Blazing Lazers

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User Feedback Forum · April 8

Every system has one Supreme Collector and Expert who is without doubt the greatest, most passionate, and knowledgeable about the system. For the VIS, Eddie is the undisputed Master! We recently completed yet another deal, and he is as good a shipper as he is a buyer, that is, above and beyond. He packs as flawlessly as anyone else I've ever seen, only with the best materials. His communication is faster than anybody else's, and always warm and enthusiastic. If you ever have the chance to engage with Eddie, be sure to do so. He is among the very best!

April 8

10 hours ago, phoenixdownita said:

“Most of the various "CDi Movies" are actually VCDs with CDi branding.”

Are the above considered to be part of the cdi complete set?

I mean the Sega Saturn with mpeg card can play whitebook cd (the vcds in disguise mentioned above vs the earlier cdi only cdi-dv that require instead a cdi) but a complete Saturn set would never account for any of those.

On a personal note I apologize if I really cannot relate to any non gaming content … I kind of understand the preservation angle (somewhat … I also think that if some things were lost for good we’ll be fine just the same but I digress) at the same time I assume lots of cdi edutainment and infotainment content is largely old and probably no longer relevant. That’s obviously my own opinion, don’t take it as being disrespectful of your passion for it … I seriously lack the understanding/bug here.

What exactly counts or doesn't count is entirely up to the individual collector. No two will ever fully agree. There is no such thing as a "complete set" with CDi.

April 8

43 minutes ago, phoenixdownita said:

Just to understand … wouldn’t this equate to say a full set PS2 should cover all DVDs (I mean movies) to be considered a complete set?

Or a 360 complete set requires the hddvd unit + the related movies?

I assume a “full set” cdi must cover all things with a cdi logo stamped on it … which given it’s both the name of the format and of the players, covers a lot of content that is all over the place but not tied in any way sort or shape to the “console” side proper of it … or am I just wrong?

(like would a Dreamcast complete set have to cover the 3 bleemcast titles?)

Not quite. CDi is really unlike every other media format. It's a hardware platform, a specific software disc format, and also a brand.

CD-i hardware could play Video CD, PhotoCD, and audio CD discs, in addition to discs in the CD-i format. Many, many VCDs, and even some PCDs, were given CD-i branding and packaging without actually being CD-i format in the technical sense. Most of the various "CDi Movies" are actually VCDs with CDi branding.

Just for CD-i format discs, two types exist: retail releases and promotional titles available to the general public; and professional titles that were not publicly available. Hundreds of different retail releases were offered by Philips and various third-party companies all around the world. Thousands of non-retail professional titles were made for various kiosks, governments, educational, promotional, training, corporate, institutional, and other use cases.

Preservationists are still discovering and verifying previously unrealized retail releases into the present year of 2024. I've found several lately. No collector to date has obtained a full global retail release set of CD-i format discs, and with many titles having single digit and even just 1 known copies in existence, it is unlikely that anyone ever will accomplish such a set.

For the countless professional titles, we will never know all that were made. The earliest such CD-i discs go back to the mid 80's, and the newest ones found so far were at least two boxsets of German driving school titles from 2011. As a result of its 25 year verified professional lifespan, CD-i might hold the record for the longest continually supported game console platform. It's a real shame that most only know about it as a short lived retail failure and not a long-term commercial success.

April 8

CD-i has so many interesting titles, even for fairly niche subjects. Some even have more than one title related to them. Sailing and yachtsmanship happen to be among them. Most systems don't have any titles related to sailing, CD-i has several. Others exist, but either have not yet been verified (we're still searching!) or are only partly related to sailing, such as Discover Sport Fishing: Northern Edition. A new collector could be forgiven for having no idea, as pretty much all of the sailing related titles for CD-i are rarely ever seen in online listings, and are rare even in comparison to each other. They include, in order of rarity:

1) Sail '95. Actually one of many VCDs with CD-i branding, it is one of hundreds of such titles that turn up with great frequency in various online listings for lots of CD-i and VCD titles, so often enough that it has sometimes been included on various checklists of actual CD-i titles. Any serious CD-i collector will inevitably buy a lot with this title in it.

