Physical Quality of Carts

[dharmajones93]

Hey all,

I've been collecting for a few days... In the last few years I have really picked up the hobby again. I have noticed the quality of carts really declining. It is to the point where cleaning and resuscitating carts is part of the hobby. I have piecemeal cleaning kits and tools; my girlfriend says I'm performing "surgery". It's mostly getting rid of corrosion on the pins, and re-soldering cold joint and broken components, and removing what I can only imagine was orange juice spilled into a cart 20-30 years ago.

This is strange, as most of my carts that I purchased so long ago really don't have this, I pop them in and they work like new, and I was just as grimy as anyone else when I was a kid. But, I don't think I have purchased a single cart in the last two years that worked on first play; i.e. that didn't require "surgery".

My theory, we're at a stage in cartridge/collecting history where the quality, well tended consoles and cartridges are all in collections, and the remaining carts/consoles in the wild are the picked over and less cared for. I am kind of pleased with myself, in a way,  because these are carts that in the hands of others may end up in the garbage, but instead are getting a new life.

Any other theories out there? Anyone having similar experiences with carts in the wild? Any fascinating surgery/resurrection stories? What tools/kits/strategies have you for keeping your collection running in top shape?

Thank all!

[rayne315]

I think it may just be your area. for me the only not-well-tended carts I ever come across are:

1. Dollar bin carts. (sports games and bad games nobody cares about)
2. N64 carts (don't know why but I have never found but a handful of pristine carts
3. Carts that came from blockbuster, family video, video games ETC (a local store, and only their old sales), ETC because they all put on the foil, super glued, void if removed stickers that are a pain in the ass to remove without damage.

everything that's worth anything in my area is at least in good condition.

As for resurrecting a damaged cart goes I got a broken Conkers bad fur day (n64) cart that never turned on from a local game store for a penny because im a regular. I opened it up and saw that the board was snapped in the upper left hand corner of the cart, so all the connections were severed from the main board. I looked up a tutorial for how to solder across a gap as I was scared moving it back would break the section off. it definitely does not look pretty but I was able to get the cartridge to work.

when I first opened it I was worried that it was a fake. you know someone putting a label onto an old sports cart and trying to sell it type of thing but It ended up really being CBFD

[emporerdragon]

2. N64 carts (don't know why but I have never found but a handful of pristine carts

I know what you mean here. Whenever I add to my N64 collection, it makes me feel like I was the only kid in America growing up that actually took care of their cartridges.

[sworddude]

really depends on what you collect

I Usually only go for cib sets moreover in very good upwards condition.

Seen plenty of pristine carts but to be fair in most cases people just left them somewhere to be forgotten in a closed closet wich is the best scenario if you want nice condition stuff.

Also seen plenty of people who have taken well care of their stuff, in those cases carts are pristine and boxes very good excellent condition.

In general if you look at the whole picture the really nice condition stuff is just a very small margin so it is expected, I avoid such lots though since it's just not for me.

With disc based games a plastic case wich is damaged can be replaced since the inserts and box inlay can still be pristine but cardboard boxes are obviously a whole different story.

[dharmajones93]

As for resurrecting a damaged cart goes I got a broken Conkers bad fur day (n64) cart that never turned on from a local game store for a penny because im a regular. I opened it up and saw that the board was snapped in the upper left hand corner of the cart, so all the connections were severed from the main board. I looked up a tutorial for how to solder across a gap as I was scared moving it back would break the section off. it definitely does not look pretty but I was able to get the cartridge to work.

when I first opened it I was worried that it was a fake. you know someone putting a label onto an old sports cart and trying to sell it type of thing but It ended up really being CBFD

Oh wow, great job! I had a similar occurrence with a SNES Starfox cart. The brackets that hold it in place in the cart had broken, so that when you placed it into the console it would not push down into the pin connectors; it would just float up into the cart. I ended up with a cut up old credit card and hot glue... But the similar part was opening a first generation Starfox cart. It looks bizarre (with the black goo globs) but turns out that is legitimately how casio made chips back then. I thought it was fake for sure.

2. N64 carts (don't know why but I have never found but a handful of pristine carts

I know what you mean here. Whenever I add to my N64 collection, it makes me feel like I was the only kid in America growing up that actually took care of their cartridges.

Seriously, I swear 9/10 times its like someone turned the cart upside down and poured in a coca cola...

[emporerdragon]

Seriously, I swear 9/10 times its like someone turned the cart upside down and poured in a coca cola...

Or kept it in a protective sleeve made out of sandpaper and permanent marker.

[shadowzero]

Yes, physical copies are not as abundant as they used to be.  Yes location is a big factor but in my opinion offset by ebay as well as apps like offer up and letgo which are gaining ground.  Where the are NOT to be found is flea markets, unless they are super marked up, and the mom and pop stores which were dwindling (but I hope and feel they may be rebounding).  What got me excited is to hear that you have taken the initiative to at TRY and repair these things because most uninformed people will just toss it the trash and further dwindle the population.  Personally I am terrible at soldering.  However, I have been able to save several dozen console systems of the last few years simply by trying. 

