What system do you keep getting stuck with?

[bangtango]

I searched three forums here and throughout Google for this topic but never found it. Please excuse me if it was already done somewhere (I looked like crazy).



For some reason or another, most of us have a single video game system that we just don't like and it is normally a burden to an otherwise good collection (or Room of Doom). Yet no matter how many times you get rid of this system, you always end up with another one somewhere along the line. Perhaps you find it for $5 at a yard sale and it would be stupid to pass it up from a value standpoint. Maybe someone at work unloads a free box of stuff on you and that system is inside. Somebody else might get this particular system back in a huge Ebay or Craig's List lot that has a bunch of other systems with it. However you end up getting it back, the point is that you are stuck with a lame system again after you'd finally gotten it out of your life.


Just a couple of general guidelines:


1. I'm not referring to systems you already own and don't enjoy but you continue to acquire multiples of. For example, someone currently owns the Nintendo 64 and thinks it stinks but keeps on buying loose consoles for $2 or a whole system for $5 if he/she finds it at a yard sale.

2. I'm not referring to systems you got rid of and have been lucky enough to not get stuck with it again (so far). Like if you sold a 7800 because you thought the library was dull and never ended up with one in the collection again. Sometimes you just never get them back after they are gone.


I'll give you my story.


I bought a Sega CD/Genesis combo that came with a few games on Ebay last year for about $33 shipped. I'd never played it before and figured I'd try it out. Over the next few months, I ended up going through about a dozen Sega CD games before coming to a decision. I hated it. Awhile back, I packaged up the entire set-up including the remaining games and sold it online. The games I had played and the hassle of hooking it all up left a bad taste in my mouth. This was one system I assured myself I would never lay eyes on again and would never be foolish enough to invest in again. I even trashed it in a couple of threads here.

Fast forward to this week. My local game store gets a Sega CD in as part of a huge lot they bought out from a pawn shop or something. I'll cut to the chase. I had a bunch of stuff I was going to trade in, mostly common titles that I wasn't playing anymore. The store owner was apparently worried the Sega CD might sit in the store forever and nobody would buy it. It isn't a system he normally takes through a trade-in but it came with the rest of a wholesale lot so like it or not, he now had it in his inventory. As a result, the owner saw I had some games to trade in and actually offered me a very good deal on it. I won't break down the games I traded in or the final dollar amount but it was a bargain.

So here I am stuck with a Sega CD/Genesis combo again when I had absolutely no interest in ever getting another one again. I sure as heck didn't regret selling it the first time. Not a bit. Yet I wasn't interested in the games I swapped for it either and I don't like passing up a nice "deal." Looks like I gotta invest in the Sega CD library once again, maybe this time I will find something I like. Maybe I am lazy or like giving what I consider a cheesy system a second chance but I'm not going to bother trying to find a second buyer for a Sega CD, even if this thing ends up collecting dust like the last Sega CD I owned.

That's my story. Like I said, this isn't a thread where you regret getting rid of something. Not at all. In summary, what system were you so glad to get rid of because it "sucked" only to somehow end up with another one when you didn't really want it back again? Something that just fell back into your lap.



Disclaimer: Yeah.....in my case, I could have just refused that trade for the Sega CD but the system was/is in nice condition and there weren't any games on my want list in the store. Besides, the owner has been pretty good to me the past couple of years with various "deals."

[Family Computer]

kind of confusing...if you loathe owning the system how could the trade be a good deal?

if you hate the system, why would you not just sell it again rather than being obligated to develop a collection for it?

I only buy systems I like so I haven't ever had this problem.

[bangtango]

kind of confusing...if you loathe owning the system how could the trade be a good deal?

if you hate the system, why would you not just sell it again rather than being obligated to develop a collection for it?

I only buy systems I like so I haven't ever had this problem.

When I don't have any interest in the games whatsoever then getting a complete and working system is a good deal. Even if it is Sega CD. Trading in a small bag of games made up of common last generation games like 3DO's World Destruction League Thunder Tanks on PS2 and Def Jam Vendetta which I had "when i got my cube", plus a couple of very common Gameboy games, is hardly getting a bad deal.

Yeah, it seems silly to reacquire it by being in the wrong place at the wrong time but I have been wrong about a system before when I said it sucked (i.e. PS1).

[shawnbo42]

Strangely enough, I too have a Sega problem....Over the ourse of time, I have now aquried 6 or 8 Genesis and/or Genny/CD combos. It's not that I HATE the Genesis system, but back in my yonder days of gaming, everyone I knew had the SNES.

As a result of this, I never really was exposed to the Sega experience. By the time I was, I had already been Nintendo-ized. As a result of this, I had little/no interest in the Sega competitor to SNES.

When I actually started "collecting" games, I wasn't about to pass up on anything I DIDN'T have, so, as pretty much everyone else here did, I went nuts, and bought everything. If I recall correctly, I bought ONE Genesis, came with a lot of mixed Atari, NES, etc stuff. Every other Genesis has been in a "buy it all or you don't get it" deal, or passed on to me by friends/family (Uh, thanks but no thanks?) who thought that just because I am into video games SURELY I would appreciate THIS! (Of course, it probably didn't help that I never told anyone I really didn't WANT another Genesis). My latest one is a Genesis/CD combo (another one) that my cousin gave me. Been played like 2 hours, the dog chewed the power supply cord, so that's all it needs.

