Games played: Symphony of the Night (0:01), World of Illusion (0:10), Einhander (0:18), Super Monkey Ball 2 (0:35), Mario Superstar Baseball (1:00), Super Mario Kart (1:38), Time Crisis 3 (4:05)
I have no way of buying them, had a sega Saturn collection but I did keep them in a CD book but they did got stolen, So now I have manuals and cases only. It's something you had to do at the start before the price boost. Like panzer dragoon at 400$ when it should be 130 at most. I hate how many people on ebay jack up the cost after a vid is done , 35$ 8-track player did become 250$
I've got the opposite. I had to sell my collection of entire worth of every sega for about 150quid back in 2013 due to me cockin up life. That hurt. Granted these were not museum pieces. They were well loved and worn. I mean my Saturn would not load unless you unscrewed the top part of for whatever reason... They had many many many miles and used daily since bought. Everyday I thank emulation tho as I have my entire collection and more all on my phone aka with me 24 7 with an 8bitdo mini controller hanging off my car interior mirror. I am gutted as I had a sega cd game worth 500 alone and had no idea. I sold them at a time when desperate and needed it quick still. It is funny thinking of how troublesome some of those systems are. Mega cd hates you lol
@@emmawagner8915 most genesis stuff doesn't look that great. The quality gap between SNES and Genesis versions of games is usually ridiculous, unless the game is made solely with genesis in mind.
Yep. It's so depressing knowing I traded in most of my old stuff. I also never kept any of the game boxes for SNES and N64. As a kid I tossed them in the trash like an idiot.
@@Euruk1 I 100% did the same thing. I think because a lot of cases back in the day were cardboard they just seemed pointless to keep. Before the time of discs especially, it just didn't seem necessary to keep the cases. Plus as a kid I definitely ripped open packaging swiftly to get the game out as quickly as possible haha.
I stopped collecting after I stopped being able to find games in the wild. My favorite part of collecting was the thrill of the hunt. Sure I’ve bought a couple games on eBay. But going to a thrift store and finding some random game always felt more exciting. Even if it wasn’t a game I cared too much about.
I've heard some people say they've had more luck recently. Perhaps this is because a lot of people have given up (therefore less competition)? Who knows.
I was never really a “hunter”. I just bought games as I wanted them. That’s how I have every high profile SNES RPG. But then again, I’m 38 and had the opportunity to buy them when they were, you know, new.
Remember FuncoLand? Check out what retro games used to cost. A lot of people blame Wata for the price increase. But anything Snatcher is absurd. Even the vinyl.
One thing that I’d like to do more often is have that social aspect of local multiplayer that games used to have. The reason why many games feel nostalgic isn’t just how good the game was, but spending time with people who were fun to be with while playing them.
Totally agree. And I have to admit, that feels different with nowadays multiplayer online games. There are some exceptions like "it takes two", but in general, we hadn't that toxic competitive behavior. Giving a friend the "special" controller.
@@tonyp9313 That's exactly my nowadays problem: my brothers live too far away, to have some games. So in this case, the online variant is the better option.
I think another big thing that isn't being mentioned is that recently everything has become so much more expensive than it was, groceries, cars, gas, rent... People have less money and we are all getting older priorities are changing. It's just getting harder or impossible to justify the cost.
This could also be reason to expect the bubble is going to burst. The world economy is on the brink of a big recession (if not already in it) so overpriced video games will not be a top priority for most people. Some collectors will also need to sell of part of their collection to pay the bills.
My buying habits really haven’t changed much for a long time. For years I’ve been able to spend about $80-$120 on games. Big difference now is instead if 5-6 new games to try out, it’s just 1 or 2. Definitely a bummer, but at least it gives me more reason to replay the stuff I already own
I like being able to use my technical knowledge to bring formerly thought to be dead older consoles back to life. Im a retro gaming necromancer and it feels great.
Every week or so I like to look through a random game's case and instruction manual. There's a lot more to appreciate that is just missed with a ROM or ISO download. And it also makes me feel less like I wasted my money.
To be fair, cases and manuals can and are scanned, yes, it’s not the same as having the tangible item but if you just care about playing the game it beats paying a small fortune to some random collector for a cart and box that in most cases are noticeably worn and aged anyway. Hell, the prices for just the media alone are insane as it is. You do you though.
so much this. it's probably the main reason i collect. I dedicated a huge amount of space, money and time to physical goods i can just get and consume digitally (movies, music, games, comics). but the tactile interaction with the goods is everything to me. it's not just about reading Amazing Spider-Man #38, it's about holding it in my hand, feeling it, smelling it and interacting with a 50 year old relic written and illustrated by legends. so even just thumbing through a collection on the shelf once a day or pulling out and item and just looking at it is a nice reminder of what we collectors love about these items.
It's all ROMs for me. Manuals if I want, I can find digitalized scans. I invest the money in the well being of the consoles instead so they can last me as long as possible. For example, my backwards compatible PS3 is considered to be a console that has overheating problems and can fail often. However, the seller I bought it from fully cleaned it up, reapplied a quality thermal paste to it and I installed CFW myself not just for the ROMs but to increase the fan speeds as well to keep those heat demons cooled down. Most people who buy old consoles go for cheap stuff that looks like it is on its last legs and was never opened up, they are basically going to get ticking time bombs. There are a few you normally don't have to worry about though like the fat PS2s, those will never die, literally.
@@Manic_Panic If original carts/discs were still reasonably priced, I wouldn't mind building up a small collection of favorites, but in a where where digital re-releases/unofficial ROMs are available and emulation is "good enough" for 99.9% of people, I'm not keen on paying a small fortune for original carts/hardware.
One thing I'll say for the upcoming Genesis Mini 2: It has several games that cost more in their original form than the entire system. I'm tempted to pick one up just so I can play Crusader of Centy again.
Most I paid for a game was $110 for Pokemon Colosseum. Even though I enjoyed the game I still feel that buyer's remorse sometimes like "Why in the world did I do that?" At the time, I was seeing it on Ebay for $200-$300 and $110 seemed like a great deal to me. But when I told a coworker how much I paid he looked at me like I was crazy.
I can't afford to collect and it's a good thing because I don't have enough space for adding tons of games to my "collection". I tend to think of my games as a library. I hold onto games I buy so I have a connection to each game I own. I have some games that I could sell for a couple hundred bucks each, but I know if I sell them I'll never be able to buy them again, especially at the discounted price I originally paid. I only buy games I intend to play, so paying super expensive prices for games I "missed" growing up isn't I do. If I can't afford a game, I look into re-releases on newer hardware or emulation.
I feel like Saturn and Dreamcast and GameCube have been hit hard with covid inflation. Luckily for me, all the intellivision games I have, boxed CIB and loose have been very cheap still. 🙂
I've been collecting for long enough that I have almost everything I could want, but the worst part about the way the market has turned imo is that there's such a huge quantity of great games I can't easily share with people anymore, because they've become too expensive to recommend without a series of asterisks. Something like Ghost Trick on the DS is one of the most charming games on the platform, and I'd say anyone with a DS should have it... if only it wasn't going for over $100. I got my copy brand new for $15 about 6 years ago or so, and I don't feel good or "smart" for owning it before the price hike. I'm just disappointed that it's become that much harder to share the games and experiences I love with other people.
Good thing flash carts/emulation exist. I suspect the artificial pricing bubble inflated in large part by bad actors in the community will eventually pop as people turn to repros, flash carts and emulation more and more and all but the most ocd and irresponsible collectors stop collecting.
well there are flash cart/ODE solutions to pretty much every platform these days. sure it isn't collecting, but you can certainly still share your knowledge and recommendation about these games and clue in other people to their awesomeness. Like for instance i just found out about Ghost Trick.
Even two or three years ago the local thrift stores were treasure troves. Picking up $400 of games for $28 was possible. Now it is just Madden on the shelves. Goodwill screwed us and sends all games to an electronic online division.
One way in which I've been dealing with this is getting the Japanese versions of JRPGs, which go for a lot cheaper. I study Japanese in my free time and one day, that's the plan at least, I'll be able to play them with the original text. This way I have added motivation to keep studying, too.
Retro game collecting stopped being a hobby and became a "market". That's when I got out. It was something I did for fun and out of passion, not profit or investment.
You basically just hit the nail on the head as to why collecting became so expensive. When the yuppies who don't care about the games and only care about the money got involved that's when everything went to shit. I do say that the price will drop eventually when the yuppies dropout realize that what they have is not a gold mine they thought it was like no one wants your torn label Mario duck hunt for $20
Felt the same way recently, I was willing to spend a good chunk of money to gather the games I wanted back, I never meant it always being about big money, just having some fun with the games I wanted, picked the games I wanted to go after, got a bunch of others that I never had heard of before, but they were pretty good for the most parts... I already have a good numbers of those and still playing those games, some were too expensive for my taste, I was willing to pay big for some games, but there was a limit because I'm not rich, but I can have patience and wait until a game I wanted was available in a small video games store directly in my neighborhood and I made my move on the deal and after checking if it's a good deal or not, that's when I bagged the games... Most of them were in good conditions when I got them, but now my wallet wants me to stop, got no other options and the money was needed some where else... So, my games collecting days are over, even though I still have a decent collection, so I leave it the way it is now, it's only a small collection and I'm just playing them around when I have nothing else to do, I still think it was worth it, depends on how your economics are going and if you're willing to pay big money to get the games you might want to go after... If you want big games, make sure you have enough money to afford buying them before you think about going after them because they can get very expensive...
