question: Why do video game companies make "retro" systems that emulate their older ones, instead of just making new ones?
comment: The R & D of taking largely off the shelf parts and putting a software layer on it is orders of magnitudes less than reinventing the wheel with actual hardware updates. Especially when the majority of your customers won't care about the small differences.
passages: Following Nintendo's announcement that a Nintendo 64 Classic edition won't be coming anytime soon Hyperkin announced that they will be doing a clone system for the Nintendo 64 for the first time ever. The product was announced in early June 2019 and a unit was shown at E3. 
  
  Section::::Cancelled.
  
  Section::::Cancelled.:RetroN 4.
   BULLET::::- If legacy software runs on only antiquated hardware, the cost of maintaining the system may eventually outweigh the cost of replacing both the software and hardware unless some form of emulation or backward compatibility allows the software to run on new hardware.
   While the old-style Famiclones continue to be found, the newly legitimized market has seen several clones that openly advertise support for original Famicom or NES games (or sometimes both), a feature not usually publicized by previous clones, which were often marketed as cheap gifts rather than Famicom-compatible systems. Examples of these newer efforts include the Generation NEX, which resembles a flattened version of the original NES and supports both NES and Famicom games, Gametech's Neo-Fami (also released in both Famicom and NES compatible versions as the "FC Game Console" by Yobo Gameware), and the handheld PocketFami, a more ambitious, albeit still slightly flawed, successor to the older TopGuy, GameAxe, and Game Theory Admiral. However, these more legitimate clones are still based on the same NES-on-a-chip architecture as the older systems, and as such still suffer from many of the same compatibility problems.
   This concept, known as Deliberate Retro and NosCon, began to gain traction thanks in part to the independent gaming scene, where the short development time was attractive and commercial viability was not a concern. Major publishers have embraced modern retrogaming with releases such as "Mega Man 9", an attempt to mimic NES hardware; "Retro Game Challenge", a compilation of new games on faux-NES hardware; and Sega's "Fantasy Zone II" remake, which uses emulated System 16 hardware running on PlayStation 2 to create a 16-bit reimagining of the 8-bit original.
  
  Section::::Retrogaming methods.:Vintage retrogaming.
   However, some systems include legally licensed games; for example, the Rumble Station's 15 built-in games are licensed from Color Dreams, and Sachen's Q-Boy includes only its own original titles. A growing number of recent clones, such as those marketed by Technologies in the United States, contain large numbers of original games made by developers in China.
  
  Section::::Hardware and software compatibility.
   Following Nintendo's announcement of the Super NES Classic Edition, Hyperkin announced they were developing the Supa RetroN HD, a high-definition clone of the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. Keeping in line with their previous RetroN consoles, the Supa RetroN HD will support original Super NES cartridges rather than featuring built-in games.
  
  Section::::Upcoming.
  
  Section::::Upcoming.:Retron Ult.
   Games abandoned by the rights-holders often spark remakes created by hobbyists and game communities. An example is "OpenRA", which is a modernized remake of the classic "Command & Conquer" real-time-strategy games. Beyond cross-platform support, it adds comfort functions and gameplay functionality inspired by successors of the original games. Another notable examples are "Pioneers", a remake and sequel in spirit to ""; "CSBWin", a remake of the Dungeon crawler classic "Dungeon Master"; and "Privateer Gemini Gold", a remake of "". 
   TechCrunch applauded the Nt mini's FPGA, ""The Nt Mini is not using emulation to provide your NES gaming experience, the way those inexpensive modern consoles from Retros and others do – it’s playing the games exactly as they were intended to be played, without the lag induced software trickery, which is present even on the NES classic."" 
   Section::::"Demakes".
  
  Although remakes typically aim to adapt a game from a more limited platform to a more advanced one, a rising interest in older platforms has inspired some to do the opposite, adapting modern games to the standards of older platforms, sometimes even implementing them on obsolete hardware platforms, either physical or emulated.
   While most Famiclones will run most original licensed Nintendo software and work with most original carts (being even more versatile than an original NES because of the lack of regional lockout chips and sometimes having a dual 60-pin and 72-pin cartridge compatibility), the degree of hardware compatibility with original NES accessories and miscellaneous hardware equipment may vary, and even software level compatibility isn't always perfect.
  
  The most common software-level incompatibility in the built-in games that some sport, is the lack of save RAM, causing the few games that use it to fail when trying to save or load data.
   Section::::Clones by region or country.:South Africa.
   The unlicensed clone market has flourished following Nintendo's discontinuation of the NES. Some of the more exotic of these resulting systems surpass the functionality of the original hardware, such as a portable system with a color LCD (PocketFami). Others have been produced for certain specialized markets, such as a rather primitive personal computer with a keyboard and basic word processing software. These unauthorized clones have been helped by the invention of the so-called NES-on-a-chip.
   A recent musical trend has sought to recapture early 1980s 8-bit game and synthesiser sounds, often referred to as chiptune. Artists such as Kid Carpet perform entire sets on children's toys or pocket synths of the period. Other artists, such as Nullsleep, perform using only period video game hardware. DJs offer dance music events built from samples of period games or gadgets.
   The RetroN 5 received a mixed reception from critics. "Huffington Post" writer Michael Rundle gave the console a 4.5 out of 5 but said he wished it looked better and had the ability to play more consoles, such as the BBC Micro, Amiga and the Atari. Brian Easton of BoingBoing said the quality is good although it "requires more force to remove [the cartridges] than feels comfortable".
  
