Hey there,
I had a tech talk about retrogaming on OG Hardware. We ended up with the point that discs, some GBA,(3ds) and Switch games just die and cannot be used anymore.
So i question what is the use in collecting then. Its basically dead money. Its not really a cheap Hobby.
What do you think about it?
I have functional music CDs from 1983 and gaming CDs on the Sega CD forward.
Most commercial CDs and DVDs are expected to last about 25 years, although they can last a lot longer than that depending on the quality of the manufacturing process, how the discs are stored, and how they are handled. Keep CDs and DVDs away from heat and light, keep them away from high humidity, and minimize flexing or bending them as much as possible. When discs flex, the polycarbonate layers can split and separate – even just a tiny bit – and moisture can get in. Once that happens, the disc will degrade faster.
Source: Am an optical media nerd and enthusiast and still use optical media every week.
Yup. And when returning them to the case DO NOT spin them so they are “right side up”.
Any dust or grit in the case will damage them when you do that.