Im not sure this has been answered anywhere else (couldnt find with search), but does anyone have a good idea about how long you can expect consoles to last? Will the capacitors etc dry out on all snes's within 10 years? Will bitrot eat away whats left of the software library at about the same time too? What about lenses on the cd/dvd based consoles? I have no clue how long i can expect it to last.
Actual Flash rom is 50years lifetime minimum... Crappy roms (burned one) are 10-20years (that is why some games are dying)... In theory, mask roms (used in most cartridges) have 100 years of life time minimum, maybe even more. Actual CD based systems may die soon because the lens mechanism is oftenly cheap and disc spins too fast. Older disc based systems may not die from mechanical reasons but just cause of the laser led lifetime... I don't remember but a disc lifetime is 40-50years if stored in good condition... CDR's are very very bad (some cdrs can die in 10years). The thing that affraid me is the custom chips on our great 16bit/8bit systems, will they bitrot? I know some aren't very very strong... However, CPU's and soundchip are quite strong and wont die for sure. Any other inputs? I'm very approximative
Approximates are all you can go on, since component failure isn't certain or completely predictable. I have pressed, shop-bought DVDs that are dead. I've got CDRs that are bordering 10 years old now that still worked when I transferred the data off them a few months ago, although lots of my early DVD-R discs are dead. Solid-state components last a lot longer, although PROMs tend to suffer bitrot pretty badly, apparently.
Discs are expected to last pretty much forever with good care of course. Though sometimes as in alchy case some discs get bit rot. Disc based consoles have a better chance of dieing sooner due to the various parts they use as well as the motor or laser dieing out from wear. Cartridge on the other hand is hard to tell. From the looks of it, as long as the pins are fine, they should work for years.
I have a question, what cartridge game out there has simply stopped working due to the age and deterioration of the silicone? Has anyone out there reported that their game has died simply because it is too old? If there are games out there, what was the actual type of chip they used? solid state? PROM? There are atari games out there that still work... As far as the electronics of the hardware goes. Sega, Nintendo have used good capacitor manufacturers so the consoles should last as far as not having any leaky or bulging capacitors. Overall, it is all about taking special care of the components and software. Keep CDs out of temps above 80 degrees Faren. Keep them out of direct sunlight because the UV rays can destroy both pressed CDs and CDRs. Keep CDs and CDRs in a low humidity environment as well. Backup the data onto HDDs if you can. As eva said.. Emulation ftw!
I've had cartridges for Megadrive that just don't work, and they're commercial releases so obviously not PROM (incidentally, PROM of whatever kind are solid-state too). Couldn't say exactly what caused it, but it certainly wasn't dirty connections. In fact last time I tested some of the pirate carts I've got, quite a few wouldn't work - most likely cheap components. I've also got a review MD cartridge which won't work, though I'm pretty sure that's bitrot.
Discs (such as CDs or DVDs) have a predicted life of 40 - 100 years, depending on the age of the disc (newer discs live longer) and their storage conditions (keep them away from sunlight, don't touch the surface, etc). Some Laserdiscs suffer from disc/laser rot where the adhesive used to stick both sides of the disc together reacts with the reflective layer and fogs out the surface, but in general they are supposed to have an estimated life of 40+ years if stored carefully.
Direct sunlight will wreak havok on anything left in it. A good number of my music CD-Rs are dead because they are left out in my car, but that's part of the reason I use them, too. I would never leave any pressed CD/DVD in direct sunlight unless I didn't care about it.
As far as CDs and CDRs go. Keep them in a cool, low humid storage space where they won't come in contact with direct sunlight.
I don't think "Bit rot" applies at all to mask ROMs, only early PROM which are susceptible to fuse regrowth, whether it will affect antifuse ASIC I don't know. Generally dead carts are from electrical damage through improper insertion or console power requirements or internal shorting. Eventually all parts, active and passive will either break or go out of working spec, there's nothing you can do about it except replace what you can.
