For those who don’t already know, I am an avid retro gaming collector. Over time, I have collected around 25 consoles, and over 100 controllers. I admit, I am not the most organized collector when it comes to preserving them. I keep them in boxes or bins in the garage until I bring them out to play or bring to video game conferences. I do see how over time these items get dusty, dirty and well very used looking. But how dirty do they really get? What about gamers who keep them inside the house or in a glass case? Well, you would be surprised, they still get dirty. Not only do the retro consoles and controllers cling to dirt, but PC gamers have the same effect with their equipment cleanliness. Betway, who conducted an experiment analyzing 12 sets of randomly selected consoles and computers, as well as a kitchen table and toilet seat, detail the comparison to these dirty items.
According to Betway casino, the PlayStation’s analyses had 72.5 colony-forming bacteria units per swab taken. That’s 2.4-times more than you would find on a toilet seat. One of the cleaner gaming platforms, the Xbox consoles tested showed a median of 62.5 colony-forming units per swab, more than double that found on a toilet seat. Betway also analyzed the Nintendo Switch and found that it offers the cleanest version of gaming with a median of only 55 colony-forming units per swab. In the PC world, a swab that shows 247.5 colony-forming units which is only 27.5 fewer than a kitchen surface, For more details on these facts, click here.
Controllers, I would think would obviously be dirty as its something that is touched every time and set out on a table or desk all day long. Tip from Betway, “When you’re deep into a gaming session, making sure your hands are clean before picking up the controller, it’s probably not something you’re thinking of, there are many opportunities for germs to spread, whether they come from picking your nose, or little spit particles from shouting at your TV.”
So you probably want to know how to keep your consoles clean? According to Betway, here are some pointers.
- Start by unplugging your console to avoid any accidental damage.
- Then, using a small amount of bleach-free, plastic-friendly cleaning solution, dampen a cloth and wipe carefully around the controllers, or the keyboard and mouse if using a PC.
- To clean the console itself, only use a dry cloth, such as a microfiber cloth to remove any dust or fingerprints. It’s important to not use any solution on the actual device, to prevent any moisture from getting into the device and causing damage.
- Make sure to wipe the surface underneath your console as well, to remove any dust.
“Aim to clean your equipment at least once a week as part of your normal cleaning routine in order to keep your home clean and safe”. Quote from Beta research.
For More Detailed numbers, click the links below.
For the Full Article of the gaming facts, click here.
Todd Friedman is heavily involved in the retro gaming community and has co-promoted the Video Game Summit in Chicago, IL for the past 16 years. He also has published 2 books and written for various different gaming magazines including Old School Gamer.
