VMS - my playable collection .

VMS - my playable collection

My playable collection - simply meaning that I don't collect sealed games. The main intent is collecting to play and preserve what I enjoy. I'll start with the "hardware shelf" and update the software later:


I'm currently renting this loft with my girlfriend. She's very supportive of my hobby, but space is at a minimum. I built these makeshift shelves from wood scraps, taking advantage of the built-in "nook" that extends to the ceiling. The bottom shelf starts at chest height. I was able to get rid of a large wire shelf that previously held all this stuff. Not much to say about the above pic, other than each shelf has lots of goodies hidden many layers deep, all crammed in there Tetris-style. 3rd shelf up hides a couple DC Twinsticks. Also on the 3rd shelf, far left, is my favorite item, the HSS-0130 Astro City arcade panel wired for Saturn (Virtua Stick Pro). I'd get rid of everything before that. I'd be homeless, carting it around in the street.

Digging deeper on the bottom shelf:



All 4 Millennium Pads, vanilla pad & an Aussie pad.




USA DC VMUs & Mouse.

To give a snapshot of my collecting, pretty much everything on these shelves was bought new on first release; both USA & JP. The exceptions are Atari & SMS which I used to own, then re-bought more recently. I've had large collections in my childhood which I abandoned, and am now in the process of acquiring or re-acquiring everything I'd like to keep permanently. It's nice when your tastes are finally set in stone, and you have a clear vision of what you need.


Some of the SLS Saturn pads (USB & PS2). I'll never tire of seeing "SEGA PlayStation".


USA Saturn NetLink stuff. "Toys R Us" was selling the FREE NetLink Game Packs for 1 PENNY (only if you asked for one) in late summer 1997. They were overstocked and nobody was buying the NetLink. It includes online versions of Sega Rally & Virtual On, plus the PlanetWeb browser. I had a much larger pile of these at one point. Also shown is the JVC/Victor Saturn VCD/MPEG1 card. It's got some pretty amazing features during movie playback. Not that I ever use it...

Closer look at the NetLink stuff:

2 NetLink modems, 1 still "sealed", front & back.


Never opened the useless mouse. No games supported it, just the browser. Control Pad worked fine for moving the cursor, or you could use a 2nd Keyboard Adapter with a PC mouse.


Game Packs front & back. My friend "nirv" was participating in that irc chat on the back of the box when they took the screenshot. I met him through NetLink and still know him today. SEGA brings people together! Also through NetLink I reconnected with a fellow local SEGA fan I had met 12 years earlier in the Master System days, who I never thought I'd see again. He's still a good friend. Pretty amazing...


Cards. About 11 years ago, the USA card somehow got filled with static electricity (?), and not only erased itself but somehow shorted out (?) one of my old USA Saturns, actually bricking the console. I couldn't believe it. I need to carefully test it out again sometime... I should also get rid of all those 6-Player taps in the background.


Pads. The strange black packaging is Sega of Australia (OziSoft) stuff.


Sega of Australia (OziSoft) was doing some strange things. I have no idea why they released this Saturn Pad based on the Mega Drive 6-Button pad (front & back shown).


Sony. The PS1 Memory Card is still sealed. I'll keep it that way because I think it's funny.


The neGcon is brilliant & underrated. Perfect for wipEout 1, 2, 3, and GT1-4 as a portable steering wheel. JogCon was interesting but useless, in my opinion.


SMS is my favorite console of all time. Not the best, just the most nostalgic. The Rapid Fires are still sealed, and the 3D Glasses are working & unbroken. I use the XMD-2 with SMS, because it has the same A/V pinouts as MD1. I'm a major fan of Micomsoft products.


Consoles uncovered. JP "COOL" Skeleton Saturn is switch modded for JP/USA regions and is my main Saturn workhorse. Remember, I use my stuff ;-)

Nothing to see on shelf 3, so here's the top shelf near the ceiling, another layer deep, behind Steel Batallion:

It's surprising how much those "GetBass" controllers/sets are selling for, now. "GetBass", incidentally, is the best title of a game ever conceived :nod:


Another layer deep, more piles. The Mission Sticks are compatible with and perfect for the Sega Ages arcade conversions. Saturn Mission Sticks can be disassembled and combined to form one massive analog twin-stick, and exactly one game supports that configuration: Panzer Dragoon Zwei. It becomes a completely different, much more difficult game with that setup; the targeting crosshairs and dragon move in analog, and independently of each other. h: You have more freedom but it's another layer of mastery you must perfect. I've tried it twice - it's being saved for a rainy day along with Steel Batallion which I played for 20 seconds and died, but was amazing.

As the photos have shown, this collection serves as my own mini game shop. When I need something, just pull it off the shelf. That's the idea.

I'll update with my software shelves soon. For now, the only teaser:

A little slice of heaven.

 

Is that a Sega Saturn styled PS2 Controller? Whoa, I didn't even know that existed awesome! You have far too much cool stuff. Very nice collection.

 

Great stuff VMS! And nicely organized as well.

 

Thats a sweet collection of boxed accessories you've got there.

 

Great hardware collection! You have so many big cartons, one can hardly imagine how massive they are in reality if you haven't seen them (i.e. the Virtua Stick, Tekki ect). I love it, have a tad of a hardware-fetish myself :nod:

Never saw a blister version of the GC BBA before. Was is exclusive to some country, i.e. Portugal (as they also had got DC-controllers in blisters)?

 

That pretty cool, I never knew they made a platinum bba for the GC. Nice collection!

 

Sega branded Playstation controllers, slightly ironic. Shows that its a good design for fighting games.

 

I like your Space Channel 5 character. lol. Is that part of a set or just something sold separately?

 

multi-replies:

Cheers, people. Yes, that PS2 Saturn Pad came out around the same time as the original USB Saturn Pads. 2004 I think?

That's the USA version (I'm in USA). So I'd assume the North American versions are all blister packed. I also have the GC dial-up modem somewhere, also in a blister pack.

Sorry! That's simply the bottom cover from my Platinum GameCube, slipped into the package, while the BBA is attached to the GC. :lol:

It's just E3 swag, from 2000 maybe?

 

Great stuff! Can't wait to see the rest.

 

Neat! Thanks for the info. Lovely collection. :thumbsup:

 

Update

Added 11 new pics in the first post. Uncovered the rest of my small accessories, and took a closer look at a few items of interest.

Also downsized the pics and edited text.

 

Love it!!

 

Never let me near your stuff. You'd have a hard time preserving it with white stuff all over it.

 

I have to share this view. I'd kill for a HSS-0130, I have a HSS-0136 that I've modded with sanwa parts and the like, new PCB etc but I'd love to have a HSS-0130 as part of an arcade setup.

Extremely nice collection, very much to my taste. ray:

 

Your Virtua Stick is notoriously hard to mod. Another member here is in the process of doing that. Have I seen your mod work posted on another forum, perhaps?

 

What an amazing hardware collection you've got there! :thumbsup:

Congrats, awesome stuff, it is good to see you keep everything in superb conditions! :clap:

 

I didn't post a work log. It wasn't that hard. Drilled three 24mm holes in the top of the case for select, guide and start. Button plugs in the spare buttons as I only wanted to use 6 buttons, and I left the JLF in the standard low position. Right now though it's got my Mayflash PCB in it, I can't make my mind up. :redface: :nod: Either way it was fun to mod, shame I couldn't keep the stock sticker though. :redface:

The top panel keeps rusting too and I've no idea what to do anymore.

Image here!

 

Cover it with a rough vinyl art print from mamemarquees.

 

wow talk about an awesome sega collection