Interesting idea about retro homebrew and legacy support...

[Jeckidy]

One thing that has always troubled me philosophically about any kind of software programming is any instance where the software is rendered useless or broke because of changes in technology and platforms. This is a huge issue with PC and I am sure will be with Android devices such as tablets, etc.

Unlike books, which are self-contained, or music and films which are easy to convert and have a nearly universal and widely accepted format(s), games don't have this advantage. They are bound to their platforms for which there are many variations and technical differences between devices. A tablet having Android doesn't guarantee that it can run Goat Simulator (which is an actual problem I experienced recently). Even the change in resolutions may render some games very difficult to play, and supposedly small changes in OS systems also affects gamers even now.

That being said, I was always curious about attempting programming on a retro console but shied away because of doubts regarding older TV outputs being used on modern TVs, for one. But let's look at it this way: Someone produces a quality game on a popular past system like SNES or Genesis, releasing it as a limited physical production for hardcore gamers and collectors. Then, taking an open source emu, you tweak it to support the game as best you can and then port it to another platform. Genesis and SNES being deeply ingrained in our retro legacy so much that emulators for them will likely be easy to find for many decades, this makes porting much easier, since the systems are not exceedingly powerful to cause any performance issues on older or less beefy machines. Super Fighter Team did this with the digital version of their games labeled the RPG Trifecta Pack, and it works great because of it's effective programming and accessible interface. The long, painstaking process of porting the games from the original code was not an issue, and this could lead to a near universal solution/shortcut for making these games more accessible. It may not be ideal for modern hardware or high-end games, but it definately gives retro homebrewers an advantage. What do you say?

[Qjimbo]

Effectively what you're talking about is a Virtual Machine that runs on any platform to run the game, and you're not the first person to think of the benefits of this - the programming language "Java" works on the same concept.

[Jeckidy]

I certainly did not think I was the only one to think of it, it was simply a reflection on the concept.

[Qjimbo]

I certainly did not think I was the only one to think of it, it was simply a reflection on the concept.

Oh absolutely - my comment wasn't meant as a criticism/accusation, what you're talking about is a valid argument was just saying there are others who agree with you as it has been used elsewhere