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Games Entertainment

On Videogame Storage Solutions 37

Posted by simoniker from the a-place-for-my-stuff dept.
Thanks to GameSpy for its article discussing a variety of possible ways to store an extensive videogame collection. The author points out: "The more video games you buy, the more storage space you need to keep them all. You'd think this goes without saying, but a lot of people don't give it much thought until their bedroom's paved in CD cases, piles of NES carts have transformed into makeshift tables, and ... is that an Intellivision peeking from the fridge?" He goes on to suggest that "...the ability to maximize vertical space and the ability to adjust the height of individual shelves" is most important for game storage, and "a more modular approach: stacking plastic drawers" is advisable for "boxes of controllers, cables and lightguns."
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On Videogame Storage Solutions More

On Videogame Storage Solutions

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  • No, no, no (Score:5, Insightful)

    by fredrikj ( 629833 ) on Saturday March 20, 2004 @07:17PM (#8623671) Homepage
    The best storage solution, by far, is keeping everything on a hard drive. Unfortunately, game companies won't allow us this convenience.

    • Re:No, no, no (Score:5, Insightful)

      by Ziffy ( 443563 ) on Saturday March 20, 2004 @09:42PM (#8624651)
      If you're the kind of collector who would have enough junk to warrant a special storage solution, you probably value owning the solid physical objects that the game was originally packaged on and with. Keeping everything on a hard drive wouldn't appeal to a serious collector.

      I'm far from a serious collector, but I'm proud of what I do own - I wouldn't want to part with the physical pieces of my collection, especially the more valuable games like Sin & Punishment and Bangai-O (N64 version). Having the roms of those games just wouldn't be the same as owning the actual thing.
      • This is somewhat offtopic, but I feel the same way about music CDs. There's something satisfying about owning a rare import CD from your favorite band that you don't get from finding that "rare" mp3 (that can be copied infinitely) that you download from Kazaa.
      • Yes and no.

        Keeping a copy of everything on a hard drive would mean that you could keep your hard copies someplace *safe* as opposed to keeping them someplace *accessible*.

        The necessity of which triples if you have kids.

  • Emulation saves the day (Score:4, Insightful)

    by Anonymous Coward on Saturday March 20, 2004 @07:27PM (#8623724)
    This is one of those cases where Emulators rule the day. I've been collecting massive ammounts of games for a long time, and it got to the point where it was just too much.

    I was able to snag almost all the ROMs for the games I had on all my systems. This allowed me to store them all on one micro-ITX based PC and move all my physical carts to boxes in the closet for storage. Now I can enjoy my entire collection through one small system, but still drag out the physical collection whenever I need the feel of the original controllers in my hands.

    If you're against emulation in general, I recommend a good, solid, bookcase. You can stack them all in order up against the walls and on other shelves, but it's a major pain to constantly have to dust them all off. ;)
  • then what will I sit on?
  • If you lack storage space because of how many games you have, take a break, go outside, and enjoy some fresh air. OH... SP btw.

    • Re:Does anybody need these many games? (Score:4, Interesting)

      by oprahwinfree ( 466659 ) on Saturday March 20, 2004 @09:08PM (#8624366) Homepage
      This probably has something to do with me nearing 30 years of age, but I no longer have an urge to hoard all of my old games. I still play my Gamecube and PS2 quite frequently, putting many hours into some games even after completing them.

      Now, when I am thoroughly convinced that I have gotten all the enjoyment I need from a game, instead of keeping it around, I take it down to the GameStop in the mall and trade in for store credit.

