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[MidGenRefresh]

I think this is an amazing concept. If a company produced these boxes professionally with NFC tags, SD card adapters and everything ready for transferring game files, I would buy them even just for display. I have been collecting more and more games on GOG and this idea really speaks to me.

 

[HRK69]

Nice. More useless waste

Even imagining the process of transferring my 800+ Steam games is exhausting

 

[Cakeboxer]

Nice idea, but i would rather just buy those cheap 20*30 metal posters for retro feeling at home, because i would only be interested in it for display.

 

[kat_on_the_roof]

Nice. More useless waste

Even imagining the process of transferring my 800+ Steam games is exhausting

Was my first thought too.
What a lot of plastic. is that really necessary.

 

[MidGenRefresh]

Nice. More useless waste

Even imagining the process of transferring my 800+ Steam games is exhausting

You don't own your Steam games so transferring them to an SD card is kind of pointless.

I'd much rather download a game once and store it on a physical card. Re-downloading games from servers again and again has an environmental cost too, if you REALLY care about the environment. I don't. I used to, but every time I'm in a supermarket and see every little fucking thing packaged in separate plastic wrapping or containers, it reminds me that whether I care about the environment or not, it doesn't make a difference.

I'd love to have few games that I love and care about in this format. Super cool, IMO.

 

[HRK69]

You don't own your Steam games so transferring them to an SD card is kind of pointless.

I'd much rather download a game once and store it on a physical card. Re-downloading games from servers again and again has an environmental cost too, if you REALLY care about the environment. I don't. I used to, but every time I'm in a supermarket and see every little fucking thing packaged in separate plastic wrapping or containers, it reminds me that whether I care about the environment or not, it doesn't make a difference.

I'd love to have few games that I love and care about in this format. Super cool, IMO.

GOG being DRM-free already gives you ownership. The SD card adds nothing except more plastic to throw away

A backup drive already does everything your SD card 'edition' does, without pretending to be something deeper than a display piece

And you can't really dismiss concern for waste by pointing at supermarket plastic while proposing to manufacture even more plastic cartridges, NFC tags, adapters, packaging, and shipping. That's not 'less waste,' that's boutique waste

 

[MidGenRefresh]

A backup drive already does everything your SD card 'edition' does, without pretending to be something deeper than a display piece

That's the entire purpose, and I think it's pretty clear. From my posts and from the YouTube content. It's a cool display piece. A very cool display piece, and a functional one at that.

And you can't really dismiss concern for waste by pointing at supermarket plastic while proposing to manufacture even more plastic cartridges, NFC tags, adapters, packaging, and shipping. That's not 'less waste,' that's boutique waste

Ok, Greta.

 

[Zacfoldor]

GOG being DRM-free already gives you ownership. The SD card adds nothing except more plastic to throw away

A backup drive already does everything your SD card 'edition' does, without pretending to be something deeper than a display piece

And you can't really dismiss concern for waste by pointing at supermarket plastic while proposing to manufacture even more plastic cartridges, NFC tags, adapters, packaging, and shipping. That's not 'less waste,' that's boutique waste

Incorrect.

I can dismiss concern for waste. It's gone. Dismissed.

If console gamers find some benefit to having individual pluggable games then why can't PC gamers enjoy the same thing?

Because you want to save the environment?

 

[Cyberpunkd]

Nice. More useless waste

Absolutely fucking this, can't wait to line my shelves with more plastic instead of photos of loved ones, flowers, etc.

 

[HRK69]

That's the entire purpose, and I think it's pretty clear. From my posts and from the YouTube content. It's a cool display piece. A very cool display piece, and a functional one at that.

You can call me 'Greta' if you want, but that doesn't change the point:

As a display piece, sure if you like having a fake retro-style box on a shelf, go for it. Nothing wrong with that.

