# How much do you care?



## BurningDesire (Sep 11, 2015)

This is a hobby i enjoy dearly. I clean my consoles/games on a weekly basis. I do have a question though. How do you become a contributor?


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## Flame (Sep 11, 2015)

as a killer robot.... im dirty as shit. if it works.. it works. just keep that shit away from water.


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## vayanui8 (Sep 11, 2015)

I keep all my stuff in very good condition. Dust has never really been a big issue for me so I cant say Ive ever really had to dust my systems. The game cases unfortunately haven't had as good of a history, with many of the older ones getting scratched over time. However, I've been going out of my way to keep an eye on the cases now and all of them I have gotten in the past year and a half or so is as good as the day I bought it.


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## GamerzHell9137 (Sep 11, 2015)

Nowadays i'm mainly playing on PC. Its fast, its easy but sometimes a bit stressful. I do like tweaking and getting the max possible of the hardware I have, and its fun to see all of those projects that optimize games or make the experience even better! The PC Mod community sure is awesome. Anyways, about the topic, yes I clean my PC. I was cleaning the inside of the PC WRONG until last month. Thought collecting dust with a vacuum cleaner was a smart idea lol
Every month or so i'm cleaning stuff from the HDD and defragmentate it to get max speed, cleaning the GPU and checking the internals in general. I've got a new case for the PC which had a fan in front and bought another one which I've set in the back of the case for better air circulation. I've invested in a good PSU like a year or so ago and got my GTX 960 last month (Its a blast playing with the beast  ).
Next things on my radar are a new CPU,Mobo and RAM which will take a while to buy.
And no mom help lol, if she knew how to do PC stuff i'd gladly let her do it but she's having issues using a toaster let alone any other electric appliance. The help i'm getting is either from Google or from fellow tempers.
And I haven't ever read gaming magazines (maybe only once) but I do like reading articles like these on temp and I check Siliconera for gaming news in general (Heard that Gematsu's main focus is Japanese games so I guess i'll migrate there soon)

Anyways thanks for writing these articles Prans. I think they pretty fit the Gbatemp community! Its nice to discuss about stuff like these and I really don't know any place that does them. I was kinda loosing my Temper(lolpuns) but your and Chavosaur's articles really brought it back. I hope you both continue on writing these because I think they are pretty good for the community.


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## Tom Bombadildo (Sep 11, 2015)

I usually clean up the consoles that I have out and am using around once a month or so, though if they're not too dusty I'll just skip it. I always clean my PC then as well, though I don't think I've ever really bothered to clean my 2 monitors, the screen on my older one has some spots that could be cleaned up. 

Whatever I have boxed up make no difference to me though. 



Red3agle said:


> How do you become a contributor?


Via recruitment. We had an application process up back in July, which only lasted a week. If we ever have another "recruitment drive", which probably won't be any time soon, you'll see a thread for it on the front page with more information.


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## BurningDesire (Sep 11, 2015)

Tom Bombadildo said:


> I usually clean up the consoles that I have out and am using around once a month or so, though if they're not too dusty I'll just skip it. I always clean my PC then as well, though I don't think I've ever really bothered to clean my 2 monitors, the screen on my older one has some spots that could be cleaned up.
> 
> Whatever I have boxed up make no difference to me though.
> 
> ...


Okay, thanks for the reply!


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## weavile001 (Sep 12, 2015)

I usually clean/dust off my 3DS and Vita when i'm going to play on them , which is at least 2 times per day.....
the same for home consoles but i usually play on them on the Weekend.

As for the PC, i regularly clean the fuck out of it so it won't stutter/ stop /freeze or worse when i'm playing.


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## Catastrophic (Sep 12, 2015)

I clean hardware when I notice a lot of dust, wash my hands beforehand if they are greasy or dirty and take good care of hardware overall. People have a rather varied opinion on this I've noticed. Whenever I visit my cousin's house, his controllers are almost always glazed with dirt and dust.


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## sarkwalvein (Sep 12, 2015)

Old device were made of very different qualities, and you can see that in how they unexpectedly still work (or not) after some decades of unattended sleep.
I had a C64 stored in the attic, for... let me think... at least 14 years without turning it on, I plugged it in worked as new... The shit must have top quality capacitors.
Then I had an old Megadrive, stored for less than ten years, turn it on, it all works, but for some reason the controller ports just don't work, no matter what you connect, no controls.
I had a PS1, stored for 3 or 4 years, sometimes it boots, but it never reads even one fucking CD. Something similar happened with a PS2... Optic drives just die easily...


