GoKawiilThe consoles you grew up with are now officially retro. GameStop, the world's largest brick-and-mortar video game retailer, announced Monday that it's labelling multiple seventh- and eighth-generation home gaming consoles as "retro consoles."
The Xbox 360, released in 2005; the PlayStation 3, released in 2006; and the Wii U, released in 2012, are now "historical artifacts" of the games industry, according to the retailer.
It's hard to define the "retro" label in gaming circles. There's a fierce debate over whether the transition from 2D to 3D graphics, the rise of online gaming or the adoption of digital audiovisual outputs should qualify consoles for the designation.
What matters most is that the definition of retro gaming is fluid, and GameStop has set forth its own criteria for redesignating these three home consoles.
"The ruling was reached following careful analysis of multiple indicators, including: the presence of component cables, the lack of Fortnite and the realization that [these consoles] launched when George W. Bush was still president," the statement reads.
While that may feel like GameStop is reclassifying consoles based on vibes -- the Wii U wasn't even released during the Bush administration -- there is at least some merit to these claims. The lack of component cables in newer consoles is proof enough that hardware has significantly evolved since the release of the reclassified consoles, and it has been a long time since they've been able to run any modern games (even something as ubiquitous as Fortnite). The Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 are 20 years old. That's about as "retro" as retro gets.
According to GameStop's statement, it reclassified these consoles under its "Retro Classification Standard," with the hardware joining the Sega Saturn and the Nintendo DS in the retro category.
A representative for GameStop did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
GameStop began a limited-time trade-in campaign for retro gaming equipment in accordance with the reclassification of these consoles.
Anyone who brings in an Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Wii U or any console, game or gaming accessory that is older than the redesignated consoles will receive an additional 10% in trade-in credit. This offer ends on March 21.
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