3D printing - discussion of topic relevance

[kendrick]

So I recently picked up a 3D resin printer, and one of the things that I've been exploring is how much the technology benefits retro video games. While the majority of 3D models out there are about replicating consoles in miniature or duplicating the form factor to contain other devices (like Raspberry Pi boards and whatever) there are also quite a few STL files that aim to replace missing parts or enable modification. A few examples:

* Cartridge shells are pretty popular, which enable you to replace a broken Gameboy or Genesis/Megadrive cart without having to cannibalize an existing game and remove it from the world.
* Power buttons, controller buttons and other sliding or moving parts that wear down, pop out or otherwise go missing.
* Port adapters, to enable seamless and form-fitting connection of power or data connections that weren't originally permitted but need to exist now because of component scarcity or availability.

My question for the group is this: Is there any demand for, or interest in, 3D printing that merits having a dedicated topic or forum section on the subject matter? Best case scenario is that we can organically figure out what components or new parts might be needed and build up a library of designed and tested models that our corner of the hobby needs specifically. More likely what happens is we aggregate other people's existing work, and I'm not sure that's a worthy path to travel.

By way of disclaimer, as moderator I have to declare that 3D printed components intended to enable piracy or unauthorized software usage is going to be considered off-topic. So a custom video connector for a Dreamcast HDMI output would be fine, but the little shield for a Dreamcast GD-ROM emulator that reads disc images off of a memory card would be off limits.

[NFG]

I'm for it.  I've been considering a 3D printer for some time, having a nice little library of things to print would be pretty cool.

Anyone else?

[JulBS0]

Since one the shared interest of this forum members is ancient machines made of mostly brittle plastic, it seems to be a great idea.

[Cyothevile]

By way of disclaimer, as moderator I have to declare that 3D printed components intended to enable piracy or unauthorized software usage is going to be considered off-topic. So a custom video connector for a Dreamcast HDMI output would be fine, but the little shield for a Dreamcast GD-ROM emulator that reads disc images off of a memory card would be off limits.

Don't agree with your logic at all but this is your playground. Not mine.

There is a project that I'm working on literally right now to try to get the dimensions of the Sanyo 3DO disc drive gear. Its pretty small and I don't think it could be 3D printed.  There is a replacement gear for the I was going to try the resin printing service at JLCPCB.

Is the emphasis for repair parts or just general 3D printing?

[kendrick]

As users of the forum, each of us has individual risk to deal with related to whether or not a mod works, or how to proceed with purchase and use of software. But when you administer or run the forum, you have to accept that you're taking on a higher level of risk because you're at the center of all the conversations and all the activities. Put another way, if somebody gets a lawyer because they think that their software has been in appropriately distributed without payment, they're not going after individual posters, they're asking after me and Lawrence. This is why I have to draw an unambiguously clear line and put piracy devices on the other side of it. I'm not telling you what to do with your own game systems, just that you're not going to have detailed discussions about it at GamesX.

Regarding your other question? I think that both repair and modification will end up being on-topic, so that would include replacement gears for disc drives, or brackets to adapt a different drive mechanism that wasn't originally engineered to work. We might also get into game system and computer cosmetic changes, for anybody who might like to have 3D labels on their SCART connectors, or like a completely non-functional character logo that's made to fit into a blanking plate or on top of some other flat surface. At the extreme far end away from repair or mods, I'd be totally open to 3D printing things like replacement playing pieces for the Odyssey 2-connected board games, or duplicates of collectible tchotchkies like the coins and pins you got with some games.

However, general 3D printing isn't a topic that really fits here, so nobody's going to be making Monopoly game parts or replacement VCR power buttons and talking about it here. 3D printing that supports modification, repair, and preservation of game systems is a narrower slice and is more what I have in mind. But again, only if there's enough interest.

[NFG]

By way of disclaimer, as moderator I have to declare that 3D printed components intended to enable piracy or unauthorized software usage is going to be considered off-topic. So a custom video connector for a Dreamcast HDMI output would be fine, but the little shield for a Dreamcast GD-ROM emulator that reads disc images off of a memory card would be off limits.

Don't agree with your logic at all but this is your playground. Not mine.

Kendrick is absolutely the best moderator I could hope for.  I am grateful for his dedication to the forum and the safety of its users (and admin!).

I don't see the immediate threat here that he does, regarding the printing of support items for ODEs and the like.  I have a GDEMU, it's great for things like disc-free Volgarr and the 240p test suite.  Which is to say, there are uses for these devices that do not encourage piracy.

GameSX.com's strong anti-piracy stance comes from a time when people would come into my game store asking for mod chips to enable pirated games on their Playstations, a system we were actively trying to make a living on at the time.  Nowadays I see something like a Saturn ODE as a preservation issue, more than piracy.

Overt piracy is to be avoided.  This isn't a place for ROM swapping or discussion thereof.  But piracy-adjacent topics like the above are, IMO, fair game.  It should also go without saying that no one should be planning to offer up 3D structures that aren't clearly available for public use.

[kendrick]

Lawrence does make a good point about preservation being something that does have to be weighed against commerce. What I will say about that is that we as consumers need to do what we can to encourage the IP license holders to continue nurturing and releasing retro product as they can. The Mini consoles (with selections from the NES, SNES, Genesis/Megadrive and Playstation libraries) are a step in the right direction, but between COVID and parts scarcity it was a challenge for them to find a market. In a more just world we would see Saturn games preserved by seeing Sega continue to release them as official product, either for standalone devices or as software available for modern systems.

My local game store (which is long out of business) also had people coming in asking for mod chips and emulation solutions. I witnessed one unfriendly customer walk out of the store disappointed, and I said idly to the clerk at the time "Hey man, I want to buy something from you that means I don't have to buy anything else from you ever again. Can you hook me up?" We had a laugh together and a long conversation about the logistical challenges of running a game store, which is generally done more out of love than profit. I feel strongly that even if a games console isn't actively being supported or developed for, that there's a need to make legitimate purchases to keep a whole infrastructure going that supports our hobby. That's hard to advocate in a world with digital downloads and literally hundreds of times more gaming product than ever existed in the 1990s when we started this insanity.

This is a really interesting topic, but I'm not sure if two admins and two forum users constitutes a mandate for an ongoing library of posts on the subject.