For the most part yes. GameCube has become ridiculous. The console didn’t even sell well when it was released. I wish I wasnt convinced by GameStop for years to trade in and trade up because I owned many of the most sought after games and only let go of them when I was convinced by store clerks it was the best idea ever and I needed all new games all the time. I just have a really hard time paying for twice what I paid originally for games that were not popular. It just sucks :( anyways thanks for the vids!
Dude, about 10 years ago, I moved to another state so while I was liquidating a bunch of stuff to lighten the load, I have my GC and all my games to to niece. I was expecting enthusiasm and was met with “meh, OK. Thanks” I sure she doesn’t have the system anymore. I had about a dozen games for it too. (Punches self in face)
My GC-Loader was the best thing to happen to my GameCube. The Raspberry Pico mod works great as well. No more GameCube pain. I still have several of my original GameCube games but they just sit on the shelf looking pretty nowadays.
I think the current wave of collectors just got to the market too late. The ridiculous price on gamecube is everyone's fault for not supporting Nintendo at the time. I bought my gamecube brand new and all the games I wanted when it was released and was made fun of by all my friends on playstation and xbox. Heck most didn't even know what they were looking at when they saw a gamecube in the flesh. It was rare at the time it was released so was always going to be worth lots and has nothing do with current trends. If you still want to collect just go for what is not trending. For example Super Nintendo is ridiculous while mega drive owners are giving their stuff away.
Collecting has become really hard for many of the consoles I enjoy playing (Turbografx sticks out the most). I have done a couple things to stay invested in the hobby. 1. Downsized certain parts of my collection and reinvested that money into buying games for other systems. For example, Saturn has become too expensive for me, so I have begun selling and using that money to fill out other collections I am more passionate about. 2. Playing the games I already have. Just like you alluded to in the video, sometimes just sitting down and trying to enjoy what you already have can keep your love alive for the hobby and appreciate what you have. 3. Homebrews. I think this is a standout aspect of collecting/playing on retro hardware in the current day. I love supporting, buying and playing so many great homebrew games for many of my favorite consoles. Genesis, Jaguar and Intellivision are getting tons of support to this very day. The cost of purchasing many of these great homebrews also is fair and in line with other modern released games!
I’ve stopped retro collecting a few years back because the prices were just getting out of hand and honestly it’s not even fun anymore , before that I was finding great deals just about everywhere even bought a Virtual boy in the box with three games for $60 . Now I’m just collecting Nintendo switch games like limited run stuff and other companies that print physical copy’s .
Definitely replaying my old favorites is fun. Fortunately, i have kept all of my favorites through the years which allows me to play through them over and over. I will say, even with all the other options to play these games now (truly incredible), I can attest, there is still nothing like playing originals on the hardware itself.
Certainly I don't collect the same way. Old games used to be considered worthless and I would grab them more-or-less indiscriminately just to save them from the trash, and part of the fun was not knowing what I might get. Well, that's not happening any more. But thanks to the internet there's no reason to buy anything without knowing all about it first, anyway. And that's also why there's no bargains any more.
I've mostly focused on collecting consoles and games a lot of people don't care about, so I'm still rolling but most of my actual playing retro games happens on my raspberry pi or PC.
Looking at prices now, I can confidantly say that I'm very happy with what I have now (I've been collecting for a long time too). At this point I'm ok waiting for the bubble to burst before I buy anything else...and that's going to happen sooner rather than later.
I agree with you Retro Bird. As a physical 🥈 stacker I started in spring of 2021 when prices were quite high compared to right now... A 5 ozt 🥈 bar I paid $170 for is only about $125-130 so because everything is relative... As a newer 🥈 stacker I'm seeing the current prices as a total bargain while more experienced stackers might not feel the same.
I actually am one of those folks who have bought games for a system I don't own because the price was good. The reasoning being that I already planned to grab the system itself at some point, so why let a good deal pass me by?
There’s always someone that will pay high prices. Either it be because they missed out, want to complete their collection, sold their games early in life and want to buy back or reached a comfortable place in life and has disposable income, etc. I sold off some of my games to buy the next great thing only to rebuy them all back later, thank goodness that was still in the 90’s. Regardless of the reasons prices will go up and there’s always someone that will pay, I have and still do
I collect games that mean something to me, regardless of whether I have the console or not. I'm just really picky so I don't have that many games to begin with.
Great video! This applies to other collectors as well. As someone who has a modest collection of guitars, I wholeheartedly agree with your observations and advice.
Luckily I began collecting before retro games became insanely expensive. Sure I've dropped a pretty penny on games like Conkers bad fur day and Silent Hill 3 but most of my valuable games were pretty reasonable when I got them. Almost my entire GameCube and Dreamcast collection was bought dirt cheap.
Was looking up prices for the shantae and the pirate's curse game and it's almost comical what people are asking for online. No way I would buy one game that's ( what they think) the same price as the console you play it on.
You’re in luck if you have a 3DS. There’s a version of the Pirate’s Curse on the Eshop going for 20.00 bucks. You’ll have 2 weeks to download it, but it’s a great way to skirt the issue of it being expensive.
I've most definitely had to slow down in part due to the increased prices (which seem to be leveling out if not beginning to drop a little) and additions to my family making it harder to justify the frivolity of collecting. I've definitely begun taking stock of what I have and arranging it, as well as rearranging and defining the order of my backlog
Honestly what I like doing is learning more about games like the history of their development peoples experiences on working on games is just so interesting to learn about
Collecting for the Wii has helped me stay away from high prices. And there are so many hidden gems. I consider the wii the very last retro console. The last console to have true CIB games (no patches, dlc etc.). Someday wii games will be worth a lot...but not this day. This day we buy!
@@tonyp9313 Believe me, I once had your attitude towards the Wii. I sneered at the thought of "Shovelware" and "Waggle". But once I started digging I found a world far richer and more complex than any of the previous Nintendo consoles (including the Gamecube). I won't try to convert you here...but I will say a good rule of thumb is when people are sneering you should be buying. I can 100% guarantee the console and games will be very sought after in 20 years.
@@antiquecardboard I agree with you. I also have a decent wii collection (of games I actually want), and best of all they are affordable today. I also agree that its library is better than the gamecube (at least for my taste), it's true that maybe 85% of the wii library is showelware, but the last 15% are gold to me, lots of interesting, unique and fun titles.
My trick is to buy expensive game to play them. Once I know that I'm done with a game I sell it back. Could be weeks or years later. If I know I won't be playing it for a few years I sell it. That way I can tell myself I was paid 50$ to play panzer Dragoon saga. My game collection is the ebay Library.
The only games I buy are games I actually like to play or something I think looks like something I’d play. That’s why my library is so small. One day I’m going to get a copy of Pokémon Stadium for my N64. I’ve been saying that for close to 10 years now 😂. The price just keeps going up. I go into a game store and I look for it but every time I find it I’m like “maybe next time”. But next time never comes 😂.
Prices are shocking at times as I’m fairly new to collecting. 1.5yr in. Though I’m very, uh , thrifty and will search quite a bit for deals. Both for stretching dollars and like you said an effort to lower the average price over time. I’ve also been focusing more on Gameboy as they tend to be cheaper. It’s taken a year, but I finally have both Zelda Oracle games, in good condition for great prices. Was it worth my time? Eh, probably not, but the search was fun.
I recommend using Zip up three ring binders and baseball card sheets for your games. A great system is the Retroad 5 Plus with the GB/GBC Extension Converter from Ali-Express. It works with the Everdrive GB X7 as well and has two wireless controllers. It's on sale right now for $120.00. It's normally $150.00. It has HDMI out for TV use and has different aspect ratios.
I had a dream that I found a pallet of sealed NES games for cheap...then I woke up. If prices continue to rise, everyone is going to say screw and not buy anything. Then prices will probably drop way down. I spend more time buying and repairing video games these days but even that market is getting too high.
What keeps the retro gaming hobby fueling for me is 2 things. First, falling in love with a game that I hadn't even heard of a half hour ago. There's just no better feeling. Second, it's the new way to play old games. I'm talking both rom hacks, as well as enhancements like hd mode 7 and msu1 packs. They keep things interesting
I'm happy with the recent influx of PS1 and Saturn remasters. I also have been having a blast paying $4 a month for NSO. I didn't realize Crystalis was so great.
I'm priced out of owning games for many systems, so I pick a few systems I like (and may be on the cheap side) and then get a flash cart or ODE or fmcb for the rest 8). I still will pick up sentimental games for those systems, ffx for example, but games that won't break the bank, ffx for example.
the high prices arent what bothers me, though that does suck. its the fact that it has become a market with speculation. enthusiasts are not what is driving the prices up it is the people who have made games reselling into a job or "side hustle". these people are worse than ticket scalpers
I enjoy a lot of my favorite games I've held on to for all these years. The games I collect now at least have some other options between re-release compilations and sometimes reproduction carts if the original title's price is way too high. I just wish an option like it existed for a lot of the games from the GameCube generation.
