Which Consoles and Games Qualify as Retro? - Retro Bird
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 17 ธ.ค. 2020
- I get asked all the time what the cutoff is for retro video games. In this video, I discuss some of the various factors that go into determining which consoles and games are considered retro.
What Qualifies as a Retro Video Game? Retro Bird / Which Consoles Count as Retro? / Which Consoles Can Be Called Retro? / Which Consoles Qualify as Retro?
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Quite a few of you have (correctly) pointed out that "retro" refers to the style of something old, but not the actual thing itself (vintage would be a more accurate term for that). Whether correctly or not, the term "retro" has been appropriated to refer to the actual old video games themselves and is therefore what I used for this video. That being said, I could've done a better job in this video of incorporating the proper definition of the word and I appreciate you all for pushing the conversation further.
None of the 6th gen consoles are retro.
For me, if it's around 15 years old, it's retro. Yup, the PS3 and Xbox 360 are retro now.
Maybe retro isn't a helpful term anymore and now we need to specify the console generation.
@@chickenwings6172 Dreamcast is retro at least. It was the last home system to not offer dual analog sticks by default. I think that's the main element to distinguish retro consoles.
Xbox is basically the same as it's always been, it sort of marks a divided in what's retro and what's not, sitting right on the cusp on retro.
I feel that in the future the consoles/games that came out after ps2 and xbox will be called retro but will still be acknowledged separate of the games we call retro today. Like they'll probably be called 2nd gen retro or something like that.
Kind of like a different tier of retro. Interesting.
I would say that the PS2, GCN, and XBox represent the endpoint of the retro era of videogames.
I say two generations back is all retro.
Not at the beginning of a new generation but a few years into it.
I see the 360 and XBLA specially hitting that nostalgic sweet spot in a few years.
Interesting. You're a little more lenient than most.
I think the 360/ps3 gen has enough nostalgia evoking titles that it feels like a distinct point in time. Fallout 3/NV, oblivion, lost odyssey, red dead 1 etc. While the hardware is basically just worse versions of what is current now (hd output, wireless controllers and onboard hard drives) I certainly cant fault anyone who decides that for them it is a retro experience.
As for the Wii, it was a system that really planted its flag in an unusual experience and I actually do consider it retro at this point in time.
I basically posted the same thing before I saw your post. Back in the 90s, the SNES was not retro, so obviously the term doesn't have a set time point. In 20 years, the PS5 will likely be retro.
"Old Bird" XD LMFAOOO Old Bird, you never seem to fail at making me laugh XD
Hahah good to hear.
If the game looks best on a CRT, it’s retro. And I love my CRTs.
i love you're channel its very underrated
Thank you. Appreciate that :)
It really is.
I agree - your channel and commentary is really good! Much enjoyed - thank you.
Hello from London;-)
@@paulmarch9122 Glad you were able to find the channel from out in London!
I would say the Dreamcast is part of Gen-6 and consider that generation retro. Basically anything that was designed to be hooked up to a CRT is retro.
That laughing GameCube got me 😂😂
I was just having this SAME EXACT conversation with some friends at a Killer Queen Black Friday party. For me, it's that the astronomical leap in technology is missing since the PS2 era to our current generation. Look at the differences between these consoles: Atari 2600 to NES to SNES to N64 to XBOX. The differences in technology were astronomical back then. The 2600 felt retro compared to the NES overnight and the same goes for the other inbetweens that I mentioned above. Sure we have some gimmicky things become more main stream like motion controls, VR, and hybrid since those mentioned consoles... but look at the differences between PS2 to PS3 to PS4 to PS5. Yes, each gen looks a nicer, but nothing that just blows your socks off like it used to do from the previous generation. I still remember the feeling of "how did they do this?" with each new home console generation. When the PS3 generation hit, it was like "Well that looks a little nicer. Oh? Wait. What's this? Twilight Princess came out for both the Wii and the Gamecube? Hmm. Yeah the Wii looks a little nicer." Same thing with Persona 5 on the PS3 and PS4, not that huge of difference. The gap in specs and horsepower has narrowed and that's why anything PS2 era and after feels less retro to a lot of gamers.
