CIB, Cart Only or Emulation?

D~Funk

Which do you prefer? Do you typically try and get your games complete, or go for Cart only, or do you just emulate the games you wanna play on computer or flash carts? Mainly talking about Cartridge based games but itit could be extended to disc based games as well which i would think most people like to have complete or at least in case.

Im a CIB guy if possible. I enjoy the artwork and look of the boxes and having the manuals in case i need to look up somethin!

empire

Cart only for me, unless it's handheld stuff then I want everything.



CIB is just too pricey, I would rather spend the extra money on more games.

darkchylde28

I voted cart only, but I certainly won't turn down boxes, manuals, etc. if they're available. I just won't spend a ton of extra money to acquire them. If I see those extra bits available separately down the line, I'll definitely pick them up if they're reasonably priced, but it's not going to make or break my collection to have them on-hand.

Brock Landers

SNES, NES, N64, GB, GBC - cart

DS, 3DS, Cube, Genesis - CB or CIB

Bea_Iank

Cart only on my end, usually.

pegboy

Paper box = cart only

Hard case = CIB

Tulpa

Cart only, for most of the reasons mentioned.



I also like how they look on a shelf.

mbd39

I definitely prefer the real thing when I have it. If not, I resort to emulation. When I do use emulators, I try to keep the experience as much like the real thing as I can and not use save states, not even to practice. When I finally beat the first two Ninja Gaidens in emulation because I didn't have a NES at the time, I did not use one save state.



I don't care about CIB. Loose carts are fine.

Uncle Meat

Depends on the system so I went some loose some CIB

D~Funk

Originally posted by: ToxieRules

Depends on the system so I went some loose some CIB

I probably would of picked that as well if i would of put it in the beginning. Mosy of my NES games are cart only. Never went out of my way to get boxes for em and never saved any back in the day. I have 8, all of which i came across in the wild.

Jerbilly

Some cart, some CIB for this guy. I'm really just picking up Genesis games these days and I really do prefer to get them CIB, unless they have those crummy paper boxes in which case I could give a rip. I need the cartridge, naturally, and I really do like to have manuals for all of my games because I am an idiot, but the boxes are not absolutely necessary. Just the other day I was at my local resale shop and snagged a loose copy of Vapor Trail because it was a decent price, I don't see it very often, and I've been dying to play it for quite some time now. Of course, that means I now need to be on the lookout for a manual and hopefully a box, and trying to find those for Genesis games is not the most fun I've ever had. I suppose I'm happier having gotten the game to play and saved the money I would have spent for the two things that I don't need to actually possess in order to play the game on a cartridge. This is complicated stuff.

Bort License Plate

Depends on the console. I used to be cart only but I'm starting to want boxes and manuals. Upgrading is a pain in the ass. I only like CIB for n64, GBC and some SNES or Genesis though. Mostly the childhood games

Bort License Plate

Derp

gutsman004

I voted all. I definitely want cib for my favorites,carts for games I enjoy,and emulators for stuff that's too expensive or I have a marginal interest in.

TheToxicCollector

I prefer to buy cib. If I get a game that is cart only then I am constantly on the hunt to find a box for it.

TheFinder

I am mostly cart only for NES, SNES, N64, GBC, and GBA. However, I have a few childhood/adulthood favorites that I want CIB because they are special to me.

Genesis needs to be CIB.

bimmy_lee

It really depends on the system for me. Sega stuff (Genesis, Master System, CD, 32x) I prefer to get CIB unless it's a super rare and expensive title. As for NES, I get them whatever way I can get them. I would prefer to have a CIB set one day, but I will settle for cart only on certain expensive titles. SNES is mostly cart only for me because of how pricey those games can get, but I do have some select favorites CIB. Intellivision is CIB only for me all the way because 1.) it is super cheap to collect for and 2.) I love the box art for those games.

UncleTusk

CIB all the way baby. Why wouldn't want the whole thing!?

ginoscope

Typically cart only but I do go for cib if I really have nostalgia for a game.

NESMASTER14

Mostly cart, manual is always a plus, CIB if it's a favorite game or has interesting artwork.

LAMRN15

Totally depends. Disc-based games must always be CiB. I prefer Genesis CiB since it's more affordable and they have nice, plastic cases, though I'm not gonna pass up a cart for a good price and I don't care much for the flimsy cardboard boxes if it commands a premium price.



The rest is a mix. Depends on price and how much I want it complete. I'm typically fine with cart only for NES and SNES. I have a mix of boxed and cart only for those systems. For handhelds, I prefer CiB, though that's not always possible for some of the older stuff.



I'd love to always have CiB, but I'm not paying exponentially more for cardboard.

Benihana

I am a cart only collector...but as I was trying to complete my collection I would never pass on a CIB of a game I needed if the price is right.

Now that I have completed, and I actively searching CIBs to upgrade? NO WAY!

I already have to many games on my shelves

Brachabre

Hmm no option for Flash Cart? I guess it's close to emulation, but not really.

D~Funk

Originally posted by: Brachabre

Hmm no option for Flash Cart? I guess it's close to emulation, but not really.

Fixed. Thats sorta what i meant when posting emulation. Thats why i mentioned it in the op.

guitarzombie

Cart only baby.

dannyplante

Some Cart, Some CIB!



all zelda,star trek,homebrew,hack ,repro  CIB and new system (wiiu,xone,ps4 etc etc)

the rest cart ,cd,dvd etc only is ok for me

SoleGooseProductions

All depends. For older stuff, if I want it for the permanent collection, then CIB all the way (or simply complete in the case of homebrews). I only collect certain genres or games I want for research for older systems, so that makes it easy. Despite my love for the NES and SNES, I mostly use flash carts for these systems, except certain games from youth, then I bust out the old cart.



On the other hand, I'll buy complete DS and PS1 games all day long, even if I never get around to playing them. I've started to loosen up on PS1 as prices have risen (looking at you Tales of Destiny I and II), but for the DS I feel like with even some patience a decent CIB copy will present itself in time. The occasional Wii and PSP game fit into this mindset as well. Maybe it is simply because they are affordable and I like the hunt.

mattbep

For my favorite licensed stuff, cart only does fine. For homebrews, gotta have it complete if I can. Nothing like the look of a row of boxes on a shelf. Always a good feeling to take them out of the box each time I play.

LAMRN15

And yeah, we've got flash carts for most of our systems and SD card loaders installed on the disc-based systems they're available for.



Flash carts can be nice when I wanna play a few levels of Castlevania on SNES, but don't wanna take the minty box from the box protector, open it, and get the cart out. Or when I don't want to drop a grand on Little Samson.



And the SD loaders a nice because disc drives don't last forever. Waiting on the loaders for Sega CD and Turbo CD.

NostalgicMachine

If you asked me this question two or three years ago, I'd say cart/CIB everything.



Now, I accept all means needed to play muh games!

Shoggoth80

I go for cart 9 times out of 10. I don't generally need the manual, and the box is just something that is prone to getting damaged. Now, that being said, I like getting the best condition example of a cart I can get my hands on. I'm not a fan of stickers, marker, scratches, torn labels etc.