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The Introduction
About 3 weeks ago I traded in my stash of 360 games and system for a backward compatible PS3. What I wanted and what I got are to different beasts. Below is my trial, criticism, and love affair with my new found system.
Over the course of a week through this story I went through 3 60gb ps3's from GameStop before saying "f**k it" and getting a slim 160gb ps3. I believe I hold the record for most PS3's returned in one week(in my area).
The Prologue
On Saturday 7/16/2011 I woke up to the sound of my iPhone getting an email from GameStop. The Ad said that they are doing a promotion on trading anything in towards used merchandise gets you 50% more trade in credit. For the past couple months I've been thinking about defecting over to the PS3 and figured that now would be the right time to do so. With a duffel bag packed with about 40 games and a system I scurried off to my nearest GameStop. Little did I know what would come to pass.
My first victim
When I arrived at my local GameStop I noticed they were PACKED. The feeling of the clerk hating me for trading my life supply of 360 games and system grew pretty big.
I was greeted by a clerk named Matt who would sign my deal in blood. I explained that I wanted to trade in everything towards a 60gb ps3. Then Matt said "Alright lets see what you got". He then check innovatory for my used 60gb PS3 as I unloaded my collection on the counter. When Matt turned around to see what I had. Him and couple other people in the store were dumb struck by how much stuff I had amassed on the counter.
After about 10-20 minutes my game collection was all scanned in. I remember matt asking if I had a controller for my system. Then it dawns on me I left it at home. He then explains that I would have enough for the system and some extra. So matt goes off to the back to get my ps3 and I go look at some games.
My Grand total trade-in for my games and Hard drive was $358.91
After awhile of browsing the ps3 section I pick up Demon's Souls and Uncharted 2. Matt comes back with 2 boxes a 60gb and 80gb. My reasoning for these models was for PlayStation 2 game support since any model after which have that feature removed. Matt opens the 60gb box to make sure it is the right model that I want and right off the bat I noticed 2 usb ports instead of 4. Meaning at some other store someone got ripped off. I said I don't want to 80 due to the fact it doesn't have hardware support and all ps2 games are emulated. So I asked if any other store has one. Matt checks the area and sure enough on right up the road has one. Matt then explains that hes is going to enroll me in power up rewards so I get the bonus and Game informer. Then I slap up my 2 games and matt was like I got a better used copy of uncharted 2 let me get that for you. He hand me a used GOTY edition with the DLC card unused. So I get sent off home with the 2 game my new card and a game informer.
But hey at least I still got my massive Receipt
So I hurry home and grab a my little brothers wired controller and give my wireless(since mine has the shell customized). Then it dawns on me that I still have a collectors edition of DeathSmiles. I grab all of this the rush to back to GameStop.
After a 20 minute drive to the other store. I trade in the rest and got my system. I end up going to WalMart so I can get RCA extension adapters to set it up with my JBL creature speaker kit. Then it is another 20min drive back and breaking every possible traffic law there is. I arrive at my home excited to rip this thing out of the box and play some Uncharted 2. When I finally hook up everything(monitor through HDMI and audio through RCA). My system freezes during the set up process. So I reboot and try again. It gets through the set up then I start up Uncharted 2 which needed like 19 patches before it can start. After about an hour of waiting for updates to install. My system takes a vacation but this time the screen is all glitched out. So I end up calling up GameStop and by this time it pushing 8pm asking if they will honor my return which they did. So I go take a nap and wake up close to 3am. During the morning hours I figure maybe it needs a system update to make it better. Well during the update the system glitched out during the update bricking it.
The Second System
10:30am rolls around and I scurry off to GameStop to get another 60gb PS3. This time I made the clerk unbox it and boot it up and test ps3 and ps2 games on it before taking it home.
Its about going on 11am when I get home. I hook up everything again. Then I end up playing the waiting game with Uncharted 2. This Time I actually got to play for awhile before taking a nap. I wake up around 2am and start up the system and load my game. I remember playing uncharted 2 and was like I'm going to play some God of War 1(ps2 version). I eject disk and pop in GOW. I get nothing on the XMB. I figure the disk is dirty and get some windex and clean it. Pop it back in still left with nothing. Pop back in Uncharted 2. Nothing. I laughed a bit and was like what are the odds. So I format a flash drive and start a back up. This take about 30 minutes of my time.
I remember some of the criticism from friends/family. I got saying its telling you to go back to the 360. Its not ment to be. Are you doing a Rental from GameStop.
I remember saying to my friend rob if I go back to the 360 with my luck as it is right now. I would be greeted by a big blinking Red Ring of Death.
The Third system
My Third 60gb took some time to get mostly due because my store didn't have one and had to get the manger from another to drive it to mine. So I drive up to the store and get my money on my card then come back the next day to pick up my system.