You're right. Those diminishing returns are in full effect at this point. Just looking at the PS5, it has WAY more horsepower than the PS4 and yet the games don't really look that much different (really nice sure, but not the kind of differences we'd see back in the day).
But if you compare the PS2 to the PS5 then the difference is night and day so does that make my PS2 retro now?
We all know the PS5 is the most retro console, brand new copies are really expensive nowadays.
Hahah it's so retro!!
I would say vintage, the things already outdated. Screw u Ponys u might have the monopoly on Spiderman but we have Bethesda!
You know what else is funny I had a big argument with a bunch of pc gamers that play big Triple A games claim pc master race the real and best retro gamer. Ummmm...lets think about it...pc gamer playing on very future modern components and only online. Very Retro xo
@@LittleSaint425 I mean it’s like playing on a Retron. Retro games but new parts. Depending on your opinion of that
I have always classed cartridge based systems as retro systems - nes, snes, n64 and master system, megadrive etc.
Nothing feels more retro than 'click-clunk' cartridges!
What about a Sega CD?
@@tonyp9313 - Yes, you are right - early cd systems and of course ps1 are definitely retro, I just prefer the cart based systems and they feel more retro.
I used to have the Mega cd (sega cd) when I was younger, and I enjoyed it at the time, but don't have a real interest in getting one again.
I have enjoyed collecting and playing megadrive games that I missed when I was busy buying mega cd titles back in the day.
@@infinityeight8705 I' ve never had it...I just play games now off my Mega Ever drive...I remember when it 1st came out & it was the 1st console to have full motion video games...I was like very impressed with the Console
I feel anything from 2005 and earlier is retro.
Retro is a changing term though. In 2004, the PS2 wasn't retro. In essence you're saying three generations prior to the current one is retro.
I like how us retro gamers treat this subject like it’s just as important as something like Roe V Wade 😂
Hahaha
BBECAUSE IT IS!!! GAWD!
@@FrostHammer11 maybe look it up haha
Roe v. Wade is the greatest injustice our country has ever been a part of by far. I find any jokes about this subject to be appalling, if I'm honest.
While we're on the subject, may Roe v. Wade be overturned by the end of the year, in the mighty name of Jesus.
@@justinr1094 Why shouldn't women have the right too abort?
Considering that most gamers refer to old gaming stuff as retro rather than vintage, I view everything that is not current gen as retro even if it "feels" modern. I consider retro gamers to be at least two generations behind though.
Great video as always!
Thank you!
I love how the shots of you and the controller and the CRT in the dark reminds me of those cheesy double-exposure portrait studio photos from the late 70s and 80s.
I think this is a compliment. Right?
I pretty much consider any console that was made for a CRT 4:3 aspect ratio a retro console I'm a huge PS2 fan and I consider that console retro if the GameCube is retro hell the PS2 has to be a lot of the titles released on the PS2 were also released on GameCube eh
4:3 is probably a good measuring stick. Something about widescreen just doesn't feel "retro".
I personally think that as long as it's a console that's primarily designed to be used on a CRT TV, it could qualify as retro, same with games released for said console. The 6th generation was a weird case in that the PS2 could in rare cases output 1080i for a very few games over component cables on an HDTV plus later released games that appear to be favor 16:9 displays, but it's the same console that also has light gun games which requires a CRT TV to play. Sorry for the long ramble, just an interesting point.
Yeah, the 6th generation occurred during a time when display technology and resolutions were in a state of transition.
The retro t.v. determiing what retro is makes alot more sense than just saying if it's 20 years old...its retro.
If its 20 years old...its probably retro.
It definitely is retro
Lot of people seem to like that 20-year rule.
you know what that makes good sense
If your console is old enough to have parts failing or requiring some sort of refurbishment to run like it did when it was current, it's retro. If it is always going to look better on a CRT TV than an HDTV, it's retro. I have spent over $300 refurbishing and modding a Saturn and on a CRT TV, but oh man does it look and play like I went straight back to the mid 1990s. Thank you, by the way, very, very much. It was one of your videos that led me to Craigslist in search of an old tv.
Glad you're enjoying your CRT TV!
How I see it, if it's not "Modern" or "Last Gen" than it's "Retro".
That seems like a pretty intuitive way to think about it to me.