I pretty much exclusively play jrpgs, with some outliers here and there. So basically every game that I'm looking for has ridiculously gone up in price. I used to love going to the local game shop or flea market to see if I could find anything fun. I haven't been able to do that in years. I've stopped collecting. I will still buy new games I am interested in, but anything retro I've given up on for the time being. As much as I adore playing on original hardware (and oh yeah I really do), emulation is really the thing to do if you're not into getting physical media. I do hope this whole thing changes, although I doubt it. In the meantime, I'll be playing through everything I already have now.
Great video RetroBird. I stopped collecting for the most part about 5 years ago. Between Everdrives, ODEs and Hard drive modded consoles, I have full collections on pretty much every classic console I own from NES up to the Wii. Look at it like this, sure it may be up to $250 to get the mod/everedrive/ODE but then you never have to buy another game for that console unless you want to display it on your shelf. Then you can use the extra cash saved to buy more consoles to mod or extra controllers/light guns/peripherals. Sure you can do it all on a Raspberry Pi but you gotta have standards. Playing on real hardware with official controllers is just something to behold. Thanks for yet another affirming video for all us maniac collectors of all types. Now if they would just release an ODE for the Philips CDi... Keep it up Bird!
Yeah, I think ODEs are a great option for those who want to play on original hardware without having to collect individual games. It's reassuring moving forward as well, since we don't really know exactly how long some of these game discs will last.
@@tonyp9313 "Optical Disc Emulator". They're basically a replacement for having games read by a laser (on consoles that use discs) and instead can just be loaded from an SD card.
To continue to enjoy the hobby these days from an actually-playing standpoint, I heavily rely on flash carts, ODEs and other devices such as the MiSTer. In terms of collecting carts and media for older systems, I have downsized on a lot of things I just don't want to play anymore (and probably never will), selling them and converting that money into games I do want and will hold onto.
I'm an anime VHS collector, and I have at times felt "priced out", but there are ways to enjoy the hobby, like watching my backlog over again, talking to others about what I have and sometimes building a report with other collectors who happen to sell and like you enough who will throw you a bone and vise versa. Like sure, I skipped the boat on getting Berserk, Legend of Black Heaven and a few other titles that seem unattainable, but with collecting anything, it always comes full circle. Great video and insight!
One way I like to enjoy my games is by sending my PS4 away for a repair and paying $150 for it and getting it back with the USB ports on the front still not working! Good times. At least they cleared everything off my hard drive, did shoddy work and created some cosmetic damage in the form of broken plastic by said USB ports. You know, looking on the bright side....
I always been priced out of collecting back then, but now it's happening less because I have less utilities to pay. In truth I have to control how many games I can fit on the shelf and that also goes for consoles as well. Plus I'm a picky game collector and that means I don't want every game for the consoles I have. I just get games that catches my eye ,played the demo or I borrowed from a friend years ago.
I’ve managed to get mostly everything I hope to own one day… I still like getting great old Games even if they weren’t on my short list. I watch a lot of RUclips content that inspires me to get some games I missed or under appreciated from my childhood that are defiantly worth taking a look at. Problem is… I’m a CIB collector and when I see a game like Lone Ranger get reviewed.. and I think… why didn’t I ever give this game a try, it looks like a lot of fun… let’s see how much it goes for…….woooooh, $175?! Maybe I’ll skip that one!
I feel you but yeah sometimes just the RUclips video of a game is cool for me. Sometimes even when you obtain the game you don't even feel relieved you have it after the initial thrill of the purchase wears off
I feel like people only salivate over obtaining a game due to the value and not because they would enjoy it in a lot of cases. Think of a game like say 🤔 Second site on the OG Xbox. Its a great game but its only $12 but if I feel it was around $120 then people would want it 😄
Yeah, the CIB thing throws a wet towel on the fun. If you pick up a game, but then you aren’t even willing to open it up to play it…seems like waste on many levels.
@@totallyfrozen that’s why I don’t worry about impeccable condition. I don’t want to baby a game or system instead of playing it, though I prefer complete just for the history of it.
@@totallyfrozen You can still play a CIB game. I just love reading the manuals and appreciating all the artwork. Many games, particularly NES games… you would struggle getting anywhere without the manual. Before the internet, you just had what was in the game pak and whatever your friends figured out.
You can find creative solutions or side hustles to pay for those bigger ticket games, but yeah, $100+ for *any* game can be a tough pill to swallow, regardless of how good it is
@@onehardtosolvekase6670 I tend to accumulate a bunch of lower and mid priced games that I get super cheap from thrift stores /garage sales / pawn shops and trade them in at the lgs for those more expensive games
I’m relatively new to video game collecting. While I have a modest collection from just holding to games that I’ve gotten over the years, I’ve recently started buying games that I never got to play while growing up or games that did slip through the cracks to GameStop trade in solely because I didn’t have any other way of buying a newer game. When asking myself what games I want to collect, I decided to take a less approached route (well one that I don’t see often anyway). I decided to cut out cartridge based (home) consoles entirely. The earliest memories I have of gaming are ultimately with the GameCube. Needless to say, that’s a pretty big bullet to bite within itself so to ease the pain I decided to start from there. While there are many titles I enjoy from N64 and beyond going backwards, it just doesn’t make sense to bother with those libraries when they are the absolute easiest to emulate if I get desperate (I don’t emulate but I’m at ease knowing the option is there). However most of the games that are worth playing from older systems have found there way to modern platforms. Wether it’s physical or digital (physical is preferred and I only buy digital if it will save me A LOT of dough), I only care about having access to the games I want to play over ensuring I have the original print or method of playing. A recent example is 3D Zelda. Between my 3DS and Wii U, I was able to successfully buy every game in that series without breaking the bank. None of which are digital either! The Metroid Prime Trilogy is a good example of something I would rather spend $20 now to digital experience than bother with the $1-200 prices I’ve seen. I have a love/hate relationship with Nintendo at the moment but at the end of the day (for now anyway and I dread March next year), I’m able to access the games I want to play and about 90% of them I am able to get on my shelf so I can fall asleep knowing that if I wanted to grope their spines… I can. ❤️
I have a perfect cart only Little Samson. I've been offered to sell it many time but, it was bought by myself and my late friend and I got it from his brother after his passing. I don't play it that often but, based on it meaning a lot to me I just can't sell it.
The Horror of Internet has priced out a lot of games. At stores you don't see big prices because they see the customer face to face. Just like multi gaming with 4 players you all treated each other with respect as once again your face to face. Now comes internet with multi player & you have no idea who you are playing with so respecting each other is out the door. I doubt that same person would say that to a another person face to face. With that said, so is how pricing games. If you can not see your customers prices go up too! The downside to no more face to face interaction :(
I discovered something a few weeks ago and it still is blowing my mind. Game prices didn’t go up bc of gamers, they went up bc investors who don’t care about games and don’t play games manipulated the market so that they could make a profit. Look up Wata Games lawsuit. It’s huge.
My solution has just been to buy each console and load it up with every exclusive game rom or iso that console had. That way, the only physical games I buy are the ones I really want/am nostalgic for.
A local used game store is currently selling loose copies of Super Mario 64 for $70-75, there's a huge portion of the retro market where the main goal is to get one over on someone. I have set my limit at $100 for one game but it's still important to look out for things like this.. nostalgia is a powerful thing and it speaks in dollar bills.
+Joesph Piedmonte $100 used to be my limit too; now, I don't have a limit due to it looks like we are in the beginning stages of hyperinflation. With all the money printing with the stimulus checks the dollar is become more and more worth less. It's better to spend it, preferably on assets: gold, silver, canned food, survival supplies, guns, etc; because the longer you hold it, the more it loses it's value (i.e. higher prices on things), until it reaches it's intrinsic value of zero.
I've been collecting since the 90s, but once it left the garage sale and flea market eras I was over it. It's too expensive for what it's worth. I'll still add to my collection if I find a really good read, otherwise forget it. Only games that are important to me are worth the price these days.
I've been focusing on hitting the backlog while there's a bit of a lull in game purchasing. Really appreciate you breaking out the original ps1 controller!
In 2020 I bought a replacement copy of Ogre Battle for SNES because my cat had chewed up the box for my original copy. I paid $200 and it came with the manual and 1 of 2 folded inserts which I didn't have for my original. Now the cartridge alone is worth $300. I'm glad I got it when I did because there's no way I would pay prices like that.
Every day I look at my games and think I should sell up because the cost of nostalgia is high. And every day I hurt at the thought of not having all these rare titles in my collection 😅
The "Half-Priced" book / thrift store by my house has eBay(+) pricing for all game related stuff. They wanted over $300 for a scuffed-up 3DS. There are no deals to be had any longer.
