So to prove my point, I decided to do a little experiment for fun. I made the rules simple.
Rule 1) A set-up must have at least two gaming system, with all cords, and at least one controller and one game for each system. (Not so easy is it
) I put a T.V on the tab too.Rule 2) The grand total of the set-up must be less than a new PS3/360 game ($60)
Rule 3) Have fun doing this
, I brought some friends with me, made it an outing sometimes. There's no time limit so why rush.Here's what I ended up with:
First the T.V, this actually took a while to find. I was in no hurry though, I already have a nice flat screen for my real gaming set up. However, the big screen really stretched older gaming consoles graphics, making them look quite poor. So I decided to purchase a tube T.V. This actually turned out to be easier than I thought as nobody wants tube T.V’s anymore. If you check the "free" section of your local newspaper or Craigslist, I'm sure there are plenty of people throwing out their working tube T.V.
Anyways I stumbled upon this find from a local post board at a grocery store. The seller was moving out of state and said everything needed to go. I offered him $5 for the T.V, he looked happy just to get rid of it. He actually told me he bought it new and only used it 2 years, he then upgraded to a new T.V and this one has sat ever since in his basement (3 years
). I plugged it in, turned out to be working great, took it home. 27" Sharp, SDTV. Not bad.Next up the gaming stuffs
First, up the PS2:
I already owned one, but I figured what’s a gaming set-up without a PS2. I mean it's pretty much the iPod of the video game world, everyone owns one. So, as typical the first place I check out is eBay to see what they are going for. To my surprise PS2's were still holding some value around $50ish when I checked there. I soon realized I wasn't going to be able to use eBay this time around, so I started looking locally.
So, I start checking Craigslist. Found a couple cheap ones locally. Went to check them out... Junk. I began to realize this not be as easy as I thought. PS2's are now 12+ years past their release, a lot the systems are beginning to show their age. So, I decided to stop forcing things, and began to let things fall in place. I posted a WTB in my local "small city" Craigslist. Soon enough 2 weeks later. I get an email from a guy selling a slim he bought new and doesn't need anymore. I offered him $20, he agreed to it, and bam, I had a pretty darn good condition black slim in the collection, came with 1 memory card, all the cords. (No controller though, I guess I kind of cheated since I already own 4 dualshocks because of my other PS2)
Next, the GameCube:
I actually wasn't looking at ALL for one of these. I don't own games, controller, or anything for this system. I actually have probably played one of these a total of 5 minutes at a friend’s house. However, sometimes things pop up, and you think to yourself “yea what the heck, why not”
Anyways, I was volunteering at a local schools garage sale (where parents and students of the area donate their unwanted stuff to the school to sell for fundraising. All left over items go to the Salvation Army afterwards.) While volunteering there, I stumbled upon a black GameCube, in probably the dustiest condition I've ever seen. I mean I touched it and my finger tips turned black. I decided after touching it that it probably wasn't working, so I just put it back. (In addition, I couldn't find any of its cords or a controller.)
Well the end of the day comes by, the garage sale is over, and no one took it. So I went up to one of the facilitators and asked if I could buy. They actually offered it for free, but I decided to give a $5 donation as I found the A/V cable and power cable packing some boxes for clean up. I figured even if the console didn't work the cables were worth about that amount. While packing the stuff for the Salvation Army truck I then found the OEM controller for it... talk about lucky.
Took it home. REALLY, cleaned it up. I mean controller, console, cables, everything needed to be cleaned. Rubbing alcohol, a couple of cotton cloths, and an hour of cleaning time, and it started to look in really good condition. Borrowed a game from a friend, plugged the GameCube in.
It worked.Lastly the N64:
So now I'm at $30. I'm fairly happy with my progress. I don't have any games under the bill yet. (yes, my GameCube sits right now with nothing
, PS2 I already had a crap load since I own another, so it didn't matter) Now, I'm a big N64 guy. So if I ever see a buying opportunity I take it. So, I'm at work, roaming around on eBay. I work the graveyard shift so it's about 2am. I see this listing ending for a N64 console with cords, 1 controller, and a Super Mario game (with the sticker missing on the front), it's at $10 + $5 shipping. There is no description; it just says "posted via eBay mobile" I'm like... hmmm. I shouldn't. Well... Last minute I decided to put a snipe $10.31 bid with 3 seconds left anticipating I would lose to a pre-bid $11... Well that didn't happen. I won
So I had to pay up. I thought, no way, if I got it that cheap, something is up. Well, curious me decided to bite the bullet even though common sense told me not to. I figured if it turned out to be in really poor condition I'd... idk, give it to one of my buddy's who likes to fix things.
Surprisingly when I received it, console was actually in pretty good condition. No scratches, just a little dirty. Even more surprising the controller was actually in REALLY good condition. The joy stick was stiff which is hard to find on N64 controllers now a days. The game on the other hand... well let's just say the goop monster got a hold of it. I think at some point in it's life it was a Funcoland/Gamestop game. In addition to the Super Mario 64 sticker being taken off, it had like some type of goop on the side I couldn't remove. The type of goop you get when a Gamestop sticker is removed after sitting for years. I already owned a couple of Super Mario games, so I just gave it to friend. In the end, I think this risky bundle turned out to be success, even with the game being poor. Looking back the controller was probably worth the $15 itself, so not bad.
So as of now, I'm at $45.
I'm at 3 systems, 1 T.V. No games currently on the tab, and not even a real "set-up". (I'm not sure how I want to organize it in my room yet, the TV is sitting on a computer desk 
) That leaves me $15, to finish the rest of this post.So who wants to join in and try it out themselves?