2) Sailing. Yes, just Sailing. It's such a generic name that any search for copies will be very difficult due to all of the unrelated motor parts. Sailing is one of the few titles was exclusive to the US longbox packaging format, and is one of the harder ones to locate now that the previously abundant NOS has dried up. It wasn't ever given a JCRRV (Jewel-Case Re-Release Version) in the US, though a few specialty shops and mail-order outfits did sell copies outside of the US. Within the US, it was sold in retail stores and through mail-order. There are usually no copies available for sale at any one time online.

3) Sail to Win. On a Rarity scale of 1-10, it's at least a 9. Only about 6 or 7 copies are known to exist, based on a survey of collectors and several years of online listings. If you ever see it, buy it. It's rare enough that it will make excellent trade bait with a CD-i collector, or speculator, that doesn't have a copy. This title is a prime example of why it is unlikely that anybody will ever have a complete collection of retail CD-i releases. Sail to Win is also an example of why nobody will ever agree on what exactly constitutes a "complete list of all CD-i games", because it is mainly a single and multiplayer quiz program based on the subject of Sailing, in addition to serving as an in-depth multimedia reference work on the subject. Unlike a lot of other "CD-i" titles put out by XDRA/McNo, Sail to Win is indeed a full CD-i format disc, and not a VCD or a PCD (PhotoCD). It was available in select stores and mail-order catalogs in the US, UK, and Europe, and what few copies have been seen have been seen all over the globe.

4) Beneteau Sailing Yachts 95/96 Gamme Voiliers 95/96 is one of my personal favorite CD-i titles. Ostensibly a European title, though much of it and the DV Digital Video scenes take place in the US. I found it to be genuinely engaging and informative. If any CD-i owners ever want to get a good idea of just how much work and effort go into crafting a nice boat, this is the title to pop in to your CD-i player. It really makes excellent use of the Digital Video and multimedia capabilities of CD-i. I traded a Philips 310 model portable CD-i unit to obtain my copy, and it was absolutely worth it. Only about three copies are known to exist: one in the US, one in the UK, and one at the ICDIA Collection/Museum. A fourth copy is rumored to exist somewhere in France. No copy is known to have come up for public sale in over a decade, and possibly never. The possibility exists that Beneteau Sailing Yachts is indeed a title that was available to the general public, as two of the known copies were factory shrinkwrapped. Titles like this are a big part of why there will be certainty on what makes up the "full set" of CD-i retail releases. CD-i collectors have engaged in quite a few lively debates (usually through email) about such titles and fringe cases, comparing notes and exchanging information about them.

April 8

4 hours ago, Lotionhead said:

I have a copy of red sea crossing that I'm ready to let go, just seeing if there is any interested parties here before I list it on ebay. Open to offer not really sure what to ask off hand. I live in ak but will be in Vegas for a trip on April 15 for a few days if there was an interested party near we could meet up. I do have pics of the cart opened up to reveal the prom with is the real indicator of its legitimacy. Will send those to interested parties but don't need them posted for obvious reasons.

Very cool to see another copy pop up! Out of curiosity, and for Asset Tracking purposes, what can you relate about the backstory of how you happen to own this cart? How did you find it, how long have you had it, etc. A lot of us collectors really enjoy knowing the history and story of the rarer titles like this one.

March 22

...

February 17

On 2/9/2024 at 12:37 AM, eightbit said:

I dig the statement "friends don't let friend's ship CRTs".

It's so true. Never ship a CRT. When these shipped to retail locations initially they did it wrapped pallets and shipped freight. Shipping one individually on your own (even with original box and foam) is a death sentence to any CRT.

What I wouldn't have given to get that white little Trinitron. Been looking for one of those for years. But I can't be driving from NC to DC for it that's for sure

Everything sold in the end, except for two of the small sets that I decided to keep in reserve, probably for in person trades. Even if I was able to ship freight, none of the sets were the sort of BVMs or extreme 1440p @100+ HZ computer monitors that would justify such measures. Although even if they had been, I still probably wouldn't risk it. The sets are irreplaceable.

