Video Game Collecting and the Death of Physical Media

[Mr. Sensible]

Another thread-surrection from our last forum iteration, let us once again discuss collecting video games in an era when physical media is becoming increasingly obsolete.

Those of us who still seek out physical games have undoubtedly come to rely more on auction sites than retail stores, but there are still a couple of shops in my local area worth visiting (apologies in advance for linking to FB). Located in sleepy Weber City, VA, R&D Games is a relative newcomer. They recently expanded their floor space with a dedicated room for DVDs, so it's also a good option if you're in the market for cheap movies.

2 Dudes Gaming in Elizabethton, TN is the more established storefront that's been around for at least a decade. Unfortunately they're slowly re-purposing more and more of their space for Funkos and other tchotchkes I have zero interest in buying, but they still have the best selection of both new and old games in my area. Scored myself a nice copy of Jet Set Radio Future there over the weekend for a reasonable price.

Anyone else got any recent pickups to share?

 

[WildcatJF]

I just got a nice copy of Vandal Hearts from Mommi! It's nice to have it again; last time I had it the disc got corrupted.

 

[Syless]

It feels like the golden era for collectors expanding their collection was the mid-late 2000s, as rental stores were dying out due to Netflix being killed. I did benefit from it, but only marginally- I got a copy of Suikoden II (without the manual) for $5, it's now worth $150. Not my most valuable game- that goes to my copy that *does* have the manual- but a remarkably good deal. I wish I'd gone hunting more at that point, I might have found some more gems.

 

[Voncaster]

I would agree the mid-late 2000s were good for collecting. For me, the early 2000s were good as well. In the early 2000s I picked up a new Dreamcast for $50 and I got a ton of DC games from used games stores on the cheap.

I think anytime there is a new console, its generally a good time to pick up games for the existing console. A lot of gamers move onto the new shiny console and the existing console games are momentarily cheaper (the brief period of time before they become OOP collectors items).

***Physical Discs***

I play games on PS exclusively for the moment. I have a Wii around, but its not hooked up. I usually buy games on physical disc. So even if the PS store goes away I'll be able to play the games I buy. However, the disc drive is probably the most likely item to fail on the hardware. My PS3 disc drive sounds like a jet engine taking off now.

Part of me wants to go all digital, but I know digital stores close and games disappear due to expiring rights. It seems unlikely that a digital game will be there for me 10 years from now, the way a physical disc will be.

Right now I buy both physical and discs.

Sometimes, I wonder why I worry about being able to play games I buy years into the future. I probably play 6-12 games per year. I generally don't have time to go back and play old games. I suppose for me discs allow me the comfort of, I could go back and play these games if I wanted to. With digital that seems like a less certain.

My friend has a top loader NES that still works. Its amazing how long those old consoles last. I'm convinced my PS3 and PS4 will die far before my friends NES dies.

 

[Mr. Sensible]

Disc drives seem so much more prone to failure than consoles using solid-state media. And then you have the issue of disc rot that's especially bad on Saturn and Dreamcast games; I guess they were manufactured more cheaply than PS1/PS2 discs? I bought a copy of Shenmue a few years back that I had to return because the first disc wouldn't read due to rot. I've sworn off buying any more DC discs as a result and am looking into ODE devices as a replacement. It sucks because I have a real enduring fondness for Dreamcast; it was the first Sega console I owned while it was still contemporary, and it felt like Sega was really firing on all its creative cylinders back then with games like Shenmue, Typing of the Dead and Jet Grind Radio.

 

[Dracula]

Yeah, old-ass consoles like the Famicom Disk System and PC Engine Disc Drive are just as prone to failure because of all the moving parts. Meanwhile you could dig a model 1 Famicom out of a landfill and it'd probably still turn on, as long as you didn't plug it in with an American NES adapter, which outputs AC for some ungodly reason.

My game collecting has slowed somewhat in 2020, partly because my hobby interests have ebbs and flows (toys are in flow season now), and partly because many of my favorite Famicom sources had to cease their more economic shipping methods due to a certain microscopic organism.

