NEW REPLACEMENT LONG BOX JEWEL CASES FOR THE SEGA CD, SEGA SATURN, PS1

Earlier today, Josh Fairhurst, one of the founding members of Limited Run Games, announced on his Twitter page that their company would be selling new long box jewel cases for the SEGA CD, SEGA Saturn and PS1. This is what he had to say:

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Originally Posted by Josh Fairhurst

First image of our new Sega CD/Saturn/PS1 longbox jewel cases.

They're real! No test shot of the tray piece yet (the black piece) but we should see that soon.

These are made in the US just like the originals and are exactly to spec. We didn't spare any expense on the molds.

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DUCQgFTVMAEzWN_.jpg

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Someone asked if they would be labelled reproduction cases to differentiate these new cases from the original ones, to which he replied:

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Originally Posted by Josh Fairhurst

We're not manufacturing new artwork (nor do we have any legal right to do so), just empty cases. This is no different than buying empty standard jewel cases at Target to swap out PS1 or Dreamcast games.

There is a sign, though, the tray in ours will not have a compact disc logo since Philips owns the rights to that.

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Originally Posted by Josh Fairhurst

IIRC, it's the same styrene as the original cases, but we may look into a reinforced plastic for a more expensive deluxe case.

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When will they be available to purchase?

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Originally Posted by Josh Fairhurst

Hopefully March! Molds should be done next week. Then they just have to be manufactured and shipped.

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What about cost?

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=Josh Fairhurst]Haven't settled on the final price until I know the full damage for our initial run and the mold costs. Won't be bad - I know there is a limit to what people will pay for these!

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Why did Limited Run Games pursue such an endeavour?

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Originally Posted by Josh Fairhurst

We mainly brought these back for a few Limited Run CEs I wanted to do, so I plan to keep the per case cost reasonable on the replacement side since that's all a bonus. :)

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Originally Posted by Josh Fairhurst

I have so many loose Sega CD games I plan to re-case. Lots of damaged cases too. There was a personal motive to doing these, haha. :)

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Is there a projected time frame/date when these cases will no longer be available?

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Originally Posted by Josh Fairhurst

They won't be limited to any specific run. We'll keep making them until demand fizzles.

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Where will customers be able to purchase them from?

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Originally Posted by Josh Fairhurst

We'll be selling them through http://gamecollectorsupply.com - site hasn't launched yet, though.

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What kind of material are they made of?

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Originally Posted by Josh Fairhurst

IIRC, it's the same styrene as the original cases, but we may look into a reinforced plastic for a more expensive deluxe case.

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Finally, someone asked if he plans to make 2nd Disc trays (for games like Saturn Command & Conquer) or de-doing the custom paper sleeves with the 4 notches for games like Panzer Dragoon Saga?

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Originally Posted by Josh Fairhurst

The paper sleeves are definitely a possibility, but the secondary trays would probably be $30K+ just for the molds. Not sure if we could recoup that.

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If this endeavour is successful, they may even plan to release replacement cases for other game consoles such as the PAL SEGA Dreamcast too. Yes, he did mention that possibility as well! ;)

SOURCE: https://twitter.com/LimitedRunJosh/s...22014879420416

I've been following this for awhile since he hinted at it back in December. He mentioned previously having a price point of about $5 per case, but needing to sell them in bundles of 5 or so.

Oh, and he also mentioned that these are the later Saturn style longboxes, with the larger hole on the case for the hinge.

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Originally Posted by xelement5x

I've been following this for awhile since he hinted at it back in December. He mentioned previously having a price point of about $5 per case, but needing to sell them in bundles of 5 or so.

Oh, and he also mentioned that these are the later Saturn style longboxes, with the larger hole on the case for the hinge.

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$5.00 per case sounds fair and $25 for a bundle of 5 cases is totally reasonable. But then there is shipping which is about $15-$18 to ship to Canada ... ouch! It always pains me when I buy something from them only to realize that the price of admission will jump when calculating shipping.

