Console aficianados! Anyone familiar with these?

[bobbyb13]

I realize I am completely out of the loop but I saw these in a Japanese used stuff store here and had never seen them before.



The Pikachu one cracks me up.

[lilshawn]

not sure what you haven't seen... maybe your family was poor and didn't buy consoles.

not sure where you are...maybe these systems wherent released in your region.

or even how old you are... it's possible you picked up a xboxone controller for the first time yesterday.

I currently own or have previously owned... or a friend of mine owned all these systems.

the pikachu system actually was a special edition that released with a pack-in-game called "hey you pikachu" that used a microphone connected to the controller that you yelled into to play certain aspects of the game.

the red colored 64 was actually a huge series of 64's that came in like blue and green and pink and red and clear, purple... even gold. called the "funtastic" series. I own a Jungle green n64

https://consolevariations.com/blog/every-nintendo-64-console-variation-ever-complete-color-list

[bobbyb13]

Certainly not wealthy as a young child.
Parents weren't prepared to even take care of themselves back then but wound up with a 2600 before dad disappeared.
Then would have qualified as poor.
No money for consoles after that and then off onto other things by the time I had my own money.

That was back on the east coast.

I'm 52 this year so was prime age for some of it.

In Hawai'i now and I see all kinds of crazy ---steaming pile of meadow muffin--- I never saw on the mainland.

When I see stuff that says Japanese region I always wonder if it is something never distributed back where I used to live.

Pricing on other things in these stores (this is a Book Off) is typically quite cheap, so always curious.

[pbj]

Price on the Saturn is decent, rest of that is double current value. 

Saturn games are ridiculously expensive but you can get an optical drive emulator that plays everything and loads instantly so no need for discs.

Same with Dreamcast.

 

[bobbyb13]

Price on the Saturn is decent, rest of that is double current value. 

Saturn games are ridiculously expensive but you can get an optical drive emulator that plays everything and loads instantly so no need for discs.

Same with Dreamcast.

 

Appreciate the wisdom sir.
Always a mystery since crap is so expensive/scarce out here.

[lilshawn]

most of those consoles average about 75 on okay condition units, but with covid and people getting into classic gaming, it's pushed the prices up. most of those systems are between 99 and 150 now.

around here anyways... even used Nintendo games which where all basically 9.99 with popular games going for about 19 are now going for between 14 and 19.99 for the crud no-name games and some of the popular ones are gouging over 30.

lots of fun games to be had on any one of those systems though. i think you can pick up JA region n64 carts for a couple bucks each in some places. super cheap.

[Vigo]

For price reference, I bought both a Japanese N64 and Gamecube from Ebay a couple weeks ago. Bundled with cables, controller and n64 had a game (Just Nagano, nothing great). Each one was $57 shipped. Easy enough to region fix. I also bid on that red one but didn't get it, it went for $65. These days, Japan consoles are pretty easy to get a hold of, and if you hunt enough they are affordable even with today's prices.

[pbj]

Yep, the last three consoles I've purchased in the last two years (PC Engine Duo, Sega Saturn, Dreamcast) have all been Japanese variants because they're cheaper than the US counterparts.  Has only caused one issue with one Saturn game (Die Hard Arcade) playing in Japanese because it's apparently checking your bios chip.  Nothing else has cared.

Duo was ~$180 from Japan with a controller and AV cable.  Tested and fully working as described.

Saturn was $90 with power cord and controller from some guy in Denver  - supposedly had a working drive but didn't.  He kicked me back $20.  (moot point because I put the ODE in it). 

Dreamcast was $40 shipped "not working" with no accessories from Hawaii, but it was at the main menu in the photos.  Drive worked fine after a pot tweak.  Again moot because I've got an ODE.

Where you get creamed on these things is the accessories.  Dreamcast was especially painful for cables, controllers, memory cards.  Was probably in closer to $100 by the time I could actually use it.  Despite what the internet will tell you, you're only getting marginal results at beast bleaching those things.

[bobbyb13]

Can't imagine bleach is good for that plastic.

A friend gave me an old computer crt monitor and when I went to decase it the whole box just crumbled in my hands.

When I see funky stuff out here that maybe didn't exist on the mainland I always check to see if it is some "grail" thing that one of you console maniacs might appreciate getting as a surprise.

I won't promise anything but it is worth maybe putting in a request for bizarro Japanese ---steaming pile of meadow muffin--- that I could stumble upon out here.

[PL1]

Can't imagine bleach is good for that plastic.

Pretty sure he's talking about the "retr0bright" process using Hydrogen Peroxide.






Scott

[lilshawn]

yeah, don't use bleach... bleach would make things probably worse and its going to react with the plastic and do some funky stuff.

"retrobrite" is basically salon strength peroxide cream  that is 40 volume (12% peroxide solution). which is as strong as you can get without stepping into rocket fuel territory and having feds knock at your door.

your typical household peroxide for your cuts and whatnot is 10 volume (3%)

[pbj]

I didn't use bleach.   

The process doesn't work worth a ---steaming pile of meadow muffin--- on Dreamcast.  Maybe you'll have luck with some other plastics.  I'll admit it was the cleanest console I ever owned after I was done with it.  Some of the solution spilled out on my cement slab and it's still stained (or cleaned?) from it.

[lilshawn]

no, no, bobby was talking about "bleach".

[bobbyb13]

no, no, bobby was talking about "bleach".

Just proving yet again that I have no idea wtf I am doing as regards consoles.

A bleaching agent I can get my head around though!

Wasn't aware you could buy that strong of an oxidizer either.
12% would be heavy duty ---steaming pile of meadow muffin---.

[Malenko]

Pretty sure he's talking about the "retr0bright" process using Hydrogen Peroxide.

Is there anything you wont google for other people?



Anyfart, he's my Saturn I did:
https://imgur.com/gallery/qvLvBYQ

[pbj]

Saturn looks good, but did you try scrubbing it before you did the peroxide?  Maybe my Dreamcast came out better than I think it did but I wasn’t convinced any magic happened after I had done the initial cleaning with Novus 2.

[Vigo]

Anyone try the sous vide method of retrobriting? I have tried testing it last week, but was not happy with the results. I was only using an old bottle of 6% peroxide, 6 hours, and no UV lighting.

I think I got the heat part down well. I also used a crock pot and it gave me a sustained 58 degrees C, which I see recommendations between 50-60 C.

[pbj]

I put it out in an aluminum pan on a cement slab in the Houston sun for like 3 days in fresh 12% peroxide.  Wasn't hitting 140 but it was damned hot.

[Vigo]

That sounds like it would do it. 

[Malenko]

Saturn looks good, but did you try scrubbing it before you did the peroxide?

Cleaning was the first step. There was a noticeable improvement between before and after, but it was not perfect. if I wanted the shell super white, I would have painted it... Its good enough for me.

[Vigo]

It definitely looks really good.