Console or game collector?

o1s1n

Something I've been thinking about for a while and I thought it might make for an interesting discussion.

There's no black and white with this one. As to appreciate one, you need the other. It's a total yin and yang. However there is a definite distinction between two different collecting styles.

For me, consoles have always just been tools. I have absolutely **** loads of them, but would have no problems asking Enternow (!) to stick a multitude of switches on any of them. I never buy boxed consoles. If they come boxed, great..but the box goes straight up into the attic and the console is plugged in.

I didn't buy that Vectrex as a collectable. I bought it to play as there's no other way of gaming on a vector monitor. I had enternow literally rip the LCD out of my Nomad and put another one in. Overclocked MD, overclocked Dreamcast...nothing is too precious.

I don't spend lots of money on them either. Veccy was 50. Neo Geo was about 120...excluding new release date consoles, I have rarely (if ever really) gone anywhere over 50 on one.

Games on the other hand! Well..I hate to admit it, but I've bought several that broke the €100 mark. One that even broke the €200 mark. I've unopened ones that'll stay that way forever. It literally pained me to open Pier Solar.

So what say ye? I'd be interested in hearing people who are the complete opposite to myself..those who collect consoles and cry at the idea of making a PAL unit 60hz (!) I've noticed quite a few people on here collect boxed consoles and have multiples..or even look out for rare ones like the Panasonic Q. Some of you don't even bother with original software at all and use flash carts!

Retr0gamer

I'm definitely a games collector. I'm not too pushed on getting consoles. Only reason I'd have a console is if emulation is not 100%. However when I get some money I do plan on getting a good 8 bit and 16 bit collection going. I collect games to play them. I have far more games than I'll ever get time to play but I do mean to play every single one of them to completion.

Jack burton

Well I'm game too, now dont get me wrong I like getting consoles too but the console is more of a tool for playing the games.

you all know about my CIB obsession with games, well I dont have that with consoles (yet)

A nice clean console is all I want really so its because I think like that that my vote goes for games

And plus I think if you mod consoles your a game collector, just think about spraying a cartridge a different colour and you'll know what I mean :P

Andrew76

I didn't know that distinction even existed.
Both machine and game are useless without the other so I couldn't understand one being collected and not the other. And I assume the term "console" doesn't exclude all the quality home computers that play games.

Personally, I collect to play games I had as a child or ones I never had and would like to play (a good portion coming from folks on these forums) - sometimes that means getting the machine to play the game.

If I have the choice I prefer to get an item boxed/CIB if possible since it just ads to the nostalgia, especially if it was something I never had (as opposed to something lost over the years), depends on price and condition ofc. Boxed items are easier to store too. Having said that sometimes there are unboxed bargains not to be missed: Vectrex, A1200 etc. I've no problem with modding either once the machine still looks close to original, sometimes it's a necessity really.

Lol is that flash cart comment aimed at me? :pac: The few flash carts I have are for convenience and act as a time saver more than anything else, the ability to play lots of games from one source is very handy. That Everdrive is class, my MD games stay safely tucked away while I can still play them as normal.

ghostchant

For me it really depends on the format. For instance I have a boxed Famicom Disk System that I wanted purely for the hardware, not for any games I wanted to collect and play. And as cool as some of the Virtual Boy software is, it was again the hardware over the software library that made me want it (and I figured it was my one and only chance to pick up a boxed one on adverts!) In general though it's games I collect. I have 4 dreamcasts of varying regionality but only so any game I pick up can be played on a matching region console (and as insurance against something breaking in one of them). same for most of my other consoles.

With Nintendo handhelds I'm both: I collect gameboys, GBAs (micros mainly) and DS consoles, as well as the games. To be honest that's where most of my collecting energy goes normally, recently anyway. Was in a major dreamcast phase before that.

Went with games in the poll, but as others have said, it's not a black/white issue

o1s1n

Andrew76 wrote: »

I didn't know that distinction even existed.

Well I'm making a distinction really given the difference in what they are, but as someone who enjoys games you can't really do either alone (Excluding those sealed games collectors!)

I was just thinking how different they are as things. Games are media which can be stored away in libraries like books...while consoles are machines that can break down with use and need to be maintained like tools. Both can be seen as the focus of your collection. Both can be appreciated in their own unique ways.

Andrew76 wrote: »

Lol is that flash cart comment aimed at me? :pac:

I was actually thinking more of Enternow and Ciderman. I think those two guys would rather spend a small fortune on a rare console than a rare game :pac:

I suppose that's what it comes down to I guess. If you had €200 to spend on something, would you be more likely to spend it on a game or a piece of hardware?

