Console backups

stuntman · Post by **stuntman** » Thu Jan 17, 2008 9:16 pm

Excuse the subject line. I'm not talking about protecting your game software investment. What I'm curious to know is what precautions you guys/gals take should the actual hardware (console) you need to play your games on fails. Do you hope to find a replacement console (or repair component) in 10 years time, or longer? Or do you have 2, 3, or more of each console, just in case?

Hentai · Post by **Hentai** » Fri Jan 18, 2008 5:22 am

Wow I'm worried. So far I have two PS1s, and while neither failed I don't take very good care of them, a Dreamcast thats I don't take good care for, and a PS2 which is laying around broken (funny how the newer consoles break easier huh?)and thats pretty mudh it. I don't plan on taking care of them, since I can just emulate them on PC if need be, but then again I'm probably younger than the majority of the boards. I wouldn't buy an extra two or three, since they might break after storage either, and I'm not really that eager to use the Dreamcast controller...

JJG · Post by **JJG** » Fri Jan 18, 2008 5:33 am

I have three dreamcasts but what you really should worry about is the condition of your games. You should always be able to find the console you're looking for.

cools · Post by **cools** » Fri Jan 18, 2008 11:38 am

I don't. Once I've not played something for six months it goes up for sale. Not a hard and fast rule (some things get bought but not even tried for years), but this is normally how I deal with games.

stuntman · Post by **stuntman** » Fri Jan 18, 2008 8:36 pm

JJG wrote:I have three dreamcasts but what you really should worry about is the condition of your games.

I'm primarily concerned with PS1, PS2, Dreamcast and Saturn. I look after my games, and would hope their condition won't deteriorate for quite some time (which should be the case for optical media).

JJG wrote:You should always be able to find the console you're looking for.

But "always" is a very long time! At some point they have to become rare. I have this eccentric notion that I'll still be able to play mine when they are considered to be 'antique'. That's assuming I myself last that long!

cools wrote:I don't. Once I've not played something for six months it goes up for sale. Not a hard and fast rule (some things get bought but not even tried for years), but this is normally how I deal with games.

Sometimes I wish I had that attitude/approach, but I'm destined to hoard stuff

Hentai wrote:I don't plan on taking care of them, since I can just emulate them on PC if need be"

I think emulation is very important for preserving the functionality of games hardware, and it is useful for playing stuff you don't own *cough*. But no matter how good the emulation becomes, using the original hardware adds another dimension to the experience.

Hentai wrote:I wouldn't buy an extra two or three, since they might break after storage

That's a concern. I'm hoping storage at room temperature, not in direct sunlight, and in a smoke-free atmosphere (e.g. in a cupboard or under a bed) will be sufficient.

elvis · Post by **elvis** » Fri Jan 18, 2008 8:37 pm

Depending on the cost of the console, I buy multiples. I have multiple Megadrives and Super Famicoms just because they are dirty cheap, and if one blows up I can fall back on another (which has actually happened to me with one of my Megadrives).

I've only got one Dreamcast, but they're cheap enough at the moment (less than the cost of a game) to warrant buying a second, which I'll be doing shortly.

Unless you've got mates who can do it, repairs end up costing you 10 times as much as a new console. While the greeny in me hates the idea of throwing things away for convenience, I'd rather have multiple consoles just in case.

PS2s are dropping way down in price too. I'll definitely be buying a second one before they drop out of the market (I know that won't happen soon, but I definitely want to "get in before close").

cools · Post by **cools** » Sat Jan 19, 2008 11:44 am

stuntman wrote:Sometimes I wish I had that attitude/approach, but I'm destined to hoard stuff

I used to hoard them, but then I woke up and realised how ridiculous it was to have shelves full of stuff that never got given any electrons.

About a year ago I gave away 2 PS1s (that I'd never even powered on), a chipped PS2, a bunch of games for both, a chipped Jap DC, about 60 DC games and a shitload of pads for all of them simply because it was pissing me off having them take up space

The difference between our attitudes comes down to one word you used in your first post, "investment".

