POLL: Bootlegs / Reproductions: What is allowed

[ZeroAX]

Is it okay that we allow RGB, region, CD-R and other mods? On one hand it's destroying original hardware, but on the other hand it's turning it into something more valuable that people want and is disclosed at the point of sale. Is there any similarity here to bootlegs?

Should we disallow console mod sales? Should we condemn people when they show up with a handheld PS2 project or a NES shelled piggy bank in the modding forum? After all, it is tainting hardware that could someday be scarce.

Well if we are going to judge by that "custom painted" PS2 that became a forum meme some years ago, then probably we should ban console mods too.

[mjmjr25]

Should we disallow console mod sales? Should we condemn people when they show up with a handheld PS2 project or a NES shelled piggy bank in the modding forum? After all, it is tainting hardware that could someday be scarce.

Is that NES shelled piggy bank going to be confused with a legit Little Samson cart? Is that painted Saturn with extra knobs and a pink LED going to be confused with a stock Saturn? No and no.

This isn't what we're talking about. We're talking about fake items being passed off as real and on the face, indistinguishable from legitimate items.

We get it, many of you won't care..until you do, but let's keep the red herrings in check at least.

[Jmustang1968]

Should we disallow console mod sales? Should we condemn people when they show up with a handheld PS2 project or a NES shelled piggy bank in the modding forum? After all, it is tainting hardware that could someday be scarce.

Is that NES shelled piggy bank going to be confused with a legit Little Samson cart? Is that painted Saturn with extra knobs and a pink LED going to be confused with a stock Saturn? No and no.

This isn't what we're talking about. We're talking about fake items being passed off as real and on the face, indistinguishable from legitimate items.

We get it, many of you won't care..until you do, but let's keep the red herrings in check at least.

It doesnt address the counterfeit concerns no, but it does have relevance when discussing the other issue of banning the repros due to the altering or saccing of original hardware.

[mjmjr25]

The saccing of original parts is a pet peeve of some but I don't think anyone in this thread has said people can't do what they wish with their personal property - rather opinions have been expressed why they think its unfortunate.

That is an ancillary reason why some are concerned with the process, but not a reason why they wouldn't be allowed and not a focus of the poll at all. Tangential at best.

[pepharytheworm]

The saccing of original parts is a pet peeve of some but I don't think anyone in this thread has said people can't do what they wish with their personal property - rather opinions have been expressed why they think its unfortunate.

That is an ancillary reason why some are concerned with the process, but not a reason why they wouldn't be allowed and not a focus of the poll at all. Tangential at best.

Might not be the focus of the poll but you did bring it up.

My personal high-horse if you will is that I personally think it is poor taste to condone the sacrificing of working carts to produce a cart that is already available in your region, but you simply can't afford it. I don't like the idea that we would say it's "ok" to sac a snes cart, burn gamecode for hagane, put a new label on it, and say it's "ok" to sell. Why?
*At some point it's going to be passed off as legitimate
*It devalues the item or at minimum creates more work for another person who paid full value for their cart
*It sacrifices a working cart and shell

Nothing wrong with someone making a comment off that. People who vote option 4 that could be part of their reasoning.

[Onyxthecat]

I think I sacrificed about 15 copies of Joe Montana Football for my personal repro's. They were all $0.99 each so I don't feel that bad about it. The cases were some of the dustiest I've seen so I figured no one in this century was probably going to play them.

[ninjainspandex]

What about printing new labels for a legit copy of a game, lets say you find an Earthbound that is real that has almost no label or no label at all. Is it ethical to print up a new label and slap it on there?

[Omerta]

My bad - I'm sorry for being rude and forceful.

I originally jumped on to poke fun at the same 3 arguments that were bouncing back and forth. The comments about cart saccing were being stood side by side with fraud as a reason to prevent bootleg sales and I was equating it with all forms of reproduction and a private property issue. It irked me and I popped off at the mouth.

I understand the anti-bootleg crowd wants to keep the shady activity and the drunken hobos in our pretty little community to a minimum with guidelines instead of handshakes. (It also helps keep me from filling moderator inboxes with weepy messages about how I got screwed.)

Again, I apologize for getting uppity. I'll keep my red herrings to myself and I'll try to stick to lighter subjects.

[Aramonde]

but let's keep the red herrings in check at least.

I've never heard this saying before XD

[Hobie-wan]

Argh, got distracted away from trying to distill new clearer options again. Sticking a note in my keyboard for tomorrow.