Redesigned Wata case available

[inasuma | 1,203]

Wata posted a glam vid of the new designs: https://www.instagram.com/p/CrbNObSsRhD/

Also on their blog: https://blog.watagames.com/2023/04/20/the-new-wata-holder/

Available for all orders made today and onward. Seems like any order before today will be put in the legacy holder. I asked if my in process orders could be moved into new cases but they said no.

One thing I find interesting is they made the jewel cases perfectly shallow (makes sense, very thin). But sadly the dvd cases still have ~2x the dvd game depth if I'm seeing it right. I'll know for sure when my reholder test is back.

Overall I like the design. Curious what y'all think.

[final fight cd | 186]

Did they get rid of the matrix? Did they ever do anything with that?

[MrWunderful | 2,927]

The best part is the consistent size from bottom to top, outside of the little lip at top and bottom. 
 

I assume the lip is so the actual faces of holder dont rub on each other, but wonder if they will stay “stacked” (or, just slip off the lips). I get that they are designed to stand up though.
 

The lips do seem like smart product design. I would wager they hired someone to develop it. 
 

Im curious what the anti-tamper security is, looking forward to your report @inasuma

[YOURTURN | 1,256]

They have managed to do the impossible. They have made graded N64 games look sexy! 

And on a side note... I am curious to see how PS3, Wii, and 360 games will look in those cases. Which means I have to do at least one submission the moment I get paid!

[ApebitMusic | 130]

That is a waayy better design. Not sure what they were thinking with that wonky first attempt, tbh. 

[inasuma | 1,203]

On 4/24/2023 at 6:34 PM, MrWunderful said:

The best part is the consistent size from bottom to top, outside of the little lip at top and bottom. 
 

I assume the lip is so the actual faces of holder dont rub on each other, but wonder if they will stay “stacked” (or, just slip off the lips). I get that they are designed to stand up though.
 

The lips do seem like smart product design. I would wager they hired someone to develop it. 
 

Im curious what the anti-tamper security is, looking forward to your report @inasuma

Heh based on the vid and pics there are pins in the inside of the holder, on the sides near the top still. Should be fun to play with lol

Edited April 27, 2023 by inasuma

[YOURTURN | 1,256]

8 hours ago, ApebitMusic said:

That is a waayy better design. Not sure what they were thinking with that wonky first attempt, tbh. 

They were thinking how they can make money while not being another CGA clone. Even if some of their dealings were things CGA did first. 

[MrWunderful | 2,927]

18 minutes ago, inasuma said:

Heh based on the vid and pics there are pins in the inside of the holder, on the sides near the top still. Should be fun to play with lol

Not sure if im tripping, but I couldnt them see in either of the blog posts or the video. Do the pins lock them in lip to lip, or is it an anti tamper function?

 

Maybe ill get this graded now and check out the new holder myself:

 

For the record, my wife bought it on amazon  for 19.99 because it was listed as “new”. Dead mint.  Glad they are doing game gear now. 

[inasuma | 1,203]

On 4/26/2023 at 7:39 PM, MrWunderful said:

Not sure if im tripping, but I couldnt them see in either of the blog posts or the video. Do the pins lock them in lip to lip, or is it an anti tamper function?

 

Maybe ill get this graded now and check out the new holder myself:

 

For the record, my wife bought it on amazon  for 19.99 because it was listed as “new”. Dead mint.  Glad they are doing game gear now. 

I honestly couldn't tell you - i was going off of the close ups on the sides from their insta vid. i saw what looked like clips at the top where the frosted plastic is.

 

nice game

[YOURTURN | 1,256]

On 4/26/2023 at 5:39 PM, MrWunderful said:

Not sure if im tripping, but I couldnt them see in either of the blog posts or the video. Do the pins lock them in lip to lip, or is it an anti tamper function?

 

Maybe ill get this graded now and check out the new holder myself:

 

For the record, my wife bought it on amazon  for 19.99 because it was listed as “new”. Dead mint.  Glad they are doing game gear now. 

Sir, I need to ask you to refrain from showing that kind of porn if you are not going to mark it "NFSYMI" (Not For Sale, You Moronic "Investors"). 

[mlbfan10 | 340]

Sent off 30+ games that will all be in new cases, looking forward to seeing these case in person. 

[YOURTURN | 1,256]

1 hour ago, mlbfan10 said:

Sent off 30+ games that will all be in new cases, looking forward to seeing these case in person. 

I sincerely hope the images they offer your games look nicer than the ones shown for mine! 

But yeah... Seeing that my lone submission is a 3DS title, I also cannot wait to see it in person! And even show the results (if they did not do anything that annoys me, like what VGA and CAS had done).

[YOURTURN | 1,256]

Just a heads up, folks! I just got a notification that I shall have my first Wata submission back tomorrow!

The good news is that all of the fruit flies were reserved for @inasuma's submissions. I think. Or was it fruit bats? I forget. Either way, there are no fruit flies and writing on my game.

While the bad news is that the "professional photos" I paid for do not have the same professional look I got from VGA (2018) or CAS (2021).

Regardless of that, which does kind of trigger my "collector OCPD" (which I'll post the photos tomorrow), I am officially a fan of the new case style, and do hope to submit more games in the future. 

[inasuma | 1,203]

I got my first sub with the redesigned case. I gotta say it's LEAGUES better.

Worth noting is that the 3DS size is in many ways the "perfect fit." From what I can tell there's no "back" for the inner blister here. Based on photos from other subs, a CD jewel case will have a back for the blister.

I still have a six game reholder sub at Wata which tests the other more common sizes (N64/NES, Game Boy, DVD, DS) so I'll be very curious to see how the empty space scales with those sizes.

Overall, I think the new case is better than CGCs and especially better than Wata's own legacy design. I wouldn't say it can beat VGAs holder design, but only because in general I think it competes in different ways. I still don't love the inner blister but it's clear Wata intends to stick with it for the foreseeable future.

Pros:

• Feels and looks great
• Has weight (none of that toy-like lightness like with CGC)
• Better use of space (more depth options)
• Case is crystal clear

Cons

• Inner blister doesn't seem any better (no corner bubbles)
• Scuffs all over the case out of the box (seriously, how)
• CIB sub-grades are still on the back label (not relevant to this submission, but just a general annoyance)

In my mind, Wata is beating its main competition (CGC) with this design.

Here's some comparison photos:

 

Edited May 22, 2023 by inasuma

[MrWunderful | 2,927]

That 3ds case design is slick!

[final fight cd | 186]

I only have 3 sealed games - 1 VGA and 2 wata.  What I liked about the wata case is the face and back can’t get scuffed secondary to the footprint; the bumpers keep the faces from rubbing against each other if kept on a shelf like a book.  

 

it looks like the new design has removed that.  Does anybody care for that feature or am I the only one? 

[inasuma | 1,203]

14 hours ago, final fight cd said:

I only have 3 sealed games - 1 VGA and 2 wata.  What I liked about the wata case is the face and back can’t get scuffed secondary to the footprint; the bumpers keep the faces from rubbing against each other if kept on a shelf like a book.  

 

it looks like the new design has removed that.  Does anybody care for that feature or am I the only one? 

That feature still exists. The footprint is just smaller.