Hero-of-Time Posted March 3, 2016 Posted March 3, 2016 Just got my Gamecube out - looking to see if I still have a memory card for it (can't find it though) - and the front of that has yellowed; it's a different colour to the grey memory card slots. My GameBoy has somewhat yellowed as well. Dreamcast was definitely the worst from memory though. Yeah, seen a few cases of that on the internet as well. The half that sticks out of the Cube is exposed to sunlight, so it makes sense that its that half that gets discoloured.
Guy Posted March 3, 2016 Posted March 3, 2016 Can confirm the N64 still works. Successfully booted up and played F-ZERO earlier on as it's the only PAL cart I have handy, all the others are Japanese or American.
nekunando Posted March 11, 2016 Posted March 11, 2016 Does anyone have any replacement game boxes like those pictured below? I've tried to obtain proper boxes and replace some of my loose game cartridges with complete versions over they years but I have several SNES games that are more expensive to do this with and I wouldn't be prepared to pay the money for it. However, with only a few loose cartridges left on my shelf, I'm tempted to pick up a few of these Any thoughts?
Hero-of-Time Posted March 11, 2016 Posted March 11, 2016 Does anyone have any replacement game boxes like those pictured below? I've tried to obtain proper boxes and replace some of my loose game cartridges with complete versions over they years but I have several SNES games that are more expensive to do this with and I wouldn't be prepared to pay the money for it. However, with only a few loose cartridges left on my shelf, I'm tempted to pick up a few of these Any thoughts? A lot of the time these types of replacement boxes have colours that don't quite match the originals. They also usually don't have barcodes on the back. If you just want something that looks half decent on the shelf then they should be fine. Just make sure to check that guys ebay feedback to see if anyone mentions the quality of the print and cardboard.
Guy Posted March 11, 2016 Posted March 11, 2016 Lots of loose cart collectors seem to swear by Universal Game Cases and printed covers from The Cover Project. That site doesn't seem to cater super well to PAL titles though and having NTSC art with a PAL game would set my OCD on fire. Collecting these games is hard enough without the cardboard to be fair, but it looks so good on the shelf...
Dcubed Posted March 13, 2016 Posted March 13, 2016 Oh, hey! Just in case you haven't seen it yet, I'm selling a bunch of stuff in the Trades and Sales forum. Oh and @lostmario, you wanted a 3DO? well! Guess what I happen to have in there...
lostmario Posted March 13, 2016 Posted March 13, 2016 Oh, hey! Just in case you haven't seen it yet, I'm selling a bunch of stuff in the Trades and Sales forum. Oh and @lostmario, you wanted a 3DO? well! Guess what I happen to have in there... Just about to post in your thread!
Hero-of-Time Posted March 15, 2016 Posted March 15, 2016 So I was listening to this weeks Nintendo Voice Chat episode and they were talking about older Nintendo stuff. They got on about how as kids they thought the SNES was awesome because you didn't need to blow into the cartridges to get them to work. This got me thinking...Just how in the hell did that rumour even start? Everyone blew into their NES cartridges to try and get them to work ( little did we know we were probably doing more damage than good due to the moisture ) but i've never known what the source of this so called trick was. The IGN guys are based in the US so it happened there, as well. We are also talking about a time well before the internet so it wasn't as if the rumour spread that way. Was the Nintendo Hotline giving out this advice or something? Crazy to think all we needed was a new pin connector!
Dcubed Posted March 15, 2016 Posted March 15, 2016 I still do it... Hey, why are you staring at me like that!? It works!
Hero-of-Time Posted March 15, 2016 Posted March 15, 2016 I still do it... Hey, why are you staring at me like that!? It works! Really? You're kidding, right? Just buy a new connector. They are like a tenner on Ebay.
