Any tips on collecting pc games?

[eaglelord9814]

My full question: do you guys have any extra tips on collecting pc games since sooner or later I will get even more into pc gaming?

Allow me to explain sooner or later I will get even more into pc gaming & leave consoles & console censorships & well since I love both the classics & modern games equally. & yes I know some games are for girls & women as 5 of many examples are Barbie games,monster high games,bratz games,dreamfall games i.e long journey & otome games,some games are for boys & men & some games are for both guys & women if this makes sense.

I'm sure I left out other games that are for girls & women so I'm just leaving these 5 as some of many examples so you guys know.  & before any of you guys ask or brought it up don't worry I love both physical copies & digital/digital download equally even though I preferred physical copies & I'm asking your extra tips & your extra suggestions on collecting pc games & don't worry I'm including to play too as well. & if you want feel free to share your extra tips & your extra suggestions on how to get even more into pc gaming & leave consoles & console censorships ahead of time if you want to only if you want to?

Like should I install Windows XP,Windows 7,Windows 10,Linux or it doesn't matter since I love both the classics & modern games equally anyway thanks for reading sorry for a long read & no no I'm not sexist,this question is not sexist just saying or talking about wide variety games including for pc & to end it here or at least for now I admit it that. I'm a otaku,I'm a gamer,I'm a final fantasy fan/huge fan aka final fantasy nerd,I'm a hentai fan,I love hentai both vr & non-vr & I love hentai stuff too .

[oldgamerz]

I been a PC gamer all my life so let me give you some of my insight.

if you want to go physical

I recommend Windows 98 but you can't have more than 2GB of RAM on attached to the motherboard without problems though

Since most older PC video games are not compatible (off the physical copies) on Windows 7, Vista, 8, 9 or even 10. but keep in mind if you ever install Windows 98 make sure it's an offline PC only.

(read all of this paragraph)
If you plan on installing and playing the physical copies of  all retro PC games of 1990-2008 Windows XP is better. But you can no longer activate a Windows XP installation on any new or old computer anymore. yet mostly all physical game will run off a Window XP machine. ( but you don't need to activate windows 98 though I think?)

if you ever need to re-install Windows XP again, or on another PC it won't work, because you need to Microsoft to activate Windows XP. In fact Microsoft no longer lets people activate any other windows OS older than Windows 10

Windows 7, Vista,8,9 and even Windows 10 will not let you run AND sometimes even install the games from the actual disc.

The Sims 2 double deluxe will install on Windows 10 but I heard the the original 4 disc installation discs for The Sims 2 will simple not install on Windows 10 I heard.


With any newer PC with Windows 10 All I can tell you IF you don't want to download every game from steam or the internet is.

Look online and see if your game will run on Windows 10, some games will install and play (off the disc or CD/DVD just fine then crash, others will have glitches without a patch or updated play engine.

Unless you can find a used working computer that is built in the 1990's or early 2000's, it's better just to  download the games off  the internet because most old games I say again wiil not work on most newer computers. your retro games may not work at all or work than crash.

If you have further questions post on this thread and me or someone else can answer your questions, I'll try to get back to you if I can,

[oldgamerz]

Here is a small compatibility list for older games with windows 10

https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/insider/forum/all/windows-10-games-compatibility-list/a31335a8-730f-4ac9-8c19-7c8c3a664ced

Some games you need to run as administrator on windows 10, I hope this helps

[hoshichiri]

I cannot help on the PC collecting front, since I don't play on PC- and my understanding is 'if it's modern, use Steam & GoG, if it's retro you gotta decide what & how many rigs you're gonna keep around first.'

I will add this though- if you don't wanna come off as sexist, don't bring up gender unnecessarily. What does the existence of Barbie & Monster High themed games have to do with PC collecting, at all? All you've done by mentioning it is imply 'these are the games girls play'- no, they are not. Of all the fellow girl gamers I know, only one ever even owned one of these games- and she didn't want it, it was a gift from a well-meaning relative who wanted the little sister to have her own game. There's a difference between a 'gendered' game and licensed drivel designed for a quick sale from confused family. Not trying to rag on you, I'm sure you mean well & just expressed yourself poorly. Consider this friendly advice to avoid more hostile interactions elsewhere on the 'net.

[bikingjahuty]

Collecting physical PC games is fairly easy. While it has definitely become more popular, it's a fraction the cost of retro console collecting overall. Thrift stores still sell boxed PC games for really cheap. I definitely look all over the palce for these when i go looking for them; I've found them with board games, VHS tapes, books, and even in the electronics section. There is always Ebay as well which is going to be more expensive.


