Toronto Sun Times Article about GCW Zero
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The Sunday Sun n JANUARY 19, 2014 E38 ENT nn Mashing buttons since 1982 deck in 2014 On I feel like I’m holding a chunk of my childhood in the palm of my hand. And, theoretically, I could get arrested for it. As a gamer who’s been kicking around for longer than I care to admit, I grew up on game consoles that have long since faded into the mists of antiq- uity. e Super Nintendo Entertain- ment System and Sega Genesis, the earlier Nintendo Entertainment Sys- tem and original Game Boy, and even consoles from before that time — the Atari 2600 and ColecoVision were my introduction to home video gaming. e fact that now, in 2014, I can carry a device in my pocket that can store and play thousands of games from these bygone consoles blows my mind a bit. Well, part of my mind. e other part — the part that feels guilty about things like taking too many mints when leaving a restaurant — clucks disapprovingly. e gadget in question is the GCW Zero, a handheld video game machine that launched last year after a successful Kickstarter campaign. While the Zero is by no means the first handheld designed to play a variety of retro games (in addi- tion to original “homebrew” software), it was designed by a group of gamers who wanted to make a best-in-class device. And they’ve done a pretty fine job. Available for $150 from inkGeek. com, the Zero is essentially a tiny but relatively powerful computer with famil- iar video game controller buttons and a 320 x 240 pixel screen — low resolu- tion by today’s standards, but more than adequate for playing old-school games. I got the Zero for Christmas, and I’ve been in love with it since. It’s not exactly an intuitive gizmo, and requires a lot of learning, tinkering and tweaking to fully unlock its potential. But now I’ve got a bunch of game emulators installed on the thing, capable of playing every- thing from the original Pitfall! for the Atari 2600 to my Genesis faves Earth- worm Jim and Mutant League Foot- ball to SNES classics like Donkey Kong Country and Super Mario World. Catch is, playing these games is technically against the law. In video game terms, emula- tion refers to a piece of hard- ware mimicking an older gaming system through raw computational power and clever software design. Emu- lators aren’t illegal, but ROMs — short for read-only mem- ory, a catch-all term for these old games files — are. Even though many of these retro games are 20 to 30 years old, they’re still copyrighted material and can’t legally be dis- tributed. Nintendo in particu- lar takes a dim view of emula- tion, with an entire section of their website devoted to the topic. Are these laws enforced? Given that websites offering ROMs for down- load operate openly and with relative impunity, it appears not. I suspect game publishers focus their anti-piracy efforts on people who illegally copy and dis- tribute newer games, rather than track- ing down folks playing 1985’s Super Mario Bros. on their home computers. ere are plenty of legal ways to play old-school games, to be sure. Lots of classic titles are re-released on newer consoles (Nintendo’s eShop, for instance, has tons of old favour- ites), and there’s always the option of buying an old system and track- ing down out-of-print games through specialty stores, eBay and the like. Not exactly convenient and defi- nitely not portable. So when something like the GCW Zero comes along, and offers you the seductive possibility of carrying your entire gaming childhood in a single pocket-sized device… well, we must all look within and figure out which way our moral compasses point. For the record, I deleted eve- rything off my Zero after writ- ing this. For the record. Zero tolerance This pocket-sized device lets me revisit my gaming childhood. But is what I’m doing legal? [email protected] STEVE TILLEY @stevetilley n Infamous: Second Son (PS4) n Watch Dogs (PS3, PS4) n Destiny (PS3, PS4) n Driveclub (PS4) n Tom Clancy’s The Division (PS4) n The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt (PS4) SONY n TitanFall (Xbox One) n Watch Dogs (Xbox 360, Xbox One) n Halo (Xbox One) n Quantum Break (Xbox One) n Destiny (Xbox 360, Xbox One) n Below (Xbox One) XBOX n TitanFall n Tom Clancy’s The Division n Elder Scrolls Online n The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt n Destiny n Watch Dogs PC n Super Smash Bros. (Wii U, 3DS) n Mario Kart 8 (Wii U) n Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze (Wii U) n Bayonetta 2 (Wii U) n Professor Layton and the Azran Legacy (3DS) n Watch Dogs (Wii U) NINTENDO GAMER The GCW Zero can store numerous classic games, such as 1985’s Super Mario Bros.
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Toronto Sun Times Article about GCW Zero
Transcript of Toronto Sun Times Article about GCW Zero
The Sunday Sun n January 19, 2014E38 ENT n n
Mashing buttons since 1982de
ckin
2014On
I feel like I’m holding a chunk of mychildhood in the palm of my hand.
