Edit: ^ That was supposed to say "humble"... typo.
As most people here right now are naturally PC players, I don't expect a lot of sympathy for this kind of post, but please hear me out.
I would love to see some of the games available on GoG on my PS3 and, while I don't have any numbers to back it up other than looking at the people around me, I think that I'm not alone with this. Plenty of people have migrated from the PC to consoles and many of us have fond memories of that time, eventhough we now chose to trade in some of the freedom that PC gaming offers in exchange for the comfort of consoles.
Since console gaming and distribution is entirely different from PC distribution, there are problems, and I'd love to hear about other problems that you can imagine, but I think it's possible. Here's what I have in mind and if somebody from GoG could comment on them (or state why they cannon comment on them, for example because of an NDA) I'd really, really appreciate it.
Problem #1: The Games
GoG licenses the games for distribution under certain terms and a license to distribute directly and for PC doesn't necessarily cover the indirect distribution through Microsoft/Sony to other other platforms. This could either turn into a dealbreaker or non-issue, depending on those terms and I won't even start to speculate about it.
Problem #2: The Distirbution.
Since GoG can't distirbute the software itself to consoles, it has to go through the platform publishers. This used to be pretty much impossible, but with the advent of online stores the situation has improved and smaller developers/publishers are able to release console software. However, the terms are partially dictated be the platform publishers and leaving out DRM is often just not possible as the DRM is part of the system and software won't run without signatures. Even the number of installs with one license are often fixed. Since these platofrm publishers also take a piece of each sale, prices would have to be higher. I think that's acceptable, but who knows how other players see this.
Problem #3: Porting
Let's face it. Porting each game is next to impossible and given the limited appeal not economically viable, either. The way I see it the only way to keep the costs low is to use a virtual machine. Here Sony's and Microsofts terms come into play again. Are virtual machines allowed? And where can the source come from? Given that Sony itself uses some open source code on the PS3 it seems that opensource is not in itself a problem, however some licenses (like the GPL used by DOSBox) forbid linking to non-OSS licenses. BSD-style licenses don't have that limitation and a lot of them are used by games on the PS3 (zlib for example, so there shouldn't be any issues with something like Openx86 or maybe even Bochs.
Problem #4: Operating system
As far as I know there aren't a whole lot of DOS/Windows compatible operating systems available under a BSD license, but that's not necessarily a problem. As they run inside a VM anyway and therefore don't have to be modified or linked to anything, any license that allows for free commercial distribution will do. And that includes the GPL. So theoretically, there could be a GPL licensed Wine or FreeDOS running inside the VM without any breach of contract. Of course getting Wine to work will be next to impossible, but FreeDOS wouldn't be very hard.
Problem #5: Controls
Most PC games are keyboard/mouse based, but aside from the fact that it's possible to connect a keyboard/mouse to most modern consoles, I don't think that mapping the controls to a gamepad would be too difficult for most games. But that would have to be decided on a per-game basis.
Do you think it could work? Is there something missing? Is anybody besides me thinking about something like this? Maybe somebody at GoG?
I'd appreciate any responses.
Hans Schmucker

I suspect there to be quite a few obstacles in the way, like the ones you mentioned and others. In theory it's a great idea bringing the best oldies to the consoles, I would love it to happen.

I don't even see the point to this, actually. Other than "yay, you can now play DOS games on your PS3", I mean. The hardware needed to run games on GOG is pretty minimal, its pre-packaged nature makes running them as simple as it can get, so... why? Hook up your ancient laptop to a TV and use a controller, and you get the same thing.

Isn't there a version of Linux for the PS3?
I'd assume Dosbox, ScummVM and WINE (etc...) could be ported/compiled to the specific distro and from there...
But a second hand sub $100 machine would do all you need and more for most of GOG stuff.

virtual machines are typically allowed, as games like Sonic The Hedgehog 2, uses a specific emulator engine, at least in the Xbox 360 version..

It's really just convenience. Hooking up my laptop to my projector is a distraction, because I have to switch the output, resolution, cable, hook it up to my amplifier, dig up my USB controller, find an empty USB port and so on and so forth. If I'd be willing to do all that, I wouldn't have a console :)
I did all this when my PS3 was in for repair and it really made me appreciate the convenience of doing all gaming on one system (preferably one that isn't Windows, because I have yet to find a way to handle process priorities when there's heavy I/O happening).

Yes, Linux works on the PS3, but not in a way that's any good for normal endusers. You have to create a Linux partition on first launch, you can't switch on the fly between GameOS/Linux and there's no distribution with good gamepad support. Graphics don't work beyond a simple framebuffer and using the SPEs of the core processor requires an additional IBM SDK and special optimizations. It's really just to discourage the homebrew guys from hacking the PS3, not for normal people.

Hey, you're right I didn't think of that, so we're covered as far as this is concerned.

[rant]
I'm getting tired of people on other platforms coming into PC game forums and whining "Make this for my platform, waaaah!". Find a forum appropriate to your platform, and go whine there. You might find that more people there will be sympathetic to your cause.
[/rant]
There, just had to get that off my chest.
Seriously though, there are SO many issues with this, that I think I can safely promise you it's not going to happen. Why you would even want it to is beyond me. You have a PC, don't you? Or do you post on GOG from your PS3?
Why play a game made in low resolution on a projector? It'll look like... Well, it won't be pretty, let me tell you that.
Likewise, why pipe the sound out over an expensive stereo system? It's most likely 22kHz mono samples anyway.
(Both examples naturally apply mainly to older DOS-based games).
And as for running newer Windows games on your PS3, forget it. Have you any idea what it would take to make a virtual machine capable of running, say, WindowsXP on a PS3? And how many resources it would take to run it? And then run a game on top of it? Not happening.
My advice? Build a media PC, stick it next to your PS3 and use that for whatever PC games you feel a pressing need to play from your sofa. You can even use it as a DVD player and harddisk recorder while you're at it.
And I apologize for the harsh tone, but I've seen this so much in the past few years, and I'm getting really tired of it. The PC is a versatile platform. A console is not. Both have pros and cons. But for some reason, the console players keep wanting the PC crowd to do a lot of hard work to put functionality onto a platform that A) they don't use, and B) wasn't ever intended for that kind of functionality. (Anyone who's hung around the mods & maps section of the UT3 forums will know what I mean).
So all this apparent anger is not directed at you, specifically. This was just the straw that broke the camel's back, so to speak.

