Oh just the usual suspects- Razor, Sacrilege, Whiplash, Coven, Protector, Torchure, Hydra Vein, Wrath, etc. A lot of the 2nd and 3rd generation thrash bands from the mid-80s to mid-90s :). I used to be obsessed with this stuff, but now hardly listen to it in favor of more modern bands. So, it’s time to get rid of the discs I never play anymore…

And yeah, I got the money before (the CDs were from the bands A.R.G. and Amnesia), but he left negative marks because the things were in rough shape even though I detailed everything in the description -.-

I have maybe 10 LPs left that I’m trying to sell. Some are as rare and cool as Virtual Lab (though less valuable heh…), but I just can’t find a solid reason to keep them anymore.

Oh and @ Lester- I kind of agree with you. The guy was a dink, and he lives in China anyway. It’s always a pain in the ass to ship a big package there, plus the waiting on edge for my feedback, etc. I have 45 hours or so to mull it over I guess 🙂

Hmm, interesting ideas :). I hadn’t thought of using a ribbon cable, though your idea may work as well. Especially the part about removing most of the game PCB and leaving enough to make the connection to the console, but still have those “teeth” that grip the inner cartridge.

The Genie DOES fit into a top loader, but the “height” of the 72-pin thing on the Genie is too thick. So, the distance between the top row of 36 pins and the bottom row (basically the actual thickness of the PCB) makes for a very snug fit. If the top loader was cheaper, I’d just cram the Genie into the slot and permanently leave it there- but as that is not the case, I’m afraid that the console’s 72 pin connector will be damaged or spaced out long-term.

Maybe if I didn’t suck at most NES games, I wouldn’t have to cheat or worry about this 🙂

Not sure if anyone still cares or will even see this hah…but I got a full refund. Ebay said it would come right from them, but PayPal makes it look like the seller himself sent it. I don’t care either way. This was a terrible experience- I told the seller that all he had to do was email one sentence to FedEx saying they could refund me directly and I would go away forever. He didn’t do it, but instead contacted ebay and got them to close the case in his favor since the tracking said “delivered”. All the while, FedEx kept closing the case if I didn’t hound them daily, and they refused to contact the buyer directly. Luckily I had evidence from FedEx that the seller neglected to put my apartment # on the package, and that’s how I was able to appeal the case and win 🙂

PM sent! How funny that this manual is worth like 10x what a Waterworld DVD is :p

Here are my favorites:

Space Squash- I loved the Japanese version, and obviously have been glued to the new English translation recently :). One of the better uses of the 3D effect, plus has lots of simple, old fashioned FUN. It reminds me of this game I used to play online back in maybe 2003. It was some flash-based thing, and basically played just like Squash. Amusingly, it was an all green and black game heh…

Bound High!- This was my first Uncle Tusker release, and it was great to return to the VB scene right when it came out CIB. I used to never think I would play it. Another simple but VERY fun game. A good game to use critical thinking on with some of the score attack maps, but also just zone out and drool over the 3D realism.

Galactic Pinball- It was my original favorite VB game, and recently since getting back into the system, has resumed its rightful place as my #1. Squash and Bound High are technically more fun to play, but I still spend more time with this one overall. It’s hard to put down when you start making progress on a table.

Jack Bros.- This game may have been the best ever if not for a couple things. I love the music, the fast-paced gameplay, the different characteristics of each Jack, the graphics, the (US) box art, the right D-pad controls…lots of fun for sure. I just wish it was a liiitle slower-paced, sometimes I have to rush around so much it doesn’t seem like I’m enjoying what each level has to offer. It would also be nice if there was a fourth character, Jack Falconer, who releases a bird of prey that would take out the Fairy that interrupts gameplay obnoxiously on almost every new level -.-

Thanks, the idea came to me when I was poking at the cable with various sharp objects :p.

I tried that fiberglass pencil, I saw that in a previous post of yours DogP…it worked well when I did the lye technique, but for some reason I couldn’t get it to work by itself. When it did kind of work, it seemed like I had to apply so much force that I peeled the copper up.

