily the dumbest requested site feature of them all. Do any of you live in the real world? Let's also request free unicorn rides while we're at it.

ELFswe

1. Tell Nintendo to hire all the guys who have developed the emulators. 2. Get the now original emulators. 3. Get the now original roms. 4. Release the games on GoG. 5. So much win.

Shadowcaster787

Its probable if companies like Nintendo and Sony could come to some arrangement, since the likelihood of that is zero this one doesn't get my vote.

vulchor

Not gonna happen as ROMs are not technically legal. Gordonfreeman1 pretty much hit it on the head.

Alenonimo

SEGA does that with MegaDrive/Genesis games already. So why not? It would be cool.

etb

I would like to insist how the OP is right. Dosbox is not simply an emulator of an operating system. It is an emulator of a 486 machine with dos. So there are no real differences than a SEGA or PSX emulator, as it emulates HARDWARE and software. Some emulators indeed do not emulate the software completely and so need the original BIOS of the system. Those emulators can present legal problems as GOG would need an additional, difficult to get, license; but many do not need it as they emulate the software too, just like dosbox. pcsx for example for many games needs no original bios.

dogsonofawolf

Just occurred to me though that this would take the focus of the site away from old PC games, which would be a major loss. PC gaming is in a tough enough spot as it is.

dogsonofawolf

This is a great idea, though I'll bet there'd be an army of legal problems in the way.

vojtasass

No, GOG is for computers. End of story.

gordonfreeman1

I think the main problem with bringing emulated games to PC by selling ROMs directly is licensing as companies seem very happy to resell their older games built into custom emulators without having to pay the original console owners licensing fees (that's a very important thing since every console game MUST be licensed by the console manufacturer to be legit). If they sold the ROM directly, which would be awesome, they'd lose out on that business of rereleases probably completely. Look at how many "versions" of Super Mario Bros there are and how many Sega mega drive collections are all over the place, it's big business! I personally want the ROMs directly, but business guys often don't think sense and so do casual consumers unwilling to do the emulation effort.

_Q_

I would love to see SNES games on GOG. It would be great to be able to buy ROMs of all my favorite SNES games with digital versions of all the out-of-print manuals, guides, soundtracks, etc.

commodore256

I think this can be legal for versions of games on Sega Consoles before Dreamcast, (because they used DirectX in the Dreamcast) Sega is more liberal with emulation licensing. Sony and Nintendo will most likely say no. However, I think Hombrew emulation should be fine, the Devs did't sign any NDAs or EULAs. Battle Kid should be fine to sell roms of, the Dev didn't make any agreements, he just designed it with 6502 ASM and docs that reverse engineers published, he didn't get them from Nintendo.

DunKhan

I'd love this (albeit probably separated off from the PC games somehow) but I think it's too unlikely to vote for!

jalister

Please stick to PC only (Windows, Mac, Linux).

sannyf2000

Sega has realsie their old genesis/Mega Drive titels on pc allready so this is not a impossible thing, i think thoe some titels may be tricky and it best would be better if someone (studio perhaps) tock some of these old games and rewrote em as a port for pc.

Catoblepas

I was very happy to see Pandamonium on GOG earleir, and would love to see this trend continue. Disks get scratched and consoles break down. A lot of the older games are becoming harder and harder to find. I would love to see the Colony Wars, Medievil, or Breath of Fire series among others up on GOG. There are a great many Good Old Games on the consoles, and it would be a shame to see them slide into obscurity.

Shaolin_sKunk

No, just no.

citrusred

Old non-x86 PC like amiga games would be really cool.

Myrokratios

Even if it weren't illegal, there is no way that Nintendo or other console companies would allow this. At most, the games Sega released on other platforms would be possible, but anything else is just wishful thinking.

Tokyoesque

Would love to see console games added. (Such as Tenchu: Stealth Assassins from the PS1.)

jamyskis

Just for information - there is de facto evidence that emulation of NES games on non-Nintendo hardware is legal and possible. Around 10 years ago, Konami released a five-game bundle containing Castlevania 1-3, Contra and Super Contra on CD. These were basically the NES games running in an emulator, with the "Licensed by Nintendo" hexed out and a new "Copyright 2002" added. Unfortunately this bundle was only available in the US (I have it by way of import), but it still proves the point.

jrk

I borrowed my friend's Master System back in 1989 and got about halfway through the original Phantasy Star before having to give it back and it's haunted me ever since. Please help me finish that game, GOG!

pbaggers

No. Please no.

vicklemos

Now DotEmu has a lot of Sega Genesis games. Whatcha waitin' for, GOG?http://www.dotemu.com/en/pc-games/company/sega

EC-

While I am all for this, I doubt it's possible with anything from Nintendo or Sony. They will want to use those old titles as exclusive reasons to buy their hardware. Stuff from other consoles, however (like the SEGA ones, the TurboGrafx, and the Neo-Geo) could possibly happen.

