Support NeoGAF

[nicoga3000]

I sold all of my N64 and am in the process of selling the rest of my NES. I'm keeping my repro games and just bought a 64 and NES Everdrive. Best decision I've ever made for collecting.

 

[db1416]

Rich people buy stupid, narcissistic stuff all the time while others starve. Hope the guy chokes on it.

Why? Because he was money to spend on something he wants? That’s a little silly.

 

[Zog]

(Also first game (on Ebay) sold for this price)​

If you collected old games like Atari, Coleco, Sega, Nintendo, etc, your best time was 2001-2007 at best. Although there are some games on some systems that I am missing I got most of my collections before this insanity. For after 2007 good luck, if you see any deals get them fast before greedy people start paying attention and adjust prices accordingly. Some of the people buying games like this aren't even collectors but may be re-sellers or have some other alternative motive.

The last few years have been really difficult for retro game collecting on several systems unless you don't mind burning wads of cash. Even for bad games you have to spend wads of cash.

What's worse is when many morons by these games at a premium and then everyone else inflates the prices higher because there's no unity in retro collecting, so it's just a big mess. Game could be $30 today, some guy sells it for $70 tomorrow, next week all selling copies are $90. For those that have been on the fence nothing you can do but wait for interest and demand to drop, which happens with some systems a few times after 2-3 years. temporarily.

BTW PS2/Xbox/GC/DC games are still relatively cheap but if you've been paying attention that's rapidly changing so I would start working on those collections now.

This copy isn't meant to be played so you shouldn't compare it to other copies of Super Mario Bros. Here are some on ebay.

https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_nkw=super+mario+bros+nes&Game%20Name=Super%20Mario%20Bros%2E&Platform=Nintendo%20NES&_dcat=139973&_sop=15

What's special about this cartridge is explained here:

 

[Zog]

Everything I'm hearing in this thread sounds like a case for why ROMs should be made available for sale or able to be distributed freely. Collectors can have their original cartridges and discs. Gamers should be able to buy carts and load any ROM they want onto it without having to resort to probably illegal means to get everything they need (including the ROM).

I don't think you will have trouble finding a digital copy of Super Mario Bros.

 

[Voost Kain]

This is a one off thing but the collectors market in general for games has gotten crazy. I collected in the 2000s but eventually sold all my stuff.

You should have waited till the 2010's, your collection might have been 2 to 3x more.

 

[Dr. Claus]

That only really applies to Japanese focused systems, Western consoles and WW consoles with heavy western support like PSX are a completely different issue.



No, sealed SMB NES are actually much cheaper than this, read the story to see why the "seller" and the "buyer" though that price was a good idea, it wasn't just because it was sealed.

It is a sealed SMB NES graded by the VGA. That is why the price was so high. There are a subset of collectors that truly believing that VGA Grading helps with the pricing of games when in all actuality they are a scam used to make rich people spend more money.

This is one of those examples.

Now, retro collecting *has* gotten more expensive - but not nearly to the extent of this or the 90 dollar examples. Unless they are very limited run titles that are highly sought after (such as Rule of Rose), you can buy the games for pretty cheap. Also a collector knows to shop at Value City, junkyards, garage sales, and other similar locations as they are far less likely to find overly priced games.

 

[Maguro]

Collecting old games is pretty expensive. I payed 300 euros (around 320 dollars) for the Japanese contra hard corps cib, which is a much. Of course not much compared to some sealed stuff. But I don't collect sealed stuff cause I play my stuff. The second time I payed around 300 euros was for snatcher on Sega mega CD. I would probably never pay more than 300 and I really have to save up money before I can spent that much cash on a videogame.

But still.. Other buy new games for 60, I buy old complete games from that money.. Cause it's my passion. If it comes to snes though I only collect us cartridges or Japanese cib. Us-cib games are just too expensive for me. And also us nes cib is not in my budget. All other systems i collect cib.

Living in Europe my only option is eBay. Nobody in my country sells Japanese or US games on flea markets, you can be sure of that. You murricans have a big advantage if it comes to finding cheap games. Alone the RGB and region free modding of all consoles wasn't cheap. I payed for my RGB, region free modded pc engine duo imported from Japan alone 300 euros with shipping. It's an expensive hobby for sure if you wanna do it the serious way.

Not a fan of Mike Mattei but what he always preaches is just the truth I can confirm. Games play best on original ntsc hardware they were developed for. That's why a lot of people who want to play old games feel sour. They don't want to spent the money on the real deal and come up with shit like...its okay to play old games on a flat TV. It's okay to play PAL with the 30% slowdown and black bars. It's okay to use an emulator. It's okay to use cheap third party controller etc etc. Maybe it is but it isn't the real deal and wouldn't feel like it to someone who knows and feels the difference. As much as people dislike this hard truth... If someone asks me how the best way is to play retro I would always answer the same. With original ntsc hardware on a rct TV. People don't wanna hear it.

 

[DGrayson]

You should have waited till the 2010's, your collection might have been 2 to 3x more.

I sold in 2014 I was happy in the end

 

[Lucumo]

Of course not much compared to some sealed stuff. But I don't collect sealed stuff cause I play my stuff.

Living in Europe my only option is eBay. Nobody's on my country sells Japanese or US games on flea markets, you can be sure of that.

Which is what I am doing. But as mentioned last page, you get screwed over pretty hard when it comes to that. "New game" means with the original shrink but often enough, they just re-seal a used copy in very good condition. Ebay in Europe is full of these kinds of sellers. While Japan is a bit better, it still does happen. Luckily, I'm only collecting games that I like or from franchises that I like(d). Of course, the best possible edition is a must which usually means limited and original release rather than some re-release.

