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Sega releasing every console game for free with ads on mobile

forever.sega.com

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Re: Sega releasing every console game for free with ads on mobile

#201

Post by ohbleek »

FRex wrote: post #180
monster2control wrote: post #160

I think this is awesome, and I wish Nintendo would do it too, but I was hoping for an Emulator style application, a single app, where new games can be added as they come out. Being separate apps, it's fine, but it's going to make it a PITA when you have over 100 games you'd love to play. Thank god for iOS searching.

I just hope this won't be weaponized to attack emulation. Many big publishers and platform owners are unhappy with proliferation of ROMs and emulators. With things like these (and according to other commenters the ads are obnoxious and emulation quality not that high) the argument can change from "emulation is SATAN, these old games for old platforms must DIE OFF" to "there is a legal way to play our games, this is p…

They wouldn't be totally wrong if they made that argument. Although, I personally believe that if you already own the game in one format, it's fine to use a ROM on an emulator. I'm open to other arguments though.

Re: Sega releasing every console game for free with ads on mobile

#202

Post by phjesusthatguy3 »

I'm holding out for Dreamcast games, since it's one of the few Sega systems I didn't own (and at one point I did own the Master System, Genesis, Sega CD, Game Gear, Nomad, Saturn) and there are games for the DC I would really like to play. Too bad Sega can't/won't get their third-party licensees to release stuff through this program.

Re: Sega releasing every console game for free with ads on mobile

#203

Post by LordKano »

EA wrote: post #177
apapli wrote: post #29

Having a 4 year old son I am the first person to put my hand up and say I absolutely HATE ads and general in-app purchases for games that he likes to play on my iPhone. In some cases the way these are implemented it is almost akin to being in a casino which is not a skill I really want my son picking up (watch this ad to see what prize you can WIN etc). I welcome Sega's announcement and will be delighted to hand over…

I downloaded Sonic the Hedgehog this past weekend. My 3-year-old son was really intrigued as he watched me play. Within a few minutes, he wanted to play. The mechanics of a the game are a little difficult for him, however, the ads made the game almost unplayable for him. "Finding the 'X'" (to exit out of an ad) is now a mini-game within a game. That said, SEGA got $1.99 out of me really quickly. $2 is a killer deal f…

My son is 5 and I let him play Sonic on an emulator. He was hooked almost immediately.

Re: Sega releasing every console game for free with ads on mobile

#204

Post by Mahn »

apapli wrote: post #29

Having a 4 year old son I am the first person to put my hand up and say I absolutely HATE ads and general in-app purchases for games that he likes to play on my iPhone. In some cases the way these are implemented it is almost akin to being in a casino which is not a skill I really want my son picking up (watch this ad to see what prize you can WIN etc). I welcome Sega's announcement and will be delighted to hand over…

Excuse me if I sound intolerant but, do kids really need to play mobile games? I don't understand why most parents are happy to hand over an iPhone to their kid, then complain that their games are constantly trying to syphon money. Just find something else to keep them distracted then, get a second hand gameboy for example.

Re: Sega releasing every console game for free with ads on mobile

#205

Post by computerex »

draw_down wrote: post #188
cdevs wrote: post #141

Was excited until I download comix zone and heard the choppy audio and the game was lagging out - worked fine over 20 years ago. Just read a article and they ported these games into unity blah blah blah that doesn't excuse that you should test your product to see the final quality before porting everything over. This is unplayable garbage guys...

Looks like this is just another ploy to shovel a bunch of junk onto the App Store and collect the ad revenue. They had this IP just sitting around and not making any money, so what do they care. It doesn't actually need to be any good.

That kills the brand.

Re: Sega releasing every console game for free with ads on mobile

#207

Post by FRex »

ohbleek wrote: post #201
FRex wrote: post #180

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I just hope this won't be weaponized to attack emulation. Many big publishers and platform owners are unhappy with proliferation of ROMs and emulators. With things like these (and according to other commenters the ads are obnoxious and emulation quality not that high) the argument can change from "emulation is SATAN, these old games for old platforms must DIE OFF" to "there is a legal way to play our games, this is p…

They wouldn't be totally wrong if they made that argument. Although, I personally believe that if you already own the game in one format, it's fine to use a ROM on an emulator. I'm open to other arguments though.

The thing is that ROMs and emulators on PC offer some big incentives - stuff like Launch Box, settings and shaders, raw power of the device, controller support, etc. The emulator used/bundled here is apparently inferior to even one SEGA themselves used before on older devices.

In theory the ROM sites have a disclaimer that this is archival purposes, to be downloaded by legal owners, etc. - in practice anyone can download them. But if it wasn't for these borderline illegal sites the games would D I E. Nintendo famously used an 'illegal' ROM of Mario and sold copies of it, some people speculated that they lost the original material.

Yes, I guess piracy sucks and is technically illegal but even I (and I don't play many games at all) had to download cracks for physical legal copies I owned (including once for a game published by SEGA, funnily enough).

Re: Sega releasing every console game for free with ads on mobile

#208

Post by naikrovek »

chongli wrote: post #191
accountyaccount wrote: post #175

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Except that Nintendo doesn't offer the vast majority of their back catalog in any shape or form.

Nintendo is clearly motivated by something other than profit. They release the NES Classic Mini, a license to print money if there ever was one, and it's impossible to buy one without hammering Walmart's private APIs with a script. Then, after a little over one season, they cancel the product entirely. Perhaps Nintendo feeds on nostalgia brainwaves or something.

Nintendo doesn't know how to run a business. They know how to make games.

It's a shame. Because, as you said, they could effectively print as much money as they wanted with a long-term production run of the NES classic and the obvious sequels for SNES, N64, and Game Boy.

Re: Sega releasing every console game for free with ads on mobile

#209

Post by shuntress »

meddlepal wrote: post #178
accountyaccount wrote: post #175

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Except that Nintendo doesn't offer the vast majority of their back catalog in any shape or form.

They slow trickle out games and franchise reboots to drive console sales based on Nostalgia. That tactic seems to be working for the time being...

I see it more as Nintendo makes good games to drive sales and that tactic seems to still work for the time being.

Re: Sega releasing every console game for free with ads on mobile

#210

Post by accountyaccount »

meddlepal wrote: post #178
accountyaccount wrote: post #175

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Except that Nintendo doesn't offer the vast majority of their back catalog in any shape or form.

They slow trickle out games and franchise reboots to drive console sales based on Nostalgia. That tactic seems to be working for the time being...

It seems a little backwards though right? Imagine if they offered a Netflix-style service (or akin to PlayStation Plus).

They could grant access to their back catalog for something like $10/mo, and roll out segments of the back catalog over time to promote it.

Then use nostalgia-based franchise reboots and new IP (lol, but occasionally something like Splatoon catches on) to push new console sales and then slowly phase-out back-catalog support from older consoles.

You could time the phase-out with a holiday season 2 years into a new console (aligns with discounts and once initial new console buzz wears out).

Seems like a much more predictable revenue stream than hinging on the success of a new console.

You could also create leaderboards and niche competitions for the hardcore audience (Super Mario Maker has a sizable hardcore following).

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