Is Retro Game Collecting Worth The Sticker Price? (VLOG While Gaming)
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- Опубликовано: 25 фев 2023
- Playing some Demon Front arcade while I think about how pricing has affected the physical game (especially retro game) collecting market nowadays. Will there come a point where the prices become so exorbitant that we see another video game crash? A lot of things to ponder...
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The retro game increases is because the modern game industry is extremely anti consumer. Most retro gamers I know prefer it because the games are physical and not digital. It’s yours forever. That’s important.
I totally agree. I as much as others also prefer the physical copy of media over the digital format. I understand that having a console with hundreds of games downloaded on it can be extremely handy when traveling or for entertainment purposes but yeah, physical media still has more advantages in my opinion.
@@lukemorse1 Yup. Physical forever.
I’m a retro gamer and I could care less if my games are physical or not.
If you would have told my 8 year old self that there would one day be a device that could play every game from the last 20 years off the internal storage, i would never bought another cart for the rest of my life.
There’s been a line in the sand drawn. Those who want stuff, those who want to game.
Physical doesn’t last forever, disc rot is a thing. Disc laser dying is a thing. Roms on the Mister FPGA on the other hand is forever.
@@user-yk1cw8im4h Chips die (especially if you don't regulate their environment) but it can be much slower than a disc.
Mentioning Hard Off is such a nostalgia trip, loved those videos you made of that place. Given how prices have gotten crazy with stuff like this, it's no wonder why it's not worth checking up on places like that anymore. Either way the videos you have of the Hard Off are still fun to watch and remember a time when gaming and the internet had a sense of wonder to it all.
Though I am content with what I was able to collect physically over the years, I have settled with emulation for most of my retro gaming nowadays. I mean most of the Turbografx 16/PC Engine stuff is difficult to collect let alone the CD games. Personally, I teared up when I got Gate of Thunder running on emulation because I thought I would never get to experience that game. So yeah, emulation does serve it's purpose and I'm thankful to at least have that to play retro games.
When it comes to new games I play them on PC, and they are mostly Indie titles. I my opinion, I feel like a lot of "Modern AAA" games have become creatively stagnant that I rarely get a new title from big publishers. I think the last one I bought at release was Elden Ring, so that's how out of the loop for AAA games I am. But when it comes to Indie games: The Forest series , 20XX and 30XX, Bloodstained series, 7 Days to Die, Raft, Stardew Valley, Blasphemous, Hades, and tons more I can't recall at the moment.
I will say too, this discussion reminds me of Happy Console Gamer's video about retro game collecting. I think that was about a year ago, but a lot of what he and Rob talked about then is still relevant today. But yeah, retro collecting was fun while it was available. That's why I've shifted to PC gaming more or less.
Fantastic points there! As you mentioned, if you remember the HardOff videos from back in the day, you could see me picking up almost any game for $1 and that was including consoles as well. The most expensive stuff there was more of the newer systems but even then, they were going for $50 or so? I mentioned this before but maybe it was just too good when I was there compared to now. I see other people going to HardOff and picking up games (most of the ones I picked up years ago) but they are $10 or similar. That is still a good price dont get me wrong but the HardOff I remember was a place to go in, find a huge selection of great stuff for cheap and walk away feeling like you really got a bargain. I think the most I ever spent there was $300? maybe and that was enough to fill up my entire car with games and consoles. The good old days. I, much like you, also loooove the indie scene. Bloodstained, Blasphemous, The Messenger, etc were amazing games. They take gaming to places that we dont see from other gaming companies (names not mentioned) because they dont want to risk wasting money on a "possibility". Everyone from gaming to movies, music etc is taking the "guaranteed road to riches" and avoiding the path less traveled. I get it but its boring. I must have missed HGC's vid on this topic but if he made one already, there is no doubt he covered all of these points already. Thanks for taking the time to watch the vid and comment though. I think Ive written too much here as it stands lol.
I'm basically priced out of collecting retro. I couldn't afford to rebuy my collection in today's market. It's a lot of installing hard drives , or burning Saturn games now. I focus on collecting switch games now, however I'm kinda burned out on " modern games and it's industry". You are amazing, I love your stuff and everything you do! Talking about old Hard off videos is a walk down memory lane!
I hear you loud and clear. Selling off the collection as you mentioned and then buying it back would be literally impossible. I still think the idea of burning games to physical media is neat like the Dreamcast, Saturn, etc. Always fun to hear that laser moving back and forth. Im also quite burned out on the modern games. I dont hate them at all but I feel there is a lot of redundancy compared to the past. Luckily the indie devs make a lot of great content that I still enjoy. I really appreciate the kind words and the support. Hard Off was definitely a lot of fun back in the day but they have joined the retro pricing bandwagon and its not as fun to shop as it used to be.
