4 ms·

How many (working!) C64 are in circulation though? A random lawyer might not consider that, but if anyone thought this through? I don't think there's any measu

How many (working!) C64 are in circulation though? A random lawyer might not consider that, but if anyone thought this through? I don't think there's any measurable impact on any Nintendo business, at all. Maybe, _maybe_ the inverse: Support a fan project like this and the middle-aged C64 fan base - even those not owning one anymore - might be even more inclined to buy Nintendo products?

classichasclass 7y ago
A better analysis might also be to consider emulators as well. Since virtually any desktop system of any recent vintage can run a C64 emulator capable of running this game, the actual number of "compatible systems" may be much higher. This is more to say that a defense of the authors of this port may not want to make such an argument.
- hopler 7y ago
  Emulators have been SMB compatible for decades. A C64 Port adds nothing in that area.
  - kakwa_ 7y ago
    The emulator alone is not an issue, and indeed you have NES emulators that are as, if not more, capable. But free NES ROMs download websites or equivalent are illegal. Here, the combination of a port+the existence of an emulator provides a way to play the game without honoring the copyright (in fact, even the limited pool of actual C64 is an issue), even if it's a bit convoluted and a lot of work to play one game. As much as this port is a cool achievement, and probably actually helps cultivating the nostalgia around the game, Nintendo has every right to issue this DMCA. That being said, the usual copyright duration seems a little excessive for old computer programs and games.
- yellowapple 7y ago
  There are already abundant NES and SNES emulators for just about every reasonably-modern desktop and mobile platform. The popular games like Super Mario Brothers are almost always the first to be used in compatibility tests. Needless to say, virtually any desktop system of any recent vintage can already run pretty much the entirety of the NES and SNES library; that ship has not only already sailed, but has circumnavigated the globe. A C64 port of a Mario game is absolutely at most a blip in the increase in portability. If one's goal is "I want to play Super Mario Brothers on my PC", then that player's probably gonna reach for RetroArch and one of the various NES-emulating libretro cores instead of reaching specifically for a C64 emulator to play a presumably-buggier-and-uglier port of it to an entirely different system. And there are numerous SMB roms floating around on the Internet. That ship has sailed, circumnavigated, and sailed and circumnavigated again while crewed by the descendants of the original crew - that is, a C64 port does not make that situation any "worse" for Nintendo.

classichasclass 7y ago

A better analysis might also be to consider emulators as well. Since virtually any desktop system of any recent vintage can run a C64 emulator capable of running this game, the actual number of "compatible systems" may be much higher. This is more to say that a defense of the authors of this port may not want to make such an argument.

hopler 7y ago
Emulators have been SMB compatible for decades. A C64 Port adds nothing in that area.
- kakwa_ 7y ago
  The emulator alone is not an issue, and indeed you have NES emulators that are as, if not more, capable. But free NES ROMs download websites or equivalent are illegal. Here, the combination of a port+the existence of an emulator provides a way to play the game without honoring the copyright (in fact, even the limited pool of actual C64 is an issue), even if it's a bit convoluted and a lot of work to play one game. As much as this port is a cool achievement, and probably actually helps cultivating the nostalgia around the game, Nintendo has every right to issue this DMCA. That being said, the usual copyright duration seems a little excessive for old computer programs and games.
yellowapple 7y ago
There are already abundant NES and SNES emulators for just about every reasonably-modern desktop and mobile platform. The popular games like Super Mario Brothers are almost always the first to be used in compatibility tests. Needless to say, virtually any desktop system of any recent vintage can already run pretty much the entirety of the NES and SNES library; that ship has not only already sailed, but has circumnavigated the globe. A C64 port of a Mario game is absolutely at most a blip in the increase in portability. If one's goal is "I want to play Super Mario Brothers on my PC", then that player's probably gonna reach for RetroArch and one of the various NES-emulating libretro cores instead of reaching specifically for a C64 emulator to play a presumably-buggier-and-uglier port of it to an entirely different system. And there are numerous SMB roms floating around on the Internet. That ship has sailed, circumnavigated, and sailed and circumnavigated again while crewed by the descendants of the original crew - that is, a C64 port does not make that situation any "worse" for Nintendo.