Your Sega Saturn games will die. What will YOU do?

[daphatty]

Did you know that the average lifespan of a CD is 20-25 years? Of course, that's if your little brother/sister/nephew/dog/wife hasn't already scratched the data surface. So what will you do when your Saturn disc oxidizes? There isn't really a way to "backup" your game and Saturn emulation is, well, a joke.

I've often wondered if there would be a way to show SEGA that support for re-released Saturn titles would earn them enough cash to re-coup manufacturing costs and perhaps even earn a small profit. Perhaps a web-petition site which registered users could show their support and even vote for which titles they would be interested in purchasing? With the proper exposure I think something like this might, at the very least, let SEGA know that some of their old titles are still sought after and might influence future re-releases on newer platforms.

Discuss/Rant/Flame (gently)

[zewone]

There rereleasing Dragon Force on the PS2 in Japan. They also have released other SS games on the PS2 in Japan. Maybe we will see something like that on this side of the pond.

[bmulligan]

My saturn died about 2 years ago. I'd rather have a compilation for gamecube or PS2. They didn't sell that many Saturns to begin with, did they?

[Medium_Pimpin]

Damn, all my high priced Saturn rpgs will be worth nothing in 15 years.

[daphatty]

My saturn dies about 2 years ago. I'd rather have a compilation for gamecube or PS2. They didn't seel that many Saturns to begin with, did they?

There are still plenty of Saturns floating around. I'm not sure what the sell through figures were but it's not hard to get your hands on one. The games, however, especially the good ones, are another story.

I'm all for current gen re-releases but that poses a problem for Sega. They actually have to go back and re-program the games. You simply can't port a Sega Saturn title over to PS2/GC/XBX without ALOT of effort.

[bmulligan]

sega should come out with a 'mini-saturn' like the psone with a built-in screen. No, wait, they 've already done the dumb hardware idea. Scratch that...

[DigitalSpace]

I see used Sega Saturns for around $20 or so quite a bit. Games don't pop up a lot, though, and when they do, they're gone pretty fast.

[yeahokthenfu]

Thats odd that a cd will be worthless in 20 years

[dcfox]

Does this lifespan apply to other disc based formats as well?

[sblymnlcrymnl]

I'm still in the market, so to speak.

[kristianator]

does that mean they'll be completely dead, or will we have to blow on them like we do to nes games?

[jimbodan]

Did you know that the average lifespan of a CD is 20-25 years? Of course, that's if your little brother/sister/nephew/dog/wife hasn't already scratched the data surface. So what will you do when your Saturn disc oxidizes? There isn't really a way to "backup" your game and Saturn emulation is, well, a joke.

I've often wondered if there would be a way to show SEGA that support for re-released Saturn titles would earn them enough cash to re-coup manufacturing costs and perhaps even earn a small profit. Perhaps a web-petition site which registered users could show their support and even vote for which titles they would be interested in purchasing? With the proper exposure I think something like this might, at the very least, let SEGA know that some of their old titles are still sought after and might influence future re-releases on newer platforms.

Discuss/Rant/Flame (gently)

Actually it is possible to back up your Saturn games, it's kind of a pain in the ass to get your Saturn to play them, but it is very possible if you know what you're doing. If you OWN the games and are worried about them no longer working in a few years then it's probably worth it to do a little research and start backing up your Saturn stuff.

[punqsux]

dont go jumping the gun there daphatty. no one know exactly how long cds will last, simply because the medium is only 21 years old today.

* CD-ROMs are estimated to last anywhere from 30 to 200 years.
* CD-Rs, before they are recorded, have an estimated shelf life of five to ten years.
* CD-Rs, after recording, are estimated to last between 70 and 200 years.
* CD-RWs are expected to last at least 30 years.

read this, its a good article:
http://www.ancestry.com/learn/library/article.aspx?article=2131

[epobirs]

For what it worth, my oldest audio CDs, purchased in 1985, still play perfectly. The manufacturing quality and chemistry has improved greatly since then.

I'd be more concerned at to whether Sega and third party publishers have the masters backed up on long lived media so the products can be revived in nostalgia collections. Legit owners can prolong the life of their collections by copying them to CD-R every few years. Getting those to play on a Saturn isn't difficult.

