/vr/ - Retro Games

>guy opens a used game store in my city
>it's a disorganized mess of random junk donated to him by thrift stores
>loose game discs are just piled into boxes of dirty and broken hardware
>pick up a loose, rare PS1 game that looks like it was chewed up by someone's dog
>ask how much the guy wants for it
>"Wait a sec, let me check the eBay value on my phone!"
>walk out and never come back

>>4335691
>They promised the systems are all cleaned and tested before resold, but this was demonstrably false

This is virtually every pawn shop and game reseller in the U.S. Nobody ever actually tests anything, and if they do, they might get as far as the title screen before deciding that the game is in "working" condition.

>resurfacing
No, this cannot fix damaged discs. If there's disc rot or the data layer is otherwise compromised, that data is permanently destroyed. You can't magically put it back by grinding down the disc's surface layers.

>>4335702
After my experience at that store, I'm pretty sure you're right that the test is:

>does it power up?
>does it display the logo?
>if yes to both, tested and ready for resale

As far as a resurfacing machine goes, I know that it doesn't magically fix problems on the data layer, but at the very least it's a fix for surface scratches that cause most disc read errors.

The crazy thing about the store I went to is that they've been around for a few years and their store was well organized by system with things in alphabetical order for easy browsing.

>>4335714
>but at the very least it's a fix for surface scratches that cause most disc read errors

The problem is that these games get passed from one reseller to another, each of them re-resurfacing the disc as soon as it comes into their possession. As some point, they're going to compromise the data layer.

>>4335691
>buying a 100x in the first place.

You brought this on yourself, anon. Do some basic research beforehand next time.

I go through ebay. I only buy hardware and not games though(got flashcarts/modchips for everything). If shit doesn't work, I get a refund and usually get to keep the console to try and see if I can fix it.

>>4335702
>Nobody ever actually tests anything, and if they do, they might get as far as the title screen before deciding that the game is in "working" condition.
What do you expect them to do? Play through the whole entire game?

>>4335868
Yeah, obviously.

Because it's totally worth it for a ten-a-penny consumer electronic device which anyone with half a braincell can fix for pennies in a few minutes.

>>4335868
Not him, but I expect them to take a random game disc, let it boot to the main menu and load the first level to see if it can do that. Bonus if they use a game like Resident Evil 2 with a cinematic title screen.

It would take all of 20 seconds. People buy hardware to play games on, not to power up and let the thing sit idly on a bios menu and never get used.

>>4335884
You give these reseller guys WAY too much credit.

If they think they can make a quick buck from wet-behind-the-ears bandwagoners like OP why would they go to even the slightest extra effort?

>>4335868
>What do you expect them to do?

Get to the title screen, start a new game, watch the intro FMV, and spend a minimum of 2 minutes in actual in-game environments. If you see stuttering FMVs or hear choppy audio or the game bugs out or crashes, then don't bother to list the game.

But I tend to doubt these guys test any of their games period. Some of the games I've purchased from eBay wouldn't even boot.

>>4335908
Because OP got a refund.

Where's the profit in giving money back, losing future business, and potentially scaring off new customers within earshot of that refund exchange?

>>4335940
You clearly drank the customer service koolaid.

If just one mug in ten keeps the faulty goods they're ahead. I'm willing to bet they're making fat stacks from idiots day in day out.

>>4335947
>9/10 customers return merchandise
>people who return merchandise don't go back and shop again
>people in store overhearing returns suddenly think twice about purchasing
>?????
>profit

Your common core math just outed you as underage.

>>4335947
Customer service only work if the customer made a mistake. I am a lifetime customer of humble bundle because they refunded me 20 bucks because I'm a retard and typed 20 instead of 2.0.

>>4335691
A store selling used electronics is untrustworthy? Whaaaaat?!? My world is shattered! Who ever would have suspected such behavior?

I firmly believe if you have no experience/knowledge with light refurbishing of retro game items (Dismantling, cleaning, simple troubleshooting) you're gonna have a hard time with video game stores and resellers. EVERYONE says they test everything, and after buying from countless game stores and ebay sellers, I can guarantee you that is not true. Honestly don't blame them as that would take a LOT of time for fixes that are painfully simple. I discovered this after purchasing an N64 for the first time and being convinced I was sold a dud. After 5 minutes on google, I figured out the cartridges were just dirty as sin.