      Usually I do this with two or three games at a time and walk away with either a new game or a couple of used ones.
  • i'm sure a lot of people are in my situation. I have over half a dozen CD spindles full of backups of music, games, data, etc. For now, they're in a cardboard box I added a makeshift shelf to. The problem is that they're a bit unorganized. Any categories I apply to them have to have contents in increments of 50 (or 100, depending on the spindle). The only solution I've found in my price range (I'm looking to spend under $100 for ~1000 CDRs) are those huge binders. I already have one that I use to cary

    • Re:I'm having a similar problem... (Score:4, Insightful)

      by Pantheraleo2k3 ( 673123 ) <jonathan.jekir@gmail.com> on Saturday March 20, 2004 @07:54PM (#8623895)
      *raises hand* Go to Staples and buy CD sheets, a binder, and some tabs. CD sheets are 8.5x11 sheets that hold CDs. Divide up the binder with the tabs, then keep the extras in the back. Easy. Cheap. Painless
      • Seems like a good selection. Looks like it will cost ~four times as much as the specialty CD binders I mentioned, though :O Even if a different store had better prices, it couldn't be _that_ much lower.

        http://www.staples.com/Catalog/Browse/Sku.asp?P a ge Type=1&Sku=512807

        http://staples.com/Catalog/Browse/skuset.asp?Pag eT ype=2&SkuSetID=999152&bcFlag=True&bcSCatId=1&bcSCa tName=Office+Supplies&bcCatId=2&bcCatName=Binders+ %26+Binder+Accessories&bcClassId=142233&bcCla

    • Re:I'm having a similar problem... (Score:2, Funny)

      by Anonymous Coward
      I call bullshit on this... If you have over half a dozen spindles of cdrs, they're not all backups of music, games, and data; they're WAREZ.

      I speak from experience. And I'm up to 15 50-disc spindles, mostly PS1 and Dreamcast. Need anything?

  • I've developed a very good storage system... (Score:5, Funny)

    by Ayaress ( 662020 ) on Saturday March 20, 2004 @07:42PM (#8623831) Journal
    I call it the "self-proliferating directory" system.

    Its based on a storage unit I call a "directory." A directory usually starts when I spill food on the carpet, and throw a book or something over it to cover it up. When I have something that needs storage, I put it on an existing directory.

    The "self-proliferating" part comes into play when a directory reaches about four to six feet tall. By that time, it usually collapses, at which point I sort of shove it around until it forms several smaller directories.

    Things that don't get stacked well are kept in a large directory between the couch and the wall.

    I've never lost a thing using this system. It's all in this room... somewhere...
    • ...when I spill food on the carpet, and throw a book or something over it...

      OK, Ayaress, that's just gross. Do I know you by any chance? You sound like the majority of my friends. Even though we've all been guilty of slob behaviour to a greater or lesser extent, this is one example of the things people should keep to themselves. ;-)

  • I had the answer (Score:3, Funny)

    by Cranx ( 456394 ) on Saturday March 20, 2004 @07:56PM (#8623908)
    I knew how to combine all my games and my computer software into an area approximately the size of my computer case, but brain damage made me forget and I bought another game console.
  • Keep your systems together, keep your accessories together, but use that all important "depth". One bin might be for Nintendo cartridges A-D, organized in a very insert efficient fashion. It looks pretty terrible, but is very effective and space saving. Plus the bins double for controller and accessories.

    Sometimes you get lucky... A Longs drug store plastic bin happened to be the exact dimensions for storing SNES cartridges. They were too small for a serious collection, but for the first 60 or 70 games

  • A Simple Solution.... (Score:3, Insightful)

    by Q-Mont ( 761460 ) on Saturday March 20, 2004 @09:18PM (#8624451)
    ....Is to just keep the good games. I have a lot of video games, but this time around with the classics, i just bought the good ones. With the new ones, i just try before i buy. There aren't, in my opinion, enough truly great games to be worried about how to store them.

  • Garage (Score:3, Interesting)

    by shione ( 666388 ) on Saturday March 20, 2004 @09:31PM (#8624573) Journal
    Other than the games that I play on a regular basis, I'm starting to keep some of my games in the garage now. On one wall hangs my gardening tools and on the other I've attached steel shelfing to the wall. I live in a moderately humid climate so to prevent the games from going mouldy and keep bugs out at the same time I keep the games in air lock bags which in turn at placed inside covered storage boxes.

