How do you plan for the long long long term?

[dj_convoy]

If my games are on the shelves or put away in my Sterilite little drawer thingies, I figure I'm doing pretty well. Can't really do anything about bit rot, so I try not to sweat it. The only thing I "worry" about is my decent-ish CRT, which is showing signs of uh oh-ness, even tho' it's probably from the early 2000s. What's funny is that my little 13-inch CRT I've had since I was a teen (and that my 5200, ColecoVision and Intellivision are all hooked up to) seems to be still going strong, but it doesn't see massive, constant use. Not too worried about my consoles other than maybe the SEGA CD, which will surely croak sooner or later, and maybe my Vectrex. That's a pain to replace, nowadays. I bought a Turbo recently, and it's recapped, so it should be good to go for awhile. If the 3D0 dies, it's not the biggest loss in the world. If my precious Saturn or Dreamcast die, they're not that expensive to replace, and solid-state alternatives are slowly becoming available. Genesises (Genesi?) are still easily available, as are SNESes... and heck, a Super NT may lurk in my future. I've two Master Systems, so I think I'm safe, there. Obviously, replacing the older stuff might be a bit of a bitch, but I'll worry about that bridge when I cross it. In the meantime my stuff is, for the most part, left powered down, dust covered and used on a probably less than weekly basis. I'm much harder on my poor PS3 than I am on any of my vintage stuff. It's used WAY too much, mostly as a media server. Hell, if that blows up today, another one is a day away with Amazon or whatever. There's also my Retron 5, and I even have a 3 knocking around somewhere, so if something dies, I have some backups or alternatives. Plus, of course, emulation.

 

Basically, I'm not real worried about my collection; I've bigger concerns. I buy stuff I want when I can, and play what I've got when I can't. I have a lifetime's worth of games if I stopped collecting right now, and plenty that I haven't given enough attention to. Like Pixelboy, I've an awful lot of RPGs and such that await a time where I have more time on my hands, in anticipation of a future where my twisted, arthritic claws don't allow me to play twitchy things.

[Bill Loguidice]

I already pared my too large collection down to the essentials. I plan on keeping it that way. As FPGA systems continue to evolve, I look to those as eventual replacements for the original hardware, at least as long as they're up to the quality of something like the ZX Spectrum Next. That seems the best sweet spot between original hardware and software emulation.

 

And hopefully the modern consoles and computers will continue to prioritize backwards compatibility so I can more easily get rid of the "dated" hardware stuff when new stuff comes out.

[Flojomojo]

Like Pixelboy, I've an awful lot of RPGs and such that await a time where I have more time on my hands, in anticipation of a future where my twisted, arthritic claws don't allow me to play twitchy things.

Time is one thing, attention is another. I feel like I could probably plow through a few old-style RPGs right now if I really wanted to. The fact that I never start anything is probably a sign that I probably won't play them in my dotage, either. I hang on to them too, "just in case," but habits get harder to change as one gets older.

 

P.S. the plural of "genesis" is "geneses," when sounds about as pedantic and stupid as "Xboxen," which means I will use it every chance I get.

[spacecadet]

As I've gotten older I've realized that nothing ever turns out exactly as you plan, so little things like what to do with your game collection over the long long term aren't even worth worrying about. Whatever happens, happens. Maybe someday I will decide to sell it all. On the other hand, maybe in 20 years I'll decide to open a museum. Or, maybe it'll all just burn up in a fire. You never know how you're going to feel in the future, or what's going to happen. So it's wasted effort even thinking about it.

 

The only thing I do long term for stuff like this is buy insurance. If it does burn up, I'm sure I'll replace at least some of it.

[Keatah]

I already pared my too large collection down to the essentials. I plan on keeping it that way. As FPGA systems continue to evolve, I look to those as eventual replacements for the original hardware, at least as long as they're up to the quality of something like the ZX Spectrum Next. That seems the best sweet spot between original hardware and software emulation.

 

And hopefully the modern consoles and computers will continue to prioritize backwards compatibility so I can more easily get rid of the "dated" hardware stuff when new stuff comes out.

