i have decided to ditch all cd/dvd based video game media

[SMiTH]

So after going through my collection of cd/dvd games from saturn, sega cd, ps1, ps2, gamecube, dreamcast, 3d0 and finding disc rot on many games...
I am ditching all disk based video game media.
well kinda...I will buy some of the newer systems games on disk.
the retro stuff, NOPE!

If the console can be modded to load games from a HDD or SD card etc. I will use that method.
If the console can only load games from cd-r/dvd-r, then I will burn the games.

Disk rot is a real problem.
I had to get rid of 60 cd's from my music collection too.


The only disk based media that I will continue to buy is 360, ps3, ps4, xbox one, blu ray, hd dvd, and cheap music cd's.
I don't mind spending 1 dollar for a music cd at a thrift store.
If it has disk rot, it is not a big loss.

The sad truth is that all storage media has flaws.

[azel]

Interesting, from what I have heard disc rot on most commercial games isn't really an issue yet if stored reasonably. I've definitely heard of it with certain kinds of writable cd media.

As for the Saturn stuff I feel like if you keep it another 10 years it will triple in value haha. Anyways you are making it sound very widespread in your collection. Any examples of the worst systems/games?

Edit: hey I'm new around here, I'm assuming you are the SMiTH that did the Shenmue undub release. I played through that many years ago, thank you!

[Anthony817]

Not to mention the possibility of scratched discs! With GDEMU I no longer have that problem! Pretty much almost every retro disc based console has an ODE now that lacked a HDD. Even the GC has a nice ODE out now. Hell, even some consoles that did have HDD's have ODE's as is the case with the PS3 and 360. Digital is the way of the future for sure, especially when you can archive an entire collection on a single drive nowadays for the older stuff.

[SMiTH]

Not to mention the possibility of scratched discs! With GDEMU I no longer have that problem! Pretty much almost every retro disc based console has an ODE now that lacked a HDD. Even the GC has a nice ODE out now. Hell, even some consoles that did have HDD's have ODE's as is the case with the PS3 and 360. Digital is the way of the future for sure, especially when you can archive an entire collection on a single drive nowadays for the older stuff.

Yes, it is more reliable and I think this is what people should do with retro consoles.

Any examples of the worst systems/games? I'm assuming you are the SMiTH that did the Shenmue undub release. I played through that many years ago, thank you!

Worst disks from my collection:

gamecube 3 disks , mario golf / luigi mansion / paper mario
sega cd 2 disks , sewer shark / sega classics
ps1 1 disk , gran turismo 2
dreamcast 1 disk , marvel vs capcom 2

my point is that disk rot is an issue with all cd/dvd games.

Thank you for playing the undub.
Like most things I have made for dreamcast, eventually some1 makes a better version.
It doesn't upset me, it is inevitable.
I basically expect some1 to come along and make a better version lol.

[Anthony817]

Edit: hey I'm new around here, I'm assuming you are the SMiTH that did the Shenmue undub release. I played through that many years ago, thank you!

Yup! He also did the English speech mod for Shenmue 2 for me after me saying I just couldn't play the game on DC without the iconic English speech no matter how poorly it sounded vs the Japanese acting. I just knew Corey Marshal as Ryo, so nobody else could play that character for me.

He also used to be known as the Bleem King as he made around 200 Bleemed PSX games for the DC back in the day. We had about 130 of them over at TIZ which wasn't even all that he did.

I am just glad the dude is back and posting in the community. There for many years he was M.I.A. and distanced himself from the community. Now you can't get him to shut up haha.

Good times, good times.

[azel]

That's awesome, I definitely played the Shenmue 2 English voice mod as well, probably twice over the years. Only did the undub and normal Shenmue II PAL once. It may be more authentic but I played the originals with the funny English voices and I prefer it that way. It has a certaiin kind of charm. Plus not everybody would be speaking Japanese in Hong Kong anyways right?

I'm actually half way through a playthrough of 1 and 2 right now since I got my DCHDMI. This time wiith the GDI version of the English mod. I told myself next time I would do undub and normal Shenmue 2. Had no idea there was a 'better' version though

Thanks again for all your hard work SMiTH!

As for that disc rot that is brutal. Oh well if you have a decent Sega collection it will be worth quite a bit, some extra money would be alright. I wonder how it is going to effect stuff like ebay sales in the future.

[Tarnish]

I too have switched to GDEMU in the past months, for multiple reasons. Disc rot being one, scratches being another, and game prices being the third.

People always complain about the shoddy laser of the Dreamcast, when in fact the discs are way worse if you ask me.

It's still nice having a copy of the games for admiring the packaging and for the manual tho, even if I don't use the disc anymore.

[deluxux]

I purged the collection a while ago myself and a ton of disks had rot. The 360 was the worst for me. I wish they had switched to M-DISC https://www.verbatim.com/subcat/optical-media/m-disc/

[247]

Maybe i'am the only one but i haven't experienced disc rot in neither of my 400+ vg/music collection, maybe on only one disk but i don't know if it's disc rot or just me threating the disc very badly (i was just a kid back then)

Lucky me

[Pravnuk]

I never experienced disc rot. Is it more common in warmer climate? (I live in northern Sweden = dry and cold).