Awesome stuff you've just bought (+pics please)

[shmuppyLove]

eBayyzzzzzzz

[Stealthlurker]

This morning I happened to win TWO Wondermegas! Bringing my total now to three.

Won a boxed Victor Wondermega (soon to replace my loose one) and a loose SEGA Wondermega. Next going to shoot for a boxed SEGA one and a third gen Victor.











Funky little collage I made with the iPhone to compare the 2 models.



.

[Skykid]

^ Instant boner.

When's the museum opening?

I have a boxed Sega Wondermega btw. I'm going to gloat about that now for the entire 72 hours it takes before you have one in factory new condition.

[drauch]

So...what's the point to buying three? Serious question. Do they break down easy?

[Stealthlurker]

^ Instant boner.

When's the museum opening?

I have a boxed Sega Wondermega btw. I'm going to gloat about that now for the entire 72 hours it takes before you have one in factory new condition.

lol, it's gonna be a while for me to find a boxed SEGA one. They're getting pretty rare these days. Even a loose SEGA one is much rarer than a Victor. That is... unless you wanna sell me yours haha.

So...what's the point to buying three? Serious question. Do they break down easy?

I'm looking to upgrade my loose ones to boxed. So I'll probably sell/trade my loose ones in the future. The loose SEGA one I picked up was too good of a deal to pass on. There's one on Ebay right now (loose) going for 500+, with time remaining. I was able to get mine for less than a third of the current bid price. Sure it's Ebay (with all it's ridiculousness), but 300-400+ is a reasonable price for one based on what I've seen.

The only problem that I've noticed on some units I've encountered before is that the mechanized/automatic lid that flips up sometimes breaks down. However, usually you can still manually open it.

Why get both versions? I dunno, I just really love the design and look of these things. The best console design imho. Plus the "collector" in me.

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[Skykid]

^ Instant boner.

When's the museum opening?

I have a boxed Sega Wondermega btw. I'm going to gloat about that now for the entire 72 hours it takes before you have one in factory new condition.

lol, it's gonna be a while for me to find a boxed SEGA one. They're getting pretty rare these days. Even a loose SEGA one is much rarer than a Victor. That is... unless you wanna sell me yours haha.

Couldn't sell it, it was a christmas gift!

The Sega model has always been the rarer b/c they picked up the production line after Victor ceased and did a short run of their own. I'm not surprised to hear they're getting harder to come by, but as long as you have the dollar, you can get anything. You shouldn't have much of a problem.

[Kiel]

I think my pants just exploded

[AKRATEN]

I think my pants just exploded

you need one of these Kiel!

[robivy64]

I saw that loose untested unit on YJ
http://page.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/auction/164644167
You got a good deal on that.

[Strider77]

I was going to pic one of those (wondermega) up last year at Magfest. But the thing that shocked me was how large the thing is. The pictures made it look a bit longer than a Turbo Duo but the thing is a beast.

It was in to poor a shape (at that price) and honestly it would have been a nightmare to intigrate into my entertainment center. So I just blew 600.00 on games instead. Got alot of good stuff though like Ristar and Panarama Cotton on the Mega Drive.

[CIT]

The Wondermega rocks! I have a Victor Model 1 and I had mine RGB-modded.


Also: Big up the mint Gameboy ZAS. I've never seen one in this condition.

[Skykid]

The Wondermega rocks! I have a Victor Model 1 and I had mine RGB-modded.

Blasphemy! Unless that involved no external case cutting.

[Vexorg]

I had the US version (called the JVC X'Eye) for a while here. It's an interesting system, but I didn't have much use for it since I had no SegaCD stuff, so I sold it on. If I recall correctly, the Japanese models had S-Video support built in?

[Strider77]

Blasphemy! Unless that involved no external case cutting.

Hardly... it's blasphemy that they stripped ii of the usual built in RGB like all the other models had out of the box. RGB modding is more like it's been blessed. It's useless to me otherwise.

