The Cover Project
General Category => General Discussion => Topic started by: razielleonhart on April 19, 2013, 04:33:57 PM
-
I just seen a post on evilbook about stone age gamer about new NES cases called bit cases. Sorry i dont have the link i am on my phone right now. Once i get to my laptop i post it. I wanted to see what you guys think of them. I have not started to case my nes games and this seems cool it has a pocket go hold our manuals
Link to the facebook page for the cases https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=640128856003525&set=a.304816229534791.92328.136116593071423&type=1&theater (https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=640128856003525&set=a.304816229534791.92328.136116593071423&type=1&theater)
-
They look pretty nice. Seems like competition for our mr onion!
-
Really hoping those arnt vacuum formed.
-
Made in America.. sounds expensive.
-
Really hoping those arnt vacuum formed.
My very first thought.
You guys think UGCs are prone to breakage during shipping? Ha, wait to get a case of .025mm thin vac-formed cases. 2' fall from a shelf and it's gonna assplode!
They look nice otherwise though.
-
Yeah... that reminds me of those cheap puffy cases Disney VHSes came in. :-\
Onion Cases all the way!
-
(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/815ESF4e38L._SX342_.gif) (http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/81G3RfCNGLL._SX342_.gif)
I remember them selling these and they were a bit pricy, like $10 for a 3 pack, so I'm guessing they will not be $1 a case.
I'm sticking with Onion, and not just because I did the art for his site.
Edit: Confused Retro-Bit with Stone Age Gamer, never mind.
-
Really hoping those arnt vacuum formed.
My very first thought.
You guys think UGCs are prone to breakage during shipping? Ha, wait to get a case of .025mm thin vac-formed cases. 2' fall from a shelf and it's gonna assplode!
They look nice otherwise though.
(http://s9.postimg.org/cif6d72gv/index.jpg) (http://postimage.org/)
http://www.stoneagegamer.com/ is this website safe because they have some NES games I want for good prices
-
Think they just confirmed that the cases will be vacuum formed on their FB. Will definitely be avoiding in favor of an injection molded solution.
-
What exactly is Vacufoain? What other things use it?
-
Yeah... that reminds me of those cheap puffy cases Disney VHSes came in. :-\
That's what I was thinking too. They look fancy at first, but quickly turn into space wasting junk.
-
What exactly is Vacufoain? What other things use it?
I think Super Famicom cart boxes inner trays are vacu-formed.
Vacu-forming has many uses:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vacuum_forming
-
Vacuum Formed is how a lot of VHS stuff was done, kinda bendy plastic with large hollow sections. Injection molding is how current UGCs are done.
-
If I can remember back to my CDT lessons at school, vacuum forming heats the plastic and basically wraps it around a mould or die - forming the shape. It's cheaper than injection moulding, but leaves the plastic quite brittle.
-
disney cases.. omg
-
disney cases.. omg
Good that here in Finland Disney cases were always (least the ones I've seen) have always been high quality injection molded or such.
-
Yeah, maybe I could buy these just for my Disney games, and buy Onion cases for everything else ;D
-
Really hoping those arnt vacuum formed.
My very first thought.
You guys think UGCs are prone to breakage during shipping? Ha, wait to get a case of .025mm thin vac-formed cases. 2' fall from a shelf and it's gonna assplode!
They look nice otherwise though.
Really? I am unsure where you get that. I have a lot of experience with UGC, these cases are significantly more durable than the UGC. When you come over and see us in Cleveland check them out.
These type of cases are not everyone's cup of tea, but I like them personally. Of course they aren't as cheap to make as injection molded cases per unit, but up front costs and development time were significantly less. We needed a case for the EverDrive-N8 (NES) so we got these made, but we also decided since we were getting them made to also offer them as a stand alone product.
For those interested there are pictures on our FaceBook: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.644771888872555.1073741828.136116593071423&type=3
I have dealt with Seymour Onion before as well. Really nice guy and I hope he releases a great product.
-
I agree with you StoneAgeGamer (and welcome to the site ;D) I worked at Blockbuster for many years and had some experience with the Disney cases. They were actually very hard to actually break. If they got sun baked they would become very brittle and if they were stepped on or had some weight on them without the VHS inside they would get squished but nothing like if you stepped on an empty UGC. I only have a few NES games and have not cased them yet so I'm a little excited to see how these turn out.
-
When looking for a replacement for UGC, I have four questions that if any answers are no to, then I'm just not interested.
1) Are they cheaper than UGC?
2) Are they more available in Europe than UGC?
3) Are they truly universal without modification?
4) Are they as or more durable than UGC?
If any of the answers to those questions are no, in particular question 1 and 2, then I'm just not interested.
Another question that could be a make or break is, what are the cover dimensions for the new case. In comparison to the other four questions, this question is pretty trivial, but if the cover dimensions aren't as close to 3366px x 2100px as possible, again I'm not interested. I don't really want to have to go through editing my templates after I just made them.
Just my two cents as a consumer.
-
^^^ the bit cases are NES-only I believe.
@Stoneage - Will most definitely check em out in a couple of weeks! (And buy some)
I 1000% support something made in the US, not to mention a fellow retro game vendor. If the bit-cases are nice, then you'll have no probs selling thousands to the folks here (including myself) alone. I know I'm already sick of cutting up UGCs :/
-
When looking for a replacement for UGC, I have four questions that if any answers are no to, then I'm just not interested.
1) Are they cheaper than UGC?
2) Are they more available in Europe than UGC?
3) Are they truly universal without modification?
4) Are they as or more durable than UGC?
If any of the answers to those questions are no, in particular question 1 and 2, then I'm just not interested.
Another question that could be a make or break is, what are the cover dimensions for the new case. In comparison to the other four questions, this question is pretty trivial, but if the cover dimensions aren't as close to 3366px x 2100px as possible, again I'm not interested. I don't really want to have to go through editing my templates after I just made them.
Just my two cents as a consumer.
They are probably are not the product for you. These are not Universal. They are NES cases. They are not even close to as cheap as the UGC and any injection molded type of case. This process is quite a bit more expensive per unit to make. IMO having dealt with thousands of UGC for a few years now with EverDrives, I find them to be pretty terrible overall. They are for sure a "you get what you pay for" kind of thing. That being said they do have the advantage of being super cheap and somewhat universal.
Again, these were originally just going to be for our EverDrive-N8 (NES) Deluxe Edition, but we figured since we are getting them made might as well just sell them as a separate product as well. Maybe they won't sell well. I do not know, if they sell well enough next time we will order way more to get price down more. We would also consider doing other systems as well.
As for cover art. The dimensions are not exactly the same as the UGC. We wanted them to be, but due to the process of these type of cases and the size of the NES cart it just was not possible. However, we created a tutorial showing how you can easily adapt UGC cover art for these cases here: http://www.stoneagegamer.com/tutorial-printing-bitbox-cover-art.html
Personally the few that I have done so far look really good IMO.
