slaanesh
Certified Guru
All of my handhelds that I initially bought as working are still fully working (I've bought some faulty units for spare parts).
So, what are you like?
So, what are you like?
Mortality Rate Of My Handhelds
- Thread starter slaanesh
- Start date
paulobecker
Member
I take extra care of almost everything I own 
I only ever owned three handhelds: one bulky, original Game Boy (still have it, fully working and no scratches on the screen), one Game Boy Color (sold it in near-mint condition when I bought my GP2X) and the GP2X itself, which I always keep in the official case I bought along with it.
One thing I do (though I have no idea if it really helps or not) is always put those silica-packs inside the protective case along with the videogame to prevent moisture and humidity from acting up.
I only ever owned three handhelds: one bulky, original Game Boy (still have it, fully working and no scratches on the screen), one Game Boy Color (sold it in near-mint condition when I bought my GP2X) and the GP2X itself, which I always keep in the official case I bought along with it.
One thing I do (though I have no idea if it really helps or not) is always put those silica-packs inside the protective case along with the videogame to prevent moisture and humidity from acting up.
DisgruntleElf
Member
- Joined
- Dec 28, 2005
- Messages
- 339
Well my GP32 died after 4 years which isn't bad. It first refused to run some applications, then corrupted my SMC cards, and finally turned on to a blank screen.
The only handheld I ever killed was my first NDS. Me and a friend wanted to flash the firmware over. During the flash process my idiot friend powered the NDS off because he thought it wasn't progressing any further. I wanted to kick his ass so much... how dumb do you have to be, seriously? Then again, I shouldn't have let him do the flash, it was my responsibility... well I replaced the pcb with one out of a broken NDS... everything works as it was intended to be.
zxxgp
Member
I have only lost 2 handhelds and one of them was broken because a friend's sister dropped it on concrete. All of my hendhelds(other then the two above) are in great shape and for the most part stay that way.
quadomatic
DingooWiki Admin
I don't lose them, and I don't break them. I take good care of them, but I'm free to open them up and do whatever the hell I want (D-Pad mod, right now my GP2X's motherboard is sitting to the left of me)
ledow
Member
I take care of my stuff. I insert connectors carefully. I will sit and untangle cables and gently straighten out coiled cables. I use good batteries, which I manage charging for. I don't drop them. I always use a wriststrap if available. I don't open them up if I can possibly help it. If I do use "unofficial" addons like chargers, PSU's, lights, etc. then I check them carefully before using (usually with a multimeter) and "lock" them to the right settings (bit of sticky-tape over the voltage switch etc.). I do my best to protect the screen but don't believe in screen protectors (I've seen them destroy Palm touchscreens because they "solidify" the screen a bit more and so pressure on the upper layer causes pressure on all sides, which ultimately breaks the screen entirely - you don't get marks on the screen but one day it will just refuse to calibrate).
For my previous handhelds, I had large, hard cases that I could fit everything in (e.g. console, carts, link-cables batteries, charger, headphones etc.). My original Gameboy I sold on eBay in 2005 (15 years after it came out?) still with all the original parts, instruction manuals, games, chargers and accessories (not boxes, though, because I put it in a case). My original Game Gear I sold in a similar situation, with TV Tuner and all the games in a hard case - the only thing "wrong" was the original PSU's cable had worn out through years of being plugged in and so the cable had broken inside the wallplug. I had to dismantle it, repair it, and tape it back together. Oh, and I think the TV-Tuner aerial was a wee bit smaller than it started out as because it was such a vulnerable part.
For my GP2X, I keep it in its velvet bag with a little spectacle-cleaning cloth for the screen. I only put it down in safe places (and, because I love it so much, always mention to the wife where I have put it down so it doesn't get buried). I try to not put pressure on the joystick when I store it (because that looks like a vulnerable bit to me). I'm very wary of the little rubber port covers and the fact that the PSU connector is so flimsy. I'm hoping to get 10 or 15 years use out of it, so I can show it to my (minus two weeks old) kid.
Strangely, I probably played with my consoles more than most people ever do. When I bought my second-hand GP2X, it came from someone who'd had it years - it had the Value Pack, two homebrew games that didn't work and a couple of MP3's on it. They can't have used it at all. Every single electronic gadget I've owned got played to absolute death. We once worked out that my original 48k speccy had tens of thousands of hours of play (we only broke it twice - both times on the same game - Daley Thompson's Decathlon, which requires lots of joystick wiggling and broke our Interface 2 port twice - it was only a "resolder" job, though and my dad fixed it). I was bought an electronic boxing game when I was about 5. I still have it. It's got a set of red LED's for the "screen", two joysticks and two buttons for each player - it still works perfectly and it was played on and off for hundreds of hours over two decades.
My friends manage to break just about everything known to man. I would never lend out my consoles at all. I was wary of even lending out games. I no longer lend out CD, DVD's because they ALWAYS come back scratched - I'm so careful with other people's discs and would even clean them if they were grubby but nobody else bothers when its my discs!
Basically - watch what you're doing. Don't balance them on the edges of chairs. Remind yourself how much they cost and what a hassle it would be if they were to break. When you put them down, think about where you've put them and what's "vulnerable" on them.
My GP2X has taken one dive in the year I've had it - it was in my coat pocket, and the hook the coat was on fell off the wall entirely. It hit the floor and "popped" the casing open. I was heartbroken. I carefully popped the two halves back together and turned it back on in trepidation and fortunately all was well - not even a scratch because the coat protected it.