[Stealthlurker]

I had the US version (called the JVC X'Eye) for a while here. It's an interesting system, but I didn't have much use for it since I had no SegaCD stuff, so I sold it on. If I recall correctly, the Japanese models had S-Video support built in?

I actually found my JVC X'Eye at a local pawn shop for 20 bucks. Probably the most interesting local pickup I've ever had.

Yeah the Japanese ones have stock s-video.

.

[Skykid]

Blasphemy! Unless that involved no external case cutting.

Hardly... it's blasphemy that they stripped ii of the usual built in RGB like all the other models had out of the box. RGB modding is more like it's been blessed. It's useless to me otherwise.

I can't perform a modification to my Wondermega that involves cutting of the external body - not when I have an RGB capable Megadrive and I can live with MCD in S-Video. It's just too rare a console tbh. I did hear about a neat internal mod at one point, but didn't really pursue the information.

[shmuppyLove]

Slowly building my PS3 collection:



DJ Hero was a $9 eBay grab, FF XIII and Resistance were $15 each from EB Games, SC: Double Agent and SSFIV were $10 each brand new on clearance from Futureshop, and Uncharted was a gift from a friend.

[Vexorg]

I don't think the X'Eye is anywhere near as rare as the Wondermegas were, but they're definitely an oddity.

[CIT]

Blasphemy! Unless that involved no external case cutting.

Hardly... it's blasphemy that they stripped ii of the usual built in RGB like all the other models had out of the box. RGB modding is more like it's been blessed. It's useless to me otherwise.

I can't perform a modification to my Wondermega that involves cutting of the external body - not when I have an RGB capable Megadrive and I can live with MCD in S-Video. It's just too rare a console tbh. I did hear about a neat internal mod at one point, but didn't really pursue the information.

No changes to the case involved! The guy who modded mine, replaced the s-video out with an RGB jack. If you're tempted I'll forward you his contact.

[Skykid]

No changes to the case involved! The guy who modded mine, replaced the s-video out with an RGB jack. If you're tempted I'll forward you his contact.

Interesting, and that's a perfect fit?

To be honest I can't get the mod done at the moment anyway, but it's still not hugely tempting - I don't mind modding anything, but I've come to have a different approach about that one machine. I just want to leave it 'as is'

[speedlolita]

Depends if you use it or not innit.

Many users seem to swear the S-Video output is as good as RGB.

Rubbish.

[Skykid]

Many users seem to swear the S-Video output is as good as RGB.

Rubbish.

Yeah, I've heard that waffle a couple of times. Sounds like a sob story.

[Kiel]

You (and I certainly can) do a rgb mod and not even mess with the svideo jack or put ugly holes in the system. There's a few ways to do it. If/when I get my hands on one that's the first order of business.

[undamned]

Depends if you use it or not innit.

Many users seem to swear the S-Video output is as good as RGB.

Rubbish.

Never heard anyone say that. In the battle of Hassle vs Quality, S-Video is the simplest high quality solution, though I do love me some RGB.
-ud

[Strider77]

Many users seem to swear the S-Video output is as good as RGB.

Rubbish.

LIES!! RGB or bust.

[null1024]

Jeez, S-Video isn't even very good, why are people comparing it to RGB?
It is a step up from composite, sure, but it's nowhere near as clean as RGB.

[Skykid]

You (and I certainly can) do a rgb mod and not even mess with the svideo jack or put ugly holes in the system. There's a few ways to do it. If/when I get my hands on one that's the first order of business.

So it's RGB through the S-Video jack (to scart obviously?)

That would be ideal, I'd go for that mod for sure.

[Ed Oscuro]

A little side note before I launch into my story: Newegg is having a sale on some Precimax watches, and I figure at $69 (or less) you can't go too wrong. I'll have a little review ready soon after I get mine.

You know how usually you give just a grudging admission that your electronics have a life of their own? My monitor is always called "the PX2611w," because that's what it is. Even the 21" Sony Trinitron I had for a while (that drew enough current to trip the breakers whenever it was turned on), and which weighed somewhere around 65 pounds, didn't really weigh that heavily in my imagination. Not so my latest acquisition.

