Monday, May 23, 2011

Value of Games in Video Game Urinal

Many people have complained about the desecration of the Super Nintendo games when we made the video game urinal. Some people think it is horrible to pee on any Super Nintendo game or misunderstood and think we used games like Super Mario World, Super Metroid, and Zelda Link to the Past. We used only broken games or games nobody wants.

Here is a list of all the games we used and the quantity:

Name - Quanity Used
Battleship - 1
Emmitt Smith - 1
John Madden Football - 1
Madden 93 - 2
Madden 94 - 7
Madden 95 - 1
Madden 96 - 2
Michael Jordan Windy City - 1
Monday Night Football - 1
NBA Allstar Challenge - 1
NBA Live 96 - 1
NCAA Basketball - 4
NCAA Football - 4
QB Club - 2
QB Club 96 - 1
Super Scope - 5
Stanley Cup - 1
Sunday Night Football - 1
Super High Impact - 1
Super Play Action Football - 1
Super Tennis - 1
Troy Aiken - 1

Total - 42 games

Every single game on this list except for Michael Jordan Chaos in Windy City can be purchased right now for $0.01 on Amazon or $0.75 on Half.com. Those are the lowest prices sellers can use on those sites......and they still don't sell.

And the two Michael Jordan games we used were broken. I can understand people being upset if really good, valuable games were used for this urinal, but people don't want the games we used. This is probably the best use for them.

Thursday, May 19, 2011

How To Build a Video Game Urinal

DISCLAIMER: No good games were damaged in the making of this video. All the video games used in this urinal were already broken or worthless sports games.



Building a video game urinal takes about eight hours of labor and costs roughly $200-250 (not counting the video games). If you too want a custom, hand-made video game urinal follow these steps below:

Supplies You Will Need:

Besides the video games, all of these supplies are available at most major hardware stores or plumbing supply stores. I got the video games for free from a video game store that had lots of broken or worthless SNES sports games.







40 Super Nintendo games


2 1/8 inch hole saw drill bit
1 1/2 inch hole saw drill bit


Clear Polyurethane Spray
Clear Polyurethane Liquid





Clear Waterproof Sealant


3/4 inch Inlet Spud


2 inch Drain Spud








1 sheet of Hardibacker


3 tubes of clear plumbing glue


Urinal Flush Valve





P Trap


Sand Paper


SNES Screwdriver Security Bit


How to Make a Video Game Urinal

Step 1: Remove Electronics From Two Cartridges
Using the security screwdriver bit, open two of the Super Nintendo games and remove the electronics. You will only need the top piece of the cartridge with the artwork on it. Throw away the screws, circuit board, and bottom half of plastic.

Step 2: Cut a Hole in the Two SNES Cartridges
Securely fasten one of the SNES cartridge tops to a table for drilling. Using the 1 1/2 inch hole saw bit drill a hole in the middle of the cartridge. Repeat for the other cartridge using the 2 1/8 inch drill bit.

Step 3: Insert 3/4" Spud Into Cartridge
Place the 3/4 spud inside the smaller of the two holes with the threaded part of the spud on the top with the label. Using a wrench tighten the spud until the plastic part fills the hole entirely, making a water tight seal. It should look like this:

urinal inlet spud

Step 4: Insert 2" Spud Into Cartridge
Place the 2" spud inside the bigger of the two holes with the threaded part of the spud on the bottom. Using a wrench tighten the spud until the plastic part fills the hole entirely, making a water tight seal. It should look like this:

urinal with drain spud

Make Urinal Base and Walls

Step 5: Glue Cartridges on Hardibacker
Sand the back of 18 cartridges so they have some scratches. Place the waterproof glue on the back of a cartridge and place the cartridge on the hardibacker. Glue three cartridges side to side. Glue another row of three cartridges above the first row. Repeat this until there are six rows of three cartridges. At the bottom glue two more cartridges in the middle. It will look like this:

game urinal base

Step 6: Glue the Side & Top Pieces for Urinal
The two side, one top face, and one bottom face have three cartridges each. Grab three cartridges and sand both sides on one cartridge. Sand the right side on another and the left side on another. Glue the three pieces together so there is a horizontal row of three cartridges. DO NOT GLUE THESE TO THE HARDIBACKER. It will look like this:

game urinal three snes cartridges

Repeat this step three more times until you have four pieces with three cartridges each.

