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Console Games added to GOG.com (using emulators, like with DOS games)
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SirCabbage Technically, DOS is just another OS that needs to be emulated to make it run. Well, Surely GOG could team up with Znes producers, PsxE, VBA, ect and try and get some console games on GOG. Set them up in such a way that it comes with an inbuilt emulator that runs when you click .exe like has been done with DOSbox, afterall, it is just an emulator. Only downside would be, you could only really add old games, but hey. Surely companies like square enix would love to make money from the huge scene of people who emulate their old content like final fantasy VI.
kakiss4 Super 3D Noahs Ark has the original SNES Rom included.
The port itself is way better than only emulating it, but so you could also use it on your Device of choice (SD2SNES, Mister). Great Way to sell Games.
Mr.X_from_DGN Piko interactive, the company known for selling Emulated Console Games on Steam had acquired the Bleem! brand name from David Herpolsheimer, former president of the Bleem company. And it seems that Bleem! will come back, but as an online store for selling Emulated (Console) Games:
pikointeractive.com/making-return-as-a-digital-games-mark/
CyberWander There is a lot of good titles from 15+ years old consoles, and most of them can only be played on the original consoles. Examples of games i want to play but can't because of this:
No more heroes 1 and 2
God Hand
Silent Hill Shattered Memories
Mr.X_from_DGN There is currently a forum topic on the RetroArch forum on Steam with a list of Emulators / Emulated (Console) Games that are being sold on Steam (or somewhere else):
steamcommunity.com/app/1118310/discussions/0/1643168364654032851/
anblan25 I wish I could channel all my upvotes into this!
Let's get Genesis, Saturn, Dreamcast, NES, SNES, N64, Gamecube, PS1, PS2, XBOX. Just any and all stuff you cannot get on PC and for which you need original hardware.
It seems like a no-brainer. Just go to each content owner, say "Hey would you like to open a long-term revenue stream for your old games that everyone's currently pirating?".
If they say no because they have their own retro gaming online service, that's fine! There are plenty other publishers to talk to, plenty who are not doing anything to re-sell their old games and might not have any plans to.
Hakuso3 You know, as janky as the interface is, that Sega MegaDrive collection they sell on Steam has unencrypted ROMS that you can play on your own emulator or through theirs.
Things like this could definitely come to GOG and, while it tends to miss some of my favorites (Why do they never release an official SMD Shadowrun ROM?) it's not a bad way to go about selling people classics rather than havintg them download some massive collection to get a single game.
Nintendo needs to sell me Crystalis, for example, not make me get a NES Classic RPG/Adventure Collection batch of cart dumps from the internet.
And no, no matter how many times they sue and attack random file hosts, they will never get those files offline. Selling them, without some stupid subscription service and obnoxious online-only app, is the best way to cut down on piracy.
Geords For retro enthusiasts, many of the older GOG SNK Neo Geo re-releases have the original roms and console bioses bundled with them. Sometimes the zips are only in the linux or osc extra releases. Not a console, but it would also be great to see Amiga IPF files bundled with the likes of Canon Fodder, Chaos Engine and Sensible Soccer. Always nice to have the option of playing the originals in an emulator of your choice. And let's not forget Tanglewood. This comes with the megadrive/genesis rom as a free extra.
BlackFist You guys do know that ROMS are illegal, right?
Everyone uses them, i love them, i play old games all the time, but never will GOG do that, it's simply impossible....unless they want to get sued and shut down.
Torchjockey Not to mention arcade games.
wrk40 sega would probably by happy for that option (they sell sonic games everywere)
CrazyEyEz24 I for one would not mind this.. if it was done properly unlike what they did with the DOS games, i messaged i guy from here about the DOS games NOT stating that they are DOS & being labeled as Windows (Which they are NOT) but all he said was that having another label would "Confuse People" which is thing is total BS as if im buying a game or something i want to know what it runs on and not be told a lie saying its windows when its actually emulated. SO im all for emulated content BUT only if it was stated as EMULATED and the CONSOLE its for then put under a tab of EMULATED and not just thrown in with windows or dos games as that's what i hate.
TheWhombler There's no reason for companies to do this when they can just cut GOG out of the equation. Nintendo won't work with GOG for the "preservation," they'll work for themselves for the money.
modmansage Eh, copyright and other legal issues are there. It might be easier to just do a more robust "manually add a game" where you just command line call your emulator and game of choice, with the thumbnail of your choice.
gwart85 I would love for them to add this. They could work with the creators of PCSX2 to bring some PS2 games to the library! I think it could work.