I'm going to wait and see what people say about the quality of the case and how they compare to the originals. Hopefully they are alot more sturdy compared to the originals. And judging by the number of likes on that Twitter post, this is going to be popular. The number of replies it generated doubled overnight as well!

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Originally Posted by SEGA.GENESIS1989

$5.00 per case sounds fair and $25 for a bundle of 5 cases is totally reasonable. But then there is shipping which is about $15-$18 to ship to Canada ... ouch! It always pains me when I buy something from them only to realize that the price of admission will jump when calculating shipping.

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Could always buy in mass bulk with bulk discount and bulk shipping discount then ship to locals at a reasonable price. :p

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Originally Posted by SEGA.GENESIS1989

$5.00 per case sounds fair and $25 for a bundle of 5 cases is totally reasonable. But then there is shipping which is about $15-$18 to ship to Canada ... ouch! It always pains me when I buy something from them only to realize that the price of admission will jump when calculating shipping.

I'm going to wait and see what people say about the quality of the case and how they compare to the originals. Hopefully they are alot more sturdy compared to the originals. And judging by the number of likes on that Twitter post, this is going to be popular. The number of replies it generated doubled overnight as well!

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Ya, I don't expect shipping to be cheap on these, heck, I wouldn't want it to be, I would hope they pad out the box, these things are fragile, aside from that USPS just raised their rates.

Very, very cool that they're making these, I've been waiting and hoping for this for a long time.

Brittle as they already were, I could not trust the United States Package Smashers to not play football with the packages.

This is incredible! Finally! Are they doing wholesale ordering?

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Originally Posted by Greg2600

This is incredible! Finally! Are they doing wholesale ordering?

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Not yet, they will be selling them through another site that is not LimitedRunGames, but will be owned by them.

Yeah, I got a response about bulk discount pricing, but I'm more interested from the simple standpoint that I know several indie game stores who would want these in stock. And they usually just deal with a distributor.

I know it is a long shot, but I hope they sell front/backs individually later on when all costs are recouped. I have so many great backs but a ton of broken fronts. Either way I see myself dropping $50+ the day they get released.

Also wonder if they'll sell the foam!

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Originally Posted by Greg2600

Also wonder if they'll sell the foam!

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I buy sheets of 1/2" thick foam at a craft store and use it in my longbox games. Putting the foam in the case vertically, and towards the top, will prevent the manual from bending, and will flatten out (over time) a manual that's already curled. As long as the manual isn't warped due to moisture exposure it can be re-flattened.

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Originally Posted by redsox2013

I buy sheets of 1/2" thick foam at a craft store and use it in my longbox games. Putting the foam in the case vertically, and towards the top, will prevent the manual from bending, and will flatten out (over time) a manual that's already curled. As long as the manual isn't warped due to moisture exposure it can be re-flattened.

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This is the way to do it.

Exciting news indeed! Thank you for bringing this to our attention. :)

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Originally Posted by madhatter

I know it is a long shot, but I hope they sell front/backs individually later on when all costs are recouped. I have so many great backs but a ton of broken fronts. Either way I see myself dropping $50+ the day they get released.

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I bought out a second hand store 3 or 4 years back of their sports games they were selling for $1 a piece. I tried to take the cases apart and match them up to get the best looking cases. There were multiple styles of cases though you wouldn't notice with a naked eye. The big difference was the size of the pegs and holes. A small peg can go in a big hole (though the hinge will be loose), but it doesn't work the other way around. I also can't remember exactly if the distance from the edge of the case to the holes/pegs is the same between each case. Those joints are weak as hell too. The old stock had issues on almost all of them where you could see cracks through part of the plastic. I would advise to just buy a whole new case from these guys and swap out the inner tray, which all come out pretty easily, so you have the compact disc logo. $5 really isn't that much if you are talking about expensive games you are case swapping for.

Yeah, when I was swapping cases the hinge hole was the big thing I ran into as well. And like you said, if the plastic is even just barely starting to be fragile/crack you need to be super careful slipping the hinge out or you can accidentally snap it. I love those longboxes, but man are they a pain in the butt to keep in tiptop shape sometimes.

