AfterDawn: Tech news

'Xbox Game Room' to include over 1000 classic arcade games

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 07 Jan 2010 2:25 User comments (18)

'Xbox Game Room' to include over 1000 classic arcade games Microsoft has unveiled some more details today at CES about the Xbox Game Room, the company's new Xbox Live service.
The service will provide a "place to relive the glory days of arcade games" and that it will grow to include "over 1000" retro titles by 2012.

Your Xbox avatars will also get a "mini home" at the Arcade, with a customizable room.

Most interesting is the pay structure, which will be either 40 MS points for a single play (like at an arcade with quarters) or 240-400 points to own it.

The service should be available in the Spring.

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18 user comments

17.1.2010 14:44

Someone should buy these fools a clue. We have had this for YEARS, since the 1990s. Its called Mame (or Mame32 if you want a nice GUI). Every classic arcade game known to man. Tron, Centipede, Mach3, Dragons Lair, Pac-Man, Peter Packrat, etc.

Idiots.

27.1.2010 15:45

Enough with spending these points. We already spend money for multiplayer and add-ons and all the other accessories for the 360. Why can't M$ give away things for free like Sony's PSN?

37.1.2010 16:07

Title should be, "CES 2010: Microsoft Finds New Way to Rob it's Costomers". I say rob because it's too easy to have these games for free with emulation. The last robbery was Avatar Accessories. Pay per play gaming is a friggin' joke. If I wanna do that I'd just go to the mall and play some real arcade. Much more fun than sitting alone on the couch or something... Or I could just buy a real machine, less practical but my uncle is a machine dealer :P

This message has been edited since its posting. Latest edit was made on 07 Jan 2010 @ 4:08

47.1.2010 16:28

I agree, with a struggling economy and increasing health and living expenses, give people a break. I paid for a mini golf game (nice graphics)a few months ago and it can't play locally on the xbox without a network connection. (correct me if I'm wrong). I paid for it I should be able to play it anytime.

57.1.2010 17:37

Sure you can use MAME to emulate all the arcade ROMS but guess what guys? IT'S ILLEGAL! You do not OWN the license to emulate those ROMS. ROMS are the same thing as pirating the game. If you like the game then BUY IT! This is a legal way to own the game. Stop spreading piracy remarks in the comments.

67.1.2010 17:54

SPAKSTUH; i may be wrong but this has happened to me a few times via various xbox problems just redownload the game on the console and it should fix this.

77.1.2010 18:13

Originally posted by andmill11:
Sure you can use MAME to emulate all the arcade ROMS but guess what guys? IT'S ILLEGAL! You do not OWN the license to emulate those ROMS. ROMS are the same thing as pirating the game. If you like the game then BUY IT! This is a legal way to own the game. Stop spreading piracy remarks in the comments.
No one gives a $hit if its "illegal" or not. If you want to be a goody two shoes, then by all means refrain from using it. No one is forcing you to use it. As for me, I've enjoyed Mame since its inception and will enjoy it long after Microshat has disappeared off the face of the earth.

Not giving Bill Gates a dime of my money.

87.1.2010 20:55

You know what's funny, I read this on a gaming site as well, and the majority of responses were extremly positive. The same information on a "tech" site is met with nothing but complaints.

Why do you think that is?

97.1.2010 20:58

Quote:
Originally posted by andmill11:
Sure you can use MAME to emulate all the arcade ROMS but guess what guys? IT'S ILLEGAL! You do not OWN the license to emulate those ROMS. ROMS are the same thing as pirating the game. If you like the game then BUY IT! This is a legal way to own the game. Stop spreading piracy remarks in the comments.
No one gives a $hit if its "illegal" or not. If you want to be a goody two shoes, then by all means refrain from using it. No one is forcing you to use it. As for me, I've enjoyed Mame since its inception and will enjoy it long after Microshat has disappeared off the face of the earth.

Not giving Bill Gates a dime of my money.

The impotent part is Mame used to be the only real choice. now you will have another that is not braking the law. Choice is good. Even better companies are realizing there is a demand out there and filling it.

