Official 1st Party Cart Storage

[wayultratech]

Curious if 1st party cart cases / storage cases spark any interest around here?

I know many have super sleek wall mounted shelving or racks built into their game rooms, however for apartment-hoppers such as myself who move consistently enough that large shelving isn't practical, i find myself looking for a more stylish / "official" way to store carts. It seems like it'd be awesome to have some of the methods/containers used to store your collection become "part of the collection". The officially licensed 1st & 3rd party Nintendo cases come to mind:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Nintendo-64-N64-Large-Black-Game-Cartridge-Case-Holds-24-Games-Official-Storage-/161186706013?pt=US_Video_Game_Cases_Bags&hash=item258779f25d

http://www.ebay.com/itm/super-nintendo-snes-storage-container-18-cart-organizer-case-shelf-official-ALS-/321284372260?pt=US_Video_Game_Cases_Bags&hash=item4ace0a7724

Here's a pretty cool OL Sega Genesis case: ( One fiddy, though?! That 'bay price is pretty harsh)

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Rare-Official-Sega-Genesis-Plastic-Case-Holds-28-Games-System-Dynasound-/161088563422?pt=US_Video_Game_Cases_Bags&hash=item2581a068de


As of now I just use those clear plastic 3-drawer containers that can be found at most big box stores such as Target. They work, and it's easy and cheap to get more of them.
But with the officially licensed stuff, they're more expensive and hold MUCH fewer games, forcing you to cherry-pick your favorites for the priviledge of being stored in an OL product. It also adds to your collection and gives you a stylish way to hand-pick and access the carts you play most.

What do yall think? Waste of time / cash to track down? Or are these officially licensed cart / game storage solutions worth it?

Also, I'd love to know if NEC ever made a TG-16 case, or if there's better cases than the meager pickings on the 'bay listed above?

[Rickstilwell1]

They're pretty cool but I wouldn't say they are worth their ebay prices which are more than the things cost when they were new. I would wait till I found one locally at some game store or something like that. This one collector I know said he finds them in the $20 or less price range locally all the time opposed to ebay which wants 2x the money or more.

There's this one I want that was actually 3rd party, but I only want it just because I used to have it and my sister accidentally broke it. I might unfortunately have to make a custom one out of wood if I can't find it.

Oh yeah, and the wood versions aren't the only ones that exist. There were also carry cases that were similarly shaped for cartridges but they were more like the material Case Logic uses. I have some old Nintendo Power Supplies ads that show these. Most of the ones I have seen are for Nintendo 64.

[Greg2600]

I have several of the 1st party Genesis, SNES, NES, and PS1 storage drawers. I have generic's that I use for stuff like Dreamcast, old Atari, Coleco, Intellivision. I am not a box collector.

[wiggyx]

I had no idea that some of these things are worth something at this point. I've got a few of the N64 drawers and I liked them just fine when I used them (despite not making it any easier to find what game you want), but ended up chucking them in the basement when my collection outgrew them. They feel sorta flimsy. The drawers aren't on very significant sliders and the drawer sorta just falls downward when you pull it out.

I always thought these were cool and have considered picking one up on several occasions.

http://m.ebay.com/itm/261369944198?nav=SEARCH&sbk=1

[PizzaKat]

I think these are pretty cool but not for the price. I have a few of the cases that hold NES games and you can carry them with a handle. I'm not sure if its official though, it does have a gold Nintendo plaque on the front. I got a 20 game case as well

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-NES-10x-game-carry-case-official-product-/221344182117

[Leo_A]

Some of these utilized that pressed sawdust junk for part of their construction. The ones I've had with a drawer for several rows of cartridges that the system is meant to sit on top of usually were constructed of that with only the drawer itself being of plastic construction.

So be wary if clearances are tight with things like Super Nintendo cartridges so that you're not scuffing the tops of your cartridge labels every time you open and close it. The weight of the system and the cheapness of construction without proper supports mean that they sag a bit especially towards the center front of them.