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Originally Posted by Greg2600

Yeah, I got a response about bulk discount pricing, but I'm more interested from the simple standpoint that I know several indie game stores who would want these in stock. And they usually just deal with a distributor.

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Yep! I really don't think they need to follow the "limited run" format. They just need to keep the items in stock and allow the consumer (or business) to purchase them as need be.

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Originally Posted by madhatter

I know it is a long shot, but I hope they sell front/backs individually later on when all costs are recouped. I have so many great backs but a ton of broken fronts. Either way I see myself dropping $50+ the day they get released.

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This was my thought as well! If they started to sell the front's and back separately, I think this would peak alot more interest from those of us who own SEGA CD, PS1 or Saturn games!

I didn't know these were available anywhere, I could do with a few myself for the Sony Imagesoft releases.

I got a random PM the other day:

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Originally Posted by vgconline

hey xelement5x
I see you've made a couple entries about replacement sega cd / sega saturn cases
I've been trying to get my registration to go through so I can make my own post but it seems to be held up....
Would you be interested in letting people know they can now purchase replacement sega cd/saturn cases from me on amazon?

https://www.amazon.com/Sega-Saturn-r...dp/B078M4Z18M/

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I can't comment on them personally since I have not purchased any, but a gentleman on Gaijinworks had and thought they were okay but not perfect.

His review:

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Originally Posted by DinoDerek

Alright, so my 10 pack came in today from the Amazon seller

First off Id say for the price quality isnt bad. In fact the black inner tray has the Compact Disc logo which is cool as the LRG ones wont have those (for obvious copyright reasons)

So far the only thing that doesnt feel right is that they dont have that "closed" feeling you get from original cases. Like when you close a real Saturn game there is a bit of snug tight feeling. These do not have that. The front part swings freely without actually feeling securely closed. Which to me is minor but important. Im hoping LRG at least gets that right. From what I can tell there is that little tiny ball at the bottom of the front part that fits into a small hole on the back part to give it a slightly secure feel without making it hard to open.

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Originally Posted by DinoDerek

Update, the black trays also don't snap in like the originals. So they feel loose as well.

Overall these LOOK almost perfect but these 2 small functional issues kinda kill these for me.

- Front part lacks that snug closed feel when the case is shut
- Inside black tray does not snap in, thus when backart is place in, its loose.

Limited run Games, please make sure yours have these 2 features as they are IMO massively important despite being quite minor physically.

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Originally Posted by DinoDerek

To me it shows that the plastic molds are SLIGHTLY off. Not even by a lot. But I guess that can be expected with Chinese manufacturing. But even slightly off loses the satisfying secure closed/snapped in feel. Thus everything has a slightly loose feel to it.

I still think for most these are fine just for the shelf and what not.

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http://www.gaijinworks.com/interact/...l=1#post116245

Sounds like they are okay but still room for improvement.

New article up on this:

http://archive.is/kIeBT

Limited Run paid $150,000 for the molds! They got taken...

It's not my place to say more on this, but I have heard that there is a third player soon to enter the Sega CD reproduction case market. I expect these cases to be cheaper than Limited Run's cases and of higher quality than VGCOnline's.

I hope that someone gets it right soon for a reasonable price. I have a few games that could definitely use the updated cases.

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Originally Posted by Gryson

Limited Run paid $150,000 for the molds! They got taken...

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Getting molds made can be absurdly expensive. Especially if you want quality. VGCOnline went the cheap route and you can see how that panned out.

A mold is a huge piece of steel, many times bigger than the thing you are actually trying to make, and it has to be right down to the fraction of a milimeter, and also durable enough to have hundreds of thousands of pieces run through it. Not surprised at all about the 150k figure.

I'm familiar with mold making, and from talking to people who manufacture in China, it's possible to have a very high quality mold for something like a game case for $15,000-30,000. VGCOnline had his made for $8000 and was probably not strict enough with the factory (they will definitely half-ass it to reduce costs unless you emphasize quality). $150,000 is just obscene, but that's the cost of manufacturing in the US.