@@lukemorse1 i agree 100%. i am in the same boat, although i play some modern games here and there, hate it when i have to constantly update and wait so long to be able to play a quick game. owning few thousand games across multiple consoles and owning backups of everything. i am just questioning why keep all the originals, maybe just sell it!!!
This day and age I feel sorry for anyone who wants to get into retro collecting. It’s hard to start a collection with a couple of hundred bucks when one game itself it worth a couple of hundred bucks.
Love to see you are still playing brother
✊
Miss your vids 😢
Hey Joel, always great to hear from you man. You would be an expert in this area for sure. Definitely picking up a collection now takes a lot more work and a couple hundred bucks might totally limit your selection. Hope you are doing well man and still playing here when time permits, wishing you the same brother!
When I decided to start "Retro Collecting" I had the planed to collect for many systems, but things were going up and I didn't have the room. I have a good selection of the common consoles, several Sega consoles, SNES, Neo Geo (cmvs), CoreGrafx and a number of 8/16bit home computers. For those I will use SD carts or other means to play games on the real hardware. For now, I have focused on just collecting for the Sega Mega Drive, as this is the console of my youth. Even guying games I didn't own, there is still the nostalgia of my friends having it or seeing it in magazines or it being a possible choice of purchase the couple of times a year I had the money for a new game.
As I have been collecting off and on for over 10 years. I have noticed a big increase in the past 2 years. Games which would have cost £20 now costs £40. Games which were £100 are now £200+. I know people are getting angry but it is our passion which is driving up the prices.
Back in the 90s these games sold for £40. Adjusting for inflation that's over £80 in today's money. That means the vast majority of the games that you can still get, are still a lot cheaper than the original price. Yes, I wish games where as cheap as they were 10 years ago. Alien Soldier for £40 instead of £450? Yes please..... But for me, I view it as 90% of these games are still cheaper than its release. I am fortunate enough to have bought a couple of games for cheap compared to now, for example Ranger X for £10 while now its £100.
For now, I being very picky about buying the expensive games, only getting the ones which I really want and getting them for special occasions. I recently got Mega Turrican for Christmas which is a BRILLIANT game. I have also been going on ebay and getting good quality fodder, the things still going for £10 or so. These are the games which will soon start to creep up.
I'm excited to hear you thoughts on this topic Luke! Also, is there any chance we could get an updated room/house tour? I would love to see what kind of state the room is in at the moment. I remember the last one was in 2017 or 2018 or something and it was crazy haha. I hope you've been well man! Take care!
Thanks for the kind words. Just some of my thoughts here but yeah, just wanted to add my two cents. As far as game room tours etc, Ive seen that they seem to have a negative effect on some people like "Why do you have so many ...?" or "Do you really need...?" , things like that so I try to avoid those vids anymore. Hope you are doing well too and thanks again for checking the vid!
@@lukemorse1 I've been well, thanks! Yeah I guess you're right about that, people always will find something to complain about even if all you're trying to do is share the simple love of video games. Have you been to Hard Off since that last video? It seems like the prices at some locations are getting a bit higher than ideal, especially in Tokyo. Still though, nothing beats searching the junk for some treasure or like when you found that AES with the controller for 8,000 yen or whatever it was. Good times!
Over here in my area (a capital city in the middle of nowhere in Mexico), you can expect to find games everyone already has and shovelware. Even the shovelware can be expensive.
Part of this is why I'm working to turn my Wii U into "the" legacy system of my collection with its Virtual Console selection before its eShop closes on late March. Anything I cannot get there will be acquired on Switch, as long as it's available there.
The games that tend to be the most expensive and also the ones in the worst conditions around here are Gamecube games. Most of the time you find them (if you can even find them) missing the manual or it's just a scratched loose disc.
On the other hand, what you can find a lot are games for NES, SNES, N64, Wii, PS2 and PS3, weirdly not a lot of Xbox 360 these days.
At this point, it's better if I wait until I visit my sister and take a look at the second-hand stores in her city. A couple of years ago I was lucky to find there complete copies of Ocarina of Time GC and Zelda Collector's Edition for about $40 each when people in my city sell them for about $60 for a loose disc.
Sorry about that long rant, I hope you're doing great. Greetings from Mexico.
Not a long rant at all and its fascinating to hear about all of the differences around the world, and in your case, in Mexico. Really wild to think that NES, SNES, N64, Wii, PS2 and PS3,etc are readily available yet the 360 games arent. I think there were a lot of great games on the Wii U so collecting for that is a cool idea. Hopefully you can grab some great games when you go to see your sister at some good deals! Take it easy and thanks for sharing
I came to the realisation a year or two ago that I wasn't playing 90% of what I was buying and it wasn't worth paying the premium for that stuff I ended up selling off most of my collection because of that - it was too much money to just be sitting around for me. I find now that the middle ground for me is spending a little bit extra on a system that I know works and that I know i'll play, and then paying for an Everdrive or something similar to play the games I want to play.
