The design of the 1UPcard is themed after my favorite Mario game, Super Mario Bros 2. I bought a T-shirt bearing the likeness of the cover of the game. Excellent.
I have several other T-shirts on my wishlist including Goonies II, Contra, Kid Chameleon, and Kung Fu. Then a Super Mario hat....
Which consoles did you have growing up? Who were the friends you played with? I bet you remember their room or their basement where you played, the console they had that you didn't, or the games you would lend or borrow.
I had a Sega and a NES (and I actually still own and play the original consoles from my childhood), but I went to my friend Bill's house to play Super Nintendo. We'd play Street Fighter II and take turns at Sim City among other games. I still don't know what she meant by "reticulating splines"...
Well tonight, my Sega and NES have a new friend. The SNES I bought a couple days ago on eBay just arrived. The seller did a great job of packaging the system. And the one I got hasn't been subject to the notorious yellowing that many of the SNES' have suffered from.
I'm excited to take it for a spin! Only problem is, the only game it came with was Monopoly...
I think tomorrow I'm going to go to the local trade-in shop here in town and see if he will trade me some 1UPcards for some SNES games. That way, I'll get some games, he'll get something new to sell, and local gamers will have a better way of cleaning their malfunctioning cartridge games.
Here is the seller's item listing. Delivered as promised:
What makes a game "kid-friendly"? What games have you introduced your kids to? How old were they? Leave us some feedback! And be sure to give your game the best clean with the 1UP card so the next generation can game on.
Must plays:
Games where you can't die (perfect for the really young!)
Just received these two games from two different e-Bay sellers. Can't wait to make time to play! It's probably been more than a decade...
I never owned these games as a kid, but played them at my friends' houses. I'm hoping that Ecco will be a good game for my one-and-a-half year old daughter to play. It's peaceful, beautiful, and I think she'll like it as she figures out how to control Ecco. See other great titles for kids here.
I wonder if Dolphins eat worms... Probably not worms with Plasma Blasters.
I'll give each of the cartridges a wipe with the 1UPcard before I use them with my Genesis (the original one I've had since my childhood). Even if they are in working condition, it's still a wise choice to clean them first. There's no sense introducing somebody else's dust and dirt into my console.
PLASMA!! Didn't Earthworm Jim say that all the time? Can't wait to relive the memories tonight.
If you love cleaning your games with Q-Tips, the 1UPcard is not for you.
This product was designed for people who like convenience, cleanliness, and who would rather be playing their games than cleaning them.
That’s why I invented the 1UPcard.
The cleaning card has durable felt pads which absorb dirt and grime. The fluid is 99% isopropyl alcohol. Unlike other mixtures, this won’t leave water on your game contacts. And we spent all those years blowing into cartridges… No wonder our games are so dirty!
Get back to doing what you love and leave the dirty work to the 1UPcard.
These books are excellent! I read them cover to cover. The first one I read is Super Mario by Jeff Ryan. It mostly chronicles the development of Nintendo from an arcade game business to a home console business. My favorite takeaway from the book was the quote by Nintendo employee Gunpei Yokoi, (who also invented the Gameboy). Yokoi talked about the value using existing technology in new ways, or:
Lateral Thinking with Seasoned Technology
That way you don't need to come up with new technology all the time which is really expensive. Just use something that already exists in a new way.
Thats what I did with the 1UPcard. I didn't re-invent the wheel, I just used existing materials available to me to create the world's best cartridge video game cleaning card. The cards are the same size as the driver's license in your pocket, and the idea of the cleaning pads came in the felt furniture pad section of the hardware store.
Buy the book on Amazon here.
Super Mario by Jeff Ryan.
The next book I read was Console Wars by Blake Harris. It's called a "business thriller," which it is! It's well-written in a dialogue style. The focus of the book is the rise and fall of Sega of America led by Tom Kalinske, former CEO of Mattel and the man responsible for Barbie's ridiculous popularity.
It's available here.
Console Wars by Blake J. Harris
Have you read any other good books about retrogaming? Leave a note!
The 1UPcard is a new product for old games. It makes cleaning your game cartridges easier than ever before. Follow these tips to keep from getting a "game over".
Obviously the most important function of the 1UPcard. Simply moisten one pad of 1UPcard with 1UP Fluid and rub against game contacts. Gently flex card to maximize contact. Dry with other pad. Allow contacts to dry briefly before inserting cartridge. Game on.
Your last name isn't Thompson, Johnson or Jacobs? Use the 1UPcard to remove permanent marker from your games. Presto.
You may want future generations to know you snagged a copy of Contra for $4.95 at a garage sale. But in case you don't, moisten the price tag with 1UPcard fluid and use the 1UPcard to scrape it off.
Remember when kids were drinking Surge soda when you were in middle school? They probably left traces of it on your games. Use your 1UPcard to scrub away years of junk food funk.
What other uses have you found for the 1UPcard? We want to hear from you!