Ganpot

It would be amazing if GOG could grab the best games from dead consoles. I'm sure the original console and game owners would jump at the chance for more sales. Plus, it goes along with the theme of good old games.

NessAndSonic

It is cool to play older console on my pc. I bought a USB cartridge reader and a USB SNES controller to allow me to relive the glory days of console gaming again. Thing is, some emulators run on copyrighted bios. They would have to be licensed. I'm not sure companies like Sony or Nintendo would want to allow that. There are some emulators that don't need them though, but they may have problems with certain games if they don't have them.

Everandever

That is bullshit, GOG is for PC games. Get your console games at the nintendo store or get yourself the real console.

jamyskis

It's interesting that the Neo Geo should be mentioned, because as correctly stated, SNK Playmore has no stake in the console market anymore and much of its business basically lives off relicensing existing titles under emulation, albeit on the consoles to date. It worked for Sega - Sega releases many of its titles through a Mega Drive emulator on the PC and consoles, and I think a partnership with GOG is certainly feasible. Likewise, SNK Playmore holds the rights to the vast majority of games on the Neo Geo platform, and it's certainly possible that they might be open to selling games bundled with a Neo Geo emulator and a simplified control config frontend. It's also possible with Nintendo, but I think that getting Nintendo to release on any non-Nintendo platform is unlikely. As for the Amiga - you have the problem that the Kickstart ROMs required to run any game on that platform are owned by Amiga Inc, so you'd effectively have a dual license, but the AROS Kickstart implementation may provide some relief here. Haven't tried the Kickstart clone myself, so I can't say.

Mirbu08

Great Idea and considering that SEGA is offering a Mega Drive Collection on Steam, GMG and other game services there is a chance to get these on GOG.com too.

insanity99

This is simply never happen.

vaalir

Whats all this talk about legas issues? there is no legal issue whatsoever. period. Its all a matter of contacting the respecting owners and sign a contract with royalties. and to WhiskeyOscar, its not impossible to figure out the current license holders... and emulators itself are not illegal people. GoG.com should totally work on getting console classics! i know that at least you can find tons of megadrive\genesis games on steam. adding my vote here, i hate feeling like a pirate whenever i wanna play some super mario 3 or anything else "old school console" oldest working console i have now is an amiga 500 and 1200, but they are so very very moody, so i'm lucky when i get to play on them.

DkryptX

I don't want emulated games but I would LOVE the ROM files and the BIOS... I own all the sega master system / genesis games on steam and I'm still trying to figure out how to play them on a different emulator. If I could just buy roms for games / BIOS files for the newer systems I don't think I'd have any money left. I mean imagine Earthbound for 10$. Goldeneye 64, Chrono Trigger, Journey to Silithis, etc..

WhiskeyOscar

This likely isn't going to happen because of the massive legal issues involved, a lot of the companies don't exist anymore, publishers have changed hands, etc. It'll be near impossible to track down who owns what for a lot of these games. However; I would gladly purchase classic emulated games if they were added to GOG.

jaltesorensen

You should ad Amiga games to that pile as well.

tjohnson4math

I would agree with Zombywoof83, except I wasn't familiar with emulators when I first used them with a few of my classic games. However, once I got it working with the game and a game controller, I had a blast reliving the graphics of my beloved NES and SNES games from my youth. If you want to play it bad enough, you'll find a way.

SabreXT

I'm all for this. I think it would be great. Could even use an Xbox 360 controller for Dreamcast and Xbox 1. Most fan emulators tend to be a bit ropey, and getting wires and replacement parts for consoles is getting tough.

somegamer786

*Clapping* (that's got my vote)

biskus

Legend of dragoon would be awesome.

pl1982

Would be very cool if possible, but as others have said, most likely very difficult too with regards to licences and other stupid legal "red tape".

Robo4900

This could be good, but it would only be legal if the Emulator(s) used didn't have dumped BIOSes, but -- apart from that limitation -- I think this is quite a good idea. :)

vicklemos

I mean, don't you guys want games like these ones I had on GameTap?http://i47.tinypic.com/r8beae.png

vicklemos

When GameTap launched their client it was filled with officialy emulated games from various consoles, such as Sega Saturn, Dreamcast, C64, Nes, Genesis, Master System, Atari 2600, Neo Geo and others... and it was cool, so cool that I remember this with all my heart. Great service, too bad it's crappy now but hey: that's an option. If they did it, why GOG can't?