Living in all kind of gaming worlds, Retro and modern, console and PC, I've found a healthy solution to avoid that "priced out" feeling. I gave myself a budget and looking more forward to buy games I like and are in a for me comfortable price range. Due to my job, my free time is limited and playing a game like Elden Ring took me a very long time to complete. Then there's the fact that I already have a good collection. When especially retro games are recommended, I take a look on all known marketplaces. If the price is in my "OK" price range then I pick it up. If not, well then I still have a bunch of games I can enjoy. There are games like Rocket League, Final Fight, Zelda OOT or Indie games I could always play. GamePass and similar subscription services and Steam help saving money, too and trying out new stuff. Well, and then there are my other passions, music, photography. That are my keys for still enjoying games, especially those I have.
Great vid and topic, for games that are beyond what's a comfortable price point sometimes I'll just say up. When that's not happening though attacking the backlog, organizing/decorating my game room, or getting some family gaming in is generally on the agenda.
I was lucky to get a lot of stuff in the late 2000s and early 2010s when collecting retro games wasn't super cool or a "proffesional" thing. I remember when you could get 8 a 16 bits cartridges for a few bucks because it was "old" and nobody wanted them. now I wouldn't be able to afford them. I'm lucky I could get lots of games I used to rent but didn't own in the 80s and 90s.
Excellent video. I wish more people were as level headed as you (not just in gaming, but in day to day life). I've just finished cataloguing my collection, so that was a form of enjoyment (read: difficult menial task). What I have found myself doing recently is parting ways with small handfuls of games or consoles to people in the neighbourhood with kids who like retro gaming - I do so at a less than market price so they can enjoy it. Then I'll spend the next few months looking for the bargains to get them back hahaha
This is pretty spot on. I had a breaking point when trying to obtain Persona 2 on PS1 and the best offer I saw was $350 at some game store and was like "I'll wait." But the wait just got longer and longer until 1 year, 2 years have passed. Then I saw an ebay listing for the game at $350... I bought it. I never want to contribute to rising prices which is why I'm always careful about buying from retro stores, in fact, I rarely go to retro stores except for a few nowadays because they all have this tendency to overprice niche games by like $10 when I can get the game for less including shipping any day of the week. Pricing sucks.
Ive experienced this with action figures. Between price hikes, shotty releases, artificial scarcity, scalping, and exclusivity it stopped being fun so I cashed out and left.
There will always be a market for retro gaming. It only makes sense for prices to go up when games are 30 going on 40 years old. But i think social media hasn't helped because there are so many cool accounts showcasing their collections and now i want one of those square sony crt tvs!
For certain games with prices that rise out of reasonableness, if I see it for sale for a price that I don't believe it will ever go down to instead, I may just bite the bullet. Prime example, right around the time prices for Gotcha Force jumped again, my local store still had it priced at $500. It's outrageous, but it was a clean complete copy and I knew I'd probably never see it that low again, and I bit the bullet and paid the $500.
I think we as collectors get into the habit of buying multiple games in a row before actually playing the games 1 by 1, that's pretty much what happened to me with the SNES, but I've learned from that experience. So now even if a game is expensive it doesn't hurt my wallet as much. As for emulators I've used those as demos for games that I'm not sure if I'll like them, before making a decision on buying the physical version. Playing these games on their original hardware is definitely the best experience, but I can't blame anyone for sticking only with emulators.
One of the most painful parts for me has been accepting that complete collections of consoles, even those with libraries as small as something like the N64, is becoming almost impossible, now. I had always wanted to pick up a bunch of different N64 funtastic consoles, for instance, but it's become hard to even find listings of N64 funtastic consoles on Ebay in the first place, let alone in decent condition. Heck, even some 3DS games are becoming increasingly difficult to find, on top of the already high prices, like Kirby Robobot, even if there's several "World Edition" copies. It's one thing for prices to be too high; it's another for the listings to no longer exist in the first place.
I would also say it an instance of being born in the right time because my nephews wanted to pursue the hobby inspired by me but with retro prices being more than half their paychecks plus they were little kids back in the 2010s they were quickly discouraged and left the hobby and so did I.....
Great video! This definitely rings true. Luckily, I kept a bunch of older games and don't plan on selling them. I used to collect for the Sega Saturn about a decade ago and, even then, those game prices kept steadily increasing. The prices now for most Saturn North American games are a bit insane. The thing is, I fear the prices for many retro games will keep increasing as these games are no longer produced and eventually the physical medium will wear out (cartridge, CD etc.) I actually like when companies have re-releases, compilations, and remasters as I no longer have the room for a CRT or to hook up every old system, so I appreciate being able to play retro games on modern hardware. To answer your question, I focus on playing the games I own and chip away at my backlog. I know I will never have all the time to play every game I want, so I focus mainly on games I _really_ want to play. Otherwise, if you keep thinking about the next game you want to play, you won't enjoy the game(s) you are currently playing and it may even feel like a chore.
Best advice I can give is this: save up. If you’re someone willing to pull the trigger on an expensive game: wait. Instead see if you can find a collector who wants to part with multiple games, including ones you want. When you’re willing to spend more upfront, you can get better deals on each game individually. At least, that’s how us retro stores do it. Use the extra games to trade or sell and you’ll come out ahead. This does mean spending EVEN MORE, and I understand if people aren’t interested in that or the extra work involved, but it’s a proven strategy. People always need cash. But they don’t always need video games (sacrilegious, I know.)
yes. i noped out of collecting all NTSCU saturn games. still focusing on a full dreamcast and wii u collection though. any other system i just buy whatever i feel like.
I still find stuff at swap meets and thrift shops. I also buy backups for Dreamcast and everdrives for Genesis, nes, snes, n64. I only buy the ones I really want for GameCube. It helps I don’t drink or smoke anything so I use that cash on my video game high. I also buy games and systems cheap and sell or trade in and get money for games that way too.
Once a game I really want starts going into the $300-$400+ zone I’m officially priced out lol. Not that I’m looking to pay 100+ on everything but I’ve bit the bullet a few times if I know the game is rare to find in such a condition & the prices will only continue to rise. I’ve slowed down on my collecting retro a lot as of recently because I got most of the more important things on my list & the hobby is expensive nevertheless so I recently shifted my focus to my other hobby skateboarding while also playing the games I have until prices calm down enough where I can finish my collection.
im glad i collected early and when i checked their current prices, i couldn’t even fathom paying those ridiculous prices for what i usually paid for. im a castlevania game collector too and they pretty much pricey especially if they are CIB
![[#2024MAMA] ROSÉ (로제), Bruno Mars - APT. | Mnet 241122 방송](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/dgGqD28J6aQ/mqdefault.jpg)
Games played: Symphony of the Night (0:01), World of Illusion (0:10), Einhander (0:18), Super Monkey Ball 2 (0:35), Mario Superstar Baseball (1:00), Super Mario Kart (1:38), Time Crisis 3 (4:05)
I always forget how good genesis stuff looks. Booted up the Disney collection on switch the other day and I’m always impressed
Does digital collections count?? Or only physical collections in your opinion?? Thanks 🙏
I have no way of buying them, had a sega Saturn collection but I did keep them in a CD book but they did got stolen, So now I have manuals and cases only. It's something you had to do at the start before the price boost. Like panzer dragoon at 400$ when it should be 130 at most. I hate how many people on ebay jack up the cost after a vid is done , 35$ 8-track player did become 250$
I've got the opposite. I had to sell my collection of entire worth of every sega for about 150quid back in 2013 due to me cockin up life. That hurt. Granted these were not museum pieces. They were well loved and worn. I mean my Saturn would not load unless you unscrewed the top part of for whatever reason...
They had many many many miles and used daily since bought.
Everyday I thank emulation tho as I have my entire collection and more all on my phone aka with me 24 7 with an 8bitdo mini controller hanging off my car interior mirror.
I am gutted as I had a sega cd game worth 500 alone and had no idea. I sold them at a time when desperate and needed it quick still. It is funny thinking of how troublesome some of those systems are. Mega cd hates you lol
@@emmawagner8915 most genesis stuff doesn't look that great. The quality gap between SNES and Genesis versions of games is usually ridiculous, unless the game is made solely with genesis in mind.
I think the worst part is knowing you used to have specific games as a kid that you foolishly gave away and now they're too expensive to get back.
Yep. It's so depressing knowing I traded in most of my old stuff. I also never kept any of the game boxes for SNES and N64. As a kid I tossed them in the trash like an idiot.
@@Euruk1 I 100% did the same thing. I think because a lot of cases back in the day were cardboard they just seemed pointless to keep. Before the time of discs especially, it just didn't seem necessary to keep the cases. Plus as a kid I definitely ripped open packaging swiftly to get the game out as quickly as possible haha.
For most people this is pokemon
@@Euruk1youre not an idiot, you were just being a kid. Which we all were and all did the same shit.
You're not alone my guy. Sold away all my GameCube games cheaply a long time ago. Had all the hits too 😔
I stopped collecting after I stopped being able to find games in the wild. My favorite part of collecting was the thrill of the hunt. Sure I’ve bought a couple games on eBay. But going to a thrift store and finding some random game always felt more exciting. Even if it wasn’t a game I cared too much about.
Wait, you gave up on hunting games because hunting games got harder?
I've heard some people say they've had more luck recently. Perhaps this is because a lot of people have given up (therefore less competition)? Who knows.
