bitbox

All posts tagged bitbox

Custom Game Cases Vol. 4

Posted by Sega Dude on January 23, 2017

Posted in: Games, MVS, Nintendo, SNK Neo Geo. Tagged: 20th anniversary, Aftermarket Case, bitbox, neo geo, NES, shockbox, snk. Leave a comment

Second only to actually playing awesome retro video games is making them look ‘new again’. I recently had my favorite print shop (Lamin-8) print up 12 covers for some of my loose SNK Neo Geo and NES game cartridges.

Even before these covers got put into cases they look great. If I had more wall space I think these would make great posters for the game room.

First up are the mighty Neo Geo MVS Shockboxes. These beasts are very large and beautiful!

There is something about giant electronics packed in really large plastic cases that just screams RETRO. But if you have played some of the best the Neo Geo has to offer then you know that SNK’s old slogan still holds true: The Future is Now.

Unfortunately something happened with the print job for Captain Tomaday and it printed much too small for the Shockbox case. I’ll have to revisit the Captain next time when I have more covers to print.

Next up are eight covers for some of my NES cartridges. Although not entirely authentic these lined up BitBoxes look so much nicer than loose carts.

With the exception of Kid Icarus I’ve managed to find manuals for these games.

Two parts authentic and one part aftermarket. Not bad.

What really helps with these aftermarket BitBoxes is that the cover art is the same artwork that you’ll find on an authentic NES cardboard box. Giving the final product very authentic look despite being a very different style case.

Beautiful. I could just stare at these all day. Who’s with me?!

Stone Age Gamer BitBoxes Vol. 3

Posted by Sega Dude on July 18, 2016

Posted in: Collection New Additions, Games, NES, Nintendo, SNES. Tagged: bitbox, NES, nintendo, snes, stone age gamer. 7 Comments

Yes that’s right! At this moment all of my loose NES and SNES cartridges are safely stored, each in their own Stone Age Gamer BitBox. True my Nintendo collection is not as authentic as my Sega collection in their original cases but ‘Wow!’ I really do feel my Nintendo Collection is look’in great.

There is nothing wrong with leaving your game cartridges loose. They look fine and they will take up the least amount of space but they will lack some polish and panache!

I’ve lost track of some of the prices I’ve paid for the above games but here are the details I do remember:

01) Mega Man 2 $??, Manual $22 USD
02) Contra $55 CAD, No Manual
03) Faxanadu $10 CAD, Manual $6 USD.
04) Adventure Island Traded, Manual $10 USD.
05) Double Dragon II $15 CAD, Manual $7 USD
06) Ninja Gaiden $20 CAD, No Manual
07) Ninja Gaiden II which sold with the manual for $25 CAD
08) Wizards & Warriors $8 USD, Manual $3 USD
09) Dr. Mario $10 CAD, Manual $3 USD
10) Life Force $13 USD, Manual $6 USD
11) Gradius Free with Lukie point, Manual $8 USD
12) Karnov $8 USD, No Manual
13) Pro Wrestling $5 CAD, Manual $2 USD
14) P.O.W. $10 CAD, No Manual
15) Ice Hockey $5 CAD, Manual $2 USD
16) Dragon Warrior II $30 CAD, No Manual
17) Castlevania III – $40, No Manual

This is my third order for BitBoxes from Stone Age Gamer and I know I’ll keep ordering every time I add some naked NES, SNES or even Super Famicom carts to the collection.

Oh my, just look at that image below. Now they really Pop! Sure, BitBoxes are not original NES/SNES cardboard boxes but they are pristine and vibrant. It would be difficult and expensive to get these games with good condition original boxes. Plus, there is a custom BitBox cover-art insert ready for download for almost every single NES and SNES game. And the fact that these custom covers use the original artwork helps keep this aftermarket solution looking as authentic as possible.

I do have manuals for a few of my games so in they went into their respective BitBox. I enjoy completing the package with original manuals when I can find them for a reasonable price.

Most of my NES and SNES manuals I’ve been finding at LukieGames.com. Every now and again I’ll search for affordable manuals for under $10 USD and if I find a few I might add in one expensive manual if it’s for an extra cool game and maybe pay $20-$25 for it.