 

I would like to see FPGA rigs become standardized. Interchangeable cores without recompilation is an example. I'd also like to see systems (for once) come out with spare capacity or some modularity to upgrade. Once those things happen I'll more readily embrace FPGA as a real alternative.

 

In thinking about backward compatibility, hardware is becoming less and less in that regard. Changing memory speeds or processor speeds means a new motherboard to go with it. And usually this means new storage interface standards if you want speed to match and balance. And that means new case and power-supply too. It wasn't too bad in the 1990s and dot-com epoch. But today it's a no-go. Even monitor connectivity is becoming more limiting in recent times, no more VGA or DVI. I don't know completely what's going on with thunderbolt. And HDMI remains in flux, always a new increment in the standard number.

 

Some of my friends have decided to stay a year behind on what is currently state-of-the-art, and to treat the whole computer as a module. Like those NUCs I'm so fond of mentioning. They'll just get the latest iteration every year and call it a day. No wading through specification lagoons or going back and forth deciding what's best. Just buy the new one and toss the old one.

 

Software seems to be a bright-side when discussing compatibility. There's almost always a way to convert or import old data into new programs. Or the other way around to lesser extents, naturally. I'd even say interoperability and compatibility levels are increasing over time.

 

And connection and interfacing and transferring between vintage and modern machines is at an all-time high. Advancements, adapters, cables, boards, mods, all of it is being done equally on both the old and the new.

 

If I had the toolset back then that I had today I would have gotten into the Amiga ecology much much more.

Edited March 16, 2018 by Keatah

[Skippy B. Coyote]

I don't really have much in the way of long term plans for my collection, mostly because I don't anticipate that I'll live long enough for matters like bit rot to become an issue. My medical situation is such that I'll count myself lucky if I'm still around in 2030, so I've informed my loved ones that when I'm gone they can keep what they wish to from my collection and sell the rest to pay for my final expenses.

 

At the end of it all the video games I've collected are just an enjoyable way that I've found to pass the time, not some sacred relics that need to be preserved for future generations. There are thousands, in some cases millions, of other copies every game and system I own out there in the world for anyone else who would like to experience them; so what happens to the ones I've owned after I pass seems of little consequence. Or at least that's how I see it.

[CaptainBreakout]

This is all amazing food for thought and reflection.

 

I think I must have the chromosome from my grandfather that caused him to create an incredible horde of ham radios and vacuum tubes.

 

I have to keep this tendency in check, because as priorly observed, the horde is the heir's to bare.

 

Man, did I just coin a phrase?

 

Anyway... I suppose I have to make sure that my collection isn't something that someone down the road is going to look at with disgust. I think that's why it's become important to me to assemble an ultimate gameroom.

 

I mean it's simple really... When an engineer is dead and gone, does it make a good movie to have a bunch of incomplete projects, notes and hanging wires... Versus a functional "step right this way" semi self-guided tour through bygone amusement... With, um, I guess you'd say working feedback. ...?

 

I like the second option. More romantic. Better to capture the limitless spirit and rapture of all the games involved, and the technology inside.

 

Anyway, so I guess it's not only what you want to build, but what you want to leave behind.

 

Nice too... That currently we are seeing new details for us enthusiasts on how to stablilize our equipment, and free it from the engineering flaws in it's design. It's a good time to be an enthusiast. Happily I engineered away a bunch of design flaws in my Black Hole pinball machine, thanks to the dedicated enthusiasts and the net, and a salavged microwave dish motor. Looking forward to the new Microvision screens coming out.

 

And then there's always flash solutions coming out left and right for our consoles. Yay! Onward better, cheaper faster! Always something to do for us quality-oriented gnomes.

 

It's gonna be the future soon. We do what we must, because we can.

 

[ And the science gets done, and we make a neat gun for the people who are... still alive. ]

[wolfy62]

Do it Captain Breakout,make your own ultimate game room!!!

 

I love that idea,

[Schizophretard]

I don't really have much in the way of long term plans for my collection, mostly because I don't anticipate that I'll live long enough for matters like bit rot to become an issue. My medical situation is such that I'll count myself lucky if I'm still around in 2030, so I've informed my loved ones that when I'm gone they can keep what they wish to from my collection and sell the rest to pay for my final expenses.