I tend to buy a game to play until completion - I hardly ever go back to it once I've seen the finish. No point in keeping something I'm never going to play again

JJG · Post by **JJG** » Sat Jan 19, 2008 11:50 am

I just gave away my gamecube and a bunch of games as a housewarming gift, I'm really trying to narrow down my colleciton. I kind of came to the realization the other day that I'd be fine with just owning Ikaruga and DDP, so I may sell everything else soon. I'd like to have a dedicated Ikaruga cab in the future but who knows.

stuntman · Post by **stuntman** » Sat Jan 19, 2008 12:46 pm

Perhaps I shouldn't have used the word "investment" as it might have implied I'm more interested in collecting games than playing them. It's just that my skills aren't that great, and don't like to play any single game for too long. So I don't complete much, but that's cool because I have a nice selection of games that I know I can return to and still enjoy.

Strider77 · Post by **Strider77** » Sat Jan 19, 2008 11:01 pm

lol... maybe you should just start taking care of your systems and maybe they will last longer than if you didn't.

elvis · Post by **elvis** » Sat Jan 19, 2008 11:12 pm

Strider77 wrote:lol... maybe you should just start taking care of your systems and maybe they will last longer than if you didn't.

Electronics break. It's a fact of life. The more complex the console, the more likely stuff will break (anything with an optical drive and a laser is high on the list).

I take exquisite care of all my consoles (dust free environments, unplugged from the mains when not in use, careful insertion/removal of games, etc). But I've still had one or two die natural deaths.

Add to that the fact that, as collectors, many of us buy second hand. There are some things out of our control when that happens.

I absolutely agree that people who look after their gear will generally get a better lifespan out of it. But with that said, the second law of thermodynamics holds true to all matter, including consoles: given enough time, all shit will break.

stuntman · Post by **stuntman** » Sun Jan 20, 2008 12:29 am

elvis, I couldn't have put it better myself. The consoles I'm mostly concerned with (mentioned above) all have optical drives, and they are destined to fail at some point. They just do.

Another worry crossed my mind. I don't suppose I'll be allowed to keep all my consoles when I'm in a retirement home

professor ganson · Post by **professor ganson** » Sun Jan 20, 2008 2:46 pm

Unless it's something really common like a Gamecube or something really new like a PS3, I'll try to get two consoles, just to be safe.

doodude · Post by **doodude** » Sun Jan 20, 2008 3:20 pm

Ive just started out in this crazy world O gamin' but when I was only interested in SNES & N64 I got 2 consoles each because they keep going up in price.
They both cost nearly double what I paid for them used 5 years ago.

I just got my 1st Saturn & my 1st Dreamcast & Im already looking for deals on 2nd consoles for backups in case they die of old age.

...

djvinc · Post by **djvinc** » Sun Jan 20, 2008 3:34 pm

Well...
this might sound very weird, but I have :

- a few NOS consoles (Famicom, Super Famicom, Megadrive) for the sake of collection et preservation
- jamma-ized version or clones of old consoles, just to play
- modded versions of recent late consoles like Saturn, PS2, Dreamcast, Gamecube.

Post by **spadgy** » Sun Jan 20, 2008 4:06 pm

I have silly numbers of spare consoles, but not really for back-ups, and mainly at no expense. I got all the NESs as when you go to a boot fair/yard sale and point at a game and say 'how much?' they often want to sell the games and console for a bundle price of like £3, here in the UK at least. When you'd pay £5 for the game, it seams silly not to buy the lot (for back up I guess, thanks to the dust problems)

So I have:

6 NESs!
5 PS2s (A couple were dodgy so I got a replacement, one I found when I moved into a house, and one is a de-bug)
2 PS3s (One normal, one debug)
3 360s (One core, one elite, one de-bug)
2 SNESs (Boot fair syndrome!)
2 Master Systems (Boot fair syndrome!)
2 Megadrives (Boot fair syndrome!)

All my other consoles, I stick to just the one. Hope you don't think I'm greedy, as most new ones I have free gotten through work.

Strider77 · Post by **Strider77** » Sun Jan 20, 2008 6:21 pm

the only cd based consoles i've had to break on me out of all of these cd based ones:

pc engine duo rx
neo geo cd z
sega mega cd
ps1
ps2
ps3
xbox
360
wii
dreamcast

it's only been sony products that have busted on me the ps 1 and 2 with fucked up drives. keep in mind my others i have had since they came out and used the same ones since then.