When browsing ebay for goodies, are you more likely to look for games or consoles? I rarely look for consoles. I keep going to buy a Virtual Boy but then get turned off by the price. On the other hand Aliens Versus Predator came along and I just lept on it without thinking.

I dunno, maybe they are too linked to make any kind of distinction.

/Runs off to buy a Virtual Boy

amacachi

I don't think I come down on either side but it's early days yet. Console-wise I just have a 2600, MD, PS1, PS2 (soon), PS3, PSP, Xbox 360 and there's a DS belonging to my sister that I should get my hands on soon. :pac: It's weird realising how many Sony consoles I have since I'd nearly consider myself a 360 fanboy. :pac:
Not having a job or much funds means that I'm doing my best just to keep a flow of purchases going because I stopped last year and guilt makes it hard to get going again. :pac: Generally games are cheaper and easier on the pocket so for my purposes it'll be mainly games I'll be buying, even for consoles I haven't yet got if they're cheap enough and catch my eye.
I don't plan to ever get any complete collections, I'm hoping to just continue amassing bits and pieces until I'm better set to really go for what I want.

pdbhp

Thats an unfair question to ask o1s1n as they go hand in hand.
For me there is no definitive answer and comes down to the timing and the availability of cash dollar which dictates my purchases.
If I am flush with cash then I can purchase a console but if not I'll just buy games for whatever I've got at the time.
By the by I voted for games.

Andrew76

o1s1n wrote: »

I suppose that's what it comes down to I guess. If you had €200 to spend on something, would you be more likely to spend it on a game or a piece of hardware?

o1s1n wrote: »

When browsing ebay for goodies, are you more likely to look for games or consoles?

Too early in the morning for such tough questions.

If I had €200 to spend then I think I'd look for a machine I don't have and get it with some games - to see what they play like on it. In reality the machine was created to play games (or run software) so is just a tool. Take the Vectrex, without the games to bring that screen to life it's pretty dull to look at, but with both it's an awesome piece of kit. Same goes for an arcade cab.

Myrddin

It's a question I actually can't answer. Much like Andrew, for me you can't play the games unless you have the machine, and without the games what good is the machine.

It's true my rarity radar looks for hardware as opposed to software, I can't explain why but a rare console appeals to me more so than a rare video game.

CiDeRmAn

I don't know which I am, I'm not a collector of games because I don't slavishly buy everything on a given format, there are games I like and those I don't, I buy the ones I do and get them for the consoles I own, same as everyone else, just that I own more consoles then most.
So am I a console collector then?
No, not really, I don't have a Hello Kitty DC, I have only a PAL Saturn, I own a couple of Megadrives but nothing too extraordinary, aside from the CDX but that was luck really.
I have a lot of console but mostly because they all offer different interesting experiences from each other, even if they are models of the same machine, Master Sytem/II, MD/II/CDX and so on.
So, what sort of collector does that make me then?
Help!

My main mission is to have such a range of hardware and software combined, that if I have a sudden desire to play Micromachines, I can in a matter of minutes, if I want to play Tempest there it is, if I need a spot of Duck Hunt, I can be blasting away in moments.

I suppose that all makes me a games collector, maybe more of an archiver really, the consoles though are tied into the experience though, can't be separated, if you want to play Gunstar Heroes, best to have a MD pad in your hand and the cart slotted in.

Jack burton

Hotlinking denied

CiDeRmAn

o1s1n wrote: »

I was actually thinking more of Enternow and Ciderman. I think those two guys would rather spend a small fortune on a rare console than a rare game

In the case of the Nuon thats true, but then it's a means to an end, I only spend the money to play something unique, then it was Tempest 3000, with the Vectrex it was the Vector gaming experience, with the Virtual Boy it was the chance for 3D gaming.
Plus all of these hardware purchases were springboards for more games purchases really.

o1s1n wrote: »

/Runs off to buy a Virtual Boy

Good man, you know it makes sense!

batari

CiDeRmAn wrote: »

I suppose that all makes me a games collector, maybe more of an archiver really

Cool, thats what I'm telling herself next time she's on about consoles/games all over the place!

''It's okay, I'm an Archiver!!'' :pac:

CiDeRmAn

Well, I doubt many of us are just satisfying some OCD impulse to collect as many games/consoles as we can, for most of us it's all about the great fun to be had playing this myriad of games on offer.
As such, I'm not a collector, just a serious games fan, and hater of SoR and GA, naturally.

