I'm done with old consoles

[VertigoProcess]

Good plan. All those lasers, moving parts, and red hot chips, are sure to last forever.

yeah gonna have to agree here... once they get to the age the NESs and SNESs are they're bound to have issues as well...

[Sunnyvale]

yeah gonna have to agree here... once they get to the age the NESs and SNESs are they're bound to have issues as well...

No need to wait till they're old. See big lots of broken NES's on Ebay? SNES? Genesis? 2600?

How about original XBOX? PS2?

When grandpa said they don't make em like they used to, he weren't lyin.

[RetroRich]

i'm going to try to open up my snes as i only ran a q-tip across the top of the pin connector.

These game bit screws are a pain in the ass. I have the bit for it, managed to get 3 of them out. but the others don't want to loosen. It's like the bit just turns over them and does nothing.

any tips?

[Aussie2B]

A lot of game bits out there are cheap crap. The first one I bought was basically useless.

But there's no need to open your systems to clean the slots. Get something like an old credit/library/phone/gift card, wrap it in a thin cotton cloth (like a rag from an old t-shirt or something), pour on some isopropyl (rubbing) alcohol, and stick that in and out of the slot.

As long as you're cleaning your games effectively too and are storing them in such a way that the contacts aren't exposed (like in a drawer, tub, in the box/case, etc.), everything should work nearly perfectly for years to come.

And if you have some carts that are really being difficult, get a clean eraser, like those rectangular pink/green ones that kids use in elementary school, and rub that on the game's contacts. Follow with another cleaning with alcohol, and that should hopefully solve the problem.

[Rickstilwell1]

i'm going to try to open up my snes as i only ran a q-tip across the top of the pin connector.

These game bit screws are a pain in the ass. I have the bit for it, managed to get 3 of them out. but the others don't want to loosen. It's like the bit just turns over them and does nothing.

any tips?

You should look online for an actual console cleaner. They made these universal cleaning kits with plastic swabs that have thin plastic coated tips that you just insert and remove from your system multiple times. The dirt comes off on the cleaning swab and no liquids are involved.

This is the one I still have parts from http://www.ebay.com/itm/PERFORMANCE-...item3a6d9091e3

[Aussie2B]

That cleaning kit is awful. I stopped using mine many years ago. I never found it very effective, and there's no way to know if the dirt is just building up on them and being transferred back into a system the next time you use it.

With my recommendation, you know you're starting with something clean, and you can wash the cloth when you're done. I don't even know what those weird chalky plastic sticks are made out of.

[Rickstilwell1]

That cleaning kit is awful. I stopped using mine many years ago. I never found it very effective, and there's no way to know if the dirt is just building up on them and being transferred back into a system the next time you use it.

With my recommendation, you know you're starting with something clean, and you can wash the cloth when you're done. I don't even know what those weird chalky plastic sticks are made out of.

I've tried your recommendation before and couldn't even get it to fit into the system I wanted to do. I suppose the cloth has to be really really thin to fit because obviously a rag won't.

You can also clean the cleaning kit swabs with rubbing alcohol to get rid of the dirt each time.

[The 1 2 P]

Thats why i got a fc twin for that!

Exactly. My original Nes is the only "old" system that has ever died on me and I have pretty much every major console released since then.

PS1 & PS2 =/= "reliable"

jus sayin.

While I'm well aware of their hardware issues my original PS1 and PS2 slim still run perfectly. Just like my original PS3 and original 360 still run with no issues.

[Sunnyvale]

I always use contact cleaner to clean my consoles with. You'd be amazed at how a console that alcohol won't revive will be helped by contact cleaner. It get's more gunk off the contacts quicker.

[exit]

You're either not doing something right, or you're having some really bad luck. I've had little to no problems with my old consoles, especially my SNES, which very rarely gives me a hard time booting up a game. With the NES, maybe you'd want to invest in a Top Load, or maybe just simply disable the lock out chip which may solve some of your woes. You also have to realize that these consoles are starting to get up there in age and can take a little more than pressing the power button to get started.

[InsaneDavid]

Maybe the Rom chips are missing connectors. You should look into that...

Zing! We have a winner!

[old man]

RetroRich, don't listen to these jokers. Emulation is the way to go. You should sell off all that old stuff since you don't need it anymore. Just PM me a list of what you've got and I'll tell you what it's all worth. I'll even go ahead and buy the stuff that isn't worth anything just to save you some trouble.

[Gameguy]

That cleaning kit is awful. I stopped using mine many years ago. I never found it very effective, and there's no way to know if the dirt is just building up on them and being transferred back into a system the next time you use it.

With my recommendation, you know you're starting with something clean, and you can wash the cloth when you're done. I don't even know what those weird chalky plastic sticks are made out of.

I've tried your recommendation before and couldn't even get it to fit into the system I wanted to do. I suppose the cloth has to be really really thin to fit because obviously a rag won't.

You can also clean the cleaning kit swabs with rubbing alcohol to get rid of the dirt each time.

I use cleaning kits by Gemini, I find that they're the best ones out there. The edges seem like they're rubberized. After I clean the systems I take a damp cloth and clean the edge of the cleaning kit, a lot of black comes off just like Q-tips get dirty after cleaning games. I then repeat the cleaning of the systems several more times and keep cleaning the cleaning kit, when I'm done most games start up the first time.

Systems don't need to be cleaned that often, but if you put in dirty games then you'll have problems no matter how many times you clean the games. The system has to be cleaned first and then clean every game before putting them into the system. It should be fine for months or years before needing another cleaning.

