Interview with ConsoleClassiX - the online ROM rental service
A few weeks back, we told you about a rather unique service called ConsoleClassix, who allows players to enjoy a large variety of ROMs in exchange for a paid subscription. This service is considered to be legal by its owner due to the fact that players don't actually get to save the ROM files on their computers, instead, games are loaded in RAM and lost when the emulator shuts down (thus considered to be a 'rental service'). Additionally, for each instance of a game running at a given time, ConsoleClassix actually owns a physical copy.
We have contacted Aaron Ethridge, founder and owner at ConsoleClassix, who kindly accepted to answer our questions.
Q1: Can you describe ConsoleClassiX in a few sentences, for those of our readers who haven't yet heard of it?
Console Classix is a video game rental service. It works much like Red Box, but the “renter” doesn't get physical possession of the game they are renting at the time. The game is also electronically delivered to them, in much the same way a Netflix video is. Philosophically, ethically, and legally, Console Classix works just like Blockbuster. (Well, like an online Blockbuster that didn't go out of business.)
Q2: How did you come up with this idea? Some of our users have called it 'brilliant'.
Although it may offend some people, I honestly believe I was inspired. Me and a partner of mine were trying to work on a way to legally sell ROMs to people, but the gaming industry seemed... we'll say “resistant”... to the idea. Finally, after a long night of discussion, I gave up and went to bed. As soon as my head hit the pillow, it struck me: we wouldn't sell the games, we would rent them. After that, the legal chips fell right into place.
Q3: How profitable is your service? Do you make a living off of it? Do you have any employees to help you with the business?
It was quite profitable in the past. Interest in retro-gaming seems to wax and wane. At our high point, I worked for CC full time and had four employees working with me in an office we owned. That was years ago, however. Everyone has moved on, and I maintain it alone now. It pays it's own bills, but not a great deal more.
I hope to change that in time (by adding newer systems and games). I don't have a great deal of spare time to work on it at the moment, however. I'm a full-time network engineer and novelist. (I also work on video games when I get the chance.) I want to build CC back up, but it will probably be a few more months before I can really get started.
Q4: Do you believe ConsoleClassiX to be in a kind of gray area, from a legal standpoint?
Not at all. It's completely black and white. We own the games, so we have the legal right to rent them out. We have the right to let people play them on PC, so we have the right to copy them off the carts. The law is completely (and clearly) on our side.
Q5: How would you react if Nintendo or other big corporations became serious about taking the matter to court?
We would do our best to fight them. For their part, they would be extremely foolish to try it. At the moment, most people believe what we're doing is in the “gray” at the very least (if not simply illegal). If we were sued and lost, none of the countess illegal ROM sites on the Internet would vanish. However, if we were sued and won, Netflix (and countless other Mom and Pop sites) would offer a service like ours within days of the verdict.
Q6: Do you welcome publicity from big sites such as Ars Technica giving you a lot of attention, or would you rather stay in the shadows?
My attitude is: Shout about us from the rooftops!
The argument could be made that the more attention we get, the more likely we are to be sued, but my counter-point would be: the more money we have in our “war chest” the more likely we would be to win.
Q7: How do you plan on growing where your direct competition is piracy, and games are being more and more readily available?
A lot of people like to do the right thing. They also like to know they're not going to get “WannaCry” or some other terrible virus when they download something. We've never seen the pirate sites as competition. They don't offer the same product we do. (Even if the product is similar.)
That was my theory when I decided to start CC. A lot of people laughed at the idea. Then CC made a great deal of money, and they stopped laughing.
The business model could withstand competition when we started it up in 2001, and it can withstand it now.
Q8: A few members from our community signed up for an account at ConsoleClassix after reading our article, but they ran into a few issues with the website (expired certificate, plain text passwords, etc.) Do you plan to make improvements to the website, as a response to criticism?
Yes! The site has “decayed” during the past 12 months.(My primary gig at the moment is network engineering for a tier 2 ISP, and I've been VERY busy during the last year. I hope to get those issues fixed before January 2019. Lord willing, I'll find the time.)
Q9: Do you have any long term plans for expansion, perhaps adding more games, or systems? Is there anything your users should look forward to?
Yes! I really want to get CC moving forward again. There is a great deal we can add now. Years have gone by since our last major update and technological advancements have made it possible to use our model (potentially) with systems like the PlayStation.
I have a lot of plans. Just not a lot of time ATM.
Q10: Are you much of a gamer yourself? What's your all-time top 3 favorite games?
I am. And, this is a hard question. No matter what I say, I'll get cheers and boos. Lol.
For console, I would probably say:
- The Legend of Zelda
- Super Mario World
- Fire Emblem (for the GBA)
For PC, let's say:
- Quest for Glory (I – IV, V was painful)
- Privateer (the old Origin game – I also just started playing Elite Dangerous. I want VR...)
- Dwarf Fortress (I've only been playing for a few years, but I love it)
There are a great deal more than that, obviously (and, my answers might be different tomorrow), but those are some of my favorites.
If you liked this interview, you might also enjoy the previous issues in our series of exclusive interviews:
ConsoleClassix.com: if you are intrigued, check out their site to learn more
