Would You Keep Your Games if You Lacked the Console to Play Them?

Would You Keep Your Games if You Lacked the Console to Play Them? - Printable Version

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Would You Keep Your Games if You Lacked the Console to Play Them? - Moonface - Aug 19th, 2025

Recently @Maniakkid25 has made a couple of posts about how first his N64 needed new RAM, and now that his GameCube has a dead clock battery. Although fixable, thinking of those made me wonder about how there will inevitably come a time where old consoles can't be repaired anymore because the parts they need just don't exist anymore. So assuming a console you own were to break beyond repair and can't be replaced either, would you keep the library of games you have for that system even though you can't play them anymore?

RE: Would You Keep Your Games if You Lacked the Console to Play Them? - shadow - Aug 20th, 2025

Yes. Some emulators allow you to play the game from the CD such as Playstation games, Wii and others. Am unsure obout gamecube but I'd keep them and look for a replacement gamecube if possible.

RE: Would You Keep Your Games if You Lacked the Console to Play Them? - Moonface - Aug 20th, 2025

(Aug 20th, 2025, 07:26 AM)shadow Wrote:
Yes. Some emulators allow you to play the game from the CD such as Playstation games, Wii and others. Am unsure obout gamecube but I'd keep them and look for a replacement gamecube if possible.

Oh, they do? I never knew that, nor would I even think of it being a thing nowadays since it seems disc drives are a rarity for PC's nowadays, especially for laptops.

RE: Would You Keep Your Games if You Lacked the Console to Play Them? - Maniakkid25 - Aug 20th, 2025

Eh, you can just buy a USB Disc Drive for, like, 50 bucks if you really need one. But yeah, the only disc-based games that aren't able to be read by a standard disc drive that I know of are Dreamcast games, because the Dreamcast decided to do something stupid and use a proprietary disc format that was essentially obsolete the day it came out (GD-ROM). I mean, at least Nintendo had the foresight to base their discs off DVD tech, even if it is modified DVD tech.

RE: Would You Keep Your Games if You Lacked the Console to Play Them? - Moonface - Aug 21st, 2025

(Aug 20th, 2025, 11:38 PM)Maniakkid25 Wrote:
Eh, you can just buy a USB Disc Drive for, like, 50 bucks if you really need one. But yeah, the only disc-based games that aren't able to be read by a standard disc drive that I know of are Dreamcast games, because the Dreamcast decided to do something stupid and use a proprietary disc format that was essentially obsolete the day it came out (GD-ROM). I mean, at least Nintendo had the foresight to base their discs off DVD tech, even if it is modified DVD tech.

True, I knew of USB drives but my line of thinking was more that why would anyone bother to work on making an emulator read discs when there's probably more people without a way to use a disc than those who are able. However, I also know nothing about making an emulator (or any program for that matter) so for all I know it could be easy as piss to just add that feature. ROFL

For me, if I couldn't use any of my games for a particular system anymore, I'd still keep them because if I didn't care about a physical game collection I'd have switched to digital only a long time ago. I also know it would make me incredibly sad to have to get rid of my games, and I wouldn't even get rid of a broken console either. Even if I can't fix it, I'd still want it to display it in my gaming display cabinets, which is where I currently have all my games and old consoles.

RE: Would You Keep Your Games if You Lacked the Console to Play Them? - Mr EliteL - Aug 21st, 2025

I still need to sort through my game collection (really procrastinating on it

), but if my consoles stopped working I'll only keep the games that are special to me. For instance, there are a few I'll still keep after I've done my initial sorting out on the possibility of playing them again one day but if the console dies, and is unrepairable I'll get rid of the games. I mean I own Mario Party 5-8 and they're not on my mental list of getting rid of from the sort out I intend to do, but they're also not as special to me compared to other games that I would keep as mementos.

I'm not sure of my handhelds though, as I'm keeping them all currently regardless, but that may change when my handhelds stop working and may do the same, only keep the games that are special.

RE: Would You Keep Your Games if You Lacked the Console to Play Them? - Kyng - Aug 22nd, 2025

Yes - and I do.

I haven't had a CD drive on any of my laptops since 2019 - but I still keep my physical games anyway. It's mainly out of sentimental value, rather than any hope that I might play them again (indeed, I have digital versions of some of them!)

RE: Would You Keep Your Games if You Lacked the Console to Play Them? - Dragon Lord - Aug 30th, 2025

I sure do. I still have a handful of SNES games despite lacking any way to play them for the last 20-ish years. They all hold a very special place in my heart and I doubt I'll ever get rid of them... unless some day the world goes even more mad and I can sell a used copy of Super Mario RPG for $10,000.