I had only nine SNES games that needs BitBoxes. Two of them being Super Famicom games. Both Pariudus Da! and Pop’n Twin Bee never got a release for the Super Nintendo so I’m happy to have the Japanese versions of these fun shooters. The same BitBox that holds a single SNES cart can alternatively hold a Super Famicom cart. Which gives a nice extra bit of versatility to the SNES BitBox.

Again I can’t recall all the prices that I paid for this bunch:

Chuck Rock $?? , Manual 4 USD
Donkey Kong Country 3 $40 CAD, No Manual
Secret of Mana $60 CAD, No Manual
Final Fight $??, Manual $8 USD
Secret of Evermore $40 CAD, No Manual
Gradius $??, Manual $8 USD
Kirby’s Alavanche $12 USD, Manual $4 USD
Paroduis Da! $15 USD, No Manual
Pop’n Twin Bee $9 USD, No Manual

And here are my SNES carts look’in good in their new Stone Age Gamer BitBoxes.

Just like the NES games I also have a few SNES manuals.

Here’s a closer look at Parodius Da! and Pop’in Twin Bee. If you’re into shooter and haven’t heard of them you should check them out.

For this Stone Age Gamer order I received 35 BitBoxes and 35 Document strap (straps hold the manuals). 10 BitBoxes for SNES and 25 for NES. I haven’t yet used all 35 but I don’t mind having a few extra on hand. Each BitBox worked out to about $5.10 CAD per BitBox with a document strap. It’s really much more cost effective to buy BitBoxes in bulk. The discount is significant.

And don’t forget the cost of a print job for the cover-art which is not a default included in the cost of a BitBox. I get my print jobs done locally at a professional shop because I intend to have them for a long time I want them looking their best. My cost for each print job (and the cutting service) is about $3.30 CAD each.

Bringing my grand total to $8.40 CAD per BitBox. It is very expensive but I do love the end result.

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Stone Age Gamer BitBoxes Vol. 2

Posted by Sega Dude on March 20, 2016

Posted in: Hardware, Modifications, NES, Nintendo, Restoration, SNES. Tagged: bitbox, case, cover, NES, nintendo, snes, stone age gamer. 4 Comments

After previously sampling a few Stone Age Gamer BitBoxes for five of my favorite SNES carts I’ve decide it’s time to dive in.

For anyone not familiar with BitBoxes they are aftermarket cases for your Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) game cartridges or for your Super Nintendo (SNES) game cartridges. If you’re not able to find or afford to collect your NES and SNES games in their original cardboard boxes then the BitBox might be for you.

When adding this second order of new BitBoxes to the previous 5 my collection of NES and SNES game cartridges have started to look pretty impressive.

Below you’ll see my new game cases are for Final Fantasy III, Chrono Trigger, Breathe of Fire, Super Mario World, Top Gear and Street Fighter II Turbo.

My Final Fantasy III game cart I bought from a forum member at neo-geo.com for $55 USD including shipping which is about $75-$80 CAD. This is by far the most I’ve spent on any SNES game but we’re talking about Final Fantasy III so I don’t have to say it but I will, ‘totally worth it’.
Chrono Triger I traded for at Retro Game Brothers. It had a $130 CAD price tag and I had to trade in a lot of stuff for it: 2 boxed Neo Geo Pocket games, 3 Genesis games (2 were boxed), 4 NES carts, 1 SNES cart and about 5 complete PS2 games. The only rare items of the lot would be the two NGPC games and maybe Two Crude Dudes for the Genesis. The rest of the SNES games below were given to me by a good friend a year or so back.

Of the Star Wars trilogy games I only ever played Super Star Wars back in the day but I wanted all three for the collection and to try out. I’ve read that Super Empire Strikes Back is very good. I forget what they cost me but they were not expensive games. All of Star Fox, Cybernator and F-Zero were given to me by the same friend that I mentioned above. In my eyes he’s a very wonderful human being 🙂

Even though my main focus has always been the Sega Genesis, Japanese Sega Mega Drive and the Sega Master System over the years I have been picking up loose SNES and NES carts. I haven’t been as diligent about recording what I’ve paid for my Nintendo games. I think I paid about $30-40 CAD for Mega Man X which was the most expensive of the 6 below. (I’m also noticing that Super Street Fighter II Turbo managed to sneak into the photo shoot a 2nd time… oops.)

