Collecting loose carts

[Rik]

@Rik

If you have those CIB PC games out on display, I'd love to see them. Any chance of posting pics?

Yeah,thanks for your interest!.I am so strapped for cash right now it's not funny.When i do get a good digital camera, i'll start posting pics.I haven't been working steadily due to the crap economy, so ALL my cash has been going strictly to bills and crap food, that's how tight it is for me, can't even buy a camera. I have the PC game boxes stacked on top of each other, and the weight is crushing the ones on the bottom, i'll have to fix that soon, i've crushed some nice mint boxes already dammit!

Edited April 17, 2011 by Rik

[JerryTerrifying]

NES and SNES I don't care about getting them complete. Master system and Genesis I preffer complete but will geta loose game if it's significantly cheaper.

[theredlineboss]

When I initially started collecting, I was fine with getting either CIB or loose carts (even with bad labels). These days though, I prefer my Genesis & Master System games to have their cases (don't care about the manuals tho). When it comes to other systems, I don't have any particular need/desire for the cases.

 

Now, when discussing disc based games...they all need a case if they are in my collection. I recently printed a number of covers (From Here) for some of my Sega CD and Sega Saturn games, so I could put them in standard DVD cases.

 

-Rob

[Schizophretard]

Because of space and money limitations I collect in this order: carts, manuals, CIB, and sealed. Sealed drives me nuts because I don't want to have to open them but I want to enjoy the cart, manual, and box as new. If I had no space and money limitations then ideally I would want one sealed and one mint CIB.

[Videogamecollector123]

I usually just buy whatever is cheapest, so that means loose carts most of the time. I don't mind, I never read manuals anyway and I just care more about having the game, if it has the box that's a plus. Though if it's only a few bucks more I'm willing to buy CIB. Then I only get NOS games if I already own it and it's cheap, or it's cheap and I could open it for the game(I've only done this on cheap games like Ms. Pac-Man for 2600) As for space, well I ussualy make space, but yes those boxes eat up space quick. There are a few exceptions to this for me though. Vectrex, I like to get these games complete or at the very least with their overlays. Sega CD, I like getting all of these games with their cases. Genesis, I like to get games with their cases but I'm fine with just the cart. Then for systems with overlays for their controllers like the Colecovision, Intellivision, and 5200, I'm fine with just the cart and it's just a bonus if the game has it's overlays.

[PSony]

For disc-based systems (PS1/2/3, Xbox, Saturn, DC, PCE CD), I only go for complete and at least very good condition (no broken cases, stickers, writing, etc).

 

For cart-based systems (Genesis, SNES), I don't care if they're cart-only since the boxes take up too much space. I don't even care what condition the cart is in.

 

PCE games are the only exception and I only go for complete and very good condition. The cases take up far less space than Genesis/SNES boxes.

[Baloo]

Personally, I find boxes to be easier to store most of the time. They make be bigger but some carts are rather oddly shaped, especially N64 carts which you can't really efficiently in any way to find the game easily. Same goes for 32x, Jaguar, etc. Boxes allow me to pick out whatever game I want to more easily, and I'm a bit of a completionist as well, I like to have everything if I can. I'll buy loose carts sure, but I won't be throwing out my game boxes anytime soon.

[ApolloBoy]

It depends on the system for me. I'm fine with most carts being loose, but for American/European SMS games and Genesis games, I prefer that they be at least boxed. Japanese Mega Drive games need to be CIB, otherwise I'm not interested. Also, when I do get carts that come with the box (that aren't SMS or Genesis/MD games), I wind up selling off the box and I put it in a Universal Game Case later on, complete with custom artwork.

 

I used to be real picky about disc-based games being CIB, but now the only ones I get CIB are GameCube games. Everything else gets put in DVD cases anyway, which I vastly prefer over flimsy jewel cases.

[Catsmasher]

These different views are the great thing about collecting. Everyone has a unique way of doing it.

I take the deals as I find them. If a NIB or CIB game is a good deal, I will get it. If a loose cart is a game I want, I will get it.

I have no qualms at all about opening a new box - I want to play the game, not look at it.

I just recently bought a Vectrex and I have found CIB games are a little too pricey for my taste - so I am buying the games loose.

[Atari_afternoon]

I would not call myself a collector since with handheld gaming, other than with music of a certain style or era, I do not have the ambition of a completist. I´m satisfied with having one gaming table in my living room fully stacked with GB, GBA, DS, Lynx and Gamegear stuff, all being carts only. But then, other than half a dozen recently acquired homebrews for the Lynx, I have no games anyone would consider rare. It´s not an expensive (money-wise) collection, all in all less than 200 cartridges. End of the year I tend to sell some long unused games and swap them for "new" stuff. When you enter my living room, first thing that you might spot are the big bookshelves and the sofa corner. The games section on the table is not very obvious at first because I tend to keep things in little ex-Ferrero Rocher boxes in a tidy manner in one dedicated level on the living room coffee table. As soon as I´ve found out that ALL the aforementioned cartridge sizes fit exactly into those, I´ve always kept them this way.

 

The boxes and manuals of the games, I keep them in a cupboard. I would never throw them away because you get more money when you are finally going to sell them...

Edited April 27, 2011 by Atari_afternoon

[Seob]

i also prefer loose, but will buy boxed if cheap.