Step 7: Make Row of Two Cartridges
Using the same directions as step 6 make one piece with two cartridges glued on the sides.

game urinal step 7

Step 8: Seal All Cracks
Use the clear waterproof sealant and seal all the cracks where two cartridges meet. Do this for all the pieces glued to the hardibacker, the four sets of three cartridges, and the one set of two cartridges. Use a putty knife to remove excess sealant.

Step 9: Let Everything Dry Overnight
Let the glue and sealant dry overnight so everything is solid and has fully hardened.

Step 10: Glue Side Pieces to Base
The next day, take one of the three cartridge pieces you made. Sand the bottom of the piece. Put glue along the entire bottom of the piece. Measure 2 inches from the bottom of the base and place the piece vertically. It will look like this:

urinal step 10

Repeat this step on the other side of base so the two side walls are made.

Step 11: Make Drain Area for Urinal
Place the drain spud piece vertically in the middle of the base right above the two cartridges at the bottom. DO NOT GLUE THIS PIECE - IT IS A GUIDE. Grab two cartridges and sand the bottom of both. Put glue on the bottom of one and place it at an angle so it slants from the bottom of one sidewall and touches the edge of the drain spud piece. Repeat this on the other side so there are two slanted cartridges leading to the drain spud.

super nintendo urinal

Step 12: Make Cover for P Trap
Place a cartridge below the bottom two cartridges on the base. DO NOT GLUE IT - IT IS A GUIDE. Grab two cartridges. Sand the bottom of both. Put glue on the bottom of one and place it so it is at an angle from the angled cartridges in step 11. One corner will start at the first notch on the SNES cartridge and the opposite corner will be just touch the elevated portion on the guide cartridge. Repeat on the other side as well. It will look like this:

snes urinal bottom open

Step 13: Make Angled Top
Place the inlet spud at the top of the base in the middle. DO NOT GLUE - THIS IS A GUIDE. Measure 1 1/2 inches from the top of the base. There should be a notch in the side of the cartridge. Mark this point with a pen. It looks like this:

urinal angle drain

Grab a cartridge and sand the bottom. Put glue on the bottom and attach it to the base so the bottom corner is at the point you marked. The opposite corner will be touching the inlet spud cartridge. Repeat these steps on the other side base. It will look like this:

video game urinal top open

Step 14: Seal All Cracks
Using the waterproof sealant seal all the cracks where two cartridges meet. Pay special attention to the cracks on the inside of the urinal because water (and urine) will flow here in the final product so the seal needs to be very good to avoid leaks.

Make Water Basin for Urinal

Step 15: Prepare Three Cartridges for Water Basin
Using the security screwdriver bit open three cartridges and remove the circuit boards inside. Keep the bottom half of the cartridge (with the warning label on the back). With a saw cut notches in the sides of the cartridges using the diagram below:

urinal cutting guide

Color Definitions:
Red - Make all four cuts on one cartridge and on the other two make cuts on right side on one and cuts on left side on the other.
Green - Make these cuts on all three cartridges.

See picture in Step 16 to view final product.

Remove the plastic between the cuts using pliers.

Step 16: Glue Pieces to Make Water Basin
Sand the side of the cartridges and glue them together. It should look like this:

three snes games

Use the sealant to seal all the cracks between cartridges and the two holes on each cartridge where the top piece used to slot in.

Step 17: Let Everything Dry Overnight
Let the glue and sealant dry and cure overnight

Step 18: Glue Water Basin To Urinal
Grab the water basin and sand the bottom (where the green notches are in the step 15 diagram). Put glue on the bottom. DO NOT GLUE THE NOTCHES YOU CUT. Place the water basin on the urinal between the two gaps at the top. The green notches you cut will be touching the urinal base. Tilt the water basin so the part touching the urinal base is lower than the rest of the basin. This will allow water to flow down the urinal. It will look like this:

video game toilet top basin
Top View

game toilet water basin
Bottom View

Step 19: Seal Cracks on Water Basin
This basin will fill with water during every flush so it needs to be water tight. Fill all the cracks where cartridges touch each other. DO NOT FILL THE CUT NOTCHES WITH SEALANT.

Because the water basin was tilted, there will be large cracks on both sides of the basin where it meets the sides of the urinal. Use liberal amounts of sealant to fill these cracks as well. If the cracks are too big to fill now, put sealant on one side and let it dry. Then fill the rest with more sealant later.