These cases are not for everyone. However I think some of the people who posted here are misguided in the idea that these are somewhat low quality or will break easy. The first thing I did when I received the prototypes was try to break them. Dropping them from a normal height doesn't really affect them. I have spiked them into the floor like a football with really not damage besides some slightly bent corners that were easily bent back. Tossed them across the room like a basketball without really any damage. I even tried dropping them with a game inside to see if the case would pop open spilling the game. To my surprise they did not come open with a game inside when dropping them from a normal height. Sure, like anything if you step on them or do anything crazy it will most likely break or crush the case.
We wanted to keep these made in the U.S.A., which did add a bit on to the price. I know this doesn't matter to most people, but it does matter to us. We are looking to design and manufacture more products in the future (not just cases) and we want to keep as much of the production in the U.S.A. as possible. These cases are kind of us getting our toes wet. Whether they are your cup of tea or not, I am sure you guys at least appreciate there being more options available. I am actually in the market for a our own injection molding machine and CNC machine. SAG is not the only company I own. It actually started as a more "for fun" side thing, but in the last 3 years or so has blown up to the point where we will soon be looking to hire more people. I also own another company that does software and service for industrial machines and automation so I do have a lot of connections to companies who buy and sell this type of equipment. I would like to keep as much as I can in-house in the future.
-
^^^ the bit cases are NES-only I believe.
@Stoneage - Will most definitely check em out in a couple of weeks! (And buy some)
I 1000% support something made in the US, not to mention a fellow retro game vendor. If the bit-cases are nice, then you'll have no probs selling thousands to the folks here (including myself) alone. I know I'm already sick of cutting up UGCs :/
I look forward to meeting you. I too am tired of the UGC. Its nice to see a few people like Seymour making some alternatives.
-
^^^ the bit cases are NES-only I believe.
@Stoneage - Will most definitely check em out in a couple of weeks! (And buy some)
I 1000% support something made in the US, not to mention a fellow retro game vendor. If the bit-cases are nice, then you'll have no probs selling thousands to the folks here (including myself) alone. I know I'm already sick of cutting up UGCs :/
I look forward to meeting you. I too am tired of the UGC. Its nice to see a few people like Seymour making some alternatives.
As do I!
I listened to a podcast interview with you. My beginnings seem to mirror yours pretty closely. You started with the flash carts and I with the GBA backlight kits, both sourced from overseas, both products sorta boutique, and both tricky to obtain (I think you mentioned western union as the payment option for the flash carts? Ick.). I would really like to speak with you at some point about your biz and how you dealt and are dealing with the growth. I never expected for this stuff that I do to become a full-time job for me, but it has, and rather quickly. I've also started outsourcing and may have just hired my first employee as of last night :)
Also, I should mention that my thoughts/concerns with the vac-formed parts had/have absolutely nothing to do with your product specifically. It's just been my experience having worked in used game/music/movie retail for a number of years coupled with my post-college work (industrial designer) that have somewhat put me off of vac-forming as anything but a prototyping process. It's an especially crippling process for us designers, since, as you probably know, the forms one can create are stifled by the process. Nice to hear that you've been putting them through some serious endurance tests ;)
I think many, if not most of us would agree that the UGC is far from a perfect product. Of course it was never intended for us collectors, but the fact remains that they do the job, and that's about it. There's nothing to be excited about with them.
I feel strongly that made in the US is important to a lot of folks here and elsewhere (though a LOT of the members here reside outside the US, which probably makes them largely indifferent). In an age where most everything is outsourced to overseas manufacturers, and where domestic jobs are drying up, I think people will really appreciate the effort to stay domestic. I will GLADLY pay more for a domestically-made product and applaud the effort!
-
Really hoping those arnt vacuum formed.
This is what they look like to me. Those cheap vacuum formed VHS cases that Disney movies used to come in. They're flimsy, they're cheap looking, and our covers wouldn't fit. Personally, I'm not interested in the least. However, If I'm wrong about them being vacuum formed and they don't look cheap I can see them being viable. Still, they wouldn't fit our covers which would be a dealbreaker for me. I wish him the best of luck.
-
Really hoping those arnt vacuum formed.
This is what they look like to me. Those cheap vacuum formed VHS cases that Disney movies used to come in. They're flimsy, they're cheap looking, and our covers wouldn't fit. Personally, I'm not interested in the least. However, If I'm wrong about them being vacuum formed and they don't look cheap I can see them being viable. Still, they wouldn't fit our covers which would be a dealbreaker for me. I wish him the best of luck.
They are. It's sorta already been covered.
-
My OP wasn't really directed at this product specifically. It was directed at any developers trying to grab attention as a consumer. This product just happened to be the topic at hand. It was a general comment.
-
Really hoping those arnt vacuum formed.
This is what they look like to me. Those cheap vacuum formed VHS cases that Disney movies used to come in. They're flimsy, they're cheap looking, and our covers wouldn't fit. Personally, I'm not interested in the least. However, If I'm wrong about them being vacuum formed and they don't look cheap I can see them being viable. Still, they wouldn't fit our covers which would be a dealbreaker for me. I wish him the best of luck.
Cover art does fit with very minor modifications. I posted a tutorial above. Yes they are vacuum formed, but I don't think they look cheap personally. If I felt they were junk during prototype phase I would has never commissioned to get them made. Will they be better than Seymour's? Maybe not, I have no idea. However I can say with confidence they are way better than the UGC. Leaps and bounds better really.
-
These look very cool. I also look forward to checking out your table at CCAG as I will be there. For me personally, I've already bought and modified nearly 100 UGCs for NES games and quite honestly I'm happy with what UGCs give me. But I'm not picky as most. That said I'm interested in looking at them. Will you have some at CCAG?
-
I listened to a podcast interview with you. My beginnings seem to mirror yours pretty closely. You started with the flash carts and I with the GBA backlight kits, both sourced from overseas, both products sorta boutique, and both tricky to obtain (I think you mentioned western union as the payment option for the flash carts? Ick.). I would really like to speak with you at some point about your biz and how you dealt and are dealing with the growth. I never expected for this stuff that I do to become a full-time job for me, but it has, and rather quickly. I've also started outsourcing and may have just hired my first employee as of last night :)
I would be happy to talk about it sometime.
-
These look very cool. I also look forward to checking out your table at CCAG as I will be there. For me personally, I've already bought and modified nearly 100 UGCs for NES games and quite honestly I'm happy with what UGCs give me. But I'm not picky as most. That said I'm interested in looking at them. Will you have some at CCAG?
I don't blame you, plus you can't beat the UGC price. I mean really they are dirt cheap. Sure quality isn't great, but there is always a trade off. I wanted to start to move to something nicer for EverDrives and that's what compelled me to look into our own cases. Injection molded cases can be nice if they are done well, but the upfront costs are pretty damn high and I would rather spend that money elsewhere on something I feel would be more profitable than game cases. These type of cases only took us 2 months from first contact with manufacture to them arriving at the door.
I will be bringing some cases but not a ton, we will probably be selling some NES games in them to show them off. Like I said, I actually like these type of cases, but I understand why some people may not.
-
I could be swayed after seeing them! :)
-
I could be swayed. Maybe a couple cases to sample? I do have money invested in Modifiying UGCs, but if I like the cases from Stone Age Gamer (I love the store, really), such cases could be re purposed into Doubles like what wiggy does for handhelds. Also, SNES games are as wide as NES games are tall, and N64 games are as wide as NES games are. Could such games fit in your cases? Or are they tabbed for NES games only?