So now I have what I believe legally qualifies as a fleet of Sega Genesis systems. I have probably a hundred games or so for the system, and there ARE a few titles that I enjoy, but for some reason it seems that EVERYWHERE I go, there is another Gensis staring me in the face from it's lonely place on the shelf at the Goodwill, or at that yard sale down the road, and so on, and so on.....

The really wierd thing is, as I said previously, when I was younger, I didn't know ANYONE who had the #$$% thing, and now they pop up like flies?! Seriously, I can't even FIND a SNES anymore....(Of course, I already have my 4 systems anyways....). But yes, to answer the question, Genesis/CD is my vote as well.

[Barbarianoutkast85]

I just went to my spare room to double-check, and I have: 21 Sega Genesis systems; 11 Nintendo Entertainment Systems; 14 Super Nintendo Systems and last but not least 27 gray brick Nintendo Game Boys.

So the answer to your question would be the old school brick Game Boy and in a close second place the Sega Genesis. I always sell the Game Boys and Sega's but I just keep getin' them. Sometimes friends or family dump them off on me, or I find one for $5 and cant pass it up. I dont but there you have it LOTS of Game Boys and Genny's

[DefaultGen]

.....

[Barbarianoutkast85]

It looks like I'm winning with 21 Sega Genesis consoles. Thats not even counting the 9 Genny/Cd combos I have. But the Genesis is my favorite console, and the one I'm only 47 games away from having a complete collection. OH YEA BROTHA!

[madman77]

I'm a little confused by the post as well. You hated the Sega CD, didn't want another one, traded for one and then say you got "stuck" with it. But, keeping on track with the spirit of the post, I've acquired a number of Genesis systems when buying large lots just to get specific accessories. The positive thing is I always made my money back by splitting up unwanted pieces and selling them.

[s1lence]

Well I have 20 Playstation 1 systems and I have no idea as to why I do.

[bangtango]

How or why I got the Sega CD back isn't really relevant. The point is I ended up with it again after kicking it to the curb because I thought it was lame. If anyone is confused as to why I got it, well if you saw the stuff I traded in, most anybody would have found it to be a pretty good deal.

The point of the post is to mention a system you keep getting rid of and don't have anymore only to keep on getting another back in your collection somehow. Meaning you keep on selling your Colecovision, for example, because you don't like it only to keep on getting one back all the time. Basically any system you don't like, play or collect for keeps falling right back into your lap because someone gives it to you, you find it dirt cheap or you get it in sale/trade maybe in the form of a large lot of stuff. That is the best I can explain it.

I'll bite the bullet and say I guess it was just a poor idea for a thread and leave it at that. With people always selling off stuff they don't play or like and buying boxes full of assorted systems locally (Craig's List/yard sale/flea markets), I assumed it was a little more common than it turns out.

[MF_Luder]

Well, I don't sell any of my systems no matter how bad they are (I don't enjoy gaming on the Philips CD-i but I would still never want to lose it from my collection). However, I do part with any duplicate systems I have, and one of them is really starting to annoy me.... From a gamer perspective, I love the Genesis. However, I have to admit that from a collector's prespective I'm beginning to absolutely hate it. It seems like every time I find an old system or some video games.... it's always Genesis stuff. And rarely do I even find good games for it... usually just a bunch of sports titles or crappy common games. In fact, just today I was yard sale hunting and I was at this large rummage sale at a church... I asked them if they had any video game items and they said they did. So one of the guys leads me over to a box... and, of course, a Genesis (model 2) and a few common games (Sonic & Knuckles being the only worthwhile game in the bunch). But at his $5 asking price I had to buy it. That's like 5 or so Genesises I have now... all 3 models and a couple extra model 2s. Needless to say, it gets annoying to me as a collector when over 50% of the stuff I find in the wild is for one system.

The Playstation is becoming annoying like this as well. Plus, both systems suffer from two major problems for me as a collector: 1) I can't exactly put my finger on it, but I just find both of these far more boring to collect for in comparison to the SNES and Saturn, and 2) They are terrible in their resale value. Very few Genesis games are worth anything and, outside of RPGs, the PS1 has the same problem. The systems are also worth next to nothing. More SNES consoles were sold than Genesis, yet I never find these. I wish I did, because they resell for more. I guess I wouldn't complain if it was something valuable that I kept finding again and again.

So while I love the games on both these systems, I'm really beginning to hate them from a collector perspective. But because I do eBay to supplement my gaming hobby, I just can't turn down a $5 Genesis lot when I see one.

[ssjlance]

My younger brother has been collecting for a little while. He has owned at least 4 different Genesis and I believe 2 Saturns. He doesn't like the Genny for some reason, and he sold the first Saturn because he wanted some money, and the second one because it sucked (in his opinion, of course). He finally just decided to keep a Genesis because he would always find one for like $5 at thrift stores/flea markets and would end up buying it again. Now he has one with Sonic and Sword of Vermillion.