I was never really a “hunter”. I just bought games as I wanted them. That’s how I have every high profile SNES RPG. But then again, I’m 38 and had the opportunity to buy them when they were, you know, new.
I totally relate!
@@leeartlee915 That's really awesome that you are 38 years old. Usually they are all 20 & under on this channel.
Remember FuncoLand? Check out what retro games used to cost. A lot of people blame Wata for the price increase.
But anything Snatcher is absurd. Even the vinyl.
One thing that I’d like to do more often is have that social aspect of local multiplayer that games used to have. The reason why many games feel nostalgic isn’t just how good the game was, but spending time with people who were fun to be with while playing them.
Totally agree. And I have to admit, that feels different with nowadays multiplayer online games. There are some exceptions like "it takes two", but in general, we hadn't that toxic competitive behavior. Giving a friend the "special" controller.
Couch coop or vs is great for social gatherings, I just don't have the time to meet up with friends though.
@@tonyp9313 That's exactly my nowadays problem: my brothers live too far away, to have some games. So in this case, the online variant is the better option.
@@blitheringrando1410 For real, man. Once people drift off it’s hard to meet new people.
I still play couch Co up many times a year. Few times a year even with old friends from the 90s. We gather for this
I think another big thing that isn't being mentioned is that recently everything has become so much more expensive than it was, groceries, cars, gas, rent... People have less money and we are all getting older priorities are changing. It's just getting harder or impossible to justify the cost.
This could also be reason to expect the bubble is going to burst. The world economy is on the brink of a big recession (if not already in it) so overpriced video games will not be a top priority for most people. Some collectors will also need to sell of part of their collection to pay the bills.
My buying habits really haven’t changed much for a long time. For years I’ve been able to spend about $80-$120 on games. Big difference now is instead if 5-6 new games to try out, it’s just 1 or 2. Definitely a bummer, but at least it gives me more reason to replay the stuff I already own
I like being able to use my technical knowledge to bring formerly thought to be dead older consoles back to life. Im a retro gaming necromancer and it feels great.
Every week or so I like to look through a random game's case and instruction manual. There's a lot more to appreciate that is just missed with a ROM or ISO download.
And it also makes me feel less like I wasted my money.
To be fair, cases and manuals can and are scanned, yes, it’s not the same as having the tangible item but if you just care about playing the game it beats paying a small fortune to some random collector for a cart and box that in most cases are noticeably worn and aged anyway. Hell, the prices for just the media alone are insane as it is. You do you though.
so much this. it's probably the main reason i collect. I dedicated a huge amount of space, money and time to physical goods i can just get and consume digitally (movies, music, games, comics). but the tactile interaction with the goods is everything to me. it's not just about reading Amazing Spider-Man #38, it's about holding it in my hand, feeling it, smelling it and interacting with a 50 year old relic written and illustrated by legends. so even just thumbing through a collection on the shelf once a day or pulling out and item and just looking at it is a nice reminder of what we collectors love about these items.
It's all ROMs for me. Manuals if I want, I can find digitalized scans.
I invest the money in the well being of the consoles instead so they can last me as long as possible. For example, my backwards compatible PS3 is considered to be a console that has overheating problems and can fail often. However, the seller I bought it from fully cleaned it up, reapplied a quality thermal paste to it and I installed CFW myself not just for the ROMs but to increase the fan speeds as well to keep those heat demons cooled down.
Most people who buy old consoles go for cheap stuff that looks like it is on its last legs and was never opened up, they are basically going to get ticking time bombs. There are a few you normally don't have to worry about though like the fat PS2s, those will never die, literally.
@@Manic_Panic If original carts/discs were still reasonably priced, I wouldn't mind building up a small collection of favorites, but in a where where digital re-releases/unofficial ROMs are available and emulation is "good enough" for 99.9% of people, I'm not keen on paying a small fortune for original carts/hardware.
@@Manic_Panic if you want to pirate, then pirate. You're no collector.
One thing I'll say for the upcoming Genesis Mini 2: It has several games that cost more in their original form than the entire system. I'm tempted to pick one up just so I can play Crusader of Centy again.
I'll need to check it out. I don't want to buy the usual collection over again lol.
Especially if Snatcher ends up on it. Edit: Nevermind. The full list came out and no Snatcher :(
@@RetroBirdGaming I'd buy the heck out of that!
The PC Engine mini is even more insane. $1500 for Ginga Fukei Densetsu Sapphire anyone?
@@RetroBirdGaming Mega Everdrive pro will fix that Snatcher issue. Saves wear and tear on my Sega CD.
Most I paid for a game was $110 for Pokemon Colosseum. Even though I enjoyed the game I still feel that buyer's remorse sometimes like "Why in the world did I do that?" At the time, I was seeing it on Ebay for $200-$300 and $110 seemed like a great deal to me. But when I told a coworker how much I paid he looked at me like I was crazy.
Finding the consoles broken and fixing them I find it satisfying and such an accomplishment
Glad I got most of my retro games 15-20 years ago (esp my Saturn titles). Neo Geo games are beyond anything I can consider collecting
I remember Saturn games always being relatively expensive, but at this point they are sadly out of reach for most.
@@RetroBirdGaming I have exactly one Saturn game. Gex
@@RetroBirdGaming "relatively" is the key word. Many of my Saturn games were reasonably priced when I found them
My brother had a sega Saturn I remember playing Daytona USA , Tomb raider etc I know some of them games had to be worth money today
I can't afford to collect and it's a good thing because I don't have enough space for adding tons of games to my "collection". I tend to think of my games as a library. I hold onto games I buy so I have a connection to each game I own. I have some games that I could sell for a couple hundred bucks each, but I know if I sell them I'll never be able to buy them again, especially at the discounted price I originally paid. I only buy games I intend to play, so paying super expensive prices for games I "missed" growing up isn't I do. If I can't afford a game, I look into re-releases on newer hardware or emulation.
I've been priced into selling my collection
I feel like Saturn and Dreamcast and GameCube have been hit hard with covid inflation.
Luckily for me, all the intellivision games I have, boxed CIB and loose have been very cheap still. 🙂
I've been collecting for long enough that I have almost everything I could want, but the worst part about the way the market has turned imo is that there's such a huge quantity of great games I can't easily share with people anymore, because they've become too expensive to recommend without a series of asterisks. Something like Ghost Trick on the DS is one of the most charming games on the platform, and I'd say anyone with a DS should have it... if only it wasn't going for over $100. I got my copy brand new for $15 about 6 years ago or so, and I don't feel good or "smart" for owning it before the price hike. I'm just disappointed that it's become that much harder to share the games and experiences I love with other people.
Good thing flash carts/emulation exist. I suspect the artificial pricing bubble inflated in large part by bad actors in the community will eventually pop as people turn to repros, flash carts and emulation more and more and all but the most ocd and irresponsible collectors stop collecting.
Scuse me ur telling me ghost trick is going for a 💯 wtf i love the game is a great hidden gem, but 100!!!!!!! WTFF
I missed the boat on this one though my bro was always recommending it to me :(( oh well, there’s always the iOS version..
well there are flash cart/ODE solutions to pretty much every platform these days. sure it isn't collecting, but you can certainly still share your knowledge and recommendation about these games and clue in other people to their awesomeness. Like for instance i just found out about Ghost Trick.
Even two or three years ago the local thrift stores were treasure troves. Picking up $400 of games for $28 was possible. Now it is just Madden on the shelves. Goodwill screwed us and sends all games to an electronic online division.
One way in which I've been dealing with this is getting the Japanese versions of JRPGs, which go for a lot cheaper. I study Japanese in my free time and one day, that's the plan at least, I'll be able to play them with the original text. This way I have added motivation to keep studying, too.
Retro game collecting stopped being a hobby and became a "market". That's when I got out. It was something I did for fun and out of passion, not profit or investment.
You basically just hit the nail on the head as to why collecting became so expensive. When the yuppies who don't care about the games and only care about the money got involved that's when everything went to shit. I do say that the price will drop eventually when the yuppies dropout realize that what they have is not a gold mine they thought it was like no one wants your torn label Mario duck hunt for $20
Felt the same way recently, I was willing to spend a good chunk of money to gather the games I wanted back, I never meant it always being about big money, just having some fun with the games I wanted, picked the games I wanted to go after, got a bunch of others that I never had heard of before, but they were pretty good for the most parts...
I already have a good numbers of those and still playing those games, some were too expensive for my taste, I was willing to pay big for some games, but there was a limit because I'm not rich, but I can have patience and wait until a game I wanted was available in a small video games store directly in my neighborhood and I made my move on the deal and after checking if it's a good deal or not, that's when I bagged the games...
Most of them were in good conditions when I got them, but now my wallet wants me to stop, got no other options and the money was needed some where else...
So, my games collecting days are over, even though I still have a decent collection, so I leave it the way it is now, it's only a small collection and I'm just playing them around when I have nothing else to do, I still think it was worth it, depends on how your economics are going and if you're willing to pay big money to get the games you might want to go after...
If you want big games, make sure you have enough money to afford buying them before you think about going after them because they can get very expensive...