As people who followed this thread knows, I recently decided I was in the market for a new CRT TV, mainly for old consoles. I was hoping to get something with HD but posts here convinced me that would involve some tradeoffs I didn't want to make. I hadn't even been thinking about the widescreen aspect - that would have been a crucial problem, because to get as much 4:3 viewing space in a Trinitron widescreen as you would in a dedicated 4:3 tube would be a huge loss to weight and probably power.

I had a coupon last month for half off at my local (favorite) thrift store chain, and I'd been putting off using it because I wanted to get a TV. It expired, but I got a new copy of the booklet it came in. There was one Sony TV I almost bought months back (at $19.99 sticker - this is the Goodwill of the famous $9.99 Xbox 360), and I somewhat regretted letting go it (the choice partly due to the overly gray cast to the blank screen), but I wasn't really hitting the streets regularly to check out leads. This Friday, I knew I had a couple free days to check out some TVs, and I knew also that I would be able to lug as much stuff as I wanted around on those days without bothering anybody. So I decided to hit some other stores I faintly remembered. First off - Salvo Army in Kalamazoo (in sight of the awesome Air Zoo), a dimly lit cave of a warehouse about the size of an old-fashioned chain grocery. Sitting in obscurity at the back like rusted-out bulks at a car dealer were a bunch of big TVs, parked bumper-to-bumper with only the screens and the enormous price tags visible. $60 was common, $30 was visible on just a few sets. I didn't like the idea of even prying them forward to look at the model numberrs and manufacture dates, let alone deal with getting permission to hook them to a wall and then make the hike with a big set back to the front of the store. Almost all of them were in only passable cosmetic condition, and would need some work to get clean and the scuffs wouldn't be coming out of most of the cabinets. They all are huge - even the older Trinitron with a curved black screen; all were heavy enough that I had to work a bit even to rock them. Nevertheless, I had some leads. So I went back home, and picked up an extension cable and a small dolly to take back with me.

I also knew that there was a Goodwill somewhere nearby. I'd never seen it, and I decided that it'd be stupid to leave possible leads unchecked. After a little bit of fun with the GPS (why turn left into the right lane when you can make a U-turn off the right on a busy near-highway-speed road instead?) I got there. This store is a lot different than the local one - immediately confusing, racks and piles of things heaped this way and that, unlike the very orderly rows at my local store. Scarcely a minute convinced me that this place actually had the goods, though - I will go back sometime to check for any good old systems and whatnot, because they do have them. Televisions, of course, are in the back; those along the far back wall were mostly plugged into a source showing a still picture. Off to the left, though, was this unremarkable gray (maybe silver) box, just as big as most of the others, with a Sony name on it. I had no trouble turning it around and I noticed it had all the connections I wanted. I ask one of the workers about it, and while I'm back there a guy asks something about the next day's half-off all items sale. Great, I think, I came on the wrong day. While I'm there, I ask permission to plug it in, do so, notice the UI elements wobbling about (man, I'd forgotten about those), and manage to string over a thin RCA video jack lead from one of the display sets. It looks good. I turn it around: 2006 manufacture, and it's a KV-27FS120, which I swear is a familiar-sounding name.

Back at home, still not thinking about the chance somebody will buy the set before the place closes and I get there tomorrow, I remember the list of FD Trinitrons and decide it is probably exactly what I want. (It's a 480i set, but the "Hi-Scan" sets might have some kind of lag for SD material - I'm not sure, but 480i shouldn't be a problem; I'll have to look into deinterlacing on the set.)

So I trek up to the counter with my handy coupon booklet in hand. Go get the tag, they tell me. I get the tag. I go back. I fumble around the booklet for the coupon, let some other customer in ahead of me, and I check the alphabetized index. The cashier tries flipping through it. "Wow, lots of good deals in here!" She said she's seem the coupons before so she knew it was in there - nevertheless, it wasn't. Will my coupon stack with the half off sale? No, they say. I smile, flip that coupon booklet down as a gift to the employees, and proceed to forget about coming back tomorrow so I won't worry about somebody taking it in the meantime. "Come back at nine, because something like that will probably go quick!" The tag on the TV shows it's only been there since the 26th.