 

[Starlight Lotice]

I think the market for the Wii/Vita/3DS etc will be the same in 10 to 20 years time as well when all is said and done especially the Vita Market that has already had 4 to 5 unique scenarios for certain games due to errors, typos, lowered shipments and even mispressed games!

I highlighted this in the Vita thread for anyone who is interested. It'll get terrible in 4 to 5 years as some games have literally had small print runs that will be seen as secret gems such as Oreshika Tainted Bloodines and Ar no Surge.

The 16 Bit games may eventually calm down but it will spread to the N64 and Gamecube if it hasn't already. The Saturn and 32x are already ridiculous in pricing despite being failures in the West.

It seems safe to always buy games on a failing console over a popular one, especially if the games are excellent!

 

[Chittagong]

Living in Europe my only option is eBay. Nobody in my country sells Japanese or US games on flea markets, you can be sure of that. You murricans have a big advantage if it comes to finding cheap games. Alone the RGB and region free modding of all consoles wasn't cheap. I payed for my RGB, region free modded pc engine duo imported from Japan alone 300 euros with shipping. It's an expensive hobby for sure if you wanna do it the serious way.

I order stuff to UK from Lukie Games in USA all the time, they are great.

Most I’ve ever paid for a game was £150 for a Japanese Gimmick cart two years back

 

[Yoshi]

I know, but the gamers who just want to play a handful of their old favorite games aren't the ones driving up prices. The collectors are.

I wonder how the prices would be for 64DDs if only people who were really interested in playing a 64DD game were buying them. As it stands, to be able to play F-Zero X Expansion Kit would cost me 1000€, which sadly is not something I can justify for a single game. Maybe when the house is paid off, one day... But then again, it will probably be much more expensive then.

 

[Maguro]

I order stuff to UK from Lukie Games in USA all the time, they are great.

Most I’ve ever paid for a game was £150 for a Japanese Gimmick cart two years back

Yeah lukie games in US is also my ebay shop to go for nes carts shipped to Europe. Their shipping prices are reasonable and they don't use that ebay shipping Programm scam.

 

[Voost Kain]

To be honest that title change doesn't make much sense in content, maybe if you re-worded it and didn't pose it as a question.

 

[Voost Kain]

I sold in 2014 I was happy in the end

Ah ok, because usually when people say 2000's they mean before 2010, got ya.

 

[The Scrivener]

That doesn't look sealed. That looks stolen.

Anyway, it's no different to the average gamer today who might spend hundreds of thousands on DLC without even knowing it.

This is why companies hate the used game market - $100000 for a secondhand game! It's damaging the development industry.

 

[DGrayson]

Ah ok, because usually when people say 2000's they mean before 2010, got ya.

I collected in the 2000s like 2000 to 2009 ish. Stopped collecting then sold in 2014

 

[Zog]

That doesn't look sealed. That looks stolen.

Anyway, it's no different to the average gamer today who might spend hundreds of thousands on DLC without even knowing it.

This is why companies hate the used game market - $100000 for a secondhand game! It's damaging the development industry.

This can't be a serious post.

The opposite of sealed is not stolen. The average gamer doesn't even make hundreds of thousands a year and couldn't spend that much, not to mention without even knowing they spent that much. Companies hate the used game market because they want everyone to buy a new copy, has nothing to do with a collector paying $100,000 for a game from 1985.

 

[CrustyBritches]

SMB is one of the cheapest and easiest carts to get a hold of. I found a nice copy of SMB+Duck Hunt for $2 in a glass shop. When you get into rare games and CiB then of course things are going to get spendy. Ebay and other means finding comps online have made it more difficult to get good deals on carts.

In the older days you could find a parent that recently threw out their pothead kid and they put their box of games in the garage sale. Or find some excellent carts at 2nd-hand stores and flea markets. Now even if they don't care about games, they know enough from American Pickers and Antique Roadshow to go online and see what it's worth.

Collecting is not cheap. Give emulation on PC another try if you're wanting comprehensive collections and affordability.

 

[Airola]

Not a fan of Mike Mattei but what he always preaches is just the truth I can confirm. Games play best on original ntsc hardware they were developed for. That's why a lot of people who want to play old games feel sour. They don't want to spent the money on the real deal and come up with shit like...its okay to play old games on a flat TV. It's okay to play PAL with the 30% slowdown and black bars. It's okay to use an emulator. It's okay to use cheap third party controller etc etc. Maybe it is but it isn't the real deal and wouldn't feel like it to someone who knows and feels the difference. As much as people dislike this hard truth... If someone asks me how the best way is to play retro I would always answer the same. With original ntsc hardware on a rct TV. People don't wanna hear it.

I kinda treat this like movies. There are countless movies that weren't originally meant to be watched on a VHS tape and using a television. And when watching movies on VHS on NTSC and PAL systems there were differences in both resolution and speed. In the end I don't care too much if I'm watching the perfect version of a movie or playing the perfect version of a video game.

That said, I think playing old games on a CRT tv is definitely a better experience than playing on a modern tv or with an emulator. It's not THAT big of a difference that I wouldn't ever want to play them on emulators or using a modern tv, but if someone asks which one is better I would definitely say CRT and the original system.

EDIT: case in point, the audiovisual experience with Commodore 64 games is way different on the original computer and with a CRT tv than playing on an emulator. For example the music just sounds much different coming from the original system and through crt tv speakers than it sounds on an emulator.

 

[Omega Supreme Holopsicon]

The games are floating out there in the wild, don't know what their issue is, I'd pay a pretty penny for legal DRM free games, roms, etc. Gog is a good store, there should be similar for roms.

Music companies learned with mp3s.