-
I could be swayed. Maybe a couple cases to sample? I do have money invested in Modifiying UGCs, but if I like the cases from Stone Age Gamer (I love the store, really), such cases could be re purposed into Doubles like what wiggy does for handhelds. Also, SNES games are as wide as NES games are tall, and N64 games are as wide as NES games are. Could such games fit in your cases? Or are they tabbed for NES games only?
Great point, i actually never thought about it. So I decided to try. Both SNES (North American) and N64 carts fit. SNES is a little bit of a tight fit, but the case does close and that actually kind of works as an advantage because it actually holds the cart in place. N64 obviously is somewhat loose in there, but still fit. I actually cut out a piece of black foam and it it in there to keep it from moving around, but it wouldn't be 100% necessary if they were just sitting on s shelf.
(http://www.stoneagegamer.com/files/IMG_0893.JPG)
(http://www.stoneagegamer.com/files/IMG_0895.JPG)
(http://www.stoneagegamer.com/files/IMG_0896.JPG)
-
I like it. I guess the Bitbox is more universal then you thought. A little foam goes a long way.
-
Time to source some pre-cut foam bits now, eh? ;)
-
Time to source some pre-cut foam bits now, eh? ;)
lol, maybe
-
These cases are beautiful, but very expensive in my opinion. I'll wait until they get down to a dollar a piece.
-
These cases are beautiful, but very expensive in my opinion. I'll wait until they get down to a dollar a piece.
I thinks they won't.
He said making them is expensive.
-
These cases are beautiful, but very expensive in my opinion. I'll wait until they get down to a dollar a piece.
I thinks they won't.
He said making them is expensive.
True. As soon as they come back in stock, I'll order a 10 pack to test em.
-
Well depending how well they sell next time we will order significantly more and this should bring price down a little bit, but I doubt I could ever get them close to a $1 each. The 100-pack price is actually not a very high mark-up over wholesale. The documentation strap actually added a lot to the cost believe it or not. Maybe there is cheaper option for holding documentation.
-
Would the manual simply fit under the cart so the cart holds the manual in place?
-
i have not bought any UGC cases yet and i am kinda up in the air with these Bit Cases so i am going to hold off buying these till i see how more peoples like them. its just nice to know i can resize the box art to fit in theses cases
-
The price is the biggest factor preventing me from trying SAG cases. UGC's cost me about 87 cents a case, and work perfectly for most platforms. NES is the only platform that gives me an issue, and so far chopping out the guts of UGC's is still better then the alternatives at this point.
-
NES manuals do indeed fit behind cart it seems. I tried with Zelda manual, which I believe I one of the thickest.
Well I have to sell this batch first, but I will talk to manufacturer. Without documentation strap and higher quantity I may be able to get them down to closer to $1.50 - $1.75/ea. for 100-pack (maybe lower who knows). It may be possible to offer a plastic pocket that can be stuck inside inside cover for those who want that option.
What I may be able to do, I will have to look into final costs, but to help move this first batch out I may be able to throw in free cover art insert printing. So basically if you bought 100 pack you could also select 100 games inserts you wanted printed and I would print them off for you. I have a very nice color laser printer and a commercial stack paper cutter so they would all be cut to size. Speaking of which, is there anyways to actually download all the cover art for a specific system at once. Rather than 1 at a time?
Thanks everyone for their critiques and suggestions. I somewhat regret not coming to this forum first before producing them to get your insight. Luckily I didn't order a ridiculous amount to start.
-
I think I might have a simple solution that would eliminate the extra cost of the strap but still give you a spot in which to insert the manual. When I'm back at my desk I'll mock up something. It'll be easier than me trying to explain it.
-
NES manuals do indeed fit behind cart it seems. I tried with Zelda manual, which I believe I one of the thickest.
Well I have to sell this batch first, but I will talk to manufacturer. Without documentation strap and higher quantity I may be able to get them down to closer to $1.50 - $1.75/ea. for 100-pack (maybe lower who knows). It may be possible to offer a plastic pocket that can be stuck inside inside cover for those who want that option.
What I may be able to do, I will have to look into final costs, but to help move this first batch out I may be able to throw in free cover art insert printing. So basically if you bought 100 pack you could also select 100 games inserts you wanted printed and I would print them off for you. I have a very nice color laser printer and a commercial stack paper cutter so they would all be cut to size. Speaking of which, is there anyways to actually download all the cover art for a specific system at once. Rather than 1 at a time?
Thanks everyone for their critiques and suggestions. I somewhat regret not coming to this forum first before producing them to get your insight. Luckily I didn't order a ridiculous amount to start.
There is no bulk downloading, I believe it creates undue stress on the server...and the server does go down....a lot.
Also we don't have EVERY NES cover, so I do think that free cover prints would be kind of fool hearty unless you use what I call "place holder covers" just simple covers that you write the title in sharpie. You would use these in place of the regular cover art, naturally. I have a small set of these "Place holder covers" you would be free to use should you go that route.
https://www.box.com/s/272898ed28725767dd89
-
Here's what I'm thinking.
Dotted line is dye cut, manual slides between the front and inner layers. Make sense? No extra parts ;)
(http://i86.photobucket.com/albums/k99/wiggyx/Wiggy%20Design/bit-case-mockup_zpsf24bbe65.png~original)
-
Well I have to sell this batch first, but I will talk to manufacturer. Without documentation strap and higher quantity I may be able to get them down to closer to $1.50 - $1.75/ea. for 100-pack (maybe lower who knows). It may be possible to offer a plastic pocket that can be stuck inside inside cover for those who want that option.
What I may be able to do, I will have to look into final costs, but to help move this first batch out I may be able to throw in free cover art insert printing. So basically if you bought 100 pack you could also select 100 games inserts you wanted printed and I would print them off for you. I have a very nice color laser printer and a commercial stack paper cutter so they would all be cut to size.
Hmm ... you are getting my attention now.
The corners of the box still bug me though. I understand that it kind of has that ripple effect (where it comes to a point) from the material used (its not hard plastic) but i think that would drive me nuts.
(http://imageshack.us/a/img41/7127/88744124.jpg)
I'm also not a huge fan of the excess black space of plastic above where the cover insert sits. Is there any way to trim that down closer to the edge of the outer sleeve?
-
Thank you shenske.
With one picture you convinced me against these cases.
So I quess Onion cases or continuing with doublewide DVD cases is the path I follow.
-
Well, to be fair, they are still in a prototype form. Those things could be tweaked I'm guessing.
-
Well, to be fair, they are still in a prototype form. Those things could be tweaked I'm guessing.
I doubt the crimping can be removed, but hopefully I'm wrong. :-\
-
Oh, it can. It just requires a little reworking of the shape and support walls on the inside.
-
Well I have to sell this batch first, but I will talk to manufacturer. Without documentation strap and higher quantity I may be able to get them down to closer to $1.50 - $1.75/ea. for 100-pack (maybe lower who knows). It may be possible to offer a plastic pocket that can be stuck inside inside cover for those who want that option.
What I may be able to do, I will have to look into final costs, but to help move this first batch out I may be able to throw in free cover art insert printing. So basically if you bought 100 pack you could also select 100 games inserts you wanted printed and I would print them off for you. I have a very nice color laser printer and a commercial stack paper cutter so they would all be cut to size.
