Once it's dead, is it worth keeping?

[THATinkjar]

Consoles die. CDs get scratched to high heavens. Carts will eventually just fail. So, when something does go wrong, is it worth keeping it?

Is there ANY collector's value in dead consoles or dead games?!

[Cmosfm]

SON OF A BITCH I TOTALLY READ THAT WRONG...

By "dead" i thought you mean't "not current"

EDIT

[anagrama]

Depends on the system and whether or not there's anything salvagable in it.

[FlufflePuff]

I keep dead systems and carts. I usually try to make good use of them. Example, I had a perfect condition Atari 7800 go bad on me. Couldn't figure out what was wrong and two months later I purchased a new one. The new one worked fine, but the top was all beat up, so I swapped the tops and now I have a working, mint condition Atari 7800.

[omnedon]

I prefer the term malfunctioning.

The malfunction may not be fatal. www.oldschoolgamer.ca

When it's not easily replaced, or can only be replaced with another used one, (that may be very well getting ready to crap out in the exact same way) professional repair and upgrading can be a viable option.


Someone has to preserve history.

[Snapple]

That's a good question.

I have a dead PS1 in my closet. No way it'll ever work again, but I've been too lazy to throw it out thus far. I'm not particularly attached to it either though.

I won't even sell this on ebay. It's not worth a dollar.

[Pantechnicon]

Coming from a long line of packrats and tinkerers, I find difficult to throw anything away without trying to fix it first. But if something is completely unusable then I can usually talk myself into deep-sixing it.

The collector market being what it is, however, chances are sombebody will take it off your hands, whether it be the instructions and jewel case for some rare CD-based game or a Vectrex with a busted monitor. Throwing something really ought to be regarded as a last resort.

[gepeto]

I don't know how many times I have been haunted by throwing something out only to need a part from it. I just get enjoyment from fixing something with a part from a malfunctioning unit. I repaired 2 saturns that way.

[Fuyukaze]

To me, trash is something that has lost 100% of its usefull value to atleast 80% of the population, including me. I never throw a game system away. Even if its broken, chances are I can find a use for it. Be it a use in experiments in painting a custom shell, learning what parts were involved in it, and replacment parts (should it not be to advanced). Besides, what ever is wrong could be something as simple as dust in the conectors preventing the cart from working properly, a broken tab in the memory card slot, or as in the case of my Saturn, the battery placed in wrong so that I would believe the controler was broken because it wouldnt do anything past the language select screen. Thank goodness I didnt throw away that controler.


PS-If anyone remembers what parts went where in the DC, I could use a few pointers as taking one apart, is aparently much more easy then putting one back together. I have tried twice and so far found 5-8 extra peices or screws.

[Fuyukaze]

To me, trash is something that has lost 100% of its usefull value to atleast 80% of the population, including me. I never throw a game system away. Even if its broken, chances are I can find a use for it. Be it a use in experiments in painting a custom shell, learning what parts were involved in it, and replacment parts (should it not be to advanced). Besides, what ever is wrong could be something as simple as dust in the conectors preventing the cart from working properly, a broken tab in the memory card slot, or as in the case of my Saturn, the battery placed in wrong so that I would believe the controler was broken because it wouldnt do anything past the language select screen. Thank goodness I didnt throw away that controler.

[pacmanhat]

The only busted console I have is an Odyssey2 that was unknowingly broken when I bought it. I tried to return it, but instead of just giving me the money back ($50 for that and 20 games) he let me keep the system and games and such. So, I guess that means I keep mine (and my money). :P

[Videogamerdaryll]

I keep dead systems and carts. I usually try to make good use of them. Example, I had a perfect condition Atari 7800 go bad on me. Couldn't figure out what was wrong and two months later I purchased a new one. The new one worked fine, but the top was all beat up, so I swapped the tops and now I have a working, mint condition Atari 7800.

Yep..I've done that before....

.................................................. ...
I've actually sold many systems"broken" listed as Broken.....they seem to sell everytime I list something.
Somebody out there seems to know how to fix this stuff.

I keep stuff for spare parts..and I've needed them many times..(Spare Parts = Good)

Keeping several non working Dreamcasts or Playstations isn't something I do,but I'll keep one of each around for it's disc drive or the DCs ports...
I like fixing things,but I'm only knowledgeable to a point.(for instance/example)..If I get something like a Dead Drive PS I'll try to fix it by taking one out of a PS that has some other problem..
Or like with Dreamcasts systems..I've ran into many with bad ports or a bad lens/driver...I'll take the parts from both and make on good working unit...

Years ago my bought in box during release days Jaguar just took a dump one day and I couldn't figure why.
I bought another..But I still keep it around for the day I find a trashed working unit at the Flea market or so and I'll use the shell off of this dead system..
It's when I chuck something,Something comes along that I needed what I chucked. x_x

I'll keep dead carts with a nice labels etc....when I come across the same game with a bad label or written all over backing then the dead carts casings come to good use..
NES,and SNES carts come to mind with that statement..

[THATinkjar]

Interesting replies, guys.

I don't think I'm the kinda person to tinker inside the consoles if they die, not my bag at all. I'll probably end up keeping any carts that one day die. It is at least a reminder that I once owned it, and that is why I collect.

[o2william]

To me, a dead item is of value if:

1. (Monty Python voice) It's not quite dead! That is, if it can be repaired.

2. It has salvageable parts. For consoles, that includes things like joysticks, cases, etc. For carts, that might mean the case, if it can be removed without messing up the label too badly. This doesn't really apply to CDs though.

3. It looks cool. For example, I have a dead Channel F system that I keep around just for its retro look. Like I always say, I probably get about as much use out of it as I would if it was working (meaning none).

If a dead item doesn't meet one of those three criteria, into the trash it goes.

[Crush Crawfish]

Dead carts/discs I just kind of give away to you guys whenever I sell my junk on here, but for some reason I just keep any dead consoles I have lying around in my closet or under my bed. No real reason for it besides not knowing what to do with them.

[Kejoriv]

I always keep broken things just in case I need something off of it to fix something else. Just like a chop shop.

[SkiDragon]

Definitely keep anything broken like that. Chances are, it can be fixed. If not, you could certainly salvage some parts from it, even something as minor as an LED. Or you could use it for another project, like one of those neat NES computers that people make. Stuff like that.

[Cauterize]

I always keep broken things just in case I need something off of it to fix something else. Just like a chop shop.

Likewise with the amount of mods im doing now!