Video Game Collecting and the Death of Physical Media

[Mr. Sensible]

Finally got brave/bored enough today to remove the rental disc security sticker from my PS1 copy of Einhander. I started by working a toothpick under the edge of the sticker next to the disc's spindle hole, which let me test the strength of the sticker adhesive. Once I found the adhesive to be fairly pliable, I used tweezers to lift up the inner edge of the sticker enough to snip it with scissors. Then I sloooowly started peeling the sticker up, working my way to the disc's outer edge and then around the circumference until I had the entire sticker off. Unfortunately it left quite a bit of gummy adhesive, but I was also able to get that removed with some gentle water-based cleaning solution; I didn't want to use alcohol and risk pulling paint off the label side of the disc. Now the disc is sticker free (and noticeably lighter), and it still works great! I'm glad this wasn't the kind of rental sticker with metal strips embedded, because those are apparently nigh impossible to remove without destroying the disc.

 

[Sarge]

Wow. Good job - I've never summoned up the guts to even try to remove stickers from mine where they're present.

 

[Ixo]

I don’t mind rental stickers in some cases. My copy of Chibi-Robo is an old Hastings rental, and it doesn’t bother me. Does make me miss Hastings though!

 

[Kazin]

Hastings was so great. Bought so, so much stuff there. I miss it, too.

 

[Kazin]

Collectors! I have a legit, complete copy of Pokemon Sapphire with a dead internal battery. That is something I can fix, and I even have the part already - but should I bother? Would fixing the battery decrease the value of the game on the market, or would a potential buyer appreciate the fix?

 

[Ixo]

Collectors! I have a legit, complete copy of Pokemon Sapphire with a dead internal battery. That is something I can fix, and I even have the part already - but should I bother? Would fixing the battery decrease the value of the game on the market, or would a potential buyer appreciate the fix?

I've seen repairs done where not only was the battery replaced, but an entire new battery holder was soldered in to make inevitable future repairs that much easier. I personally think that sort of thing is great.

 

[Kazin]

Well, I don't have that part, just the tabbed battery and some soldering skill. Still worth installing? It's not difficult for me, at least.

 

[muteKi]

I guess I don't know about the Japanese version specifically, but the X'Eye is compatible with the 32x, you just can't leave it in all the time, because it blocks the CD door.

I was assuming that Phantoon was speaking specifically about the first-generation model. (The second-gen is what the X'Eye is based on.) I agree that it is an absolute stunner.

However, there's RCA (with s-vid), RF, and...MIDI (?!) out only, so I don't think there's any way to get the video signals the 32X needs without significant modding of the console.

 

[Sarge]

@Kazin: I've had that question myself - I honestly don't know. Part of me says untouched is worth more, but then again, if it doesn't function like it should anymore, that also decreases worth. My guess is that on balance, it's better with a working battery; I don't see any auctions that tout that it has its original battery in place, but that a particular game still saves or has had the battery replaced.

Someone else feel free to chime in!

 

[Sprite]

Glancing at eBay, it doesn't look like there's a huge price difference between Sapphire copies with dead batteries and copies with new batteries. It might be a six/half dozen situation. The real deciding factor is likely the box.

Meanwhile, in Neo Geo Pocket Land:

MANY GAMES

I'm about 2/3 done collecting the US library, though I foresee the last few games taking me a loooong time to find. I've also just incorporated NGPC game collecting into my budget, which should help stave off another ill-advised spending spree and make it easier to justify a ridiculous purchase down the line if I save up enough.

The bundle I bought the system with also came with a monochrome Neo Geo Pocket, though it arrived busted. That is, the listing said it worked but not very well, but it arrived working almost not at all. I didn't return it as it's mostly just going to sit on the shelf, but I do wonder if anything can be done.

I have no idea what that orange stuff is (the listing said they were dead pixels but I'm not sure), but the screen is so faint as to be illegible, whereas it seemed fine in the listing's pictures. The battery spring also just falls right out of the battery compartment, I don't know if that might be the cause or not.

Unsurprisingly, people do not seem to be making aftermarket parts for the original Neo Geo Pocket, so gussying it up isn't an option. Still a fun thing to have even if it ends up a brick.