For my previous handhelds, I had large, hard cases that I could fit everything in (e.g. console, carts, link-cables batteries, charger, headphones etc.). My original Gameboy I sold on eBay in 2005 (15 years after it came out?) still with all the original parts, instruction manuals, games, chargers and accessories (not boxes, though, because I put it in a case). My original Game Gear I sold in a similar situation, with TV Tuner and all the games in a hard case - the only thing "wrong" was the original PSU's cable had worn out through years of being plugged in and so the cable had broken inside the wallplug. I had to dismantle it, repair it, and tape it back together. Oh, and I think the TV-Tuner aerial was a wee bit smaller than it started out as because it was such a vulnerable part.
For my GP2X, I keep it in its velvet bag with a little spectacle-cleaning cloth for the screen. I only put it down in safe places (and, because I love it so much, always mention to the wife where I have put it down so it doesn't get buried). I try to not put pressure on the joystick when I store it (because that looks like a vulnerable bit to me). I'm very wary of the little rubber port covers and the fact that the PSU connector is so flimsy. I'm hoping to get 10 or 15 years use out of it, so I can show it to my (minus two weeks old) kid.
Strangely, I probably played with my consoles more than most people ever do. When I bought my second-hand GP2X, it came from someone who'd had it years - it had the Value Pack, two homebrew games that didn't work and a couple of MP3's on it. They can't have used it at all. Every single electronic gadget I've owned got played to absolute death. We once worked out that my original 48k speccy had tens of thousands of hours of play (we only broke it twice - both times on the same game - Daley Thompson's Decathlon, which requires lots of joystick wiggling and broke our Interface 2 port twice - it was only a "resolder" job, though and my dad fixed it). I was bought an electronic boxing game when I was about 5. I still have it. It's got a set of red LED's for the "screen", two joysticks and two buttons for each player - it still works perfectly and it was played on and off for hundreds of hours over two decades.
My friends manage to break just about everything known to man. I would never lend out my consoles at all. I was wary of even lending out games. I no longer lend out CD, DVD's because they ALWAYS come back scratched - I'm so careful with other people's discs and would even clean them if they were grubby but nobody else bothers when its my discs!
Basically - watch what you're doing. Don't balance them on the edges of chairs. Remind yourself how much they cost and what a hassle it would be if they were to break. When you put them down, think about where you've put them and what's "vulnerable" on them.
My GP2X has taken one dive in the year I've had it - it was in my coat pocket, and the hook the coat was on fell off the wall entirely. It hit the floor and "popped" the casing open. I was heartbroken. I carefully popped the two halves back together and turned it back on in trepidation and fortunately all was well - not even a scratch because the coat protected it.
I'm not sure that helps any unless you are in a humid atmosphere or see signs of condensation etc. I've never bothered with those packets and never seen a single sign of corrosion on anything that I've kept stored away indoors.Paulo Becker said:
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TaG
Fau-fau-faulty software.
Handhelds: I don't lose them. I don't damage them. That's what children are for.
Null
Snug
All of my handhelds are still working, and I haven't lost any (for longer than a few days anyway :lol: ).
Unfortunately I do have a tendency to drop my handhelds, luckily none of them seem to have suffered any damage from this. :unsure:
Unfortunately I do have a tendency to drop my handhelds, luckily none of them seem to have suffered any damage from this. :unsure:
WhizzBang
Grotesque Peasant
I sometimes lose them. I left:
- a GameBoy Color (which had been modded to include an internal light) on a plane
- a GBA (with an extra capacity battery, official case, and several games) at an airport
- A DaveC modded dpad GP2x on a coach (I am still gutted about this, as my replacement GP2x is nowhere near as good)
I also had a GP32 with a dodgy screen which became completely unusable when someone tried to fix it.
I still have an Gameboy (not color), a GP2x and a NDS. At least I am not likely to lose the NDS as I find it is not much good for travelling. The bumpiness of the journey tends to make my use of the stylus less acurate.
- a GameBoy Color (which had been modded to include an internal light) on a plane
- a GBA (with an extra capacity battery, official case, and several games) at an airport
- A DaveC modded dpad GP2x on a coach (I am still gutted about this, as my replacement GP2x is nowhere near as good)
I also had a GP32 with a dodgy screen which became completely unusable when someone tried to fix it.
I still have an Gameboy (not color), a GP2x and a NDS. At least I am not likely to lose the NDS as I find it is not much good for travelling. The bumpiness of the journey tends to make my use of the stylus less acurate.
daclassicgamingmaster
It Is Your Birthday.
I'm rather anal with all my handhelds
P-J
Member
- Joined
- Jul 24, 2007
- Messages
- 137
- Age
- 44
- Location
- Warwickshire, England
- Website
- www.philunderhill.co.uk
Vrown Jewels?
klikklak
Oh neat, it's a ... field.
I've only had two handhelds, a gp32 and a gp2x. Gp2x is still fine and working, although the screen has big scratches from dropping it and in the process of catching it slamming it against a stone slab. Gp32 I however lost, I left it on a beach in france.
trooper
Trooper`s watching you !!!
It probably has a very nice tan by now.klikklak said:
Trooper
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slaanesh
Certified Guru
It's German for "Crown Jewels"P-J said:Vrown Jewels?
Interesting to read everyone's tales. I created this poll because it seems like a large number of people mod or lose or somehow destroy their handheld - well that is based on the posts on this board.
And thanks ledow for your story. It's one of the bigger single posts I've ever seen!
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waffles
Unachivement unlocked.
The only 2 handhelds i have busted was my original DS and DS lite (screen and hinge, respectively)
abertalia
Active Member
I cant remember ever breaking or losing a handheld, and I take care of them as well as I can. I hate it when smudge marks get all over the Gp2x's buttons area though I still have my Gameboy Color working perfectly also.
I still have my Gameboy Color working perfectly also.