And, theoretically, I couldget arrested for it.
As a gamer who’s been kicking aroundfor longer than I care to admit, I grewup on game consoles that have longsince faded into the mists of antiq-uity. The Super Nintendo Entertain-ment System and Sega Genesis, theearlier Nintendo Entertainment Sys-tem and original Game Boy, and evenconsoles from before that time — theAtari 2600 and ColecoVision were myintroduction to home video gaming.
The fact that now, in 2014, I can carrya device in my pocket that can store andplay thousands of games from thesebygone consoles blows my mind a bit.Well, part of my mind. The other part— the part that feels guilty about thingslike taking too many mints when leavinga restaurant — clucks disapprovingly.
The gadget in question is the GCWZero, a handheld video game machinethat launched last year after a successfulKickstarter campaign. While the Zero isby no means the first handheld designedto play a variety of retro games (in addi-tion to original “homebrew” software), itwas designed by a group of gamers whowanted to make a best-in-class device.And they’ve done a pretty fine job.
Available for $150 from ThinkGeek.com, the Zero is essentially a tiny butrelatively powerful computer with famil-iar video game controller buttons anda 320 x 240 pixel screen — low resolu-tion by today’s standards, but more thanadequate for playing old-school games.
I got the Zero for Christmas, and I’vebeen in love with it since. It’s not exactlyan intuitive gizmo, and requires a lotof learning, tinkering and tweaking tofully unlock its potential. But now I’vegot a bunch of game emulators installedon the thing, capable of playing every-thing from the original Pitfall! for theAtari 2600 to my Genesis faves Earth-worm Jim and Mutant League Foot-ball to SNES classics like Donkey KongCountry and Super Mario World.
Catch is, playing these gamesis technically against the law.
In video game terms, emula-tion refers to a piece of hard-ware mimicking an oldergaming system through rawcomputational power andclever software design. Emu-lators aren’t illegal, but ROMs— short for read-only mem-ory, a catch-all term for theseold games files — are.
Even though many of theseretro games are 20 to 30 yearsold, they’re still copyrightedmaterial and can’t legally be dis-tributed. Nintendo in particu-lar takes a dim view of emula-tion, with an entire section of theirwebsite devoted to the topic.
Are these laws enforced? Giventhat websites offering ROMs for down-load operate openly and with relativeimpunity, it appears not. I suspect gamepublishers focus their anti-piracy effortson people who illegally copy and dis-tribute newer games, rather than track-ing down folks playing 1985’s SuperMario Bros. on their home computers.
There are plenty of legal ways toplay old-school games, to be sure.Lots of classic titles are re-released onnewer consoles (Nintendo’s eShop,for instance, has tons of old favour-ites), and there’s always the optionof buying an old system and track-ing down out-of-print games throughspecialty stores, eBay and the like.
Not exactly convenient and defi-nitely not portable. So when somethinglike the GCW Zero comes along, andoffers you the seductive possibility ofcarrying your entire gaming childhoodin a single pocket-sized device… well,we must all look within and figure outwhich way our moral compasses point.
For the record, I deleted eve-rything off my Zero after writ-ing this. For the record.
Zero toleranceThis pocket-sized device lets me revisit my gaming childhood. But is what I’m doing legal?
steve tilley@stevetilley
n Infamous:Second Son(PS4)n WatchDogs (PS3,
PS4)n Destiny (PS3, PS4)n Driveclub (PS4)n Tom Clancy’s TheDivision (PS4)n TheWitcher 3: Wild Hunt(PS4)
SONy n TitanFall(Xbox One)n Watch Dogs(Xbox 360,
Xbox One)n Halo (Xbox One)n Quantum Break (XboxOne)n Destiny (Xbox 360,XboxOne)n Below (Xbox One)
XBOXn TitanFalln TomClancy’s TheDivisionn Elder
Scrolls Onlinen TheWitcher 3: WildHuntn Destinyn Watch Dogs
PCn Super Smash Bros.(Wii u, 3DS)n Mario Kart 8(Wii u)n Donkey Kong
Country: Tropical Freeze (Wii u)n Bayonetta 2 (Wii u)n Professor Layton and the Azran Legacy(3DS)n Watch Dogs (Wii u)
NiNteNDOGAMeR
The GCWZero canstore numerousclassic games,such as 1985’sSuper Mario Bros.
