To people who swap PS2/PS3 cases to improve condition

[Tyree_Cooper | 755]

I'm not sure about NTSC-U/C and PAL cases, but NTSC-J cases are not all the same.

 

For PS2, there's the obvious colour (black, white, silver, transparent...).

Regarding black, some have PS2 imprinted inside, at the top of the memory card area, and some not. I know a single instance of a very late PS2 case with no memory card area.

But then there are manual hinges which are different. Games that came with thick manuals have taller hinges, and games with very thin manual have very short hinges. I'm not sure how many variants there are, but for sure at least 3.

 

For PS3, same thing regarding the manual hinge height, I've noticed different versions. And of course the outside of the case mentioned PS3 or PS3 + Blu Ray.

 

So I hope you guys are paying attention when swapping cases... I know the 2nd hand market is already a disaster, since nobody pays attention to the manual hinges. When you have 2/3 copies of the same game it's extremely easy to tell if your case is original or not, unless you have a perfect replacement. Just place the manual and take it out, you will feel what kind or resistance it has on the hinge.

Edited September 5, 2022 by Tyree_Cooper

[fcgamer | 4,723]

Yup, there's a special place in hell for the case swap guys, same area as those that back swap cartridge games. Someone should take them all out and shoot them by my estimate, just a bunch of idiots hoping to cash in to get bigger $$$

[docile tapeworm | 4,198]

I swap ps1 and ps2 cases without remorse.

Swapping the back of a cart is something I have done before but I don’t know if I would be able to do it again. Maybe I would but I wouldn’t be able to sleep for at least a night or two.

[360collector | 289]

Overall I agree I do have a couple third party OG xbox cases because the games had been through gamestop at one point and was trashed by stickers and shelf wear ( looked more like floor wear tbh)  but everything else was minty lol

[spacepup | 2,404]

5 hours ago, fcgamer said:

Yup, there's a special place in hell for the case swap guys, same area as those that back swap cartridge games. Someone should take them all out and shoot them by my estimate, just a bunch of idiots hoping to cash in to get bigger $$$

A little extreme eh?

By the way, I have swapped many PS2 cases in my time, and it has never been to cash in anything.  I do try to pay attention to the cases and replace them with the same type.  I know there are a few different kinds.

Also, in the secondhand market - who even knows if what you have is the original or someone replaced it before you.  Or who knows if different print runs used different cases.  It's near impossible to know for sure aside from getting large quantities of sealed games and opening them.  I know there are timelines that help with some of that - when different cases were used.

Long story short - I replace cases occasionally that are disgustingly horrible, dirty beyond saving, or torn up.  I try to replace them with cases of the exact same type.  Is there a remote chance that maybe I've replaced a case in my collection with one that wasn't exactly the same? Possible - I mean, I couldn't swear under oath.  But I don't replace them on ALL my games, and I always replace them with authentic cases and exactly the same if ever possible.  I have a huge stack of Japan commons that I harvest cases from and I have no guilt about that

[Reed Rothchild | 9,526]

I swap.

That High Heat baseball didn't deserve it's pristine case.  And when my lot with The Show 14 arrives, that case is going straight to donorland for Control.

Come at me!

[Kguillemette | 1,544]

I swap cases. I'll peel that shiny EA sticker too if I need a better case. I hope @fcgamer has a lot of ammo saved up!

[Tyree_Cooper | 755]

I'm OK with swapping parts when they're broken or too damaged/scratched, and of course adding something that's missing, like a warning leaflet or a tray. As long as it's done properly.

If you want to be 100% anal like fcgamer says, then yeah, there's nothing you can do, even swapping a case with the same game you unseal from brand new may not be acceptable, since the case may be the same but from a different batch or a different plant, and it may have a slightly different feel or material composition. It can go very far. Even leaflets or manuals or trays from the same game with the same code/revision may actually come from a different batch that looks and feels different to the touch and with a different finish or density or slightly different colouring.

So if it's the correct type of case and the manual feels right when inserted (based on a pristine copy I have for reference, or the original case I'm swapping), I consider it good enough.

I did swap some wrong cases years ago, but I realised it much later, and I can't remember which ones they were. Lesson taught.

