mtarallo Posted April 19, 2018 Share Posted April 19, 2018 Hi guys - need some advice. I don't know enough about this console to make an informed decision. Basically, should I keep this or return it? I bought a Jaguar on eBay for $315 with A/V Cable, Controller, PS and 6 games - Cybermorph, Alien Vs Predator, Dino Dudes, Raiden, Wolfenstein 3D and Mcfur something. The outer shell was in decent shape. When I first hooked it up it worked just fine with Wolfenstien, but every game after that gave me a RSOD. I attempted to clean it and was able to get stuff to work sporadically. However, I need to re-clean, re-seat the carts. At one point, I got all the carts to work, but then a day later got the red screen and needed to go through all this again. Is this how these things are? Am I being too picky? OR is there something more wrong with this that I am not aware of. The seller is offering to accept a return, but I may not want to return it if I'll have the same problem with another one. I see some consoles with no games are about $250. I know Wolfenstein is probably the better of the games for my collection, but the rest are so so, Should I keep this for my collection, or did I get screwed and could have gotten a more reliable one for the money I spent? Thoughts? Thanks Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flojomojo Posted April 19, 2018 Share Posted April 19, 2018 It's 20+ years old, it's likely to be a little flaky. I'd much rather have $315 than a flaky Jaguar and the games you mention. I'd send it back and take the hint that the universe is trying to give you. Others will tell you to reframbulate the potentiometers and desolder the pam69 chip or something. They are smoking crack, don't listen to them. 4 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zerosquare Posted April 19, 2018 Share Posted April 19, 2018 I'd bet on a worn-out cartridge connector on the Jag (they are known to be finicky). If I were you, I'd return it -- we're talking about more than $300 here. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+madman Posted April 20, 2018 Share Posted April 20, 2018 If you are otherwise happy w/the purchase I would ask for a partial refund and send the Jag to Best for installation of a new cart connector. Accepting this sort of thing from a 20 year old console isn't normal. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhoenixMoonPatrol Posted April 20, 2018 Share Posted April 20, 2018 I'd definitely return it. I've had two Jaguars over the years,both work fine and still do to this very day. In contrast I've burned through 4 PSOnes,3 Saturns, a X360, OGXBox, and a PS2 that stopped reading DVD movies but plays games okish. I guess you're mileage may very, but for me the Jaguar is a tough s.o.b. in my experience. Sometimes I get the red screen of death but I take a swab with some alcohol and clean the cartridge ports with it,or the game itself and all is fine after that. But no,what you're experiencing isn't normal at all,Jaguar systems don't usually give you that much hell when playing the games,its a solid system and works very well. I'd check the sellers ratings on Ebay,if its pretty good then try for another Jaguar from him. I'm not sure what the going rate on a used Jag is anymore but $300+ is abit pricey, as those games are all commons too. Maybe just have the seller send you another Jaguar and return the games,see if he bites on that. Thats the least he can do for all the trouble you've gone through. Good luck. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Stephen Moss Posted April 20, 2018 Share Posted April 20, 2018 You might just want to check that you are putting the cartridges in correctly, before returning it/asking for a partial refund. It is possible to get the cartridges in at a sight angle so one end is full seated but the other is not which may create a bad connection at one end causing the RSOD. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flux Posted April 20, 2018 Share Posted April 20, 2018 (edited) When I got my jaguar out of storage, not a single one of the carts worked. I cleaned the heck out of the cartridge connector and the game I was trying to play both with first a can of compressed air and then rubbing alcohol, and it worked just fine and reliably. Then I thought maybe I had the issue fixed but for each additional cartridge I tried, they'd all initially red screen until I gave them a pretty vigorous cleaning with alcohol. The fact that it seems to work reliably with Wolfenstein makes me inclined to think your console is fine. Or it could be your copy of Wolfenstein is just more tenacious or has some specific characteristics that make it make contact when other carts fail. You can't be too sure. But my recommendation would be to clean the heck out of another cartridge and see if you can get it working reliably before you send it back. I used a microfiber cloth and drenched it in rubbing alcohol. Shoved it in each side and scrubbed it back and forth. Edited April 20, 2018 by flux 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ColecoGamer Posted April 20, 2018 Share Posted April 20, 2018 (edited) The Jaguar I recently purchased from a member here doesnt have the problem you mentioned. Everything I play on my system works fine the first time. However, I have purchased a couple of games off eBay that had issues, and they would repeatedly produce the RSOD until I cleaned their connectors. There could be something wrong with your Jaguar. Have you attempted to clean the systems cartridge port? If that doesnt work, I suggest getting a refund. Edited April 20, 2018 by ColecoGamer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SFRush Posted April 20, 2018 Share Posted April 20, 2018 I'd definitely return it. I've had two Jaguars over the years,both work fine and still do to this very day. In contrast I've burned through 4 PSOnes,3 Saturns, a X360, OGXBox, and a PS2 that stopped reading DVD movies but plays games okish. I guess you're mileage may very, but for me the Jaguar is a tough s.o.b. in my experience. Sometimes I get the red screen of death but I take a swab with some alcohol and clean the cartridge ports with it,or the game itself and all is fine after that. But no,what you're experiencing isn't normal at all,Jaguar systems don't usually give you that much hell when playing the