Clemsontigers35
Member
I've been following the Retro VGS for a while, and I'm quite intrigued by the proposition. A video game console which will give you the '90s console experience with none of the 90s drawbacks is hugely appealing. So far though, the initial concept which has been displayed seems to be lacking. However, I think the console CAN and SHOULD be saved. Here are some of my thoughts on saving it.
I'll start with my thoughts on the hardware, and move to software
1. Ditch cartridge media and go with DVDs
Admittedly, I'm not sure what sort of memory the system will use, if its an EEPROM based system, or if it uses flash memory. Either way, its going to be more expensive to implement than a DVD based system. DVDs, when pressed and not burned, are fantastically durable and if properly maintained, will last much longer than a cartridge based system. The only downside is loading times, but modern systems keep load times to a minimum now-a-days. Video game cartridges are the software equivalent of vinyl records. The only reason to use them is to relive nostalgia for the old days. Imagine if you could get all of your indie games DRM free on DVD, it would be hugely appealing-and-practical to implement. Indie developers and the Retro guys, I can't imagine would be able to handle the cost of developing carts, but any two bit operation can get 50,000 DVDs stamped.
2. Forget the ugly Jaguar cases and build something timeless.
I honestly don't see the recycling of Jag cases as a selling point. The Jag was ugly and outdated in 1993. If your buying a Retro VGS in 2015, its going to be a luxury item. Give it a beautiful, elegant, bespoke feel. I've seen consolized MVS's with custom built wood cases retailing for $500. Honestly, I would gladly spend the extra money for the MVS, because it knows what it is. A luxury, niche product should make it's buyer feel special. Like they've bought a Ferrari. Buying a system in a Jag case feels more like buying a secondhand Kia with 100,000 miles.
3. On the hardware front, keep it modern.
In terms of what they want the system to do, it seems like they want to include both an android-like device for playing indie games, and include emulation of stuff like the NES. I think they should ditch all pretense of playing games which were not designed for the system, and focus on indie games and possibly remakes in the future. If you want to play NES or Genesis carts, you have plenty of options. Stuff like the Retron, PSN, Virtual Console and compliation discs all exist. And if you've got an old NES or Genesis, what exactly is the matter with using it instead? Last I checked, there were 60 million NESs out there, and 0 Retro VGSs.
One of the problems with indie games is that there is no system of physical distribution, meaning that you have limited ways of trading games with friends, or keeping track of your games if your computer is lost or stolen. This is a niche which the Retro VGS can, and should fill. Why muddy up your design, incur feature creep and overextend your marketing reach, to sell a few extra systems?
4. The beautiful system-make it feel like a piece of art
Most game systems artwork and packaging are stark, ugly and designed to push systems off a shelf. Sega Genesis owners will know what I'm talking about. The packaging of the system, the games, peripherals need to be beautiful. When you buy the system, it should come with artwork, a making of DVD, behind the scenes kind of stuff. The people who are interested in buying something like this will notice this attention to detail.
5. Moving in stereo
Whatever hardware is included with the machine, the engineers must take care to incude optical audio ports, and surround sound options. Surely it will render in 1080p, of that I'm confident, otherwise it would be nigh unplayable on a modern TV. If they neglect the sound quality, though, people are going to be disapointed. If it didn't play a few indie games, or if it started at $400, it would be a bitter pill, but I would still probably get one. If the system had subpar sound quality, I'd walk away.
6. Include some sort of internet infrastructure.
Even if the system only allows for high score leaderboards, it should still have some sort of online capability. It should still be able to function without a connection, but the option is nice. Make it like the PS2. The online connection is there if you want to take advantage of a few more options, but it's not a necessity by any means.
And now on the software front
1. Make it easy to program for, and keep licensing fees to a minimum--or zero
Let's face it, with regards to the Retro, the ball is in the hardware manufacturer's court. They need to attract developers, developers aren't coming to them. If it takes a very short time to convert indie PC games to the Retro, something like 6 weeks or a few months, it would go a long way towards keeping the library strong. A low licensing fee, or none whatsoever, would help get programmers onto the machine. At this point, their market share will be so small, I think they won't have to worry about things like controversy regarding content.
2. Mix it up- Give everyone something to play.
So far, the system's announced games seem to be 16-bit rip offs of platformers and Contra clones. This is nice, but if this thing is going to succeed, it needs to have lots of different genres. They should have sports games, spaceship shooters, fighting games, "old school FPSs," strategy games, racing games, and the aformentioned platformers and run and gun games, etc.
