this post was submitted on 24 Aug 2023
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Gaming

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From video gaming to card games and stuff in between, if it's gaming you can probably discuss it here!

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[–] [email protected] 134 points 1 year ago (5 children)

If you're not intending to sell them for profit any more, then just let us download and emulate them.

It's not a hard problem.

[–] [email protected] 70 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Well, it is a bit harder than that. Most of the games are not mate by Microsoft but by other companies so they can't just decide to give them away for free. And even if they could get everybody to agree to that, they would still need to provide the infrastructure to download them which would be just as much work as keeping the old store running.

[–] [email protected] 22 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Yeah, fair. But they can do it for first party games and maybe try to convince other publishers to do the same.

With the infrastructure cost, I don't think a simple site that allows downloads yet doesn't need logins or payment info would break the bank, especially for Microsoft. But if it is an issue, they could probably only run it for a few months and let fans set up their own mirrors.

Or Microsoft could even do what GoG does. Charge a token ($5-10) fee to purchase a ROM to download to cover costs. Also might make it more appealing to other publishers since some money is better than no money.

There a lot of consumer friendly solutions to this issue, but I bet the outcome will end up being $70 compilations or remakes...

[–] [email protected] 24 points 1 year ago (1 children)

heads begin exploding at Nindento HQ

[–] [email protected] 8 points 1 year ago (1 children)

It's not even their company and just the suggestion here has their legal teams on high alert and ready.

[–] [email protected] 10 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I avoid using their actual name so I don't get an automated cease and desist in the post

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago

You really thing not referencing them or making any content related to any of their IPs will prevent them from sending a C&D? They'd probably send one out to everyone if it didn't cost them any money to do so. God forbid you hire some plumbers, wear a red shirt, or draw something in the shape of a star.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Isn't some of the issue there that just because they don't have plans now doesn't preclude them from deciding down the line to do something? If they release that all for free then later ports or things of that nature directly lose value.

[–] [email protected] 16 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Companies that don't actively market/license their IP should lose it fairly quickly and be required to release it to the public domain.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago

I'd agree with that, there should be a stricter standard on that stuff across the board with media.

[–] [email protected] 70 points 1 year ago

"I wish we could find a solution to the problem we're going to cause" says the person causing the problem in the first place.

[–] freakrho 54 points 1 year ago (1 children)

it used to be the case that when you weren't able to enforce DRM on a piece of software anymore, you would offer it as a free download so people who bought it wouldn't lose it

[–] freakrho 15 points 1 year ago (1 children)

thinking about photoshop CS2 for instance, they offered the download and some keys that would work on it

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 year ago (1 children)

But then it quit working on 64bit.

[–] freakrho 10 points 1 year ago (1 children)

they don't have to keep supporting, just not make it unavailable the best case would be if they made it open source, in that case other people could keep maintaining it, but would be against their profit incentives

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago (1 children)

If adobe made their best selling product open source?

[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 year ago (4 children)

Then the world would be a better place and it would likely use less RAM

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[–] [email protected] 27 points 1 year ago

"I really hope we can find a way to prevent ourselves from shooting ourselves in the foot"

loads gun

"We are open to solutions..."

cocks gun

[–] [email protected] 25 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Either open source it, lead an effort to create a way for everything to be emulateable involving the players/fans/supporters in it or port everything for another platform.

and don't even think about charge a single cent again; it's your part planning to deprive people from the store.

[–] [email protected] 21 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (4 children)

Microsoft should make all of their Microsoft studio games available that they no longer want to host, but they can’t force other studios to do the same anymore than Valve can force studios to do a sale/give away games on steam.

[–] [email protected] 15 points 1 year ago

Legally they can't do it, but we need a legal solution for the quick obsolescence of digital media. Digital media can't be reasonably expected to last "120 years from the date of creation" like books can. By then not only servers are sure to be down, but every single XBox 360 will have turned into piles of rust. Even movies struggle to last this long.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 year ago (1 children)

The key thing is, their license model and walled garden policies are what created the problem. Wringing their hands when something they knew would happen happens isn't admirable.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 year ago

Oh no doubt. Believe me I have no sympathy for M$. I’m just reiterating the fact that it’s not as simple as it sounds, even if it’s because of their own decisions lol

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago

They way it was written passed me the impression the titles were all MS proprietary.

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[–] [email protected] 22 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)
[–] [email protected] 7 points 1 year ago

Don't forget the games that were already pulled. This includes every Valve game that isn't Portal: Still Alive (which is arguably a better version of the game than the version that came with the now-delisted Orange Box but whatever) and Portal 2, as well as other major titles like Skate 2 and Jet Set Radio.

Microsoft has the money to figure this out, they just don't actually care enough to. I mean for fuck's sake, they own Bethesda and we still can't even play Quake 4 on modern Xboxes. What's the excuse there, Phil?

After years of dealing with his PR statements one after another, I just switched back to PlayStation for the first time since around 2015 since they don't yank my chain about features. I still think they've put less effort and freedom into their platform, but they never say something positive like this and then just forget about it.

[–] [email protected] 22 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

Xbox boss "would love to find solutions" so games keep being profitable even after they're no longer being sold.

[–] [email protected] 21 points 1 year ago

My sensei in Sheogorath, your DRM is the reason those games are being lost!

[–] [email protected] 18 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

“We hear you. I can relate to your struggles. We'd love to solve the problem. Of course, preservation is front and centre when all these decisions are made.” isn't quite the same as “We're working on a solution to preserve 360 games. We came up with the following solutions so far: [...]. Let us know what you think. Stay tuned!”

I wouldn't expect anything to come from this. Microsoft employees wrap a “fuck you” in a gift, gaslight the backlash, and tap dance. When the excrement makes abrupt contact with the rotating blades of the fan, the lead self-resigns with a long-wielded and non-apologetic notice. Another Microsoft employee takes over, and leads the team with the same mindset until the next incident.

[–] [email protected] 13 points 1 year ago

Hear me out: let these games be downloaded in a GOG style executable accepted by homebrew game launchers if they exist!

[–] [email protected] 12 points 1 year ago (3 children)

Im sure this is a dumb take, but can they just open source the 360? Then they are not giving away games they are not allowed to.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 1 year ago

Not a dumb take at all, it'd be awesome if they did. Unfortunately there are likely contracts or business reasons preventing them from doing so, or code shared between the 360 and current gens that they want to keep proprietary. Still, with MS open sourcing more and more projects over time, I'd love to see it.

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[–] [email protected] 12 points 1 year ago

Phil, dressed in a hot dog suit: "We're all trying to find the guy who did this"

https://youtu.be/WLfAf8oHrMo

[–] [email protected] 11 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Upload them online, Microsoft.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 year ago

Don't think they would have the rights to. They could sell it but making it available freely when it isn't their IP would be a can of worms.

[–] [email protected] 11 points 1 year ago (1 children)

The final solution 🏴‍☠️🏴‍☠️🏴‍☠️🏴‍☠️

[–] [email protected] 8 points 1 year ago (1 children)

The server stay online for downloading game. I don't really get it. If you close only the store, but keep the server for downloading online, do they safe like that so much money?