Consoles are a little harder to defend, as they stop being the little $15 circuit board an average game are and become $50 complicated ticking time bombs once you step into the 5th gen and CD consoles. I feel like the rate of console to game trade ins is fair enough to warrant console testing.

Is it bullshit that you have to go through a handful of q-tips for your store pickups to work? I guess so, but for electronics originally sold 20+ years ago, what do you expect?

>Drive down to Asheville, NC from Virginia for personal business.
>Take a side trip to this retro game store in the area I heard about.
>Walk in, "Holy shit this is amazing."
>Brightly lit store, neatly organized with selves and aisles full to the brim with games both retro and modern.
> See an N64 game I've never even heard of, but its CiB and just $8; put it on my mental shopping list.
>Owner is handsome gentleman in his early 50s. I compliment his store, he thanks me and says its his pride and joy.
>Now where's the REALLY retro shit?
>There's a back room
>Not as brightly lit, but still comfy; glass display cases built of unfished wood.
>One case has Game Gear games with labels in poor condition, but priced well because of it.
>Spot the NES games in their own case.
>A different employee helps me - an early 20s young man with a mane of curly black hair and glasses in a black hoodie.
>Start talking - he's a bit of a dick - but in a way I actually kind of find charming instead of making me hate him.
>Starts helping me with the NES games. See a racer for $2, he offers to sell it to me for just $1.60.
>I tell him I'll make a pile and we can negotiate at the end.
>Holy shit, there's Bad News Baseball. I've wanted that game since I was goddamn 7! It's CiB for just $10.
>Move my way down to the C's to find yet more games I've been wanting for years.
>Feeling elated. This whole case is a treasure trove.
>Loving my experience here
Twist ending: That's when I wake up. An actual dream I had just two fucking nights ago.

>>4336028
>Honestly don't blame them

So that makes it okay to post blatant lies? They just should put in the listing that the item is untested.

>>4335691
Those were the days!
So glad I don't have to mess with CD media anymore. I've gone cart or digital.

>>4336076
This.

As a consumer, I'm OK with servicing my consoles. I also know that much of this stuff has been used by retarded kids and teens who didn't take care of what they had, so I expect some grime, wear and tear, and some necessary calibration. If someone says they've tested a system and cords, I'd like to know what the test was. If there's some thing that needs servicing, I'd like to know what the problem is before hand. The only reason to hide this information is because the reseller is afraid of losing out on 5-10 dollars. Often times, the fix is something that doesn't even cost anything but a few minutes of time.

If they don't want to fix it themselves, fine, but be honest and say "hey, the door spring is a bit questionable," or "btw, the 62 pin connector is a bit corroded and needs to be polished or replaced." I'd rather do business with a reseller who's honest.

It's the same in every industry. You tell your customer what you have, you're up front about it, if they want it, you work out a fair price. Human nature being what it is, there are laws to protect consumers e.g. lemon laws that protect customers from shitty used car salesmen.

>>4336049
FUCK

It's too late to jump into the retro bandwagon. Stores that sell retro shit are aware of eBay and that you can milk hipsters and collectors fairly hard. Your best shot is to find random goodwills and garage sales. Neither of those are an option in my country, so I'm just trying to find a few working consoles to complete my collection and get flashcarts instead of games

>>4336049
I've had similar dreams. I distinctly remember one where I walked into the back of a goodwill or something and found a copy of Metal Storm for $5

>>4335980
That's amazing.

>go into retro game store
>buy zelda for 100 dollars
>get home and it's a mario

>>4335928
>minimum of 2 minutes

holy shit, you have high expectations.
have you ever had a job?

