hey all, been a while  

I managed to get the protos of the Devil Children games that were on ebay a bit ago.
https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/p-...
I don't have them yet, but I'll be dumping them probably and fiddling with those.
Can anyone tell me how to handle these beyond keep them in an ESD bag and case "AT ALL TIMES"?
How do I preserve them properly? Can anyone give me some ideas?

The way you preserve these is to dump them, that way if the hardware gets damaged, the data is still available and is not lost. That doesn't mean you have to release it, thats up to you ultimately. In terms of protecting them, I keep my protos in a standard case, ESD bags is taking it a step further and will also protect them. I also keep loose ones in a display case, that way nobody is touching them. But ultimately the important part is to dump the rom.

These say that the carts are 128M, does that mean theres a 16MB GBA file thats going to be made as a result?
Is there a specific way you recommend dumping them? I have an R4 that I managed to dump a demikids dark with + the DS lite.

Edit: what kind of case is this going to be thats advised? how big are these? I've never seen one in person. I surmise about the height of a bluray case.

Those are pretty.

Thank you   I have not yet gained the eye of being able to determine that something like those look pretty yet. Where would I release the roms of the protos once I get them dumped?(should be this thursday)
OH! the games are Devil Children book of Ice and Devil Children book of Fire.
I really hope these aren't just trade demos...


EDIT: I got them for $600 for both. is that a good price for 2 protos? will dumping it generally decrease the value of the hardware if kept in good condition? was I ripped off? I'm new to this, kinda paranoid  
Are GBA protos super rare? I'm not seeing many on ebay.
 

Be sure to give them plenty of food and water.

All protos are rare, but they do come up every so often. People seem to have the mentality that dumping the proto makes it worth less. Personally, I think thats BS, but ultimately I think pricing protos is a pain. Because some of these are one of a kind items, it is really hard to put a real value on them. So my answer to what they are worth is this: "they are worth what someone is willing to pay". That being said, those protos are WAY out of my price range for something I would be willing to pay. I was trying to sell an NES proto for $150, but because of the game it was, nobody particularly cares about it. If you are concerned about the value, dump them to make sure the rom will be available even if the hardware becomes inoperable, and then don't release it. What I am saying is proto collecting is weird. I love dev stuff, but it is hard for me to justify it unless I can get it for cheap.

What was the NES proto?

Yeah....I would think it's too expensive too, I was just really stupid with this particular case lol....T_T
Anyway...it's not that I think it'd make it worth less, it's more that I don't know.
This is a totally new world to me. I have experience in caring for motherboards on a computer, and I know the concept of ESD and all that, but I don't have experience caring for old game hardware, I know I'm not going to fiddle with dip switches (last time I did, I did what the instructor told me to and the computer was smoldering....:/ ) I know I'm going to ground myself or wear clean rubber (or rubber lined) gloves working with them. Are there any general does/don'ts?
Sorry for my total newb-ness  

Edit: spell check

Its the same thing. Nintendo motherboards aren't particularly different from others... I just know that eprom and flash are more volitile than mask roms, so it is important to dump it. Do NOT fiddle with the dip switches. From what I understand it changes the storage config, I've heard people say it can damage the data but I have no way to confirm it. You are definately taking more precautions than I ever have. I'm just sure to make sure I have no static buildup and never work with a board that is running.

Also, the NES proto that I was trying to sell was a copy of Jimmy Connors tennis

I will not be fiddling with the dip switches. Modifying memory restrictions and storage allocation makes sense based on the nature of dip switches.
With hardware like motherboards I was formally trained by the self-claimed biggest asshole on campus for the school I was in. It's more just my nature to be careful as all with this stuff than a willing thing. Especially for unique items.

Edit: the seller said he was scared of harming the data if ye went farther than the title screen. Is that actually a thing?

The only data you could "harm" by playing would be if you overwrite save data.

Thank you so much  

Dumping and distributing the ROM makes it worth a lot less.
 

I guess I don't quite understand why is what I am saying... but that is a completely different topic.

Game that no one other than the prototype owner can play vs a game everyone with an internet connection can play? It's pretty much a no-brainer.



 

Sure. That being said, from my own experience, sometimes these carts wind up with damage that results in them not working properly, either due to bridged solder joints (could maybe damage the ROMs when powered on, depending on the location of the bridge) or maybe cracked solder joints on the ROMs. Given that they've been shown to function up to the title screen, I wouldn't expect that to be an issue with yours.

Also, keep an eye out for a possible debug screen, accessible from the game's map menu.

I'll definitely keep an eye out. Sadly I cannot read japanese yet but I'll probably grab a retail room of both and compare them as much as is possible.

You all have probably seen way more interesting than a newb dumping their first proto, but does anyone want to see pics as I dump them?

EDIT: flame is dumped. Working on ice.