A few years ago, I suggested that GOG should consider acquiring the console maker Evercade and offer the bulk of their games on that platform. After reflecting on it, though, I’ve come up with a new idea that I’d like to share.

What if GOG created its own series of affordable, open-source consoles (similar to Evercade) and offered print-on-demand physical copies of games from their existing library? Users could purchase digital titles from GOG’s website and have them preserved on a physical cartridge that plays on a new, open-source device. This would not only allow users to own a physical version of their games but also help developers optimize their titles for seamless performance on a Linux-based system (which GOG needs to support).

I honestly wish I could play my games on the go and without having to worry about reinstalling them every time I get a new PC or need to reset my OS. I personally would love the option to buy physical copies of my games and play them without relying on a PC.

I understand there are costs involved in developing hardware, but it’s not as complicated as it might seem. For example, check out the YouTube channel Abe’s Projects and their video, "I spent two years trying to make SD Cards more nostalgic". He was able to create something truly innovative on a minimal budget and in a relatively short period of time.

To me, this could be a great way for GOG to help users preserve their game libraries.

My suggestion would be to base the cartridges on SLC or MLC flash based storage embedded on a basic PCB and a plastic shell (with a look similar to a HuCard), which I think might make for the perfect choice in terms of long-term preservation. You could even make a device that allows users to flash their own [blank] cartridges, including their own movie and music playlists (and cover art). This could serve as a true media preservation device for not only gaming, but the entertainment industry as a whole.

You could even call the device the GOG Origami. It's got a nice ring to it, don't you think?

Sigh...here we go again.

https://www.gog.com/forum/general/gogcom_handheld_console/page1

https://www.gog.com/forum/general/pgs_handheld_console_incredible/page1

https://www.gog.com/forum/general/gog_console_here_me_out/page1

https://www.gog.com/forum/general/cd_project_should_buy_evercade/page1

https://www.gog.com/forum/general/gog_console_revisited


You want to play your GOG games on a (handheld) console?
Why not simply use one of the million that already exist.

That second thread of yours (see above)...did you buy one of these?
If not - why not?

The first thing I said to my wife when I made this post was "I don't know why I even bother posting on the GOG forum, because a lot of people on there get triggered by topics like this so easily" ... and what do you know, I was right.

That being said, I know this topic has been brought up before. I actually posted some of the threads you listed, and several of them were ahead of their time. I remember posting that first thread back in 2015, saying that GOG should release a handheld ... and low and behold Steam released a handheld several years later that went on to sell millions!

I'm sorry, but I'm not going to take dumbass comments like that anymore. The idea that I laid out would work beautifully, and there are a ton of people who would love to see a device like this hit the market. This is why the creator space is filled with people making similar devices like the one I described. I'm far from the only one who thinks this way.

I know this isn't the same thing...but any excuse to promote the virtues of Heroic and I'm there

I play ALL my PC gaming on my Steam Deck, by using Heroic Games Launcher:

https://heroicgameslauncher.com/

it lets me play my GOG games, it lets me have achievements, and it works with Linux without (too much!) issue. Being open-source and made by the dev team by essentially donating their time, maybe you could support them with their endeavors!

Heroic works on Linux on the Steam Deck, but it also supports Windows and Mac. It lets you play GOG, Epic and Amazon titles. The best part is that the team have an arrangement with GOG where they get a small % of the sale price when you buy a game through Heroic, and...in the end you get your handheld PC with GOG!

So you can buy a Steam Deck, or a entry-level ROG Ally, or a Legion GO and install Heroic how ever you want (or don't, if you stick with Windows!)


...making an entire handheld, getting licenses, maintaining it, supporting it...that's a gigantic, gigantic task.

I also play all my games on Heroic, and it's a fantastic solution for PC gaming on Linux. However, the device I'm talking about is more for convenience (playing on any display) and preservation. You could use it to play games, watch movies, or even listen to music. I realize that other devices exist to play games, but I want one that I can play physical media, and also back up all of my existing media. This seems like an easy solution to all of these problems... especially if you can flash you GOG games in one easy step.

I would not buy that. Neither the console nor the physical cartridges.

I don’t think GOG has anyone on their team who would be able to work on that anyway.

Finally, their Linux support is far too poor right now to even start thinking about such a project.

I don't want GOG to go out of business, so I am strongly against this idea.

