Topic: Your latest retro purchase

Just bought a used Kramer VP-728 Switcher/Scaler off eBay for connecting all my non-current consoles to. 9-inputs including composite, s-video, component, VGA and even a couple of HDMI inputs means I can get rid of all those crappy scalers and converters I've got connected at the moment and just have everything going through a single box to either a HDTV or PC monitor.

Also got a replacement shell for the Dreamcast on the way to replace the rather yellowed original. Should finish off my Dreamcast nicely after replacing the noisy original fan, installing a new PSU and replacing the old battery on the controller board.

@dmcc0 Sounds like you've built yourself a new Dreamcast 😜

I'm not familiar with those Kramer units. Are they meant to be good or are you just taking a punt?

@gcunit Yeah, it's not far off! Still the original motherboard so in my mind it still counts as 'original hardware'.

I've seen the Kramer units mentioned in a few retro gaming discussions lately so though I'd give it a try. They're reasonably cheap used (I paid less than £40 for mine) so I figured nothing lost if it's no better than what I have - the 'spouse factor' alone in having everything going to a single box is worth it for me. My wife is constantly complaining about there being cables, converters and controllers everywhere. Less cables = happy wife in my house!

I got my first Game Boy, I never owned one before. Just, the GBA I had when I was a kid. Any cool games for it that are under the radar?

@ShonenJump121 My Game Boy recommendations would be:

-Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins
-Wario Land: Super Mario Land 3
-Any of the Pokémon versions minus Pokémon Crystal (that's a Game Boy Color exclusive, but you can play Gold and Silver on a Game Boy)
-Donkey Kong '94
-the Donkey Kong Land trilogy (though their physics aren't like the Donkey Kong Country trilogy)
-Kirby's Dream Land 2

I ordered The Elder Scrolls: Morrowind Game of the Year Edition for the Xbox so I can play it on the Xbox One

Thank you!

Finally picked up god hand. It was the only clover game I was missing.

Picked up a rather random bundle quite cheap on eBay that contained (all untested): A Sega Master System Light Phaser, a transparent Blue Dreamcast Controller, a Mega Drive 1, a Mega Drive 2 and a 3rd Party Mega Drive controller.

• I'll re-sell the Light phaser as I've not got a CRT to play on (or a Master System!).
• Dreamcast controller looks in pretty good condition, but the D-Pad and a couple of buttons stick a bit,
  so probably just needs a bit of a clean. I might keep it if it cleans up OK and get rid of one of my
  regular white ones.
• MD1 seems to work fine, but the power connector is loose - powers off when I wiggle the cable - so
  I'll open it up and have a check the solder joints etc and give it a good clean.
• MD2 power LEDs come on, but no picture. Will have to investigate this one a bit more.
• MD pad isn't the best, but it works - will likely just clean it up and sell with one of the MDs (assuming I
  get them both working properly).

Just picked up a "brand new" copy of Wii Party U for the Wii U. Elitists be damned.

Let me explain what I mean by "brand new".

The cardboard box that includes the game, the black Wii Remote Plus and the Wii U GamePad horizontal base is open and it's missing the Wiimote Plus, but the base is there and the game itself is still sealed.
For 300 Mexican Pesos (somewhere between $16-$18), it's a good deal, the Wiimote Plus can be replaced easily and I can pretend it's the original one.

3 more Mega Drives!

Note to self - don't put in a bid (even a low one) on multiple eBay items until you get outbid on a previous item! I returned from holiday last week to find I'm now the proud owner of 5 Mega Drives, having submitted bids on another 3 'for parts' items on eBay in addition to the 2 I'd already bought above - Oops.

@dmcc0 Why stop at 5 bro? There's more out there... Go! Go! Go!

Are you refurbing and flipping, or just hoarding parts for own use?

@gcunit I'll keep one, as I sold my MD years ago, and might keep a second to try an mod it depending if there are any decent mods around - I haven't checked. If I can repair/refurb the rest I'll sell them on and any that I can't get working I'll keep for spares. I actually enjoy the fault-finding and challenge of trying to get them working so not really looking to make any money or anything, but if it helps someone get a cheap working console I'm fine with that. There seems to be a load of faulty (or at least untested) Mega Drives out there.

Star Wars Knights Of The Old Republic
This was the last game I purchased for my original Xbox.

Picked up a Mega Everdrive X5 for the many Mega Drives I've picked up over the last couple of months! Also an 8bitdo Retro Receiver for MD too so I can use a decent controller, as I've only got the dodgy old 3rd party one I picked up with one of the consoles. It will be weird using a SNES-style SN30 controller on a Sega Console.

I also got a small drawer unit from Amazon for storing teabags - fits loose Game Gear carts perfectly.

Not sure if this is "retro" enough by some standards, but I couldn't find any equivalent topic in the DS forum that's recent.

I bought a CIB copy of Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Time from a retro store online. It's ironic that it arrived today since we learned Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Red Rescue Team is coming to NSO next week. Not sure if I'll fully play the game for some time, but I do intend to take it for a test drive very soon to see if it functions.

Bought Lumines 2 for PSP for $7. It's the EU/PAL version but that's hardly the issue since the PSP is region-free. Also had to buy a new PSP charger as well since I forgot what did with my multi-cable charger...ugh...what a shame & inconvenience. But since I live near a local retro game store, I was able to buy one.

My PSP is getting on in the years & has seen better days but still (somehow) works. But I will get a new one next year. I'm due for a...green one. Plus, a PS Vita Oled as well. But my PSP still has some life left. The best part is how it handles save data: if your PSP breaks down, you still have the Memory Stick Duo. Get a new one & you continue where you left off.

I got Tomba!

It's about £16, so if anyone did go for those vouchers with extra points, it's an option for spending those points.

Just picked up Jurassic Park on Game Gear at a vintage market for AU $20. A steal for a hidden gem. The alternative is eBay where I'll pay around the same or a bit more for one from the US - then tons on shipping and taxes etc.

It seems I'm now addicted to buying faulty consoles on eBay! I've got 3 of the 5 Mega Drives I previously bought working again - 1 still unable to fix, and the other I haven't looked at yet. Still haven't sold any of them though, much to the annoyance of my wife.

In the last few weeks I've also picked up (all faulty/untested):

• A GBC listed as 'no power with some corrosion on the battery terminals', although opening it up it looks like water damage as everything inside is corroded. Might struggle to get this one working again!
• A PSP listed as 'no power'. Looks in decent condition otherwise.
• An Evercade VS with 'one faulty USB connector'. Arrived with the USB connector rattling around inside the console - had been ripped off the board. Works fine using the other USB ports though and will be an easy fix as the board doesn't appear to be damaged.

If I do buy more though, I'll have to stick to getting consoles I've already got so that I'm encouraged to sell them on - I didn't have an Evercade or PSP so I'll probably end up keeping those! I've already bought a few Evercade carts and I found myself browsing the PSP section at my local retro game store too.