RF Generation Message Board

Really interesting article with some predictions on the next 30 years of gaming from a practical point of view with some input from JJ Hendricks regarding collectability.

http://www.polygon.com/features/2013/8/22/4602568/30-years-xbox-360-playstation-3-wii

It's interesting that both of these are on these list as they recently had reprints:

Xenoblade Chronicles for Wii ($88 - $115)
Metroid Prime Trilogy for Wii ($85 - $125)

I thought the same thing.  I guess as long as the recent re-supply doesn't overpower the demand, price will either hold or rise.

Great article, would read again.

Why don't I own Xenoblade Chronicles? :(

Great read!

I don't see it. I think instead of physical collections digital libraries will be the norm, you'll be able to buy and download all the old games you could ever want for a reasonable cost via either console markets or a steam-like entity. This will work perfectly, and not require a person to have to scrounge up or repair old systems, find defunct cables, etc.

I'm sure a few people will still pine for physical copies, but I wouldn't put my retirement money into the current gen and bank on a return.

You can download any old NES, Genesis, SNES, etc game for free right now and that hasnt really affected the collectability much. Do you think it'll just be a different mindset by that point?

I doubt it. Look at how dominate the iPod had been, yet CD's are still sold to this day...

I've thought about this possibility and posted about it on my twitter (but no one wrote back). The spirit of collecting could likely change where showing off spreadsheets of our downloaded libraries will be the norm. It's happening with music and film (itunes and Netflix) and it's starting to happen with games via Steam. Even games that are basically digital releases have these wannabe physical releases that are just empty game cases with a download code and maybe a little goodie. I think DuckTales Remastered is doing something like this.

In this day and age of being eco-friendly (some current gen games don't print manuals anymore :() digitally released games will get more of a push especially in future console generations.

I don't think physical games will fade away, but digital/cloud/Steam sourced games will be more prevalent. When I compare this to music I think that maybe retail prices will drop. Wishful thinking?

So where will Nintendo and Atari collectibility be in 2043?

I don't know about Atari, but seeing as Nintendo isn't doing very well on the home console scene they might shift to being a handheld-only developer/publisher. The 3DS is rocking right now while the Wii U is still trying to fit its footing. So there still might be some sort of collectibility for Nintendo in the future.

Jaguar CD is going to take off as the next big thing in 2043!!!

Just from various forums, I am doubtful if any next gen system is going to have runaway sales at launch. It will be interesting to see what happens in November.

A different generation with a different mindset, yes. We of the RFgeneration collect stuff that we grew up with largely for nostalgia's sake. Yet even the satisfied feeling that we get by owning physical copies, our valuing of these objects of plastic or metal, is not universal but rather a fleeting generational quirk.

Kids these days aren't growing up with anything like the same valuation of games-as-collectibles like we had. I have no doubt some remnant of collecting will linger for years to come, but it will not grow by any means, and attempts at complete collections of even current gen systems will prove increasingly impossible.

This isn't even going into the hardware problems that will abound, who will repair your 360s after M$ stops? I mean my roommate had to send in his 360 3 times in as many years! The systems don't and won't last twenty or thirty years, and working on them ourselves becomes more and more a challenge as the technology increases.

This is a great discussion. I agree with many of the points you make.

While the collecting scene might not explode in the future, it should atleast stay as it is for the foreseable future. There is still a group of gamers who are used to today's systems, still mostly physical media, and who will want to relive those "classics" when they reach their 30-40ies. They might still long for that physical box.

It all depends on how much publishers will want to earn from past titles by having everything available as digital download. As digital distribution becomes even more commonplace, I could see many of today's gamers no longer bother to hunt down physical titles at flea markets/ebay but instead download them on steam/xbox/PS store.

To be honest, very few people today can repair NES or SNES systems. The repairs aren't getting that anymore difficult. As far back as PS1/Saturn and before there have been CD drives and faulty laser mechanisms. Other than that...fuses or caps can blow? If you can't replace a cap on a Saturn, you wont be able to do so on a PS3...nothing new there. I do agree that today's systems seem to break more than in previous generations, which will require more able repairsmen to fix them. But honestly...very few people can use a soldering iron - now or in the future.

i'm not sure about the future, but for the present collecting seems to be increasing more than decreasing. who's to say it won't keep doing that? the digital focused systems won't be as collectable, no, but that doesn't meant collecting will die off, people will just be forced to collect older stuff.