As for getting them to work, luckily many of the more popular PC titles from back in the day are available on Steam, GOG, and other online shops, and have been optimized to run on modern OS. Sometimes they take some tinkering, but overall this is the easiest method for playing classic PC games. For those games that were never released digitally, it's really a mixed bag. If it's a DOS based game, getting it to run in DOSbox is ultra easy and it works 99% of the time. Where things get tricky is with the Windows 9x OSes, and to a lessor extent Windows XP. I've got games native to all these operating systems to work in Windows 7, but doing so can often be a huge headache since most were made to run on a 32-bit OS, where most modern OS are 64-bit. Technically 32-bit should be compatible with 64, however it really boils down to how the game was programs and what it has to do to install.


Because of this, I've chosen to build a Windows 98 gaming PC using legacy hardware. It runs pretty much all mid to late 90s PC games with little fuss. I would also like to build a Windows XP gaming rig someday, but for now there are only a handful of XP games I've been unable to get running in Windows 7. With Windows 7 no longer being supported by Microsoft, it's hard to say what it will be like trying to run these games in Windows 10. I haven't really tried for the most part, but I'm sure there are guides on how to get some games running on that OS.

[oldgamerz]

Collecting physical PC games is fairly easy. While it has definitely become more popular, it's a fraction the cost of retro console collecting overall. Thrift stores still sell boxed PC games for really cheap. I definitely look all over the palce for these when i go looking for them; I've found them with board games, VHS tapes, books, and even in the electronics section. There is always Ebay as well which is going to be more expensive.


As for getting them to work, luckily many of the more popular PC titles from back in the day are available on Steam, GOG, and other online shops, and have been optimized to run on modern OS. Sometimes they take some tinkering, but overall this is the easiest method for playing classic PC games. For those games that were never released digitally, it's really a mixed bag. If it's a DOS based game, getting it to run in DOSbox is ultra easy and it works 99% of the time. Where things get tricky is with the Windows 9x OSes, and to a lessor extent Windows XP. I've got games native to all these operating systems to work in Windows 7, but doing so can often be a huge headache since most were made to run on a 32-bit OS, where most modern OS are 64-bit. Technically 32-bit should be compatible with 64, however it really boils down to how the game was programs and what it has to do to install.


Because of this, I've chosen to build a Windows 98 gaming PC using legacy hardware. It runs pretty much all mid to late 90s PC games with little fuss. I would also like to build a Windows XP gaming rig someday, but for now there are only a handful of XP games I've been unable to get running in Windows 7. With Windows 7 no longer being supported by Microsoft, it's hard to say what it will be like trying to run these games in Windows 10. I haven't really tried for the most part, but I'm sure there are guides on how to get some games running on that OS.

The problem with Windows XP as I mentioned, is that if you were to install Windows XP on any machine today, you can't activate it. Basically Windows XP will only work for 3 months or weeks after you install it on any PC and after the three months or weeks is up. Back in the day you would need to call Microsoft on the phone and get an activation key, and Microsoft has stopped all Windows XP support. If you do not activate it you can't install any programs, or use most of the features and you are pretty much screwed at that point

Plus Windows XP off the naked disc even if you were to hack the activation license , you would still have a buggy system. Unless you manually update it to the last update. Which is why I recommended Windows 98. because I don't think you needed to re-activate windows 98 once you install it onto a PC or Laptop,  just saying

Every version I had of windows XP I needed to activate it by calling Microsoft, and no I am not talking about the serial number for installing it.

If I'm wrong in anyway please correct me anybody,

[tripredacus]

Collecting is one thing, playing games is another. There seems to be way more people who use emulation or virtual machines for playing older games than people who are building computers specifically for that purpose. Which way you go is up to you.

The problem with Windows XP as I mentioned, is that if you were to install Windows XP on any machine today, you can't activate it.

This is wrong. MS Activation Servers will still activate a Windows XP system. If the licensed is used, you will likely have to use the telephone option (slui 4) or use the website/app (previous text activation required).
Ref: https://msfn.org/board/topic/177534-how-to-activate-windows-xp-online-in-2018/

[oldgamerz]

Collecting is one thing, playing games is another. There seems to be way more people who use emulation or virtual machines for playing older games than people who are building computers specifically for that purpose. Which way you go is up to you.

The problem with Windows XP as I mentioned, is that if you were to install Windows XP on any machine today, you can't activate it.