I've heard other complaints about the inside trays not locking into the rear of the case. Is it just the new inner trays that don't snap in, or has anyone tried using an original tray?

That was an awesome read!

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Originally Posted by redsox2013

I've heard other complaints about the inside trays not locking into the rear of the case. Is it just the new inner trays that don't snap in, or has anyone tried using an original tray?

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The article states that the VGConline cases, allow the use of original inner trays and that they apparently fit in and snap in fine as they should. So yes, apparently people have used original inner trays with success on the remakes.

I know Jenovi did a video on these longboxes.

It seems they have some kinks that need to be worked out:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=quYncb7Dz9A

A bit off topic here, but I wonder if we ever get Jp and Pal ps1 fatbox replacement cases...

Wow, had no idea such a thing existed until just now. I'll probably get some myself. As for the complaints about them staying shut, I wouldn't write them off because of that. It would probably only require a slight modification. Since the nubs lack 1mm of reach, surely there'd be a way to bulk them up. There's a number of things you could try, including like maybe just a drop of putty or something and let it dry on the tips? Surely you'd get them to bite someway.

Shouldn't just assume that because something isn't perfect, it can't work. I'm in the box making biz myself, you just gotta make the best of what you have to work with. It's like people are still complaining about manual sag, and not realizing that window weather stripping at Lowes makes 1 to 1 perfect foam replacements that will protect your manuals.

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Originally Posted by WarmSignal

Wow, had no idea such a thing existed until just now. I'll probably get some myself. As for the complaints about them staying shut, I wouldn't write them off because of that. It would probably only require a slight modification. Since the nubs lack 1mm of reach, surely there'd be a way to bulk them up. There's a number of things you could try, including like maybe just a drop of putty or something and let it dry on the tips? Surely you'd get them to bite someway.

Shouldn't just assume that because something isn't perfect, it can't work. I'm in the box making biz myself, you just gotta make the best of what you have to work with. It's like people are still complaining about manual sag, and not realizing that window weather stripping at Lowes makes 1 to 1 perfect foam replacements that will protect your manuals.

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Can you share some images of these foam replacements?

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Originally Posted by QuickSciFi

Can you share some images of these foam replacements?

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Yeah, you just buy one of these from the weather stripping isle, score length and height to match and cut em with a utility knife. It's the same type of rubber foam.

https://preview.ibb.co/jJe21J/IMG_20..._011348195.jpg

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Originally Posted by WarmSignal

Wow, had no idea such a thing existed until just now. I'll probably get some myself. As for the complaints about them staying shut, I wouldn't write them off because of that. It would probably only require a slight modification. Since the nubs lack 1mm of reach, surely there'd be a way to bulk them up. There's a number of things you could try, including like maybe just a drop of putty or something and let it dry on the tips? Surely you'd get them to bite someway.

Shouldn't just assume that because something isn't perfect, it can't work. I'm in the box making biz myself, you just gotta make the best of what you have to work with. It's like people are still complaining about manual sag, and not realizing that window weather stripping at Lowes makes 1 to 1 perfect foam replacements that will protect your manuals.

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What's "manual sag"?

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Originally Posted by Orchid87

What's "manual sag"?

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Sag that's induced manually.

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Originally Posted by WarmSignal

Yeah, you just buy one of these from the weather stripping isle, score length and height to match and cut em with a utility knife. It's the same type of rubber foam.

https://preview.ibb.co/jJe21J/IMG_20..._011348195.jpg

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I find that an electric knife works pretty well (think turkey carving) as well.

I bought some as my CIB copies of Mega Race and Brutal got crushed in the corner by some jenky post person in Arkansas. I was really pleased but I would love if I could order just the hinge cover has most of my games have a hinge or two snapped.

Are these still around? I assume no but perhaps I just couldn't find where they are available now.

I wanted to get one but $15+12 shipping for a single unit didn't sound appealing and I never needed 10.

They've been OOS on Amazon for a while now and Limited Run seems to have changed their mind about selling their versions.

My friends who collect long box were not happy with the ones you find on Amazon. Limited Run's were given the thumbs up but they do not sell them blank.