 

[Mightyblue]

The midi out makes sense, as the FM synth chip onboard would be easy to output through PGMs.

 

[Kazin]

Oh my, your collection is gorgeous, Sprite

I don't think the battery spring is the cause of any of your issues, as those are easily removable in just about every handheld I have, and once replaced either work perfectly with a crisp, dark screen, or don't work at all because they're not making contact properly.

I don't know what the orange stuff is either - I'm not familiar with black & white NGPs, but I wonder if they're similar to the original Game Boy and have a polarizer, which is old and faint at this point? Next time you boot it up, look at it while wearing a pair of sunglasses - if the (non-orange) bits appear darker, it's a polarizer issue. No idea how feasible a replacement would be, though, as I'm not sure how the polarizer would be attached to the screen if at all.

Or maybe I just have polarizers on the brain because I just got five Game & Watches in the mail today that all need new polarizers. Dunno lol

EDIT: Ah, yes, according to this, it's exactly like the original Gameboy, even down to how you have to remove the polarizer off the back. Scroll down to where he's removed the screen from the shell and begun peeling off the polarizer to see what I'm talking about. If it's like the original Gameboy, it is a giant pain to remove, as the adhesive it probably pretty tough and you have to be careful with the ribbons on the sides of the screen. Granted, once removed, it's easy to just slip a polarizer in there, and you can buy sheets of the things and cut them with scissors, so the issue would be peeling the polarizer off. Er, that, and figuring out what that orange stuff is (I wonder if some packing material or something got in there during shipping? I can't imagine why it'd be ORANGE of all colors).

 

[Sprite]

PfffffHAHAHAHA, I'm a big ol' dum dum.

It is exactly like the Game Boy, in that it has a contrast slider.

Definitely glad I didn't try to return it, that would have been egg on my face!

Now that I can make it darker, the orange bits look like points where liquid crystal is missing, maybe. When I tilt the system around the orange looks like it's underneath the black bits.

 

[Kazin]

lol I thought about suggesting the contrast slider, but I thought you might be insulted if I said that because surely you tried that hahaha

The orange is what's throwing me, though. Why is it orange? When Gameboys have LCD damage, it's black - same with Game & Watches, Gameboy Colors, etc. It does admittedly kinda have the pattern of LCD damage, but that orange color... so weird.

Occam's razor, it's probably LCD damage. But why it's orange, I have no idea. Maybe it's crap on the back of the lens? Not sure how it'd get there... Hmm. Oh! The spacers in the Color version that keep the LCD from flopping around internally are this orange spongey material - I wonder if one of those came loose and got around front? I don't know if they're orange in the original Pocket, but if that's the case, you should be able to open it up and wipe it away, good as new. If it's not that, I DON'T KNOW WHY IT'S ORANGE (can you tell how baffled I am? lol)

 

[Klatrymadon]

Yeah, it looks like corrosion caused by a leaking capacitor and something you could clean off, but I've never opened an NGPC up and have no idea if they even have any caps!

Edit: looks like they do: https://console5.com/store/snk-neo-geo-pocket-color-smd-cap-kit-ngpc.html

Yours is still working, though. Is it possible someone else has re-capped it but not cleaned it? Could have been a leaking battery, too, although none of this explains how the crud got onto the screen...

 

[Phantoon]

Well, I don't have that part, just the tabbed battery and some soldering skill. Still worth installing? It's not difficult for me, at least.

I'd argue it isn't; of all of my non Pokemon GSC games a grand total of 2 have lost their saves. So they've gone thirty-odd years without needing any soldering. For bloody Gold / Silver Crystal though? Possibly.

Can you get the back of the cart on with that mod though? I know a CR2032 is pushing what you can fit in a cartridge case.

 

[Kazin]

I'd argue it isn't; of all of my non Pokemon GSC games a grand total of 2 have lost their saves. So they've gone thirty-odd years without needing any soldering. For bloody Gold / Silver Crystal though? Possibly.

Can you get the back of the cart on with that mod though? I know a CR2032 is pushing what you can fit in a cartridge case.

