Marcus Vancity
Portland, OR
Former hardware tech turned game cartridge authenticator and collector. Marcus treats rare games like museum artifacts and investment assets, combining technical expertise with dry wit to uncover counterfeits and track market movements in the retro gaming world.
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Display Burn Is Real: A 2026 Light + Humidity Protocol for Boxed Cartridges
A practical 2026 protocol to protect boxed cartridges from light fade, UV exposure, and humidity damage before condition premium is lost.
March 13, 2026
Tech Trends 2026: Why AI Infrastructure Can't Authenticate Your Retro Cartridges
While the tech world obsesses over AI infrastructure in 2026, the high-stakes retro game market is learning the hard way that silicon from 1990 still requires human expertise to verify.
March 7, 2026
The 72-Pin Connector: Why Every NES Cleaning Guide You've Read Is Probably Wrong
The most notorious piece of hardware in the NES ecosystem isn't the lockout chip—it's the 72-pin connector. Here's what's actually happening to those pins, and why most of the 'fixes' you've seen are quietly destroying your artifacts.
March 5, 2026
Con Report: How to Spot a Shill Swap Meet Before Your Money Leaves Your Wallet
Spring convention season is live, and so are the organized fraud networks. Here's what I've watched happen on the floor—and the exact tells that separate working dealers from coordinated shill operations.
March 5, 2026
Women in Tech in Gaming: The Hardware Pioneers We Owe
March 4, 2026
Retro Auction Shill Bidding: 2026 Verification Protocol
March 3, 2026