For the most part yes. GameCube has become ridiculous. The console didn’t even sell well when it was released. I wish I wasnt convinced by GameStop for years to trade in and trade up because I owned many of the most sought after games and only let go of them when I was convinced by store clerks it was the best idea ever and I needed all new games all the time. I just have a really hard time paying for twice what I paid originally for games that were not popular. It just sucks :( anyways thanks for the vids!
Thank you for watching. And yeah, buying back games you used to own can be really painful.
Dude, about 10 years ago, I moved to another state so while I was liquidating a bunch of stuff to lighten the load, I have my GC and all my games to to niece. I was expecting enthusiasm and was met with “meh, OK. Thanks” I sure she doesn’t have the system anymore. I had about a dozen games for it too.
(Punches self in face)
My GC-Loader was the best thing to happen to my GameCube. The Raspberry Pico mod works great as well. No more GameCube pain. I still have several of my original GameCube games but they just sit on the shelf looking pretty nowadays.
I think the current wave of collectors just got to the market too late. The ridiculous price on gamecube is everyone's fault for not supporting Nintendo at the time. I bought my gamecube brand new and all the games I wanted when it was released and was made fun of by all my friends on playstation and xbox. Heck most didn't even know what they were looking at when they saw a gamecube in the flesh. It was rare at the time it was released so was always going to be worth lots and has nothing do with current trends.
If you still want to collect just go for what is not trending. For example Super Nintendo is ridiculous while mega drive owners are giving their stuff away.
@@RetroBirdGaming yeah I sold a lot of my Wii games when I was younger thankfully it's the wii so most of the games I sold weren't rare or something
Collecting has become really hard for many of the consoles I enjoy playing (Turbografx sticks out the most). I have done a couple things to stay invested in the hobby.
1. Downsized certain parts of my collection and reinvested that money into buying games for other systems. For example, Saturn has become too expensive for me, so I have begun selling and using that money to fill out other collections I am more passionate about.
2. Playing the games I already have. Just like you alluded to in the video, sometimes just sitting down and trying to enjoy what you already have can keep your love alive for the hobby and appreciate what you have.
3. Homebrews. I think this is a standout aspect of collecting/playing on retro hardware in the current day. I love supporting, buying and playing so many great homebrew games for many of my favorite consoles. Genesis, Jaguar and Intellivision are getting tons of support to this very day. The cost of purchasing many of these great homebrews also is fair and in line with other modern released games!
I’ve stopped retro collecting a few years back because the prices were just getting out of hand and honestly it’s not even fun anymore , before that I was finding great deals just about everywhere even bought a Virtual boy in the box with three games for $60 . Now I’m just collecting Nintendo switch games like limited run stuff and other companies that print physical copy’s .
I remember Little Samson going for $200 and I thought that was too much
Definitely replaying my old favorites is fun. Fortunately, i have kept all of my favorites through the years which allows me to play through them over and over. I will say, even with all the other options to play these games now (truly incredible), I can attest, there is still nothing like playing originals on the hardware itself.
Yea started collecting in 1996 and so glad I did. No way I could afford my collection at today's prices.
Certainly I don't collect the same way. Old games used to be considered worthless and I would grab them more-or-less indiscriminately just to save them from the trash, and part of the fun was not knowing what I might get. Well, that's not happening any more. But thanks to the internet there's no reason to buy anything without knowing all about it first, anyway. And that's also why there's no bargains any more.
I've mostly focused on collecting consoles and games a lot of people don't care about, so I'm still rolling but most of my actual playing retro games happens on my raspberry pi or PC.
Games are now worth a small fortune, and my mum threw my entrie collection out a few years ago thinking I didn't want them anymore 🤦
Jeez that stings!
Prices of certain genres hurt too. God, it sucks to be a jrpg fan sometimes. I love Chrono trigger and Earthbound, but they are way out of my range.
Looking at prices now, I can confidantly say that I'm very happy with what I have now (I've been collecting for a long time too). At this point I'm ok waiting for the bubble to burst before I buy anything else...and that's going to happen sooner rather than later.
There is no bubble so there won't be a burst.
I agree with you Retro Bird. As a physical 🥈 stacker I started in spring of 2021 when prices were quite high compared to right now... A 5 ozt 🥈 bar I paid $170 for is only about $125-130 so because everything is relative... As a newer 🥈 stacker I'm seeing the current prices as a total bargain while more experienced stackers might not feel the same.
I actually am one of those folks who have bought games for a system I don't own because the price was good. The reasoning being that I already planned to grab the system itself at some point, so why let a good deal pass me by?
There’s always someone that will pay high prices. Either it be because they missed out, want to complete their collection, sold their games early in life and want to buy back or reached a comfortable place in life and has disposable income, etc. I sold off some of my games to buy the next great thing only to rebuy them all back later, thank goodness that was still in the 90’s. Regardless of the reasons prices will go up and there’s always someone that will pay, I have and still do
I collect games that mean something to me, regardless of whether I have the console or not. I'm just really picky so I don't have that many games to begin with.
Great video! This applies to other collectors as well. As someone who has a modest collection of guitars, I wholeheartedly agree with your observations and advice.
Luckily I began collecting before retro games became insanely expensive. Sure I've dropped a pretty penny on games like Conkers bad fur day and Silent Hill 3 but most of my valuable games were pretty reasonable when I got them. Almost my entire GameCube and Dreamcast collection was bought dirt cheap.
I'm mad I didn't buy Silent Hill 3 when it was still affordable. Thankfully I have 1 and 2
@@karimcheese7257 the first 4 are insanely expensive now.
You can get Silent Hill 4 on GOG for less than 10 bucks. Unless you want the physical, thats on you
Was looking up prices for the shantae and the pirate's curse game and it's almost comical what people are asking for online. No way I would buy one game that's ( what they think) the same price as the console you play it on.
You’re in luck if you have a 3DS. There’s a version of the Pirate’s Curse on the Eshop going for 20.00 bucks. You’ll have 2 weeks to download it, but it’s a great way to skirt the issue of it being expensive.
If you think that's bad, then the original Shantae for GBC will make you scream.
I've most definitely had to slow down in part due to the increased prices (which seem to be leveling out if not beginning to drop a little) and additions to my family making it harder to justify the frivolity of collecting.
I've definitely begun taking stock of what I have and arranging it, as well as rearranging and defining the order of my backlog
Honestly what I like doing is learning more about games like the history of their development peoples experiences on working on games is just so interesting to learn about
I don't collect anything myself, but I still watch your channel. Your skits are entertaining!
Thank you for making these videos. Your channel is going to blow up someday soon. Keep up the great work.
It's seriously a hidden gem. His positivity is so refreshing.
Thank you for watching!
@@kevinb1096 unlike so many other channels where politics gets discussed on video games.
Collecting for the Wii has helped me stay away from high prices. And there are so many hidden gems. I consider the wii the very last retro console. The last console to have true CIB games (no patches, dlc etc.). Someday wii games will be worth a lot...but not this day. This day we buy!
The wii? Worst Nintendo Console. Also it's obsolete.
@@tonyp9313 I'd say that goes to the Wii U since it has less games, the Wii at least had a new Zelda and Metroid.
@@tonyp9313 Believe me, I once had your attitude towards the Wii. I sneered at the thought of "Shovelware" and "Waggle". But once I started digging I found a world far richer and more complex than any of the previous Nintendo consoles (including the Gamecube). I won't try to convert you here...but I will say a good rule of thumb is when people are sneering you should be buying. I can 100% guarantee the console and games will be very sought after in 20 years.
@@antiquecardboard I agree with you. I also have a decent wii collection (of games I actually want), and best of all they are affordable today. I also agree that its library is better than the gamecube (at least for my taste), it's true that maybe 85% of the wii library is showelware, but the last 15% are gold to me, lots of interesting, unique and fun titles.
My trick is to buy expensive game to play them. Once I know that I'm done with a game I sell it back. Could be weeks or years later. If I know I won't be playing it for a few years I sell it. That way I can tell myself I was paid 50$ to play panzer Dragoon saga. My game collection is the ebay Library.
The only games I buy are games I actually like to play or something I think looks like something I’d play. That’s why my library is so small. One day I’m going to get a copy of Pokémon Stadium for my N64. I’ve been saying that for close to 10 years now 😂. The price just keeps going up. I go into a game store and I look for it but every time I find it I’m like “maybe next time”. But next time never comes 😂.
Prices are shocking at times as I’m fairly new to collecting. 1.5yr in. Though I’m very, uh , thrifty and will search quite a bit for deals. Both for stretching dollars and like you said an effort to lower the average price over time.
I’ve also been focusing more on Gameboy as they tend to be cheaper.
It’s taken a year, but I finally have both Zelda Oracle games, in good condition for great prices. Was it worth my time? Eh, probably not, but the search was fun.
I recommend using Zip up three ring binders and baseball card sheets for your games. A great system is the Retroad 5 Plus with the GB/GBC Extension Converter from Ali-Express. It works with the Everdrive GB X7 as well and has two wireless controllers. It's on sale right now for $120.00. It's normally $150.00. It has HDMI out for TV use and has different aspect ratios.