 

At the end of it all the video games I've collected are just an enjoyable way that I've found to pass the time, not some sacred relics that need to be preserved for future generations. There are thousands, in some cases millions, of other copies every game and system I own out there in the world for anyone else who would like to experience them; so what happens to the ones I've owned after I pass seems of little consequence. Or at least that's how I see it.

 

I hope you make it way past 2030 but that does bring to mind another part of my future plans. I hope to be around after most retro gamers have passed and their collections are back in the wild while being completely worthless to everyone but old farts like me.

[CaptainBreakout]

Do it Captain Breakout,make your own ultimate game room!!!

 

I love that idea,

Thanks! I'll take some pics soon. It's coming together.

[+LS650]

It's a good question. I will retire in the next five years. I've always wanted to travel the world, so I plan to move overseas and hop from place to place; 6 months in this country, 3 months in that country.

 

To do this I'm going to need to get rid of my apartment and pare my possessions down to maybe a couple of suitcases. I don't want to give up my videogame collection but I don't see keeping it in storage either.

Edited March 16, 2018 by ls650

[Bill Loguidice]

It's a good question. I will retire in the next five years. I've always wanted to travel the world, so I plan to move overseas and hop from place to place; 6 months in this country, 3 months in that country.

 

To do this I'm going to need to get rid of my apartment and pare my possessions down to maybe a couple of suitcases. I don't want to give up my videogame collection but I don't see keeping it in storage either.

 

Being more "portable" was definitely one of the driving forces behind getting rid of most of my own collection already. It's so easy for us to fill our homes with stuff (and I'm not just referring to collection-related items). My wife and I are trying to be far more mindful of that, although it's obviously quite difficult with three kids. you really have to get into the habit of continuously donating stuff, trashing stuff, giving stuff away, selling stuff, etc., because before you know it, you're back to the same problems of too much stuff. Garages, shed, basements, etc., are ripe for storing a lot of unnecessary things. Out of sight, out of mind and all of that.

[icemanxp300]

I will try to avoid nursing homes because of potential abuse; not of me but from me because I'm likely to be a cranky old bitch that has nothing better to do than harass nurses. Anyway, some things I am doing or planning to do:

 

1. If I get a child raise it to accept retro gaming as their religion. That seems to get most people interested in things for the long term.

 

2. I'm currently moving my wife's and my collections slowly into our new house. We got a three bedroom home just so we both could have our own collection rooms.

 

Well I don't see this ending well.

[Keatah]

Not sure I follow??

[icemanxp300]

Not sure I follow??

 

If and when they have a kid, which one of them is giving up the their personal collection room. You can't have a bedroom for them, a bedroom for each of them to have a collection in and then a 4th bedroom for a kid when it is only a 3 bedroom house.

[Schizophretard]

 

Well I don't see this ending well.

 

 

 

If and when they have a kid, which one of them is giving up the their personal collection room. You can't have a bedroom for them, a bedroom for each of them to have a collection in and then a 4th bedroom for a kid when it is only a 3 bedroom house.

 

We can add a room and by then it would likely be the 5th instead of 4th room because we are already planning on adding a cat room for our 12 cats.

[Flojomojo]

[omegadot]

My collection isn't that large. Probably about 200 games amassed over like 7 years of "collecting" since I got back into it. I take care of what I have. No need to worry about storage since it's just a few shelves and therefore is out of the elements. If it goes and I can't cheaply replace it, it's gone. I imagine I'll eventually just use handhelds and / or emulation in the long term.

 

 

It's a hobby I really enjoy but only one of a few. I really don't worry about it. I'm 32 so the home is far off, probably. We've been dealing with the end of life needs for a few family members and I think taking care of myself is by far a priority. No need to worry about gaming if I can't use my body to do it.

[CaptainBreakout]

12 cats?

Talk about collection management.

[Jagosaurus]

Caps in consoles isn't something that doesn't get mentioned much outside of TG16/PCE & Game Gear. My childhood NES needs to be re-capped. I had a 7800 with bad solder points on the Maria chip as well.

 

Also, some carts even have caps inside them. Eventually, those will all fail.

 

That leaves you using a SD cart on a FPGA type system to get an "authentic" experience.