When I get this back home I remember doing the restore flash drive. The only problem I have with it is that it took 30 mins and it did not restore all the patches/updates/game installs on my new system. So I end up installing updating and wasting about 2 hours of my life again.
2 days later I finally get enough money to buy my next game. Which is BlazBlue Continuum Shift. When I finally get home I have to do a 400mb update. I skip the update and start some arcade mode for awhile before finally bending a little to download the update for BB. This update took 2 hours to download/install. I'm sitting here watching it do the install for it. Then, guess what? The Blu-Ray Spins down during the loading screen. I'm stuck at the loading screen. So I exit to the XMB and there is no disk inserted according to the XMB. So I eject and try agin but I put my ear up to the system. I can hear the laser trying to focus but no disk spinning. I put my face in both my hands and laugh. Apparently there were forces of great power here that prevented me from owning a 60gb PS3.
The fourth system.
Depressing as this must be. I quickly decided it was time to just give up on my backwards compatibility quest and get a slim 160gb. I decided to go to a different GameStop. This time a lot closer to my house. When I arrive the clerk asks if I wanted another 60Gb and I remember telling him I've been through 3 of them this week I must have wasted about 6 hours of my life updating/restoring/installing/patching games this week just please give me a slim ps3. The clerk was like someone traded in this slim ps3 with the retail box. He pull out the system and controller. The clerk explained to me that this system is no more then 2 weeks old and said feel the controller. I pick up the controller and could tell it was new by the rough d-pad. I pick it up and examine the system. No marks. It was like as if someone played it for 5-10mins and put it back in the box. I get my semi new system and end up have left over money due to the 60gb costing alot more. So I end up getting God of War 3 and Little Big Planet.
The Afterwords
Well there you have it. That was my week long rough start with the Playstation 3.
The next person to say that Ps3 don't break down as easily, I will find them and possibly murder them. Just saying. :/
The only thing I didn't like was backing up and restoring.. Not to mention it didn't restore game data/updates. So going through that 2 times was a little tear jerking.
Also THANK GOD I didn't use my Uncharted 2 DLC code on the defective ones.
Hopefully this Slim ps3 will last for a good while,
but we will see.
Thanks for reading
-Darren
Also My PSN ID is driversabovekext
if anyone wants to play some BlazBlue or Uncharted 2.
Just message me and tell me your from RFgeneration. xD
Being a CDX owner I got accustom to the loadtimes of that little system..
My recent flea market find aloud me to acquire a Model 1 sega CD for only 20$
[img width=320 height=240]http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i203/kordarren/IMG00046-20100502-1355.jpg[/img]
Now for the problems... ugh
When I bought it it came with a model 2 genesis. As-is with no cords or controllers.
Me being like I got like 4 genesis as of writing.. I said what the hell.. At least I'm not blowing more then 20$ on a could be broken unit(like ebay)
Got it home Ripped off the model 2 and... with some masters degree in assembling Voltron. I Got it working sort of.
Well you know when you insert a dirty cart in, say the NES and you get that nice glitched effect? Well that was happening to the bios screen.
(This was a good sign for me because I kinda have bad luck with sega cd's. Usually they don't boot)
I disassembled this video game behemoth. Clean all contacts with alcohol wipes. Then when I was about to clean the contacts on the Genesis I noticed.
[img width=640 height=480]http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i203/kordarren/segacdproblems.jpg[/img]
T-T Diode is blown/ cracked in two my one genny.
This was followed by manly tears.
So I grab another genny. Assemble Voltron.. Then I'm like how do I insert CD/open disk tray? Then it dawns on me that the reset is open. Start is close the tray.
So I pop in Sonic CD. Then I wait and wait... Then Finally I'm at the title screen..
Start a new game then 10-30 secs later I'm in the first level.
Now When I get to the second level-> Goes to load then stops.
So I tried like 3 times after that.. Same thing.
My sonic CD Disk is PERFECT by the way.
What gives? My CDX plays this game fine. the model 1. not so much.
I used a laser clean disk on the unit. CDs play fine.
So I decide to try another game.
Lunar the silver star.
After about a 10 sec wait for the SEGA logo to change the working designs logo comes then guess what ANOTHER LOAD TIME!
This one kinda takes a half a minute to load the FMV. Then title.
Press start and it tries to load then just hangs.
Am I doing something wrong?
So I give up for tonight.. later this week might be a different story.
Any thoughts/comments would greatly be appreciated
This is how it all began into a downward spiral into the VG collecting scene. This is how I acquired my first Genesis.
"Soo. Here goes nothing"
It was about Mid March of 09. The weather in NC is amazing this time of year. Me staring at my computer with nothing to do. I hear a knock at my room door. My mother asks if I wanted to help her with some errands. With no car and no job to boot. I say what the hell, I need to get out of the house sometime today.
With that in mind I get ready. At the door my father says now hes going and also needs to get out of the house as well.
So we go on about our weekly trip to wall-mart and some place to eat.