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## KineticSonata (Sep 12, 2015)

Don't be that guy with the gross controllers, stacks of upside down discs, and paper plates stacked on your console.

That guy is an idiot.


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## VinsCool (Sep 12, 2015)

I take care of my things, and my consoles/games are not exception.


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## DinohScene (Sep 12, 2015)

Everytime I purchase a retro game, I clean it.
I always keep them neatly stored, same for me other games.

I take really good care of them, I hate it when they break.
Consoles with fans in them I also regularly disassemble them, cleaning them.


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## Ericzander (Sep 12, 2015)

Good discussion topic!

Okay so personally, I get attached to the games and not the consoles.  I own a SNES, N64, Gamecube, and a handful of other old consoles but I can guarantee that none of them will ever be turned on again because of how easily I can emulate all of the games on my PC using any number of controllers.  My fiance on the other hand... She's a bother when it comes to that   She's not a gamer at all.  In the slightest.  But she has a super soft spot for Son--2D Sonic.  Classic Sonic.

But, she refuses to play it on an emulator.  I bought a Genesis controller, loaded up the emulator through my PC, hid it behind the TV, and let her play.  After halfway through the first level she couldn't do it because it didn't "feel" right.  But when we got ahold of a Genesis and the physical game, she played it into the night.  It's a thought process that I really don't understand, but I'm okay with it because for that short time... She was a gamer!


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## Social_Outlaw (Sep 12, 2015)

I take care of all my Consoles, I enjoy them breathing and not panicking everytime I play a very demanding game, It's a habit now, I want to keep my Console's as long as possible. I don't let nobody touch my consoles unless I'm there I want have a collection of Consoles once I'm settled


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## Foxi4 (Sep 12, 2015)

I care for mine more than the average mortal, I would say. It started innocently enough with a few consoles that I treated as appliances, but now that I have a rather sizable collection, they're all on display, periodically cleaned thoroughly even when unused and kept in very neat order. I don't think I've had a single console or accessory fail since mid 1990'ies, which is a good track record, I think.


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## HaloEffect17 (Sep 12, 2015)

As with many of you, whenever I purchase a used game/console, I immediately clean it as best as I can.  I'm quite obsessive over this where I take out all the cleaning tools and sit down for like half and hour to clean a FAT PS2, for example.


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## DarkCoffe64 (Sep 12, 2015)

If I get and used game, it becomes like new. Just saying.

Buut talking about dust... Whenever I feel like playing retro, I first have to clean any dirt/dust that has accumulated.
Which is a lot. 

As for keeping up with videogames info... This site, no?


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## breaktemp (Sep 12, 2015)

Man...I sort of feel out of place here   >_<" 

I have never cleaned a console or a game cart for that matter.  

Hmm...my consoles have never shown any problems.  

Though I usually try to keep food/liquids away from them at all times.  

I do care a lot about my hobby...but as an adult, I just don't have much time to sit down an play like I use to.


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## ironmaster49 (Sep 12, 2015)

I clean my consoles time to time, every few days


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## ironmaster49 (Sep 12, 2015)

I clean my consoles time to time, every few days.
And yes, i feel summer is coming, its spring cleaning time now. Southern Hemisphere has opposite seasons so summer is coming for me and those in the southern hemisphere


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## cammelspit (Sep 12, 2015)

as a previous owner of a video game retail store, buy sell trade, for over 7 years most of my games, 70-80 thousand carts and discs, reside now in a 1000SQ foot cinder block building on my property. 90+% of my gaming is done via emulator because searching for a couple days to play 1 game is just insane! I do have a special place in my heart for pirate consoles and games. Famicom multicarts and whatnot. I keep those in several ziploc bags in a 12 gallon plastic crate or in a Walmart laundry basket in the corner of my bedroom. I know it is sacrilege for an avid "gamer" to keep his personal games in this way but in reality, I just don't have the space! There is, however, something visceral about pulling out the old NES or dreamcast and running the machine right through my screen and so I do this as often as I have the itch to do so. When I do, the carts are always scrubbed clean with Q-tips and 99% denatured rubbing alcohol from my electronics workshop and the CDs/DVDs are run through my CD resurfacing machines as needed. I care for my games and consoles as if they were small children. I let the run wild for a time but when it comes time to take a bath or to use the "big boy" potty I insist and just make it happen if I can.


