Game Center CX to Debate Unlocking Wii and PS3 as Retro Challenge Titles
The debate reflects a generational shift in what counts as retro, as the program's own 20-year rule now collides with the perception of the Wii and PS3 as modern consoles for the generation that grew up with them.
Key Facts
- Game Center CX will hold a YouTube live stream titled "Wii & PS3 Unlock!? Live Stream" on August 23 from 15:00 to 17:00.
- The program defines retro games as software for hardware that has been on sale for more than 20 years.
- The Wii was released on December 2, 2006, and the PlayStation 3 on November 11, 2006, both reaching 20 years since release this year.
- In the 25th season in 2021, the PlayStation 2, GameCube, and Game Boy Advance were unlocked as challenge titles under the same criterion.
- The live stream will feature Section Chief Arino, played by Shinya Arino, and staff debating whether to unlock the Wii and PS3 as challenge titles.
Reporting from 3 sources: Denfaminicogamer, Game Spark, Inside.
The game variety program Game Center CX announced on August 1 that it will hold a YouTube live stream titled "Wii & PS3 Unlock!? Live Stream" on August 23 from 15:00 to 17:00. The stream will feature Section Chief Arino, played by Shinya Arino, and staff discussing whether to unlock the Wii and PlayStation 3 as challenge titles under the program's rules. The program defines retro games as software for hardware that has been on sale for more than 20 years. The Wii was released on December 2, 2006, and the PlayStation 3 on November 11 of the same year, so both reach 20 years since release this year. In the 25th season in 2021, the PlayStation 2, GameCube, and Game Boy Advance were unlocked under the same criterion. The official account posted a "hold on!" message, suggesting the debate is not settled. The stream will be held on the program's YouTube channel, and the outcome will determine whether Wii and PS3 software appears in future challenges. The announcement was made via the program's official X account on August 1.
The stream announcement quotes the program's own framing of the debate: "Both consoles have been on sale for 20 years. Based on the program's rules so far, will they be unlocked as challenge titles or not? Section Chief Arino and staff engage in heated debate!?" The official X post also asks viewers to subscribe to the channel and wait.
The program's definition of retro games as "software for hardware that has been on sale for more than 20 years" was formalized in the 25th season in 2021, when PlayStation 2, GameCube, and Game Boy Advance software were unlocked as regular challenge software. That announcement noted the rule directly: "In accordance with the rule of '20 years since console release.'"
Denfaminicogamer notes the generational tension in the debate. For viewers who played the Wii and PS3 in real time, the consoles may still feel new, but since PS2 and GameCube already cleared the threshold, unlocking the newer pair is "a natural progression under the program's standards."
Inside reports that Season 30 of the program kicked off on April 23, and frames the Wii and PS3 as "finally joining the retro game category." The outlet also notes expectations are rising for challenges involving Wii and PS3 software in future episodes, even as the official account has called for a "hold on!"
Synthesized by Yomimono from the 3 cited sources below, including Japanese-language reporting where cited, then editorially reviewed before publishing.