  Section::::Released.:RetroN HD.
   Developers have created "clones" of their own games. Escape (now Westone) produced a clone of "Wonder Boy" for the NES by the name of "Adventure Island" to circumnavigate a number of legal issues surrounding the "Wonder Boy" name and character.
  
  Section::::Types of conversions.:Remakes.
  
  Developers have remade older video games with modern technology. This was a particular phenomenon during the late 1990s with numerous 3D updates of games such as "Frogger", "Missile Command", "Asteroids" and "Space Invaders".
  
  Section::::Types of conversions.:Retro/Emulation.
   Commercial developers have also used emulation as a means to repackage and reissue older games on newer consoles in retail releases. For example, Sega has created several collections of "Sonic the Hedgehog" games. Before the "Virtual Console", Nintendo also used this tactic, such as Game Boy Advance re-releases of NES titles in the Classic NES Series.
  
  Section::::Other uses.
  
  Although the primary purpose of emulation is to make older video-games execute on newer systems, there are several advantages inherent in the extra flexibility of software emulation that were not possible on the original systems.
  
  Section::::Other uses.:ROM hacking and modification.
   With the birth of the retrogaming phenomenon, remakes became a way for companies to revive nostalgic brands. "Galaga '88" and "Super Space Invaders '91" were both attempts to revitalize aging arcade franchises with modernized graphics and new gameplay elements, while preserving many signature aspects of the original games. The 16-bit generation of console games was marked by greatly enhanced graphics compared to the previous generation, but often relatively similar gameplay, which led to an increased interest in remakes of games from the previous generation. "Super Mario All-Stars" remade the entire NES "Mario" series, and was met with great commercial success. Remake compilations of the "Ninja Gaiden" and "" series followed. As RPGs increased in popularity, "Dragon Quest", "Ys" and "" were also remade. In the mid-'90s, Atari released a series of remakes with the "2000" brand, including "Tempest 2000", "Battlezone 2000", and "Defender 2000". After Atari's demise, Hasbro continued the tradition, with 3D remakes of "Pong", "Centipede", and "Asteroids".
   Section::::Legal issues surrounding retrogaming.
  
  Though many abandonware titles are available for free download on third-party websites, the duration of copyright on creative works in most countries is far longer than the era of home computing.
   Some console developers have provided tools such as the Net Yaroze software development kit in an attempt to provide an avenue for hobbyists to create content.
  
  Section::::Development.:Remakes and re-releases.
   Manufactured alongside the RetroN 5 since May 2017, this console is basically a re-release of the original RetroN, with HD output and a more authentic-looking controller. Many critics and analysts believe that Hyperkin released the RetroN HD in response to Nintendo having discontinued the NES Classic Edition. The console received a mostly positive review from GameSpot.
  
  Section::::Released.:RetroN 77.
   BULLET::::- Emulators require better hardware than the original system has.
  
  Section::::In new media art.
   Some manufacturers have added new backward-compatible features to their NOAC ASICs, which allow developers to add new features like an improved processor (a 65C816 compatible), better graphics, stereo sound (by adding another audio unit), PCM audio, and a unificated bus (OneBus) which lets manufacturers use a single ROM to store games instead of the two (one for program and other for graphics) the original NES and Famicom used.
  
  Section::::Post-patent Famiclones.
   Starting in the 2000s, the trend of retrogaming spawned the launch of several new consoles that usually imitate the styling of pre-2000s home consoles and only play games that released on those consoles. Some retro style consoles play the games of pre-2010s handheld consoles. Most retro style consoles are dedicated consoles, but many have an SD Card slot that allows the user to add additional games, an internet connection that allows users to download games, or even support the cartridges of older video game systems such as the Nintendo Entertainment System.
  
  Section::::List by date order.
   Because of the heavy use of retrofitting and refitting fictional navies also include the concept. As an example, in the Star Trek MMORPG Star Trek Online players can purchase retrofitted ships of famous Star Trek ship classes such as those manned by the protagonists of the Star Trek TV series. This is done to allow players to pilot iconic ships of the series from old series of the show that wouldn't naturally be latest-and-greatest ships due to their obsolescence or size but are retrofit to be suitable for a maximum-level player-character admiral.
  
  Section::::See also.
  
  BULLET::::- Automotive aftermarket
   BULLET::::- The Everdrive series of game cartridges has enabled classic systems such as the Sega Mega Drive and Nintendo 64 to allow one cartridge to have a number of games that were formerly on multiple cartridges of their own, by use of an SD card with ROMs on them; since it can allow a real game console to access ROMs, which an emulator would normally do.
  
raw_presuppositions: Video game companies should make new systems instead of recreating old ones.  Video game companies can easily make new systems.
raw_corrections: Taking off the shelf parts to create a retro system is much easier than building a new one, and customers likely don't mind.  Taking off the shelf parts to create a retro system is much easier than building a new one.