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## Crass (Sep 12, 2015)

Metro DataVac is my waifu.


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## Sicklyboy (Sep 12, 2015)

Crass said:


> Metro DataVac is my waifu.



I work in IT and absolutely love the ones we have.


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## chavosaur (Sep 12, 2015)

I always use rubber protection as I delicately handle my Xbone



Spoiler


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## T-hug (Sep 12, 2015)

I vacuum my ps4 every few months, use wet wipes on my keyboards and my Vita has an armor and screen protector. It's mint considering it's a launch day unit that gets played daily. 
That's about it.


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## DaFixer (Sep 12, 2015)

When I get new retro stuff, I take it apart and clean them and checking for broken parts.
After that I clean them when I have time, most consoles/home computers what I have use SD/HDD as storage so my disc/disks don't get dirty.
Joysticks and controllers are cleaned 1 time a week.


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## mightymuffy (Sep 12, 2015)

chavosaur said:


> I always use rubber protection as I delicately handle my Xbone
> 
> 
> 
> Spoiler


Not sure I wanna click that spoiler button.....
Had a quick sken through a few posts, blimey do some of you live in a coal mine? Or am I just a lazy bast' - probably the latter!
One thing the new consoles are murder for is the fingerprint-magnet casing they come in, suppose it fits in with the TV and so on, but yep, it's all over the Wii U, and mostly over the PS4 and XO. As such, aren't they a royal pain in the arse for highlighting the tiniest specks of dust that fall on them?? So once a few of those pop up I'm using whatever is close to hand (which includes my sleeve!) to brush off... And that's it. The limit of my game collection cleaning.


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## Deleted User (Sep 12, 2015)

I didn't dare play my Pokémon 3rd Anniversary GBC till the GBC case I ordered arrived, I also never take my handhelds out of the house without a cleaning cloth onhand.
I also have the official N64 cleaning kit and I dust my consoles every week.


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## ironmaster49 (Sep 12, 2015)

Snugglevixen said:


> I didn't dare play my Pokémon 3rd Anniversary GBC till the GBC case I ordered arrived, I also never take my handhelds out of the house without a cleaning cloth onhand.
> I also have the official N64 cleaning kit and I dust my consoles every week.


Wow, thats a bit extreme, i just leave my handhelds in a case and wipe them when i get home when i take them out. but i have screen protectors


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## Prans (Sep 12, 2015)

Thanks a lot for your comment @GamerzHell9137 ! It's very much appreciated! That's the main aim of my articles, to foster discussion about gaming in general, which is the one thing we all have in common here 

I'm not too much into PC gaming but like you've come to know, the internet is helpful enough to provide you with instructions as to how to keep your console/PC in top-notch condition and max it out for gaming. Glad you are enjoying it!

@weavile001 That's why I'm always with my handhelds, they require minimum maintenance and play games and are portable 

@Catastrophic oh yes, I do wash my hands before handling my consoles as well. As you've said opinions vary. I've seen other people handling their consoles when they are actually eating. I prefer my consoles dust and grease-free.

@sarkwalvein Sorry about your PS1 and PS2! Those optic drives sure are a pain. Hope you have great memories of those great consoles though!



> ...paper plates stacked on your console.


 Bring me that guy @KineticSonata

Good guy @DinohScene! You're giving those games a second life 

@Ericzander hahaha! Congrats on having turned your girlfriend into a gamer!  I kind of understand her though, to me no matter how perfect an emulator gets, the feeling of playing the game on the actual console is totally different.

@Logan97 hahaha, I'm kinda like that too! I'm always around when I 'lend' someone my console.

Oh wow @Foxi4 ! Great job! I've yet to have my own display but hopefully it'll be soon!

I totally understand the time constraint @breaktemp But it's good practice to clean up your consoles from time to time and if you think that will not happen anytime soon, do as I do, box them up!

@KevinPatrickConn wow! Your loot sounds like a dream to most of us! Take good care of them!

Wow @T-hug that Vita gotta be happy!

