NormalFish
Banned
I'm big on collecting ps1 games but I am really not a fan of jewel cases. I'd be much happier with a plastic box like modern games. Just much less fragile.
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PS1 games looked so classy with their jewel cases and multiple discs
- Thread starter ScOULaris
- Start date
Diablohead
Member
I always found is weird that the US boxes have that black plastic rumble strip for some reason, the PAL boxes were just thick jewel cases, sometimes two sided depending on the game and the year (crash bandicoot 1 came in a double disc box even though it's only 1 disc, and some games also came in double boxes because of bonus cd's like demo discs or trials)
L4DANathan
Member
I love the look of them, but holy shit are those hinges in particular fragile. The look is not worth the pain in the ass.
Someone should start making modern jewel cases that keep the look but are made of better materials.
Someone should start making modern jewel cases that keep the look but are made of better materials.
Theonik
Member
I think that's a holdover from the original big box cases they had in the US before switching to the smaller jewel cases. The former was inspired by what SEGA was doing with SEGA CD and later the Saturn. They wanted to keep the design consistent so they went with that.
I really dislike how US cases look.
KrM DeLorean
Member
so hot. Coming from N64 cartridges to games packaged like this, CD quality music, fmv, etc. you really felt that jump in console generation.
Honestly they break too easily, no matter how much you pay attention in preserving them. Lately I'm selling a bunch of PS1 games and all of them have even some small part broken with Chrono Cross being the only exceptin. But yeah, for players living in Europe, they looked great, especially Squaresoft ones.
I still have this case. love the design so much.
yea, but they were still called jewel cases even if the dimensions were slightly different.
You mean SNES? and then you show the old PS1 cases...your post confuses me.
Also confused iwth anyone saying they had different dimensions than standard jewel cases. Definitely didn't believe that to be the case.
sixteen-bit
Member
They're pretty nice. I don't like longbox games or how PAL and NTSC-J game cases have variable sizes.
NipplesAndToes23
Member
Yeah, I feel you. This problem nearly disappeared with the PS2 and completely gone with the PS3.
Sojiro
Member
I don't know, maybe chalk it up to nostalgia, but I really liked the look of the PS1 era jewel cases, especially those beefy 2-4 disc games that came with a thicker case. I will say though, a handful of the games I own have a crack in the lower left side on the front of the case, and it always puzzled me how that happened. I was always super careful with handling my games, but on that select handful the cracks appeared for some reason. I guess if nothing else I don't miss how fragile those cases were, but do miss their looks. And they were sure the hell better than the cardboard cases every Nintendo console had at or before that time. Those cardboard boxes did not hold up well at all 
.
.Already Torn
Banned
I think that looks super cheap, like a bootleg.
kaiju
Member
I think I only have one PS1 game with a case that isn't broken in some way, Gran Turismo 2. That's only because I hate racing sims and have barely touched it. I do love the look and size of it, but man are they hard to maintain. DVD cases are huge and ugly but at least they can keep it together.
I speel my dreenk
Member
Absolutely. The size and weight of a multi-disc game with a fairly thick instruction booklet and maybe a mini-walkthrough guide just made it feel so substantial. True, the jewel cases themselves were prone to scratches and scuffs (not to mention the hinges being seemingly as brittle as chalk), but as a complete package it felt... worth something. They were way more enjoyable than game cases before or since. That's actually part of the reason I have no compunctions about going full digital: I haven't given a fuck about game cases in forever.
I am really into this Wipeout case, though.
I am really into this Wipeout case, though.
Clockwork
Member
When I think of PS1 and Saturn games I always think of the tall cases (which were pretty much just like the Sega CD ones, except for Sony that had those and other iterations - standard, cardboard, cardboard and plastic hybrid, etc), not the smaller CD jewel cases being discussed by the OP.
spindashing
Banned
The only jewel case of mine that broke is my Marvel vs. Capcom PS1 port. I still feel bad about it to this day because I usually take care of my stuff.
Pyrrhus
Member
Says more about how you treat your stuff than the case itself. Besides, if you cracked a case, you could just slot in parts from any generic jewel case and it was worthy of your collection again. Not like now with these shitty econo cases today that will actively wear and warp the paper of the cover and plastic sleeve just being pulled in and out of your collection.
PS1 era packages were great. I enjoyed the ritual of removing the cellophane and gently removing the shipping seal so the adhesive wouldn't get stuck to the case and then opening it for the first time and smelling the combination of inks and paper from the manual and the plastic from the case and disc. And having to be really careful removing the disc the first time because the machines at the factory would often put the game on the spindle so hard that without finesse the disc or individual teeth on the spindle would give out before it released the game. That part was honestly a pain (that we still have to deal with today, actually) but it contributed to the entire process. Each new purchase was more of an event. Games packages were still a part of product itself in those days rather than a commodity.
Airola
Member
PAL ps1 cases were WAYYY more glorious!
Even the 1-disc releases were all thicker than normal CD cases.
Here's a picture with some PAL, NTSC-US & NTSC-J releases, with CD-i games.
Notice how the European releases are much thicker than the couple USA games in the middle are (Chocobo Racing & Tenchu). The Japanese release is also a thicker box.
Another picture. This time only PAL releases. Looks cool!
A few pictures with better size comparisons. The US cases look much less interesting than the bigger PAL cases.