games,its a solid system and works very well. I'd check the sellers ratings on Ebay,if its pretty good then try for another Jaguar from him. I'm not sure what the going rate on a used Jag is anymore but $300+ is abit pricey, as those games are all commons too. Maybe just have the seller send you another Jaguar and return the games,see if he bites on that. Thats the least he can do for all the trouble you've gone through. Good luck. Not sure how you having a bunch of disc-based systems fail relates to this topic--the lasers in those probably will fail. Every secondhand cartridge-based system I've ever had (and bought secondhand cartridges for it) has been spotty with how reliably it played cartridges, often times no matter how well I cleaned the contacts. The OP could return the system, buy another from a different seller, and be right back at square one with another flaky system. Get a partial refund and send it to Best to get it refurbished. Then you'll at least have a reliable console. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ColecoGamer Posted April 20, 2018 Share Posted April 20, 2018 Not sure how you having a bunch of disc-based systems fail relates to this topic--the lasers in those probably will fail. Every secondhand cartridge-based system I've ever had (and bought secondhand cartridges for it) has been spotty with how reliably it played cartridges, often times no matter how well I cleaned the contacts. The OP could return the system, buy another from a different seller, and be right back at square one with another flaky system. Get a partial refund and send it to Best to get it refurbished. Then you'll at least have a reliable console. Good advice. He could always have the cartridge port replaced, as mentioned earlier in the thread, if the issue worsens. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flojomojo Posted April 21, 2018 Share Posted April 21, 2018 Even if that repair were cheap, easy, or free, $300 is too much to pay for a broken Atari Jaguar, especially for someone "new to the scene." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+remowilliams Posted April 21, 2018 Share Posted April 21, 2018 New to Jaguar - need some advice - keep or return? RETURN! Oh wait, its broken? Definitely return. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stage_1_Boss Posted April 21, 2018 Share Posted April 21, 2018 Recommending a Jaguar these days is almost impossible. Unless you have nostalgia for the system or are interested in quirky games from the 90's (even then..) it'd be a tough sell. The one thing keeping Jaguar interesting these days is the homebrew / modern releases. If you're really into the retro gaming community and are thinking the Jaguar is that weird console you wanna dig into, I'm guessing now is as good a time as any, I haven't seen the console prices really swaying, just climbing.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Video Posted April 21, 2018 Share Posted April 21, 2018 Even jags should work reliably. I don't know though, two of mine I bought new in the 90's and one I bought from a friend and know the care taken of them. I still get occasional rsod, but that's usually a misseated cart and fixed just by powering it off and replugging the cart. Avp, and wolf are both great games, if you like fps get doom as well. I'm partial to the two iron soldier games. Over all, the jag doesn't have a good library. I would NOT buy into it at todays market prices, I'm happy with mine, but bought most my stuff in the late 90's at blow out prices. Mostly it's a case of how big a fan you are, and your disposable income. Maybe a good emulator will come, but last I checked, they all suffer various degrees of suckage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flojomojo Posted April 21, 2018 Share Posted April 21, 2018 The best emulator for the Jaguar are the PC versions on www.gog.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leech Posted April 28, 2018 Share Posted April 28, 2018 The best emulator for the Jaguar are the PC versions on www.gog.com Ha, while funny, I am teying to actually remember any PC games that were on the Jag. Cannon Fodder? Zool 2 was an Amiga game, not sure if it was really released for PC. Myst... Can't think of many others. To be fair, I don't know how my brother beat Cannon Fodder on the Jag, that game cries for a mouse! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
philipj Posted April 28, 2018 Share Posted April 28, 2018 (edited) Cartridge pins probably just need a thorough cleaning... Get some rubbing alcohol (99% Proof) and some Q-tips to clean the cartridges out. That worked for me in the past and if the screen is still showing red, then you'll know if the system's a lemon or not. Edited April 28, 2018 by philipj Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flojomojo Posted April 28, 2018 Share Posted April 28, 2018 Ha, while funny, I am teying to actually remember any PC games that were on the Jag. Cannon Fodder? Zool 2 was an Amiga game, not sure if it was really released for PC. Myst... Can't think of many others. To be fair, I don't know how my brother beat Cannon Fodder on the Jag, that game cries for a mouse! From top of head Syndicate Cannon Fodder Doom Wolfenstein 3D Myst Dragons Lair Tempest 2000 Raiden Rayman Zool Theme Park Flashback Pitfall Mayan Adventure Zoop Brain dead 13 Possibly others 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phoenixdownita Posted April 29, 2018 Share Posted April 29, 2018 From top of head Syndicate Cannon Fodder Doom Wolfenstein 3D Myst Dragons Lair Tempest 2000 Raiden Rayman Zool Theme Park Flashback Pitfall Mayan Adventure Zoop Brain dead 13 Possibly others ...mmmhhh ..... mmmmhhhhh ... oh yes ... Space Ace ... Attack of the Mutant Penguins was ported to MS DOS Baldies was ported to Windows as well Brutal Sports Football was ported to Amiga, DOS Evolution: Dino Dudes was called Humans on other platforms Fever Pitch Soccer was on SNES and Megadrive ... I am sure Sensible Soccer was elsewhere as well and probably NBA Jam too ... and Primal Rage ... Pinball Fantasies .... Not to say there are no exclusives or no games that appeared first on the Jag ... just that it's a little less than one would think. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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