[epobirs]

The ISO files for all of these games are all over the place in less than legal circumstances but this means their availability to burn to disc and play survivng Saturns or emulating Pcs is assured.

[daphatty]

The ISO files for all of these games are all over the place in less than legal circumstances but this means their availability to burn to disc and play survivng Saturns or emulating Pcs is assured.

Playing illegal copies might be an option if the emulation community came up with a decent emulator but even then that's besides my point. I'd rather have an official game and support the companies that deserve the money.

[GuilewasNK]

I imagine that if people take care of their CD's (storing them in their cases, taking care not to scratch them) they should last for quite a while.

[Spacepest]

I imagine that if people take care of their CD's (storing them in their cases, taking care not to scratch them) they should last for quite a while.

I remember reading a scientific article somewhere about how heat destroys CDs...at temptures about 80 degrees farenheit and up causes the material in CDs to slowly degrade. That is why the average lifespan of a CD is said to be 20 years...alot less if it is constantly exposed to excessive heat. So, keep your games out of the sun, don't leave them in a hot car, and keep them indoors in an air conditioned evironment, and supposedly they will last longer than 20 years. We won't know if this is the truth or not for another 20 years.

I hope my saturn games last the rest of my natural lifetime. I'd be really disappointed if my Panzer Dragoon Saga went to the grave before I did.

[Spacepest]

Ugh, I just thought of something...considering how almost all video game systems generate heat when played for long periods of time (even with fans built in) I'm pretty sure all of our games have been exposed to temptures greater than 80 degrees.

Dammit, this means all my really good games are probably guarenteed to die. *cries in disappointment* I'd wholeheartedly support Sega rereleasing thier games to replace my dying ones.

[cheapass Gundam]

dont go jumping the gun there daphatty. no one know exactly how long cds will last, simply because the medium is only 21 years old today.

I have a couple of CDs that were bought in the early 1990s and they are already oxidizing and making static-like noise during playback on some CD players while utterly refusing to play on other CD players, making their life a mere decade long. We're not even taking about indie label or boot releases, but major label ones like Living Colour's first album, "Vivid", released on Epic.

[Sartori]

dont go jumping the gun there daphatty. no one know exactly how long cds will last, simply because the medium is only 21 years old today.

I have a couple of CDs that were bought in the early 1990s and they are already oxidizing and making static-like noise during playback on some CD players while utterly refusing to play on other CD players, making their life a mere decade long. We're not even taking about indie label or boot releases, but major label ones like Living Colour's first album, "Vivid", released on Epic.

I don't have this problem.

What kind of temperature conditions are we speaking of..?

Also.. nice avatar. Illbleed owns.

[LV-426RS]

I heard/read a long time ago that one major concern for the cd's is the ink used for the labeling. It would slowly eat away at the cd causing pits in it.

[The Successful Dropout]

i believe that its a huge conspiracy...i believe that in exactly 22 1/2 yrs from the creation date of every cd, a Santa Claus type CD Destroyer flies over to everyones house and searchs for CDs that are exactly 22 1/2 yrs old...he than swaps them with non-working CDs so you'll have to rebuy them....its a conspiracy....see if im lying...if anyone can disprove this, please post so

[daphatty]

I heard/read a long time ago that one major concern for the cd's is the ink used for the labeling. It would slowly eat away at the cd causing pits in it.

You would be correct sir. Using a traditional sharpie is in some way similar to using old school Armor All. The chemicals in these products eats away at whatever surface they're applied to. I bought special markers designed for CD/DVD media because I was afraid of just that happening. The Armor All people have since altered their product to no longer cause that damage.

[epobirs]

The ISO files for all of these games are all over the place in less than legal circumstances but this means their availability to burn to disc and play survivng Saturns or emulating Pcs is assured.

Playing illegal copies might be an option if the emulation community came up with a decent emulator but even then that's besides my point. I'd rather have an official game and support the companies that deserve the money.

If you are demonstrably the legitimate owner of original retail products that have ceased to function due to ravages of time and tide, and are no longer supported by the orginal publisher, I'd suggest you are in the clear so far as resorting to creating your own backups from downloaded ISO files.

[evilpenguin9000]

I don;'t know about cds degradign over time, but I would like to play some of the Saturn's games without having to pay the ridiculous prices for them.