>>4335702
Heres my horror story
>looking for a fat PS2 with a broken drive for modding
>Mega flea market in po-dunk nowhere midwest
>Several game "stores" spread throughout the building
>The biggest one is the center and is the worst of them all
>Everything in terrible condition
>giant bins of dirty, sticky, tangled controllers with "$10 each" spray painted on the side
>stacks and stacks of consoles in varying degrees of working order
>owner is a drunk so his wife is running the store
>find a PS2 with the drive tray snapped off, assume I can get it for cheaper than the rest so I ask her how much
>she whips out her cellphone and starts rattling off ebay prices
>Explain to her how I want a broken ps2 for modding and the ones she listed are refurbished
>She gets all pissed and says I "insulted" her store and yells me out of the store
>a month later they are out of buisness
>store gest absorbed by all the smaller game stores run by people who understand how to take care of their products
>find the exact PS2 for the price I wanted to pay in a bin labeled "broken"

OP, you bought a PS1

Were there any models that didn't have that fucking chopping and overheating?

>>4335691
>Go to retro store with my Aliexpress repo carts
>trade them in for double I paid.

Gotta love those professional retro retailers.

feel bad for the lads who actually buy it though.

>>4337045
I worked in a video store. We were required to put all our returned DVDs through a test similar to this. It is absolutely not too much to ask a retro game store to do the same, it should be part of the job while you're not cleaning or assisting customers. At any rate I'm sure most customers wouldn't mind if you demoed the game for them to show it actually works before they buy it.

>have you ever had a job?
Have you?

>score a copy of Die Hard Trilogy for PS1 for $5
>Die Hard 2 doesn't load

I bet that cunt knew.

>>4337279
Basically every one besides the 100x.

55xx is the all round best model taking into account both features and reliability.

>>4335702
>"Wait a sec, let me check the eBay value on my phone!"

The only money I hope this store gets is the insurance claim for arson after it burns the fuck down.

>>4335691
Sounds like disc replay. Except employees are pissy
>Be me
>Go to store to see if they have anything I want for N64
>See they have genesis' in display case shrink-wrapped with controllers
>A bunch of model 2's and one model 1
>Have never had or played one, but friends always say it's good
>$30
>Employee is angry that he has to get it out of case
>Don't get games for it there because guy was throwing a fit
>Cashier is a douche too
>Go elsewhere and get six pak cartridge
>Spend an hour cleaning dust off system when I get home
>Turn it on and it works
>Play super hang on, golden axe, sonic, etc.
Ill give them credit, it worked and I like the console. But since their employees were pricks, I haven't gone back.

>have a snes with great collection of games
>take meticulous care of my games, cleaning them with isopropyl
>game labels, manuals, and boxes in collector condition
>find out about ps1, desperate to get it
>sell snes and games for price of ps1 since my family was low income
>parents can afford to get me one game
>love it, play it like crazy for long sessions until I had enough money for a memory card
>took excellent care of console and games
>jewel cases in pristine condition
>ps2 comes out
>my parents are doing a bit better but we now live at a place where rent is a bit higher
>sell my ps1 and games in collector condition to gamestop for ps2 and a game and memory card
>take great care of ps2, everything remains in perfect condition
>dvd playback function randomly dies on me but console plays games perfectly
>decide to trade it all in for an xbox and splinter cell
>lather, rinse, repeat

I wish I knew then what I know now about shitheads who sell busted, scuffed, and broken shit as "tested and works!" I knew some kids my age let their SNES games get beat up, but when I browse physical stores now or go online, I'm baffled how fucked up some of this equipment is. I guess because I was poor and my parents taught me to take great care of what we had, I learned to treat those cartridges, consoles, discs, and jewel cases like gold, but I'm still amazed and disappointed when I see things so utterly destroyed and covered in gunk, sticky residues and feces being sold.

>>4335947
>video game resellers
>making fat stacks

>>4335868
>What do you expect them to do?
How about just NOT CLAIM THAT THEY TESTED IT if they didn't?

>>4337045
>thinking some fuckwad who works in a retro vidya store is so busy with the constant custom that he has no time to test games
What in the entire fuck
Bruh used [anything] sales people have giant blocks of utterly desert time of no customers and fuck all to do but take inventory, do cleans and repairs, and tidy the stock. In some cases the number of customers on the typical Monday will be zero.

>>4336049
Slow down there M Night shyamalan

>>4339139
I know a few stores back in Nebraska where the owner has nothing but time for about 75% of the time its open.

A few of them just sit on their asses playing video games or fucking around online.

>>4335868
Ideally, yes. That's why I only buy from ebay sellers who are selling their own personal collection.