That's quite silly. As silly as the Amico, if not more so.

At least the Steam Deck understands that physical accouterments are for a niche collector's market, and not for the masses.

You're talking about making a bespoke machine, with bespoke cards, to hold a game that you could copy several thousand times over and still have room on even the most stingy of formats.

I love it when random strangers on the GOG forum feel the need to make financial decisions for the company.

"I don’t think GOG has anyone on their team who would be able to work on that anyway"

"I don't want GOG to go out of business, so I am strongly against this idea."

Everyone's entitled to their opinion (even if it sucks), but what the hell do you guys know about running a business?

Having the ability to run your games from a cartridge is appealing to many, many people. This is why companies like Blaze are thriving in this market. To be honest, I'm not even pitching the idea to you, because you're not really the target demographic that this project is aimed at. I've found that the people on the GOG forum are EXTREMELY toxic and usually set in their ways. I don't know why, but most of you seem to be completely against change on any level (i.e. the Galaxy launcher).

The only advice I can give you is to try thinking about these things for more than two seconds before responding.

Well, clearly much more than you do, at least that is obvious. But this is not a high bar… No, not even close to that. There are far more video games players on NetBSD than there are players asking for cartridges. The word "thriving" probably does not mean what you think.

I'm already bored with this conversation. I think I'll just make like the French and surrender.

I not very fond of the idea of a GOG console, being handheld or not. The reason is simple, I like the offline installers and being able to install the games on pretty much any device I setup to my liking. I understand that both are not mutual exclusive, my point is that I setup the device and they provide the games (more on last paragraph).

That said, I bet some people will like a device like that. Some colectors might like the idea.

The problem with your original idea is that we are talking about GOG: Galaxy would be required, will not be open source, very expensive due the niche market and limited production, not forgeting the shippment costs and will be half baked...

Since GOG jumped on a new buzzword bandwagon (preservation, whatever that means), as a good sign of faith, selling physical editions of CDProjekt games would be nice.


With your idea on mind, one could setup a nice machine with physical games. Let's say, a small computer (Handheld or Intel NUC style) running your favorite OS with a bunch of games inside SD Cards, run a script to auto launch the game when the SD is detected and all is gold, no install needed. Quite simple to setup and not overly expensive and don't take a lot of space. Obviously not all games are suited to a setup like that and each game has to be prepared manually.

Good suggestions, but I'd much rather use a proprietary cartridge, rather than an SD card. In order to maintain the concept of a preservation based platform, you're going to need a more advanced, long-term flash storage format. This is why I recommend SLC flash storage embedded onto a small PCB and case. This would be cheap, customizable and long lasting.

Also, it's not really that hard to distribute. Evercade has accomplished this on a much smaller budget, with far less options for licensing. GOG is a well established brand that's more than capable of taking on such a project.

Of course you coming up with this venture are not a "random stranger on the GOG forum"? Well, since you started this thread here... yes. Yes you are. The forum certainly has its issues and can sometimes be less than pleasant... this isn't one of those times. There's nothing toxic about people simply disagreeing with your idea. If anything it's your replies like "I'm already bored with this conversation." and "ry thinking about these things for more than two seconds before responding." that could be considered "toxic". All the ways in which Galaxy has been a detriment to non-Galaxy users have been enumerated so many times, it takes a special kind of willful obliviousness from someone who's been around for so long to make a statement like that.

Lapsed customer, thank you. Do you really think GOG has a product team and factory line just sitting to the side, waiting to spin up? Bringing a piece of software, much less an actual physical product is a journey of many steps and a thousand certifications. I've seen enough metaphorical corpses of companies who tried and died for it and fiscal results sheets. The demographics just ain't in the cards. Are you sure thriving is a valid operative word here? Performing well within an enthusiastic niche, perhaps. But physical games are of a bygone era.

Imagine if you would, having to fumble with a platten of cards to play Baulders Gate 3.

More to the point: My computer doesn't have an optical media drive. My future computer, won't have an optical media drive. I do not miss spin up or seek times. I do not miss faffing around with drivers and IRQ collisions. There's a reason I embraced digital gaming.

Another point against: So these game cards, do they have a bespoke emulator; a special wrapper, or what? If they use something like Dosbox, how do I update the configuration or drop in a version of my own preference? How would you guarantee data integrity or allow for updates?