So the day a first last gen console becomes available, the consoles which were cutting edge a day ago are retro? A way to wide definition in my opinion.
I feel that I'm in a similar camp to how you ended this video in that drawing a hard line on the subject doesn't feel important to me. I like what I like, and that mostly favors either 2D, classic or classic-inspired styles, or just a unique experience. I don't see a lot of benefit in making sure others know whether or not what they are playing is retro, or even what genre to fit it into. Much of what I like is very old now, but every now and again something new gets me, and I'm pleased that that can still happen.
Also, speaking of the GBA, I feel like it's the granddaddy of modern indie games. Maybe it's because WayForward hones their craft in that style and have been very influential in modern 2D games. Maybe it's that is was a platform where 2D games kept moving forward while the home consoles went in a different direction. I dunno, but I just often feel that GBA footprint when enjoying a new 2D game on my PS4 or Switch.
It's tough and nobody will agree anyways, so simply hold to what you feel is retro. It's not simply age, for me. NES was retro for me in the late 90s and Atari was retro in the early 90s...for me. Nostalgia is another disputed point. I don't blame kids who grew uo with PS2 feeling retro about it, because for them, it IS retro. We should be okay with that term meaning different eras for different people. I mean, think about the term "heavy metal"...what it meant in the 70s, 80s, 90s, and so on. Every generation has it's own idea of what it is. And unless we wanna be like musics fans putting labels like 'post-retro', 'prog-retro', or 'retrocore' on different eras, then we gotta just let it be an individual. Great video, Bird.
Thank you and very thoughtful answer. I like that you're willing to understand younger generations may see things differently.
For me personally i consider anything before the Xbox 360, Wii and PS3 to be retro, but I've heard of people calling the Wii a retro console. It kind of blows my mind when I hear it too.
I'd say the 6th generation would be the last of the retro gaming. Everything after the gamecube, ps2 and xbox became HD high definition and good reliable online was in full swing.
Great video as always! Enjoyed this topic
Well, of course you of all people would include the GameCube hahaha. You're not alone though.
no any form of gaming systems/games that feels "old" and is being played is "retro" This is why i see wii/ps3/x360 as retro
the 5th generation is consider last gen as retro..starting 6th gen consider modern 3D
For me, “retro” is more than 10 years since the end of its initial shelf life (final official game), not its launch.
PS2 is almost there, with its last game being released in 2014.
I would say retro begins “roughly” around the 20 year mark. As far a 6th generation goes it falls in that category now. I also feel 6 gen feels different enough not only graphically but it was the last generation where the complete game was on the disc. There was no dlc, day one patches, most of the game required to be downloaded, loot crates and all the other crap we deal with now. In some ways it was the last good generation of consoles.
I enjoy all consoles but during the early 2000's I had a dreamcast ps2 Xbox and gamecube, I still feel this was the best time to have been a gamer at least for me.
I like to think of it in generation working backwards from the present.
Next Gen (ps6)
Present Gen (ps5)
Last gen (ps4)
Modern Gen (ps3)
Trailing (ps2)
Classic Gen (ps1)
Retro Gen (Snes and older)
3:53
I think that’s the ticket. When we think of “retro” music, it’s usually because of the sound of the style not the date is the song or the artist.
It's strange to think that a few decades from now, 9th generation games will be considered retro, and enthusiasts will be able to fit the entire PS5, Nintendo Switch and Xbox Series X game libraries in their pockets! It still blows my mind that a single phone can be packed with thousands of games from Atari through PS2 & GameCube right now.
Love your channel, by any chance do you browse forums for retro games like say 4chan's /vr/ board?
Glad to hear that you like the channel. I will occasionally look at forums, but never any one board specifically. I just google the topic I'm interested in and then read from there.
I think it should go as "waves" in which each wave has a start and end generation.
One of those many people who stop "retro" at the Dreamcast. However, I am willing to be generous to the Gameboy advance and Gamecube.
Retro for me probably sixth gen games, meaning PS2, Original Xbox, and Gamecube. Old enough that it's still impressive, but you can tell it's old. PS3 and Xbox 360 still feel more modern by comparison, likely because they have true HD graphics, and the fact that those were only two generations ago(although they lasted almost 10 years). With the PSP, I don't consider it retro, even though it came out like 2006. Something about it still feels new, and it has a homebrew community that likely will never let it die. The PSP hasn't aged a day to be honest, especially with the newer hardware revisions like the PSP 3000, the ability to play those games on the PS Vita if you have one, and PSP emulation coming a long way.