S.C.G Posted March 15, 2016 Posted March 15, 2016 Forget cartridge-blowing and its pseudo-effects or otherwise... what about certain Sega disc-based consoles? (just kidding, to an extent but mostly aside from the NES I've very rarely had cartridges fail) I swear some Dreamcast discs only need a few small scratches in the wrong places and they become near impossible for the console to read... I'm talking about even when you have a "good" machine as well with a stronger than usual laser. Already I'm a couple of rare(ish) titles down - merely doubles thankfully - as some games just stopped reading and seemingly no amount of cleaning would help... I think this can happen with Sega Saturn games as well but to a lesser extent thankfully as the machine is definitely of sturdier construction that the Dreamcast I think personally... though I might just be slightly biased or annoyed at my DC not readin certain discs currently. :p There was a moment where a copy of Cannon Spike just stopped working... thankfully after some very careful cleaning it is now working flawlessly again - as in I tested the game for the whole evening just to be sure - which is just as well; it's a tough road in trying to get several collectable Dreamcast - and Saturn - games to be complete, in decent condition and reliably working, but it's worth it. Does anyone have any other disc/cartridge cleaning techniques they wish to share? Let's keep the Retro dream alive! : peace:
Hero-of-Time Posted March 15, 2016 Posted March 15, 2016 I used to take any disc based games I won off Ebay to GAME. They charged a couple of quid to give the discs a good clean. Not sure if they still offer that service but it made the discs look good as new.
Dcubed Posted March 15, 2016 Posted March 15, 2016 (edited) Forget cartridge-blowing and its pseudo-effects or otherwise... what about certain Sega disc-based consoles? (just kidding, to an extent but mostly aside from the NES I've very rarely had cartridges fail) I swear some Dreamcast discs only need a few small scratches in the wrong places and they become near impossible for the console to read... I'm talking about even when you have a "good" machine as well with a stronger than usual laser. Already I'm a couple of rare(ish) titles down - merely doubles thankfully - as some games just stopped reading and seemingly no amount of cleaning would help... I think this can happen with Sega Saturn games as well but to a lesser extent thankfully as the machine is definitely of sturdier construction that the Dreamcast I think personally... though I might just be slightly biased or annoyed at my DC not readin certain discs currently. :p There was a moment where a copy of Cannon Spike just stopped working... thankfully after some very careful cleaning it is now working flawlessly again - as in I tested the game for the whole evening just to be sure - which is just as well; it's a tough road in trying to get several collectable Dreamcast - and Saturn - games to be complete, in decent condition and reliably working, but it's worth it. Does anyone have any other disc/cartridge cleaning techniques they wish to share? Let's keep the Retro dream alive! : peace: Thankfully I've been lucky with Dreamcast games myself, but I can imagine that they're more fragile than normal CDs, due to the fact that they're a customised version of the format, with more dimples pressed onto each disc for that extra disc capacity. You know what's really bloody fragile though? PS2! PS2 discs are a bloody nightmare! PS1 discs aren't even as bad as them! (I swear that Sony are just super bloody cheap when it comes to their disc pressing - PS3 aside, since BD discs are much more durable by their nature - and don't get me started on their hardware reliability! They're by far the worst!!!) Xbox originals are generally fine. The hardware is reliable and the discs are durable enough, much moreso than PS2. Xbox 360 is a very different matter... I don't really need to say much about the hardware (as I'm sure you all know the stories surrounding them), but the consoles have a tendency to scratch the discs through standard use as well! (good going Microsoft!). Thank God for the HDD install option! Do it on all of your games without exception! (the faster loading times are reason enough, but it also goes a long way towards preserving the state of the discs as well) You want to be careful about Disc Rot though. From what I hear, Dreamcast discs are more prone to the evils of disc rot than other console discs (the crappy cases that let UV light in don't help either!) Saturn games aren't bad really since they're just bog standard CDs and CD manufacturing was a mature process even back then (why Sony chose to use their dodgy black CDs for PS1 and, worse even still, the dreaded blue discs for PS2 is beyond me!); though I have had some issues with them... My copy of Panzer Dragoon Saga has a problem with the 4th disc sadly... The security portion of the disc is damaged and I have to use the disc swap trick to get around that (thankfully it works just fine after you do that, because I am not buying another copy!) I would say that the Saturn is a much more reliable console than the DC overall though (not to mention a LOT more quiet!). It's a pretty nice machine really I've never had a dead cart though, or a broken Nintendo console game disc either for that matter :p Edited March 15, 2016 by Dcubed
Hero-of-Time Posted March 15, 2016 Posted March 15, 2016 I'm sitting here doing a bit of retro window shopping on ebay and it's crazy just how many Saturn consoles either come with the wrong controller (usually type 2 console with type 1 controller ), no official pad and just a 3rd party knock off, no power lead or controller or TV lead. Crazy thing is that some of these have boxes. So these people managed to keep the box of the thing yet somehow lost or got rid of the leads or the controller! What the hell? I missed out on a decent Saturn bundle the other day. Everything looked in great condition, as well. It clearly wasnt meant to be.
