I Need Help!! How do you display your Handheld System collection?

[Marriott_Guy]

Hello all.

Well, I have finally committed to start collecting handheld systems. I am focusing on removable media hardware (rather than dedicated units like Mattel Electronics Baseball). As some of you know, consoles are my forte' - this handheld arena is pretty foriegn territory for me and I have not spent a great deal of time learning about them (most desirable, original packaging\contents\etc.). I have a very solid 'target' list of systems to add to my collection, but I would love to see some examples of how you display your 'handheld' collection(s).

All pics\ideas are welcomed. I tend to go for a very classy look in displaying my wares rather than neon lights and the such. Small pic of the main display of my collection to give you an idea:



Thanks in advance all!!

[mobiusclimber]

I don't display them, but that's b/c i'm not hardcore into collecting them. If you are, then obviously get everything boxed and just display it the same way you would with boxed games.

[Frankie_Says_Relax]

Wow, I LOVE that shelving solution for a "museum" type display for consoles.

Can't say as I'm a fan of the ivy ... but the rest is so nice that I don't think it even takes anything away.

If you want to display handhelds, I'd recommend going to your local A.C. Moore or Michaels crafts and picking up some plastic book/plate/picture "stands"

similar to these

[Steve W]

If you want to display handhelds, I'd recommend going to your local A.C. Moore or Michaels crafts and picking up some plastic book/plate/picture "stands"

I was just about to make the same suggestion. Or the little rubber coated wire folding ones are good, too. You can find them in a variety of sizes, which is also good.

What portables are you considering getting into?

[Cobra Commander]

That's really a good idea Frankie. I was kinda wondering the same thing myself without even realizing it. I would've asked that in my thread if I had even thought of it.
I plan to pick some of those up myself.
Thanks!

[Joe West]

nice collection....................

[krooper13]

I think stands are the way to go, that way most of the detail will be on show.

[tubeway]

When I'm expecting company over and want to display my handheld system collection, I do the following:

1. Get in car.
2. Drive to home depot.
3. Pick up 3-4 hispanic day laborers.
4. Bring them back to my place.
5. Sit them all down in the frontroom for a team meeting.
6. Coach them each on several different phrases, including, "Look at these graphics!" and "Oh no, lost another guys."
7. I print out screenshots of the most prominent title for each handheld system.
8. I cut the screenshots to fit the size of the screen on the handheld.
9. I get some scotch tape and loop over the tape, and then apply the screenshot to the screen of each game.
10. I have each of the day laborers hold one of the systems, and casually stand in an awkward corner of my game room, repeating the phrases I taught them.
11. Company arrives, and witnesses this.
12. Profit.

[Marriott_Guy]

...If you want to display handhelds, I'd recommend going to your local A.C. Moore or Michaels crafts and picking up some plastic book/plate/picture "stands" similar to these...

Yes - I have seen those before and actually have a few of them. I was going to use them to display a game next to it's respective console in my game room 'museum' display, but shelf room height was an issue. I think those would work out great for handhelds as you\others have suggested.

Thanks!

[Marriott_Guy]

...What portables are you considering getting into?

The following lists the systems I am targeting. I am not going into systems designed for children (Leapster, etc.) - just for adult gamers. I lump the Entex AV, Romtec Colorvision and Nintendo VB as consoles in my collection so that is why they are not listed here. Let me know if I am missing any big hitters.

Atari Lynx I \ Atari Lynx II
Bandai SwanCrystal \ Wonderswan \ Wonderswan Color
Cybiko Classic \ Xtreme
EPOCH Game Pocket Computer
Ez MINI
Bit Corp. Gamate
Game Axe
Game Mate
Game Tronic
Game Theory Admiral
Gamepark GP2X
Gamepark XGP
Hartung Game Master
MB Microvision
Mega Duck \ Cougar Boy
NEC TurboExpress \ PC Engine GT
Neo Geo Pocket \ Pocket Color
Nintendo DS \ DS Lite \ DSi
Nintendo Game Boy \ Color \ Light \ Pocket \ Advance \ Advance SP \ Micro
Nokia N-Gage \ N-Gage QD
OpenPandora Pandora (when released)
Sega Game Gear
Sega Nomad
Sony Playblock
Sony PocketStation
Sony PSP \ PSP 3000 \ PSP Slim & Lite
Tapwave Zodiac
Tiger Game.com
Tiger Gizmondo
Tiger R-Zone Pocket Gear \ R-Zone Head Gear \ R-Zone Super Screen
TimeTop GameKing 1 \ GameKing 2
Watera Supevision

Thanks again all!

[Trebuken]

There are a couple of other NES handhelds. I forget the names...one more recent than the Game Theory Admiral.