But the moment you call it 'functional,' the whole thing falls apart. The 'functionality' is literally just copying a DRM-free GOG folder onto an SD card. That's not some meaningful upgrade over a normal external drive or a NAS. It stores the files worse, holds less, costs more, and adds more plastic for the exact same job.

So yeah, as decoration? Cool.
As a functional medium? It's just a dressed-up memory card

 

[HRK69]

Incorrect.

I can dismiss concern for waste. It's gone. Dismissed.

If console gamers find some benefit to having individual pluggable games then why can't PC gamers enjoy the same thing?

Because you want to save the environment?

You can dismiss the environment all you want, but that doesn't turn redundant SD cards into a meaningful upgrade. Consoles need cartridges; PCs dont

Enjoy your shelf, but stop pretending it's functionally equivalent. It's just shiny clutter

 

[MidGenRefresh]

You can call me 'Greta' if you want, but that doesn't change the point:

As a display piece, sure if you like having a fake retro-style box on a shelf, go for it. Nothing wrong with that.

But the moment you call it 'functional,' the whole thing falls apart. The 'functionality' is literally just copying a DRM-free GOG folder onto an SD card. That's not some meaningful upgrade over a normal external drive or a NAS. It stores the files worse, holds less, costs more, and adds more plastic for the exact same job.

So yeah, as decoration? Cool.
As a functional medium? It's just a dressed-up memory card

It literally is a functional medium. It's like shitting on DVDs or CDs. What the hell is your problem, Mrs. Thunberg? Seriously, there are way more useless things out there creating way more waste that you can pick on than this idea for game preservation and a hobbyist display piece.

 

[Kagoshima_Luke]

Nobody who brings up the waste argument for something like this gives two shits about the environment. Just be honest. You don't like it for other reasons.

 

[Guilty_AI]

I'd be happy just copying everything to a hard drive. I dont care that much about the package, and more like the idea of having everything locally and readily acessible. I'm actually cataloguing my games with this explicit purpose.

You don't own your Steam games so transferring them to an SD card is kind of pointless.

Depends on the game, there are degrees of ownership on steam.

 

[Magic Carpet]

Next steam feature request, make an image file to display games library on my TV. Choose either spine on a shelf or cover pages.

 

[MidGenRefresh]

Depends on the game, there are degrees of ownership on steam.

Enlighten me.

Nobody who brings up the waste argument for something like this gives two shits about the environment. Just be honest. You don't like it for other reasons.

Sony, Nintendo, and Microsoft can sell literal useless plastic garbage, empty cases with codes, or CDs that don't even hold the full game, and that's fine. But hey, think of the environment when you want to save your DRM-free, full games on anything other than a hard drive!

 

[ReyBrujo]

I think this is an amazing concept. If a company produced these boxes professionally with NFC tags, SD card adapters and everything ready for transferring game files, I would buy them even just for display. I have been collecting more and more games on GOG and this idea really speaks to me.

Hey, look who are coming here groveling for physical media, Steam users

 

[MidGenRefresh]

Hey, look who are coming here groveling for physical media, Steam users

Correction. GOG users. You know, that platform that sells DRM-free games you actually own, which will work on any PC now and forever? Pretty sweet, right?

 

[CrimsonTide]

Correction. GOG users. You know, that platform that sells DRM-free games you actually own, which will work on any PC now and forever? Pretty sweet, right?

I mainly buy on Steam, but GOG is my 2nd place goto. I do love have they have the super deep cut old PC games though and I can appreciate the DRM-free even though I am not afraid Valve is gonna yank my games away. Though I know they could

 

[MidGenRefresh]

I mainly buy on Steam, but GOG is my 2nd place goto. I do love have they have the super deep cut old PC games though and I can appreciate the DRM-free even though I am not afraid Valve is gonna yank my games away. Though I know they could

I recently switched to GOG. If game is there, there's no way I'm getting it on Steam.

