MAMEWorld Forums - EmuChat - Re: So Sandy Bridge CPU's......Looks like more Awesomeness for MAME....

> > I have a hard time seeing any correlation between ease of piracy and the failure of
> a
> > platform. I mean, the PS1 and PS2 were cracked wide open for essentially their
> entire
> > lifespans, and the GBA had working emulators before the damn thing even launched.
>
> It's very simple. If your mom can pirate for a system, it's over. PSP's that easy.
> DC's that easy. GBA and DS were that easy (why do you think everyone stopped making
> non-kiddie games for them?). Wii's that easy. As a result, third-party triple-A
> software dried up pretty quickly on all of those systems. The really good GBA and DS
> games were all within the first 18 months of the system, after which it was all "Dora
> the Explorer Lezzes Out With Bratz". Wii's a blur of Mario Party ripoffs, fitness
> games, and the occasional Nintendo franchise cash-in now.
>
> PS1/2 required soldering. 360 requires either soldering or taking it apart and using
> your PC to flash the drive. Unless your mom is really awesome, she's not doing any of
> that. It of course remains to be seen how easy PS3's gonna be.
>
> (And for the record, I don't blame Marcan and Segher on this - they don't personally
> enable piracy and went to some length to try and slow it down on the Wii, but lots of
> people are standing by to corrupt their work in that way).

I don't necessarily agree with that. Maybe on those particular systems, with those particular distribution methods....but I just can't equate easy piracy = death to a system in general. People like to be able to tweak, and control their data. Even if they don't have a clue as to the what or why, make them feel like they are in control and they won't abandon.

Take Steam for example. Someone could very easily download every game they offer. and install every game they offer on every computer they own, and fudge with the multilplayer workarounds, cracks, etc... or they can buy content and have it at their fingertips wherever and whenever they want, with extra goodies. Their experience is easier than piracy. Funny that piracy is such a non issue that they basically admit to ignoring it.

Wii nearly had me at it's release with the news of an online catalog, but after seeing how weak it was I brushed off buying a system. I know I could hack and emulate, but frankly I don't have the time and/or will anymore. I don't want to go through the hassle. Let me aim the wiimote thingy at original titles and hit 'Buy'. First time I browsed I saw less than a handful of titles, said WTF, and never looked back. Maybe that virtual catalog has improved over the years, and I'm not aware. If that is the case, it brings up a marketing flaws as well. Again, if their experience was better or more convenient that piracy options, I'd probably own a Wii right now.

I've owned MAME cabinets. MAME allows me to play all my favorite arcade games. I can have all the pirated arcade joy I can handle, and more. Could one of these "Piracy is death" advocates explain to my wife why I have a sickening amount of space sucking arcade machines in my possession? Like steam,with an actual cabinet I'm getting something "more". I'm willing to part with my money for whatever "more" is. Give people a better experience than they'd get through piracy and they WILL pay. If they still aren't paying at that point they never would have in the first place, bottom line.

I didn't buy a PSP or GBA, but frankly I haven't used them on an emulator either so I really must not care about either system. Dreamcast was a joke. No interesting titles to me, it was expensive, and the controls were ugly and cumbersome. DS looked and felt like a kids toy.

I did own both a PS1 AND PS2. I modded the hell out of both. I also bought a shittonne of titles. Everything pirated on either system was a title I never would have bought otherwise.