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With retro compilations and four console generations on one system with Scarlett, is Xbox now the ultimate "retro" platform?

ManaByte

ManaByte

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This is something I started to really think about when Phile Spencer began talking about Microsoft's vision of your library moving with you to a new console, much like cellphone apps or PC games. And with Scarlet able to play whatever you can on the Xbox One, it's looking even more like it'll be the case:

Is the Xbox now the ultimate legal single-platform "retro" device?

You have every generation of the Xbox on it, but then there are all of the retro game compilations.

With the Xbox you can legally play games from the Xbox, Xbox 360, Xbox One, Arcade, NES, Famicom, SNES, Genesis, Mega Drive. Hell, even the GameBoy.

Not to mention remasters of PS2 exclusives such as the DMC games or the Final Fantasies, or games that originated on the GameCube like RE.

So for someone who doesn't have game room filled with Retro consoles they can put an Xbox under their TV and have access to ALL of that on one device.
 
PlanetSmasher

PlanetSmasher

The Abominable Showman
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Oct 25, 2017
115,682
I don't think so. There's way too many games from other platforms that you can't play on Xbox. I have absolutely no nostalgia for the platform either, so losing out on all the Nintendo and PS1 games I grew up with kind of defeats the purpose.
 
werezompire

werezompire

Zeboyd Games
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Oct 26, 2017
11,372
It's an impressive lineup to be sure. I'm partial to the Vita myself - between the PS1 classics, PSP backwards compatibility, ports of various PS2 & PS3 games, plus its own library, it's got a lot of great stuff AND it's portable.
 
entremet

entremet

You wouldn't toast a NES cartridge
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Oct 26, 2017
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It's a pretty strong value proposition, but gaming has too many platform holders for something to be the ultimate retro gaming console legally.
 
entremet

entremet

You wouldn't toast a NES cartridge
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ManaByte said:
So all those game compilations that are out right now are illegal? Better call Konami and tell them to delist the Contra one they just released.
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No. I'm talking about Nintendo and Sony catalogs, which are massive.

Heck, remove Sony from the picture, and without Nintendo stuff, you have a gaping hole.

Nintendo hasn't been the best with their retro content either. The multiple Virtual Consoles (yay for rebuying SMB1 three times lol), Switch still on NES games, and so on.

And Sony has been horrible starting with the PS4.

So I do give props to MS for beating Sony and Nintendo in this area. It's impressive.
 

Deleted member 17210

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PC wins this even with the "must be legal" qualification. It has tons of old console and arcade games on it plus a massive history of computer games that you won't find re-released on modern consoles.
 
Kuro

Kuro

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Oct 25, 2017
20,653
EvilBoris said:
Your PC can't do all the Xbox Scarlet Xbox One games, Xbox 360 and OG Xbox games can it?

I can play emulators on my Xbox however
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Sure if you have nostalgia for Xbox exclusive games which are far outnumbered by Sony and Nintendo's offerings. Adding Scarlet to the mix is funny considering it looks like next gen MS will put everything out on PC as well.
 
janusff

janusff

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Oct 25, 2017
18,133
Austin, TX
it's great for playing older xbox titles on the 360 and OG but all the other examples you listed like NES, SNES or Genesis are multiplatform and on other consoles as well. Not to mention there's ps2 titles on ps4 that aren't anywhere else. Or like the Switch has some NES titles not on xbox.

But yeah I get what you're saying. It's impressive for sure.
 
MazeHaze

MazeHaze

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Nov 1, 2017
8,579
EvilBoris said:
Your PC can't do all the Xbox Scarlet Xbox One games, Xbox 360 and OG Xbox games can it?

I can play emulators on my Xbox however
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Almost the entire xbox one library is available on PC. I think the only hold out is Rare Replay? The same will be true for Scarlett as Msoft is now putting all of their first party offerings on PC. And most 360 games have PC versions except for a handful of the msoft exclusives Also the Xbox one doesn't have ALL of the OG xbox games.

I would go with PC on this one. I just recently played Splinter Cell Chaos Theory for the first time, and at 4K60 it felt surprisingly modern.
 
Splader

Splader

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Feb 12, 2018
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Definitely the one with the least amount of effort needed to play.
Just buy the game, download, and play. No hoops required.
 

Deleted member 10737

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it's definitely the most convenient, but it's missing too many gams from pre-OG xbox games to be the definitive retro console.
 
impact

impact

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janusff said:
it's great for playing older xbox titles on the 360 and OG but all the other examples you listed like NES, SNES or Genesis are multiplatform and on other consoles as well. Not to mention there's ps2 titles on ps4 that aren't anywhere else. Or like the Switch has some NES titles not on xbox.