[TheGameCollector]

Personally, I find boxes to be easier to store most of the time. They make be bigger but some carts are rather oddly shaped, especially N64 carts which you can't really efficiently in any way to find the game easily. Same goes for 32x, Jaguar, etc. Boxes allow me to pick out whatever game I want to more easily, and I'm a bit of a completionist as well, I like to have everything if I can. I'll buy loose carts sure, but I won't be throwing out my game boxes anytime soon.

 

This is my exact way of thinking. But now I only buy a loose cart if I want to play the game really bad or if it is not avialable with a box. i.e. Super Mario Bros./Duck Hunt and Super Mario All-Stars + Super Mario World which were pack-ins with systems in the USA only. Or reproduction cartridges.

 

Sometimes I will buy a newer released game without a manual if I am getting a really good deal on it because usually you can find replacement manuals online from people who got their game disc stolen, lost or broken. Sometimes I would like to try out the game in a cheaper way before going all-out and buying the box and manual before I even know if I even really like the game or not.

 

Star Soldier: Vanishing Earth is a fun space shooter for Nintendo 64, but for me it's not a game where I find it necessary to buy the box and manual. I just keep the cartridge.

[SlowCoder]

i also prefer loose, but will buy boxed if cheap.

 

So that's how you like 'em ... loose and cheap?

[DickNixonArisen]

i also prefer loose, but will buy boxed if cheap.

 

So that's how you like 'em ... loose and cheap?

 

Absolutely. If they're extra-dirty they're a lot cheaper, too. But I still respect them in the morning.

[Mxyzptlk]

Since I only collect 2600 carts. I buy a C.I.B. and a loose so I can play it. Of course that is not always an option, but it is what I try to do.

[HatefulGravey]

Since I only collect 2600 carts. I buy a C.I.B. and a loose so I can play it. Of course that is not always an option, but it is what I try to do.

 

I have found that with Activision games I do this. I didn't mean to, but I got some Activision games in a lot of CIB games and the box art and all is too cool so I started looking for more CIB Activision titles and then I got sick of having to open the box and trying not to ruin it and all that jazz so I got loose copies too.

 

I have also started to care about Sega games being CIB more and more. It works out a little better as for now I can store then without too much fear of damage to the case and when I have room to display them they will look real nice. I have tried to buy a few disc games recently and can't make myself buy disc games that aren't CIB. I have to have a case for them, and so long as I have to have a case I might as well go ahead and get the manuals and all that too.

[Itchy Koala]

i also prefer loose, but will buy boxed if cheap.

 

So that's how you like 'em ... loose and cheap?

 

Absolutely. If they're extra-dirty they're a lot cheaper, too. But I still respect them in the morning.

 

[Seob]

i also prefer loose, but will buy boxed if cheap.

 

So that's how you like 'em ... loose and cheap?

 

Absolutely. If they're extra-dirty they're a lot cheaper, too. But I still respect them in the morning.

 

Lost in translation

[ozma wars]

loose games welcome

cheaper

impossible to collect ALL videogames for ALL console and cartridge based systems if also need additional money for boxed games

[jferio]

impossible to collect ALL videogames for ALL console and cartridge based systems if also need additional money for boxed games

 

If you're trying to collect for every single console, yes. Any given single console, it's going to depend upon the rarity of the rarest titles, proportions of boxed versus loose in the market, relative price levels between the extremes of loose common versus boxed ultra-rare, and one's personal constraints.

[ColecoDan]

I have owned my colecovision since 1982 and the 30 - 40 games I owned as a kid I kept all CIB and in good condition.

 

Therefore when I got my colecovision fixed a couple of years ago I felt the urge to keep everything CIB. Of course some games do not come CIB like some of the old homebrews or games released at shows so those are loose. Yes I have paid a small fortune to get all the CIB but I just like it better that way. Plus I only collect Colecovision games so I don't have 10 other systems I am buying games for. It is a little easier to demand perfection when you have a small universe to fill.

[Algus]

Loose NES games look sick when they are stood up on their sides, label-out on a shelf.

 

The only carts I like to have CIB are Master System and Genesis games, because the plastic clamshell cases are way, way cooler than cardboard boxes.

 

I agree with this 100% The only cart-based system I try to collect CiB is my Genesis. If I had a Master System, I'd probably treat it the same way.

 

I do like dust covers for my NES and SNES games though (why did Nintendo not make these for the N64???) and I will occassionally buy them on eBay when I need more.

[nvrmndtheruins]

i'm the same way, Not so much about the space tho.

 

I don't classify myself as a collector, I just like playing the games.

 

I don't worry about labels and boxes. Manuals are nice, but if I don't have it It's easily available online for me.

[Zing]

I do not collect boxes, but I always go for the manual. The reason I do not bother with boxes is not due to price or space concerns, it is strictly the time investment. There are not enough boxes in adequate condition. I don't feel like constantly hunting for a good box or wondering if a better condition box will come along. If I could just drop a large sum on an instant CIB collection, I would do so.

 

For now, I am content to acquire cart and manual. This is much easier for me, as I am not concerned with manual condition. I use them for a practical purpose (to read), not display.

[AtariLeaf]

I'm not a fan of loose carts - I don't want my games coming onto me.