That said, I do own a few too many copies of Zelda OoT, Sonic 2 and Virtua Racing on different formats to be completely immune to the collecting buzz...

dmcdante

For me it has to be games i have maybe 10 consoles but well over 300 games i only buy a console for the good games it have like i bought my dreamcast to play jet set radio,my N64 for golden eye and perfect dark and so on

Atavan-Halen

I dunno, I like to have a nice collection of both. I love love love boxed consoles and I try buy them boxed if at all possible, but then again there's no poin it having it if I can't play anything on it.

I agree with ciderman there though, there is a satisfaction in having lots of games for the reason of being able to play them (if that makes sense :P) Just being able to say "Oh I'm in the mood to play some of x, and I can, here it is "

DickyC

I think this really comes down to personal choice. If I like a system I may get a couple of different versions, But I will nearly always have one just for playing the games on, this one I would not mind modding or whether it had a box.
I have a zelda sp/ds and only played each for an hour or so, I got them because I liked the aesthetics of them not to play games on. There are other ds's in the house to do that on. It's the same with the Q but thats beautiful looking even with the power off. That was region modded by LikSang { Still havent forgiven sony for closing them down }when I got it.

I honestly don't think I would give a crazy amout of money for a game, but I would never buy a game in bad condition I prefer mint CIB.
To me completion of a large catalouge of games on a paticular platform would be tedious because there are a lot of bad games on most systems and I have not got enough time to play the good ones never mind the lemons. I would like to complete my ngp collection though {regardless of the lemons} just for the sake of it as its not the big and there is something about the pal clamshells.but it may bring a tear to my eye paying for pocket reversi.

I do believe a nice display of hardware looks well along side a display of software, sealed games can be nice but only if you can play a backup version of it. Don't see the point otherwise. Picked up a virtual boy years back in fairyhouse unboxed with games, think everybody needs one in their collection. At the end of the day it's down to whatever makes you happy at the time, I did not vote as I like both but very intresting topic.

djsim101

This is a tuff one, games or system collector. For me personally, I would perfer to collect the system first, then get the 10 ten games for it and of course my own personal best games that everyone mightnt agree with;)

I am Sega boy at heart and from the Mastersystem up to the Dreamcast I have all the systems, my fav by the way is my Jap Saturn:D As with the earlier Sega disc based systems, well, with no game system protection in place, lets just say it is easier to "test" the games out before you buy them.

On a side note, Santa was good to me and I added an Atari 7800 to my collection, got 20 games with the system but most were, well, crap. On to the 10 ten for that system, although finding top 10 quality games for the 7800 could be a tuff one:pac:

tman

Definitely a games collector as well
Even though I'd dearly love to own a SNES again, I just can't justify it seeing as I already have the majority of games that I want to play on my Wii's VC already
I've ran out of shelf space for games (stacked 3 deep on my bookshelf and currently piling up next to my TV) and have a couple of boxes of them annoying my girlfriend in the hallway, but only have 3 consoles under my TV

o1s1n

tman wrote: »

and have a couple of boxes of them annoying my girlfriend in the hallway, but only have 3 consoles under my TV

I think you need to find another lady friend :pac:

I have a whole room dedicated to consoles and games in a two bed apartment. Which was suggested to me by my girlfriend. And at that there are still three consoles in the sitting room.

She also fully endorses me bringing my arcade machine along when we get a house in a few months and I'm also looking into getting a pin ball machine.

Reading back over that, it's quite possible she doesn't exist and I've gone insane.

o1s1n

DickyC wrote: »

I do believe a nice display of hardware looks well along side a display of software

Spot on. Library of games in bookshelves with the hardware set up beside them. It can look amazing if done right. They both really compliment each other.

There's a guy over on neo-geo.com with pictures up of a neo geo room (Tried to find them but can't, I'll have a look again).

From what I remember the walls were painted red, he had a bookcase full of MVS carts in shockboxes and a big red MVS arcade cabinet beside them. The whole setup look like a work of art.

Andrew76

o1s1n wrote: »

I think you need to find another lady friend :pac:

I have a whole room dedicated to consoles and games in a two bed apartment. Which was suggested to me by my girlfriend. And at that there are still three consoles in the sitting room.

She also fully endorses me bringing my arcade machine along when we get a house in a few months and I'm also looking into getting a pin ball machine.

Reading back over that, it's quite possible she doesn't exist and I've gone insane.

Hehe they're rare but do exist. Nabbed one myself. :pac:
She's no problem with your arcade cab because she'll have her own kitchen then, you'll both be happy!