[suckerpunch5]

this is the sega genesis for me. I really don't care for the genesis, and have gotten rid of it multiple times, but then I always find cool stuff for it relatively cheap. So I buy it, build up some cool stuff, then perge it all and repeat.

uh, the genesis

EDIT: I just realized, I even emulate the genesis on my NGage, cause there is not a good SNES emu for it, and the two systems share a lot of the same games. Hmmmm. . . maybe I don't dislike the genesis as much as I think I do?

[Family Computer]

Well since you hate the Sega CD, but found the trade "a good deal"—the only reasonable option is to retrade or sell for something you want.

I think the part that I, and others, are confused about is it being a good deal if you hate the system. I mean the Sega CD isn't really worth much monetarily, so I it is hard to imagine taking home a bulky peripheral that you hate in exchange for anything.

Anyway, maybe the problem is not that you keep getting "stuck" with console but that you want to but can't learn to like the system. This would make a little more sense. As in, you always want to give it another try even though you don't expect to like it.

Goodluck and I would just trade it or sell it! It has very few games that are worth anything. If I didn't trade a Gameboy Color for Sega CDX, I definitely wouldn't buy a Sega CD. One last option is to get it modded or buy a boot cart to play Mega-CD games. I don't think even in Japan the Mega CD has that much to offer, but it does have some stuff not released in the US.

[bangtango]

Well since you hate the Sega CD, but found the trade "a good deal"—the only reasonable option is to retrade or sell for something you want.

I think the part that I, and others, are confused about is it being a good deal if you hate the system. I mean the Sega CD isn't really worth much monetarily, so I it is hard to imagine taking home a bulky peripheral that you hate in exchange for anything.

Anyway, maybe the problem is not that you keep getting "stuck" with console but that you want to but can't learn to like the system. This would make a little more sense. As in, you always want to give it another try even though you don't expect to like it.

Goodluck and I would just trade it or sell it! It has very few games that are worth anything. If I didn't trade a Gameboy Color for Sega CDX, I definitely wouldn't buy a Sega CD. One last option is to get it modded or buy a boot cart to play Mega-CD games. I don't think even in Japan the Mega CD has that much to offer, but it does have some stuff not released in the US.

I'm standing in the store with a trade-in and I get a spontaneous offer to either take a pretty low trade in that would have given me money for 2-3 common games or get a Sega CD (with the Genesis 2 attached), 2 CD games and all the hookups. Basically everything you need to plug it in and play a game the second you get home. That, to me, makes it a decent deal.

Do I want to get some enjoyment out of it? Yes, I do. It would be nice. Does it mean I was actually hoping to obtain one again before I walked into that store? No. I sure as heck didn't plan on it. Since I have another one, I'm just going to make the best of it.

I'll probably keep it just to play a good conversion of Final Fight and maybe try to find Mortal Kombat, NBA Jam and a couple of the sports games. Basically all the stuff I never had a chance to play the first time I had Sega CD.

Know what I think the problem is? Not so much that I want to like it but this. It is a lot easier to pass on something when you see it in a sale thread or on Ebay. "Oh, the shipping will be murder........." Yet when it is right in front of you and someone is basically giving it away for games that have run their course in your collection, it is harder to say no even when you know you should.

[qbertandernie]

genesis for me too.

every time someone tells me coworker/brother/cousin/friend has some video games theyll give me, undoubtedly theres a genesis in there. i never had love for the system(i was an SNES guy), but it seems i find awesome stuff for the genesis a lot. not to mention often getting free systems. ive even found one in an alley during a rain storm! free game system in the steet? i had to see if it would work, so i couldnt pass it up...it did work, by the way.

i dont really have any systems i hate enough to not have one of, so the topic as posted (with restrictions) didn't really apply to me

[Hwj_Chim]

the 32x, but I recently just got rid of all of them. Yay bookmans!

[LiquidPolicenaut]

I know its kinda off topic, but as for the Sega CD, its a very under appreciated system and has way more than a handful of games worth owning...WAY more than the shit N64 to me...

ON topic, never really got stuck with a system that I truly wanted to get rid of. If I HAVE gotten rid of it, I stay far away from it after that....

[Cornelius]

I don't think anybody has a post that meets the criteria technically, so I'll post mine, which is the PSX. They just keep showing up in lots where I want the games or something, and they are near impossible to sell for more than 10 bucks, and then it is hardly worth the hassle. Anybody want one? I even have one of the scph-1001 or whatever it is w/ the RCA outs. Only works on its side, though. Heh, I saw one today for $45 and just chuckled to myself.

While it happens more rarely with the n64, it maybe fits your criteria better, since there really aren't any games that particularly interest me for it (which isn't true for the PSX). But I do keep and want one in my collection.

[ssjlance]

You know, on reading this thread, I thought of something. Even if I get a console I truly despise, I keep it. I never play the Odyssey2, although I keep it with all my others. The only system I hate that I got rid of was an Atari Jaguar, although I only traded it because I got a bass guitar for it. And I still think about buying another one every now and again.