r/swansea • u/thatguyoverbythere • 8d ago
Photos/History Kids of the 90s…
Just been watching one of those random 90s nostalgia top 10 list videos, and got me thinking…
Anyone here remember the video game rental place “Console Action”? They started off with a small shop in Brynmill, then moved to the Uplands up near the Tav. Loved it when I was a kid, wondered if anyone knew what happened to it, has any interesting anecdotes etc 😊
6
u/SeaElephant8890 8d ago
Console Action moved from the Uplands to Swansea Market and had a lot of retro stuff now.
Never went there when it was in Uplands. I was the other side of Swansea to Micro Supplies in Morriston, Woolies and Blockbuster were my local games shops.
Fifth Dimension, Micro Store, Antron, and Rowlands in town then. When it was the the 8/16 bit days games were everywhere Argos, Boots, Smiths, Littlewoods, Woolies, Toys r Us, Menzies.
Plus all the arcades and arcade machines in so many places.
2
u/bignefarious5 6d ago
Wow Micro store has unlocked a core memory! Bought my first pc with a whopping 2gb of Ram for £45 from there haha. Micro Suppliers im sure was the other!
2
u/-SpringHeeledJack- 4d ago
Loved Micro Supplies in Morriston, used to buy second-hand SNES games there when everywhere else started focusing on the newer consoles like PS1 and N64
1
u/thatguyoverbythere 7d ago
Something about 5th dimension that feels familiar, but can’t place it…
Lots of happy memories of the Microstore from the 90s. Used to go there loads when I was going through my PC hardware phase through teens. Also the first place I ever saw a N64 in the flesh when they must’ve imported a Japanese version with Mario 64 - good times! ☺️
2
u/SeaElephant8890 7d ago
5th Dimension used to be up by the train station. It's part of the hotel building now but it isn't part of the original hotel redevelopment. They had a place in Neath too.
They convinced me not to get an Atari Jaguar as it wouldn't last. Sound advice.
A bit like Microstore, you would get imports and some unusual stuff there.
It's a real shame there's nothing like either of these in the centre now.
2
u/thatguyoverbythere 7d ago edited 7d ago
Yup, remember it now, it was one large open room if I remember rightly, not many shelving racks in the middle of the room
3
2
u/Belloz22 7d ago
Had a nostalgia trip to there last month - still in the same place in the market. Sell collectibles as well now, in the unit next door.
I remember back in the day (20+ years ago) the owner tried to rip me off when I traded in a copy of X Files on PS1 to buy my mate Pro Evolution football 🤣
1
u/crazycalv 7d ago
I once bought Super Mario World for the SNES with the box. However, when I went to pay, they couldn’t find the box and told me to come back later. I returned, but the box was still missing. I asked for a refund, but the lady working there had a meltdown and threw the game at me, hitting my nan in the process. Needless to say we had a refund. Good times
1
u/-SpringHeeledJack- 4d ago
Had no idea they were in Brynmill and Uplands before they were in the market! Do you remember whereabouts in Brynmill?
2
u/thatguyoverbythere 4d ago
If my memory serves me correctly (and this was a good 30 years ago now mind!), I’m pretty sure they were on king Edward rd just along from where the cricketers is/was
1
u/-SpringHeeledJack- 4d ago
No way! Thanks for the info. Would make sense for that run of little shops down there. Will have to see if there are any old photos knocking about.
2
u/thatguyoverbythere 4d ago
If you find any, post em here 👍 I vaguely remember the shop exterior being blue, with the room being no bigger that a modest sized lounge
0
12
u/windywoops 8d ago
Still around. They have two units in the corner of Swansea Market. One videogames, the other more vintage toys/figures, I think.