I consider anything more than 2 generations old is retro
6th gen consoles (Dreamcast, PS2, Xbox, GameCube) have a distinct feel, and comes from a time before firmware updates, game patches, and DLCs
For myself, I consider a Retro console the same way as a Classic Car. It has to be 20 years of age or older. So with that, for my PS2 and everything older is Retro. Gamecube and Xbox aren't there just yet.
I don't know much about cars, but I can see that.
@@jimreid5 Well it depends really what the vehicles of the future look like. You never know. I never thought I would have nostalgia for quite a bit of things from the 90s and 2000s at the time but now I do.
I would say there are modern retro games. For instance Project Warlock, Angry Video Game Nerd 1 & 2, and Double Dragon 4. Also Mega Man 9 & 10.
I consider retro anything 2 gens and back from the current one. With the current gen of PS5, Switch & Series X in mind, i consider retro everything from the PS3/Wii/XBOX360 and back.
I have no idea if my definition of retro has any real correctness to it, but I consider retro to be a halfway point to becoming vintage. I believe the definition of vintage is 40 years old, so I think of retro as 20 years or older.
So yes, I consider the sixth generation to have just freshly crossed the retro threshold, but stuff like the PSP, Wii, DS, etc still have several years to go. Those are my thoughts!
I think 20 years old is when a console becomes retro
For me personally I define Retro Games and Systems as something that is over 15 to 20 years old.
I sense your grief and am sorry for your loss 1:43.
I certainly feel a more aged based definition of retro games. I mainly say this since I do personally consider the entire 6th generation of games as retro, even if the style of games aren't quite as unique compared to older systems. It really kinda falls under the general feel of them. Like take a look at the system menus, and to me at least they just have a very early 2000's vibes. I guess it may also help that I don't typically play a lot of the more mainstream games on the PS2. But yeah despite not having experience with it I would say something like GTA3 is retro. Although it did certainly take a long time for me to consider expanding the cutoff point past the Dreamcast. For the longest time I considered the 6th generation a sort of grey area where it's kind of neither new or retro. Yeah there's still great stuff on there, but it wasn't quite at that point yet. In fact that's kind of the area that I consider the 7th generation of games to be in right now. It's just past last gen, and I may be nostalgic for the, but that's also partially because that was around the era where I started playing video games in general. But my general hypothesis is that it might hit that point for me when we get to the 10th generation of games. Oh god I'm still not used to thinking the 9th generation is even real. Partially because I'm just not interested in getting a PS5 or Xbox Series X. But whatever, back to the question. I do also think about the case for games that were released long after a new generation has begun. Like would you consider Fifa 14 on the PS2 retro? That may be the most extreme example, but like, there's also Sonic Unleashed on the PS2, Toy Story 3 on PS2, Ghostbusters the Video Game on PS2. With so many of these being so late into the 7th generation, I could see arguments for the PS2 itself being retro, but not games like these. But then say we go back to 2013, the PS4 and Xbox One just came out, and the 6th generation is entering that gray area after being last gen. Would you consider Santa Clause Saves the Earth or Rayman Rush retro? They were both released in 2002. I guess this is where semantics may come in for just feeling retro. With the large gap in hardware, I could see it being a lot easier to consider those retro than late PS2 releases now. Although we never got a PS1 title released in 2006, soooo. I would personally consider those type of PS2 games retro just because of the hardware gap, but it's not as much so as for those late PS1 releases. It's also kinda weird to take a console's library of games and only consider a part of it to be retro. Now for the portables. Specifically with the toughies like the DS and PSP. They're kind of in the 7th generation in my mind even if they both released in 2004. They were just there for most of it, and even if both systems carry 2D games and the PSP having PS2 styled games, it just doesn't feel right with the time. Maybe you could do something crazy like only consider certain models of a console retro, like say the original DS is retro while the DS Lite isn't. It does sound pretty absurd, but I'm sure there's someone out there who does think that, or at least considered it. I do think that over time the gap between modern and retro will get wider and wider. Heck, a lot of people considered the N64 to be retro by the time the 7th generation rolled around, and with the Sony and Microsoft's offerings for the 8th and 9th gens, I just don't see much of a difference, but we are still incredibly early in those system's lifespans, so we'll just have to see. But I do still think it's very likely the PS4 will be the first console generation for me that doesn't enter that grey area after being last gen. At least from what I can see for now.
