The G1 vs. G2 Debate Thread - Keep it friendly!!!

[oscarlucy]

I thought i'd start a new thread to see what people's preferences are when it comes to collecting video game Steelbooks - do you prefer G1 or G2 video game Steelbooks? Or do you not care at all if you like the game or like the artwork regardless of the size?

For me personally, I own a PS3, a 360 and a gaming PC - naturally, i am a pc gamer first, so I chose G1 (PC gaming FTW!!!).

Pros of G1 video game Steelbooks:

- Much larger library of video game Steelbooks. I would say that of all the video game Steelbooks ever released, roughly only around 20-25% of them have a G2 release/version.
- More Steel. Self-explanatory; you get more Steel for you buck!
- More artwork/artwork space. Goes with the above. When you compare G1 vs G2 Steelbooks, some G1 steels have a tad bit more space to extend the artwork and design.
- More exclusives/rares. Although a large chunk of G1 Steelbook exclusives are stickerbook variants, those are still rare from a collector's perspective, as they are still official Steelbooks. The only rare G2s are arguably Mirror's Edge and NFS Undercover - and those are rare due to the fact that there were so few ever produced - they just happened to be G2. There are also a lot of older titles for PC (and some for XBox), for example, that are VERY hard to track down since they were from an era when video game Steelbook collecting didn't even really exist.

Cons of G1 video game Steelbooks:

- G1s are, obviously, "Generation 1" size - meaning that they are supposed to be for the DVD era, whereas G2 is the standard case size for the more recent blu-ray standard. Some people see this as a con, but honestly, with so many G1 steels given out for multi-platform releases, I feel like when it comes to video game Steelbooks, G1 vs. G2 is irrelevant, unless you only have a PS3. The number of PC and XBox gamers outweighs that of gamers that ONLY play on a PS3.
- It is much, much more expensive to collect G1s. Any video game release that has a Steelbook has a G1 release unless it is a PS3 exclusive (even Wii games release in G1), not to mention, international variants will usually only come in G1. This makes G1 collecting a very, very expensive hobby compared to G2 video game Steelbooks.

Pros of G2 video game Steelbooks:

- G2 is the "Generation 2" standard, meaning that it is consistent with today's blu-ray video case size. If you already collect movie Steelbooks or only play on a PS3, it makes perfect sense that G2 would be the way to go.
- G2 is smaller? I don't really know if this is a con...maybe some people like less steel and less artwork?

Cons of G2 video game Steelbooks:

- Limited number of video game Steelbook releases. G2 lacks around 75% of the overall video game Steelbook landscape.
- Much smaller number of exclusives and rares. Aside from Mirror's Edge and NFS Undercover, most of the Steelbooks that release today usually will come out as G1 only, and not G2 only.
- Less Steel.
- Less artwork/artwork space.

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So, what are you guys' thoughts?

Remember, the above is solely my opinion - in the end, what really matters to me are the unique designs of each Steelbook, and given that G1 has more Steel, artwork space and a larger library, that is why I opted to go that route. Even stickerbooks in G1 size are extremely valuable to a collector since they are both limited in number and sometimes very difficult to obtain.

There are of course those few who collect BOTH sizes just cause they can afford to and because they don't care about the size - and that's awesome!

I have much respect for my fellow G2-only video game Steelbook collectors but I have to say that G1 rules the video game Steelbook world!!!

And with that, i will leave you guys with pics of my personal G1 collection (In the process of buying another shelf since i have about 5 more that i could not fit lol).

[Lemur]

Hehe this thread is a great idea! And yeah I agree that we should keep this friendly since we're all friends here

I've mentioned before I only collect for PS3 so G2 are my preferred size. If the PS3 version comes with only G1 then yes I would collect those as well. But personally, I don't care that much for G1. Nice to have but not a high priority.

Now for my comparison,

Size of library:
G1 - Bigger since G1 spans multiple platforms and 2 generations of consoles
G2 - PS3 only so less titles

Steel/artwork:
G1 - Uses more material. Slightly bigger artwork/background
G2 - Main artwork is the same. Not a very big difference to G1 imo

Exclusives:
G1 - Being available on multiple platforms, obviously more exclusives.
G2 - PS3 exclusives only

Rarity:
G1 - For multi platform titles, G1 for PC is the same as G1 for Xbox which is the same as G1 for PS3. Only difference is the slip cover if there is any. If I collect for Xbox and I'm missing a steel, I can buy a PC or even PS3 G1 and I have the same steel.
G2 - You can't pass off a PC/Xbox steel as a G2

Production numbers:
G1 - Usually way higher due to multiple platforms
G2 - Lower as it's mainly just PS3

Prices:
For steels available in G1 and G2, the G2 almost always fetches a higher price.