Well, the game tells you the battery is dry when it boots - for Sapphire, that just means berries won't grow, which to me is no big deal, but for someone paying like the $300ish I'm going to be asking for it... might be. lol

 

[Phantoon]

I'd probably swap that out, not everybody fancies soldering. A nice fresh battery won't hurt its value.

 

[Kazin]

not everybody fancies soldering.

weirdos

(yeah, I'll probably end up doing it, probably this weekend)

 

[ShakeWell]

I was assuming that Phantoon was speaking specifically about the first-generation model. (The second-gen is what the X'Eye is based on.) I agree that it is an absolute stunner.

However, there's RCA (with s-vid), RF, and...MIDI (?!) out only, so I don't think there's any way to get the video signals the 32X needs without significant modding of the console.

Oh, yeah, that A/V out port doesn't look like the correct pins.

 

[Sprite]

Phase Two of I Spent Too Much on NGPC Games:

Tiny boxes!

I got the idea from this YouTube video when looking up ways to display my games and fell in love with the concept. I couldn't find any templates to use, though, so I made my own. Went through about seven prototypes trying to figure it out, because I don't actually have any boxes, so it's all seeing what I can glean from scans and screencaps and Youtube videos. This ancient looking site was a great find.

It's also really hard to find proper high-res scans of the US box art. The Pac Man art I found had scuffs and dents in it, so I used my very slight editing skills to massage them out. One of the nicest parts of the boxes being tiny is that shrinking them down hides most of the imperfections.

It's just cheap cardstock printed out with my home printer, because I didn't want to stress too much about the more in-depth methods used in the videos I've found. They're based on the US clasp designs, though I'm not worrying too hard about making them 100% accurate. The hardest part was getting the flap to stay closed, which husband solved by thickening up the tab with some scotch tape. I do eventually want to make tiny manuals as well, but one thing at a time.

The backs are completely different from the originals, with museum-style blurbs. My goal is to have a nice display of all these with feelies people can paw through and look at factoids about the games.

Also, I like this pixel font but discovered that the "K" looks terrible, which is unfortunate given how many games are made by SNK. Does anyone have a recommendation for a good free pixel font?

One down, 30ish to go! I'll be assembling the Crush Roller box soon once I figure out a better font.

 

[Kazin]

Uh, wow, that looks great! Especially since you just printed them at home. I don't mind the "k" myself, but I also have no suggestions for a better font, so what do I know.

That is going to look fantastic once you have it all set up! I need to get a shelf and some stands, and I plan to display my Game & Watches similarly once I find something I know my cats won't be able to get into/knock over lol

 

[ShakeWell]

But does your Pac-Man box have a spot for your Pac-Man Clicky Thumbstick Four-Way Restrictor™?

 

[Sprite]

Pfffft I don’t have one of those.

 

[ShakeWell]

Sometimes I doubt your commitment to Sparkle Motion NGPC collecting.

 

[Sprite]

lol it’s the difference between spending $100 for Pac Man or $20 for Pac Man and I need to stash that money away for my Cotton/Evolution fund

...now I want a NGPC Donnie Darko game

 

[ShakeWell]

Lordy, is it that much? I wish I'd grabbed the one I saw in Arizona like ten years ago with the restrictor.

 

[Sprite]

From what I understand, pretty much everyone who owned the rings has lost them, so your only guaranteed option is new in box.

There are 3D printed options but I don’t care enough about Pac Man or Crush Roller to try them out.

 

[ASandoval]

Saw this pop up on the Facebook page for my local retro game story and it was too cool not so share:

It's a VS. Castlevania Arcade kit, complete with the daughterboard, marquee, plexiglass, stickers and more, in the carrying case that it originally came in. I've never seen one of these in the wild, and neither has the store - he's selling for $1000 which frankly seems low, but there's not a whole lot to compare it to because these barely ever crop up. Too rich for my blood and wouldn't have anything to do with it if I did bought it, but figured someone might want to take a look at this thing.

 

[Phantoon]

That's incredible. My local Facebook video game sales are never that exciting.