Still, I recently picked up a handful of Famicom games from an Instagram claim sale. This included Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Manhattan Project, Jaleco's Pinball Quest, and a freebie copy of Pac-Land as an apology for a late shipment. I did not ask for the latter, nor would I have, and it's a game I already owned anyway, but it was appreciated nonetheless. More Namco games, more power.

TMNT II surprised me by including a whole options menu that's not present in the NES edition, giving you the ability to change difficulty settings and peruse a sound test. And, oh, by the way, that wasn't a typo: if you didn't know, the first NES TMNT game in Japan wasn't branded with TMNT, so our II/III was I/II on Famicom.

Pinball Quest is a bunch of pinball games in one, and the main mode is a Dragon Quest-esque RPG thing where you have to blast monsters with the pinball. It seems fun. I think it might have come out in the US? I'm not sure.

Finally I stumbled on a Sega Master System controller at a used game shop this past weekend. I don't have an SMS, but I do have a Mega Drive and a Mega Everdrive, and the controller uses the same port. Unfortunately, the controller didn't work, either on my region-modded MD or my unmodified Genesis. I'm not sure if it's incompatible with the Everdrive or if I just ended up with a bum controller.

Regardless I have a feeling this story is going to eventually end with me owning a SMS.

 

[Ixo]

I’m alright with digital so long as I actually get to keep it, if that makes sense. DRM free and not strictly tied to an account. (I don’t have a Steam account and don’t feel the need to.)

I’ve sold or given away a lot of my physical games as I’ve realized how little I’ve interacted with them over time, leaving only the carts and discs that I really enjoy. Mostly handheld Nintendo and PlayStation.

I have the problem of not liking too much stuff hanging around, but then succumbing to “out of sight out of mind” for the games I do have digitally. Haven’t quite solved that yet.

 

[Sarge]

I’m alright with digital so long as I actually get to keep it, if that makes sense. DRM free and not strictly tied to an account. (I don’t have a Steam account and don’t feel the need to.)

I do have a Steam account, but I agree, DRM-free is the way to be. I'm a big GOG fan, so if a game doesn't have a physical release and it's on GOG, that's where it's going to get purchased.

I actually haven't been out much to collect anything because of all the pandemic stuff, but my parents, brother, and I went thrifting a few weeks ago, figuring that was probably safer than hitting Walmart or something. (And it was, all of us are well.) I snagged a Japanese copy of Cosmic Fantasy 2 for the Duo, and in another store got TMNT II: Back From the Sewers for Game Boy and TaleSpin for Game Gear.

I've also done a few purchases through message boards. I got a sort-of-working NES Toploader (with composite mod) that apparently needs either a new rectifier or voltage regulator (betting on the latter, it works with a Genesis power supply) for a good price, King's Field II, Mole Mania, The Curse of Monkey Island (with the box but sadly not with the first two games!), Neugier, Star Wars: Dark Forces, and Cosmo Tank. Oh, and some random PS2 games that he couldn't sell so I basically just paid shipping.

Pinball Quest is a bunch of pinball games in one, and the main mode is a Dragon Quest-esque RPG thing where you have to blast monsters with the pinball. It seems fun. I think it might have come out in the US? I'm not sure.

Yep, it did, 'cause I've got a copy of it. It was my goal to pretty much get anything RPG-related back then. Still missing a lot of WRPG stuff on NES, though.

 

[muteKi]

Finally I stumbled on a Sega Master System controller at a used game shop this past weekend. I don't have an SMS, but I do have a Mega Drive and a Mega Everdrive, and the controller uses the same port. Unfortunately, the controller didn't work, either on my region-modded MD or my unmodified Genesis. I'm not sure if it's incompatible with the Everdrive or if I just ended up with a bum controller.

I would put my money on bum controller personally. Had you already started up a Master System game when you tested it?

 

[Dracula]

I would put my money on bum controller personally. Had you already started up a Master System game when you tested it?

I tried several different configurations. It wouldn't work on the Everdrive menu, and when I swapped out to an MD controller to activate a game, then swapped back, it wouldn't work on the game either.