Cost of collecting:
Most collectors tend to focus on 1 favored platform or set some sort of criteria for their collections.
So unless you are trying to collect all the G1 across all platforms and generations, the cost issue does not really come up.

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[nipperkipper]

G1 for me - 'More bang for your buck' as they say

but im a 360 collector predominantly, so i was gonna say that

[evilvort3x]

G2 Always.... its just the way forward... although i own alot of g1's i never pay alot for them and never will ....

[gurpswoo1]

Alot of Collector's choose G2 because they are far less out there to collect for a complete collection.

Another plus for G2 is that so far I don't know any G2 stickerbook version.

However I don't see any issues myself with G1 or G2, Some of best looking steelbooks are G1 such as Sonic Generation, Fist of North Star, Iron Man , Zelda and Lost Planet, etc.

I can see why some collector's prefer G2 but unless there was a G2 version released for PS3 I am happy with G1.

[Dreamcazman]

I'm mainly a 360 gamer so G1 for me.

I do have a few G2's from PS3 exclusives however (Killzone 3, Resistance 3, Uncharted 3).

[Lemur]

Originally Posted by gurpswoo1

Alot of Collector's choose G2 because they are far less out there to collect for a complete collection.

Another plus for G2 is that so far I don't know any G2 stickerbook version.

However I don't see any issues myself with G1 or G2, Some of best looking steelbooks are G1 such as Sonic Generation, Fist of North Star, Iron Man , Zelda and Lost Planet, etc.

I can see why some collector's prefer G2 but unless there was a G2 version released for PS3 I am happy with G1.

There are 2 G2 stickerbooks. Vanquish and Spain Uncharted Collection

Unless someone is collecting purely based on the steelbook size, the main preference would be based on the console you collect for.

If you're looking to collect for PS3, you can't insist only having G1 as you're gonna miss out on all the exclusives. As such, the natural progression would be to go for a complete G2 set. You know that if it's G2 it is almost definitely made exclusively for PS3 (some exceptions that come to mind are deus ex france and ff13-2 canada with G2 for all platforms). G2 is instantly associated with PS3. That is an exclusivity/identity in itself.

For Xbox/PC collectors their exclusives are on G1 so obviously this would be the size to go for. Even so, an xbox collector would only go for xbox games and skip the PC ones. Same goes for the PC collector. In this case, the progression would be to go for a complete xbox G1 set or PC G1 set. Rather than a general complete G1 set. Unless they collect for both platforms of course. :p

Excluding the platform exclusives, the fact that many multiplatforms are released in G1 means that there is much less exclusivity for G1 steelbooks. Take darkness 2 steelbook, how would you differentiate between a PC/Xbox/PS3 version when they are all the exact same steelbook?

Mention G2 and PS3 instantly springs to mind. G1 has no such identity for me. As such, while I also collect G1 for PS3 these are not a big priority. Nothing screams PS3 more than a G2 steel. For PS3 collectors like me, that puts them top of the list.

[questate]

Originally Posted by gurpswoo1

Alot of Collector's choose G2 because they are far less out there to collect for a complete collection.

Another plus for G2 is that so far I don't know any G2 stickerbook version.

However I don't see any issues myself with G1 or G2, Some of best looking steelbooks are G1 such as Sonic Generation, Fist of North Star, Iron Man , Zelda and Lost Planet, etc.

I can see why some collector's prefer G2 but unless there was a G2 version released for PS3 I am happy with G1.

As Lemur suggested, the Uncharted Trilogy Pre-order (Spanish) G2 Steelbook I recieved is a stickerbook

[Mike1888]

I just get any steelbook that comes with a PS3 edition game. Size doesn't matter to me!

If there's G2 and G1 of a steelbook I obviously go for the G2, but I also have a bunch of G1 PS2 steelbooks as well.

[sawada]

i only interesting G2 sized....