Piecemealing systems from loose parts...

[josekortez]

I stopped off at a thrift after work today and found a bare Saturn and a bare PlayStation with no cords for $15 each. I thought about buying the Saturn, but decided against it since you guys seem to find boxed and/or complete systems for less than that. Also, both were untested and the guy at the counter seemed utterly confused about them.

Still, I wondered how many people here have put systems together by piecemealing them. What I mean is you might buy the system itself one day and buy the cords or controllers later on.

For example, when I got another NES and SNES last year, I bought them from a guy who wanted to trade them in at Gamestop, but he only had the systems and controllers with no cords. They wouldn't take bare systems, and he didn't want to just sell the controllers. I paid $6 total, and he even threw in a loose copy of Zelda: A Link to the Past! :) Anyway, I bought the proper cords later at EB Games.

Has anybody else piecemealed any of their systems together this way?

[Ed Oscuro]

I'm personally very much against putting "orphaned" manuals in incomplete game cases/boxes, and the same goes for systems. However I'll use things bought separately together; I can't be ridiculous when it comes to playing :P

[Mr. Smashy]

I wouldn't do it with a system I don't already have (unless it's really cheap).

[jonjandran]

I do it all the time.

If you watch Goodwill , thrifts, etc. You can get power cords , rf cords, and controllers for $1 and bare units for $5-$7 .

That means an entire system for $8-$10 .. 8-)

Thats why I have over 5 Saturns, 8 PS1 and PSones, 5 Snes, 8 Genesis, etc, etc, etc..... :D

[Daria]

I'm personally very much against putting "orphaned" manuals in incomplete game cases/boxes,

Why? They're the same manuals and boxes that youd get if you bought a complete copy of the game. And even if you buy a complete copy unless it's factory sealed you have no gaurentee that someone else didn't reunited two orphaned boxes and manuals.

Seems a little too anal IMO.
________
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[swlovinist]

I have done this with so much stuff of mine, I cant recommend it enough. This is the only way you are going to get some rare systems complete with their original parts. So what if it is beat up a little? It is way better to find the cords somewhere(other than a game store). As mentioned above this is a great way to score a system for cheap. I dont think I would have what I have otherwise!

[omnedon]

All The Time.

As long as the price is right for the pieces.

[Jasoco]

I've pieced together an almost complete "Deluxe Set" NES from parts all over.

The working NES is my original.

I bought the set off eBay and it had a dead NES, a ROB with broken and missing parts and other stuff.

I got replacement ROB parts from a member here (Thanks to whoever it was. It was so long ago now.) and took parts from the DOA NES to fix my original NES. (Which I had taken apart and lost some parts.)

I replaced the missing carts, Gyromite and Duck Hunt from another member and GS.

If I'm not mistaken, the only piece I need is the top Styrofoam piece. Without it, my box is collapsing and falling apart.

I'm not by any means opposed to piecing games or systems together if I can't find a totally complete one.

[Ed Oscuro]

I'm personally very much against putting "orphaned" manuals in incomplete game cases/boxes,

Why? They're the same manuals and boxes that youd get if you bought a complete copy of the game. And even if you buy a complete copy unless it's factory sealed you have no gaurentee that someone else didn't reunited two orphaned boxes and manuals.

Seems a little too anal IMO.
Hooray. I don't like the thought of not being able to look at an item and tell what part numbers are correct. It seems quite meaningless, but I like the thought of being able to tell 100% what comes with a system and not having a nearly-exact-but-actually-a-revision. I trust the folks here to do a decent job of piecemealing a system but I don't want the habit to spread to goons who'll put a Million Seller cart in an original box and expect me to pay top dollar.

There's a number of reasons why I care, and they're the result of having spent much of my life collecting.

And a FYI - I hate that word you use, please don't use it in connection with me, thanks.

[Jasoco]

And a FYI - I hate that word you use, please don't use it in connection with me, thanks.Anal-retentive. It's a word. And it's not bad. Even if it seems a little dirty.

a·nal-re·ten·tive
adj. Psychology
Indicating personality traits, such as meticulousness, avarice, and obstinacy, originating in habits, attitudes, or values associated with infantile pleasure in retention of feces.

I like that last one. LOL

[Dahne]

I can never figure out those red/yellow/white cords, so I usually end up buying an RF unit anyway.

I thought you meant something like finding all the inner components seperately and putting it all together. :)

[Aussie2B]

What collector ISN'T anal retentive? o_O We wouldn't be collectors if we weren't anal rententive and obsessive-complusive. :P

[charitycasegreg]

If you watch Goodwill , thrifts, etc. You can get power cords , rf cords, and controllers for $1 and bare units for $5-$7 .


5-7? My goodwill sells nes's and snes's for 2.99. the only other systme I have seen there is game gear but it was 20.00

[jonjandran]

If you watch Goodwill , thrifts, etc. You can get power cords , rf cords, and controllers for $1 and bare units for $5-$7 .


5-7? My goodwill sells nes's and snes's for 2.99. the only other systme I have seen there is game gear but it was 20.00

Find a new Goodwill. :P

[josekortez]

Do you guys know if a Dreamcast AC adapter will fit into a Saturn? I'm going to EB today, so I might pick one up for that bare Saturn for when it hits half price. And it will eventually...

[omnedon]

DC AC cord will fit into a PS1, a PS2, and 'most' Saturn versions, but not all.

[josekortez]

I just found this thread I started way back, and I did piecemeal that Saturn together from a loose second version controller I found and I used an AC adapter I bought from a swap meet.

Anybody else still piecemealing systems together, classic or modern?

[DigitalSpace]

For me, it's a lot more convenient to buy systems with hookups, but I've done this before. In late 2005, I was given a bare toaster NES, and within a couple weeks, I found an AC adaptor at Goodwill, a couple controllers at the same Goodwill and a CD/Game Exchange, and I bought an A/V cord from another DP'er. That was my main NES until I bought a top loader almost a year later.

[modest9797]

I had to buy my Ps1 a/v cord seperatly. I just used a universal one from Pelican.

[Jorpho]

It is often said that a Gamecube AV cord will also work with an N64 and a SNES. That much, at least, should be easy to find.

(By the way, has the trend continued with the Wii?)

[TheDomesticInstitution]

It is often said that a Gamecube AV cord will also work with an N64 and a SNES. That much, at least, should be easy to find.

(By the way, has the trend continued with the Wii?)

Although I commend the Wii for being the best system (of this Gen) for backwards compatibility, this is not the case. The adapter is different from the previous 3 systems in the Nintendo line-up.

As far as piecing systems together... it's almost impossible not to do, if you buy them at thrifts. My DC, 2600, and Genesis were all pieced together from either parts I had or parts I found at thrift stores. Also any time I spot spare cables or controllers at a thrift (and they're priced reasonably) I'll buy them.

[shawnbo42]

I also piece systems/games together from parts, but I don't really LIKE it. I can see both sides of the issue here. Yes, it's all the same stuff you'd have gotten if you bought the thing complete, but *I* know it's not 100% all-original dedicated to that box/system/accessory/what-have-you. To the average know-next-to-nothing about video games, it's perfectly acceptable, and they don't know the difference. To me, it's a different story. I KNOW. However, I also know as previously stated, sometimes you need to do this in order to get a rare item complete. Also, how do I know that sometime in the past that NES advantage WASN'T given as a gift at the same time as the NES system I am using currently? That's kinda my justification for mix and matching stuff together. But, I really would prefer to have everything all original together.