Hmm ... you are getting my attention now.
The corners of the box still bug me though. I understand that it kind of has that ripple effect (where it comes to a point) from the material used (its not hard plastic) but i think that would drive me nuts.
(http://imageshack.us/a/img41/7127/88744124.jpg)
I'm also not a huge fan of the excess black space of plastic above where the cover insert sits. Is there any way to trim that down closer to the edge of the outer sleeve?
The "points" as you call them are not very pronounced as they may appear in that picture. However it is the nature of the material. I obviously can not tell you what you like or dislike, but I have found that people looking at things in pictures on the internet are far more critical than when they actually see stuff in person. Now you may see these in person and still not like them, but my guess is that it may not bother you as much as you think it will. I guess if it really bothers you as much as you say, maybe it is not for you. As of right now they haven't gone on sale yet so you only have my opinion to take, which obviously would be considered bias by most people. Like I said after receiving the prototype if I would have thought the product had serious issues and/or was junk I would have not got them made. I have no interest in putting my name on something that I would consider to be an a bad product. There are already enough company's make cheap junk and they have the market cornered, I am not interested in joining them. I consider myself pretty critical of the products I sell or have sold.
The reason the sleeve doesn't go all the way up at the top is due to the rounded corner. If you went up any higher the pocket would not work correctly. The cover art pocket (unlike hard plastic) is actually sealed at the bottom. I personally really like this over the hard plastic style. That black gap at the top is about 1/6" from the end of the sleeve to the beginning of the seal. I am not sure why, maybe the angle, but it actually looks bigger in that picture than it does in real life. I may have to take some better pictures, those are of the prototype I originally received.
I hope I am not coming off as a salesmen. I don't want to sound like this case is the end-all-be-all. I think its a good case though. Yes I wish it was cheaper to make and hopefully in the future if there is enough interest I can work on the price. I did not come to this forum to try to sell anyone anything per. Its not that I don't want your money, of course, but I am a member of a lot of other retro gaming forums and I really don't like it when stores come to those forums and just try to sell stuff and really don't contribute anything. I leave all that kind of stuff for my FaceBook and Twitter. Its part of the reason I did not come here before, because the main reason would be to sell stuff. Once I saw that there were links coming from this forum I then came here and found this thread and decided to maybe answer some questions and concerns. I feel this may have been a mistake now, because I have received a lot of good input.
-
Also I will be seeing wiggy at the Cleveland show as stated before. It appears he is respected member here, I am sure he will give an honest opinion of them if he feels I have misrepresented anything.
Of course that's assuming he doesn't want that free Turbo EverDrive. ;D Kidding...kidding...
-
Also I will be seeing wiggy at the Cleveland show as stated before. It appears he is respected member here, I am sure he will give an honest opinion of them if he feels I have misrepresented anything.
Of course that's assuming he doesn't want that free Turbo EverDrive. ;D Kidding...kidding...
Yeah I guess we can trust Wiggy... :-\
-
SAG, I hope your not getting discouraged/regretting your decision to have a chat with us here. I guess it's just that we've had a number of threads over the years discussing our "ideal" cases and just whats wrong with UGCs so I guess there's a lot of pent up input haha. We're case nerds man, this whole site is a monument to it!
-
Also I will be seeing wiggy at the Cleveland show as stated before. It appears he is respected member here, I am sure he will give an honest opinion of them if he feels I have misrepresented anything.
Of course that's assuming he doesn't want that free Turbo EverDrive. ;D Kidding...kidding...
I'm not above accepting bribes ;)
Also I will be seeing wiggy at the Cleveland show as stated before. It appears he is respected member here, I am sure he will give an honest opinion of them if he feels I have misrepresented anything.
Of course that's assuming he doesn't want that free Turbo EverDrive. ;D Kidding...kidding...
Yeah I guess we can trust Wiggy... :-\
I am not to be trusted :P
-
I am not to be trusted :P
Well I trusted you once and did not backfire...
Altough the manuals would have been nice addition, but you gave up on the idea.
Maybe in the future with the book of maps when I finish capturing the stuff.
-
I am not to be trusted :P
Well I trusted you once and did not backfire...
Altough the manuals would have been nice addition, but you gave up on the idea.
Maybe in the future with the book of maps when I finish capturing the stuff.
That would have been really cool, but man, that woulda killed me :( Those things already took like a zillion hours to produce.
-
Well maybe in the future I write the manuals and you print them as yer print quality was awesome as is the cutting.
Same to the book of maps or even full blown guide.
But not now
Work killing me.
But my summer vacation starts 17th.
But then there is Juhannus.
You know what happens in Finlands them. :-X
-
Like I said after receiving the prototype if I would have thought the product had serious issues and/or was junk I would have not got them made. I have no interest in putting my name on something that I would consider to be an a bad product.
I'm not saying it is a bad product, far from it. I'm mostly just trying to address to you what things bother me in the prototype in hopes that it may be possible to fix. I have no intention to steer people away from your product or calling it 'junk'.
The reason the sleeve doesn't go all the way up at the top is due to the rounded corner. If you went up any higher the pocket would not work correctly. The cover art pocket (unlike hard plastic) is actually sealed at the bottom. I personally really like this over the hard plastic style. That black gap at the top is about 1/6" from the end of the sleeve to the beginning of the seal. I am not sure why, maybe the angle, but it actually looks bigger in that picture than it does in real life. I may have to take some better pictures, those are of the prototype I originally received.
I figured the rounded corner was the reason but was hoping it was not. Perhaps a different angle would be more flattering and give a better perspective to how it really looks. Is the black gap the same height on the top and bottom? This would actually be a good thing in my opinion since it would have symmetrical balance.
I hope I am not coming off as a salesmen. I don't want to sound like this case is the end-all-be-all. I think its a good case though. Yes I wish it was cheaper to make and hopefully in the future if there is enough interest I can work on the price. I did not come to this forum to try to sell anyone anything per. Its not that I don't want your money, of course, but I am a member of a lot of other retro gaming forums and I really don't like it when stores come to those forums and just try to sell stuff and really don't contribute anything. I leave all that kind of stuff for my FaceBook and Twitter. Its part of the reason I did not come here before, because the main reason would be to sell stuff. Once I saw that there were links coming from this forum I then came here and found this thread and decided to maybe answer some questions and concerns. I feel this may have been a mistake now, because I have received a lot of good input.
Nah, i didn't get the salesman vibe. Just someone how is passionate about their product and wants to defend it. No problem there as i would do the same in your shoes. Don't worry you have already gotten some of my money and will continue to do so. :D
Please don't feel it was a mistake to come here. Our site is obviously centered around making game covers and when different cases are introduced we love to give feedback about them. Be it positive or negative we are just trying to give honest perspective to how we feel about it. New cases generate a lot of excitement! Lots of different cover possibilities and ideas always coincide.
I'm excited for Wiggy to get his hands on some to give us his insight. I will likely order a case or two for my own judgement as well. Getting a few of them lined up next to each other may also help me get a better idea of how they would look the shelf. Do you mind snapping a pic with a few lined up?
