Can new PCs run old PC games?
09-15-12, 09:30 AM
#1
Former Member
Thread Starter
Can new PCs run old PC games?
When I say old PC games, I'm talking mostly about games from 1995 and older.
I've downloaded a couple off the internet (legally via DOS) and bought a couple off Steam, but if I were to buy an old PC game off Amazon from pre-96 would I be able to run and install it like any other game? I wanna confirm this before I throw away money on some games.
I've downloaded a couple off the internet (legally via DOS) and bought a couple off Steam, but if I were to buy an old PC game off Amazon from pre-96 would I be able to run and install it like any other game? I wanna confirm this before I throw away money on some games.
09-15-12, 09:38 AM
#3
Former Member
Thread Starter
Re: Can new PCs run old PC games?
Maybe... check out dosbox
http://www.dosbox.com/information.php?page=0
http://www.dosbox.com/information.php?page=0
Ok, scratch that I found the list, guess I should look longer than 1 minute before posting next time
09-15-12, 09:46 AM
#4
DVD Talk Hero
Re: Can new PCs run old PC games?
Many yes. Others have been updated to run on newer systems but may need to be repurchased a la www.gog.com
09-15-12, 11:44 AM
#5
DVD Talk Legend
Re: Can new PCs run old PC games?
Good Old Games actually modifies the games so they will run on modern Windows. If you buy an old disc, you'd probably have to use DOSbox.
Also, Steam has a few major titles like Wolf 3D and Doom, which include DOSbox and are pre-configured for it.
Also, Steam has a few major titles like Wolf 3D and Doom, which include DOSbox and are pre-configured for it.
09-15-12, 12:30 PM
#6
Former Member
Thread Starter
Re: Can new PCs run old PC games?
Other than those and X-COM, Steam has a pretty bad selection of old titles. Thanks for the GOG link, it has a ton of games I've been looking to get.
09-15-12, 01:15 PM
#7
DVD Talk Legend
Re: Can new PCs run old PC games?
Yeah, Steam really doesn't specialize in old games. It seems they only have them if they can help promote more contemporary titles. For example, I think they added Wolf 3D when the recent Wolfenstein game was released. I believe X-Com is the same way, in preparation for the upcoming game.
09-15-12, 02:56 PM
#9
Banned
Re: Can new PCs run old PC games?
GOG doesn't modify the games. They are running on DOSBox as well.
09-15-12, 03:32 PM
#10
DVD Talk Legend
09-15-12, 03:41 PM
#11
Banned
Re: Can new PCs run old PC games?
GOG does have Win95/98 games as well, and often times they can have problems running on modern hardware just like the regular CD version. Usually you can google search a solution like Groucho said.
GOG never modifies the game itself. That's beyond the scope of GOG's purpose. Not to mention a game's code is copyrighted, and it would be illegal to modify it.
GOG never modifies the game itself. That's beyond the scope of GOG's purpose. Not to mention a game's code is copyrighted, and it would be illegal to modify it.
09-15-12, 03:54 PM
#12
DVD Talk Legend
Re: Can new PCs run old PC games?
Well, I don't know exactly what they do, but this interview mentions something about it:
http://news.bigdownload.com/2008/08/...le-on-gog-com/
It should be okay to modify the code if the publisher agrees to it. For instance, Steam modifies its executables to hook into their DRM.
How hard is it to get some of these older games to run well on Windows XP and Vista?
It's not always easy, that's for sure. We have a great programming team, though, and they're being as crafty as can be to make sure everything works. When possible we'll work with the game masters, but often we just have to use some sort of programming magic I don't quite understand to ensure compatibility. We've created custom installers for each of our games, which help to solve some of the compatibility issues. We'll also rely on feedback during the beta to make sure things work on a lot of different hardware configurations.
It's not always easy, that's for sure. We have a great programming team, though, and they're being as crafty as can be to make sure everything works. When possible we'll work with the game masters, but often we just have to use some sort of programming magic I don't quite understand to ensure compatibility. We've created custom installers for each of our games, which help to solve some of the compatibility issues. We'll also rely on feedback during the beta to make sure things work on a lot of different hardware configurations.
It should be okay to modify the code if the publisher agrees to it. For instance, Steam modifies its executables to hook into their DRM.
09-15-12, 10:37 PM
#13
DVD Talk Legend
Re: Can new PCs run old PC games?
I think a lot of what GOG does is just finding the correct configuration (either for DOSBox or for Windows itself). For some games they may remove the copy protection (have a GOG copy of The Incredible Machine that has had the copy protection modified to be ineffectual).
DotEMU is another site similar to GOG.
DotEMU is another site similar to GOG.
09-17-12, 03:50 AM
#16
DVD Talk Godfather