[fcgamer | 4,723]

4 hours ago, spacepup said:

A little extreme eh?

By the way, I have swapped many PS2 cases in my time, and it has never been to cash in anything.  I do try to pay attention to the cases and replace them with the same type.  I know there are a few different kinds.

Also, in the secondhand market - who even knows if what you have is the original or someone replaced it before you.  Or who knows if different print runs used different cases.  It's near impossible to know for sure aside from getting large quantities of sealed games and opening them.  I know there are timelines that help with some of that - when different cases were used.

In the end it just hurts the collectors, is what I'm saying, I know I was being extreme

I guess I now have a reason to collect sealed...it's not about the mintness, rather it's about the cases not being swapped 

 

[AirVillain | 489]

Can @CasualCart draw someone swapping the back of an NES cartridge whilst in hell? (jokes)

I mean.... there's a place for these case/back swap people. It's there. In hell. 

Only Wario could do it. 

[RH | 4,903]

Wow, people aren't allowed to have their preferences and are just money grabbers?

Nah, I like to have my stuff in nice/good condition but I also have the eye of someone who likes to restore things.  I look at it like car restoration.  If you find that car that's super amazing and only 5 are known to exist but it's been sitting in a garage and is super-dusty, a tad rusty but repairable what do you do?  Almost all car collectors would take it and work to painstakingly repair and restore it to it's original glory.  Some times that's finding exact replacement parts.  Some times, that's having new parts fabricated to match what was original  And in the worst cases, when you have no photos or documentation of what originally did exist, you fudge it with your best guess.

I get that some people love to keep their stuff as 100% original or the item as when it was sold, but there's nothing wrong with getting that pristine gaming cart with a scuffed back and swapping the back.  If it has a sticker then, yeah, prudence would look for another, cheaper game that has the exact same markings pressed into the plastic, the same label version and if there's a facility code pressed into the label, that would match as well.  I see nothing wrong with swapping out those parts.

Same is true for inserts and trays to make 100% CIB items.  I'm not saying everyone should do that, but I don't think there's anything wrong with it.  I have also, mostly, stopped swapping PS1 jewel cases.  I've pointed this out before, but at a fair look, those jewel cases all appear to be the same, but they aren't.  Especially the back two pieces.  I've taken inner trays I've separated from the back cover piece and then tried to snap them together.  I've never found two that had the clasping holes and nubs match perfectly.  I think there were just too many manufacturers of jewel cases that game makers could source from.   I don't do this anymore, except in extreme cases, because I know these things never align properly so getting the right case feels impossible.  However, PS2 titles are easier to check, and swapping the back of games like GB games is super easy to double check.  I just don't see the problem with upgrading your components so long as they are 100% the same and original hardware.

[MrWunderful | 2,927]

Glad I got out of disc based game collecting. This all sounds stressful and not fun over (mostly?) inherently worthless games.
 

 

Now if anyone has any links to the different GENESIS cases (tengen, ea, sega etc) then Im all ears 

[T-Pac | 7,544]

11 hours ago, AirVillain said:

Can @CasualCart draw someone swapping the back of an NES cartridge whilst in hell? (jokes)

I mean.... there's a place for these case/back swap people. It's there. In hell. 

Only Wario could do it. 

[TDIRunner | 2,737]

The question you should be asking:  Is a game with a swapped case worth less?  The answer in most cases is no, because outside of extreme or obvious situations, there is little chance of knowing with 100% certainty since there is no established method or database for this information.  WATA certainly isn't checking that (again, ignoring extreme or obvious situations).  

The best part is that the ONLY way to establish any kind of database is to start opening thousands upon thousands of sealed games and documenting the inside of the case, which of course, I'm all for.  Let's get started.  

[spacepup | 2,404]

I don't think what I've done hurts me OR other collectors.  

I actually do try to use the exact same style of case, and in that scenario, I don't think I've done anything wrong.  I have dozens (literally dozens) of copies of J. League Winning Eleven Japan PS2 games, that I can't even GIVE away to people because no one wants them.  So when I come across a nice desired PS2 game, that has a torn up case with tears in the plastic and broken pieces inside, I'm not only doing myself a good service by replacing it, but if someone down the line is interested in the game, I imagine they'll be happier with what I've done.