This is wrong. MS Activation Servers will still activate a Windows XP system. If the licensed is used, you will likely have to use the telephone option (slui 4) or use the website/app (previous text activation required).
Ref: https://msfn.org/board/topic/177534-how-to-activate-windows-xp-online-in-2018/

sorry I had no idea Windows XP could still be activated. I thought Microsoft cut all support years ago,

[mooreshire]

Popular games from the era of 'big boxes' can get expensive, but if you aren't concerned with cardboard then PC game collecting can be very cheap and easy to get into.
A few years ago I found a copy of Microsoft Adventure for the IBM PC (arguably the first PC game ever) and decided to start visiting thrift/second-hand shops to look for old PC games: before the end of that year I had nearly 1000 titles.

My advice is to decide now what your budget is and what sorts of games you DON'T want to buy. Some people don't do magnetic floppy disks, others only do floppies and don't want optical media. Some people focus on DOS/Windows while others are all about the Commodore Amiga, Apple/Macintosh, Atari ST, Tandy 1000, MSX, etc.. Many PC game collectors are only interested in the 'big box' releases and want them to be the first version from the country of origin with all the registration cards and whatnot inside - but if you just want a functioning copy there are later editions, collection releases, foreign market versions, and so forth which can allow you to get the piece of software you want without paying top dollar.

I try not to buy Sims expansions, games designed for very young children, shareware, shovelware, mahjong/slots/go, hidden object games, MMOs, and of course anything new enough to require online registration or validation since the codes will almost certainly already be used (if the applicable server even still exists). I decided that I'll only spend up to $3.00 (USD) on a PC game that is loose or otherwise not in its box, or maybe up to $10 for a game that is complete in its original box - but then only if I recognize it as a good game. Games that look generic or downright bad have to cost less than one dollar for me to consider buying them.

Just today I made an offer to an eBay seller (who offers 'combined shipping' and knows about the USPS Media Mail rate) for nearly 200 PC games at $0.50 each and they accepted! Included in the lot are many titles I'm looking forward to such as Ripley's Believe It Or Not: The Riddle Of Master Lu, Jagged Alliance: Deadly Games, and The Aftermath expansion for Red Alert. 

[tripredacus]

Just today I made an offer to an eBay seller (who offers 'combined shipping' and knows about the USPS Media Mail rate) for nearly 200 PC games at $0.50 each and they accepted! Included in the lot are many titles I'm looking forward to such as Ripley's Believe It Or Not: The Riddle Of Master Lu, Jagged Alliance: Deadly Games, and The Aftermath expansion for Red Alert. 

I actively refuse to make payments on PC games where the seller tries to ship media mail. PC and video games are not applicable for media mail, and if your local post office actually does their job, they'll deliver you a postage due notice instead of your games.

[mooreshire]

PC and video games are not applicable for media mail, and if your local post office actually does their job, they'll deliver you a postage due notice instead of your games.

Yikes; I see that you're right about that. In fact reading through the rules now I see I've gotten a ton of media mail that likely wasn't eligible (and sent a bit too). Never gotten a postage-due notice, but that might've just been luck. Thanks for the heads-up.

[pzeke]

The operative word here is "if" the post office does their job.

There are times where media is the most appealing option because it's cheap. Most people aren't willing to pay the cost of expedited shipping, especially if said shipping in essence costs more than what they're buying. Yes, it's against the rules to use the service not as intended, but, while USPS does indeed inspect media mail, it's not always the case, and usually is done based on the way a package looks, as in is oddly shaped or it's packaged poorly. I have personally shipped using media mail, but always make sure the package everything properly and as securely as possible. Of the hundreds of packages I've sent over the years, only one was held with postage due, and it was because I used an oddly shaped box.

mooreshire, as long as the seller packages everything properly and safely, I wouldn't worry about it. Whenever I'm presented with the option to get whatever I buy via media mail, I take it. In the majority of cases the seller knows what they're doing; however, I make sure to let them know that I'd appreciate if they take extra care with the package given the way it will be shipped.

[tripredacus]

Right, so I was getting video games, PC games, movies, etc as media mail for over 15 years at the same address without a problem. The local PO does random package inspection and one day I finally got drawn for that inspection when an ebay seller sent me Star Control 3 in media mail. There was no "fighting" the PO on it, they had the law on their side, and I got printed copies from them to send to the seller. After that point, the PO increased inspection of media mail to my address. So naturally I had to pay attention to the shipping policy on ebay. And only once did I run into a seller who would put "priority" on the listing, then send an invoice for media mail, which I had to dispute.

PC and video games are not applicable for media mail, and if your local post office actually does their job, they'll deliver you a postage due notice instead of your games.

Yikes; I see that you're right about that. In fact reading through the rules now I see I've gotten a ton of media mail that likely wasn't eligible (and sent a bit too). Never gotten a postage-due notice, but that might've just been luck. Thanks for the heads-up.