[Edmond Dantes]

Anyone but me get the impression that the OP isn't really giving his old systems a fair shake?

[buzz_n64]

Anyone but me get the impression that the OP isn't really giving his old systems a fair shake?

It's fine, he can just create a Sell thread on here, I would be happy to take some of that stuff off his hands on the cheap. Assuming they're not mistreated goods.

[substantial_snake]

Anyone but me get the impression that the OP isn't really giving his old systems a fair shake?

It sounds kinda like he overwhelmed himself looking at his post history.

Emulation is so easy nowadays that you should only really go the retro console route if you actually enjoy it. If you don't mind the errors and sound issues common to a lot of emulators (but not all) either go that route, or the Wiiware/PSN/XBLA whatever route to enjoy your retro games. At the minimum of getting a half way decent picture for my consoles I ended up buying an older CRT TV and before I got really into this I would of never expected to do that again.

As many others have said its very unlikely that you happened to pick up a NES, SNES, Genesis and N64 all with major non-starting issues and that cleaning the games and the cartridge contacts in each system are your best bet.

[Flack]

Not entirely on topic, but I wonder how today's consoles will fare in the future, given the same amount of time? Old NES units are bound to have pin issues. They're 25+ years old. I wonder how the average laser assembly is going to perform in that same amount of time? Christ, at least I can open an NES; getting a 360 open for the first time is like solving Lemarchand's Box ...

There are very few gamers and collectors that ONLY play real carts or ONLY play emulators. Sure, a few do, but the vast majority of them (us) operate somewhere in the middle of that sliding scale. If you want to buy some old games and emulate some old games, go for it. If you're tired of NES consoles being "on the blink" (literally) and just want to emulate those, do that. The bottom line is, this is YOUR hobby. There are no rules. Enjoy it the way YOU want to.

Rich, I think all of us have been there. All of us into retrogaming have at one point in time bitten off more than we could chew. All of us have ended up with "that" pile of games that need cleaning or consoles that don't work. We've all done it, and we've all been soured on the hobby because of it. There's not an Atari 5200 owner on the planet who hasn't cursed the day those joysticks were invented. There's not an NES gamer alive who hasn't inserted a recently acquired game, hit the power button, and stared at a blinking screen, wondering why we're all still doing this. I, personally, have to move 18 arcade cabinets out of my old home today and into a storage unit until I can figure out what to do with them. There are parts of this hobby that definitely suck.

Don't let it drive you away, man. Figure out the parts you like, pursue those, and screw what anybody else says. I spent way too many years trying to enjoy this hobby by other people's rules.

[RetroRich]

i'll be honest and say that i prefer playing the retro stuff on my xbox. I can run the games in 720p, apply filters to make them look better, save states (i just don't have the time to sit down and beat some games in one shot, save states allows me to do so)

however, what i also like is having the actual systems, having the actual carts with the boxes and manuals. I like looking at the stuff, even if i don't actually play the stuff on the actual hardware.

i've been buying games for nes, snes, genesis mostly for collection reasons. I have my personal lists for each system, listing the games that i want in my personal collection. Like i said, even if i don't necessarily play the games on the actual hardware, i'd still want them for collection purposes.

Ps1, N64, Ps2, Dreamcast, etc i play on the actual hardware since they are harder to emulate.

I got too caught up in the fact that "you must play on the original hardware" that it made me go away from the hobby.

as an example of one of my personal collection lists. here is my list for Genesis. Basically, i would be done collecting for genesis once i get all of these games. I shoot for CIB


Sega Genesis

Aladdin
Altered Beast
Beyond Oasis
Boogerman
Captain America And The Avengers
Castlevania: Bloodlines
Cool Spot
Comix Zone
Contra: Hard Corps
Earthworm Jim
Earthworm Jim II
Ecco The Dolphin
Ecco: Tides of Time
ESWAT: City Under Siege
Eternal Champions
Golden Axe
Golden Axe II
Golden Axe III
Gunstar Heroes
Kid Chameleon
Landstalker
Lion King
Mortal Kombat
Michael Jackson's Moonwalker
NBA Jam
NHL 94
Phantasy Star II
Phantasy Star III
Phantasy Star IV
Ren and Stimpy
Ristar
Rocket Knight Adventures
Shining In The Darkness
Shining Force
Shining Force II
Sonic
Sonic II
Sonic III
Sonic and Knuckles
Sonic 3D
Streets Of Rage
Streets Of Rage 2
Streets Of Rage 3
Toe Jam and Earl
Vectorman
Vectorman 2
World Series Baseball

[stargate]

My PS3 is 11 months old and is already giving me major problems. My old cartridge based systems have never given me an issue. Plus you can buy NES systems for dirt cheap. I think I have like 7 of them just in case any break. I use my SNES system quite often and have never had a problem.

I've had some old games crap out on me (bit rot?), but not a common occurrence. Maybe you have just had a run of bad luck.

[MachineGex]

Well, whoever said cold is good, is off the mark. If it is cold, you will get condensation. Condensation can cause major problems. The pins get wet and can get gunked up. Plus, other problems.

I bet storing your stuff in the cold basement is causing all your problems. I highly doubt anyone would have that many systems all fail around the same time unless it was caused by something. Move your stuff to a room upstairs, wait a few days and clean all the games and then clean all your systems. If you dont know how to properly clean your system, just ask.