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[Matlock]

Here's what you should know already:

1. GameTap is Turner Broadcasting's ROM service, much like the Sega Channel, where you can play an unlimited number of games for a monthly fee ($15). It's "games on demand" with a nice UI and an authorization process of a few seconds before you load a rom.
2. It will support every Sega system (Saturn noted at E3 but not supported yet in prerelease), Arcade, Intellivision, Atari, PC. The game list is here

...and that's about it.

Is there anything you want to know? I'll pick 3-5 questions from here and toss 'em in the interview.

Thanks beforehand.

 

[Diablos]

As Sony PlayStation 2 emulation continues to be worked on, should it get to a point where it can properly emulate some games, and Sony permits, would you make Sony PS2 games available for play in the future?

 

[Nester]

I read that they plan on eventually adding in Online play to some of the games. Any idea how long until that is implemented?

 

[the year 20XX]

It's probably somewhere on the site, but I'm laaaaaaaaaaaazy

I'd like to know where the emulation software came from/ what emulators they are using.

Also I guess I'd like to know what they think about new homebrew games for the systems they're emulating (like all the new 2600 stuff, and that one Genesis RPG), and if maybe there's room for that stuff somewhere around their service.

 

[APF]

What kind of arrangement do they have to suss-out in order to license these games from the creators? This isn't just an issue with ROMs, but also with BIOS images/etc (is that why no Saturn emu is available? What about Dreamcast?) Why would Sega/etc want to license their games to GameTap when they can instead release their own collections or add old games as unlockables/etc for new titles--both of which strategies they seem to be following pretty successfully--what advantages do companies have by going with this service as well/instead? Why would someone (a customer) want to pay for this service when there are perfectly good emulators publicly available (the question of whether they are using/adapting existing emulators or have started from scratch is a good one); are they planning on extending this to set-tops so that people can play these games where they'd probably prefer: on their televisions? Even though this appears to be "on demand" downloading, I assume piracy of ROMs/etc is a major concern; how is security being addressed? Are games just presented "as is," or is there an effort to find/scan-in original manuals/etc (some emulators have options for the original cabinets, instruction panels, flyers, marquees, etc)? Are they augmenting the gameplay experience in any way (increased resolutions, filters/effects, online multiplayer, savestates, etc)?

Also, tell them to fix their no-Flash-required web pages.

 

[Suikoguy]

I'd love to hear more about their Saturn Plans

 

[Matlock]

Good questions all around, keep 'em coming.

 

[Late Stage Marxist]

When will Canada get a taste?

(I downloaded the demo, which I loved, but was unable to register a full acct)

 

[filthy]

Will they be fleshing out their genres in the PC field? They've currently got a ton of RTS games, but only one adventure game (Myst) and one FPS (Rainbow Six). Sierra is one of the supported publishers, would be awesome to get the King's and Space Quest games on there, though they would have to be updated for XP.

Any more publishers coming on board?

Are they compressing the Windows games to lessen the download time? I was playing Splinter Cell through Gametap this weekend, and noticed the quality of the prerendered cutscenes definitely had some artifacts. The actual game looked great. I haven't played the full PC version to compare, though.

How about Sega CD support? Snatcher would be nice.

Any imported games in the future?

 

[Unison]

I'm genuinely curious if their deal with Sega precludes Sega games appearing for download on the consoles...

 

[Flynn]

They're also going to have original video content, like video game-themed episodes of Space Ghost.

 

[filthy]

They're also going to have original video content, like video game-themed episodes of Space Ghost.

Those have been hit and miss so far. The actors have definitely improved since the beta, but the content really hasn't been there. Last week they did have an episode of Space Ghost with Rand Miller, but they had just done a patch which broke the streaming videos for me, so I haven't seen it. Unfortunately, they don't have archiving up yet, so if you miss a week, you won't see it again.

 

[Matlock]

The questions I picked--

1. Is online play going to be implemented into the service?
2. Are there any systems other than the current lineup you plan to support, such as the Saturn (which was noted at E3 but is not up now)?
3. Do the deals with Sega, Midway et al give rights to the entire library, and if so, will it all eventually be up for play?
4. Are the GameTap deals exclusive, such as that Sega and other companies' offerings won't be available for download elsewhere (such as the upcoming Nintendo Revolution)?
5. What do you think of the homebrew scene? There's been a handful of new homebrew Atari 2600 and Genesis games made, and I was wondering if there would be a place for that on your service.

Interview's on th' 12th.

Thanks, all.