Retro items - How long will they survive

[muse hunter]

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*

True my dads 2600 and its games are older than me but still work perfectly, and its not as if they have been looked after well, they are kept unboxed in the loft. I don't think our games or systems will die on us if we keep them i good condition

[buster_broon]

i think its how you keep them

bought a boat load of megadrive games once and all the loose carts were fecked - the connectors were just white

no amount of cleaning got them working again

[wheelaa]

Ok, cool. But assuming we all keep our stuff nicely, how long before the item itself just degrades due exclsuively to age and what would actually happen to it that would cause this..bit rot? I mean, if you leave a book on a shelf for long enough the paper fibres will just break down and it will effectively be a pile of dust shaped like a book, that will crumble to dust when you try and do anything with it.

Does there come a time where the actual chips themselves are just to old to be able to hold their info anymore and give up the ghost ie the chip is still intact per se (ie physically), but the info within gone. Is there any truth to stuff I've read which says its best to test all stuff like this every couple of years, you know, not for the sake of checking it still works, rather to actually get the juices flowing and thereby ensure it does stay working? (I mean I've always thought that a tad dubius..I've had nos carts that are 15years plus that play fine first time they are tried)

[SuperDanX]

I would say test everything at least once a year, i have nothing to back this up with though, but it sounds like common sence to me to get some current flowing through games and consoles to prolong there lifespan.An unused engine (not a pc engine) is gonna seize up.

[MattyD]

The info on a ROM chip inside your garden-variety cart is hard-wired to the information stored on it so it won't just 'disappear' one day. More likely, the components will eventually degrade - but then, we're talking plastics and metals that've been treated and elctroplated and sealed with who-knows-what chemicals, so it's hard to say how long they'll last.

Another thing in addition to the optical drives being the first things to go are the pin connectors in cartridge slots. I've had to 'operate' on my second-hand NES and N64 a couple of times to bend the pins back after years of the old in-out bent them back too far to touch the cartridge. I think heat probably plays a part in warping them too.

[wheelaa]

I would say test everything at least once a year, i have nothing to back this up with though, but it sounds like common sence to me to get some current flowing through games and consoles to prolong there lifespan.An unused engine (not a pc engine) is gonna seize up.

With the amount of games etc I have that will take a while

MattyD - cheers for the info. Very helpful

[S3M]

It's a grim thought, but they should last, CD's are the worrying one's if they go wrong you are screwed.

If they do stand the test of time, then one thing's for sure you'll be handling every cardboard box and manual with white gloves! Finger acids are a real killer you know.

The worry fact is that if people don't look after the really rare games then some of then could quickly be lost to us.

Just think about it a game where the box or manual no longer exists. Nightmares come true!

[muse hunter]

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

yeah its slagged off basically just because people see it as a hentai game, even though the saturn version has none. It's a bloody good shooter, i love that level where there are cows in the background which get hit by stray bullets, the music i sometimes find myself humming to. The game has no lack of character either which i found the likes of layer section heavily lacking despite being a decent shooter.

by the way which version do you have, if its the pc engine version how does it compare to the saturn version?

[wheelaa]

Both. Long time since I played either tbh..just remember really liking them. I think the pce maybe just shades it coz of the extras..but both are very playable. Sounds like a weekend mission for me to check em out again