DC906270 · Post by **DC906270** » Sun Jan 20, 2008 8:36 pm

the sega mega cd 1 is notoriously bad for breaking down. i had no problems with the MCD2 though. sold them both now, though, emulation rules

overkill55 · Post by **overkill55** » Sun Jan 20, 2008 9:32 pm

Sega CD model 2 always blows a fuse and dies too, even though you can revive it

Post by **spadgy** » Mon Jan 21, 2008 1:40 pm

Like Strider77, it's only ever been Sony consoles that I've had to totally replace, alongside one 360.

So if you're really into long term planning, maybe by two of them, but other stuff seams pretty reliable.

One day all our consoles will be dust...

Strider77 · Post by **Strider77** » Mon Jan 21, 2008 6:57 pm

yeah but with some careful treatment we'll be dust before them.

Post by **spadgy** » Mon Jan 21, 2008 9:42 pm

Strider77 wrote:yeah but with some careful treatment we'll be dust before them.

I'm pretty sure they'll long outlast us!

elvis · Post by **elvis** » Tue Jan 22, 2008 4:50 am

Strider77 wrote:yeah but with some careful treatment we'll be dust before them.

As mentioned, I've had consoles that were great since day one, and others that died soon after. And again, careful treatment is fine if you buy new. Plenty of people here buy second hand, and the treatment of the consoles before they are in our possession is an unknown quantity.

I completely agree that there are people out there who treat their consoles like shit, and they get everything they deserve. But I think you're making somewhat blanket statements by saying that all non-CD based consoles will last near indefinitely without exception. Once again, electronic decay is a fact of life, whether it's happened to you yet or not.

The dozen consoles you've owned are not a fair and accurate representation of the billions of consoles out there in the world. In statistics, we call that a unrepresentative sample.

Strider77 · Post by **Strider77** » Tue Jan 22, 2008 8:23 am

I completely agree that there are people out there who treat their consoles like shit, and they get everything they deserve. But I think you're making somewhat blanket statements by saying that all non-CD based consoles will last near indefinitely without exception. Once again, electronic decay is a fact of life, whether it's happened to you yet or not.

The dozen consoles you've owned are not a fair and accurate representation of the billions of consoles out there in the world. In statistics, we call that a unrepresentative sample.

i think it's pretty safe to say you are far better off treating them well day one in your possession.

i also think my experience with my consoles is a valid point, since it's 1st hand experience with treating consoles well. i can't help it if the vast majority spend x amount on a console to only treat it like shit. so sure, i guess statistics would dictate a higher failure rate due to lack of care, not my problem.

if folks wanna argue that treating consoles like crap is good.... well have at it. not my problem.

Post by **spadgy** » Tue Jan 22, 2008 8:58 am

Oh I certainly know my collection isn't a represenational sample, and I'm sure people have had no problems with CD based machines and hell with their cart machines.

Let's face it - gadgets are unpredictable. Some tellies last twenty years, then another lasts 6 months...

elvis · Post by **elvis** » Wed Jan 23, 2008 4:03 am

Strider77 wrote:if folks wanna argue that treating consoles like crap is good.... well have at it. not my problem.

Thank you for completely missing my point. And the laws of physics too.

Strider77 · Post by **Strider77** » Wed Jan 23, 2008 6:38 am

look I'm not trying to argue I just think it's pretty good to bet on a system lasting longer if you treat it well. I've treated all mine well and they are still running great. I have friends that don't and alot of their shit is broke or problematic.

I don't know what your point was then... mine is just to treat them well and you stand a better chance of having them last longer like mine have for me by doing this.

KBZ · Post by **KBZ** » Wed Jan 23, 2008 6:47 am

Which reminds me, I need to find me a new Boxed Mint JP Dreamcast

Hentai · Post by **Hentai** » Wed Jan 23, 2008 7:20 am

What hes saying is that you shouldn't bet on it. I have two PS2s, treated them very well, and they're both dead for whatever reason. I was cruel to my pc, turned it off with the power button, kicked it. Turned it on and off with the power cord pullout and pushin, and it works fine to this day (Hey I was like 8 and up). Things break. Just because they're PS2s or PSPs doesn't mean they're equal, the hardware inside is different with each revision.

Strider77 · Post by **Strider77** » Wed Jan 23, 2008 7:34 am

i'm saying ur odds are better either way......