Speaking for myself, I always like to retain all video game systems that I have ever owned. The reason for this is because I don't like to just get rid of games, especially if I enjoy them, and when they're for a system that is no longer being made, finding either the game or the system itself is an extreme chore, being either inconvenient, very expensive, or both. (Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance, anyone?) How do the rest of you feel about your old systems? Do you keep your old games? or trade up to newer ones? or perhaps some odd mix of both behaviours? It'll be interesting to see how you treat your games. Oh, and for this topic, mentioning PCs as a game system would be a bit odd, since PC games are a lot easily transferable due to the fluidity of the medium. You can mention PCs if you wish, though it doesn't really work for how I had the question in mind.
I don't have any new systems (except for a 3DS) xD So I was forced to keep my old ones, but even if I'm not forced I will probably keep at least the games. Like my old DS is pretty much broken to a point where you can't use it anymore, but I still have it and I play the games on my 3DS thanks to the backwards compatibility, so yeah XD You paid for it, so why just throw it out if you can still get enjoyment out of the older systems/games.
I still own my Gameboy colors and N64. I think that it shows that I still have the original stuff, because you want to keep playing the classics on the systems they were made for in the first place. Nothing beats playing a good game of Pokémon Puzzle League on the N64 and I like to look at my Mew on Blue, I need a compatible system, no?
I hang onto my old systems, mainly for nostalgia and I want tol play a classic game on the console it was meant to be played on
I second WavePearl on my reason for keeping my old systems, and I still play console games occasionally for the nostalgia. In Mario Kart 64, I have much better maneuverability when eluding those cars in Toad's Turnpike on my Nintendo 64 than I would on the virtual Wii.
I keep my old systems, because all of them hold memories that are so dear to me. I gave my old Wii system to my best friend, but now I'm starting to miss it. It's a good thing I gave it to a trustful person! My first console was a Nintendo DSi. I've traded away a few of the games but the memorable ones (such as Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Sky) stayed, along with all the Pokémon games. It feels different playing a Nintendo DS game on a 3DS system. Using an old console will preserve the original way of playing an old game. Does anybody remember Flipnote Studio? I still use that. These handhelds have played a significant part in my life, and within them are stored the timeless events that were played around them.
I keep all my stuff in good condition, my sega dreamcast, older than some of you, works perfectly. I still enjoy playing it too!
I do keep old systems and games. Still have some Gamecube games and some GBA games. I'll be keeping the Wii U and 3DS still when the Nintendo Switch comes out no doubt about that.
I like to retain old systems I buy however I haven't been the best at it over the years, and let some things slip and made some bad decisions. My original Super Nintendo is long gone I don't know where and my game collection scattered after a few moves, I believe my aunt has most of it. I only have two games left for it. I sold my Gamecube and all of my games for it years ago and have regretted that many times. However I still have my N64 and all of the games I used to, the same PS2 I got for Christmas in 2002 or 2003 I still have (although I need a new controller for it), still have my DS Lite as well. I used to have a GBA but I have no idea what happened to that, though I still have a couple of games left. These days I plan to keep everything and not let things slip again.
Truth be told, I'm a bit wishy-washy on this. I regret selling some of my old systems and games to GameStop, but it's not all bad. In my lifetime, I've had probably 150 video games across 8 consoles. There are many games I wish I never got rid of for the sake of nostalgia or the amount I honestly still played them, but I could never truly appreciate every single video game if I had that many at once. Thankfully I was able to get "more use" out of the games by buying new games with the money I got for selling my old ones. So, I've vowed to, at the very least, not rid myself of the game systems I have for the foreseeable future. I'd rather not have any more seller's remorse
I keep my systems and for a few years, collected old Nintendo handhelds. My collection, so far, is: 4 Gameboy Bricks, 5-6 Gameboy Colors (2 Glacier, 1 Yellow, 1 Lime Green, 1 Teal, and I think I have a Purple? Some are missing the battery cover), 2 Gameboy Pockets (Red and Green), 1 Gameboy Advance (Glacier, battery cover is missing), 1 Gameboy Advance SP (Light Blue, a hinge broke off in 2015), Nintendo DSi (light blue, small crack in corner of touch screen), Nintendo 3DS (purple) Xbox 360, Wii, unofficial NES/SNES player My first system was a Playstation One slim, however 4-5 days ago, while trying to plug it up, I dropped it and the lid fell off. It's currently at a family run game store in hopes of being fixed, and I purchased a new fat Playstation One to use in the meantime/ if it's not fixable.
I've held onto my old DS Lite for years now. I don't play it anymore as the hinge snapped or something... but it still works. I've also held onto my Wii. As for games, a while ago me and my sister sold a bunch of third parties to get Sun and Moon. I don't really regret it, though. Third party games aren't that good...