##@@##@@ YES! Absolutely agree! This is a future, this is growth, this is marvellous! I want it all, I want it all, I want all and I want it now! This will obviously profit console producers/developers and take some arrangements. Emulators would have system requirements. People/Gamers would feel so happy. Gog team are extremely talented people, it would open new possibilities and workplaces. It would connect PC Gamers with Consoles Gamers as these are actually same people. Please! for a goodness of all gamers and producers. I see it happened (with my third eye) ^ Gog for it!
That_PS_Guy Not sure if this wish is bound to become a reality or not, but if this does happen on GOG, I would be very grateful. There are tons of PS1 and PS2 games that should be on here for future generations to see. Oh yeah, games from the NES, SNES, Genesis, and many more would be nice as well. The history of gaming matters
DarkPresence92 Add this in cooperation with the companies that made the SNES / N64...ect games. They should get a cut to give us the opportunity to play those games on PC legally.
L1FEsUniverse Is this an honest wish? Why do think there are consoles and then tehre are pc´s? No plus from me!
Orpheus-GOG GOG isn't bringing all of the good ol' PC games of the past allegedly because of "copyright issues"...and you want CONSOLE games being sold? LMAO Sorry but this is just wishful (no pun intended) thinking and nothing else. There's ZERO chances of GOG ever selling (or even hosting) ROMs. Not even the really really old ones. And the worst thing is that THIS is getting 10000+ votes while super useful wishes can't even reach 1000. GOG's Community Wishlist is as useless and abuse-prone as the Forums' Rep System. SMH
EtaYorius I can see some console games actually coming to GOG, it would be like super cool to get some NES, SNES and N64 games but chances of Nintendo allowing it are very slim. I would still like to see some older console titles on GOG though.
RedFireGaming GOG is already the best Steam alternative. Add this feature and GOG becomes the best Wii shop replacement. This could be one of the best things to happen for game preservation since emulation itself.
Dasha66 On Steam, there is a collection of Megadrive games. Basically you get the emulator and the roms. It’s a pity I had to open an account on Steam to just get it. I’d have loved to buy it on GOG.
For us, players, it’s really nice that such initiative exist as it provides us with a legal way to get DRM free roms.
I’ve also bought the Neo Geo 25th classics also in order to legally obtain DRM free roms and BIOS.
DosBOX is the same story. Thanks to the GOG releases, we have a legal way to obtain roms for games like Aladdin, Lion King, Bio Menace, ...
So definitely, if similar collections are available and allow us to legally get DRM free roms and BIOS that can work in an emulator, I’d snap-buy these.
edufrma While getting this to work may be problematic from a legal standpoint, I would love it. Maybe we could even see some Saturn Classics popping up? Yeah, I know Saturn emulation is really hard, but one can dream...
moobot83 i agree id love to see some sega classics from the 90's and lots of others, no other modern launcher has these old games not even steam so i hope GOG takes this oppurtunity to do this
fridgeband Could you imagine getting some N64 and Sega Dreamcast and PS1/PS2 and original Xbox emulations/ports? would add BOATLOADS of excellent content and some timeless classics to gog.com!!!!!!!!
PLEASE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Awesomov I may have commented years ago here that it may not quite be impossible, but still difficult like many are saying due to the licensing concerning not just the games but emulation. After seeing what happened recently with EmuParadise, however, I'm feeling strongly that, regardless of how we spread old console games in particular, there's a pressing need for video game preservation, and it seems something like 90% of old console games risk being lost forever. Emulation via ROM and ISO images is one of the most efficient ways of sharing and preserving video game history and ensuring people can play all of those obscure games they've loved for ages. The whole mini-console craze is nice and all, and I'm aware some companies have released game compilations (the Playstation 2 has a number of great ones) and there have been "virtual consoles" for a while now, but I still feel like that's not good enough considering they still generally feature the most popular games everyone and their umpteenth cousin already has, and the film industry has little problem continually producing media for obscure films only two people bother watching. I understand why major companies like Nintendo don't bother to that extent, but it would be nice to see a Mill Creek-style company picking up dead licenses and going around to major companies offering to publish what they don't want and pumping out a variety of things to fill that void. Even if that company wasn't GOG, either way, I just felt the need to put that out there to get minds running on the issue.
mm201 No way the big N would sign on to this (one can dream), but maybe Sega and a few third parties might allow their games to be sold here.
crogonint THIS sounds like a perfect fit, and would satiate ROM developers that own the rights to ANCIENT video arcade machines.