After which my mother then admits there is one more place to check out. That being Goodwill.
Personal note:
While I was living back in MD. A couple of my friends would get lucky on there finds @ goodwill every once in a blue moon. Though me being me. I take that with a grain of salt. This trip on the other hand to goodwill would change how I shop @ goodwill forever.
When we arrive at good will. I ask my 5 year old little brother if he wants to go to the toy section.
You already know the answer 5 years old + toys = YES!
This is not to hinder my mother and father while they find him play clothes and other things.
So we go back to the toys/electronics section.(thank god there a rack apart) With the little one in eye sight. I glance over the used junk. I was kinda looking for an old system of sorts or anything video game/computer related. I felt like they had nothing to offer and moved on.
I noticed the used audio section. Looking at the old portable CD players(walkmans). I was thinking to myself about how big they were in the 90s. I push a couple to the side and ruffle through until my hand slips inside the back on one. I'm thinking to myself "wtf! a handle at first". Pulling it out from the very far back of the shelf. I noticed the cd lid open. I'm still in the blind nostalgia of how big these old CD players are. That is about when I shut the lid. I took my hand out of what I thought was the handle. (Mind you, I was trying to keep and eye on the little one and look at this thing.This is NOT EASY).. I put the Cd player down to go chew my brother out about touching the glassware and go sick my father on him. When I come back I noticed a sega logo on the back of that CD player. I picked it up in shock and noticed "CDX" on the cd lid. That is about where I did a sort of victory dance in some respects...
With that in hand. It dawns on me that this possibly takes a different type of power brick then the standard Genesis. I look frantically for it but its nowhere in sight. Then I remember seeing a tub of AC adapters on the other side of the shelf. This tub was just about every wire they had in the store, unwrapped in a Rubbermaid tub. It was a unorganized cluster-f**K and would make any grown man with OCD, cry deeply. I seriously spent like a extra 10 mins undoing each Brick and checking to see if any of them said, that iconic SEGA logo. I grew wary and hunted down my mom to see if I could get just the CDX. Rushing down the isle I run into my mom. I ask "Can you get this for me?" without even breaking a sweat. She then asks "what is it?". That is about when I explain its a "rare Sega genesis". My dad then pops around the isle and says "Sega! another Dreamcast" in a disappointing tone. (Just to note: my dads outlook on Sega was with the failure of the Dreamcast.)
He turns back around and says "If you want it, get it".
With my victory securer then the social security of the US. I let them know I'm going back to look for the power brick. My dad says "hurry it up". I nod and rush back. Looking in more of the terminator style of motion. This time I was on a seek and find mission. I knew it was here if the system is. I then move my attention over to the antique section. Something I missed before just because you never know. Then in the corner of my eye, top self black ac power brick with a White SEGA logo. Not the standard genesis power brick that I'm use too. I read more on the brick just to make sure.
"Class 2 Power Supply For
Use with Genesis CDX"
That is when I exhaled a F**k yeah! and rushed back to check out.
With the sound of the register I ask what's the damage on the of the CDX.
Total=$12.50(US)
You know when you were younger and got something you couldn't wait to get home to play or tinker with.
Well that was me. In the car ride back home.
I lit up a cigarette in the back seat, thinking I hope this works.
As soon as I walked in the door. I got my stuff and scurried to my man cave(aka room). I plugged it in knowing it didn't have any controllers or AV cords. I figured I could check and see if it played CDs OK. I jacked in my klipsch speakers and powered on the unit. To my delight I herd the Sega CD boot music. So I figured it should be ok. There is a Sonata Arctica cd on my media shelf. I grab it and play the disk. The music comes rocking out.
This right here is about where that announcer from Mortal Kombat would have been perfect for that
"Flawless Victory!"
About 2 months later I move back to Baltimore,MD.(I'm working, on my own, and in the process of getting a car now!)
Sadly though I couldn't show my little brother the wonders of the genesis before I moved back.
That doesn't mean I can't on the trip back up there in May for his B-day(he turns 7 then).
Thanks for reading.
-Darren
As a VG collector newbie.
I've begun to start a pretty impressive collection in six months.
Mostly of what I'm collecting for is the Genesis/Mega Drive. Its a system that has the most nostalgia to me. I feel like I missed out on a lot of really great games in my younger days.
So With about 50 Genesis games in my collection(as of typing).
I noticed I have a long,
long,
long way to go..
So I will hunt @ flea-markets.
Look in every nook and cranny @ Goodwill.
Raid someones yard-sale.
Play operation sting on Craigs list and ebay.
Dumpster dive if I have to..
Until I have just about every US release for the Genesis.
(But that doesn't mean I will pass up other games on other systems.)
Now what set me off on this whole collecting deal on the Genesis.
Well that's a "epic find story" for another blog entry.
"AND always Thanks for reading"
-Darren
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