-
Like I said after receiving the prototype if I would have thought the product had serious issues and/or was junk I would have not got them made. I have no interest in putting my name on something that I would consider to be an a bad product.
I'm not saying it is a bad product, far from it. I'm mostly just trying to address to you what things bother me in the prototype in hopes that it may be possible to fix. I have no intention to steer people away from your product or calling it 'junk'.
The reason the sleeve doesn't go all the way up at the top is due to the rounded corner. If you went up any higher the pocket would not work correctly. The cover art pocket (unlike hard plastic) is actually sealed at the bottom. I personally really like this over the hard plastic style. That black gap at the top is about 1/6" from the end of the sleeve to the beginning of the seal. I am not sure why, maybe the angle, but it actually looks bigger in that picture than it does in real life. I may have to take some better pictures, those are of the prototype I originally received.
I figured the rounded corner was the reason but was hoping it was not. Perhaps a different angle would be more flattering and give a better perspective to how it really looks. Is the black gap the same height on the top and bottom? This would actually be a good thing in my opinion since it would have symmetrical balance.
I hope I am not coming off as a salesmen. I don't want to sound like this case is the end-all-be-all. I think its a good case though. Yes I wish it was cheaper to make and hopefully in the future if there is enough interest I can work on the price. I did not come to this forum to try to sell anyone anything per. Its not that I don't want your money, of course, but I am a member of a lot of other retro gaming forums and I really don't like it when stores come to those forums and just try to sell stuff and really don't contribute anything. I leave all that kind of stuff for my FaceBook and Twitter. Its part of the reason I did not come here before, because the main reason would be to sell stuff. Once I saw that there were links coming from this forum I then came here and found this thread and decided to maybe answer some questions and concerns. I feel this may have been a mistake now, because I have received a lot of good input.
Nah, i didn't get the salesman vibe. Just someone how is passionate about their product and wants to defend it. No problem there as i would do the same in your shoes. Don't worry you have already gotten some of my money and will continue to do so. :D
Please don't feel it was a mistake to come here. Our site is obviously centered around making game covers and when different cases are introduced we love to give feedback about them. Be it positive or negative we are just trying to give honest perspective to how we feel about it. New cases generate a lot of excitement! Lots of different cover possibilities and ideas always coincide.
I'm excited for Wiggy to get his hands on some to give us his insight. I will likely order a case or two for my own judgement as well. Getting a few of them lined up next to each other may also help me get a better idea of how they would look the shelf. Do you mind snapping a pic with a few lined up?
I meant I think it may have been a mistake not coming here first to discuss the cases before getting them produced. I did take some polls on my facebook and stuff like that and the response was pretty good even at the current price point.
I will get some more pictures up in the next week or so.
-
SAG, I hope your not getting discouraged/regretting your decision to have a chat with us here. I guess it's just that we've had a number of threads over the years discussing our "ideal" cases and just whats wrong with UGCs so I guess there's a lot of pent up input haha. We're case nerds man, this whole site is a monument to it!
I will admit I was a little disappointed with the initial reaction I read before I got here to post, but the back and forth I have received so far has got me feeling better. If anything I now feel more encouraged to get the price down more and hopefully provide an alternative to the UGC.
-
You see my post about the manual storage?
-
You see my post about the manual storage?
Oh yeah, I like the idea, but not sure if its possible for manufacturer or not. I was going to send them the idea and see what they thought.
-
Any idea on when they are coming back into stock? Getting a little antsy on seeing what they are about.
-
Any idea on when they are coming back into stock? Getting a little antsy on seeing what they are about.
Hopefully before the end of the week, had to orders special sized boxes for 10-pack and 100-pack. Once I get those I can get weights into system and should be ready to go.
-
I have to say, I gave these cases a good inspection at CCAG and I liked them a lot. No question about their quality or durability in my opinion. Like I said to Mr Stone Age Gamer there, unfortunately I have so many UGCs already and the mutilated ones for NES won't do me any good for any other games at this point. If I didn't I would strongly consider these.
-
Yeah, I picked up a few (as seen in my last pickups post). Agreed that they feel quite nice. One thing that I agree with Shenske on is the odd little folds at the top and bottom of the spine. It's not at all a huge issue, but it does keep them from looking as tidy as UGCs when placed on a shelf.
I'll write-up a full review as soon as I can. But at a glance, I can't say I'd be sad to have them holding my games ;)
-
I will have another alternative case in the next few weeks......stay tuned for the Super Case!!
-
Price point will be much closer to UGC and existing covers will fit.........
-
I will have another alternative case in the next few weeks......stay tuned for the Super Case!!
Very respectable way to high jack a thread. You seem like a real stand-up kind of person. ::)
-
I have to say, I gave these cases a good inspection at CCAG and I liked them a lot. No question about their quality or durability in my opinion. Like I said to Mr Stone Age Gamer there, unfortunately I have so many UGCs already and the mutilated ones for NES won't do me any good for any other games at this point. If I didn't I would strongly consider these.
Great meeting you. I don't blame you either. If I put all that work into that many UGC I probably wouldn't want to switch at this point either.
Yeah, I picked up a few (as seen in my last pickups post). Agreed that they feel quite nice. One thing that I agree with Shenske on is the odd little folds at the top and bottom of the spine. It's not at all a huge issue, but it does keep them from looking as tidy as UGCs when placed on a shelf.
I'll write-up a full review as soon as I can. But at a glance, I can't say I'd be sad to have them holding my games ;)
Wish I would had more time to talk to you and even come over to your booth. It was way busier than I expected. We were the last booth to leave there.
-
Just an update. We are currently finishing up the system that will allow customers to choose the cover art they want printed. System is pretty much done, we are just making it look pretty. Should be ready in the next week or so. For now if you order the 100-pack cover art printing will be free. It may not always stay free, but will be to start. We are not looking to make a direct profit off the cover art. We are basically looking to cover material and small labor cost. Half of what you pay for cover art on smaller packs will be donated to The Cover Project and $5 for 100-pack. We also make it very clear that the cover art is from The Cover Project every step of the way.
We have obtained all current NES cover art and converted it to a format that fits the BitBox case. It looks great.
(http://www.stoneagegamer.com/images/cover_art_fb_cover.jpg)
-
Well at first I was a bit leery, (hence the old Disney VHS tape boxes crumbling to pieces) but these look awesome! I may be very interested to get some very soon!
-
Stone Age, do you offer the option to buy a single case with art? I'd like to see one of these things before investing in a 100 of them.
-
Stone Age, do you offer the option to buy a single case with art? I'd like to see one of these things before investing in a 100 of them.
Yes we will.
-
Wish I would had more time to talk to you and even come over to your booth. It was way busier than I expected. We were the last booth to leave there.
Tell me about it. I was NOT at all prepared for that level of madness :o I was only able to get away from my table later in the day, and that was only because there were 4 of us there. Bummed that I didn't get to do any shopping earlier, as I'm sure I missed a lot of the good stuff that I wanted to find :(
Feel free to shoot me an email via the site. I'd love to chat as well :)
Just an update. We are currently finishing up the system that will allow customers to choose the cover art they want printed. System is pretty much done, we are just making it look pretty. Should be ready in the next week or so. For now if you order the 100-pack cover art printing will be free. It may not always stay free, but will be to start. We are not looking to make a direct profit off the cover art. We are basically looking to cover material and small labor cost. Half of what you pay for cover art on smaller packs will be donated to The Cover Project and $5 for 100-pack. We also make it very clear that the cover art is from The Cover Project every step of the way.