I would LOVE to see a MAME with ancient roms purchasable for a few bits.
GoG could create an instant market, with people spending a small fortune paying 50 cents for hundreds of old roms, and a few dollars for classics like Pac-man, Galaga and Donkey Kong.
CrazyEyEz24 In a way im against this idea as i have bought games from here before that were labeled as "Windows/Linux/Mac" & only to find that they run on DosBox which for some people runs like frozen coleslaw and then ends up a waste of money & a big aggravation.
maybe if there were more PC ports of the classic games then i would agree (or even Indie remakes) or if they were 'roms' actually worth money (and not ones that are now legally free to obtain) then yeah im all for it (as-long as GOG label things correctly and NOT as "Windows/Mac/Linux" when its a damn emulated game).
thelman101 This is an excellent idea; it reduces the demonisation of emulation by supporting the directors directly, and shows companies the passion and interest in older games!
Merranvo As for why people would buy the ROMS when they could download them for free? Well, I could download any game on GOG for free, many in GOG's own installers. If you give people the opportunity to do something legally... some (not all) will actually put down money and pay for something they really enjoy.
Merranvo Was going to add a Game wish of "All NES, SNES, N64, Gamecube, PS1, PS2, and Genesis games"... but this works too. The really should only sell the ROMS... setting the emulator up tends to be more of a user preference of what said user values most.
imranf1 @kustridaren: depends on the emulator, and it's not like the spec requirements are unknown or cannot be found out. At worst they can simply test on their testbed platforms and use those results.
However, this is more likely a licensing issue of the games themselves. For example you can emulate Binlendo (cough) games, but obviously they will never license them considering they often sell re-releases of their older games. It's less of a technical problem (I mean, the op itself specifically mentions several working emulators) and more of a legal one.
kustridaren dosen't emulation use a lot of resorces from the computer?
Alarus-Sarthes As long as it's done legally, I'm all for it!
sennarc maybe for old games that the liscenses have alreafy expired and are just hanging in limbo? Theres some good EMUs out there.
Jensn3 Its not that these things are impossible but the licensing issues alone on a lot of games would drive GoG's legal team up the wall, across the ceiling and down the opposite wall.
kjetil_f For the Commodore-family, how about reaching out to Cloanto who owns C64 Forever and Amiga Forever? They already includes a lot of licensed games in their emulator package. Magnussoft with their C64/Amiga Classix are another alternative. Would love to have some Speedball , Turrican, Superfrog or International Karate + on sale here.
Narf_the_Mouse This would be great if it could happen. Unfortunately, having given this more thought, it would also result in GoG being sued out of existence.
RedSwirl As far as I understand it shouldn't be impossible. Get into talks with publishers like Konami, Capcom, Sega, Square Enix, etc., to sell their old console games on GOG, then distribute them inside emulation wrappers. Just make sure there's no Nintendo-owned code in the emulator or something. Why would people who download ROMs for free buy these? For the same reason people who might download old PC games for free buy GOG games -- because they'd come with extra goodies like the original manuals, soundtracks, artwork, and so-on.
Of course NES or SNES games would have to be third party only. I think the biggest challenge would just be getting accurate emulation. I imagine this wouldn't really happen for any games beyond the 16-bit era though.
It would be easiest to talk with SEGA and SNK since they're no longer interested in protecting their old walled gardens. Both have emulated games in the past. The only change for SEGA is it would be selling those Genesis ROMs without DRM. SNK already sells many of its games DRM-free on Humble, and they're literally just ROMs wrapped in DotEmu's emulator. Some even come with soundtracks. It's pretty much identical to how GOG games are sold and is probably how console classics would be sold on GOG.
Another interesting avenue might be arcade games, particularly ones from developers who made their own arcade boards and can emulate them (again, SNK).
Padye Apple tried tried this once with their mac. It was supposed to play PS1 games on emulator, from what I remember, game discs supposed to be legal, however Sony still managed to sue them and win the case.
asie Alright, so people are saying that console games cannot be put on GOG.com because of various legal reasons related to emulation. That's not really true.
