General Category > General Discussion
Not impressed with UGC
wiggy:
The biggest issue, IMO, is the design itself. That lip that runs around the edge is just stupid. I really can't figure out why they were designed that way other than to mimic old VHS rental cases, which had the same stupid design. I've got to imagine that it made sense at some point, for some reason, but I can't figure it out at the moment.
If they removed the suicide lip, then they'd most likely be about as tough as any DVD/game/etc retail poly case.
wiggy:
That wasn't my point. My point is, why have that lip run around the case, whether it be for games, VHS tapes, or whatever. It's a poor design no matter what it's used for.
Obviously they're still in use. There's no way that just this and other tiny cover reproduction communities are keeping this product viable in the marketplace.
tiktektak:
I always thought the lip is there to make it stand better than on the case base itself.
wiggy:
Well, that might be the point I was missing. They do indeed stand on their own FAR better than DVD cases do, that's for sure. Good call.
Seymor Onion:
In the early days of the Sega Genesis, Sega released their games in a Hard Plastic Case, with an outer lip.
As others have stated, the lip also acts as stiffener, to dampen the effects of bending, when you open and close the case.
This has two main benefits; the first being prevention of bending the manual too much (Creasing & Scuffing),
or having the Game Cart suddenly just pop out of the area where it's being held in by the Tabs, as you open the case.
Their sidewall design is vastly superior to the UGC, because they create two "Wells", one for each half of the case,
to prevent the Manual from getting pinched, when you open and close the case.
You also get Dust Protection, because the sidewalls overlap, when the case is closed.
Now, if only they had designed the Manual Holding Area a little better, and there were other variations that supported different cartridge types, different manual sizes, and the overall outside dimensions were a bit larger (closer to that of a UGC)...
Oh, wait, that's what I'm working on! ;)