 

[Lady]

After NES and SNES classic, I'm pretty much convinced that emulation is the true solution. Ideally legally-licensed emulation, but ehh

Disregarding games with a significant online play portion, what digital store fronts have fucked people over by removing access to digital content in a permanent way? (this is not said in a way to indicate I doubt one exists, but I don't know their names) The PS1 Classics on PS3 was a reasonable way to keep those games alive on modern consoles, but being tied in to sony's capricious whims WRT backwards compatibility in new hardware releases.

 

[Syless]

At least Steam hasn't pulled anything *from* people's libraries yet. There's games no longer buyable (anywhere- RIP Legend of Korra, never got a physical release), but at least they're all still downloadable. Friggin' licensing rules.

 

[Positronic Brain]

Disregarding games with a significant online play portion, what digital store fronts have fucked people over by removing access to digital content in a permanent way?

 

[Dracula]

I mean there's anything that was exclusively released on now-shuttered digital storefronts. Gems like the Konami Rebirth games died with the Wii Shop Channel, and I'm sure we'll see more and more examples of this when we lose the 3DS Eshop and so forth. Eventually all of that stuff will only be available for people willing to pirate it.

 

[muteKi]

Still astounding to me they partnered with M2 for their Contra and Castlevania collections but didn't think to include the rebirth games

 

[Sarge]

Maybe the Wii emulation was tricky? Definitely a bummer, though.

 

[muteKi]

I would have figured they'd have enough of the original material to just port it!

 

[Kishi]

Ain't no "just" in game dev.

 

[muteKi]

True

 

[Dracula]

I would put my money on bum controller personally. Had you already started up a Master System game when you tested it?

SMS Controller update: I went back to the game shop and swapped the bum one for the other one they had in stock. This one worked...sort of. The d-pad and II button worked fine, but button I wouldn't work at all. This at least solved for me that it was a problem with the controller and not my setup. So I took the controller apart and cleaned all of the contacts (which were filthy). Still nothing. Too bad. This is where my electrical expertise ends, so I'll probably take it back to the shop for credit. A shame!

On a related note, does anyone have any buyer's advice if I were to look into purchasing an SMS? These are the things I'd be taking into consideration...

* Ability to play Japanese gold box games (I realize there's a cartridge shape difference, so IDK if there's common mods or what)
* Possibility of access to FM sound
* Output to TVs (I normally use a CRT with composite cables)

 

[muteKi]

If you're not getting a Japanese unit then your only advantage with respect to cartridge support is being able to play card games. You'd still have to get a gender adapter. That and it plays the old Fighting Falcon dogfight sim which used a display mode not supported on Genesis. You would need to get an adaptor with a 2413 on it to play Japanese games (these can be built/bought) but I'm not convinced there's enough there to be worth more than a Power Base FM and maybe a region adapter.

I have an old Tototek adapter that actually supports both cartridge shapes (not cards though) and it's a little disappointing that almost no newer ones share that feature.

 

[Dracula]

If you're not getting a Japanese unit then your only advantage with respect to cartridge support is being able to play card games. You'd still have to get a gender adapter. That and it plays the old Fighting Falcon dogfight sim which used a display mode not supported on Genesis. You would need to get an adaptor with a 2413 on it to play Japanese games (these can be built/bought) but I'm not convinced there's enough there to be worth more than a Power Base FM and maybe a region adapter.

I have an old Tototek adapter that actually supports both cartridge shapes (not cards though) and it's a little disappointing that almost no newer ones share that feature.

Let me see if I have all of this straight:

• American Sega Master System ($$): Plays US and UK games; does not easily output FM sound without mods; seems difficult to obtain cart adapters for Japanese games
• Japanese Sega Mark III ($$$): Plays only Japanese games; has an expensive add-on FM unit; cart adapter exists
• Japanese Sega Master System ($$$$): Plays only Japanese games; has FM built in; cart adapter exists

I'm torn up on this a bit, because the American console is easiest to obtain and has a good spread of games, but I love the aesthetic design of the Mark III and the gold box games, and I'd love to have access to the FM sound. It doesn't seem like there's a simple way to enjoy all of this stuff in one place. Maybe I need to resign myself to eventually owning both an SMS and Mark III...