Dcubed Posted March 15, 2016 Posted March 15, 2016 I'm sitting here doing a bit of retro window shopping on ebay and it's crazy just how many Saturn consoles either come with the wrong controller (usually type 2 console with type 1 controller ), no official pad and just a 3rd party knock off, no power lead or controller or TV lead. Crazy thing is that some of these have boxes. So these people managed to keep the box of the thing yet somehow lost or got rid of the leads or the controller! What the hell? I missed out on a decent Saturn bundle the other day. Everything looked in great condition, as well. It clearly wasnt meant to be. It is a bit weird isn't it? I suppose it could be that these people are buying console bundles, stripping them of the bits they want/need and then are flipping the remaining bits back onto eBay...
Retro_Link Posted March 16, 2016 Posted March 16, 2016 (edited) The collecting begins!... :p (OK putting them side by side the Mario cartridge is lighter in colour!) Guys, buying cartridges isn't as easy as I'd anticipated... I'm not sure if I'll keep this F-Zero or not but its only the back I'm concerned about so. Consequently, I have a 1080 cartridge and Turok Dinosaur Hunter cartridge that I'm not 100% happy with. If anyone would like to buy either of these, they're yours for £8 including postage. Edited March 16, 2016 by Retro_Link
Hero-of-Time Posted March 16, 2016 Posted March 16, 2016 Guys, buying cartridges isn't as easy as I'd anticipated... I'm not sure if I'll keep this F-Zero or not but its only the back I'm concerned about so. Whats the issue with the back F-Zero Cart? I've been recently looking at Master System stuff on YouTube. I never actually owned one but I played on one plenty at my friends house as a kid. It's crazy how the graphics are miles ahead of what the NES had on offer. Stuff like Asterix, Land of Illusion and Donald Duck looked amazing. I may have to look into getting one...
Retro_Link Posted March 16, 2016 Posted March 16, 2016 (edited) It has these kind of indents on the sticker, a bit like an empty biro has gone over it; which would probably be nothing for some but still... I'm actually finding it to be an issue on many carts. Edited March 16, 2016 by Retro_Link
Dcubed Posted March 16, 2016 Posted March 16, 2016 (edited) It has these kind of indents on the sticker, a bit an empty biro has gone over it; which would probably be nothing for some but still... I'm actually finding it to be an issue on many carts. Most carts will have that. It's nigh on impossible to find something like that in absolute pristine, brand new condition. Even the most well kept game will probably have some kind of very small indent or scratch on the label like the ones you see in that image. You do just have to be realistic about it. These N64 carts can be up to 20 years old, so you'd expect some form of marking on it, however small; unless it's still sealed and has never been opened of course. Edited March 16, 2016 by Dcubed
Retro_Link Posted March 16, 2016 Posted March 16, 2016 @Dcubed Yeah it's very true. I think I was just spoilt by my first two carts, Mario and Diddy Kong... the 3 I've had since haven't been in the condition I'd expected given the listing and even from the photo's. I think it's largely because F-Zero is a game I care about. Maybe I'll have to pay a little more for that one.
