6 ms·

I miss Playstation 1/2 days, where you just insert disc and play. No install, no online registration, no social sharing whatnot crap, endless downloading, payin

I miss Playstation 1/2 days, where you just insert disc and play. No install, no online registration, no social sharing whatnot crap, endless downloading, paying for services you don't need/want.

jiggy2011 13y ago
But no online play at all! That's about the time when serious gamers started to defect to PC.
- drill_sarge 13y ago
  PS2, Dreamcast had online games. From what I read some of them can even be played.
  - ameoba 13y ago
    Dreamcast had a modem that was supported by very few games. There was an optional Ethernet adapter that's very rare and supported by even fewer. The ethernet on the PS2 was optional until one of the later hardware releases. Very few games were released using it until after the PS3 had already shipped.
    - Jacqued 13y ago
      Well the Dreamcast was a very early gaming console (1998, even the PS2 is from 2000) so obviously only a few games were developed with online gaming in mind (although a lot of them boasted online features like rankings or bonus content). Still, I have very fond memories of online sessions on Chu Chu Rocket, Phantasy Star Online and Quake III Arena. I believe this predates any other initiative of console online gaming by at least a few years. Maybe I'm a little biased (because nostalgia, and Jet Set Radio), but I think the Dreamcast was ahead of its time by a margin
showsover 13y ago
Agreed. I recently purchased a PS3 and Gran Turismo 5, and I had to wait more than an hour just to start the game, because of updates to GT5. It downloaded around 25 patches, varying in size from 200MB to 1GB.
- philamonster 13y ago
  You should be thankful for those patches as the version on the disc you bought is virtually unplayable. The goods didn't come until Spec II in my opinion, nearly 1 year after initial release.
  - throwaway2048 13y ago
    if there was no ability to patch, there would be much greater pressure to make sure the game is not broken out of the box.
davedx 13y ago
I miss SNES days, where you just insert a cartridge and play -- with no loading times ;)
- robmcm 13y ago
  I expect even past gen consoles could run SNES games without loading times. Loading times are the price you play for advancements in other areas.
  - masklinn 13y ago
    > I expect even past gen consoles could run SNES games without loading times. Point is that an SNES could play SNES games with essentially no loading time.
    - robmcm 13y ago
      My point is that's because they were basic. Also there has been an evolution of games that have lead to games accepting loading times. If we didn't developers would find ways to get rid of them. As it is there isn't enough incentive for them to do it, if they can get away with it and put more effort into that lucrative DLC ;)
      - davedx 13y ago
        Well, I think it was more because cartridges were solid state. You'll never beat solid state loading times with a spinning disc, no matter how fast you spin that disc...
        robmcm 13y ago
        True, but we have SSD's now and they take ages, plus we have more ram that 1000's of those cartridges combined. I think the leap to disks was due to the need for space (sound especially) and loading came as a cost. Perhaps the next-next-generation will all be downloaded onto SSD and we can do away with loading times again :D
VLM 13y ago
Another key part of the PS1 PS2 era was every console fanboy explained that PCs sucked because (insert description of ps4 / xbox one console PITA here). I will not be buying another console. I've had PC hardware attached to my TV for over a decade for mythtv, a simple PC with steam installed and a TV plugged in, instead of a monitor, will be my next console. Probably next time I upgrade my mythtv frontend it also run steam. Or perhaps I'll buy a generic $50 android "pc" tv thing and play everything on my phone, on my TV. Probably both setups. As a bonus all current gen minus one or at worst current gen minus two games can be easily played on a PC.

I miss Playstation 1/2 days, where you just insert disc and play. No install, no online registration, no social sharing whatnot crap, endless downloading, paying for services you don't need/want.

jiggy2011 13y ago

But no online play at all! That's about the time when serious gamers started to defect to PC.

drill_sarge 13y ago
PS2, Dreamcast had online games. From what I read some of them can even be played.
- ameoba 13y ago
  Dreamcast had a modem that was supported by very few games. There was an optional Ethernet adapter that's very rare and supported by even fewer. The ethernet on the PS2 was optional until one of the later hardware releases. Very few games were released using it until after the PS3 had already shipped.
  - Jacqued 13y ago
    Well the Dreamcast was a very early gaming console (1998, even the PS2 is from 2000) so obviously only a few games were developed with online gaming in mind (although a lot of them boasted online features like rankings or bonus content). Still, I have very fond memories of online sessions on Chu Chu Rocket, Phantasy Star Online and Quake III Arena. I believe this predates any other initiative of console online gaming by at least a few years. Maybe I'm a little biased (because nostalgia, and Jet Set Radio), but I think the Dreamcast was ahead of its time by a margin

showsover 13y ago

Agreed. I recently purchased a PS3 and Gran Turismo 5, and I had to wait more than an hour just to start the game, because of updates to GT5. It downloaded around 25 patches, varying in size from 200MB to 1GB.

philamonster 13y ago
You should be thankful for those patches as the version on the disc you bought is virtually unplayable. The goods didn't come until Spec II in my opinion, nearly 1 year after initial release.
- throwaway2048 13y ago
  if there was no ability to patch, there would be much greater pressure to make sure the game is not broken out of the box.

davedx 13y ago

I miss SNES days, where you just insert a cartridge and play -- with no loading times ;)

robmcm 13y ago
I expect even past gen consoles could run SNES games without loading times. Loading times are the price you play for advancements in other areas.
- masklinn 13y ago
  > I expect even past gen consoles could run SNES games without loading times. Point is that an SNES could play SNES games with essentially no loading time.
  - robmcm 13y ago
    My point is that's because they were basic. Also there has been an evolution of games that have lead to games accepting loading times. If we didn't developers would find ways to get rid of them. As it is there isn't enough incentive for them to do it, if they can get away with it and put more effort into that lucrative DLC ;)
    - davedx 13y ago
      Well, I think it was more because cartridges were solid state. You'll never beat solid state loading times with a spinning disc, no matter how fast you spin that disc...
      - robmcm 13y ago
        True, but we have SSD's now and they take ages, plus we have more ram that 1000's of those cartridges combined. I think the leap to disks was due to the need for space (sound especially) and loading came as a cost. Perhaps the next-next-generation will all be downloaded onto SSD and we can do away with loading times again :D

VLM 13y ago

Another key part of the PS1 PS2 era was every console fanboy explained that PCs sucked because (insert description of ps4 / xbox one console PITA here). I will not be buying another console. I've had PC hardware attached to my TV for over a decade for mythtv, a simple PC with steam installed and a TV plugged in, instead of a monitor, will be my next console. Probably next time I upgrade my mythtv frontend it also run steam. Or perhaps I'll buy a generic $50 android "pc" tv thing and play everything on my phone, on my TV. Probably both setups. As a bonus all current gen minus one or at worst current gen minus two games can be easily played on a PC.