A little while back I saw a meme that reminded me that the Xbox 360 came out 15 years ago, and that it could be considered retro because of that. I didn’t even get mine until last year but it still made me feel old. Cause I at least remember it launching.
Now would I actually consider it retro? Not until GameStop stops selling its games and their prices skyrocket at the very least.
Yeah, I have a hard time thinking of the Xbox 360 as retro.
To feel old...to have purchased a console that is now considered retro while in college
While learning to play fighting games, i want to use my fighting controller outside fighting games also, to get used to it more. The PlayStation with the Saturn, and their predecessors, do nearly fully support digital inputs by default. So i consider the N64, Dreamcast, and PS2, as well as the Nintendo DS and the PSP, a lot more modern for their use of analog controllers (or a touchscreen) by default.
Old & Cool
For me it is simple. If it is a console that is best played on a CRT TV then it is retro. Once we get into HD, it doesn't feel retro anymore. So, 6th gen consoles are all retro and I also include the Wii here as well. The Xbox 360 and PS3 are where the consoles start to feel too modern.
A question for the ages. Very generally going to say pre Playstation although one of the best "retro" games ever (Castlevania SOTN) was on it. Classic or vintage stylistically perhaps?
I think a lot of people do say PS1 though. I've noticed a lot of people saying that just in this comment section alone.
My general stance is kinda when a games online store goes off ( considering it had one, makes the console” retro” )
This is a hard question. What do you define as retro though? I just consider the Snes, Genesis, Sega Cd & lower like a Nes, Sega Master system, Atari 2600 retro video games & consoles. They have a lot of games that are vastly different to be considered as such.
With ps 5 being out what point will PS2 be considered retro? I would also qualify time in relative to the current generation of systems.
In my mind, the easiest way to define "retro" consoles at this point in time is if it was designed for a 4:3 CRT TV and doesn't natively support HDMI. This makes the 6th generation (PS2, Gamecube, XBOX, Dreamcast) "retro".
I make this distinction because I think there's also a big leap in graphics and gameplay between the 6th and 7th generation. For example, Playstation. Most of what's on the PS2 just feels like a better PS1. But the PS3 feels a lot more similar to the PS4 than the PS2. Maybe this is in part because of changing from the standard being 480i analog on a CRT to 1080p digital on an HDTV. But put that aside, and I feel the 7th generation is where 3D gaming hit a plateau in how it looks and plays, and for the last 15 years we've been having diminishing returns.
I feel like a part of what makes something retro in the gaming sense is when the hardware of the systems you use to play games become odd/outmoded. Memory cards, rumblepaks, wired controllers, big cartridges, in-depth manuals, not having an extensive home screen, not using HDMI, displays best on CRTs, etc. I feel like an emphasis on physical media also somewhat harkens to a retro style.
For these reasons, I do include PS2 in the retro classification. In regard to the statement that PS2 games feel like nowadays games but with worse graphics, I very much disagree! Many PS2 games still have that old school emphasis on gameplay, and I would say that creativity is just as prevalent in PS2 games as they are in Gamecube games. Just look at Katamari Damacy, Shadow of the Colossus, the slew of new and amazing platformers such as Sly and Ratchet and Clank (a genre that is accepted in 3D forms on consoles such as the N64 and PS1), and the evolution of beat em ups in Devil May Cry and God of War.
There is a clear divide between the gen 6 and gen 7 consoles, with built-in wifi adapters, constant video game updates/patches, storage built into the console, and a digital releases. There are no OEM multitaps for gen 7 consoles..
Dreamcast was released in 99, 22 years ago. PS2 came out 21 years ago. XBOX and Gamecube released 20 years ago. That was sixth gen, we're in the 9th gen. Those consoles are retro, period.