107.1.2010 21:06
scum101
Inactive

A lot of roms are now "abandonware" which means though they are "technically" illegal to use the publishers don't care as there is no valid platform to play them.

Some things like sinclair roms are even given into the public domain.

There is a limit to greed and what people will accept.. a 25 year old arcade machine game is just that.. a 25 year old arcade machine game. IF we lived in a world run on reality they would ALL be public domain.. but no.. we live in a greed world where big bisiness still thinks it has the right to gather in money from the work of people dead or long moved on to other projects.. who will never see a brass farthing for the work they did back when.

mame people.. and screw M$!!.. these old games aren't worth a cent.

117.1.2010 21:45

Not interested. Given a choice between paying and emulating, I take the emulation. I doubt if the original publishers are going to see much if any of this money anyways.

127.1.2010 21:58

it's a wii vc channel with a try-before-you-buy.

This message has been edited since its posting. Latest edit was made on 07 Jan 2010 @ 10:17

137.1.2010 21:59
chris4160
Inactive

Quote:
Your Xbox avatars will also get a "mini home" at the Arcade, with a customizable room.
Lol, another Sims styled failure.
Hopfefully this will include Zelda: Ocarina of Time.
This message has been edited since its posting. Latest edit was made on 08 Jan 2010 @ 7:38

148.1.2010 02:28
llongtheD
Inactive

As much as I think Microsoft is ripping people off, if they could come up with a light gun game that was as good as "Cheyenne" and had a light gun rifle, I'd probably buy it. I think it came out in 1984 or so, not sure, but I really liked that game. Playing it with a mouse on a computer through MAME just isn't the same.

158.1.2010 08:24
av_verbal
Inactive

what a waste of money, pick up a sega from a second hand shop then own the games for life finding titles on ebay and in second hand shops & at car boot sales where they will cost £1 for a bag full of these titles.

digital downloads are worthless, when we can pass on our goods or time shift them, then they can claim to have value but until then i'd be very cautious of purchasing anything that needs a server to check for validation because as soon as these servers close you lose content.

if you think this wouldn't happen google

"yahoo music servers shut"

"sony connect music servers shut"

"MSn music servers shut"

digital downloads, best avoided unless you enjoy throwing your money away and helping the industry shift to a pay per play model.

168.1.2010 13:27

I despise digital downloads. Give me something I can see and hold. Something I can pay for in REAL money, not some made up currency! It's the equivalent of going to a casino and only having colored chips where you can lose the feeling of it's value. Down right criminal!

On a personal note, MAME rocks. I purchased a Jamma cabinet in November and restored the entire thing to run from my laptop. I have a custom built 4 player control panel and over 8000 games to choose from in a classic environment! Was worth both the time and money!

178.1.2010 16:49
emugamer
Inactive

MAME with a solid front end like GameEX and you're in business. They need to focus on the future of gaming. Not on how to squeeze milk from a stone.

I remember getting heavily into MAME a few years ago. There were a couple of sites trying to offer ROMS for sale, but they quickly went under due to pressure from devs like SNK, and lack of interest I guess (most people knew how to get them for free). I wonder how MS is pulling it off.....$$$$$$$

This message has been edited since its posting. Latest edit was made on 08 Jan 2010 @ 4:55

1815.1.2010 17:49

Originally posted by andmill11:
Sure you can use MAME to emulate all the arcade ROMS but guess what guys? IT'S ILLEGAL! You do not OWN the license to emulate those ROMS. ROMS are the same thing as pirating the game. If you like the game then BUY IT! This is a legal way to own the game. Stop spreading piracy remarks in the comments.

yeah, just buy an old copy of some version of the game off ebay, then you are in the clear to emulate it. well, that's what i'd say if i was into things like copyright. if it were a sane system, these would all be public domain by now. in an ideal world, content should also have to be made available to gain protection. nothing digital should ever go out of print. c'mon, copyright! you gotta meet me half way, ffs!

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