Thanks to Senseiman for the pic

At the start of the year, I made a decision to organize my collection. I have stacks of carts in moving boxes, shoe boxes, and every type of box in between. I needed to create a system that would make it easy to find the game I was looking for and provide a uniform look on a shelf. Ideally, I would buy the original boxes for all of my games, but the prices boxes go for these days make this a fiscal impossibility. So what options are out there for casing a collection? I started off looking at the way other collectors organize and case their games and found three popular methods:



The first comes from VideoGameBoxProtectors. Their cart protector is the cheapest of the bunch at around $1.00 each and holds a game and dust sleeve nicely. They are plastic acid and ligind free, so you don't have to worry about the case destroying your game. The construction is solid so you don't have to worry about it breaking on you. I use these for display games like the X-Bit XMAS series or Japanese games as I can place a label on the top of the protector with the game's name in English. The cart protectors don't have enough space to accommodate  a manual and the cart.



The second option is the popular Universal Games Cases. These hold a variety of carts without taking up a lot of space. The cases provide a nice clean look when used with covers from The Cover Project. The cost can vary, but they are usually around $1.50 to $2.00 per case. The cases themselves, however, do have a couple flaws. I found the quality inconsistent as many of the cases felt thinner/cheaper than they should be and several of the corners broke off. There isn't any space to store the manual, and NES carts will not fit without modifying the cases.



The third option is the newest on the block: CustomGameCases. These are system specific and are made to address the shortcomings of the Universal Game Cases by featuring a sturdier construction and a place to put the manual. Careful thought was also given to how the games are stored with pressure lock tabs to make sure cartridges don't move about if jostled. The cases measure slightly larger than the standard Universal Game Case/DS case, but noticeably stand out and can use the same covers from http://www.thecoverproject.net. With the increase in quality, comes an increase in price, so expect to pay around $2 to $3 per case.







Now that we've examined the most popular methods for organizing loose carts, you might be asking yourself, which one did I choose? I chose all three. The cart protectors work well for display games, and Famicom games. The universal game cases are great for systems with a wide range of cart shapes such as the Atari 2600 and also work well as replacement Intellivision cases. The custom game cases are amazing and allow me to give my NES and GB/GBC/GBA collection a consistent look while making it easy to find the game I'm looking for. I'm looking forward to the SNES/SFC cases and will feature a review when they are released. Casing your loose carts shouldn't cost a fortune and with these three options, you can organize, beautify, and keep a consistent look without breaking the bank.

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