Recommended means of safely storing unused consoles?

So I've read the stickied conservation recommendations in this forum, but they don't pertain directly to this IMO.

I have many consoles and it's coming to the point where I have to choose what to have out and what to store. I'd like to pack them away so that when I eventually get them out again, be it a year or twenty years from now, they'll be as functional and visually the same as before. Any suggestions of how?

 

Dark and dry is a good place to start, I throw a bunch of those silica packets in with any game hardware I put away.

 

At a basic level, on a shelf in a climate controlled closet ought to be good, this gets it out of the way of sunlight and hopefully out of the way of floods, pets, or some other hazard that could occur on the floor of the room. Bonus points if you seal it up in a container of some sort and include silica packets. Just think about ways to limit the exposure to sunlight, significant humidity and water, and odors.

Don't stress too much about it as these maladies can likely be fixed, but keep in mind that certain plastic can discolor over time simply due to the chemical mixture used for the plastic (example: SNES consoles), and also that capacitors can leak (example: sega gamegear), and cause various problems/non-functionality for a console despite the best storage precautions.

 

Retro consoles, cart based and also PS1, PSone, GameCube seem pretty robust; can be treated pretty badly and still work fine. Flaky systems like DreamCast, Saturn, PS2, etc should be probably treated better as they are more liable to fail anyway. I've opened up consoles like SMS and SNES in the past - plastic broken, dirty casing, heavy dust inside, shielding rusted - guess what - still works fine. On the other end of the spectrum i've barely done much more than move a DreamCast and it died.

 

I've thought about this for a while. Would throwing in some silica packets and shrink-wrapping a console be best? Like you, I'm thinking long term, like grandkids long term.

 

I wonder if that's a generational issue, my VA0 US DC has been modded (VGA and region free chip), fallen off the shelf it sits on (twice) and had a lot of backup disc hours put on the laser and it still works perfectly. (Knocks on wood).

 

I thought the Saturn was reputed to be a tank it's so reliable.

Good suggestions folks. I have two small cupboards which are often in low light but one tends to be warm and the other damp. Sounds like vacuum sealing and/or silica packets is the way forward.

 

The Saturn is a tank unlike the original playStation. I use a day one Japanese console that's had a good few thousand hours of use since it was made and still works fine. Funny thing is about 5 years ago the drive motor started to fail then all of a sudden it stated to work again and still going strong now despite running many CDR discs too.

 

I have heard that plastic wrap is bad as it can cause a plastic to plastic reaction. Basically it looks good at first, but breaks down into an oil film over the years. You are better off with Tupperware containers and silica packets.

 

Really? I'm with Mecha. I've never had a problem with either of my DCs, and the one was a relatively early 1999 manufacture. That thing has been through back-ups, the original, unsorted Geist Force release and multiple not-so-smooth moves as well. Then again there are always a few bad apples.

That's what I thought as well. They seem put together very solidly.

 

So my collection is now getting pretty ridiculous, and I can't have everything out at once, at least not for a few years. But I would like it so that they are safely and conveniently stored but can be taken out at short notice and be hooked up with minimal fuss.

My idea is to put each console/computer in its own box alongside its PSU, video cable, controller(s) and their flashcart, if I have one. All packed with soft, carvable foam, and generous helpings of silica gel packs to get rid of any moisture.

Does that sound feasible? It's basically going to be a project for the year. Any suggestions for decent/cool-looking storage boxes?

In particular some advice would be welcome on storage on consoles of unusual size, such as the Amstrad CPC 464, the BBC Micro B, Atari STE, Amiga 500 or the Mega-CD.

 

This guide definitely covers what you are asking. In short, watch out for extremes of temperature, humidity and UV exposure. And acids, especially if there's printed material.

Don't ever expect to put electronics away for 20 years and have them work, regardless of how you store them. Capacitors break down over time. Batteries leak if you forget to remove them. Yes, they can last - great if they do.

Avoid rubber banding leads as the rubber will break down into a goo. If your cupboard is damp, it's an unsuitable environment, regardless of what you're going to use as a container.

Never seal things up that are valuable. They need to breathe. Even comic books should be removed from their acid-free bags every couple of years.

If you have the original box, it won't harm to keep it in that. Then put it in a plastic storage box (they should hopefully be acid free) like a Really Useful box. You could get a big one and fit several boxed consoles, no doubt.

 

http://www.racketboy.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=52&p=625519

There's a picture of game case that melted when it was in storage. So if you are packing games and controllers, extension cords, or any wires keep those separate. Soft plastic may cause hard plastic to deform due to outgassing of plasticizer.

 

Can cling film be any hazardous?
For a long time now I need to free some space and have been thinking of storing some of my consoles and microcomputers in the attic.
Temperatures are generally warm, still they do vary from a little bellow 10ºC in winter to 40º on summer. The attic has no faux ceiling (you see the roof tiles), is a bit dusty and maybe some small bugs. During day there's only enough natural light to move around. Humidity wise it's generally dry, it doesn't have any infiltrations even during heavy rain seasons. Still, since there's no ceiling, I expect temperature and humidity to vary a little bit during the day (hopefully a neglectible variation).
I was thinking in wrapping the units in cling film (have a thinner transparent role and a thicker black opaque one), the same for each controller, accessory and media (bigbox pc games, packs of floppies) putting them on cardboxes along with newspaper to provide a more secure packing. Carbox and newspaper are kinda meh, but I don't feel like investing in plastic storage boxes just yet. Plus it'd be only for a year or two, only.

 

I've also have my dreamcast fall off shelves and other high places. The worst thing that's happened was when a backup got scratched up after I tripped on the controller cable and landed on my face with the dc following suit.

 

Yup. Avoid ALL plastics that aren't acid free. Avoid as many plastics as possible, in case there are reactions. Same goes for newspaper and cardboard - they have acid. And newsprint rubs off. Plus you can easily get mice in attics, and they'll eat through cardboard.

Heat is not going to do you any favours, either. Keep an eye on the stuff!