I would personally say 20 years. The Sega Dreamcast is right on the edge right now. Also, the usage of the word "retro" itself can be debated, since it is defined as something new that is made to look old. The proper term really should be "vintage", but that could be a separate discussion.
this was my thoughts exactly. Although I misuse the word all the time anyway.
Looking at it that way, the mini consoles would be more retro than the actual consoles themselves. The word "retro" has definitely been appropriated when it comes to "retro" gaming haha.
What’s up Old Bird?
I don't remember anything before the wii, PS3 and 360. My cutoff is the ps2, og xbox, dreamcast, and gamecube.
Although i do keep a wii with my CRT setup :)
Praise be, the CRT!
You know, a few years ago, someone told me that they consider the 360/PS3 generation to be "retro." The idea had never occurred to me, but I can see why some consider those consoles "retro." Those consoles launched 15, 16 years ago. The generation previous to that is definitely what I'd consider retro. I don't have a criteria for this, it's just that those consoles came out over 20 years ago - when I was 12 or 13 years old.
Here is a little more support for my reasoning of PS2 to be the newest retro console. The controller is pretty much the same Dual Shock as PS1, it utilized Memory Cards for Storage, it was the final console to use a Multitap for more than two players. Whenever I bust out that thing, wow it feels retro. Lol. It was also the last Console that primarily used a 480i output. All Xbox games supports 480P or higher and quite a few Gamecube ones did as well. There are some on PS2 that support higher resolutions with the Component Cables but for the most part, you are dealing with Standard definition 480i.
I just group the PS2 in because its simply one of the greatest video game consoles of all time...and it was great dvd player to boot.
@@Marc_Araujo I wholeheartedly agree with you. I didn't really start collecting for it and getting heavy into until the last few years but wow, I have been missing out on so much.
All good reasons. Although, I'm not necessarily a fan of 480i (I prefer 240p or 480p), but it definitely does feel older than more modern resolutions.
Something 25 years and older considered vintage, therefore I consider that "retro".
Just looking at that wavebird receiver plugged in makes me happy. 😊
Ps2/Xbox/GameCube gen and prior
as an antique buyer and seller a good rule of thumb is as follows. retro is anything over 30, vintage is over 50 and antique is over 100 years old.
The way that somthing looks have nothing to do with it. it dosent take away from the fun tho. relevant to demand as well i guess since nobody wants straight up rubbish.
Interesting. I'd never heard that before.
At 5:20 made me laugh really hard. I grew up with a gamecube so when I see younger kids try to tell me about the gamecube in my head I'm like “I was there.”
For me personally it's hard to say the PS2 is retro. On one hand it has the same controller ports as a ps1, uses the same memory cards, standard Resolution output, but can play DVDs, and lastly it wasn't discontinued until 2013 with its last game was Pro Evolution Soccer 2014.
Hahah yeah I definitely get "listen to me young grasshopper" vibes when I hear people try to talk about the GameCube as well :)
Does anyone consider it retro by a certain year since it came out? Like 20 years old? Cars are considered Classics after 25 years right?
Although it certainly is considered retro by now, ill always struggle to call anything 6th gen or later retro because that was my teenage and young adult years so i still remember it so vividly despite now being up to or over 20 years ago...
It's funny how seemingly everyone used to think a 10- or 15-year-old console was so old (think of the NES and Genesis circa 2000), but now we're reluctant to classify a 22-year-old console as "retro".
It's probably a combination of the tech itself (NES/Gen to PS2 is a much bigger leap than PS3/PS4 to PS5) and the fact that we're all getting older: Many of us were quite young in 2000, so a decade seemed like a long time back then. Not so much now!
Personally, I feel like 5th gen is vintage or "retro", while any higher-end 6th generation games still look and feel modern to me. I don't care that F-Zero GX will be 20 years old next year- it's definitely not old!
Some people say that retro consoles are defined as 2 generations back. So PS3 would be retro now that PS5 is out. But it's hard for me to see PS3 as retro. I consider the true retro consoles to be the first 5 generations. PS1 and N64 would be the latest retro consoles. There is a divide between 5th and 6th generation. 5th gen consoles had cartridges or CD's, while 6th gen consoles had DVD's and online gaming also seemed to become common at that time. The 6th gen was also the first time you can watch a movie on a gaming system.
Yeah, 2 generations back doesn't feel far enough to me.
