Delisted digital only games collectable?

[Retromangia]

Hey gang,

So over the years I've acquired some consoles which hold digital only games that have been delisted from their online networks.

So a few questions for my fellow Collectors...

Is it worth holding on to these consoles for these delisted games? Aside from piracy, this would be the only legitimate way of playing many of these games. Are digital only games considered collectable? Is there a collector scene for digital only games that I'm not aware of?

That all being said, It's really hard to part with these consoles, because I may never find that game again. But at the same time, there starting to pile up.

Would love to hear your thoughts on this.

Best,

-Retro

[mailman187666]

That is pretty tough. I will say that when a digital game gets removed that also has a physical copy available, the physical usually goes up depending on the game. I think Godzilla for PS4 is probably one of the more clear examples of this. I personally, as a collector, wouldn't want to load up on systems to have the de-listed games. There may already be a market for it now that I don't know about. Best way I would think is to search ebay and see what kinds of things have sold that are similar to what you have.

[Aussie2B]

I'll ditto that delisted games can have an impact on the value of physical versions, if they exist, but I'm not aware of systems containing delisted digital-only games being worth more. The problem there is that, if you're interested in those games, you'd probably have a hard time finding a system with all of the games you want on it, and few would want to buy multiple systems just to have access to a handful of different games on each. On top of that, for some platforms, providing a buyer with access to your digital library would mean relinquishing your account to them. Honestly, when it gets to the point where a digital-only game is delisted, I think most people don't have any qualms about emulating. When there's literally no way to pay the publisher for an official copy, you're not really hurting them by emulating, unless you're doing so in lieu of buying a different game.

[Greg2600]

Well, the entire library of virtual console on Wii and Live Arcade on 360, for instance, are "obtainable" ;) ;) if you have a modded console. Those are smaller games though. If we're talking about disc-based games which wind up downloading most of their content, ehhhh, those are tough to pass along.

[Aussie2B]

I think most gamers who are interested in stuff like WiiWare and Wii VC games know it's a relatively simple matter to gain access to everything. What gets tricky is when people want to play copies of these games that were obtained legally (and/or if they want to keep their system unmodded).

[Gameguy]

The only way legit downloaded games will become valuable is if there's no other way to get them, like pirating them isn't possible for some reason. If piracy is an option then that's what people will do, I don't see any tangible value in a non-physical game so I wouldn't pay for a used downloaded copy. If the game makers can't be bothered with keeping their games available for purchase then I see little reason to bother trying to pay for them either.

As for not wanting to mod your console, just get an additional console for modding. It's more reasonable than stacking up numerous used consoles each with some legit downloaded games.

[gbpxl]

you cant transfer all the games onto 1 console and sell the duplicate consoles?

[Greg2600]

Well LRG has built an entire business on keeping many of these games available with disc based re-releases, haven't they? As I said, I have no problem with "piracy" for systems that are no longer supported, and if modding it is a means to an end, sadly, it's often the only choice. It's been obvious for years and years that when you download something you do not own it like you do physical media, so that's that.

[Gameguy]

Now that I think about it a bit more, is it even legal to own the games by buying used consoles with "legit" copies? Are you allowed to sell or transfer ownership of digital only games? It's like selling a Steam account, I'm pretty sure you still can't transfer the games that way even if it's technically possible. So is buying a used console with a downloaded game just as legal as pirating a copy onto your existing console?

[Retromangia]

Ahh, thanks for all the well educated replys! I asked the same question over on another forum and the reply's were less then stellar.

Anyhow, the console in question here is the Wii and the 3DS mostly. Someone above mentioned copying the games from one console to another, which would awesome, but unfortunately these digital only games are tied to the console they were purchased on. Someone please correct me if I'm wrong.

[gbpxl]

I bought like 30 XBLA games when they first came out. years later i tried to get back into my account to re download them. had to use an old email address. couldnt remember password so had to have them text me on a phone number I no longer had. tried filling out the form to prove that I was me but they didnt believe me. yeah fuck digital

[YoshiM]

Ahh, thanks for all the well educated replys! I asked the same question over on another forum and the reply's were less then stellar.

