Do you worry that disc based retro systems won't work in the future?

[seether]

With more moving parts and lasers and memory cards and such do you think say a PS2 would still even be operational in 30 years time?

Is cartridge collecting safer? At least with cartridges there's modern purpose built systems for it i.e. the Retrons etc. so you don't have to rely on a 1985 NES to run the games necessarily.

Do you think dreamcasts and the like have a limited life and will die with age in our lifetime?

[burningdoom]

Well yeah, that is going to happen to all of them, eventually. But what are you going to do? Not own one just because that's going to happen down the road sometime? Clothes wear out, cars break down, houses need repaired; it's no different.

[seether]

Well yeah, that is going to happen to all of them, eventually. But what are you going to do? Not own one just because that's going to happen down the road sometime? Clothes wear out, cars break down, houses need repaired; it's no different.

I'm just saying man, a world where I can't play Fallout: Brotherhood Of Steel on an original PS2 isn't one I want to live in.

[ffxik]

Yeah, it's an unfortunate eventuality.  Replacing optical pickups, capacitors and most other on-board components is easy if there is a supply.  When a chip goes, then what?  Not many if any clone chips on the market.  Cartridge systems are also susceptible to this, they just take longer.  There is no "safe collecting" I'm afraid.

[sworddude]

Plenty of replacement parts not to mention future alternative consoles with more easy plug ins to modern and old tv's some even replicating the original.

For carts there are already pricy ways and discs options are coming wich play many cd based consoles at ones and decrease the loading times of neo geo cd's

I'm not to worried about retro systems not working anymore original/ brand new replacements part or alternative brand new consoles will be plentyfull in the upcoming 3- 5 years I'd say.

Not to mention do you know how cheap ps2 or ps1 systems are 

Might be some worries with them sega cd based consoles but brand new cd consoles will come wich would make those reliable options or better certain mods right now in wich you do not even need to use the laser to play games on a dreamcast thus making the console very durable since not so long lasting laser was it's main problem.

The modding and technical scene are pretty busy these days I'm not to worried to be fair even for original hardware. And people worrying about ps1 and ps2 consoles are just being cheap, These consoles are very cheap to replace and I highly doubt they will increase in value especially with new cd consoles on the rise.

[seether]

And people worrying about ps1 and ps2 consoles are just being cheap, These consoles are very cheap to replace and I highly doubt they will increase in value especially with new cd consoles on the rise.

It's not the worry that a ps1 or ps2 may break, it's the worry that all ps1s and ps2s will be non-functional given a decade or two.

[emporerdragon]

By the time we get to that point, the patents will have expired, allowing other companies to make newer, more reliable consoles with modern technology. We already have that with SNES and earlier.

Also, there's backwards compatibility with some systems. I don't need a working OG Xbox when my games play just fine on my One.

And then, of course, there's always emulation, both of the legal and illegal varieties.

[ffxik]

Clones are an option for sure.  As we've seen though those aren't quite perfect, even flash carts aren't 100%.  Since clones use modern streamlined tech to basically emulate the older chips and custom configurations.  You'll never iron out all the kinks in some units.  Disc based would be more reliable since most of those all use the same delivery method.  All you have to worry about is the emulation of the main unit without the interference of custom chips thrown into the mix.

As far as part availability goes, basic surface mount and through hole components will be plentiful.  Optical pickups for the more popular systems should be easy to snag as well, chips will be a different story.  So third party clone systems will be very popular as will first party plug and plays.

Time will tell, hopefully it goes well. 

[oldgamerz]

By the time we get to that point, the patents will have expired, allowing other companies to make newer, more reliable consoles with modern technology. We already have that with SNES and earlier.

Also, there's backwards compatibility with some systems. I don't need a working OG Xbox when my games play just fine on my One.

And then, of course, there's always emulation, both of the legal and illegal varieties.

emporerdragon said it in my opinion. I think PC's and Laptops will at least have some sort of ROM database to download from or some kind of central computer. And depending on if the video game companies are still in business or not. might depend on whether you can download the game for free

There are a few PC game fan sites as an example will let you download newer and updated versions of  old games for free, but unfortunately in my experience a lot of those sites contain malware

[zenimus]

Turbo Duo and Sega CD were some of the earliest CD based consoles, and many of them still work fine despite questionable build quality. They can be repaired too when they break down.

I'd love to see a new specialized console made someday that plays old CD games, particularly with the ability to up-res older 3D polygon games.

[kashell]

Nah, I'm not worried.

[hoshichiri]

And people worrying about ps1 and ps2 consoles are just being cheap, These consoles are very cheap to replace and I highly doubt they will increase in value especially with new cd consoles on the rise.

It's not the worry that a ps1 or ps2 may break, it's the worry that all ps1s and ps2s will be non-functional given a decade or two.

Considering the number of old DOS-type early CD computers that do still function, I don't think that the whole line is going to die quite that soon.

While I certainly worry about it a little more with my CD-based consoles, I try not to worry too much about system death. The more time goes on, the more ways people find to fix to replace these old machines. We've already seen an attempt or two at a CD-based retron-style machine (even if they haven't amounted to anything yet.) CD consoles lend themselves well to such a format, seeing as the media itself is uniform in shape/read function- as long as the right programming is in there to read the discs, it doesn't really matter what system it was originally meant for. Plus, the ubiquitous nature of the CD format means lots of replacement parts for the optical drives themselves- so the uniquely game console killing issues are about on par with their cartridge based predecessors.

I'm honestly a bit more worried about the discs themselves dying before the machines that play them do. After all, we're already seeing disc rot become an issue for older CD machines, and unlike chips, there's no salvaging parts from other dying discs to fix that.

[tripredacus]

I am not worried because I will just figure out how to fix those devices instead. Already I have started down that path with a CD player I have that I need to fix. It requires me to get a multimeter, but my understanding of how cds work has already gone up.

[dharmajones93]

@zenimus, and everyone here really, the Polymega appears to want to be the first to really do this well. I'm sure a lot on this forum are pretty excited for it.

To the OP, I do worry about this. I try to use wear dispersion on my machines. It's easy with Nintendo because of backwards compatibility: Gamecube on Wii, Wii on Wii U. This way I'm not putting too much stress on any one console and in some cases improving the fidelity. I'm getting a Wii U soon, as I worry a good bit about my launch Wii breaking down. So for PS2, for example, you might consider picking up one or more PS2 slims on the cheap and rotating them occasionally. You could get multiple versions to justify adding them to your collection (color variations, slim, phat, special editions) and rotate them.

But, as others have said, spare parts and a bit of elbow grease (and some basic soldering skills) will get you pretty far in this hobby.

[rayne315]

And people worrying about ps1 and ps2 consoles are just being cheap, These consoles are very cheap to replace and I highly doubt they will increase in value especially with new cd consoles on the rise.

It's not the worry that a ps1 or ps2 may break, it's the worry that all ps1s and ps2s will be non-functional given a decade or two.

I know there are already projects similar to retron 5 but for discs in development (I have a friend who is developing on in his spare time) so this will make this a moot point in a few years/half a decade. the biggest obstacles a lot of them will face is just the legality side of things.

as for the discs themselves so long as they are stored properly 90+% of all discs will still work in 100 years. the reason for that is they are a metallic foil covered in small holes that are completely sealed from the corrosive environment by the bottom plastic and the top colored disc label. some were built with imperfections inside of them from a contaminated production line and will eventually cause disc rot but the chances of that are so astronomically low that out of my entire collection and all games I have ever bought and sold I have only ever come across 1 instance of disc rot.