Banner graphic for How to Store Your Cartridges and Cards, showing a protective shield over a cartridge and card
How to Store Your Cartridges and Cards So They Actually Survive
A collection is only worth what condition it's in. Here's what actually damages retro games and cards over time, and the simple habits that stop it. Read more...
Banner for The Blockbuster Video Game Wall, featuring the classic Blockbuster ticket logo
The Blockbuster Video Game Wall: What Renting Games Used to Feel Like
Before digital previews and Metacritic scores, deciding what to play meant standing in front of a wall of empty boxes, judging games entirely by their cover art. Here's why that... Read more...
Banner for How Card Grading Actually Works: PSA vs. BGS vs. CGC, featuring the real PSA, Beckett Media (BGS), and CGC logos
How Card Grading Actually Works: PSA vs. BGS vs. CGC
A raw card and a graded one can be worth wildly different money, even when it's the exact same card. Here's what those little plastic slabs actually mean. Read more...
CRT vs. Modern TV: Why Some Retro Games Look Better on Old Screens
CRT vs. Modern TV: Why Some Retro Games Look Better on Old Screens
That fuzzy old tube TV isn't a downgrade. Here's the actual technical reason retro games were built for CRTs, and how to get that look on modern gear if you... Read more...
The Weirdest Licensed Games Ever Made
The Weirdest Licensed Games Ever Made
Someone, somewhere, decided a dentist-themed platformer needed to exist. A tour through the strangest corners of licensed retro gaming. Read more...
Video Game Urban Legends: Fact-Checking the Classics
Video Game Urban Legends: Fact-Checking the Classics
Buried games, playground rumors, and one very persistent Atari myth. We separate the retro gaming legends that are true from the ones that never happened. Read more...
How Video Game Box Art Became Its Own Art Form
How Video Game Box Art Became Its Own Art Form
Before screenshots and trailers, a painted cartridge box had one job: make you pick it up. Here's how that pressure created some of gaming's most iconic art. Read more...
The Console Wars: Sega vs. Nintendo, 30 Years Later
The Console Wars: Sega vs. Nintendo, 30 Years Later
Sonic or Mario? Genesis or Super NES? Here's how a scrappy underdog knocked Nintendo off its throne — and then fumbled it right back. Read more...
How to Spot a Fake or Reproduction Cartridge
How to Spot a Fake or Reproduction Cartridge
Reproduction cartridges have gotten scary good. Here's exactly what to check — screws, labels, chips, and more — before you buy a fake NES, SNES, N64, Genesis, or GBA game. Read more...
Loose vs. Complete-in-Box: How Much Condition Actually Changes Value
Loose vs. Complete-in-Box: How Much Condition Actually Changes Value
Loose and CIB prices for the same game can differ by 2–10x. Here's what actually drives that gap, what buyers look for beyond "has a box," and how to prep... Read more...
The Complete List of Cartridge Games with Battery-Backed Saves
The Complete List of Cartridge Games with Battery-Backed Saves
Does your NES, SNES, N64, Game Boy, Genesis, or WonderSwan cartridge use a battery to save your progress? Browse our complete, sourced list of nearly 900 cartridge-based games with battery-backed... Read more...
How to Clean a Retro Game Cartridge the Right Way
How to Clean a Retro Game Cartridge the Right Way
Dirty contacts are the #1 reason retro games won't load. Here's the right way to clean your cartridges without damaging them. Read more...
Region-Free vs Region-Lock Game Consoles
Region-Free vs Region-Lock Game Consoles
Not all consoles play nice with import games. Find out which systems are region-free, which are locked, and what you need to know before buying games from other regions. Read more...