February 17

On 2/13/2024 at 2:45 PM, TLD1985 said:

Not been here in a long time. Just wondering if there's any "news" on the missing Toshiba Visicom title? 霊感 (Inspiration)/(CAS-190)

It's the only missing title from the "Studio II family" to be dumped.

Kind of funny really. That the diagnostics/bingo/demo got dumped before this one.

Welcome back:)

I've been keeping an eye on the usual sites and while I'd like to think I haven't missed any copies I don't doubt the possibility of one or two that might have slipped under the radar. It will eventually get preserved. It's just a matter of time.

February 17

On 2/13/2024 at 9:47 PM, playvectrex said:

Oh the touchy subjects to chime in or not to chime in... that is the question.

Making your own well labeled "repro" for your own collection seems okayish, but you'll always know it's not real. I guess whatever... there are different levels of collectors out there. I would definitely not consider myself a collector so don't take my word for it.

But making a repro, documenting the steps and sharing it for anyone to make... goes a bit far in my opinion, respectfully. I wouldn't want to enable the lazy scammers with easy money making opportunities.

I do support open source though... just not for repros of holy grail collector items. I don't see the fun in "printing out" your collection anyways. Actually that's a good idea... just print a photo out of the real deal... and stick it up there on the shelf. Easy!

I'm lucky enough to have completed several full sets years ago, and before prices reached the current levels of unaffordability. There are other sets that I could easily have gotten in the past but really can't justify at today's price points, so I have some sympathy for fellow collectors that missed out on the easy days of collecting.

That being said, I would definitely want my eventual copy to come from an established collector or vendor. Over a certain price point there is always a concern about fakes, though at least for something as rare as Mr. Boston there are so few copies that it wouldn't be the easiest thing to fake, and a community as strong as the Vectrex community would have plenty of people that could authenticate all of the future copies that will inevitably come up for sale.

February 14

I'm lucky enough to be the proud owner of one of these Minestorm carts, and it's been a while since one came up for open auction. I'll be following this listing. I really hope it goes to a dedicated Vectrex enthusiast and not a flipper.

February 14

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February 6

Thread has been updated to note what sets are still available, and the price is reduced for buying the entire lot just in case anyone wants an instant collection.

February 6

On 2/2/2024 at 9:26 PM, Wing_Commander said:

Damn, no shipping I was about to ask for that Samsung ... Hope you sell, this is a nice collection!

If you're anywhere near the DC/Baltimore area I'm willing to meet up since you're a known AtariAger. For random Craigslist people I've had to be a bit cautious with whom I worked deals. At least all the usual red flags were obvious and I could just ignore and block them. Send me a message if you're somewhere nearby.

I don't ship things like CRT sets for many good reasons, not the least of which is because I care about what happens to the sets.

On 2/3/2024 at 11:20 AM, Crazy Climber said:

Woodgrain sets are the most desirable in my experience...even more so if they have AV inputs. That Panasonic has a unique look, that ups the desirability. The little 9" trinitron sets sell pretty well too.

My buyer for that set turned out to be able to read the serial and verified that it was made in 1969, and was the oldest Panasonic set she'd ever seen in person. The old guy I got it from said he was the original owner and had several more but they weren't in good shape. Maybe I should have picked them up after all.

The other woodgrain set, the '83 Trinitron, is still available because two seemingly done deals fell through at the last moment due to fickle potential buyers.

On 2/3/2024 at 4:42 PM, Tanooki said:

Yeah the no shipping hurts. I had a passing interest in a 13" or less sized something just in case my 9" panasonic chokes.

Friends don't let friends ship CRTs. I've heard of and read about quite a few such stories with sad endings. I also know that a few shipping centers in the region and in other parts of the US have "drops" in the conveyer lines that ensure anything delicate or fragile like the innards of a CRT or other electronics will get damaged no matter well the seller might pack the item.