Now if you're good at recovery then you may consider very wisely picking out large wholesale bundles of systems/games on ebay with the hope of saving at least half and reselling the duplicates that are already in your collection.  Take that revenue and use that to expand your collection.   The trick is knowing your own skill set and knowledge well enough to make a quasi informed choice on what you buy.  The automotive industry has been doing this for decades.  Someone with the knowledge finds a busted car says, "yeah I've seen this before its probability this and will take that to fix it.  So I can make X profit."

[Warmsignal]

You're pretty spot on. What's turning up still is really coming out of the woodwork, really deep in the woodwork. Forgotten, or abandon wares that have sat dormant for many years, dug up by really hardcore resellers who know how fish it out. I would say it's quite difficult to find a cartridge that's actually in GOOD condition, rather than just acceptable, or worse. The good stuff is only changing hands from one collector to another.

Today I was at another game con, and they had Castlevania Legacy of Darkness and the label had one of those big BlockBuster stickers sprawled across the front of it. Essentially, the label was ruined. As good as no label. But the price was the standard going rate. That's what irritates me so much. I'd take a lesser cart, if I could get a lesser price, but most of the time they don't see it as ground for any price reduction. A complete condradiction of the idea that all of the value is in having an original cart, not the software itself. Okay then, condition should matter! 

I don't even care that much anymore, as long as it's not destroyed (ripped or faded), then I'll accept it. But I want a fair price based on it's condition.

[brazbit]

If you  are attempting to play them before cleaning them your cartridge slot is probably just about as dirty as the cartridges by now. if you haven't cleaned it in a while. That could easily be a contributing factor in games seeming more and more unreliable as it would take an increasingly more pristine cartridge to play on a system that is getting dirtier and dirtier with each round of purchases.

At a minimum I do a quick wipe-down of the contacts on a new cartridge to check for anything requiring a thorough cleaning before putting it in a system. If I have the luxury of time they all get a complete cleaning before I insert them. I have come to find it a rewarding and relaxing part of the hobby. Plus I would rather clean the cartridges than the system any day.

Just a thought and something often overlooked since well cared for cartridges tend to play almost regardless of how dirty the system is, although it is the system that is then transferring some of that gunk to the clean cartridges. An ugly cycle.

[shadowzero]

Well said.  I do the same BEFORE test them for the first time.  If they still don't work then, if its a cart, I'll open it up and detail clean it.  At least at that point I know I haven't contaminated my console with filth.

[oldgamerz]

a little 97% isopropyl alcohol is a great method for cleaning out the cartridge tips, just use a cue tip dip it in that stuff and gently scrub, with the cue tip of the dirty edge. then take a dry cue tip and scrub the vary bottom of the the game tip.

Trust me it does wonders and one time. It was reading the games right after I removed some thick black dirt off my entire NES collection those cartridges were so dirty before cleaning them not even a new retro duo would read them before I cleaned all of them now all of them work perfectly

[polygonalpixel]

2. N64 carts (don't know why but I have never found but a handful of pristine carts

I know what you mean here. Whenever I add to my N64 collection, it makes me feel like I was the only kid in America growing up that actually took care of their cartridges.

Every time I am in a thrift store or used game shop and see N64 carts, it always looks like they have urine stains on them.  O.o

[marvelvscapcom2]

I think it depends on the vendor and their standards.  I have been to retro stores where no lables are damaged at all and everything is so beautiful and alphabetically organized where games are professionally cleaned by the workers before being sold.  Those are the places I like to go to

But the worst I ever seen was a man at the flea market who specialized in fishing gear and lures. He had a giant table hosting his 5th annual video game barbeque where he was baking video games out in the summer sun.  All of the games were sun faded to the paint of being almost unreadable.  I went to pick one up because I thought it was flinstones surprise at dinosaur peak but it stuck to the table cloth as it had melted in the 90 degree heat in July.  Most of the games had brown gunk on them and it wasn't worth the time to even pry them off of the table cloth.   


But I think your theory is right,  which is why the collecting surge getting so popular is a good thing for preservation because most collectors love and care for the relics and games they have.  Anything that falls into the hands of a casual player or little kid will be abused and the more and more that happens is 1 less mint copy in circulation.  I see it most with SNES.  Finding a flawless Super Mario World 2 Yoshi's Island has been hard for me.

[Warmsignal]

How about quality of DVD / blueray case era games? Freaking atrocious if you look closely at them. Plastic cases with scuff, snags, holes, artwork with creases, folds, indentations, manuals with curled up ears and picked at edges, and discs with a plethora of scratches. After discovering some of the crap I've foolishly bought thinking complete was all that mattered, I'm looking to replace a number of my games with better copies.

[hoshichiri]

It seems like some kids just treated their games differently than others, regardless of how typical kiddy-gross they were. I remember going to friend's house to check out her copy of Final Fantasy X. She walked into the house holding it CIB, I went to the bathroom first. When I came out, I saw the game case in her room, but she was in the living room loading the disc. When I walked around the corner, the manual was on the dining room table. Now, I wasn't the most careful with my PS2 stuff, but at least my case & manual was on the floor/shelf in the same room as the PS2! I actually asked her about it, she didn't even realize she'd dropped the stuff where she had. And yet she wondered how she kept losing things...

I also learned from babysitting that the presence of a toddler changes everything. Just because the first grader knows not to put French fries in the disc drive doesn't mean the two year old gets it. I sometimes wonder how many junked up games are the result of a kid being forced to "share" with a diaper-clad sibling.