Below are Donkey Kong Country, Mega Man X, Super Punch Out, Super Mario World and Super R-Type.

The last two SNES BitBox cases I got for some of my SNES carts are Super Ghouls ‘n Ghosts and Super Mario All Stars.

As good as BitBoxes are they’re not cheap considering how many you’re likely to buy if you start at all. As a result I’ve actually sold many of my NES carts because they were not games that I was really interested in and for every game cartridge I sold that would be one less BitBox I had to buy. I know, I know… I’m crazy. What am I collecting? Cool old retro video games or boxes? The up side of my new philosophy is that it really forces me to consider how much I really want a particular game. It’s because of this that I feel like I’m going to end up with a quality collection of games that are either really good or are games that I have a lot of nostalgia for.

The next collecting trap that BitBoxes landed me in is offering a convenient place to store manuals. Just great… so yeah, now I’m looking for game manuals too.

BitBox case are not identical for SNES and NES cartridges. Each are built specifically for SNES or NES and they are not interchangeable. The NES BitBoxes aren’t as deep (marginally) and are skinnier than the SNES BitBoxes (both are identical in height). Other wise the quality and function is the same. The SNES BitBoxes can also accommodate a Super Famicom cart instead of a SNES cart if you collect for both systems.

This was my first order for NES BitBoxes and I’m enjoying them just as much at the SNES BitBoxes.

Below we have Kung Fu, Metroid, Excite Bike, Super Mario Bros. 2, Super Mario Bros. 3, Castlevania, Rygar, Journey to Silius and Punchout.

Next up are Ghost ‘n Goblins, Super C, Final Fantasy, The Legend of Zelda and The Adventure of Link.

Pretty awesome right?! Here’s what they cost me. Each BitBox cost $4 USD plus 50 cents if you want a document strap. A document strap is a sleeve/band of clear plastic with one adhesive side. You open the BitBox and stick the document strap to the inside of the left side of the case, as close to the bottom as you can. (See Super Super Ghouls ‘n Ghosts below) Once installed you can slide a game manual into this clear plastic sleeve and it will be snugly held in place. At the moment I don’t have any document straps for my NES BitBoxes but I am going to get some.

I can’t really argue with Stone Age Gamers prices on these cases. They have created a really good product and if you’re looking for a nice case for your carts I really do highly recommend BitBoxes. Personally, I do like them more than UGC’s (Universal Game Cases). That being said UGC’s are still a great option because they also look good and they cost a lot less. My good friend Nintendo Joe has managed to buy UGC’s for about $1 each CAD when buying in bulk. You can also get a small price break when buying BitBoxes in bulk but they still cost significantly more money.

My only real problem with BitBoxes is I’m spending Canadian dollars on a product only available in the US and I have to deal with very expensive shipping costs (and I run the risk of duty and broker fees which can add up to another 80-90% more money). By the time my BitBoxes arrived at my door I’ll have spent about $6.50 CAD each. Then I go to my local print shop and get my covers printed for about another $3.25 each (includes printing and cutting). So BitBox cases will cost me about $9.75 each. Which circles back to my plan of trimming down the collection and other creative hobbyist tactics like removing my wife from this blog to help ensure a continued and healthy gaming budget.

If the cost alone didn’t hit hard enough some of my BitBoxes arrived damaged (despite being packaged well) and this was pretty upsetting. I took some pictures of the damage and emailed Stone Age Gamer and they did not question or hesitate. Right away they mailed me replacement cases. This initially bad experience transformed into a huge amount of trust and faith in Stone Age Gamer. Yes, you’re paying a premium compared to a similar product (UGC) but in my experience you will be taken care of.

Below are all of my current SNES carts that I have BitBoxes for. All lined up like good little soldiers supported by the very few boxed SNES games that I have.