But yeah I get what you're saying. It's impressive for sure.
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Dude seriously mentioned PS2 on PS4 lmfao
 
Bear and bird

Bear and bird

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Oct 27, 2017
4,596
It really has become a fantastic system for retro games.

As a
console brand that wasn't available in the Ps1/N64 era, I think it's wild that the XBO can play:
-Banjo-Kazooie and Tooie
-Perfect Dark
-Conker
-KI Gold
-JFG
-Blast Corps
-Turok 1 and 2
-Final Fantasy VII and IX. Soon VIII.
-Crash Trilogy
-Spyro Trilogy
-Crash Team Racing
-Resident Evil 1 and 2 (remake)
-Symphony of the Night
-Tomb Raider (Anniversary)

If only Namco could do something with the classic Ridge Racer and Tekken games...
 
Stefarno

Stefarno

I ... survived Sedona
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Oct 27, 2017
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It's a real shame that Xbox Game Room thing wasn't done a lot better - then it really could have been.
 
Lant_War

Lant_War

Classic Anus Game
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Jul 14, 2018
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Nah, PC still wins. Even if we only include games that have been ported / remastered, there's a huge catalogue of games that aren't available anywhere else.
 
Cactuar

Cactuar

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Nov 30, 2018
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EvilBoris said:
Your PC can't do all the Xbox Scarlet Xbox One games, Xbox 360 and OG Xbox games can it?

I can play emulators on my Xbox however
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You may have been busy when news broke so it's forgivable, but Microsoft is putting all of their offerings on PC. There is no argument for Microsoft > PC on this topic.

The only argument against PC is PS5 and Switch 2, depending upon the route they choose to go with backwards compatibility. Those companies have a shit ton of great, legendary games in the catalogues that aren't legally available on PC.
 
YaBish

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As someone who recently built a PC, I'm so glad I could finally play my older Wii and PS2 games with huge resolution boosts, and ai upscaling of textures and backgrounds is a fantastic bonus.

This is not to say that the Xbox back compat is bad, just that the retro PC scene is amazing.
 
Dekuman

Dekuman

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Oct 27, 2017
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I do wonder if part of the MS-Nintendo deal, if there ever was one, includes getting some of Nintendo's back catalog in a shared pool of games in exchange of Nintendo getting access to N64 stuff.
 

Deleted member 8468

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Didn't Phil say in the Giant Bomb interview he would 'like to' or 'think it would work that way' when talking about bringing all your XB1 purchases to Scarlett. It might not even be as simple and open as we would like it to.

MS has made major strides in this area for sure. PC will always beat it, but this is closer to what I always thought a 'Virtual Console' would be.
 
SamAlbro

SamAlbro

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Oct 25, 2017
7,351
PS5 was confirmed in the Wired interview to also be backwards compatible through its entire line. So while neither is truly the ultimate retro platform, by simple fact of the Playstation line going back one generation further than the Xbox line, Sony has Microsoft beat on that front.
 
MazeHaze

MazeHaze

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Nov 1, 2017
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Cactuar said:
You may have been busy when news broke so it's forgivable, but Microsoft is putting all of their offerings on PC. There is no argument for Microsoft > PC on this topic.

The only argument against PC is PS5 and Switch 2, depending upon the route they choose to go with backwards compatibility. Those companies have a shit ton of great, legendary games in the catalogues that aren't legally available on PC.
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Also his quoting a general statement about PC emulation and turning it into YOUR pc vs MY xbox comes accross like some weird fanboy shit
 
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ManaByte

ManaByte

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Baconmonk said:
Didn't Phil say in the Giant Bomb interview he would 'like to' or 'think it would work that way' when talking about bringing all your XB1 purchases to Scarlett. It might not even be as simple and open as we would like it to.

MS has made major strides in this area for sure. PC will always beat it, but this is closer to what I always thought a 'Virtual Console' would be.
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They said what you can play on your Xbox One you could play on Scarlet, including the BC titles. That's why they stopped BC releases so that team can insure every single game that runs on the Xbox One now can run on Scarlet.
 
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ManaByte

ManaByte

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SamAlbro said:
PS5 was confirmed in the Wired interview to also be backwards compatible through its entire line. So while neither is truly the ultimate retro platform, by simple fact of the Playstation line going back one generation further than the Xbox line, Sony has Microsoft beat on that front.
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It said it was BC with the PS4, not the entire line.
 
entremet

entremet

You wouldn't toast a NES cartridge
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Oct 26, 2017
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impact said:
And they're all dark and blurry compared to the originals.

Seriously how can anyone not say PC. You can make sure your emulation is actually good, and properly scaled/colorized.
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Depends on the emulator. The GBA and DS emulators are aces. The NES and SNES are not.
 
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