Hahaha @mightymuffy at least you improvise with cleaning your consoles! 

@Snugglevixen I know how you feel about a new console. I almost always get a screen protector and a carry case when I get one.


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## ironmaster49 (Sep 12, 2015)

Yeah, im getting a 3ds now my old one is broken, gotta get a screen protector. Mine got wrecked from a bad hardmod... not sure what happened though but it wont turn on well gonna get a new one. And i will be careful with it, i have to go through 2 devices to learn to use them properly, made mine unhackable by accident then destroyed it by accident...


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## Prans (Sep 12, 2015)

@ironmaster49 Good luck with your new console! And take good care of it! Cheers!


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## ironmaster49 (Sep 12, 2015)

Yes, but how did you become a contributor? You have a lot less messages than me is that a gbatemp rank/level or something you apply for?


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## Prans (Sep 12, 2015)

ironmaster49 said:


> Yes, but how did you become a contributor? You have a lot less messages than me is that a gbatemp rank/level or something you apply for?


If you go back a couple of posts, @Tom Bombadildo replied to this question from another user. There was an application back in July and applicants were screened by the GBAtemp team. If there is any new such application in hte future it'll be, like that one, on the front page.


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## Taleweaver (Sep 12, 2015)

I use this thing called a "cabinet". Whenever I'm not using my console, it's in a closed environment. It's certainly not dust-free, but it'll do.
On the wii, I always use those condoms on the controllers. It's a habit, and a good one (dunno why, but friends always sweat like the thing weighs 100 kilograms while gaming).

Other than that...my PC certainly doesn't get the love it deserves. On the software side, I do the occasional scan and stuff. But on hardware...it's just not in a decent position to quickly (or even moderately) blow out dust. On the other side, I have a case that has more holes than swiss cheese (far more, in fact), so it doesn't clog up that easily.

As someone who works in IT, I just cannot fathom how some people treat their stuff. My CD's are always either in the proper box or in a console/CD player (in which case the empty case is directly next to it). Last week, I went through my girlfriend's CD collection and it was just a big mash of...everything (copied and original mixed, some boxed, some in plastic, and occasionally some in the cases it originally came in).
At work, I just got a mail from someone yesterday: she had spilled so much coffee on her laptop the thing wouldn't even boot anymore ("it went all in the left side"...I can but assume she somehow had it pour into the air vent). I cringed.


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## Prans (Sep 12, 2015)

@Taleweaver yup, maintaining your hardwares come up as a habit and for that one has to start one way or the other. There are so many people who just own electronic devices and once something (even though minor) goes wrong, dump them in the bin and buy another one. My friend recently revealed that she changed phones 6 times in the past two years due to them either not working or literally breaking...


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## Smuff (Sep 12, 2015)

I have a wife. My stuff is always gleaming


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## Ashtonx (Sep 12, 2015)

Used to keep my hw/games pristine clear, but with age you just can't really find the will or time to do it.

Thank god most of the recent releases are ddl, hell even my steam library if i were to keep them on physical copies i'd ran out of room. 

Cleaning pc, desk, accessories every once in a while is my limit. In case of console hw i usually clean it when i need to use it.


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## tbb043 (Sep 13, 2015)

Blowing on a Super Nintendo cart? WHAH?

That only works on NES games! 

Actually, NES games are the only ones that need it in the first place. And yeah, they need it. LIke witchcraft it is.


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## Prans (Sep 13, 2015)

tbb043 said:


> Blowing on a Super Nintendo cart? WHAH?
> 
> That only works on NES games!
> 
> Actually, NES games are the only ones that need it in the first place. And yeah, they need it. LIke witchcraft it is.


Hahaha, hope you won't be surprised that 'some' of us used this wizardry on Game Boy carts...


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## Guinea (Sep 14, 2015)

My only console is a original wii and it never gets dusty cuz I mostly play it every day


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## Prans (Sep 14, 2015)

Guinea said:


> My only console is a original wii and it never gets dusty cuz I mostly play it every day


Wow! I think there is no better way to explain the term 'love' as you did.


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## Ashtonx (Sep 14, 2015)

Prans said:


> Hahaha, hope you won't be surprised that 'some' of us used this wizardry on Game Boy carts...


Old habits die hard.. i once used it on display port cable when i couldn't get my monitor to be detected..


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