[DK1105]

I have a 12 slot and 24 slot N64 organizer and there nice to have but I would pay more than a couple bucks. The best part about having the N64 boxes is being able to just grab the box and move all the games into a bigger room for N64 party gaming. I have found that an old library card catalog holds most cartridge games perfectly. The one I have doesn't fit NES or SNES though.

[tpugmire]

I've seen pictures of an official TG-16 storage rack, but they are fairly rare.

[xelement5x]

I've got some of these official ones that have been pictured, but I will say that for most genesis cart only games, a regular cassette tape holder will work. Check out your local thrifts if you are looking for one, they are normally super duper cheap since they're practically worthless now.

I had a hearty laugh at the auction with the guy wanting $150 for that Genesis cart/system holder. I've got one of those exact things in much better shape stuck under my bed filled with a bunch of extra stuff I have stored away. My cat loves to sleep on the blanket that goes over it! :D

[BlastProcessing402]

I have one of these
http://www.ebay.com/itm/NINTENDO-SNES-N64-MARIO-BROS-ZELDA-LINK-VINTAGE-RARE-1988-TOY-CHEST-WARDROBE-/181165749696?pt=Vintage_Antique_Toys_US&hash=item2a2e51f5c0

that price has to be whack, though.

[JSoup]

I have an N64 system storage box sitting across from me. Got it via those catalogs Nintendo Power used to print every now and then. Can't find an image of it online at the moment, so I guess I'll snap a photo if there is interest in seeing the thing.

[MarioMania]

I swear the prices on these things

[nildem]

I'd recommend against dropping any significant money on that N64 case. I've owned a couple of them and the tray on both has broken along the sliders when filled to capacity. Very poor build quality, IMHO.

I was lucky enough to snag a few of these (http://www.ebay.com/itm/Nintendo-NES-SNES-21-Game-Organizer-Case-Shelf-USED-Dynasound-GS-8-16-in-Black-/121254059769) for pennies as Toys R Us was clearing out the last of their NES inventory. I bought 6 of them at the time thinking that'd be more than I'd ever need. (Boy was I wrong.) Each hold 21 NES or SNES cartridges, 7 to a column, and are easily wall-mountable. I highly recommend picking a few up if you have the chance.

I know you're looking for officially licensed stuff, but I have to suggest to anybody looking for a way to store loose Sega Genesis carts to pick up an old cassette tape storage rack. They can be had for a few bucks in practically every thrift store on the planet and fit standard-size Genesis (and all Master System) carts perfectly. I found one of these (http://www.ebay.com/itm/Laserline-AC100-Cassette-Tape-Audio-Storage-Wall-Shelf-Holds-100-Capacity-/151209866971?hash=item2334cf76db&nma=true&si=RuOWvx8MSO6O1bfk71MfF%252FGlkTQ%253D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557) Laserline-branded racks and it's served me well for several years.

[wayultratech]

Cool stuff!! I really wish all this awesome officially licensed stuff wasn't so prone to ebay price spikes, but after hearing about the somewhat flimsy construction, I would probably be bummed to shell out funds that could've been used for games on problematic storage, especially if the case you were describing falls apart when filled to capacity.

[zakthedodo]

The seller of the Genesis case is on drugs.
IF it were brand new or like new, they might have a shot, but that huge crack along the side of it....maybe 25 bucks and that's still on the high end.

[sparf]

Whew, time to dust off the old account here.

I've got a technically licensed NES cart holder mounted to my wall below the fascinating wooden Atari cabinet (unlicensed) that I have. The weird thing about it was that it has a Nintendo sticker on it (and I bought it new), but the center doesn't hold the carts very well. It's like the plastic racks are just a millimeter or two off and the only way to keep them in was to be sure they were in their dust sleeves.

I used to own, though it got thrown away, a Nintendo licensed "Video Game Center" that held the NES, with the zapper tucked underneath, controllers, and somewhere like 15 games. That was pretty neat.

Things I want these days are the rental cases or official carrying cases for systems. Makes systems easy to store or take to retro parties. :)

[wayultratech]

Definitely!! OL console cases, at least the ones i've seen from Nintendo are super sleek (especially that one Wiggy linked to above, looks like it'd withstand the beginning of Crystal Skull without the fridge)