Step 20: Glue Water Inlet Cartridge to Urinal
Sand all four sides of the water inlet cartridge. Put glue on the small sides and side that will be touching the urinal base. Place the cartridge into the top slot on the urinal. The cartridge is heavy on one side so you will need to prop it up with supports until it dries. It will look like this:

video game urinal top spud

Step 21: Glue Drain Cartridge to Urinal
Use the extender piece with the P-Trap assembly and screw it onto the drain cartridge. Sand all four sides of the cartridge. Put glue on the two small sides and the side touching the urinal base. Place it into the open drain slot on the urinal. Use some shims or cartridges to prop up the drain pipe until it dries. It will look like this:

game urinal p-trap

Step 22: Cover Water Basin and Drain Area with Cartridges
At the top of the urinal sand the top of all the water basin pieces. Put sealant in the low spots and glue on the elevated portions. Place one of the three cartridge pieces we created in step 6 over the water basin. It will look like this:
game toilet top covered
Top of Urinal

At the bottom of the urinal, sand the top of all the drain cartridges. Fill the low sections with sealant and put glue on the elevated sections. Place one of the three cartridge pieces on top so there is a drain basin. It will look like this:

game urinal bottom covered
Bottom of Urinal

Step 23: Seal All Unsealed Cracks & Spray Polyurethane
Using the clear sealant fill in all unsealed cracks. Pay particular attention to the cracks near the top water basin and the bottom drain basin. These will be holding water at times so they need to be water tight. Spray all the exposed surfaces of the urinal with the polyurethane spray to add an extra bit of water protection and give the urinal a nice sheen.

Step 24: Pour Liquid Polyurethane Into Drain Basin
Stand the urinal vertically. Pour enough liquid polyurethane into the drain basin so the sealant reaches the top of the drain. Let the polyurethane dry overnight. Water and urine will now flow into the drain. It will look like this:

game urinal level drain

YOU'RE DONE WITH THE URINAL!


Step 25: Install Your Urinal, P-Trap, and Flush Valve
I recommend calling a professional plumber to install your video game urinal. They can help you remove the excess hardibacker, adjust the height of the flush valve & P-trap so they align with your plumbing, and secure the urinal to the wall.

WARNING: Flush valves are not designed for installation in most residences. There isn't enough water pressure or water volume for them to operate correctly. You will need to install the urinal in a commercial setting or verify your water supply line meets the flush valve manufacturers specifications.

After all this time, you probably need to pee. Go ahead and try your new Super Nintendo urinal. There is something strangely satisfying about peeing on John Madden's face (in cartridge form of course).

Pictures of Fully Install Video Game Urinal

video game urinal front

snes urinal side

super nintendo urinal side

Tuesday, May 17, 2011

Our New Name is PriceCharting.com

As you might have noticed we've changed our name to PriceCharting.com.

You still get all the same features: current market prices, historic price charts, up-to-the-minute price comparison, and in-depth articles about collecting and the resale market.

All your bookmarks will still work too, they will automatically be sent to the correct page on our new url. If you want to go directly to the games section on PriceCharting.com the url is:

videogames.pricecharting.com


This change allows us to add other categories besides video games like movies, electronics, books, music, etc and hopefully provide our users with the same great features for more items they purchase or collect.

In the comments below let us know what new categories you want to see and what you think of the new name.

Wednesday, May 11, 2011

PS3 Network Outage Causes Resale Prices to Decline

Sony's Playstation Network (PSN) has been down for three weeks after hackers breached the online gaming network. Sony is working to bring the network back online, but in the meantime PS3 owners can't play any of their games online. No online multi-player in Call of Duty Black Ops. No online basketball games in NBA 2K11. And no online missions in Battlefield Bad Company II.

Online multi-player is one of the most popular features in lots of games. With this feature disable on all Playstation 3 games are gamers changing their buying patterns? Do they decide not to buy PS3 games and instead buy the Xbox 360 version?

We analyzed the resale prices for the ten most popular online games on PS3 and Xbox 360. Looking at prices the day the outage started and three weeks later to see if demand has changed for PS3 and Xbox 360 games.

Resale Prices During PS3 Network Outage

Xbox 360 Resale Prices During PSN Outage

PS3 Resale Prices During Playstation Network Outage

Price Changes During PSN Outage Chart
The average price of the Playstation 3 games dropped 7.4% during the study, from $24.10 to $22.31. While the average Xbox 360 game increased in price 0.7% at the same time, from $22.49 to $22.66.

It looks like demand for PS3 online games has decreased while demand for Xbox 360 online games has increased because of the Playstation Network outage. Without the online features the Playstation 3 online games are not as valuable.

Data Sources:
The list of most popular online games came from data published April 11th by Major Nelson.
The prices came from VideoGamePriceCharts.com for Playstation 3 and Xbox 360 on April 20th and May 11th.

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