 

[alphachino]

this is far more interesting:

Kazeta – Just Play

An OS that brings the console gaming experience of the '90s to modern PC hardware and games: insert cart, power on, play.

kazeta.org

a whole plug & play operating system with physicay media of your pc games. it's only at very early stages of development, but it is great if you have nostalgia for that tactile experience but for modern games

 

[CrimsonTide]

I recently switched to GOG. If game is there, there's no way I'm getting it on Steam.

Big fan of GOG. Have around 200 on it

 

[HRK69]

It literally is a functional medium. It's like shitting on DVDs or CDs. What the hell is your problem, Mrs. Thunberg? Seriously, there are way more useless things out there creating way more waste that you can pick on than this idea for game preservation and a hobbyist display piece.

DVDs and CDs were functional because they solved a real problem in their time: mass game distribution when everyone didn't have gigabit internet and terabytes of storage.

Your SD-card boxes don't solve anything

They're not cheaper, not bigger, not more durable, not more reliable, not greener, and not better for preservation. They're just memory cards dressed up like retro cartridges.

There's nothing wrong with liking display pieces. Collectors do it all the time.
The problem is you keep pretending it's some superior method of storing games, and when that gets challenged the only card you can play is calling people "Greta."

When you have to hide behind nicknames instead of explaining the supposed "functionality," it just proves the point:

You don't want a better storage method.
You want a prop.

And that's fine! Just own it. Nobody cares if you like flashy boxes. What people laugh at is acting like plastic merch is a meaningful preservation breakthrough.

Nobody who brings up the waste argument for something like this gives two shits about the environment. Just be honest. You don't like it for other reasons.

Saying "people who mention waste don't actually care about the environment" is just a way to avoid responding to the point

I never said display pieces are bad. I said calling SD-card cartridges "a functional preservation medium" is nonsense, they are more expensive, less durable, lower capacity, and add more plastic for the exact same job an external drive already does

If someone likes the aesthetic, great.
If someone claims it's a better storage solution, expect pushback

Dismissing criticism by guessing people's motives doesn't make the idea smarter, it just shows you can't defend it

 

[CrimsonTide]

this is far more interesting:

Kazeta – Just Play

An OS that brings the console gaming experience of the '90s to modern PC hardware and games: insert cart, power on, play.

kazeta.org

a whole plug & play operating system with physicay media of your pc games. it's only at very early stages of development, but it is great if you have nostalgia for that tactile experience but for modern games

This def looks pretty cool. Doubt I would do it, but it looks nice.

 

[MidGenRefresh]

The problem is you keep pretending it's some superior method of storing games, and when that gets challenged the only card you can play is calling people "Greta."

What people laugh at is acting like plastic merch is a meaningful preservation breakthrough.

Nobody here, including me, is saying this is a superior way to store games. It's just a way cooler way to store them. Chill, daddy.

 

[Mortisfacio]

Absolutely fucking this, can't wait to line my shelves with more plastic instead of photos of loved ones, flowers, etc.

This is where AI can be useful. Place them onto art of my favorite games. That way you can have what matters to you (art for games) and your wife can have what matters to her (family photos). It's a win-win.

 

[vodka-bull]

Was my first thought too.
What a lot of plastic. is that really necessary.

Well is life really necessary? I don't think so.

 

[Guilty_AI]

Enlighten me.

On steam there are 4 levels of drm which vary from game to game:
0: No DRM
1: Steam DRM
2: Steam DRM with additional custom encyption
3: DRM with online server calls

0th level are games you can run even without steam on the background. 1st and 2nd level are offline drm and simply require the steam client to be running, so you can still run the games offline as long as you set up steam to operate in offline mode. They can also be cracked easily, with 1st level being so trivial you can do it yourself with a little research.

Ultimately, 3rd level is the only one with no meaning having a local copy of, would only work if got cracked by some group.

Still better to just have stuff on GOG though, but there are games only available on steam so its good to be aware you can save a portion of them.

