GHound
Member
Ultimately this is what the tweet was all about to begin with. What, with the man in question being a stinky foreigner himself.
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Weeaboos are now ruining the retro collecting scene in Japan. How can we stop them?
- Thread starter German Hops
- Start date
Drell
Member
The only thing it does is providing the ROM to the console like if it was the original cartridge. Everything else is running on your console's physical CPUs, GPUs and RAM, that's not emulation. the only things these cartridges emulate are additionnal chips (Super FX, SA1, DSP, ...) or extra hardware add-ons like the Mega SD emulating the Mega CD with just a cartridge.
ArtHands
Thinks buying more servers can fix a bad patch
That’s one of the reasons physical folks are resisting the digital move. If people buy digital, these scalpers will find it harder to resell their rare games for high profit.
They want gamers to pay hundreds of bucks for their physical copy of Haunting Ground, instead of $15 on Steam.
dreamcastluvr
Member
I used to do this myself. Started with cheap anime laserdiscs and DVDs that I would pick up in Japan during my courier trips in the early 2000's and sell them on eBay and Yahoo auctions. Then when the courier assignments dried up, I started importing them directly from the shops via Yahoo Japan auctions and Surugaya online. Moved on to game consoles which seemed to be a bit more lucrative in the early 2010's. I would buy "junk" items in bulk; dropping $500-$1000 at a time, and would receive huge boxes of mostly pristine-condition consoles and games. Kept what I liked and auctioned off the surplus on eBay, usually coming out ahead by several hundreds of dollars. It was pretty lucrative up until about 2016, when the shops wised up to the retro hype and increased their prices, along with rising importing costs.
It was a good run while it lasted, and I've got myself my own personal mini retro museum for pennies on the dollar. The retro scene is too bloated and overrun these days to get any serious returns anymore.
It was a good run while it lasted, and I've got myself my own personal mini retro museum for pennies on the dollar. The retro scene is too bloated and overrun these days to get any serious returns anymore.
wondermega
Member
I don't think I actually care about this. Honestly all I really care about are retro games, but like many I stopped buying them years ago when they started to become this weird investment thing. And I don't even really mind if people are doing weird things to hike prices of games, none of ANY of this was worth much until the youtubers started reviewing classic games and making them a "hot thing," so it is kind of bitersweet.
At this point I am happy to get my hands on a couple of Everdrives (I have Genesis & TurboGrafx so far) and the gameplay experience is exactly what I want. I have a decent collection of actual carts from my youth (likely pretty tiny compared to your modern enthusiast) but I don't have the time/energy/inclination to "completely collect all the sets" and have fancy displays for everything. I just want to play the games and have them look & feel "correct" to me.
As for those of you who are collectors - well I can appreciate how this would be pretty aggravating. I am curious what the hobby will continue to evolve into. Overall stuff like this is a little funky, but really it is just refreshing to hear so much discussion of these games that people didn't care about for literally decades getting back into the spotlight again (even if it is kinda shallow in some ways). Maybe gives my angle on the hobby a little legitimacy, I dunno, ha.
At this point I am happy to get my hands on a couple of Everdrives (I have Genesis & TurboGrafx so far) and the gameplay experience is exactly what I want. I have a decent collection of actual carts from my youth (likely pretty tiny compared to your modern enthusiast) but I don't have the time/energy/inclination to "completely collect all the sets" and have fancy displays for everything. I just want to play the games and have them look & feel "correct" to me.
As for those of you who are collectors - well I can appreciate how this would be pretty aggravating. I am curious what the hobby will continue to evolve into. Overall stuff like this is a little funky, but really it is just refreshing to hear so much discussion of these games that people didn't care about for literally decades getting back into the spotlight again (even if it is kinda shallow in some ways). Maybe gives my angle on the hobby a little legitimacy, I dunno, ha.
Gamer_By_Proxy
Member
With Stellar Blade releasing #WeaboutToBeMorePopularThanHerpies
StereoVsn
Member
Yeah, I misread Everdrive for Evercade.
Tams
Member
Now this is why I'm still following this thread!
P.Jack
Member
This sounds like something you just made up. Besides it’s the other way around; limited prints of modern releases that’s otherwise digital-only is the scalpers dream. Buying, playing and then selling limited releases will net you a profit most if the time.
nush
Member
YeulEmeralda
Member
Total videogame collector death!
Fart Knight
Al Pachinko, Konami President
Buy some used panties and go cry in a corner
MonkeyClaw36
Member
He's right though...
KittyKatMan
Gold Member
It will stabilize but I don’t think it will burst. There will be lower prices then they will go up and down as time proceeds. The more games get thrown out and discarded, the higher the values will be, especially for complete examples. I have relatives who would routinely throw out new and snes games versus giving them away, etc just because it was too much hassle for them
hououinkyouma00
Member
The Book Off in Hachioji had two I believe when I was there.
They also had a mint white ps2 skin that I almost bought as well.
I did pick up a very good condition Vita OLED for $67
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s_mirage
Member
It doesn't really matter whether the buyers are local or foreign. If there's a hot collectors market, the end result is going to be the same: games/books/whatever the hell is hot at the moment, are going to be taken out of circulation by collectors. Honestly, with all the options available for individuals to sell items and retain more of the sale price themselves, it amazes me that the second hand stores in Japan get as much stock as they do. IMO, selling to stores makes sense as a convenience for getting rid of lots of low value items, not so much when the items have significant value.
Yes, but he's different because, erm...
A researcher on Japan/Korea relations. Nothing to do with the subject.
Yes, but he's different because, erm...
A researcher on Japan/Korea relations. Nothing to do with the subject.
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hououinkyouma00
Member
I figure I'll drop a detailed review of my experience game hunting in Japan more then just the few comments I've made in this thread.