That right there is a great idea for sure. If you have a system that you're really passionate about and you want to stick to it, that makes a lot of sense. The Everdrive as well as other flash drives have made gaming on original hardware a wonderful tool especially with new homebrew games still being made. Thanks for sharing!
It's a seller's market nowadays Luke, older game stuff always been rare and desirable, especially arcadey or limited release stuff. PCE games are also getting crazy money too.
Least if you need the cash you can let a few go, I have done this myself past couple of years tbh.
I've pretty much stopped buying games nowadays completely, am just enjoying playing what I got, digital only stuff don't interest me.
Think all old physical games are overpriced nowadays unless it's sports stuff.
The last retro game I got was MVS Shocktroopers in 2020, happy to get it for under £80.
Loving the videos, great to hear you chatting about games buddy.
Keep enjoying the games dude, can't beat the feeling of popping a genuine cart disc in a original console and playing some of that ✌️
Everything about this was spot on! I have seen those games, especially the PCE and Neo stuff skyrocket here. Even games like Samurai Showdown 2 are fetching $100 or so. I have also sold extras of games to make a little extra cash over the years and the digital only for me is if it has a digital only release. That is an awesome price for shocktroopers as well! lucky man. I cant do the gaming and chatting as well as you can but it really is fun and I can see why you do it. Thanks as always and will continue to pop that in and play some of that whenever and where ever I can!
@@lukemorse1 😎👍
I bought many of the retro gamesin my collection before prices shot way up. You are right prices for some games are just way high. Due to soaring prices i have been getting re-release on Switch or wait for deals on originals.
Always a joy to hear enthusiasm about retro video games.Great video Luke.
I'm so thankful you still make videos! Hope you are doing well!
I started collecting with the n64 in the late 2000s and I always put the beginning to the end in 2015. That was when I noticed nes,snes,n64 jumping a lot in price and by 2017 I couldn't find anything good at pawn shops accept xbox/ps2 games which I made sure to start picking up more of those. Retro collecting was near death when the pandemic hit and that was the final blow. I can't believe the price of most games when I take a look online...where is all this money coming from? Who's buying this stuff?
Exactly! you hit the nail on the head there. I think the pandemic shifted things or changed the size of the wave we see now. I also cannot believe the prices that things go for now and the only way to play them is via emulation or watching videos of others playing them. I think that the money may be coming from other things that people traditionally collected like antiques or cars or other high end items. Game collecting now is something of a high class hobby it seems. Really difficult to understand though. Thanks for the comments and good to hear your side of things.
I think it depends on the perspective you approach it from. As someone who lives in Australia I find the prices of retro stuff in Japan to be incredibly cheap whenever I'm there compared to at home. That said I do find it kind of frustrating that games and consoles that would have been e-waste had it not been for the boom in retro collection are going to hundreds and sometimes thousands of dollars. I guess my overall thoughts are that, like most things, the bubble will inevitably burst and the value will plummet on a lot of this stuff, the question is when and where exactly on the trajectory we even are.
You are right as far as some of the retro stuff in Japan goes. Most of that is due to space restrictions in homes here, the general dislike of "used" products by most Japanese people, and compatibility issues with current hardware like newer TVs etc. A lot of the price increases here arent necessarily caused by the local people, but from buyers around the world who want to get some of these games for much cheaper than places like ebay. The games that are and have always been valuable will stay valuable but some of the other games you can find here and there in the bargain bin. The bubble will eventually burst like you said and it will be interesting to see what happens afterward. Thanks for sharing.
My guess is the bubble bursts when people born in the 80s and 90s regularly die. The number of kids getting into NES, Sega Genesis, SNES, etc. is far less than those interested in Switch, PS5, XBox-whatever-they-call-it. The only thing that would keep the market high is people investing in games like stocks similar to how people invest in old comics and cards. Even then, the RAW prices for key issues remain high, but the graded books are those that see gains.
I guess I’m content with what I have right now. Physical copies of my all time favs, ODE and Flashcart for every system. Yes there’s some titles I would like to have physical but if I'm not finding it out in the wild for cheap or trading in things I don’t want for it, I’m good now. Just got me a X68000 with a scsisd installed and having fun with that Thanks to your back catalog of videos. 😀 Been following you a long time now and funny how time is flying and things have changed. I used to love buying from Japan before the pandemic not so fun now. Peace.
I'm out of the retro collecting game for now and probably for good. Almost impossible to find bargains anymore. Most of my old consoles are just sitting in a closet; I play almost all my retro games with a MiSTer FPGA on a CRT. That piece of hardware is a godsend for retro gamers and game preservation.
This is what the trend has become recently and it is really easy to understand. The good point to hopefully look forward to is that if this trend continues, you might be able to retire once in the future once you sell them off lol. Cool that you have other alternatives to play your games and thanks for checking the vid out.