 

[MidGenRefresh]

On steam there are 4 levels of drm which vary from game to game:
0: No DRM
1: Steam DRM
2: Steam DRM with additional custom encyption
3: DRM with online server calls

0th level are games you can run even without steam on the background. 1st and 2nd level are offline drm and simply require the steam client to be running, so you can still run the games offline as long as you set up steam to operate in offline mode. They can also be cracked easily, with 1st level being so trivial you can do it yourself with a little research.

Ultimately, 3rd level is the only one with no meaning having a local copy of, would only work if got cracked by some group.

Still better to just have stuff on GOG though, but there are games only available on steam so its good to be aware you can save a portion of them.

Good to know, but yeah, I'm defaulting to GOG now. If something happens to Gabe and/or Valve/Steam, there are 'other methods' of obtaining games that you once paid for. So I'm not worried.

 

[Comandr]

I think this is an amazing concept. If a company produced these boxes professionally with NFC tags, SD card adapters and everything ready for transferring game files, I would buy them even just for display. I have been collecting more and more games on GOG and this idea really speaks to me.

This feels like the ultimate cope as collectors face an all digital future.

Find a better way to honor your hobby. Accepting that time passes, and things change is what give those old collections meaning. Making your own chintzy game boxes for your modern PC games is certainly a quaint idea, but it feels like it sort of tarnishes the moment in time that physical media was. Turning your TV to channel 3. Blowing into an NES cartridge. The satisfying POP of the SNES eject bar. Black PS1 discs. These were all moments in time, and they're gone and we'll never get them back.



Look at this fuckin' thing. The buttons and knobs and batteries and dials. It was such a vibe, and we'll never get anything like this again. That's one reason why this moment is so beautiful. You can't just make that now. No one is ever going to look at these SD card things with any sort of reverence.

 

[Guilty_AI]

On the topic, i've seen companies selling physical PC games on USB sticks so theres also that.

However, its worth mentioning the problem with USB sticks or SD cards is that they usually lose the data if they arent powered frequently enough. For a library with hundreds of games, there'll be titles you wont touch for years on end, putting them at risk. This makes an external HDD a better option since you're more guaranteed to keep powering it up more frequently, whenever you want to access any game. Makes more efficient use of space also.

 

[MidGenRefresh]

On the topic, i've seen companies selling physical PC games on USB sticks so theres also that.

However, its worth mentioning the problem with USB sticks or SD cards is that they usually lose the data if they arent powered frequently enough. For a library with hundreds of games, there'll be titles you wont touch for years on end, putting them at risk. This makes an external HDD a better option since you're more guaranteed to keep powering it up more frequently, whenever you want to access any game. Makes more efficient use of space also.

100%. I'm planning to set aside a few hours before the year ends to do just that: back up all my GOG games to an external SSD and install Linux on my PC as a dual-boot option. Sounds like a fun little project.

 

[CrimsonTide]

100%. I'm planning to set aside a few hours before the year ends to do just that: back up all my GOG games to an external SSD and install Linux on my PC as a dual-boot option. Sounds like a fun little project.

How many games you up to on GOG?

 

[poodaddy]

Nice. More useless waste

Even imagining the process of transferring my 800+ Steam games is exhausting

I'm at over 2500 games on Steam alone, let's not even look at GoG and itch.io.

It would essentially be a new life goal for me. No thanks.

 

[Judge Magister]

Pointless.
Just let it go. If digital ends up being the only solution i'm not even buying game-key cards or whatever.

 

[MidGenRefresh]

How many games you up to on GOG?

I only recently started seriously collecting on GOG. 80+. And growing.

 

[Guilty_AI]

100%. I'm planning to set aside a few hours before the year ends to do just that: back up all my GOG games to an external SSD and install Linux on my PC as a dual-boot option. Sounds like a fun little project.

An HDD would be better for long term storage, not to mention its also has cheaper per GB price. SSDs are usually only trustworthy if you use them frequently, if you happened to store it away for a year while you're busy with something else in life you'd already be at risk of data corruption.