Optimus Prime

I made a passing suggestion that maybe the arcade cab would be too heavy to put in the room upstairs so she suggested painting the wall at the end of the kitchen black getting a massive space invaders mirror for the wall, a corner suite and leaving the cab in the kitchen! so thats what we are doing now!

It has a jukebox on it too so she will use that all the time.

pdbhp

You gents are living the dream, I can't even play the Gameboy without getting abuse because of the pile of games I put on the table beside it.
She did tell me to use one of the rooms upstairs for my games room but I want to dedicate the sitting room to it so I can drink beer and enjoy my collection.

Andrew76

pdbhp wrote: »

You gents are living the dream, I can't even play the Gameboy without getting abuse because of the pile of games I put on the table beside it.
She did tell me to use one of the rooms upstairs for my games room but I want to dedicate the sitting room to it so I can drink beer and enjoy my collection.

That's spousal abuse that is! :pac:
I remember that cool tool box you have to store all the gba carts in, sure that's neat and tidy is it not?!

pdbhp

Andrew76 wrote: »

That's spousal abuse that is! :pac:
I remember that cool tool box you have to store all the gba carts in, sure that's neat and tidy is it not?!

Yep the tool box is down beside me at all times and I get hassle over it.
The PS2 and PS1 are hooked up to the CRT TV then the XBOX 360 and Wii are hooked up to the big TV so I have basically taken over the room not to mention the piles of games and my laptop you also got to take into account how small my living room is as it's tiny so no wonder she complains;)

Grumpypants

I'm definitely more of a console collector than a game collector as i only hold onto games i love and will play again and again. Unless they are of some great value but seeing as i play everything to death they are rarely worth any money as they are not sealed.

I have become obsessive about boxes recently and do try to keep the boxes in good condition but they are up in the attic and the consoles are set up downstairs. I don't have boxes for some of the consoles as my Ma went on a rampage one day chucking things out about 15 years ago that i still haven't forgotten.

I have my 1977 Atari VCS box, SNES Mario allstars box & N64 Box all in the attic but the megadrive, xbox & NES have no boxes. Also my 1981 Nintendo hand-held octopus and parachute do not have boxes but are still working.

DickyC

Grumpypants wrote: »

I have become obsessive about boxes recently and do try to keep the boxes in good condition but they are up in the attic and the consoles are set up downstairs. I don't have boxes for some of the consoles as my Ma went on a rampage one day chucking things out about 15 years ago that i still haven't forgotten.

Same thing happened to me after a year away in New Zealand. At the time I kept all my snes games in a grey carry case for convenience, all the boxes and manuals were in the attic prior to me setting off for safe keeping.
Pal games and Jap games that I got in Harry Moore in Henry Street in town. Zelda,Mariokart,Super Castlevania 4, Super Contra, Super Probotector,Big box Metroid to name a few. About a week after I returned home I ventured to the attic to retrieve some clothes and noticed all the boxes were gone. When I asked my parents there whereabouts I was told there had been a clear out of the attic and asked "sure why would you want empty boxes in anyway." I still have most of the carts though but still miss the boxes.:(

martineatworld

I voted games but I do collect different consoles as well...!? For me, it's about collecting games for a consoles that really influenced my gamings down the years. Whether from actual memories of having/playing them or from seeing them and thinking "Wow, that looks awesome!", or even from articles nowadays or recommendations from the A&R crew themselves!

There's just something about having a physical, complete copy of the game. I hate buying off PSN as when I'm done with it, it can't go in the stack of PSP games. Same for roms. They're grand to experience the game, but for a game I've plowed hours into, it has to be sat across the room! Feels a bit cold and distant otherwise.

Make sense? I'm not even sure it does! Jays all this thinking about it makes me want to document my collection... Don't think I've put pics up in the collection thread yet!

Atavan-Halen

My mam chucked out a megadrive model one with a honeybee adaptor and an n64 it was a case of "it's old and you dont play them, BIN!"

Thankfully I still have the games for both. The only games that are missing are pokemon snap and mario 64 but I've a feeling I know where they are as wave race 64 was with them and I still have that.

martineatworld

Sickener...! I've trained my parents to stay away from my stuff.

Does it look old?
Does it seem like I never use it anymore?
Do you think it's taking up space?

Yeah? Then get away from it! It's a collectors item damn it, and don't bend the box either!

Augmerson

I dunno, I think it's probably both for me, if that makes sense at all.

Myrddin

For all the 'games' collectors then, what are you actually playing those games on?? This thread baffles me.

o1s1n

Hah! As I said earlier, it's not really black and white. It was just an interesting thought that came to me.