The issue I had is that the heat from my soldering iron seemed to melt the adhesive between the cable and PCB, so sometimes the cable connections would slide out of alignment a little bit. I’ve had better luck using the flux as DogP suggests, and not lingering too long on any one pin.

Also, to remove the laminate of the cable, I mentioned somewhere (I think) that I just use a thin sewing needle to push under the cable in between traces, and pry up gently. I’ve had much better luck this way- you make your way back and forth, only prying up like 1/16th of an inch or less each time. If you pry too much, the laminate peels up the copper too. But if you’re careful, you can gradually peel it up with most of the copper still perfectly attached to the PCB. I use my Swiss Army knife scissors to trim off what I peel up, though you don’t have to I suppose. Then just clean away excess adhesive with that Goof-Off stuff, and solder.

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Hey everyone- Merry Christmas as well! I hope you all enjoy the day off and maybe get to trade in the red and green for red and black at some point 🙂

Do you have one in your sights, or you’re going to grab one the next time it’s available?

Whenever I set up a more permanent living situation, I wouldn’t mind buying one or just building my own as a game room centerpiece :). Sorry I couldn’t furnish any pics for this post though…

Wow, the package came in the mail today! I have been on edge ever since my 6 broken VBs were stolen, but the Post Office rang my bell twice today for different shipments. Good for them…

Glad to have US Space Squash in hand- the boxes look amazing, glossier and perhaps even sturdier than my original VB games. Sadly I had to go to work before I could play but I’ll check it out in a few more hours… 🙂

Thanks again for the hard work on this project! Looking forward to the next round of games.

Ok cool, thanks for the quick tutorial :). I kind of figured that’s what they were talking about, but sometimes writers for tech things “project” a lot in their articles because they assume readers already know the basics. But, obviously I don’t!

I guess I was hoping this all meant I could play Bound High on my X’Eye :p

I finally got an email back from the seller…says ebay rejected the message because he sent his email address with it so I could forward the paperwork. I believe him, but personally I would have followed up sooner anyway. Not all buyers are as friendly and patient as me 🙂

I hear you about that “fuck everyone” mode (not sure if I’m not supposed to swear on this site…). Usually I can hold off for a while and be patient. But if Fedex and ebay and whoever are dragging their feet hoping I’ll go away, I ramp things up. Once I’ve decided I’m right, I will succeed! It took me 3 weeks of fighting with an ebay seller to get refunded on some poorly packed items they sent me- they put 2 large joysticks, a VB controller, and a JVC x’eye in a big box with no padding at all. Then they had the nerve to blame the matter on me…

Ok, either I’m sleep deprived and missing the point or FedEx is out of its mind…they finally have forwarded me the paperwork I need to do to make a refund claim, I thought “good- here’s some progress”. Then, they said that once I make the claim, they review it and the seller/sender should receive the refund in a few days and- wait, what? Why on Earth would they refund the seller for MY lost package? Their logic was that the item was shipped under their account, so it makes sense to refund them. I asked what obligation the seller had to then forward the $$ back to me so I would actually get refunded…and they said that if I can’t trust the seller to do that, maybe I shouldn’t have bought from them in the first place. I’ve emailed the seller twice with no reply, so this ideal FedEx plan has “further frustration” written all over it. My potential last resort would be to file a claim with ebay and get refunded with buyer protection, but since the tracking says “delivered”, I feel like they would say tough luck as well.

There’s a paper taped on the panel in the lobby with all the buzzers for each unit that says “fedex, USPS, UPS, please do not leave packages in lobby as someone is stealing them”. It’s been there for years, but Fedex never acknowledges this sign when I mention it. Very frustrating.

Hah, I almost regret asking this now because I feel like there are way more cool stores than I expected…and it would take forever to get to them all :p

It’s easy to see most of a paycheck disappear like that. EBay does take a lot of the business away, but I’m constantly surpised at the turnover my local shops have- even with unusual or clearly overpriced items. I guess nothing beats the feeling of taking home the games or system right then and there.