3. Make it the home of arcade style games.
Ever since the Dreamcast died, arcade style games have been dwindling down to a precious few. When was the last time you played an arcade sports game that had the impact of NFL Blitz? Or an arcade racer that's as good as Ridge Racer? The Retro VGS is the place to revive these types of games. The first NFL Blitz was programmed by 8 people, so its certainly feasible for the Retro guys to put together a small group of developers to build a few arcade style games.
4. Give out lots of extras
In the current climate, software publishers ask what the customer can do without. If the Retro wants to establish a presence as a premium product, they need to ask what the customer would like with his or her game. Artbooks, soundtracks, strategy guides, posters, etc. should be added to games to increase their value. They should take the Working Designs model, which probably came 25 years too soon. That will certainly endear them to their customer base.
5. Control options
The system needs to have good controller options to succeed. They have a pack in controller, but just allow us to use our controller of choice. If possible, they should try to make it work with either the Dual Shock 4 or the Xbox one controller. I realize that they may need to buy the rights for the Sony and MS controllers, but it would solve a lot of problems if they could do this.
Lastly, the guys behind the Retro ought to hit the reset button on their proposal. Come back in 6 months with something a bit more ready for prime time. Figure out who is going to buy this thing, don't just make a console "you" like. Give people a reason to invest in you. If the console is $500, but it's all the retro machine you could ever want, it's a much better place to be than selling a $100 piece of junk. And try to get traditional investors on board, not just kickstarter backers. Crowdfunding is great, but you need LOTS of money to launch a game console. Like 10s of milions lots. Manpower is also needed. How are these consoles going to get built? Are three guys going to screw together thousands of machines by hand? How are they going to be distributed? Why isn't this thing listed on Gamespot? The Ouya, which was even more half baked than this thing, was all over the gaming media. Get a dedicated PR person, and start getting press out.
Do you have any exclusives? 300-400 dollars is a lot of money just to play cart copies of 5 dollar PC games. Give me a game that makes me go out and buy one. The spiritual sequel to Outrun 2, a new spaceship shooter that is crazy, or a new version of NFL Blitz which captures the spirit of '99 would help out. How many systems do I expect them to sell? I think if they can pull of everything I said, they can hit 10,000 in a year, and perhaps even 100,000 over the life of the system. But its a low volume business, and I think they need to keep their expectations to match this reality.
Overall, I think that the guys behind the Retro VGS have a great vision, and I believe they can succeed. But they will have to go back to the drawing board and refine some of their ideas, forget the forum post marketing, and get serious.
I'll start with my thoughts on the hardware, and move to software
1. Ditch cartridge media and go with DVDs
Admittedly, I'm not sure what sort of memory the system will use, if its an EEPROM based system, or if it uses flash memory. Either way, its going to be more expensive to implement than a DVD based system. DVDs, when pressed and not burned, are fantastically durable and if properly maintained, will last much longer than a cartridge based system. The only downside is loading times, but modern systems keep load times to a minimum now-a-days. Video game cartridges are the software equivalent of vinyl records. The only reason to use them is to relive nostalgia for the old days. Imagine if you could get all of your indie games DRM free on DVD, it would be hugely appealing-and-practical to implement. Indie developers and the Retro guys, I can't imagine would be able to handle the cost of developing carts, but any two bit operation can get 50,000 DVDs stamped.
2. Forget the ugly Jaguar cases and build something timeless.
I honestly don't see the recycling of Jag cases as a selling point. The Jag was ugly and outdated in 1993. If your buying a Retro VGS in 2015, its going to be a luxury item. Give it a beautiful, elegant, bespoke feel. I've seen consolized MVS's with custom built wood cases retailing for $500. Honestly, I would gladly spend the extra money for the MVS, because it knows what it is. A luxury, niche product should make it's buyer feel special. Like they've bought a Ferrari. Buying a system in a Jag case feels more like buying a secondhand Kia with 100,000 miles.
3. On the hardware front, keep it modern.
In terms of what they want the system to do, it seems like they want to include both an android-like device for playing indie games, and include emulation of stuff like the NES. I think they should ditch all pretense of playing games which were not designed for the system, and focus on indie games and possibly remakes in the future. If you want to play NES or Genesis carts, you have plenty of options. Stuff like the Retron, PSN, Virtual Console and compliation discs all exist. And if you've got an old NES or Genesis, what exactly is the matter with using it instead? Last I checked, there were 60 million NESs out there, and 0 Retro VGSs.
One of the problems with indie games is that there is no system of physical distribution, meaning that you have limited ways of trading games with friends, or keeping track of your games if your computer is lost or stolen. This is a niche which the Retro VGS can, and should fill. Why muddy up your design, incur feature creep and overextend your marketing reach, to sell a few extra systems?