Here's the distinction I was trying to make -

I buy consoles as a means to play the games I collect.

Some other people buy consoles to keep them boxed and in collecting condition. Some would never dream of removing them from the boxes or modding them. That is collecting consoles in the same way that I am collecting games.

I suppose maybe it's the wording that's confusing it. 'Archiving' might be a better word to use than 'collecting'.

Myrddin

o1s1n wrote: »

Hah! As I said earlier, it's not really black and white. It was just an interesting thought that came to me.

Here's the distinction I was trying to make -

I buy consoles as a means to play the games I collect.

Some other people buy consoles to keep them boxed and in collecting condition. Some would never dream of removing them from the boxes or modding them. That is collecting consoles in the same way that I am collecting games.

I suppose maybe it's the wording that's confusing it. 'Archiving' might be a better word to use than 'collecting'.

No no I fully get that, I should have said some of the answers here are baffling me. The folks here that are mentioning collecting games far more than consoles, is that a lot of games for a small amount of consoles, or games for all platforms? Because if it's the latter, how are they playing them??

o1s1n

Ah right! I get what you mean. I suppose it would have to be the former as the latter would make no sense at all...unless you're a sealed game collecting weirdo!

ghostchant

EnterNow wrote: »

No no I fully get that, I should have said some of the answers here are baffling me. The folks here that are mentioning collecting games far more than consoles, is that a lot of games for a small amount of consoles, or games for all platforms? Because if it's the latter, how are they playing them??

Well if we considered the opposite - if we collected (different) consoles far more than games, we'd presumably have consoles that we had no games for... :P

Myrddin

ghostchant wrote: »

Well if we considered the opposite - if we collected (different) consoles far more than games, we'd presumably have consoles that we had no games for... :P

Yep that works as well, but my point is unless there's a balance between the two, then it's a useless collection (in terms of playability).

o1s1n

I remember reading somewhere before that some people collect games like stamp collectors collect stamps.

Purely for the aesthetics of the packaging and not for playing whatsoever. It seems alien to us as games players...but then I guess stamp collecting must seem weird to people who work in a post office :pac:

ghostchant

EnterNow wrote: »

Yep that works as well, but my point is unless there's a balance between the two, then it's a useless collection (in terms of playability).

Agree completely. I reckon everyone has a certain bias towards hardware/software though, I said games perhaps because right now that's what I look for instinctively when I go to adverts or ebay, but in general the majority of the time my head is turned more by consoles. But I only care about them because they're games machines. May as well collect old telephones otherwise.

Myrddin

ghostchant wrote: »

Agree completely. I reckon everyone has a certain bias towards hardware/software though, I said games perhaps because right now that's what I look for instinctively when I go to adverts or ebay, but in general the majority of the time my head is turned more by consoles. But I only care about them because they're games machines. May as well collect old telephones otherwise.

Lol agreed dude. What stuck me though is people are saying games more than consoles, regardless of that bias you mention. Disregarding emulation (this is an enthusiast forum after all ), I just don't see why people would buy games unless they had the system to play them on.

Unless as o1s1n mentioned, it's purely about collectability, which is entirely valid & understandable.

o1s1n

Or I suppose you could have a situation where as you said, someone only collects for one or two consoles exclusively.

If you were collecting just for the Megadrive (Maybe going for a complete collection of games), you may have hundreds upon hundreds of games for that platform but only one system. So in that case you'd be purely a games collector and just have a single machine to play them all on.

The balance would be tipped more or less entirely in the direction of games.

yrwhu8jxtni06a

i dont get excited if get something is regarded as a classic/must have/rare,its just another brick in the wall.

Emulation is fine.

Not a fan modding,unless its a repair.

I dont get an urge to get something because someone else and someone else has got one too.

Jack burton

Curtis Most Stitch wrote: »

i dont get excited if get something is regarded as a classic/must have/rare,its just another brick in the wall.

Emulation is fine.

Not a fan modding,unless its a repair.

I dont get an urge to get something because someone else and someone else has got one too.

Right, just wanted to quote that for when you delete it later on

deathrider

It's games for me. I've got about 6 or 7 consoles, none of which are exactly in mint condition. They have all seen a fair amount of action through the years, and would probably be worth feck all now. I've always been threathening to re-buy some of my old consoles, just so I have ones that are in great nick to keep as collectables, and still have my regular ones (most of which are from when I was a kid, so I'm sure you can imagine their state) to jam on. But my old ones still work, so I've never really bothered.

Games, on the other hand, I have a few hundred of. Most of which are kept in great condition, and all stack and parked in order. Even have doubles of quite a few of them.