Of the boxed SNES games all but Magic Sword were given to me by a good friend who had them kicking around in his basement for many years.

Below you can see the size difference between a Stone Age Gamer BitBox and an original Super Nintendo cardboard case. The BitBoxes are a little bit larger.

Below is my smaller contingent of NES games in their BitBoxes. I’m loving how these boxes dress up the collection and I already have another order placed with Stone Age Gamer.

All of the custom covers for BitBoxes can be found for free for anyone at the following to links:

NES Covers:
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/07vlzgyficoohw0/AACa7UzwyI16MocIjCTDC5sda

SNES Covers:
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/aqbad5j2xz5gger/AABXqs5NRanbDVIdP-vzGhW7a?dl=0

What do you do with your carts? Are you content with loose carts? Do you only buy complete and in the original box games? What aftermarket Retro Video Gaming stuff are you enjoying?

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Sega Genesis Box Protectors and SNES BitBoxes

Posted by Sega Dude on April 11, 2015

Posted in: Collection New Additions, Genesis (North America), Restoration. Tagged: 32x, bitbox, box protectors, genesis, NES, nintendo, sega, snes, stoneagegamer. 8 Comments

This is something I never thought I’d appreciate.
Because Sega Master System and Sega Genesis games (for the most part) come in rugged hard plastic cases (clam shells) I’ve never felt the need to protect the games in my collection. I always felt very lucky next to NES and SNES collectors who have to deal with cardboard cases. So often over the years NES and SNES boxes been beaten to a pulp or often just tossed into the trash.

Sega collectors are not entirely immune to this problem. Nearing the end of the Genesis Sega starting using cardboard cases. And just like Nintendo games it’s often hard to find good condition versions of these particular Genesis titles.

I recently purchased a few Genesis and Dreamcast games from a fellow collector on the neo-geo.com forums. When I received these games they were in clear plastic box protectors. These games actually had their original hard clam shell cases so I took out the game and used the clear protective cases for a few of my cardboard Genesis games.

What I didn’t expect how much nicer the cardboard games looked in the clear plastic boxes. They were given a shine that made them look more similar the games in the hard plastic cases. None of my cardboard cased games are in perfect shape but in these box protectors they look great. So I went online and bought ten more.

They ship flattened and padded with tissue.

One empty and one with a game.

These box protectors even come with clear circular sticker to place on the top and bottom flaps to seal the case closed. They are not needed. I spend so much time removing stickers from cases and games I don’t want to start adding them back. These cases have no trouble staying closed without these stickers.

With shipping and after the exchange from USD these ten boxes cost me $21.20 CAD. $2.12 each is not super cheap for what they are but considering I wont need many it’s certainly cheap enough and I’ll continue to do this for any cardboard cased games that I might pick-up down the road.

A few games decked out in these new boxes.

All of my newly boxed Cardboard games.

On the other spectrum of cheap are BitBoxes.

Right now I have a handful of NES and SNES cartridges in the collection. Almost all are loose carts stacked up on top of each other. Compared to my Sega games they really don’t look very nice. My good buddy Nintendo Joe also wants his collection of Nintendo games to look pretty on their shelves and his solution is to use Universal Game Cases. I was very close to doing the same but for a long while I’ve have been aware of an alternate option called BitBoxes (from stoneagegamer.com).

What held me back is the price. They are not cheap. I decided to try out a few and I bought five BitBoxes; complete with cover art. After shipping and the exchange rate they ended up costing me $12 CAD each. I suppose I’m somewhat acclimatized to the cost because of the $15 Shockboxes that I have been buying for my Neo Geo MVS games but the price is still really affecting how many I’m willing to buy at one time.

BitBoxes for some of my favorite SNES games.

Looking neat and orderly!

These BitBoxes are much lager than I thought they would be. Not near as big as ShockBoxes but definitely much larger than original SNES cardboard boxes.Each BitBox can hold one game and a manual. And they feel very durable.

It’s frustrating… why do they have to look so good?! I’m sure I’ll be getting more as time goes on. My one small saving grace is that my NES and SNES collection will never be as big as my Sega collection. I’m pretty sure about that… some what sure. Maybe? We’ll see.