February 3

9 hours ago, Crazy Climber said:

Splitting these up and selling in the $25 to $50+ each range would be in your best interest. Many people need one or two, 12+ at once is a pretty tough sale...

Funny that you mention it, as I got a few dozen or so emails asking pretty much that, and so the sets are currently being parted out. It's actually shaping up to where my total take will be a bit more than $500, and I'll still have a few sets left over. A few sets had absolutely nobody asking about them, and others had multiple different people making inquiries. The one that really surprised me is the ancient Panasonic set, as apparently Panasonic sets as old as that one are tough to find. I had an eager buyer within hours of the post first going up.

January 29

19 hours ago, Zap! said:

Wow, probably at least $10k. I wish I had the box and manual for mine.

Out of curiosity, do you have the dimensions for an Adventure vision box? I have a very odd such box that I got long ago, that I'm told was an expensive custom repro made years before by a previous owner but which definitely looks to be undistinguishable from what I remember of the real boxes that I've seen in person. I've often wondered if it could be a real box.

I'm sure you've seen the repro manuals for the system and games on ebay. I don't think I've ever seen repro boxes for the system or games, apart from possibly mine.

January 28

On 1/23/2024 at 12:15 PM, Zap! said:

Not mine, as I would have made sure that I cleaned it before listing it. This one is very dusty. Missing the cover over the joystick and the side panel cover. Battery cover is there, but it's missing a notch. Manual is included. Starting bid: $3,999.99. 😮

https://www.ebay.com/itm/145569739957?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0&ssspo=kfkp-osmT9q&sssrc=2047675&ssuid=_65O1jNOS96&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY

Oh wow, it actually sold! I can only wonder what a boxed system would go for in today's market.

January 26

Just as an update, the 220 system has been withdrawn from sale to have some service.

User Feedback Forum · January 26

Starting this Feedback thread on behalf of an excellent buyer is a pleasure, as he is indeed a guy worth selling to. Communication was quick and decisive, payment fast and correct, and he confirmed safe delivery of the game. Flawless transaction all around, and I hope to sell to him again!

User Feedback Forum · January 25

He's an awesome buyer! I sold him a very rare N-Gage game, and he communicated perfectly, paid quickly and correctly, confirmed safe delivery, and even sent me a confirmation picture of the game up and running on his system. I couldn't ask for a better buyer and very much hope to sell to him again!

January 22

On 1/14/2024 at 10:29 AM, bent_pin said:

Sounds good. I have to gather the cash before I take up any of your time.

I just bought myself a half dozen consoles, controllers, a pile of games, and a decked out 130xe for my birthday. So I've tapped out the mad money.

Do not pass up another deal if it comes along first.

I cut the price of the lot in half based on Feedback from multiple sources.

January 21

35 minutes ago, OLD CS1 said:

What are you asking?

$400 shipped. PM if interested:)

January 21

Up for sale is a boxed LG GDI 700M CD-i player. It's one of the last units made and one of the best CDi models. It has integrated mpeg/Digital Video, a PAL/NTSC switch, and support for wired CDi controllers in addition to the included LG remote. There are no timebomb Timekeeper chips to go bad on these units. Unit appears to be New Old Stock, and even smells new. A quick test revealed that the remote works perfectly, the system powers on and reads discs, and the front panel buttons all respond. I was able to save my score. There were a few visual hiccups playing Tetris, so this unit is being sold as is. It could easily be fixed up, and probably just needs a fine tune up or rubber belt. It may well have never been previously used and was in storage since the 90's.

Price is $600 shipped in the US, payment via PayPal. I am willing to ship into Europe and the UK at cost, though that won't be cheap.

If you have CDi stuff to trade, please let me know. I'm always looking for titles that I don't yet own.

January 21

Still available.

January 21

If you're an N-Gage or Warhammer collector, you know what this is, and that it's one of the "full set killers". It was one of the very last US releases, and only had a very small print run. Price is SOLD shipped in the US via PayPal. Shipping to Europe is available at additional cost.

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