I wanted to find a Spirited Green PSP while I was there but I only saw one at the Akiba Super Potato and it was like $160 which I can buy for half that on eBay.
I'm not advocating going there and fucking up their market, but wanted to give people tips for finding stuff they want.
- This should be obvious but Akihabara sucks for games due to tourist trap pricing. I'm not saying don't look but more that the pricing is terrible.
- The farther out you get from city centers the better. Book Off/Hard Off is a good place to search for games as the pricing is much better.
- Kyoto seems to be underrated for game hunting. I don't see anybody talk about it but it's really the only place I actually bought things.
- Personally I would say Surugaya and Book/Hard Offs are your best bets though I did go to a cool place that I can't remember the name of anymore. I found a Splatoon 3 LE OLED for $215 brand new there. Book/Hard Off is also tax free. I'm not sure if Surugaya is because I forgot to ask.
- Right now at least for USD you basically get a 35% discount on literally everything and that gets even bigger when you factor in tax free. With this I was able to get multiple Switch games for $20-30. You can also get brand new Joycons from the Nintendo store for $45 due to this which I should have grabbed to modify.
- Moby Games has a list of PSP/Vita/PS3-5/Switch games that have full English for the Japanese releases.
- Related to the last two points is Switch games. Basically every 1st party game I could think of has full English options.
- Persona games seem impossible to find. I only found one copy of FES and the copy of 4 Golden on Vita the entire time I was there which is disappointing since it's my favorite franchise.
I wanted to find a Spirited Green PSP while I was there but I only saw one at the Akiba Super Potato and it was like $160 which I can buy for half that on eBay.
I'm not advocating going there and fucking up their market, but wanted to give people tips for finding stuff they want.
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German Hops
GAF's Nicest Lunch Thief
YOU ARE RUINING IT FOR THE REST OF US!!
Dr. Wilkinson
Member
Ugh Ok, I’ll bite. I’ve clearly missed this… what’s a “weeaboo”?
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ArtHands
Thinks buying more servers can fix a bad patch
Nope, not really. If the needle tilt too much the publishers will just give up publishing physical games entirely, which will cause even the limited print market to disappear entirely.
StereoVsn
Member
I did the same thing for some Saturn, PSX and Dreamcast games. Maybe OP is using reverse psychology to get us to buy Japanese games because he runs a games import business!
StereoVsn
Member
That sounded like a good trip, that’s for sure.
I told my wife that if we go to Japan for a trip, I am bringing an empty suitcase.
German Hops
GAF's Nicest Lunch Thief
A foreigner, basically.
LazyParrot
Member
Specifically a foreigner obsessed with Japan and Japanese culture, particularly video games and anime. Plenty of non-weeaboo foreigners in Japan.
hououinkyouma00
Member
We did something similar. United gives 2 free checked bags per passenger.
We bought some cheap ass luggage in Akiba for 4900 yen which is like $24 or something and shoved the stuff we cared about less and stuff like dirty clothes.
Porcile
Member
This is definitely one of those problems similar to the one where other foreigners complain about the number of foreigners visiting or living in Japan. People do realise the stuff in these shops are there because the Japanese folk who originally owned it literally considered it junk they wanted to get rid of and get a bit of money for instead of just throwing in the trash.
nush
Member
That exists in China too, the "China expert" or "The Marco Polo Syndrome".
Marco Polo Syndrome - Sinosplice
In a recent blog entry, Sam of ShenzhenRen discusses what Justin of Shenzhen Zen has coined “Marco Polo Syndrome.” Justin’s definition: > **MPS: the silent social killer.** > Symptoms: exaggerated manifestations of superiority and exclusivity fostered by the delusion that the individual was the...
www.sinosplice.com
Dr. Wilkinson
Member
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RoboFu
One of the green rats
There really is something about playing the old games on the original hardware that make it all much better. Ive got a version 2 American black Saturn in storage but always wanted a Japanese and launch model.
TurboDuo comes today! and I ordered a playstion 1 since I do not have one anymore but I still have games for it. Also thinking about getting a full genesis ver 1 / Sega CD as well.
TurboDuo comes today! and I ordered a playstion 1 since I do not have one anymore but I still have games for it. Also thinking about getting a full genesis ver 1 / Sega CD as well.
LRKD
Member
Yeah, Japan had a healthy retro scene, items were well priced, and well stocked. No shit Amerifags are going to start eating it up. What costs easily 200 here is 40 there. So when the die-hard fan can't get his collection, he will instead import the cheaper Japanese version to sit on his shelf instead.
I don't even blame the average American consumer buying JP games though. Gamestop fucked us hard, they destroyed countless old games instead of just getting rid of them. Then there is the youtubers posting their retarded collection walls showing off "super rare" games you need if you are a 'real' collector, but 99% of the time you just know that youtuber doesn't like or play the large majority of their collection. Creating a collector's culture out of gaming was a major mistake, it's fine to own and enjoy your favorite games, but collecting all the games on a system is gay. Anyone who collects games they don't play or enjoy is a major problem. Then of course there was also that bs investor market of unsealed classic games, oh send in your game and get it appraised it could be worth millions, just further forever fucking over the used market here.
I don't even blame the average American consumer buying JP games though. Gamestop fucked us hard, they destroyed countless old games instead of just getting rid of them. Then there is the youtubers posting their retarded collection walls showing off "super rare" games you need if you are a 'real' collector, but 99% of the time you just know that youtuber doesn't like or play the large majority of their collection. Creating a collector's culture out of gaming was a major mistake, it's fine to own and enjoy your favorite games, but collecting all the games on a system is gay. Anyone who collects games they don't play or enjoy is a major problem. Then of course there was also that bs investor market of unsealed classic games, oh send in your game and get it appraised it could be worth millions, just further forever fucking over the used market here.