I guess you could say whatever gives you a "nostalgia" feeling to play is retro? However some older games I think I played for the first time, so I get no familiar feelings, but they still would be considered retro. Like some of those Beat em Ups, in Capcom's Collections, that's not Final Fight, or Captain Commando. Or I just played Mario Sunshine 🌞 for the first time, when I got the 3D Super Mario Collection. So no nostalgia on that for me, and only one Mario 64 would be considered retro out of those three?
I'd say two generations back these days in our fast paced world.
calculating wether a console is retro can be difficult, but I'd say 6th gen is the last retro generation, and GBA for handhelds. The PS2, xbox type games, play similar to modern games, but are about 20 years old so I'd consider them retro.
Yay for GBA!
Anything thats before the previous gen consoles. So by that definition the xbox 360/ps3/wii are retro in my book
That's an interesting distinction. For me, if a console is no longer in production and no longer getting mass produced software, I would consider that retro. But in all fairness I consider the Wii and WiiU retro in a sense. They don't make them like that anymore.
The newest iteration of say Xbox or Sony... we pretty much know what to expect. And that's what fans want and that's fine for them.
The Gamecube, yes. It's distinct in every way. Controller, design, format and just philosophy..it's a strange animal. The Dreamcast is in a weird spot. It's old, it's weird, people still print games for it, but at the same time what makes it feel less aged is that a the quirky concepts that made it distinct have been carried over to modern consoles. So it's like a zombie console. It's dead, but it bit every console since. At the same time, it's a very SEGA console. There is nothing quite like it, and unfortunately never will be again. Just my thoughts.
Basically if my nephews make fun of me for playing a console, it's retro.
First person I've heard talk about the production aspect. Very interesting. Thanks for bringing that up. Also, that nephew rule is a good one to go by too haha :)
@@RetroBirdGaming I appreciate the simplicity of older games. I got into arguments calling Super Mario Odyssey the Highlander. If you cannot lose, I don't see the point. Who cares? You lose coins as I understand. That's it?
To be fair, Sonic modified Mario somewhat. You get hit, lose your rings, but you can maybe grab them back. SMB isn't as forgiving. It's somewhat more generous. But Mario came from the arcade gen, and while sega is or was huge in the arcades, not all those ideas, retro ideas translated well. Points for example. We call them achievements now, but c'mon, it's points. Also 3d games generally dropped the time limit, which I always liked. It's exploration versus hitting the goal post. I liked the pressure to find everything quickly. I don't really want to wander around for hours
I count consoles that are close to 20 years old retro, so the newest retro game systems for me would be the gamecube and og xbox
Personally I’d consider Genesis and super and before that to be retro… However I will say generation five or six there needs to be a different term besides retro. Can we think of a new term?
I don't consider Retro 'old' as such, i see it as a Genre of Video Games now-a-days, an ever expanding criteria of Video Game history enjoyed by everyone who plays.
I often ask myself is the 6th generation the last of the classic gaming era or is it the beginning of the modern gaming era?
If the DC is considered retro then the PS2, GC, and XBOX should be as well. Just because it was the last system to come out in the 90's doesn't automatically make it retro.
I think it just comes down to how different you think the Dreamcast is from those other consoles.
@@RetroBirdGaming People have been saying 1999 is the cutoff point for years and the DC came out in 1999 so I think that's why people consider it retro. I don't go by the whole 20 years thing either. The NES was already considered retro in the early 2000's. 20 years later the PS2 still doesn't feel retro to me. Interesting topic for sure.
Yeah, I actually didn't know the 20-year rule was a thing before I read the comments to this video but boy, it sure is!
You forgot the Wii. I shall now throw my Wii remote at you in a furious rage.
The one major thing about the Playstation 2 and Gamecube, which makes me put them in the "retro/vintage" category, is that they're pretty much the last generation of consoles where you don't sign in to a profile before you start your game. I think the XBox was also like that until XBox Live but I don't have too much OG XBox experience. The XBox also was a little more modern-feeling than the other 6th gen consoles because it had an internal hard drive, so it only feels quasi-retro compared to the PS2.
When a console turns 10, that's when age begins to show.
When a console turns 15, it is considered "old".
When a console turns 20, it is considered a "collector's item".