Hero-of-Time Posted March 16, 2016 Posted March 16, 2016 @Dcubed Yeah it's very true. I think I was just spoilt by my first two carts, Mario and Diddy Kong... the 3 I've had since haven't been in the condition I'd expected given the listing and even from the photo's. When it comes to carts, as long as the sticker hasn't faded and has no peeling then you should be happy with it. As Dcubed said, these things are pretty old now and have no doubt been passed around a few owners. Of course, there's nothing wrong with wanting a good looking collection but, at the same time, you have to be realistic. Speaking of the condition of older carts and games, people on ebay are usually hilarious with their descriptions. You see phrases like "Like New!!" being battered around and then you look at the actual pictures in the listing as see that the game has a tatty box or ripped instructions. Muppets. I really have the urge to go on a retro spending spree. I hate this thread.
Retro_Link Posted March 16, 2016 Posted March 16, 2016 (edited) When it comes to carts, as long as the sticker hasn't faded and has no peeling then you should be happy with it. As Dcubed said, these things are pretty old now and have no doubt been passed around a few owners. Of course, there's nothing wrong with wanting a good looking collection but, at the same time, you have to be realistic. Speaking of the condition of older carts and games, people on ebay are usually hilarious with their descriptions. You see phrases like "Like New!!" being battered around and then you look at the actual pictures in the listing as see that the game has a tatty box or ripped instructions. Muppets. I really have the urge to go on a retro spending spree. I hate this thread. 1080 has a couple of scratches on the base of the cart, and Turok a few lines in the cartridge, so there are issues with those. But yeah, maybe I just need to lower my expecations. You're right in that ideally I'd like a good looking collection. lol, yeah I was going to say about sellers on eBay. Their opinions on condition are sometimes ridiculous. Also how annoying is it when people only post a picture of the box, when everything else is included. Or the only photo is a blurry one, or just a zoomed out look at everything. Even just a picture of the front of the cart frustrates me, as I have to contact the seller. Jog on sellers, jog on. Edited March 16, 2016 by Retro_Link
Hero-of-Time Posted March 16, 2016 Posted March 16, 2016 (edited) Also how annoying is it when people only post a picture of the box, when everything else is included. Or the only photo is a blurry one, or just a zoomed out look at everything. Even just a picture of the front of the cart frustrates me, as I have to contact the seller. Jog on sellers, jog on. Yeah, this annoys me, as well. When it comes to N64 boxes, i'm especially interested in what the side looks like ( the one with the name of the game on it ) as its that side that gets displayed on the shelf. Most of the time I usually have to contact the seller to get my pics of the thing and 9 times out of 10 it is usually ripped or creased, which is clearly why they don't show it. @Retro_Link look at this! http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Diddy-Kong-Racing-N64-Nintendo-64-Retro-Game-Cartridge-UK-PAL-/131754173675?hash=item1ead2924eb:g:7DYAAOSwxp9W6YIO How the hell is that in acceptable condition? In the description its classed as good used condition. Edited March 16, 2016 by Hero-of-Time
Retro_Link Posted March 16, 2016 Posted March 16, 2016 Yeah, this annoys me, as well. When it comes to N64 boxes, i'm especially interested in what the side looks like ( the one with the name of the game on it ) as its that side that gets displayed on the shelf. Most of the time I usually have to contact the seller to get my pics of the thing and 9 times out of 10 it is usually ripped or creased, which is clearly why they don't show it. @Retro_Link look at this! http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Diddy-Kong-Racing-N64-Nintendo-64-Retro-Game-Cartridge-UK-PAL-/131754173675?hash=item1ead2924eb:g:7DYAAOSwxp9W6YIO How the hell is that in acceptable condition? In the description its classed as good used condition. LOOOOOL!
Dcubed Posted March 16, 2016 Posted March 16, 2016 Yeah, this annoys me, as well. When it comes to N64 boxes, i'm especially interested in what the side looks like ( the one with the name of the game on it ) as its that side that gets displayed on the shelf. Most of the time I usually have to contact the seller to get my pics of the thing and 9 times out of 10 it is usually ripped or creased, which is clearly why they don't show it. @Retro_Link look at this! http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Diddy-Kong-Racing-N64-Nintendo-64-Retro-Game-Cartridge-UK-PAL-/131754173675?hash=item1ead2924eb:g:7DYAAOSwxp9W6YIO How the hell is that in acceptable condition? In the description its classed as good used condition. Ha ha! Well at least they used an actual pic instead of a stock one I suppose
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