Anyhow, the console in question here is the Wii and the 3DS mostly. Someone above mentioned copying the games from one console to another, which would awesome, but unfortunately these digital only games are tied to the console they were purchased on. Someone please correct me if I'm wrong.

You are correct. I want to say you can transfer stuff from 3ds to 3ds but the transfer "marries" the software to the device it was transferred to.

Though with the Wii you can mod it and get the digital software. It's not hard to get as it's on an...archive...somewhere last I looked.

[Retromangia]

One example I found is a Wii with a copy of My Pokemon Ranch installed. Is this a great game? Not at all. But it's Pokemon, and was only available as a Wiiware Download. I also have another console with Frogger Returns, which turns out is also available on PSN for now (and was once on DSiware).

[Aussie2B]

I know Steam requires users to agree not to sell their account in order to register an account, so if their terms of service are legally binding, then it would be illegal in that regard. Same goes if Nintendo, Sony, Microsoft, etc. have similar terms. But in lieu of those terms, I don't think there would be anything illegal about it. I don't think selling an account would be in violation of copyright law. It'd be akin to selling a used game, which is a practice publishers aren't particularly happy about, since they see no revenue from that transaction and would rather everyone have to buy games brand-new, but it's something they have to begrudgingly tolerate.

[gbpxl]

Along the same vein of delisted digital game discussion, is there anyone else who has an interest in version 1.0 software for the newer consoles? It sounds goofy but I really liked the "blades" menu for the Xbox 360 that was standard when it came out in 2005. I was pissed when I upgraded the firmware and it went to the "floating boxes" design.

[Aussie2B]

People mostly want old firmware for the sake of installing custom firmware. Me, I'm sometimes disappointed by some of the changes made when firmware updates, but I wouldn't trade all the benefits of updating for whatever old aspect I liked. With visual elements, I find it's usually just of matter of me being used to one thing, and that creates my preference. Once I get used to the new look, I generally find the functionality no worse.

[gbpxl]

Another thing I thought of is music that is never released on physical format. There was a band from Argentina whose music I liked and I couldnt find a CD of their music. You could download (and pay) for the MP3s at least. I wonder if those would be considered sought after if the band takes down the links or something

[Aussie2B]

There would probably be no way to prove a mp3 was a legit purchase, and even if it was, selling it or even distributing it would still be considered piracy (unless it was offered as something free to share by the artist/publisher). But I think you'd be hard-pressed trying to find someone willing to buy "secondhand" mp3s. Even obscure music is often pretty widely shared and easy enough to find and download.

[gbpxl]

I wasnt even thinking about monetary value, I couldnt care less about that

[Aussie2B]

If you're just talking interest, I don't think most people would like music any more just because official links to it have been removed. If there were news stories drawing attention to an artist pulling down their links, it might get some people to download, but I don't people think would regard it as anything special to have those mp3s on their PC considering they can be downloaded and copied infinitely.

Then again, I have seen people brag about their ROM "collections" once in a great while. Some people are weird.

[Gameguy]

Then again, I have seen people brag about their ROM "collections" once in a great while. Some people are weird.
Well if you manage to get ROMs for rare unreleased games or fan translated ones I can see people being thrilled to possess those, or just to take in the thought that it's actually possible to possess entire libraries of various consoles so easily now with so little storage space taken up.

In terms of monetary value, do any of these ROMs hold any once they've been leaked public in some way? I don't think they do, which is how I see all digital only games.

I actually planned to bring up ROMs in this thread but checking now you beat me to it.

[Aussie2B]

I'm not aware of fan-distributed ROMs having monetary value under any circumstances. I know people sometimes collectively donate to someone who owns a prototype in order to get them to dump it, and I know sometimes people pay bounties to get a fan translation project started, but I'm not aware of any cases where the people who contributed the money are the only ones to receive the ROM or patch. It would probably be a fruitless pursuit anyway, since somebody would likely share what they have, and before you know it, it'd be everywhere. And that's on top of the retro gaming community generally not looking too favorably on people who hoard stuff like this, since, among other reasons, it's not good preservation practice to keep a ROM among only a select few.

[Niku-Sama]

I have seen consoles loaded with the scott pilgrim game go for a little more than one with a standard console.

also remember the flappy bird thing?
Not real gaming in my mind but it was a thing similar to what we are talking about