Most emulators, especially for older consoles, do not require any ROMs. For instance, the NES (which had quite a few unlicensed games you might get permission to release on GOG - I don't know, the old CodeMasters NES games could work here?), SNES, Sega Master System, Sega Genesis, GameBoy, GameBoy Color and many other consoles of that era do not require ROMs. Other systems, such as the GBA and PS1, do benefit greatly from ROMs, but emulation is good enough for many titles to not require them. This means that no intellectual property of the console manufacturer is distributed and that the emulator can be distributed with or without their permission.
The bigger problem, however, is the contracts that those game developers have with Nintendo or Sega which might forbid such practices, or their relationships with the two which might make such practices unwelcome. This is why I mentioned the idea of contacting the creators of previously unlicensed games for the platforms, or homebrew developers, or companies which no longer create games but might be interested in profiting from their old intellectual property. The ones which are still involved with the big companies usually release their games through them anyway, but what about the little, forgotten developers of the era? They might be willing to join such a project.
(Besides, DOSBox is also an "emulator" of sorts, and not a very accurate one at that - PCem is much more accurate - and nobody seems to complain about it)
utaQcee5 I didn't vote for it, but I like the idea of distributing just the ROM's. I would like to legitimately buy the original ROM files without extracting them from cartridges myself. I don't think GOG should be in the business of handling the emulator itself unless it did so in a 'recommended tools' section or something separate from the game. Even then, that's a lot of duplicate maintenance for GOG to ensure up to date versions of emulators that should really be left to the emulator developers or the internet archive. The legality surrounding console emulators in the first place is sketchy at best. Simply a for-pay original ROM repository I'm in support of though. As others have commented, verifying emulation correctness is not on GOG, if an emulator goes south or development stalls, they could be in hot water. Maybe offer a recommendation for an emulator, but claim you only offer legit official ROM files. I'm pretty sure the SOP for Nintendo and Sega is to resell only the most popular old games on new console for $60 anyway. I Would love an alternative for the lesser known games that didn't have console obsolescence built in.
throAU would be cool, but unfortunately i suspect it would put GOG in the position of distributing the console emulators, none of which i believe are currently actually acknowledged as legit by the original console manufacturer.
Sony, Nintendo, etc. would no doubt like to keep games for their old platforms to their own newer platforms.
s1drano That would be highly unlikely. You can't sell a game unless you can be 100% certain that it'll work the way it was programmed. Unfortunately, console emulation is much more difficult than one may think. Even old consoles have hardware features that simply don't exist on a modern PC and has to be emulated via software. While technically feasible, a software implementation of a hardware feature will always run much slower than it should. At some point you need to compromise between performance and accuracy. If the feature is too accurate, the game might slow down at inappropriate times. If it's too optimized, it might cause glitches in games that make use of a very specific quirk that simply isn't present in the "fast" code. Not to mention when a dev has optimized his game to fully utilize features, bugs, and even the whims of hardware-internal timings; a slight change can break a game beyond repair. Remember these old games that suddenly ran way too fast to be playable, if the hardware was too powerful? Yeah, good times, good times. GoG would either sink a ton of resources to develop, test, debug, optimize, and test their emulators again, or they'd invest less money into it in exchange for giving those games away for free. NOT GOING TO HAPPEN.
JohnDwaynsen I wouldn't vote for PSX, N64, Dreamcast... emulation though, as these always have graphical glitches going on
LootSeeker A lot of good old console games out there that would be nice to have here. I wouldn't mind some Bonk and other TurboGrafx-16 stuff...as well as Sega, Nintendo, Atari, Playstation games and so on.
treycook +1 for this. SEGA has a large collection of classic titles available on Steam through a proprietary SEGA emulator. Wouldn't be any more work than establishing a licensing contract to get these available on GOG, DRM-free.
ZMacZ Would be nice..and also..no more faulty emulators...i already have some of those....and yes..even though old in some cases (Nintendo, MSX, Sega, there's some cool games on those..i just wish there was a way to hook up a really old 2 button handheld joystick..)
MangAnimE Makes me recall how Bleem (I think it was), a Playstation emulator got purchased (officially licensed or something along those lines). Was good except the regular updating stopped after it became 'official'.
Still, I'm surprised that game producers don't re-release old games even if they state that they're no longer supported. I still play a bunch of old stuff (even fire up my consoles) because some of the old games have better gameplay than newer ones.
218 comments about this wish