 

I was using flash carts on clones and for me, I personally began thinking this was a little silly. I had that set up, original consoles and games, & emulation. Way overkill.

 

Emulation is 95%+ there for everything 2600 through PS1 (Jag, SS & N64 being their own beast). For me, that's enough. I still own original games and hardware but emulation is my long term plan. It will only continue to get better.

 

Even if hardware works in the long term, or you get the systems re-capped, you'll run into resolution issues. That leaves a XRGB or OSSC type device as a requirement in years to come. Another +1 for emu there.

 

I love the enthusiasm of keeping the systems alive but come 2038, you'll have a lot more dead systems, carts, disc drives, and that's not even touching on disc rot. Emulation will be 98%+ by then.

 

Worth noting digital game loading off USB & HDD is great option for oXbox, PS2/1, & Wii/NGC. This will allow us to keep using real hardware after those disc drives go out. This is doable without an ODE hardware mod (as you see for SS, DC, 3DO).

Edited March 18, 2018 by Jagosaurus

[Schizophretard]

12 cats?

Talk about collection management.

 

I assumed that marrying a bisexual woman would get me more than all the pussy I would ever desire. Unfortunately, my assumption was correct. I don't try to talk her into getting rid of them because I'm scared I'll come home to a house full of beavers.

[Skippy B. Coyote]

It occurred to me while playing Atari 2600 tonight that the system I was playing games on will be 40 years old this year and it's never needed a single part replaced. Well made simple hardware really stands the test of time, so I don't think the Atari fans have much to worry about over the next 40 years.

 

Things don't seem to be as dire as one might imagine for disc based systems either. My Sega CD will be 25 years old this year and the only maintenance it's ever needed is one cleaning and regreasing of the gears and the little metal rod the laser moves along.

[Bill Loguidice]

It occurred to me while playing Atari 2600 tonight that the system I was playing games on will be 40 years old this year and it's never needed a single part replaced. Well made simple hardware really stands the test of time, so I don't think the Atari fans have much to worry about over the next 40 years.

 

Things don't seem to be as dire as one might imagine for disc based systems either. My Sega CD will be 25 years old this year and the only maintenance it's ever needed is one cleaning and regreasing of the gears and the little metal rod the laser moves along.

 

To be fair, a lot of this is self-selecting. I'm sure over the decades tons of the non-working units were either trashed or fixed, leaving us with fewer potential problem units in the wild. As with anything, though, it's still all something of a ticking time bomb, be it something going wonky with a power supply, a capacitor blowing, etc.

[Skippy B. Coyote]

To be fair, a lot of this is self-selecting. I'm sure over the decades tons of the non-working units were either trashed or fixed, leaving us with fewer potential problem units in the wild. As with anything, though, it's still all something of a ticking time bomb, be it something going wonky with a power supply, a capacitor blowing, etc.

 

I guess my plan for the future is "Continue to be lucky" then. In all seriousness though I have encountered a fair number of broken systems during my time in the hobby, but most of them were from the PlayStation 2 era onward. Disc drives with loading trays tend not to last all that long, though top loading disc systems are generally pretty reliable. Everything mechanical will break down eventually, but most systems without moving parts will probably outlive all of us.

 

I do think that learning some repair skills for the systems you're interested in is an important aspect of the retro gaming hobby though. It doesn't have to be anything too complicated, just getting comfortable opening up your consoles and having a general idea of what the parts inside do; and of course knowing how to solder in replacement parts if the originals fail. I suppose that's why I'm not too worried about the longevity of my retro consoles, because I'm pretty confident that if anything ever goes wrong with them I can fix them.

Edited March 19, 2018 by Jin

[Flojomojo]

Everything mechanical will break down eventually, but most systems without moving parts will probably outlive all of us.

 

I agree, solid state is infinitely preferable to moving parts wherever possible. Oh man do I wish we had a modern system that used cartridge media, built to last -- why doesn't someone fill that niche?

 

Repair skills are great ... virtualization is great too. I like not being tied to any one particular piece of hardware, because unlike you, I'm probably not capable of fixing it. I should probably make some time to learn to solder while my hands are somewhat steady.