(Barcode Battler demanded to be part of this, so I had to take one with it framed in the picture)
Sure, the jewel cases were easy to break though:
And just for kicks, Philips CD-i games. It would be so damn boring if I should keep my PS1 and CD-i collection next to each other if they both would be that type of smal jewel cases.
I'm so glad Europe didn't go with the US style. Bigger boxes are much better.
Now THESE are probably even cooler!
Maybe it's better they didn't go with these though, as Saturn boxes are like that too. It would've been too boring to have two systems with same type of boxes.
For me, the DVD case thing is the worst thing that has ever happened what comes to video game box aesthetics.
Even the 1-disc releases were all thicker than normal CD cases.
Here's a picture with some PAL, NTSC-US & NTSC-J releases, with CD-i games.
Notice how the European releases are much thicker than the couple USA games in the middle are (Chocobo Racing & Tenchu). The Japanese release is also a thicker box.
Another picture. This time only PAL releases. Looks cool!
A few pictures with better size comparisons. The US cases look much less interesting than the bigger PAL cases.
(Barcode Battler demanded to be part of this, so I had to take one with it framed in the picture)
Sure, the jewel cases were easy to break though:
And just for kicks, Philips CD-i games. It would be so damn boring if I should keep my PS1 and CD-i collection next to each other if they both would be that type of smal jewel cases.
I'm so glad Europe didn't go with the US style. Bigger boxes are much better.
Now THESE are probably even cooler!
Maybe it's better they didn't go with these though, as Saturn boxes are like that too. It would've been too boring to have two systems with same type of boxes.
For me, the DVD case thing is the worst thing that has ever happened what comes to video game box aesthetics.
It's a sign that you shouldn't even be owning MvC on PS1.
PAL ps1 cases were WAYYY more glorious!
Even the 1-disc releases were all thicker than normal CD cases.
Here's a picture with some PAL, NTSC-US & NTSC-J releases, with CD-i games.
Notice how the European releases are much thicker than the couple USA games in the middle are (Chocobo Racing & Tenchu). The Japanese release is also a thicker box.
Another picture. This time only PAL releases. Looks cool!
A few pictures with better size comparisons. The US cases look much less interesting than the bigger PAL cases.
(Barcode Battler demanded to be part of this, so I had to take one with it framed in the picture)
Sure, the jewel cases were easy to break though:
And just for kicks, Philips CD-i games. It would be so damn boring if I should keep my PS1 and CD-i collection next to each other if they both would be that type of smal jewel cases.
I'm so glad Europe didn't go with the US style. Bigger boxes are much better.
Now THESE are probably even cooler!
Maybe it's better they didn't go with these though, as Saturn boxes are like that too. It would've been too boring to have two systems with same type of boxes.
For me, the DVD case thing is the worst thing that has ever happened what comes to video game box aesthetics.
thank got someone mentioned them. i was looking at these pics of fugly US PSone jewel cases and wondered what everyone was smoking. i mean, what is that empty black textured thing on the front between "playstation" and the "spine"? ugh.
Pal boxes FTW! and the multi disk versions were even better!
Randomizer
Member
PAL versions were crap in comparison but not as bad as PAL Dreamcast cases, those are the worst cases in history.
Drilbit777
Member
I wasn't a big fan of jewel cases mainly because of how easy the hinges would break off.
The 2-4 disc jewel cases were goat though. Loved them
The 2-4 disc jewel cases were goat though. Loved them
HyperZone<3
Member
Love this thread.
Some game covers really nailed the 'box' shape, the multi-disc big boxes were great as hell, the 2-disc thin cases were shoddy as hell, opening one properly is like defusing a bomb.
Some game covers really nailed the 'box' shape, the multi-disc big boxes were great as hell, the 2-disc thin cases were shoddy as hell, opening one properly is like defusing a bomb.
MrCunningham
Member
There were two types of long boxes, as far as I know. One was based on the Sega CD style of long box and the other was based on the Panasonic 3DO style of long box.
Really hated the Sega CD/ Sega Saturn long boxes, they would break and crack so easily.
Goro Majima
Kitty Genovese Member
The large plastic cases were pretty nice and seemed a lot more durable than the long Saturn type cases or the regular jewel cases.
Between the jewel case packaging, elementary 3D graphics, and load times for days - the PS2 era was a godsend and makes it difficult for me to feel nostalgic for the original Playstation. Lots of amazing games in the PS1 library but the PS2 was such an amazing step up.
Between the jewel case packaging, elementary 3D graphics, and load times for days - the PS2 era was a godsend and makes it difficult for me to feel nostalgic for the original Playstation. Lots of amazing games in the PS1 library but the PS2 was such an amazing step up.
Sir_Crocodile
Member
They were cool.
SFC is still the GOAT though
SFC is still the GOAT though
Iorv3th
Member
I don't really have any feelings towards them being classy or anything like that. They were just basically standard jewel cases. CD's came in them and they were mass produced. Dreamcast games used identical cases.
They where I guess better than those big Saturn cases just because they took up less space.
They where I guess better than those big Saturn cases just because they took up less space.
PassiveObserver
Member
I'm surprised games didn't come out in digipaks à la Playstation Underground discs.
Head.spawn
Junior Member
Much better than those big ugly boxes they originally used, but all in all I wasn't that much of a fan. Far too fragile for normal use.
Because BluRay movies don't either.
MrCunningham
Member
We should all be happy that they don't come in CD styled jewel cases anymore. They were always so fragile and cracked with ease. DVD/ Blue Ray sized cases are also a nice size for including game manuals... for the games that still do include manuals, that is.