We have obtained all current NES cover art and converted it to a format that fits the BitBox case. It looks great.
http://www.stoneagegamer.com/images/cover_art_fb_cover.jpg
I still can't believe that you're offering this! I can't even imagine trying to print and trim 100 various covers for every box sold :o I thought I was nuts making all my packaging by hand, but you sir are insane! LOL!
Well at first I was a bit leery, (hence the old Disney VHS tape boxes crumbling to pieces) but these look awesome! I may be very interested to get some very soon!
They do indeed feel quite sturdy, unlike the old Disney cases, and that's really all I was worried about.
-
Stone Age, do you offer the option to buy a single case with art? I'd like to see one of these things before investing in a 100 of them.
Yes we will.
I'll have to consider doing this and inspect it myself. I'm not skeptical about the quality but i do want to see the before diving into 200 of them.
Either these cases, the onion cases or back to UGCs. Decisions Decisons
-
StoneAgeGamer, since you were trying other games in the cases, how about Atari carts? 2600 and 5200? 5200 is pretty close to the size of NES but maybe a bit thicker. I have been gathering covers for my games but haven't had the xtra cash to get the UGCs yet. And if i got those, i would still have to modify them for Atari carts. When i saw this post, i also checked out your website. I didn't realize there was a flash cart for NES and SNES!! I just recently got the Atari 5200 Flash cart and its awesome! If your cases will hold Atari as well i may be "swayed" to buy from you! :)
-
StoneAgeGamer, since you were trying other games in the cases, how about Atari carts? 2600 and 5200? 5200 is pretty close to the size of NES but maybe a bit thicker. I have been gathering covers for my games but haven't had the xtra cash to get the UGCs yet. And if i got those, i would still have to modify them for Atari carts. When i saw this post, i also checked out your website. I didn't realize there was a flash cart for NES and SNES!! I just recently got the Atari 5200 Flash cart and its awesome! If your cases will hold Atari as well i may be "swayed" to buy from you! :)
Yes we do want to do 2600/7800. Honestly we plan on sending a ton of different carts to the engineering company and have them combine as many possible into different cases as long as they look good and hold carts well we want to combine as many as possible in the future.
5200 has a flash cart now? Crazy.
-
I checked out the site for the first time today. Looks like a good place to pick up some snes games. Beats hunting for 'deals' on ebay and estarland's jacked up prices.
-
Just a few more questions;
When do you expect to restock cases?
And I see that you're based out of Michigan, do you have a store front or anything I might be able to check out? I'm originally from Michigan and make my way back every once in a while.
-
Sorry to SAG.....I wasn't really trying to jack the thread.....I just don't post that much, so I guess I didn't understand the jacking rule....I started a new thread...
-
Just a few more questions;
When do you expect to restock cases?
And I see that you're based out of Michigan, do you have a store front or anything I might be able to check out? I'm originally from Michigan and make my way back every once in a while.
We do not have a store front. It is something we hope to have possibly in the next few years.
-
So to show how easy it will be to choose your prints here is some screen shots of the page we are working on:
(http://www.stoneagegamer.com/images/printing01_sm.jpg) (http://www.stoneagegamer.com/images/printing01.jpg)
Click to enlarge
(http://www.stoneagegamer.com/images/printing02_sm.jpg) (http://www.stoneagegamer.com/images/printing02.jpg)
Click to enlarge
-
Here is quick video of me going through cover art selection for printing: http://youtu.be/i2c_3AR_3HU
We planning on launching this a long with putting BitBox NES cases up for sale in during the first week of July.
-
Um, that's pretty fucking nifty!
-
So, youtube isn't working for me right now.
Is the selection an upload or do you have a list of covers?
-
So, youtube isn't working for me right now.
Is the selection an upload or do you have a list of covers?
Its a list.
EDIT: I see we went to a new page, so just in-case some miss it here is the video: http://youtu.be/i2c_3AR_3HU
-
I got 1 bitbox from Stone Age Gamer, and here are my first impressions.
I saw people compare them to the old Disney VHS cases in the days of yore, and the assumption is not too far off. There is some give when you press down in some spots, obviously, but they feel better made than the disney ones, a more rugged feel with better plastic.They also have a more professional feel, as the cart does not rattle around inside the case. The place for a manual is a nice touch.
Note it is slightly thicker than a UGC, and they are more expensive...but they are made in the USA, and I can get behind this. I also don't like how the artwork gets stretched in the bitbox. The case does smell of vinyl, and it does worry me a touch.
-
I think the vacuum formed plastic cases weren't good options, when the time pass the plastic begins to "toast" and then start to brake in little pieces every time you grab it
I don't know if this happens to this 8 bit cases
Note: in spanish when the plastic start to do that we call it "plastic toasted", i don't know how you call it :P
-
I got 1 bitbox from Stone Age Gamer, and here are my first impressions.
I saw people compare them to the old Disney VHS cases in the days of yore, and the assumption is not too far off. There is some give when you press down in some spots, obviously, but they feel better made than the disney ones, a more rugged feel with better plastic.They also have a more professional feel, as the cart does not rattle around inside the case. The place for a manual is a nice touch.
Note it is slightly thicker than a UGC, and they are more expensive...but they are made in the USA, and I can get behind this. I also don't like how the artwork gets stretched in the bitbox. The case does smell of vinyl, and it does worry me a touch.
Thanks for review. I think your assessments are fair. Thanks for at least checking one out.
Here's what it came down to in the end. In reality retro game cases are not something most people are clamoring to get. Cases are more of a bonus item, something people buy when they got some extra cash. They aren't sexy or fun because in reality their only purpose is to protect your games and maybe make your collection look a bit nicer.
Basically, you aren't going to get very rich making and selling retro game cases (not saying that should be your only motivation). If they were high demand items then you would have seen a Hyperkin or similar company already making them. The upfront engineering and production costs of injection molding are very high for these types of injection molded products and can take considerable time (assuming you want to make a quality product). Its not like I did not look into this as an option, but in the end I didn't see the initial investment to be worth the possible gain. I may be wrong in this assessment of this market, but I have been in the retro gaming business since 2007 and I feel I do have at least a good feel for it. That being said I wish anyone who may be working on their own cases luck and I do not want to discourage them. I was actually waiting around for someone else to make a case because I needed one for the EverDrive-N8 (NES). It didn't seem like that was going to happen anytime soon, so I took it upon myself to do it.
Personally I like the BitBoxes. I actually like them more now than I originally did when I first got the prototype and have gotten more familiar with them. Obviously cost is probably people's biggest issue with them. However depending on how the first batch sell I may be able to get that down in the future. Also I personally feel our cover art printing service we offer is a great added value and part of that money goes to this site as well.
-
I got 1 bitbox from Stone Age Gamer, and here are my first impressions.
