Dimensions: 140.0mm × 130.0mm × 17.0mm
Cardboard Case
There were four games released for the PlayStation that used a cardboard based case - these were Mortal Kombat 3, Tekken, Warhawk and Total NBA ‘97.
Physical Characteristics
The cardboard case would typically have the game artwork printed onto the case. For Total NBA though, there was an additional textured rubber section on the front to replicate the surface of a basketball.
Interior Design
The case interior includes a black plastic tray designed to securely hold a single CD. The tray features a central spindle hub with retaining clips that grip the disc’s center hole. The left panel of the open case typically held the manual and any promotional inserts.
Durability
The cases themselves we prone to creases where the front of the case could be squashed or impacted. Additionally, the corners were easily foxed as the underlying cardboard and printed material would be worn away. The plastic disk tray inside was glued to the case, however, this would typically fail and the tray would be released inside the case. Mostly this would be down to the age of the glue and that the cardboard structure of the case allowed for more flexibility, weakening the hold.
A frequent issue with retro games, were the attachment of stickers or pen markings over the years. With other PlayStation cases this would be fine as these would usually occur to the plastic outer and would not impact the physical game content itelf. However, the cardboard variants have the artwork printed on the outside and these modification would typically impact the artwork and details accordingly.
Finally, the special rubber front for Total NBA was also glued on. Being that this was a more flexible rubber material, it typically will be found in good shape, but there can be issues were it’s become unstuck or loose, especially around the hologram where we have two corners.
Historical Significance
The cardboard case variant is relatively rare, being that only four games were released as this and games released in this format are not interchangable. Collecting the full set of cardboard released however is very achievable for a collector as these games were all relatively successful and there were only four to get.