Re: When Is A Game Old?

On Mon, 22 Apr 2024 14:30:06 -0400, Xocyll <Xocyll@gmx.com> wrote:

Spalls Hurgenson <spallshurgenson@gmail.com> looked up from reading the
entrails of the porn spammer to utter  "The Augury is good, the signs
say:
<snip>
>

Floppy disks were a surprisingly costly part of game development in
the 90s, and ate up a significant chunk of the profits for publishers.
Disks were expensive and - even purchased in bulk - could cost
anywhere from 50 cents to 2 dollars US! So with a game that shipped on
8 floppy disks, that might mean $10 of that might be spent on media
alone!

First floppy disk I ever bought: 5.25" 160k SS/SD
(Single Sided / Single Density.)

$10

That was in 1981 or 1982, I forget which now.

And - just to make it even more clear about how expensive that was -
$10USD in 1981 was the equivalent of $35USD in 2024. I've seen used
flat-screen TVs go for less in thrift stores. ;-)

I can't remember the year (late 80s, probably) but I recall purchasing
a box of 3M 10x 5.25" floppy disks (probably DS/SD, since it was for
my 8-bit) for about $25. It was a significant chunk of change. It was
the 80s equivalent of buying a new external hard-drive.

Yet, for all we look down on floppies - so fragile, and holding so
little data - they were incredibly versatile, useful and so, so
superior to most alternatives.

I can't say I /miss/ floppy disks, but I do miss the form factor.
There was something very reassuring about those slender cassettes
(especially 3.5" disks); a solidity and presence that said, "Yes, I am
here holding your data". Slotting the disk into the drive and getting
that reassuring 'clunk' was quite satisfying too. Smaller form-factors
- like thumb-drives - never quite recaptured that. I think it's why I
loved ZIP disks (and its competitors, like LS120 super-floppies) so
much.