Not impressed with UGC

[TheValeman]

And considering the available options ... Nil ... Nada ... Zip ... what other choices are there?

[wiggy]

they're already a huge pain in the ass, but if they were made any more harder then forget it.

Tell me about it!

I've been cutting the shit out of them for these double UGCs and it's a HUGE PITA

[ShoothimNow]

I've gotten my 1st box of 100 universal game cases from media shelving and I must say I am not impressed.

To each their own...

They look cheap.

Eco-cases look cheap to me, but yet 90% of new movies/games use them. 

The plastic cover holder around the outside opens at both ends... I mean why can't they just be made similar to a DVD case just bigger to fit the appropriate console?

So you are stating that the UGC is shit compared to DVD cases, but yet... DVD cases open from both sides too... mixed messages??

The Plastic seems cheap.  There were no clips to hold manuals.  The cartridges did not fit snuggly but rather loosley.

Could have asked us before you bought them for specs.

I really hope that some will develop a UGC that has better quality. 

I mean why can't they just be made similar to a DVD case just bigger to fit the appropriate console?  Why is this so hard?  Are there not enough classic games out there for a market?

I know Onion is working on this and I commend him for it but why can't a larger company do this?  I want a better quality product.

I am extremely happy with my UGC's. They get the job done.  Due to the fact that I am "collecting" my games and "preserving" them inside UGC's, I don't exactly open the boxes multiple times everyday.  I can see the plactic breaking and having to be replaced (as where I work they always come back worse than how we send them out), however that is just like anything else nowadays.  If you want something heavier, have at it.  I am perfectly fine with a quality product of only $0.60 a unit.  To each their own.

And again... your original statement/complaint is contradicting itself.  Maybe I am just crazy though

[Mert]

Hey, I like a man who settles for nothing less than the best. Unfortunately, for the time being, this is it. I also really hope someone will start producing premium game cases. But you hit the nail on the head here:

Are there not enough classic games out there for a market?

Like another poster said, we're a niche inside the larger classic game collector niche. From a "larger company" standpoint, there is indeed no market. The UGCs themselves were actually targeted more toward the rental store industry, and we just sort of repurposed them. I'm sure mediashelving has caught on to what we're doing though, and other people (like Onion) are starting to take interest. We just gotta keep doing what we're doing and hope we get noticed.

[madrocsz]

Just got my 2nd order of 200 in after about 9 months since the last one, still very happy with them.

Will say my newer shipment the cases are a bit different, seemingly made w/ less plastic and the actual sleeve for artwork is thinner however much more clear/smooth and shiny versus my old.

Like everyone else said, niche market otherwise probably would see more options

[mojoeskateco]

I'd have to say I agree with most of the replies in that, currently the UGC is the best alternative out there from a features to cost ratio.

The only other alternative I've found is Black double wide DVD cases, however I prefer the look of the UGC for NES games.

- They are way cheaper than trying to find complete in box games

- They are way easier to replace than an original box if they do get damaged (just get another case and reprint the case art)

- They are way easier to take care of compared to cardboard boxes of the NES, SNES, and N64

My main concern is that with most things the quality will go down as the manufacturer looks to cut costs.

I'm through my first 200 and couldn't be happier with the results so far and will be ordering another 100-200 very shortly

[Maben]

I hope my first post wasn't too negative, I was just voicing my own concerns in line with the thread.  Overall, I am extremely happy with the UGCs that I have.  They line up great on my shelf, they hold my N64 games great, and they display the great art on this site.

Being able to hold many different cartridges is great for other collectors too since your collection can look more uniform.  And it's ideal that we have the UGCs as a standard to make covers for and to plan around. 

And like mojoe said, they are great from a monetary standpoint.  I can purposely seek out out-of-box games and know that they will still look great.  And the UGCs are "indestructible" in comparison to cheap cardboard boxes. 

So, basically I hold an opposite view of the OP.  My "complaints" are really just me nitpicking any fault I can find.

[Harp00nX]

Ive just took delivery of 200 and I have to say compared to the first 100 I bought these are worse. For a start the plastic sleeve is a lot clearer so cover imperfections show up more where as before they were slightly more... textured if that's the right word. Biggest gripe is they are definitely the same size but the insert part for the cover is most definitely smaller. I've had to shave off an extra 2 to 3mm horizontally to fit covers in properly now.

Overall i'm happy, out of 200 only 13 were damaged which is a miracle considering the box had burst open at both sides, I'm amazed they hadn't spilled out somewhere along the delivery chain from the US to the UK (yes postage was insane).

[wiggy]

I think I've only ever owned the "new" cases as I've had to re-size covers from the get-go.  Now my templates are just a tad smaller to compensate.  I wondered if it was just me or not.  Now I know.

[Maben]

I think I've only ever owned the "new" cases as I've had to re-size covers from the get-go.  Now my templates are just a tad smaller to compensate.  I wondered if it was just me or not.  Now I know.

As I said before, I recently got mine second-hand.  However, I've noticed that a lot of the covers I end up shaving about 2mm off of the back simply because otherwise the cover tends to bunch as it is too big.  Not a large problem by any means but I thought perhaps I was doing something wrong 

I guess the UGCs have varied a bit since their inception.

[AppleQueso]

I think I've only ever owned the "new" cases as I've had to re-size covers from the get-go.  Now my templates are just a tad smaller to compensate.  I wondered if it was just me or not.  Now I know.

As I said before, I recently got mine second-hand.  However, I've noticed that a lot of the covers I end up shaving about 2mm off of the back simply because otherwise the cover tends to bunch as it is too big.  Not a large problem by any means but I thought perhaps I was doing something wrong 

I guess the UGCs have varied a bit since their inception.

I remember someone talking about this and posted a very old UGC.

didn't realize they'd changed the sleeve texture. That might annoy me a bit...

[wiggy]

Does anyone have both the old and new on hand?  I'd like to see a comparo shot if so.  Just curious.

[WolfAlmighty]

Take a picture of them at an angle while they're opened up, so that light reflects off of them.  That can show the difference, but the texture itself you'd have to feel.  The new ones are smoother.  They also crack a bit easier when I'm snapping off the tabs.  This makes them easier to modify because they don't take as much effort to cut, but they are also prone to splitting so you have to be careful.

[Moviefan2k4]

OK, so how durable are these things, really? I don't want the equivalent of a CD jewel case, or those "eco crap" DVD / Blu-Ray cases.

[wiggy]

They're pretty tough, but they do shatter if you drop them.  Like I was saying, 25 of my last shipment were busted.  Some with minor cracks, so completely fucked.