Reason I'm bringing this up is I've been seeing a lot more of these.[ just got one today ] Question is does it wreck them and Does it bring the value down of the games?
Reason I'm bringing this up is I've been seeing a lot more of these.[ just got one today ] Question is does it wreck them and Does it bring the value down of the games?
If it's not fun? Your not really playing.
I don't mind resurfacing. I think the value stays the same as long as the game still works, though I have heard of people being picky about it.
With one of those hand cranked contraptions? I don't trust those and wouldn't like it if I bought a game not knowing it had swirlies all over the bottom whether it worked or not. It might be a different story if I knew before hand and could negotiate the price or just decide not to buy it.
If they're professionally resurfaced though, then you can't even tell.
"Game programmers are generally lazy individuals. That's right. It's true. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise. Since the dawn of computer games, game programmers have looked for shortcuts to coolness." Kurt Arnlund - Game programmer for Activision, Accolade...
Makes 'em totally worthless IMO. Those "Disc Doctor" devices are total horse shit. DVD/Bluray games almost NEVER work after touching one of those things and CD games are a crapshoot at best.
I've sanded and polished games to bring them back to life, but that's only if they're totally beat.
Wherever politics tries to be redemptive, it is promising too much. Where it wishes to do the work of God, it becomes not divine, but demonic.
Pope Benedict XVI
most games stores that have those machines don't know how to properly use them and don't buff the disk when they are done. I worked with one of those machines for a decent amount of time before Rhino got bought out and if done correctly it makes those disks look amazing. If not done right it can completely destroy the disks.
Also saying they cost thousands is a joke.
almost all stores I've seen that have had those machines use this one
http://www.jfjdiscrepair.com/
The really good automated ones cost thousands.
The basic manually operated ones, which can deliver the same results, are far less expensive.
A good machine should polish any disc perfectly (if done right). The problem is that most places don't keep up on the buffers and solution, or they don't do all the steps properly. Any machine 150 dollars and higher should be able to make it look perfect, even a PS1 game. When I buff PS1 games they pretty much come out mirror perfect.
I believe the store near me has a machine from Azuradisc. They charge $5 per disc but I don't think they know how to use it properly. That was the first disc I ever had resurfaced and I don't plan on ever having to do that again, I'll just be more picky with CDs now.
I wanna see some nice macro shots of these undetectably resurfaced discs. I have also never seen a "professionally" resurfacing job that looks much better than a 20 dollar disc doctor. It's not that I don't believe it, but I DO want to actually see it.
Few weeks ago a salesman at Play n Trade was pitching me his 15,000 dollar disc repair system from Netflix. He claims that's one of the reasons why their prices are higher than their competitors.
The used game stores where I live use the resurfacer on every disc-based game that gets bought. I've never had a problem with it. It makes the game more likely to work when you get it home. I've always looked for good label condition and good box condition, but I never cared about what the bottom of a disc looks like.
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That's the same experience I've had. Maybe there are cheaper expensive machines out there but the place I take them to(Family Video, $1.50 per disc) they squirt on some stuff, put it in the buffer (which looks a bit like a PC tower) and it comes out looking like new. I've had discs that looked horrible and would play that come out like new. I can't speak for PS1 discs though or other buffers, they might be a different story.
I did try a place that had a machine that looked more like a cotton candy machine and had more of a scrubby pad in it. The disc came out looking ok but didn't work. Then I took it to the other place and it came out as good as new.
Last edited by jb143; 05-09-2012 at 10:26 PM.
"Game programmers are generally lazy individuals. That's right. It's true. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise. Since the dawn of computer games, game programmers have looked for shortcuts to coolness." Kurt Arnlund - Game programmer for Activision, Accolade...
The only reason people site PS1 discs as being especially difficult to remove scratches from is the color of the plastic itself. The black color makes scuffs, scratches, and debris FAR more visible simply because of the high contrast between the dark plastic and the bright highlights thrown from the scratches and scuffs themselves. If they were a more neutral shade, like a normal CD, then those same scratches would be a lot harder to see.
Treat a music CD and a PS1 disc the same way and they'll scuff just the same. Try and polish up either and the results will be identical. You just can't see those tiny little abrasions left on the silver disc. I still don't get why Sony insisted on using black discs. Makes no sense to me at all.
"Game programmers are generally lazy individuals. That's right. It's true. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise. Since the dawn of computer games, game programmers have looked for shortcuts to coolness." Kurt Arnlund - Game programmer for Activision, Accolade...
its not ideal but it beats the game just being tossed or never played again. Its kind of like a restoration of a car in my mind the fewer resurfacings the better.
That said the local library wouldn't have working games if not for a resurfacing machine. And same goes for the local video store (where I get mine resurfaced) $2 bucks beats a non working game you might have to pay $$$ to replace imo.
Similar situation with the PS2 purple discs. That purple surface shows the scratches and scuff marks easier than the silver discs. I never resurface a disc just for aesthetics. My sole reason is if the disc has trouble playing or if I suspect that will be the case. A few light scratches do no bother me in the slightest.