    • I live in a moderately humid climate so to prevent the games from going mouldy and keep bugs out at the same time I keep the games in air lock bags which in turn at placed inside covered storage boxes.
      Won't even slow the mold down. The spores are already there (they're everywhere), and there is already moisture in the atmosphere in the bags, and in any paper products in the bags. All you've done is get the mold out of sight.
  • I find a lot of people store old video game collections on eBay...
  • This is one reason why I was looking forward to the launch of the Phantom console. As I understand it, all games were to be purchased and downloaded without any hard mediums. Thats ducky with me. With broadband and gaming, apps as services makes sense for a variety of reasons- including eliminating the stack of game boxes clogging my shelves.

    Does spelling count?
  • Game Boy Games + Drawer = Perfect

    Seriously...I don't lose my games, and they're (somewhat) protected. Having to dig a bit to find a certain game can be slightly irritating, but it's such an easy fix that it's worth it.

  • ...is not to have the money to buy them. And I don't mean spending too much money on other things, but rather not earning enough money to buy too many games in the first place.
    P.S. This helps for storage problems of all kinds of material things, even food (whether stored inside or outside of your body). Don't economize too much on the food, though.
  • I just might want to dig out the old SNES and play some classic Super Metroid.

    I think the problem for gamers regarding this topic is the fact that most gamers are just lacking the time to clean up such minor things. Think about it : The average console RPG these days goes for roughly 30-70 hours without trying to do things like unlock every secret in the game. (Or try to unlock every ending in Chrono Trigger which can take over 100 hours just leveling up/playing through over and over.) PC RPGs are even long

  • My Suggestions... (Score:3, Interesting)

    by josh glaser ( 748297 ) on Sunday March 21, 2004 @01:25AM (#8625715)
    If you go to Walmart, you can (well, idunno about you, but if I go to Walmart, I can) pick up some "CD Wallpaper." There like sheets from a CD Binder, only bigger (20 discs about) and they fit nicely on your wall, take up no space, and are pretty stylish too (if you have the right type of friends ^_^).

    Whoever mentioned the drawer full of GB games was right on. OK, it's not very organized at all, but it does make a great way to store all your cartridges (GB or otherwise) that you (gasp) DON'T have the manual and box and little cloth map thing for.* Underbed storage containers work good for this too, because a bunch of NES "tapes" will fill a drawer rather quickly. This also will work for old peripherals and the like.

    For the rest of your collection (the games in nice shape) you'll obviously want to keep them stored better. I'd suggest one of the rotating cube/towers mentioned in the article, but try and get one that doesn't rotate on the top - that way you can stack up multiple cubes and put your Mortal Kombat figures on the top. ^_^ These fit nicely in corners.

    Well, that's all I got. Hope that "helps" or whatever. ^_^

    * Oh, and about those cloth game map thingies - I SWEAR I'm gonna make a quilt outta those sometime. ^_^ Goodnight everybody...

  • Storage is a problem (Score:3, Interesting)

    by superpulpsicle ( 533373 ) on Sunday March 21, 2004 @01:25AM (#8625717)
    If I had a legitable way to keep my genesis and older systems shelved... I probably would have kept it.

    I find myself selling games back to Gamestop just because I don't want to keep too many games lying around collecting dust.
  • I haven't got a photoe available, but Ikea bookshelves do a fine job of storing video games. Wall units, media towers, boxes -- what's so big an issue that it needs a /. story?
  • I heartily second the recommendation for the Sterlite ultra storage drawers [sterilite.com]. I've been using the 1804. I have only been able to find them at Wal-Mart, but the price runs an affordable $3-4 for a single drawer.

    The drawers are a good size for holding all formats including old carts, cd-sized cases and newer dvd-sized cases. They are also a good size for holding misc. cables, and controllers, etc. Too small for holding the console generally, though (except for handhelds).
  • If you're organizing CD-shaped game media, by all means please check out my cd dividers: DiscDividers [discdividers.com]... tabbed plastic divider cards for CDs, they work with jewel cases as well as sleeves.

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