How would you react if you found out your brother left your beloved SNES, with all your games, in a bucket outside his house, exposed to the elements, for years on end?
That’s what happened to Redditor sophlog, who posted about her predicament to the r/mildlyinfuriating subreddit.
I mean, the absolute state of this poor old SNES. Have a look through the pics, though a trigger warning for preservationists and collectors: they are not for the faint of heart.
“I’m actually heart broken,” reads sophlog’s post. “I left my original, working Super Nintendo and collection of games (that my late mother gave me) at my parents house when I moved in with my now husband. I assumed it was safe in the attic for the past 5 years. When I came home for Christmas this year my brother tells me it’s ruined.”
Expecting that the SNES would have found its way into safe storage in the attic seems perfectly reasonable. How exactly did the SNES wind up in a bucket in the yard?
“He had used it at some point apparently, then brought it back to my parent’s and LEFT IT IN THE SIDE YARD in a plastic storage box,” sophlog continues. “He said he’d “check on it periodically” but never told me it was there or moved it literally 20 feet into the garage. If he had just told me it was there I would have flown home just to move it to the attic myself. When he “checked on it” this year, the box had broken down and everything was ruined by water.”
Clearly, there is some sentimental attachment to the SNES. Sophlog’s post mentions that she is particularly upset about losing her copy of Dr. Mario in this way, a game that meant a lot to her late mother. Enough, sophlog says, that she got a Dr. Mario tattoo the day after her mother’s passing.
The post ends with a plea for ideas on how to save her damaged console.
The good news is that Reddit believes the carts are probably salvageable, but the poor old SNES could well be too far gone to save. This makes the most sense — there are any number of retro video game restoration channels online that demonstrate how to revive old consoles and carts that have seen better days. However, this might prove a challenge for even the best amongst them.
Some encouraged sophlog to remember the old ways.
Referencing the name of the subreddit, others quickly pointed out that the actions of sophlog’s brother were anything but mildly infuriating.
And a great, great many replies insisted that the brother responsible should be the one replacing the console that had been left in his care. SNES consoles in good working condition aren’t exactly cheap these days, and the games can also go for quite bit, making a simple 1:1 replacement a potentially pricey prospect.
We wish sophlog the best of luck on her quest to get her console and her games fighting fit again. So many of us place great importance on these old machines, but they’re not always viewed the same way by the people we love.
What do you think? Can the SNES and all those carts be salvaged? Let us know in the comments.
Image: sophlog on Reddit
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