I make good efforts to match it to the same item and not swap styles of cases, so I feel pretty good about what I'm doing.  And as I said before, it's not like I've swapped hundreds of them - I don't mind a little bit of damage, as I do prefer authentic where possible.  I only change them out if it's extremely damaged or disgusting.

I do place value on authenticity regarding games and their parts, so I make every effort to keep them as such.  And I appreciate, from a research and preservation standpoint, having parts as original as possible.  But in this case, I really don't think it's doing any harm, especially if someone makes an effort to use the exact same part.

I couldn't give an actual number, but I'd estimate I might have done this on 1% or less of my PS2 collection.

[fcgamer | 4,723]

51 minutes ago, spacepup said:

I don't think what I've done hurts me OR other collectors.  

It does though, for those who care about this sort of thing.

I've personally thrown games in the garbage where I've done a trade, and felt that what I received had been tampered with (i.e. shell swap, pcb swap, etc). That was Famicom / Famiclone, and then I mentally decided to stop trading with said (respected) collector / seller after the incident. 

At the end of the day, for those who *do* care, it just isn't worth having something of dubious quality in one's collection, hence why I just tossed the whole mess of goods in the garbage (On this I'm being completely honest, not lying or being dramatic, it was a collector our of Poland btw). Bought once more, had a similar experience, and that was it for keeps.

I'm not even an OCD-type guy, but I would 100% rather take an item in lesser condition than once that has been Franken-swapped. I'll repeat that one more time, I don't give a rat's rear end about condition, and have many games of crappy condition in my collection, but if it's in nice condition and possibly not authentic, I don't want it, period. Don't do it folks, I'm surely not the only one who feels this way.

[G-type | 2,481]

what about buying components (such as manuals) separately to make complete sets?

[Reed Rothchild | 9,526]

31 minutes ago, fcgamer said:

It does though, for those who care about this sort of thing.

I've personally thrown games in the garbage where I've done a trade, and felt that what I received had been tampered with (i.e. shell swap, pcb swap, etc). That was Famicom / Famiclone, and then I mentally decided to stop trading with said (respected) collector / seller after the incident. 

At the end of the day, for those who *do* care, it just isn't worth having something of dubious quality in one's collection, hence why I just tossed the whole mess of goods in the garbage (On this I'm being completely honest, not lying or being dramatic, it was a collector our of Poland btw). Bought once more, had a similar experience, and that was it for keeps.

I'm not even an OCD-type guy, but I would 100% rather take an item in lesser condition than once that has been Franken-swapped. I'll repeat that one more time, I don't give a rat's rear end about condition, and have many games of crappy condition in my collection, but if it's in nice condition and possibly not authentic, I don't want it, period. Don't do it folks, I'm surely not the only one who feels this way.

You're talking about what you want.  You want crappy condition cased games in your collection?  Then do it.  You control your stuff.

Whereas I want my copy of Suikoden III to have a nice case if what I get is trashed, and it's easy enough to make reasonable efforts to get the same type of case.  

Don't like it?  Feel it's been tampered with and needs to be thrown away?  Too bad.  Your values don't apply to my methods.

[fcgamer | 4,723]

1 hour ago, Reed Rothchild said:

You're talking about what you want.  You want crappy condition cased games in your collection?  Then do it.  You control your stuff.

Whereas I want my copy of Suikoden III to have a nice case if what I get is trashed, and it's easy enough to make reasonable efforts to get the same type of case.  

Don't like it?  Feel it's been tampered with and needs to be thrown away?  Too bad.  Your values don't apply to my methods.

Sure, that's fine, but no matter how you personally slice it, and your personal values, you'd better be disclosing it when you sell, as it sure isn't stock. You sell as stock and it's been swapped, you're only playing with fire and one day will be burned and likely squawking on here how some anal collector bought your stuff and isn't happy that what they bought isn't, well, you know... authentic

[fcgamer | 4,723]

At the end of the day, collectors of anything can be and likely will be anal, OCD, etc. At least a portion of the hardcore collectors will be. We all know some, even some on here.