I saw people compare them to the old Disney VHS cases in the days of yore, and the assumption is not too far off. There is some give when you press down in some spots, obviously, but they feel better made than the disney ones, a more rugged feel with better plastic.They also have a more professional feel, as the cart does not rattle around inside the case. The place for a manual is a nice touch.
Note it is slightly thicker than a UGC, and they are more expensive...but they are made in the USA, and I can get behind this. I also don't like how the artwork gets stretched in the bitbox. The case does smell of vinyl, and it does worry me a touch.
Thanks for review. I think your assessments are fair. Thanks for at least checking one out.
Here's what it came down to in the end. In reality retro game cases are not something most people are clamoring to get. Cases are more of a bonus item, something people buy when they got some extra cash. They aren't sexy or fun because in reality their only purpose is to protect your games and maybe make your collection look a bit nicer.
Basically, you aren't going to get very rich making and selling retro game cases (not saying that should be your only motivation). If they were high demand items then you would have seen a Hyperkin or similar company already making them. The upfront engineering and production costs of injection molding are very high for these types of injection molded products and can take considerable time (assuming you want to make a quality product). Its not like I did not look into this as an option, but in the end I didn't see the initial investment to be worth the possible gain. I may be wrong in this assessment of this market, but I have been in the retro gaming business since 2007 and I feel I do have at least a good feel for it. That being said I wish anyone who may be working on their own cases luck and I do not want to discourage them. I was actually waiting around for someone else to make a case because I needed one for the EverDrive-N8 (NES). It didn't seem like that was going to happen anytime soon, so I took it upon myself to do it.
Personally I like the BitBoxes. I actually like them more now than I originally did when I first got the prototype and have gotten more familiar with them. Obviously cost is probably people's biggest issue with them. However depending on how the first batch sell I may be able to get that down in the future. Also I personally feel our cover art printing service we offer is a great added value and part of that money goes to this site as well.
The case is quality, it feels more elite than a UGC. Naturally it will be damaged if mistreated, but the people buying it will be adult gamers, not little kids. Maybe I am defending it because it is made in the USA, but these are nice cases.
-
Do we have cover dimensions for these yet? I'd really like to make some covers for these, and I'd rather make them at the correct dimensions rather than make them at UGC dimensions and resize after the fact.
-
Do we have cover dimensions for these yet? I'd really like to make some covers for these, and I'd rather make them at the correct dimensions rather than make them at UGC dimensions and resize after the fact.
Here are insert dimensions:
(http://www.stoneagegamer.com/images/bitbox_nes_insert_dimensions.png)
There are three methods that could really be used:- Quick Method: Just upscale UGC art to total insert dimensions given (this looks okay, but not great)
- More advanced method: Using UGC art cut out the back cover, front cover, and spine. Up scale back cover, front cover, and spine separately. This requires and upscale of width and height for front/back covers and an upscale of only height fro the spine (this looks better than quick method IMO, and at least keeps spine at 1").
- Made specifically for case method: Basically make the art specifically for the case, obviously most time consuming, but would look the best
I offer cover art printing with these cases (which can be seen: HERE (http://www.stoneagegamer.com/nes_cover_order.php?mode=preview)). The method I used was the 2nd (More advanced) method. I created a script in PSP (sorry I don't use PS) and did a batch conversion on all UGC NES art. I can offer this to TCP, but I would need a an easier way to upload it to the site.
If anyone decides to do the 3rd method, I suggest trying to keep spine labels and art within the usable area. Due to the nature of the case there is about a 1/8" curve on each side of the spine. Although it doesn't look terrible is graphics and art extend into this area, it would probably look better if they did not. Also if there are any of you that decide to do this e-mail us at support@stoneagegamer.com we could possibly work out and exchange for free cases or possibly even store credit because obviously its to our advantage if people start making them specifically for the the cases.[/list]
-
@StoneAgeGamer
Email sent about 3rd way. Some will have to be done the 2nd way w/out new scans.
Adjustments to the spine should be made regardless of method though.
EDIT:
My '8-bit Nintendo Template" that has many variations of styles has been converted to the bitbox format.
It also has extra guidelines to help assist making the spines in the visible/usable area.
Download not available at the moment as i'm still working out a few kinks and working on some covers. :)
EDIT: I think this is what he is aiming for as far as reworking / rebuilding covers to fit the bitbox dimensions
(http://imageshack.us/a/img547/5623/ytre.jpg)
Spine rebuilt to fit new size (no warping/stretching) logo reconverted to fix in "usable" area and away from the rounded corners, etc.
-
Opinion time: Sidebar or no sidebar?
So we know that the BitBox has slightly different dimensions than the UGC. With the case being a bit wider should we just stretch the image to fill the area or should we maintain the ratio from the original retail box and add a sidebar to fill up the extra space? It doesn't look bad stretching it by that little but i know we have our purists so before i go about converting a bunch of these i'd like your opinions.
A) Stretch the Image
(http://imageshack.us/a/img821/7472/z216.jpg)
B) Add a Sidebar
(http://imageshack.us/a/img692/9526/pztm.jpg)
What do you think?
-
In the case of Zelda and probably near all other covers just fill the empty space with the background color.
-
I will have to check it out on actual case, but I like side bar better from the images. However, some people may not because its not like the original.
-
In the case of Zelda and probably near all other covers just fill the empty space with the background color.
Most covers would not allow this as they are not a simple color. Many would require an insane amount of work. I also want to keep everything consistent. I will continue to play around with the template and hopefully do a couple test prints when I get one of the cases.
-
The stretching is barely noticable but I vote for "sidebar".
-
In the case of Zelda and probably near all other covers just fill the empty space with the background color.
Most covers would not allow this as they are not a simple color. Many would require an insane amount of work. I also want to keep everything consistent. I will continue to play around with the template and hopefully do a couple test prints when I get one of the cases.
Sidebar then is my vote.
-
I like the sidebar for the simple reason that it creates a guide when cutting those pesky white covers.
Are you already married to the black sidebar, or have you considered other colors and designs for it?
-
Black sidebar for sure. Matches the spine
-
Black side bar definitely. I'd drop the Nintendo logo from it though and just increase the size of the yellow text. The logo draws the eye a little too much.
-
I know this derails the thread but this is a question to SAG. The case you use for the Turbo Everdrive Deluxe, is that custom? Will that case come onto the store as well? I dunno why, but I like it.
-
Sidebar, for sure!
-
Agreed, sidebar. Stretching sucks even if it's just a little bit.
-
I know this derails the thread but this is a question to SAG. The case you use for the Turbo Everdrive Deluxe, is that custom? Will that case come onto the store as well? I dunno why, but I like it.
They are not custom cases. Obviously I add custom things to the cases like the case grips and the tray area. They are something I found after long searching for a case for the Turbo EverDrive. They were intended for a product I never even heard of. The area the cart goes into actually almost fits the size (width and height-wise) very well. I just had to add that tray to bring the depths up but to also slightly pull the top clips in to hold the cart.
I actually posted a video of how we do the case grips here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TpkGFHo0bHU (be warned though, video is very boring)
The cases are actually pretty nice. Their build quality is very good and they are very strong. Even the cover art insert plastic seems thicker than normal.