I am against parting with any of the systems I own if I can help it. (but I own an original Nintendo DS that's literally broken in two, so it's kind of useless). if possible I prefer playing a game on the platform it was built for, with the exception of my PS1 games and PS2 console, as my PS1 console is gathering dust in my mom's house which I rarely visit. I don't like how the 3DS emulates DS games either (which is a first since I never had any issues with the previous Nintendo handhelds emulating older games). I'm not sure if it is improved in new 3DS models, but on the launch model I have I hate the way they stretched the resolution instead of trying to letterbox it. But handhelds aside, I'm not much of a stickler when it comes to the backwards comparability argument. Sony at least has been releasing some older titles digitally on their store, so one isn't too put out if their console is not backwards compatible.
This probably amused me far more than it should have, but I have a soft spot for that particular analogy. Ah, you also had the hinge issue with the DS Lite? From what I've noticed, the buttons and the hing are usually the first things to wear out about the DS Lite, and of those, the buttons bit is easier to control. I recall that the hinge joint on my DS Lite snapped after 2 years of use, and it was right about when the DSi came out; I deliberately got another DS Lite because I needed the GBA slot still. (Just as well, because the DSi has an awful battery life). The hinge on that one snapped after 2 years as well. Both of my systems still work perfectly well; I just need to keep the hinge held up with either a finger or a propped-up book - and that isn't too difficult. It does make me wonder what it would have been like to own one of the original DS systems, though, just for the robustness they seem to just radiate.
Yeah, I hear that DS Lites face that problem. Like yours, mine is still perfectly playable, I just don't in fear that I'll make the damage worse and the system will become unplayable because you can't really play a broken system. My sister still owns her DS Lite and the hinge hasn't snapped yet. I remember when there were commercials for the DS XL. It really made me wonder what having that system would be like as well.
I have kept all my old systems, well almost all, I have my DS lite to my friend who didn't have a DS and was begging to borrow it, and since I had a 3DS so I gave it to him, though I felt bad since he gave it to me and I gave it back after a few years later with a broken hinge. Other than that I have kept my old systems, Wii, PS2, Gameboy Color, and currently 3DS. I also have kept my old computer in case my current one burns out but it is misplaced in the house and most likely completely dead/broken. I kept my old games since I loved them so much but I feel like they are being wasted on me. Same with my Wii games I rarely play, got 40-50 games and only RARELY use 10 or so. I have 5-6 games for PS2 but only have played one for 10 hours, the PS2 was a gift from someone but I just haven't had the desire to play a stationed console since my dad gets fussy if I take over his TV. (Also hype, 1000th post)
Pretty sure mom tossed my old N64 and XBox years ago since I've never seen them for the longest, and I finally got around to tossing my PS2 and the few games I had for it a few days ago. Sad to think about but they served me well during their time and were just wasting space at this point. =( The only old systems I still have are my old DS and DS Lite, though even then those aren't too old either ha. But that's my Nintendo handheld bias coming out I guess, they're still in good condition and I can play GBC games on them if I'm ever inclined to!
I keep old games and systems because good ones are hard and expensive to find and you never know what you are getting with used games and systems. Plus every once in awhile I will go back and replay old games once again.
I keep literally all of them, the only ones I don't still have with me are the ones physically stolen from when the house was broken into a couple of times. Those were replaced by different ones from insurance. I therefore have amassed about 13 DS/3DS at last count, not to mention one of every other kind of console barring only the xbox line (there's literally not a single game available for those that I want to play so there's no point) and playstation 4 (theres one I want to play but the price hasn't come down far enough to justify that single game yet). I don't trade in any games, even the ones I don't play much, so I have hundreds of those piling up around me. I find it best since I 1. hate the feeling of not being to get something back again and as you suggested those things are very hard to get again when they are no longer made and 2. I almost always come back to the games I played the first time, either because I simply never consider them finished in the first place (aka intense completionism like you see in harvest moon and rune factory titles) or because I want to play them again and again to 100% such as the older spyros, because none of the new ones capture the awesome of the originals and thus they don't feel very aged to play even now. As far as PC goes I actually do keep very old games, from around the 90s range, because I only like to play games that are typically 2D and simple to navigate, such as pharoah and cleopatra and zoombinis, however because of their significant ages, they are all quite finicky and don't like to work on my system, having macs makes the even harder again, so I have XP and windows 8 partitions to try and cope with the needs of my ancient pc games. The only new pc games i've played are sims 3 and 4 and stardew valley, both for their modding abilities :'D Anything new doesn't tend to work because they require substantial connection to the internet and because internet hasn't advanced here since the 90s, they won't install properly.
I definitely have kept most of my old systems because they're basically all I play these days because I'm old school and rarely buy modern games The oldest I have are probably my GBC, PS2 and GameCube. Although, *story time* my PS2 is a little newer because a few years ago I was playing Spyro and my roommate tripped over the cord and knocked the system off the shelf and it landed face down. After that, the system would turn on but it wouldn't load games even after all my attempts to try and fix it. But one day I decided to literally lay my hand on it and pray for it. AND THEN IT WORKED AGAIN. /endstorytime Still got a newer one later on just so it could be more reliable and all, but yes. PTL. But yeah, I'm a really nostalgic person so I keep playing the games I had as a kid and other ones like them. It's rare for a modern game to really intrigue me, with a few exceptions.