Swapping shit, making repro labels and edits, etc - do whatever you desire, I personally don't give a crap what someone does with his or her non sexual goods. If buyers complain though when you're selling inauthentic or fake shit, don't whine on here though. 

[spacepup | 2,404]

I'd equate what I've done (in a few limited situations, by the way, in the grand scheme of things), to someone replacing the styrofoam block in their NES game, with another styrofoam block of the exact same type and size from another NES game.  Not a "new" styrofoam block, or a "fake" one, but an authentic piece from another authentic item, of (virtually) the exact same size and type.

PS2 releases use only a very small number of cases.  There are not many different kinds of them.  I understand the concerns about some of the back-swaps that have imprinted codes and other things that get mixed up.  I also understand the concerns about people replacing them with generic DVD cases, or "newly" made PS2-style cases.  But in this case, what I'm referring to is trying to keep it as authentic as possible and replacing a case with one of the same type, from another authentic release.  I personally have no problem with that.

Again, I'll re-iterate that my preference is generally to keep items as they are, and I only really do this for torn-up, tattered, and terrible condition games.  I still consider all my games to be 'authentic' and I'll gladly add a public disclaimer now that if you buy a PS2 Japan game from me (which I don't really sell much anyway), there is a smidgen of a percent of a chance that it could have had its case swapped with another of what appeared to me as the exact same type.  If that is a problem, now you know.

[fcgamer | 4,723]

Furthermore, I don't understand why people would want fake crap in their collection, but perhaps that's just me.

[fcgamer | 4,723]

2 minutes ago, spacepup said:

Again, I'll re-iterate that my preference is generally to keep items as they are, and I only really do this for torn-up, tattered, and terrible condition games.  I still consider all my games to be 'authentic' and I'll gladly add a public disclaimer now that if you buy a PS2 Japan game from me (which I don't really sell much anyway), there is a smidgen of a percent of a chance that it could have had its case swapped with another of what appeared to me as the exact same type.  If that is a problem, now you know.

Well it's definitely important to add such a disclaimer, I know you guys think I'm being hardcore, but I have a Swiss friend who won't even swap carts of the same game to make nicer sets. 

[spacepup | 2,404]

Collectors of any type are going to have differing opinions about what is fair, what is right, what is 'authentic,' what is acceptable, and unsurprisingly, of course we have differences of opinions in video game collecting as well.

Some people think it's ok to swap backs of cartridges, and some don't.

Some people think it's ok to swap PS2 cases, and some don't.

Some people think it's ok to "repair" an art label, and others don't.

I think the best we could probably come to, is a loose agreement from *most* people about what is commonly accepted in a particular community, but we'll definitely never all agree on everything - the same as people still can't fully agree on what exactly is required for a full NES set - because there are different perspectives.

I do agree with you that disclosure is helpful in avoiding conflict, if someone has made any sort of modifications to an item, wherever feasible.  For example, I don't like carts (personally) that have been filled in with marker (top edge corner of a SNES game), so I avoid purchasing those for my collection.  I would prefer people not do that, but ultimately I can't really stop anyone from doing so.

I also think there are varying levels to stuff like this.  I think physically altering an existing item (like coloring in an art label) is a bit more "intrusive" than say, swapping a PS2 case with one of the same type.  Others may disagree, I don't know.  I'm not the arbiter of the way everything should be in the video game collecting world, and no one is really.  

I do know that I try my best to be honest and transparent with people I'm either selling to or buying from.  I make a solid effort to anyway, and I think most people do the same, in most cases (at least here in this community, from what I've seen).

[Reed Rothchild | 9,526]

16 minutes ago, fcgamer said:

Furthermore, I don't understand why people would want fake crap in their collection, but perhaps that's just me.

I don't understand why someone would collect fake games (bootlegs), but we all have our own interests. 

You are free to own DKC for Famicom cause that's your thing.

I'll own Metal Gear Solid 4 with a donated (identical) case from MLB The Show 08 cause that's my thing.

And as far as "squawking" goes... complaining isn't generally my style.