Game media survive-ability

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How long does game media last?

NES, SNES mega drive and other's have chipped cartridge's
Master system had "please correct me on this.... Magnetized cards" aswell as cartridge's
commodore had tapes
mega drive cd and newer use CD's

Magnetic tape last's 10 and 20 years
CD's lasts 10 or 25 years

but what about the rest.

can the master system cards still be gotten ?
if so would they even work no after 25 years since its original release.

so if i happened to get a game or two on cards how much longer would i have before the universe say F you i'm clearing your cache lol

What about play station original how long more will they actually last?

so how long would cartridge games last ?
and commodore/amstrad magnetic tape?

What about other media i'm not thinking of?

Any info on this would be great?

Flaregon

chevron wrote: »

How long does game media last?

NES, SNES mega drive and other's have chipped cartridge's
Master system had "please correct me on this.... Magnetized cards" aswell as cartridge's
commodore had tapes
mega drive cd and newer use CD's

Magnetic tape last's 10 and 20 years
CD's lasts 10 or 25 years

but what about the rest.

can the master system cards still be gotten ?
if so would they even work no after 25 years since its original release.

so if i happened to get a game or two on cards how much longer would i have before the universe say F you i'm clearing your cache lol

What about play station original how long more will they actually last?

so how long would cartridge games last ?
and commodore/amstrad magnetic tape?

What about other media i'm not thinking of?

Any info on this would be great?

forever while as long as u maintain them lol.
no clue to be fair.

Retr0gamer

Magnetic tapes suck as do floppy disks. They don't really last very long unless taken care of. Cartridges will probably last until the sun swallows the earth, that includes master system and Hucards since they are all the same tech. CD's supposedly only last 10 years but if you keep care of them they will last longer. I've not come across a CD that wasn't a cheap burnable one that doesn't work anymore as long as you aren't using it to polish a concrete floor.

o1s1n

Carts won't last for eternity, but they'll probably outlive everyone on this forum. I wouldn't worry about it.

Disc based media is what you want to be worried about.

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o1s1n wrote: »

Carts won't last for eternity, but they'll probably outlive everyone on this forum. I wouldn't worry about it.

Disc based media is what you want to be worried about.

that i agree with... but does anyone have any idea about the master system 1 cards?

Given that everyone agrees that cartridges last longest. how long can we expect from them?

so with all this ... what consoles can we see vanishing first due to its media.
would it be master system "cards" or Mega CD. .. what about amiga/commodore/amstrad...

what will die first ?

o1s1n

They're pretty much like PC Engine Hucards aren't they? If that's the case they're more or less the same as a cart. Edge connecting pins linked up to a PCB with chips. So they'd also last a very long time.

Retr0gamer

Master system cards are just rom chips. It's the same tech as cartridges so it's the same. They are small because the capacity of them is so low.

o1s1n

Floppy disc based media (already dying) and laserdiscs (also dying of disc rot) - I'd say standard CDs/DVDs next and finally carts.

Remember a cd is just some plastic with a layer of aluminum. If the aluminum begins to separate from the plastic you're boned. And then there's warping.

If you're freaked out about a collection not lasting, just stick to cart based games.

Here's a video worth watching which was posted during the week. You'd have more to worry about from your consoles failing than carts.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uCLOxK6FpfA

CiDeRmAn

o1s1n wrote: »

Carts won't last for eternity, but they'll probably outlive everyone on this forum. I wouldn't worry about it.

Disc based media is what you want to be worried about.

Even me?
But don't I have fewer years ahead then you guys?
Aside from Atavan, lets face it, it's a glorious death under a pile of coke and hookers in his future.... lucky b@stard!


And, carts will be around forever, but devices to run them, overall robust but don't count on the Nes too much.
Disc based games, shelf life might be considerably shorter than their hardware based cousins but the machines to play them are even shorter lived than that, so you are likely to have software that'll run just fine in an Xbox 360, if only there was one still capable of playing it on

The only real, long term hope is probably some sort of streaming service, where there'll be a, again, robust off site 360-type emu going on allowing you to run titles from a list, so kiss goodbye to your less popular titles, unless bandwidth is such that such an off-site console can run games from a cloud filled with your own uploaded games, or something..... to the patent office!

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Retr0gamer wrote: »

Master system cards are just rom chips. It's the same tech as cartridges so it's the same. They are small because the capacity of them is so low.

But if i remember correctly the master system 1 had card like paper versions of a credit card.

Does anyone still have these?

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o1s1n wrote: »

Floppy disc based media (already dying) and laserdiscs (also dying of disc rot) - I'd say standard CDs/DVDs next and finally carts.

Remember a cd is just some plastic with a layer of aluminum. If the aluminum begins to separate from the plastic you're boned. And then there's warping.

If you're freaked out about a collection not lasting, just stick to cart based games.

Here's a video worth watching which was posted during the week. You'd have more to worry about from your consoles failing than carts.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uCLOxK6FpfA

Great video of the endurance of a NES cartridge.

Retr0gamer

chevron wrote: »

But if i remember correctly the master system 1 had card like paper versions of a credit card.

Does anyone still have these?

As I've said twice already it's the same tech. It's a Rom chip on a PCB. It's a cartridge just smaller. It doesn't matter what it's printed on.

chevron

OK maybe i just dont understand what the cards are made of.

Time to try find one to examine.


EDIT...
My memeory must be failing me ... i thought they were more like this



and not like this