So today I'm down there at 9:10. I didn't really want to fight anybody or stand outside the door like a fucking George Lucas roadie, but nevertheless I rush right back to the set. I see - Shit! - not only is the tag torn off as it was yesterday, but there is a newer tag taped to the side, and that's torn off, too. I go back to the front and wear my best "just the facts, ma'am" face, and describe what I see. I'm probably unconsciously balling up a fist to punch whoever has that tag in the base of their skull. Well, they come back with me, and show me that somebody has just taped the old hangtag back to the set next to the stub.

In the back, a nice young fellow has me turn around the car, and he walks up with the sets, and with a bit of heavy breathing he gets it in. After he straightens up (and is probably doing his best not to look woozy), I thank him and say that I hope he doesn't have to do that again. I also promise this is the last big TV I'm going to get.

At home I already have an inkling how ungodly heavy this thing is, to the point that I'm worried about getting the old 27" out the door. At the local Goodwill I decline to get a tax form for the donation, but I speak briefly with the fellow who took it in about the set's low hours and loose headphone jack. We chat briefly about the new set, and he seems impressed. "A 50? No? Well, those 27 inch sets aren't too bad to carry around." I guess I should say that my long limbs give me good purchase on the far edges of the new set, but bad leverage!

I then spend an hour or two looking for some kind of nonslip pad. I knew they had one at Wal*Mart; it turned out to be too long and I didn't want to screw around with cutting it in half and having something that looked shitty. I waver for about five minutes, pulling out and replacing different sizes of this mat, until I decide it's too expensive. I go to Lowe's and a guy thinks I'm looking for something four by five feet (hey, 48x60 isn't THAT far off the specs on that big mat); I go to another place that should have something and have another ultimately fruitless q&a session with a store employee (I point out a roll of some Halloween-themed rolling mesh that looks right, but isn't nonslip and probably not nearly durable enough for this use), and finally I get to Bed, Bath, and Beyond which I had a hunch might have something. After almost suffocating from the smell of new, perfumed sheets, I get pointed in the right direction towards a small berber carpet in a kind of elongated "U" shape. That works fine.

I'm not going to even try to describe the (humiliating) last legs of the set's journey, mostly going down the stairs, other than to say that I'll call this set Mr. Ding (or Mr. Dent, if you're a chiroptephile) because that set of stairs isn't going to forget the TV any time soon. That's a bummer, too, because those stairs were just put in. Still, it wasn't as bad as it could've been. Looking at the set, there's pretty much no evidence it slid across anything, which is mighty impressive. Lesson learned, though: I should've taped the shit outta that new rugmat and got it on the set to it could do that with more grace.

Lots of work, but $35 or so, and a pretty much brand-new set, very light dust (already gone), a brand-new remote that even had a little whisker from the plastic molding still attached, and little signs of use.

It's a damn good-looking set - I might just snap another photo and give it to Wikipedia so they can replace this one in the article. Right now, though, I need to do some stretches, and / or take a fuckin' nap. I do have a couple pictures; they'll have to wait for a bit though. First games are gonna have to be Vagrant Story or Crash Bandicoot: Warped because I think I might be able to make some geometry comparisons with those (I didn't care to find out the old set was actually not bad, geometry-wise, before I ditched it).

I'll miss that old set a bit - it was pretty handsome and even though its headphone jack forced me to fiddle with it endlessly, it still got the job done. The new set doesn't even have one, which is probably a blessing in disguise.

[gct]

Torchlight II, baby! It's out!!!!

[moh]

Just picked up Akai Katana! It took me a while to get used to how the mechanics work, but once I got the hang of it, it was fantastic!

The only complaint is the fact that its locked to 16:9. I'm playing it on my 4:3 display, and it has those damn black bars across the top and bottom.

does anyone know any way to change this? I find it funny since the Origin mode is the arcade original (4:3) yet since its in 16:9 I get a letterbox-in-letterbox effect which looks awful.