I had a dream that I found a pallet of sealed NES games for cheap...then I woke up.
If prices continue to rise, everyone is going to say screw and not buy anything. Then prices will probably drop way down.
I spend more time buying and repairing video games these days but even that market is getting too high.
I had that same dream about goodwill and gba sps with the nice screen. And then in the back they had every Metroid game for any console
What keeps the retro gaming hobby fueling for me is 2 things. First, falling in love with a game that I hadn't even heard of a half hour ago. There's just no better feeling. Second, it's the new way to play old games. I'm talking both rom hacks, as well as enhancements like hd mode 7 and msu1 packs. They keep things interesting
I'm happy with the recent influx of PS1 and Saturn remasters. I also have been having a blast paying $4 a month for NSO. I didn't realize Crystalis was so great.
Your channel is so underrated! This is easily one of the best gaming channels on RUclips. Thanks for your hard work and dedication.
I didn’t intentional collect games. It just happens. I keep what I really like collectible/rare or not.
I'm priced out of owning games for many systems, so I pick a few systems I like (and may be on the cheap side) and then get a flash cart or ODE or fmcb for the rest 8). I still will pick up sentimental games for those systems, ffx for example, but games that won't break the bank, ffx for example.
the high prices arent what bothers me, though that does suck. its the fact that it has become a market with speculation. enthusiasts are not what is driving the prices up it is the people who have made games reselling into a job or "side hustle". these people are worse than ticket scalpers
You have some of the best videos on RUclips
I enjoy a lot of my favorite games I've held on to for all these years. The games I collect now at least have some other options between re-release compilations and sometimes reproduction carts if the original title's price is way too high. I just wish an option like it existed for a lot of the games from the GameCube generation.
I pretty much exclusively play jrpgs, with some outliers here and there. So basically every game that I'm looking for has ridiculously gone up in price.
I used to love going to the local game shop or flea market to see if I could find anything fun. I haven't been able to do that in years.
I've stopped collecting. I will still buy new games I am interested in, but anything retro I've given up on for the time being.
As much as I adore playing on original hardware (and oh yeah I really do), emulation is really the thing to do if you're not into getting physical media.
I do hope this whole thing changes, although I doubt it. In the meantime, I'll be playing through everything I already have now.
Great video RetroBird. I stopped collecting for the most part about 5 years ago. Between Everdrives, ODEs and Hard drive modded consoles, I have full collections on pretty much every classic console I own from NES up to the Wii. Look at it like this, sure it may be up to $250 to get the mod/everedrive/ODE but then you never have to buy another game for that console unless you want to display it on your shelf. Then you can use the extra cash saved to buy more consoles to mod or extra controllers/light guns/peripherals. Sure you can do it all on a Raspberry Pi but you gotta have standards. Playing on real hardware with official controllers is just something to behold. Thanks for yet another affirming video for all us maniac collectors of all types. Now if they would just release an ODE for the Philips CDi... Keep it up Bird!
Yeah, I think ODEs are a great option for those who want to play on original hardware without having to collect individual games. It's reassuring moving forward as well, since we don't really know exactly how long some of these game discs will last.
What's O.D.E?
@@tonyp9313 "Optical Disc Emulator". They're basically a replacement for having games read by a laser (on consoles that use discs) and instead can just be loaded from an SD card.
@@RetroBirdGaming Thank you
To continue to enjoy the hobby these days from an actually-playing standpoint, I heavily rely on flash carts, ODEs and other devices such as the MiSTer. In terms of collecting carts and media for older systems, I have downsized on a lot of things I just don't want to play anymore (and probably never will), selling them and converting that money into games I do want and will hold onto.
I think consolidation is a great tool for collecting. It's basically a win in every way. More space, more money and a more curated collection :)
@@RetroBirdGaming Oh totally. Well.. at least until you fill your shelves entirely with NES and SNES games, but I digress. 😅
I'm an anime VHS collector, and I have at times felt "priced out", but there are ways to enjoy the hobby, like watching my backlog over again, talking to others about what I have and sometimes building a report with other collectors who happen to sell and like you enough who will throw you a bone and vise versa. Like sure, I skipped the boat on getting Berserk, Legend of Black Heaven and a few other titles that seem unattainable, but with collecting anything, it always comes full circle. Great video and insight!
One way I like to enjoy my games is by sending my PS4 away for a repair and paying $150 for it and getting it back with the USB ports on the front still not working! Good times. At least they cleared everything off my hard drive, did shoddy work and created some cosmetic damage in the form of broken plastic by said USB ports. You know, looking on the bright side....
I always been priced out of collecting back then, but now it's happening less because I have less utilities to pay. In truth I have to control how many games I can fit on the shelf and that also goes for consoles as well. Plus I'm a picky game collector and that means I don't want every game for the consoles I have. I just get games that catches my eye ,played the demo or I borrowed from a friend years ago.
I’ve managed to get mostly everything I hope to own one day… I still like getting great old
Games even if they weren’t on my short list.
I watch a lot of RUclips content that inspires me to get some games I missed or under appreciated from my childhood that are defiantly worth taking a look at.
Problem is… I’m a CIB collector and when I see a game like Lone Ranger get reviewed.. and I think… why didn’t I ever give this game a try, it looks like a lot of fun… let’s see how much it goes for…….woooooh, $175?! Maybe I’ll skip that one!
I feel you but yeah sometimes just the RUclips video of a game is cool for me. Sometimes even when you obtain the game you don't even feel relieved you have it after the initial thrill of the purchase wears off
I feel like people only salivate over obtaining a game due to the value and not because they would enjoy it in a lot of cases.
Think of a game like say 🤔 Second site on the OG Xbox. Its a great game but its only $12 but if I feel it was around $120 then people would want it 😄
Yeah, the CIB thing throws a wet towel on the fun. If you pick up a game, but then you aren’t even willing to open it up to play it…seems like waste on many levels.
@@totallyfrozen that’s why I don’t worry about impeccable condition. I don’t want to baby a game or system instead of playing it, though I prefer complete just for the history of it.
@@totallyfrozen You can still play a CIB game. I just love reading the manuals and appreciating all the artwork. Many games, particularly NES games… you would struggle getting anywhere without the manual. Before the internet, you just had what was in the game pak and whatever your friends figured out.
_How can I like this video more than once?_
👍✨
RUclips won't let me.
You can find creative solutions or side hustles to pay for those bigger ticket games, but yeah, $100+ for *any* game can be a tough pill to swallow, regardless of how good it is
Mine is to slowly save on the side for big priced titles I need instead of dropping big bucks at once
@@onehardtosolvekase6670 I tend to accumulate a bunch of lower and mid priced games that I get super cheap from thrift stores /garage sales / pawn shops and trade them in at the lgs for those more expensive games
I’m relatively new to video game collecting. While I have a modest collection from just holding to games that I’ve gotten over the years, I’ve recently started buying games that I never got to play while growing up or games that did slip through the cracks to GameStop trade in solely because I didn’t have any other way of buying a newer game. When asking myself what games I want to collect, I decided to take a less approached route (well one that I don’t see often anyway). I decided to cut out cartridge based (home) consoles entirely. The earliest memories I have of gaming are ultimately with the GameCube. Needless to say, that’s a pretty big bullet to bite within itself so to ease the pain I decided to start from there. While there are many titles I enjoy from N64 and beyond going backwards, it just doesn’t make sense to bother with those libraries when they are the absolute easiest to emulate if I get desperate (I don’t emulate but I’m at ease knowing the option is there). However most of the games that are worth playing from older systems have found there way to modern platforms. Wether it’s physical or digital (physical is preferred and I only buy digital if it will save me A LOT of dough), I only care about having access to the games I want to play over ensuring I have the original print or method of playing. A recent example is 3D Zelda. Between my 3DS and Wii U, I was able to successfully buy every game in that series without breaking the bank. None of which are digital either! The Metroid Prime Trilogy is a good example of something I would rather spend $20 now to digital experience than bother with the $1-200 prices I’ve seen. I have a love/hate relationship with Nintendo at the moment but at the end of the day (for now anyway and I dread March next year), I’m able to access the games I want to play and about 90% of them I am able to get on my shelf so I can fall asleep knowing that if I wanted to grope their spines… I can. ❤️
I have a perfect cart only Little Samson. I've been offered to sell it many time but, it was bought by myself and my late friend and I got it from his brother after his passing. I don't play it that often but, based on it meaning a lot to me I just can't sell it.
In that case, I'd say its value doesn't come from its resale value at all. I love little stories like this. Thank you for sharing.
I finished my game collection, but am currently thinking of completing it.
Thank you for letting us remind of the things said in this video :)
The Horror of Internet has priced out a lot of games. At stores you don't see big prices because they see the customer face to face. Just like multi gaming with 4 players you all treated each other with respect as once again your face to face. Now comes internet with multi player & you have no idea who you are playing with so respecting each other is out the door. I doubt that same person would say that to a another person face to face. With that said, so is how pricing games. If you can not see your customers prices go up too! The downside to no more face to face interaction :(
I’ve been collecting for over 10 years and I basically stopped about a year ago because of the outrageous rise in prices.