4. The beautiful system-make it feel like a piece of art
Most game systems artwork and packaging are stark, ugly and designed to push systems off a shelf. Sega Genesis owners will know what I'm talking about. The packaging of the system, the games, peripherals need to be beautiful. When you buy the system, it should come with artwork, a making of DVD, behind the scenes kind of stuff. The people who are interested in buying something like this will notice this attention to detail.
5. Moving in stereo
Whatever hardware is included with the machine, the engineers must take care to incude optical audio ports, and surround sound options. Surely it will render in 1080p, of that I'm confident, otherwise it would be nigh unplayable on a modern TV. If they neglect the sound quality, though, people are going to be disapointed. If it didn't play a few indie games, or if it started at $400, it would be a bitter pill, but I would still probably get one. If the system had subpar sound quality, I'd walk away.
6. Include some sort of internet infrastructure.
Even if the system only allows for high score leaderboards, it should still have some sort of online capability. It should still be able to function without a connection, but the option is nice. Make it like the PS2. The online connection is there if you want to take advantage of a few more options, but it's not a necessity by any means.
And now on the software front
1. Make it easy to program for, and keep licensing fees to a minimum--or zero
Let's face it, with regards to the Retro, the ball is in the hardware manufacturer's court. They need to attract developers, developers aren't coming to them. If it takes a very short time to convert indie PC games to the Retro, something like 6 weeks or a few months, it would go a long way towards keeping the library strong. A low licensing fee, or none whatsoever, would help get programmers onto the machine. At this point, their market share will be so small, I think they won't have to worry about things like controversy regarding content.
2. Mix it up- Give everyone something to play.
So far, the system's announced games seem to be 16-bit rip offs of platformers and Contra clones. This is nice, but if this thing is going to succeed, it needs to have lots of different genres. They should have sports games, spaceship shooters, fighting games, "old school FPSs," strategy games, racing games, and the aformentioned platformers and run and gun games, etc.
3. Make it the home of arcade style games.
Ever since the Dreamcast died, arcade style games have been dwindling down to a precious few. When was the last time you played an arcade sports game that had the impact of NFL Blitz? Or an arcade racer that's as good as Ridge Racer? The Retro VGS is the place to revive these types of games. The first NFL Blitz was programmed by 8 people, so its certainly feasible for the Retro guys to put together a small group of developers to build a few arcade style games.
4. Give out lots of extras
In the current climate, software publishers ask what the customer can do without. If the Retro wants to establish a presence as a premium product, they need to ask what the customer would like with his or her game. Artbooks, soundtracks, strategy guides, posters, etc. should be added to games to increase their value. They should take the Working Designs model, which probably came 25 years too soon. That will certainly endear them to their customer base.
5. Control options
The system needs to have good controller options to succeed. They have a pack in controller, but just allow us to use our controller of choice. If possible, they should try to make it work with either the Dual Shock 4 or the Xbox one controller. I realize that they may need to buy the rights for the Sony and MS controllers, but it would solve a lot of problems if they could do this.
Lastly, the guys behind the Retro ought to hit the reset button on their proposal. Come back in 6 months with something a bit more ready for prime time. Figure out who is going to buy this thing, don't just make a console "you" like. Give people a reason to invest in you. If the console is $500, but it's all the retro machine you could ever want, it's a much better place to be than selling a $100 piece of junk. And try to get traditional investors on board, not just kickstarter backers. Crowdfunding is great, but you need LOTS of money to launch a game console. Like 10s of milions lots. Manpower is also needed. How are these consoles going to get built? Are three guys going to screw together thousands of machines by hand? How are they going to be distributed? Why isn't this thing listed on Gamespot? The Ouya, which was even more half baked than this thing, was all over the gaming media. Get a dedicated PR person, and start getting press out.
Do you have any exclusives? 300-400 dollars is a lot of money just to play cart copies of 5 dollar PC games. Give me a game that makes me go out and buy one. The spiritual sequel to Outrun 2, a new spaceship shooter that is crazy, or a new version of NFL Blitz which captures the spirit of '99 would help out. How many systems do I expect them to sell? I think if they can pull of everything I said, they can hit 10,000 in a year, and perhaps even 100,000 over the life of the system. But its a low volume business, and I think they need to keep their expectations to match this reality.
Overall, I think that the guys behind the Retro VGS have a great vision, and I believe they can succeed. But they will have to go back to the drawing board and refine some of their ideas, forget the forum post marketing, and get serious.