Wow what a goon, I was right there not long ago- and I vaguely remember seeing a Nintendo store or something but thought “bah, they probably just sell Wii’s there”. Well, next time I’ll check it out. You know how if people want to brag about their kids, they’ll “accidentally” drop a photo in front of someone as a conversation starter? Maybe I’ll bring my US Jack Bros and Virtual Fishing, then right as a crowd approaches, woops! They fall out of my wallet and I can brag about my collection 🙂

Glad to see it’s still remembered out in the wild.

Lol…the Pippin, I had truly never heard of that til a month or two ago.

Good point, I forgot to mention that whole slew of physical complaints people seem to have with it. It’s like when you tell a doctor that it hurts to do something, and he replies “then don’t do it!”. In this case, it means “don’t put the VB and stand on a low table and bend your spine funny for hours trying to play”. And the whole eye strain rumor, my eyes squint a little bit when I stop playing but the same way they do when leaving a dark movie theater and going into bright sunlight. VB eye strain can’t be any worse than when people play XBOX 360 on a 48″ screen in a dark room for hours on end…

Lester Knight wrote:
i’ve found that people who complain usually have no understanding of what makes a great game.

for me the enjoyment comes from being able to have fun. i can pump 10 bucks into an original asteroids machine and have a blast. what i love about asteroids are the complex controls that take time to master, the simplicity of play, and the overall challenge. i see the game for more than just a few lines and singular sound. i feel that those who rate the VB poorly can’t understand the fun that is found in simplicity. The most basic of games (pong) can be amazingly fun if you simply have the right mind set. i would never talk down about a video game system, regardless of how much of a failure it was. in fact, the more obscure it is, makes me want to experience its games that much more. both complex and simple games can entertain, i’m sad for those who aren’t capable of experiencing both.

i know a lot of people who talk down about the vb, and every one of them has never experienced it. the complaints i hear are the same things i’ve read a 100 times myself. i get upset when people regurgitate what they have read and make it their own opinion. reading is not experiencing. i’ve found the vb to be incredibly fun, with great pick-up-and-play games. i’ve never had an issue dialing it in and gaming on it for hours, no back pains, eye strain, etc. i may not want to go back and experience its library as often as my NES or Genesis, but that doesn’t mean it didn’t have some really fun games.

Awesome guys- especially the one in Chicago, my friend may be visiting home there soon and bringing back his own VB from storage. I’ll tell him to go buy any games at People Play Games 🙂

I wish I could find more besides that Video Game Exchange in NYC…

Yeah I agree, go for it :). They would probably appreciate it- and likely, they don’t even know about the whole glitchy display situation. Are you someone who can fix a potentially bad ribbon cable for some store credit maybe? That’s what I plan on doing for my local shop that has 2 bad units. Regarding Mario’s Tennis, maybe you could consider “donating it” or trading for some cheap item you could use, assuming they do trades. It’s about as financially worthless as VB games get, so that would help them increase the chance of a rare console sale (plus get you in good graces with them).

IMO, $70 for an untested console/controller only does seem kind of steep though…

I agree Tauwasser…I can kind of understand their request, maybe. They don’t know the layout or “culture” of my building, but I know that 90% of my neighbors are couples with kids or people who I highly doubt would steal mail. The FedEx lady was talking so fast I didn’t even hear all her suggestions- I could swear she asked if there were other people in the area I may have suspected too. Oh and did I mention her opening question was “Do you have the package?” ??! Either way, yeah- they wont know one way or another if I actually look so it seems kinda silly. I even did a walkthrough of the sister building next to mine, with a similar address. I’ll ask my neighbors just in case I suppose. I did also check the local Craigslist ads in case they popped up there.

Last year Fedex left a box in our lobby meant for a COMPLETELY different address. I adopted it and called them to say “hey, come pick this up” and they kept saying they would but never did. Eventually I had to drive to their facility and just hand it over. I felt weird picking up the box but it sat around the lobby for a while and I thought it would stay there unless someone (me) intervened…