Dust covers for NES games...Good Idea or not?

[Armymanis]

I have another question about NES games. When buying rare loose titles would one usually use a dust cover to protect the NES games from dust? I currently have 4 NES titles but they do not have dust covers and are not rare. What are your guy's opinions on this matter. They are only between $1-$5 on ebay and amazon.

[Duke.Togo]

I'd say that it really depends on how you store them. I keep mine in a cabinet with doors to keep the dust down, so I don't worry about them much.

[Gamerforlife]

They're nice to have, but in my experience cartridges are built to last. So I don't worry about them too much. Plus, there are ways to clean dirty cartridges. Still, if you can get them for cheap, it certainly is not a bad idea. I find that keeping old NES or SNES boxes in good condition is more challenging than keep your carts functional

[o.pwuaioc]

I store mine in a drawer to protect against dust, but I still prefer to have them all jacketed, along with SNES ones.

[harper]

They're nice to have, but in my experience cartridges are built to last. So I don't worry about them too much. Plus, there are ways to clean dirty cartridges.

That's what I was thinking. But of course make sure the dust covers themselves are dust free, or else you're not really helping anything. haha

[s1mplehumar]

Do you put underwear on in the morning? I think I've made my point.

[NesimLE]

Do you put underwear on in the morning? I think I've made my point.

So no dust covers then?

[BoneSnapDeez]

I have dust covers and hard plastic cases... but only enough for about half of my NES games. I generally try to protect my best/favorite games, so when you browse my collection you kinda get a sense of my NES hierarchy. For instance:

Final Fantasy - plastic case
Shadowgate - dust cover
Major League Baseball - commando

I'd like to buy a bunch of dust covers some day if I can find them, would be nice to have them on everything.

[Ziggy]

When I read this thread title, I thought it was asking if the dust covers are a good idea or a bad idea.

Out of the ~40 NES carts I have (I really don't know how many, some where around there) about half have dust covers and the rest do not. The only dust covers I have are the ones that came randomly with cart purchases, and that's the only reason I have them. I wouldn't go out of my way to acquire them.

In my mind, they're more of a collector's piece. I put them on the games I like more, but that's only because those are the carts I use more often. I keep all my carts on a shelf in alphabetical order, the dust covers make a nice place holder when the cart is in use. Also, they're nice to keep the manual with the cart (on the rare occasion that I actually own a NES manual).

Are they actually doing anything to preserve NES carts, or keep them in better condition? Maybe not. Dust alone isn't that big of a deal. If dust, even a lot of it, gets on the pins... it's just dust. Nothing a 1 second application of compressed air wont completely solve. Or even, just violently shaking the cart in the air for a few seconds. Dust, per say, isn't what you wanna keep away from your carts. Moisture is probably the worst. You don't want the pins to corrode. But can fine dust particles combine with moisture in the air, dirtying up the pins more? The dust cover might keep dust out, but it wont keep moisture out. In fact, wouldn't it help keep moisture in? In that case, wouldn't the dust cover actually have a negative effect?

[Armymanis]

Thanks guys! To add to this thread. The Carts on the back say don't keep carts in extreme temparatures. Does that include keeping them in a heated room where I can turn the heater on and off?