What is your thought then on a game on a "super" cartridge that you could transport back in time to say, 1977, and would work without modification on the 1977 platform? Would that still be cheating? Not necessarily. It's still using the original platform and its inherent capabilities. You're not adding anything to it.
I could compare it to the folks who love antique cars and such. I've known several of them, and there are at least three different kinds. One type insists on using nothing but actual vintage parts, made during the era when the actual car was produced. Another type will use modern recreations of vintage parts as long as they are accurate. The last, and I bet most common, type will use any compatible parts as long as they don't significantly change the look of the car. Thus you could end up with a car from the 30s with all of the conveniences of a modern car. I'm not saying any of these approaches is wrong or immoral, though there might be some debate from a historical perspective about authenticity and accuracy.
I could see applying similar logic to homebrew. You had mentioned some homebrewers who used actual recycled cartridges, for instance. I don't see anything wrong with using the advancements you described, either. But, yeah, if the technology didn't exist or wasn't feasible during the run of the machine, it strikes me as inauthentic, rather like putting a modern engine in an old Deuce coupe and bragging about how much better acceleration it gets than the coupes of the era. You see the point, I'm sure.
There's also a fun analogy I've heard in cases like this--consider an axe. If you release the blade, is it the same axe? What if you replace the handle? What if your place both? There is obviously a sense in which it is still the same axe, but it definitely a conundrum.
What is your thought then on a game on a "super" cartridge that you could transport back in time to say, 1977, and would work without modification on the 1977 platform? Would that still be cheating? Not necessarily. It's still using the original platform and its inherent capabilities. You're not adding anything to it.
I could compare it to the folks who love antique cars and such. I've known several of them, and there are at least three different kinds. One type insists on using nothing but actual vintage parts, made during the era when the actual car was produced. Another type will use modern recreations of vintage parts as long as they are accurate. The last, and I bet most common, type will use any compatible parts as long as they don't significantly change the look of the car. Thus you could end up with a car from the 30s with all of the conveniences of a modern car. I'm not saying any of these approaches is wrong or immoral, though there might be some debate from a historical perspective about authenticity and accuracy.
I could see applying similar logic to homebrew. You had mentioned some homebrewers who used actual recycled cartridges, for instance. I don't see anything wrong with using the advancements you described, either. But, yeah, if the technology didn't exist or wasn't feasible during the run of the machine, it strikes me as inauthentic, rather like putting a modern engine in an old Deuce coupe and bragging about how much better acceleration it gets than the coupes of the era. You see the point, I'm sure.
There's also a fun analogy I've heard in cases like this--consider an axe. If you release the blade, is it the same axe? What if you replace the handle? What if your place both? There is obviously a sense in which it is still the same axe, but it definitely a conundrum.
Matt Barton, Managing Editor
Location: St. Cloud, Minnesota, USA
Email: matt@armchairarcade.com