When a console turns 25, it is considered "vintage".
When a console turns 30 or older, it is considered "retro".
When something is new but modeled after the style of the past it is considered retro. Thats the definition of the word
I personally think that anything below 7th (potentially excluding the Wii) is classified as Retro…
For home consoles, I would call the 5th generation to be the cut-off for what I would define as "retro". For handhelds, I would cut it off around the GBA. It's just that looking at something like the PS2 or GameCube and comparing it one generation back, I feel like calling it retro would be quite incorrect. But then again, some people do call the 6th generation as retro. So if I'm being honest, I think the 6th generation kind of falls into this grey area between retro and modern. Although, I do agree that "retro" can be considered a genre that can be applied to games like Megaman 9 and Shovel Knight. But a game like Hollow Knight makes me think about that and I think they should be called "Throwback" games. I think calling them Throwback games allows them to be lenient with what classifies as a Throwback game.
Glad you agree about the GBA.
For me the cut-off is 8th gen. That's when console environments and game design more or less took on their modern form. Once you get to those always online, basically PC consoles it's modern.
Yeah, good logic.
"Always online" is an aspect of where I draw the line, not that plenty of 8th gen games don't let you play offline. I think I draw the "retro" line back when the majority of games were "complete" at retail and didn't require massive day one patches, so 7th gen is the transition zone.
I think when we focus too much on classifying games it loses the fun factor for being a gamer. I consider myself a retro gamer because I'm a late bloomer when it comes to video games I didn't start playing them seriously until I was fifteen, so most games that I collect now from snes is me playing archeologist and discovering games from the past I had no idea about and enjoying them.
I never played snes as a pre teen I was strictly an action figure kid, I would only watch my older sister and her boyfriend play but games didn't hold my interest back than.
That's cool that you ended up finding them interesting later on. Makes it seem like your interest has nothing to do with peer pressure.
PS2 is retro to me because it has a cord controller
ROFL - Controller cheese 1:27
I consider DOS games retro/vintage. I mean, even DOOM came out a year after the SNES and years before the PS1 hit the scene.
i would simply say the divide for consoles is at the 5th gen consoles as the 3d graphics are really primitive and therefore id agree with you that the ps2 graphics are just old but the controls are more akin to modern controls therefore it's still modern same as GameCube and original Xbox etc. GBA for me is retro as most of the library is similar to the SNES so that's why for that and i have any memories of the early 2000s silver plastic as retro look. so Dreamcast is also retro too as it has mostly 5th gen games on it with the best graphics of the generation
I associate d-pads (or a joysticks) with retro games so i consider Dreamcast and N64 modern coz majority of their games are designed for an analog thumbstick in mind
5:17 LMAOO
I never understood the hate for wind wakers graphic style
Its because Nintendo showed off a more realistic looking zelda game at e3 the year before wind walkers cartoon graphics were released.so alot of people were let down.myself included.windwaker is a great game but looked nothing like the e3 teaser for a zelda game they showed before.
Yeah, Twilight Princess was more what people were hoping for.
Mean Girls is pretty good though.
It really is :)
In my opinion game consoles become retro after 2 console generation's
It's strange how I personally find the Dreamcast to be retro but not the PS2 despite it coming out a year later.... But I also somewhat find the Gamecube retro despite it releasing almost 2 years after the PS2 so my brain just doesn't make much sense here.
Perhaps I'm judging it from the time the given console's last release. Cause the PS2 still had games coming out way into the 2010s.
Or maybe I'm just being a pretentious Sega and Nintendo hipster.
You tell me xD
Hahah Sega Hardware just naturally feels very "retro" to me.
Age also plays a factor. 15, 16, even 18 years isn't old enough for me to call it "retro" yet. 20 years is more around where I would start calling something retro. However, with how modern consoles work (internet requirements, lost servers, etc) 20 years from now I won't be able to call the PS5 retro, as it probably won't even be usable due to server shut downs, dead support, etc.
The biggest one is the DS for me, what the heck is it?
20 years is the rule
Atari, NES, SNES, GENESIS, SATURN, N64, Dreamcast, PSX, PS2 and Gamecube are retro consoles.
Wii and before in my opinion
I definitely think that laptop should be called retro!