 

[onQ123]

I think this is an amazing concept. If a company produced these boxes professionally with NFC tags, SD card adapters and everything ready for transferring game files, I would buy them even just for display. I have been collecting more and more games on GOG and this idea really speaks to me.

I thought Nintendo was going to do this with Amiibo

[h3][/h3]

 

[MidGenRefresh]

An HDD would be better for long term storage, not to mention its also has cheaper per GB price. SSDs are usually only trustworthy if you use them frequently, if you happened to store it away for a year while you're busy with something else in life you'd already be at risk of data corruption.

Looks like I need to do some research before starting the project. Thanks!

 

[Guilty_AI]

Looks like I need to do some research before starting the project. Thanks!

Also, when saving GOG games, save the backup installers instead of just the game files, those usually come with additional dependencies the system may need to run the game (like c++ libraries, certain dlls for older games, etc) and occupy less space. Make sure to download the installers through galaxy too since its more efficient and less prone to file corruption compared to downloading them through a browser

 

[poppabk]

You don't own your Steam games so transferring them to an SD card is kind of pointless.

I'd much rather download a game once and store it on a physical card. Re-downloading games from servers again and again has an environmental cost too, if you REALLY care about the environment. I don't. I used to, but every time I'm in a supermarket and see every little fucking thing packaged in separate plastic wrapping or containers, it reminds me that whether I care about the environment or not, it doesn't make a difference.

I'd love to have few games that I love and care about in this format. Super cool, IMO.

I dont give a fuck about the environment, but who wants all that shit cluttering up your life, when you could just have an external hard-drive if you really feel the need for backups.

 

[CrimsonTide]

I only recently started seriously collecting on GOG. 80+. And growing.

Not a bad start, I am near 200 and most of mine are the classics from my youth. Love it

 

[MidGenRefresh]

I dont give a fuck about the environment, but who wants all that shit cluttering up your life, when you could just have an external hard-drive if you really feel the need for backups.

Judging by the number of views and like to dislike ratio on the video, a lot of people.

 

[cinnamonandgravy]

i just use an hdd + a couple back up external hdds

dont want those little dingleberry boxes

 

[Guilty_AI]

Not a bad start, I am near 200 and most of mine are the classics from my youth. Love it

Proud to say my GOG collection is bigger than my steam one, sitting at 400+

 

[CrimsonTide]

Proud to say my GOG collection is bigger than my steam one, sitting at 400+

Mine is about 1/4th of my Steam lol

But, I dont shy from GOG if it's a good deal and I love them for the early-mid 90's pc classics

 

[Guilty_AI]

Mine is about 1/4th of my Steam lol

But, I dont shy from GOG if it's a good deal and I love them for the early-mid 90's pc classics

I get GOG whenever theres the option between GOG and Steam, only exception to these are some games that only got on GOG later (i made the mistake of buying Expedition 33 early on steam, only to be surprised it got a GOG version a month or so afterwards )

 

[CrimsonTide]

I get GOG whenever theres the option between GOG and Steam, only exception to these are some games that only got on GOG later (i made the mistake of buying Expedition 33 early on steam, only to be surprised it got a GOG version a month or so afterwards )

GOG is slowly getting better at day 1 I have noticed.

Not sure where they rank, but I would have to imagine the 2nd leading PC store front. Could be wrong.

 

[StereoVsn]

I get GOG whenever theres the option between GOG and Steam, only exception to these are some games that only got on GOG later (i made the mistake of buying Expedition 33 early on steam, only to be surprised it got a GOG version a month or so afterwards )

The one issue I have seen with GoG with newer games is that patches come in late and sometimes you won't see latter patches deployed to GoG at all.

 

[Guilty_AI]

The one issue I have seen with GoG with newer games is that patches come in late and sometimes you won't see latter patches deployed to GoG at all.

Yeah, but from my experience such cases of patches not coming are very rare, and in the cases it happens its usually just one or two smaller hotfixes.