Another good way to display them is to keep them in their original boxes. You can find many of those boxed.

Also pick up a Master Gear with you Sega Game Gear...

[Game Freak]

Game and Watch?

[Orion Pimpdaddy]

For now, I'm just setting them flat on a shelf. Lower shelves are better so you can look down at them all.

[Jimid2]

Okay, here's the collection of handhelds my son and I put together... The main shelf was acquired cheap and painted by my wife and daughter, and the plastic plate stands are used throughout to hold up most of the systems for display...


This is the full case - it's displayed at the bottom of the stairs that go down to our finished basement (which is our home theater / video game center)... The bins on the bottom two shelves contain other systems, loose games, accessories, etc... We've got three large boxes in storage under the stairs filled with other paraphernalia as well:











These two small cases are beside the main case and house most of the PSP games we've got and a selection of other games for the systems on the main display case:




You'll notice that we have the Nintendo Virtual Boy in our collection: it met the "criteria" as it's a self-contained cartridge-based unit that runs on batteries, though it can hardly be considered portable. Still, it's really cool! Don't forget the Pasogo and Gamate on your hunt for cartridge-based portables... Oh, and of course, you'll have to track down the Nintendo Pokemon Mini as well, which is the smallest cartridge-based handheld system ever developed, and just really, really cool...

[Steve W]

The following lists the systems I am targeting. I am not going into systems designed for children (Leapster, etc.) - just for adult gamers. I lump the Entex AV, Romtec Colorvision and Nintendo VB as consoles in my collection so that is why they are not listed here. Let me know if I am missing any big hitters.

Atari Lynx I \ Atari Lynx II
Bandai SwanCrystal \ Wonderswan \ Wonderswan Color
Cybiko Classic \ Xtreme
EPOCH Game Pocket Computer
Ez MINI
Bit Corp. Gamate
Game Axe
Game Mate
Game Tronic
Game Theory Admiral
Gamepark GP2X
Gamepark XGP
Hartung Game Master
MB Microvision
Mega Duck \ Cougar Boy
NEC TurboExpress \ PC Engine GT
Neo Geo Pocket \ Pocket Color
Nintendo DS \ DS Lite \ DSi
Nintendo Game Boy \ Color \ Light \ Pocket \ Advance \ Advance SP \ Micro
Nokia N-Gage \ N-Gage QD
OpenPandora Pandora (when released)
Sega Game Gear
Sega Nomad
Sony Playblock
Sony PocketStation
Sony PSP \ PSP 3000 \ PSP Slim & Lite
Tapwave Zodiac
Tiger Game.com
Tiger Gizmondo
Tiger R-Zone Pocket Gear \ R-Zone Head Gear \ R-Zone Super Screen
TimeTop GameKing 1 \ GameKing 2
Watera Supevision

Thanks again all!

That's an awful lot of portable Famiclones and GameBoy clones. Wouldn't it be easier to just get one or two representative clone models for each line?

I'd personally rather have 'real' portables. What I mean by that is a specifically designed handheld with proprietary hardware/software. I've got a Lynx/Lynx II, a Game Gear, a Nomad, a Neo-Geo Pocket Color, a GBA SP, an N-Gage QD, a Zodiac, and a Gizmondo. I do have one or two portable Famiclones, but I don't really count those since most of them out there are unlicensed machines and tend to be put out by fly-by-night companies who didn't originate the hardware, they just repackaged it.

I'll never get around to it, but I'd like to build some nice slanted shelving with a clear lip on the edge so that I can put all my portables and assorted '70s/'80s LED handhelds and other assorted electronic toys and tabletops. It's hard to find a good way to display all those machines, since they vary wildly in size and shape. I think the tilted shelves with possibly small holders behind the games to keep them straight would look the best.

[tubeway]

That pokemon mini system is really cool. Where can I find more info about it? I didn't even find one on ebay -- just a couple carts for it.

[tom]

Pokemon mini is on Wiki:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pokemon_mini

here's my collection:


Also, this might qualify, as a cartridge was released for it:





don't forget to hunt out this:
Palmtex Home-Computer Software Super Micro Cartridge System (handheld, 1983):

[Jimid2]

don't forget to hunt out this:
Palmtex Home-Computer Software Super Micro Cartridge System (handheld, 1983):

hehehe... the only Palmtex Super Micro I've ever seen for sale was priced around $1000... That's a little more than I'd be willing to spend for one, I must admit.

[tom]

This Palmtex on the picture is from ebay.uk last year, sold for approx $100, if i remember right

[Jimid2]

This Palmtex on the picture is from ebay.uk last year, sold for approx $100, if i remember right