Unfortunately since I have no idea if these cases are even made anymore and how much stock actually exists I would prefer, at this time, to not divulge where I got them or what they are for. I would also prefer to keep them out of competitor hands who also sell the Turbo EverDrive. If I ever switch to some alternative I would be happy to tell people.
-
So I don't know if anyone else here has seen this but I just found out about these new NES cases from a review on youtube
http://www.stoneagegamer.com/nintendo/nes/nes-game-cases/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1zJxDxgxnow
These cases look really nice but they're also really expensive, is there anyone who would consider buying some? They seem like way better quality than ugc's and what makes them even more convincing is that you don't have to mod them and theres a sleeve for the manual. I cant imagine anyone who has already spent the time and money casing their entire collection with ugc's suddenly switching to these, unless maybe they have a small collection. Any thoughts?
Also interestingly enough, Stone Age Gamer is using covers from this site to go along with the cases for an extra fee
-
http://www.thecoverproject.net/forums/index.php?topic=12379.0
Also, they were kind enough to ask for use of the covers for retail purposes and I think are planning on using part of the profits to help support this community. Those guys are good folks.
-
I'm really on the fence about these things :-\ They look awesome but I dont know if im ready to pony up the dough plus spend the next eternity recasing my collection.
-
The only real downside (for me) is the size. They're deeper than the UGC by a pretty significant amount. Enough that they don't comfortably fit on my shelving, and there's no way that I'm gonna re-work all that built-in storage. Since I make all my own NES covers and they're vector drawn, re-sizing and adjusting the proportion would take almost no time at all. Just a bummer about the size. I'd totally pony up the cash if it wasn't for that one detail. Guess I'll be sticking with modded UGCs for now (though I HATE modding them. Such a headache and they are far from perfect looking when done).
(http://i86.photobucket.com/albums/k99/wiggyx/Game%20Stuff/null_zpsf578bedf.jpg)
On a side note, they hold most everything quite nicely without modification.
(http://i86.photobucket.com/albums/k99/wiggyx/Game%20Stuff/null_zps6504d20f.jpg)
(http://i86.photobucket.com/albums/k99/wiggyx/Game%20Stuff/null_zps83d03588.jpg)
(http://i86.photobucket.com/albums/k99/wiggyx/Game%20Stuff/null_zps5d31dbde.jpg)
(http://i86.photobucket.com/albums/k99/wiggyx/Game%20Stuff/null_zpsae4b63cd.jpg)
(http://i86.photobucket.com/albums/k99/wiggyx/Game%20Stuff/null_zpsa5438538.jpg)
A little chunk of foam for the Genesis and N64 games would make them nearly perfect.
-
I'm not a big fan of this case, they are vacuum and from my experience with those kind of cases i assume that they aren't good
http://www.thecoverproject.net/forums/index.php?topic=12379.msg113092#msg113092
-
So I don't know if anyone else here has seen this but I just found out about these new NES cases from a review on youtube
http://www.stoneagegamer.com/nintendo/nes/nes-game-cases/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1zJxDxgxnow
These cases look really nice but they're also really expensive, is there anyone who would consider buying some? They seem like way better quality than ugc's and what makes them even more convincing is that you don't have to mod them and theres a sleeve for the manual. I cant imagine anyone who has already spent the time and money casing their entire collection with ugc's suddenly switching to these, unless maybe they have a small collection. Any thoughts?
Also interestingly enough, Stone Age Gamer is using covers from this site to go along with the cases for an extra fee
Well our target wasn't really people who already have their collection in a UGC. Its more of the people who don't. Although everyone is welcome! Honestly it would be hard to justify switching to any new case if you already had all or most of your collection in UGC. I mean in the end they are just game cases. I am not saying that to belittle our BitBox cases, because they are superior to the UGC and any other NES game case currently on the market. Which I guess may not actually mean a lot since I don't think there are any others on the market. :) However, their job is to be a case for a game, this they do quite well. Like many of you I have had to deal with UGC for a long time. There is probably very few, even on this forum, that have more experience with them than I do. IMO they are borderline junk. This is not a complete shock though at their price point. You often get what you pay for. I got tired of waiting for someone else to make an NES game case, so I decided to make my own. So far they have sold pretty well, it was slow the first month, but as the word has got out sales have begun to ramp up quite a bit. More than 20% of our initial stock has already been sold. The cover art printing I think has been a major cause of this as well, so I have much love for the members of this site and this is why I donate half of the cover art cost to this site.
So far the biggest complaints we have seen is about the price. There is not much we can do about that at this time, maybe in the future the price can come down when we have them manufactured in larger quantities. We were putting our toes in the water with the first batch. Some people knock them because they are vacuum-formed. Yes it does have some downsides, but also has some upsides. The biggest upside for us is the cost of initial investment. We could probably get 5 or 6 different style vaccum-formed cases engineered and produced for the same upfront costs of engineering, molds, and production of 1 injection molded case. The downside is they cost more to make per unit. Another upside is they will always fit your cart like a glove, like a satin pillow of love for your cart. :) I mean I am not sure what you guys (and girls) use your game cases for, but I use mine for storing games and maybe making a little fort. They work great for those two purposes.
-
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1zJxDxgxnow
-
Shenske, can we get a merge on this one?
-
A merge with what other thread? I can do it.
Found it, I did it without braking anything! Woo! ;D
-
The thing that is going to big deal between these on the UGC is the shipping cost to the UK. i am making a move to that side of the world. I have not started with any of my old school covers yet. So i am 50/50 with this case
-
Sorry.
I was half a sleep when posting and didn't check what topic this was (I only read the post).
-
Hmm. I like most of what I'm seeing, based on the rest of this thread and the youtube review. I'm not a gigantic fan of UGCs - in a way, because they are so universal, the insides of the cases look messy. Not to mention the clear plastic is not something I'm a fan of either (although making inserts helps a little). Plus modding UGCs for NES games is a tedious pain even with end cutters. I know this isn't meant to compete with UGCs, but if it can do the same job a little cleaner, then I'm all for that.
I have a relatively small NES, SNES and N64 collection compared to others on here. I might just have to buy a single case as a sample and test it out for myself. :)
-
Wo, is it really 250$ for 100 cases? ow...
-
If it annoys mods to see 2 bitbox topics on the forum, please just lock this one. Do not merge them, we will just keep everything in the other topic.
-
I really like the look of these, I sorta enjoy the Disney / Atari style plastic it gives a nice retro feel. I even like the black edges it leaves. Price is a big turn off, Its going to be very pricey to do all my nes games.
And I was wondering if the nes black sleeve can be used with theses cases? Do tall nes manuals fit?
Can someone who has some give it a try?
-
I really like the look of these, I sorta enjoy the Disney / Atari style plastic it gives a nice retro feel. I even like the black edges it leaves. Price is a big turn off, Its going to be very pricey to do all my nes games.
And I was wondering if the nes black sleeve can be used with theses cases? Do tall nes manuals fit?
Can someone who has some give it a try?
It will not fit with the Sleeve. We figured it was kind of redundant. Game carts fit snug, but are easy to remove. Not rattling around at all. We do have a more general BitBox topic here:
http://www.thecoverproject.net/forums/index.php?topic=13056.30
We are almost out of these NES cases, but more are in production and hopefully will be here around mid-December and they will be cheaper due to higher production volume.