Responding to the title before watching the video: Yes I have
I still don't know how you don't have more subscribers. It is so refreshing to have such a wholesome content provider. Great topic.
Thank you. I appreciate the compliments and am glad that you enjoyed this topic :)
I'm impressed that you have Puzzle entertainment pack.
Keep up with the top tier content!
I discovered something a few weeks ago and it still is blowing my mind. Game prices didn’t go up bc of gamers, they went up bc investors who don’t care about games and don’t play games manipulated the market so that they could make a profit.
Look up Wata Games lawsuit. It’s huge.
I get it, ive been collecting sence around 2008 and i keep the prices on my games to remind myself how high things have been getting
My solution has just been to buy each console and load it up with every exclusive game rom or iso that console had. That way, the only physical games I buy are the ones I really want/am nostalgic for.
A local used game store is currently selling loose copies of Super Mario 64 for $70-75, there's a huge portion of the retro market where the main goal is to get one over on someone. I have set my limit at $100 for one game but it's still important to look out for things like this.. nostalgia is a powerful thing and it speaks in dollar bills.
+Joesph Piedmonte
$100 used to be my limit too; now, I don't have a limit due to it looks like we are in the beginning stages of hyperinflation. With all the money printing with the stimulus checks the dollar is become more and more worth less. It's better to spend it, preferably on assets: gold, silver, canned food, survival supplies, guns, etc; because the longer you hold it, the more it loses it's value (i.e. higher prices on things), until it reaches it's intrinsic value of zero.
I've been collecting since the 90s, but once it left the garage sale and flea market eras I was over it. It's too expensive for what it's worth. I'll still add to my collection if I find a really good read, otherwise forget it. Only games that are important to me are worth the price these days.
I've been focusing on hitting the backlog while there's a bit of a lull in game purchasing. Really appreciate you breaking out the original ps1 controller!
In 2020 I bought a replacement copy of Ogre Battle for SNES because my cat had chewed up the box for my original copy. I paid $200 and it came with the manual and 1 of 2 folded inserts which I didn't have for my original. Now the cartridge alone is worth $300. I'm glad I got it when I did because there's no way I would pay prices like that.
Every day I look at my games and think I should sell up because the cost of nostalgia is high. And every day I hurt at the thought of not having all these rare titles in my collection 😅
The "Half-Priced" book / thrift store by my house has eBay(+) pricing for all game related stuff. They wanted over $300 for a scuffed-up 3DS. There are no deals to be had any longer.
Living in all kind of gaming worlds, Retro and modern, console and PC, I've found a healthy solution to avoid that "priced out" feeling.
I gave myself a budget and looking more forward to buy games I like and are in a for me comfortable price range. Due to my job, my free time is limited and playing a game like Elden Ring took me a very long time to complete. Then there's the fact that I already have a good collection. When especially retro games are recommended, I take a look on all known marketplaces. If the price is in my "OK" price range then I pick it up. If not, well then I still have a bunch of games I can enjoy. There are games like Rocket League, Final Fight, Zelda OOT or Indie games I could always play. GamePass and similar subscription services and Steam help saving money, too and trying out new stuff.
Well, and then there are my other passions, music, photography. That are my keys for still enjoying games, especially those I have.
Great vid and topic, for games that are beyond what's a comfortable price point sometimes I'll just say up. When that's not happening though attacking the backlog, organizing/decorating my game room, or getting some family gaming in is generally on the agenda.
I was lucky to get a lot of stuff in the late 2000s and early 2010s when collecting retro games wasn't super cool or a "proffesional" thing.
I remember when you could get 8 a 16 bits cartridges for a few bucks because it was "old" and nobody wanted them.
now I wouldn't be able to afford them. I'm lucky I could get lots of games I used to rent but didn't own in the 80s and 90s.
Excellent video. I wish more people were as level headed as you (not just in gaming, but in day to day life). I've just finished cataloguing my collection, so that was a form of enjoyment (read: difficult menial task). What I have found myself doing recently is parting ways with small handfuls of games or consoles to people in the neighbourhood with kids who like retro gaming - I do so at a less than market price so they can enjoy it. Then I'll spend the next few months looking for the bargains to get them back hahaha
This is pretty spot on. I had a breaking point when trying to obtain Persona 2 on PS1 and the best offer I saw was $350 at some game store and was like "I'll wait." But the wait just got longer and longer until 1 year, 2 years have passed. Then I saw an ebay listing for the game at $350... I bought it. I never want to contribute to rising prices which is why I'm always careful about buying from retro stores, in fact, I rarely go to retro stores except for a few nowadays because they all have this tendency to overprice niche games by like $10 when I can get the game for less including shipping any day of the week. Pricing sucks.
I enjoy the hobby despite the high prices, by using my tears to polish the few games I have already purchased.
Ive experienced this with action figures. Between price hikes, shotty releases, artificial scarcity, scalping, and exclusivity it stopped being fun so I cashed out and left.
There will always be a market for retro gaming. It only makes sense for prices to go up when games are 30 going on 40 years old. But i think social media hasn't helped because there are so many cool accounts showcasing their collections and now i want one of those square sony crt tvs!
For certain games with prices that rise out of reasonableness, if I see it for sale for a price that I don't believe it will ever go down to instead, I may just bite the bullet. Prime example, right around the time prices for Gotcha Force jumped again, my local store still had it priced at $500. It's outrageous, but it was a clean complete copy and I knew I'd probably never see it that low again, and I bit the bullet and paid the $500.
I think we as collectors get into the habit of buying multiple games in a row before actually playing the games 1 by 1, that's pretty much what happened to me with the SNES, but I've learned from that experience. So now even if a game is expensive it doesn't hurt my wallet as much. As for emulators I've used those as demos for games that I'm not sure if I'll like them, before making a decision on buying the physical version. Playing these games on their original hardware is definitely the best experience, but I can't blame anyone for sticking only with emulators.
One of the most painful parts for me has been accepting that complete collections of consoles, even those with libraries as small as something like the N64, is becoming almost impossible, now. I had always wanted to pick up a bunch of different N64 funtastic consoles, for instance, but it's become hard to even find listings of N64 funtastic consoles on Ebay in the first place, let alone in decent condition. Heck, even some 3DS games are becoming increasingly difficult to find, on top of the already high prices, like Kirby Robobot, even if there's several "World Edition" copies. It's one thing for prices to be too high; it's another for the listings to no longer exist in the first place.
I would also say it an instance of being born in the right time because my nephews wanted to pursue the hobby inspired by me but with retro prices being more than half their paychecks plus they were little kids back in the 2010s they were quickly discouraged and left the hobby and so did I.....
Great video! This definitely rings true. Luckily, I kept a bunch of older games and don't plan on selling them. I used to collect for the Sega Saturn about a decade ago and, even then, those game prices kept steadily increasing. The prices now for most Saturn North American games are a bit insane. The thing is, I fear the prices for many retro games will keep increasing as these games are no longer produced and eventually the physical medium will wear out (cartridge, CD etc.)
I actually like when companies have re-releases, compilations, and remasters as I no longer have the room for a CRT or to hook up every old system, so I appreciate being able to play retro games on modern hardware. To answer your question, I focus on playing the games I own and chip away at my backlog. I know I will never have all the time to play every game I want, so I focus mainly on games I _really_ want to play. Otherwise, if you keep thinking about the next game you want to play, you won't enjoy the game(s) you are currently playing and it may even feel like a chore.
Best advice I can give is this: save up. If you’re someone willing to pull the trigger on an expensive game: wait. Instead see if you can find a collector who wants to part with multiple games, including ones you want.
When you’re willing to spend more upfront, you can get better deals on each game individually. At least, that’s how us retro stores do it. Use the extra games to trade or sell and you’ll come out ahead. This does mean spending EVEN MORE, and I understand if people aren’t interested in that or the extra work involved, but it’s a proven strategy.
People always need cash. But they don’t always need video games (sacrilegious, I know.)
yes. i noped out of collecting all NTSCU saturn games. still focusing on a full dreamcast and wii u collection though. any other system i just buy whatever i feel like.
I just save up for the heavies. I'll pass on commons I kinda want until I'm able to purchase that grail I've been eyeing.
I still find stuff at swap meets and thrift shops. I also buy backups for Dreamcast and everdrives for Genesis, nes, snes, n64. I only buy the ones I really want for GameCube. It helps I don’t drink or smoke anything so I use that cash on my video game high. I also buy games and systems cheap and sell or trade in and get money for games that way too.
Once a game I really want starts going into the $300-$400+ zone I’m officially priced out lol. Not that I’m looking to pay 100+ on everything but I’ve bit the bullet a few times if I know the game is rare to find in such a condition & the prices will only continue to rise. I’ve slowed down on my collecting retro a lot as of recently because I got most of the more important things on my list & the hobby is expensive nevertheless so I recently shifted my focus to my other hobby skateboarding while also playing the games I have until prices calm down enough where I can finish my collection.
im glad i collected early and when i checked their current prices, i couldn’t even fathom paying those ridiculous prices for what i usually paid for. im a castlevania game collector too and they pretty much pricey especially if they are CIB