I'm also a PC gamer at times, but not primarily. Anyway, I want to explore if this is possible and viable, not whine about that it's not. Tell me what you think isn't possible and I'll promise, I'll listen. But please hear the console gamers out, too.
I've done that too, but yes I have a PC. The question is not whether a PC can do this too. It can. Definitely. It's about whether there's a way to reach the console players that requires only limited investments.
Graphics isn't everything :) And yes, I've played these games on my projector when my PS3 was broken, so I do know what it looks like. A decent emulation can go a long way and there are powerful filters that can make the difference "acceptable". The relative popularity of PS1 games on the PS3 makes me think that I'm not alone with that. As far as the sound is concerned... You don't need surround for a good experience, the reason I'd have to hook it to my amplifier is because my PC has only it's built in speakers, which are not even good enough for 22khz and besides, the computer is at the wrong side of the room. So I'd have to move my computer... and suddenly I'm back at the whole "convenience" topic.
Please read my initial post again.
Do you really think that everybody who owns a console and would be a potential customer for those games is willing or even capable of doing that?
"the console players keep wanting the PC crowd to do a lot of hard work to put functionality onto a platform...". Do you see the problem here? You think of PC games as "your" games. Of PC developers/publishers as "your" people. This isn't about consoles being better than PCs, it's about an opportunity to get the best of both worlds together.

I personally would think that there would be quite a few games (ScummVM games included) that could work well on a console. Perhaps not titles like say Jagged Alliance, Dark Star One, or Freespace, but I would think any game that works with Dosbox or ScummVm should run fine on a console.
Why is this do you ask?
Because many run fine on PSP.

I did, and still do, and tell them what I think of it.
The thing is, you want something that requires a limited investment from you. In essence, what you're asking is "please turn my console into a PC for me".
I'm finding it hard to reply to this without using the words "lazy bum". It seems that you want somebody else to make sure you can do something that you have absolutely no right to expect to be able to, and without you having to do a single goddamn thing for it.
I did, and I did not see anything that addressed this issue. You talk a lot about Wine and FreeDOS, neither of which, to the best of my knowledge, exist on the PS3. FreeDOS certainly wouldn't help you with Windows games either. Whom did you want to port Wine to the PS3?
Then you speak of VMs, but as of right now, they don't exist for the PS3, so someone would have to make them. And a VM is essentially a PC hardware emulator. When run on a PC, lots of shortcuts and optimizations can be made, by utilizing the existing hardware architecture. On another hardware platform however, you don't have that luxury. And again, someone would have to actually make the thing.
Now we're back on the "give me something I don't have the means or the will to do anything for" line again.
Yes, but you're going about it in the wrong direction, see? The PC is the versatile platform, not the consoles. So if you want the best of both worlds, you'd be better off looking for a way to play console games on a PC than the other way around.
And no, quite frankly, I don't see any problem with thinking of PC games/developers/publishers as belonging on the PC platform. I rather think it's the natural way of looking at it.
May I say, incidentally, that you run a fine discussion. You take the time to quote correctly, and answer each point in turn. So keep it going :-)

So what you need to do is to go to the DOSBox and ScummVM forums and ask them to do PS3 ports of their software. They're the ones who can make it work. GOG certainly can't.

I'm not particularly interested, all the older games that I really want to play on console (Doom, Duke Nukem 3d, and others) are already on console. :3
I'm just supporting his argument that it's possible. which, it most certainly is. Is it possible for it to be GOG.com offered? maybe if GOG.com could work out some sort of deal, but the prices would be more expensive I would think on console then they would on PC. Suddenly you've got microsoft dipping in, the original ip creators, possibly the emulator or virtualization software creators, and then your own piece of the pie.. that would lead to a high price imo.
I don't think it's worth it, if the game is good enough it will come on it's own to the console, thanks to the publisher/developer.
but letting people know that there is a market for said games doesn't hurt either. You seem fairly opposed to this issue Wishbone, I don't really understand why.

I think we're at the core of the discussion here. You apparently think that I think (terrible way to put it) that the developers/publishers owe me something. I don't. They don't owe me anything, except what I paid for and I obviously haven't paid for console GoG stuff yet. But it could make sense to them and they may not have realized how little it could take to offer this service at which point I would be willing to pay. It's just about money, nothing else. I'm a potential customer, they're a provider. If the provider is convinced that it would generate profit, they do it. Otherwise they don't. I'm a customer making an offer and they're free to accept it or not. They only way a customer gets to vote is with his purse.
Again, I'm willing to pay for it. That's all I can offer, short of accepting a job at GoG.
I just said "Of course getting Wine to work will be next to impossible, but FreeDOS wouldn't be very hard.". Games that require Windows/Wine obviously would require quite a bit of work... in my opinion more than the profit they could generate, so what I wanted to say was "leave out the Windows games".
<-- This is already covered by the first part of my post.
But it's sadly not how the world works. Nobody owes you anything. No developer. No publisher. Their only obligation is to go where the money is and so I'm trying to convince them to do it for the money, not for me.
Thank you :)