 

[muteKi]

Mark III is good but the biggest issue with it is that the FM unit doesn't pass-through the SN-chip's audio. This is fine for any retail release because they were designed with that restriction in mind but homebrew that uses FM has a tendency to use both chips and so would only sound right on an SMS unit. Maybe someday an enterprising soul will create a PSG mixing patch cable sort of thing, but I doubt it.

But yeah, gender adapters are much easier to find for the Japanese systems (they plug into the expansion slot in the back of the unit) because there's no need for an FM mod. The adapter is in fact really simple to make, and the expansion slot to my knowledge works just like the Genesis' expansion slot, in that it's a 1:1 mapping of the pins of the cartridge slot and fully bootable, intended, say, to connect to multicart demo units for stores.

That said I am of the general belief there's no real benefit to having a US Master System if you already own a genesis as the cartridge adapters are generally cheaper, and the video encoding on probably all Genesis units is better than on an SMS. The only thing that will change is you'll get the cute little BIOS screen (and thus the potential to play Snail Maze). Is that worth it? I'm not sure TBQH.

 

[ShakeWell]

I've moved away from collecting games themselves with the advent of flash carts and ODEs, but there are some things I still just want to/love to have in my collection.

 

[Yimothy]

My personal SMS setup is a mega drive with a power base fm. This lets me play SMS games with or without FM sound, though I have found the mix is maybe a bit off. It’s a while since I played, but I think the FM music is a little quieter than the PSG sound effects, making the latter a bit intrusive. The Power Base has a rudimentary bios in it, which I think allows certain games to run which require one. It’s the only converter I’ve been able to get Bubble Bobble to run through, though no source I’ve seen online says I should expect a problem with BB on a converter.

I’ve done a couple of mods to the mega drive: I put in a region switch, which allows me to access Japanese versions of SMS games in some instances (required to get FM sound to play in Wonder Boy III, if I remember right). Interestingly (to me at least), it turns out the Japanese system has no bios, so some games will have their own Sega logo screen when run in Japanese mode. I’ve seen a few variations of it, whereas all western games expect the console to run its own logo through the bios (meaning it’s absent on MD). I also installed an extra headphone jack wired to a couple of points (one of the cartridge slot pins and ground) on the MD board which I connect to a push button switch I made. I use that with a long cable to be able to pause from the couch (or, if there’s a mega drive game in, to crash the system).

A working SMS controller is a necessity for a small number of SMS games, including my personal favourite Wonder Boy in Monster Land (though if you’ve got the region mod, in JP mode it will will work with an MD controller (and the bosses have double HP)).

I’d like to get a Mark III cart to western system converter, but it seems like you have to make them yourself.

 

[ShakeWell]

My personal SMS setup is a mega drive with a power base fm.

Between having a US SMS and having a Genesis Everdrive (which plays 99% of SMS games), I balk at getting one of these, but I always THINK about it, because Double Dragon needs that sweet, sweet FM sound.

 

[Dracula]

Not personally, but I have plenty of acquaintances who swear by them. I've heard good things about Buyee.

It's also worth noting that many Japanese sellers (on places like ebay or J4U) have changed their overseas shipping options during the COVID times. It's usually not possible to get the cheapest option now.

 

[Denn]

I bought Metal Wolf Chaos, but then Devolver Digital announced that they were bringing it over here before I could find an affordable Japanese Xbox. On one hand, I'm glad I didn't shell out for an import console for a single game. I do sort of regret how much I spent on the game though...

I'm currently learning some Japanese though, so maybe I'll get more into imports of retro games eventually.

 

[Sarge]

I bought Metal Wolf Chaos, but then Devolver Digital announced that they were bringing it over here before I could find an affordable Japanese Xbox. On one hand, I'm glad I didn't shell out for an import console for a single game. I do sort of regret how much I spent on the game though...

I'm currently learning some Japanese though, so maybe I'll get more into imports of retro games eventually.

Seems like it'd likely be cheaper to soft-mod an XBOX to play it, though? It's super easy to do these days.

 

[Denn]

Seems like it'd likely be cheaper to soft-mod an XBOX to play it, though? It's super easy to do these days.

Probably, but now that I've played it on Steam in HD, I think my XBox version will just be a random collectable I own. I love playing classic games on physical hardware. But for 3D games, I want to play in the highest possible resolution I can.