I'm closing in on about 2,500 games now. I recently spent about $1K remodeling a room in my house as a "Game Storage/Archival" room. most of that money went to shelving alone. And dumping that much money on something that wasn't directly game related got me thinking. For $1k I could have bought something epic off ebay... Like a proto or something.. But instead I got a room to put my junk in.... I begun to think about what other stuff I have got that, while not being a game or system, I have spent money on that I now consider invaluable to my gaming hobby. The first thing to come to mind is a Sony PVM. I found one on ebay for $10, shipping was going to be killer though. But lucky enough, the seller only lived 2 hrs away in Burbank and made local pickup available. I rounded the family up and we took a day trip to LA. The address the guy gave me was a real bonafide movie studio. The security guard at the gate had to make some calls and then I was given a pass to enter. A receptionist gave me a funny look when I told her I was there to pick up a monitor I had won on ebay.. she made some calls and then turned around. Behind her was a Sony PVM. She handed it to me and off I went. I found a guy on neo-geo.com who made custom SCART to BNC/RGB cable. And I've been collecting scart cables for each system over time. I wish I had done it sooner. Anyway, My question isn't "Whats the best deal on something you've ever gotten" its more like "What is something you have gotten that isn't a game or system that you truly couldn't do without in relation to gaming". (PS. Close follow up. Gamecube Component Cables)
For UK based bods, there's a BBC auction going on atm that has some nice gear: http://www.ppauctions.com/auction.php?id=119 Best video game related investment? Well, I've always thought that buying video games shouldn't be an investment strategy, you should buy games because you love them But for me, it's a toss up between a boxed Jag + 8 boxed games + NIB controller I picked up for £25 a couple of years ago, closely followed by a Twilight Zone pinball table I picked up for £1250.
I never said monetary investment. Sorry if for some reason it came across that way. I personally invest in my love of gaming.
Cute furniture, I believe. I'm always looking for better options for my needs. And they are, first, the ergonomics (I don't know if you people use that word in english) and second, the "anti dust" storage (doors with glass are the best). Second should be AV equipment. I'm not so deep there to tell wich one is the most expensive, displays or audio equipment. My furniture currently is the most expensive. But I believe the audio equipment will pass someday. (this day should be when I'm satisfied with the furniture) Third could be the decorations. Some people have expensive action figures all around. I'm not really into that. I have a collection going on (marvel) but my main decorations are the games themselves and stuff included in collector's editions.
I too invested in getting a Sony PVM which is essential in old school gaming. It's really nice to have. Unfortunately on mine, one of the Composite BNC jacks has gotten loose, so at some point I'll need to get that fixed. It sometimes affects the other Composite Video line, not sure why. I also need to invest in some better shelving/store for my gaming stuff. I don't see it as being able to buy more epic game stuff with that money. Having good storage/organization for your game stuff is very important if you are going to collect alot of stuff. If you only have one or two system and a fair amount of games it's not a big deal. But when you have 5 or more systems and over a hundred games you'll need some decent shelving.
Cellophane bags. Cost about 0.05 cents piece and keeps your games away from dust and shelf wear. I also have these hard plastic protectors which are awesome for sealed games. OP I think proper shelving / storaging is very, very important. You have large collection so its necessarily to put it in order. I hate to say but I have some games just thrown in cardboard boxes and stored in basement cause I dont have any room to put them... but cello bags help to keep them away from dust and unwanted scratches at least. Hope to someday have dedicated room for video games.
For me it would be my capture gear, having that really helps a lot with gaming stuff on YouTube, but I guess the most direct would be shelves and them after that audio, I have a pioneer 5.1 receiver with accent acoustics speakers (soon to replace then with Warfdale diamonds, 7.1 -will need a back channel amp for that)
It sounds tacky, but hooking up stuff with a wire storage cube system (like this http://www.walmart.com/ip/Whitmor-White-Wire-Storage-Cubes-Four-Cubes-Interlocked/5005200) was a great deal. It's a lot easier to get in behind the systems to move stuff around. Other than that, the $50 or so I spent on my Dazzle capture card thing has been pretty well worth it.
Probably my official gen 2 Xbox component cable. So much use great use has gone out of them, finally DOAXBV in 480p.
I want to spend a lot of money on a whole new TV set-up to hook up all consoles on one Tv. I wanna make it look awesome.
