Retro items - How long will they survive

[wheelaa]

OK, so one presumes that the more you use something, the shorter its lifespan. You use a ps2 12 hours a day, at some point something is gonna get knackered. One also presumes that if you don't look after your stuff, chances are it won't live as long as stuff that is looked after.

But in general, what kind of life expectancy would various retro items have, assuming they are being looked after well, but used to a moderate extent?
I suppose I really just wanna know how long each and every type/class of item will/should realistically survive. What is going to die first? How long does a cart game survive? What causes it to die..bit rot? Or does chip degradation come into play resulting in lost data? Both or neither? How long will cd games be playable? The hardware itself..will the chips be the first to go? Perhaps the pcbs will crack and die? What about all the transistors and other funny bits and pieces? Will the plastic get fatigued and cracked/flakey? The wiring in pads, the cd motor, the c64 tape, how long will these things last?

Any and all info appreciated.

[Duddyroar]

I posted something about this some time ago. There was a news story a few years back about the first CD album (can't remember what it was) becoming unplayable after about twenty years. It's always been insisted that CDs will last at least 100, ironically it could turn out that they are outlived by formats such as VHS.

Obviously as production methods have improved over the years CDs have probably been given greater lifespans, but it is scary. And it's one of the reasons I didn't feel so bad about getting of my copies of Radiant Silvergun and Dracula X.

[kyo_244]

Dude if you're a perfectionist like myself and obsessivly clean your games all the time, chances are THEY'RE gonna outlive YOU!

But seriously, I wouldn't worry too much! After all.. like us they are only mortal..

If you use "Armor All Protectant" it apparently slows the ageing process.

[muse hunter]

NOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!

what a depressing thread, damn it all, i hope my games never die, i don't know what i would do without my copy of Steam Hearts , seriously i really do love that game!

[wheelaa]

Oh no, I'm not worried in the slightest. Its purely info I'd like to know. I mean, an md console should work in 50 years time then you reckon?

@ Duddy..i remember reading about the lifespan of the first load of music cds back in the day..I just figured that seeing as the first commercial game cds didn't appear until a couple of years after the cds debut (is this right?) that technology would have been adapted by then. So 100 years you say. Sweet.

Edit..which version of SH..pce or sat?

[muse hunter]

Edit..which version of SH..pce or sat?

the unfortunately heavily edited saturn version, although i am thinking of getting a pc engine duo, if i ever do get one steam hearts will be one of the first games i get for it

[Duddyroar]

Dude if you're a perfectionist like myself and obsessivly clean your games all the time, chances are THEY'RE gonna outlive YOU!

I'm no expert on this but I would guess that cleaning CDs too much is going to damage them in the long run.

So 100 years you say. Sweet

Well, that's what companies are stating at the moment. But then these are the same companies that produced CDs back in the 80's and they said the same thing then - and some of those are starting to degrade. It's the metal coating used on the disc, I think. It starts to degrade over time and obviously the data goes with it.

[wheelaa]

Cool, another sh fan. It gets ragged on on here by the many but loved by a few

Anyway, back on topic..

Did I mention I was wondering how long consoles might last

[kyo_244]

heres an estimation: new stuff 100 years.

Retro stuff: 60-70 years/

Probably something like that but likely more.

[SuperDanX]

Well, in cd consoles id imagine the drives are gonna be the first things to break see the dc/ps1 for example, as for cd games im not sure? I just hope that the publishers didnt cut any corners when they pressed the games in an effort to maximize there profits. But having said that hopefully when/if retro gaming as a hobby becomes more popular we may see specialist companys spring up that restore old consoles and games much like in the classic car world.

[kyo_244]

Well, in cd consoles id imagine the drives are gonna be the first things to break see the dc/ps1 for example, as for cd games im not sure? I just hope that the publishers didnt cut any corners when they pressed the games in an effort to maximize there profits. But having said that hopefully when/if retro gaming as a hobby becomes more popular we may see specialist companys spring up that restore old consoles and games much like in the classic car world.

Which is probably whats gonna happen seeing that the retro scene is getting bigger and bigger each year!

[Duddyroar]

When old consoles do die, emulation will obviously become more popular. Hopefully companies will realise the importance of this method in keeping old games alive when their host hardware stops working.

[buster_broon]

alot of the neo people believe the lifespan of a cartridge is about 25 years

so you have about 10 years left before it starts all going wrong

[Kaladron]

Nintendo's Virtual Consoles should help sort out part of this problem but I still worry about the more obscure consoles. I seriously doubt that my Vectrex will outlive me and its not the sort of thing I would enjoy playing through an emulator as a lot of the joy comes from the original hardware itself.

[kernow]

a ROM cartridge should last longer than 25 years I believe, I mean 2600 carts still work nowadays , thats 20 years nearly

I'd say 40-50 maybe , ahem *throws random number in the air*