Market distortion and financialisation of all types of collecting has made it hard for prices to drop even in a downmarket so I think we're just stuck with these things being expensive. I think most consumer products since, say, Y2K have gotten quite cheap and commoditised to the point they're unlikely to supplant older things like they usually do when demographics of collectors change.
I'm just glad that FPGA has come along because emulation is fine but the input delay was hard to get around, particularly for arcade games. The only problem I see is CRT's will become super hard to find without paying a couple of grand.
A few months ago I was going through my collection of arcade boards and thinking that I was lucky to buy so many boards for much more reasonable prices when I did and have such a large collection today. For example, I probably paid around $60-$80 for my SF2 World Warrior board. Now that board will run you at least $200-$250 just as a starting price.
Listening to this I know exactly where you are coming from and there is no way you could pick up a SF2 board for that price again unless the C board was dead and it was only that and the B board. Having those games you wanted and were able to pick up when you could does make it rewarding when you see what they are going for now. Thanks for sharing!
I happened to wrap up my retro list around the time when prices really spiked. Aside from the random oddity, like the PAL King of Fighters for Saturn, I'm good. I'm actually looking to sell the few arcade bits I have, mainly CPS2 (X-Men: COTA and Street Fighter Alpha 1, and possibly 2 and 3) and ST-V, since I don't really have the time or ability to keep them up properly. That and whatever takes up a lot of physical space, like limited editions or flight sticks. I just wouldn't pay current prices. I saw Sega Ages is going for nearly $1,000, but I bought it about four years back for $65 or so. I just can't justify those kinds of prices. I also can't bring myself to sell my retro stuff because I like it so much, but pretty much anything PS3/360 and up is on the list, and those have been selling well.
The giant PANDA rampaging around the globe had a major effect on prices. It was all the "free" money injected into the economy.
I still do my best to bargain hunt, but I have increasingly gotten into flash-cartridges and things like ODE's these days.
I am pretty bummed that I never stocked up on anything Game Boy Color back when they were total bargain bin, but I still look around a little.
Still some wins to be found on junk lots or things for parts, but it's rougher than ever.
Thanks so much for your vids!
Nothing wrong with flash carts at all and that is cool to know. I can understand about the gameboy stuff as that has been the newest target for price hikes. Im not sure why but like you said, if you are able to come across some good deals on the color carts, scoop them up while you can. I know the struggle to pick up ones in good condition is really difficult but hope you can find a couple "cosmetically flawed" ones that are reasonably priced! thanks for the comment and for checking the vids!
@@lukemorse1 I can't help but always keep an eye for stuff I like and want. Being able to repair, mod, and preserve my games/systems has always been a big thing for me, but missing the boat on things like PCE and Saturn means an everdrive/ODE is probably my best non-emu option if I ever want to have money, haha. I am glad so many options exist these days, which does stave off some of the sadness from missing the old days of easier collecting.
But, I still find games and good picks every now and then, and can't help but lean towards original hardware.
Loosey GBC is still cheap. Very few GBC carts loose are $100+
There are so many good flash carts nobody should complain about "being priced out" of retro gaming. You can play perfect copies of all of this stuff even most of the arcade stuff with superguns and darksoft carts/boards. Nobody needs to collect all this plastic, its the 1s and 0s that are the real value imo. The HARDWARE is the real collectible, get all your consoles and flash carts and you have the best collection on the planet. Megaman X3, or a flash cart that plays every single game ever made perfectly? tough choice.
I think the flash carts are amazing. Like you mentioned, the Darksoft multi's, Everdrive, etc are wonderful. If you are interested in playing the games and enjoying them the way they originally were intended, this is the best way to go. The hardware like you mentioned is definitely a huge key factor and I totally agree. Thanks for sharing.
Collecting now SUCKS! sadly I had to sell a huge amount of my stuff for to life emergency about 6 years ago, and after I sold, boom the market skyrockets. Double the pain because not only did I have to sell, bit now I can't afford to buy back what I sold. I also kick myself for not snagging games I had my eye on, but decided against.
I sold a complete soul silver for 40 back then, but I just recently reaquired the cartridge alone, but I'm happy to even get that, same with crystal.
I still rarely find an unbelievable deal though. Last year I found mgs twin snakes for 5$!
Keep up the hunt!
Hiya Luke, glad to see you are still gaming. Yeah these days games on the popular consoles (SNES, MD, NES etc) is getting expensive. Even at Flea markets and Thrift stores, they use ebay or other tools as a metric so getting the cheap bargains are long gone. Also it is very hard to find decent titles since there are resellers hunting and other collectors, competition is stiff. I am very glad that I started my collection early so that I have a decent collection. So these days I mainly buy current generation games and games from the generation that is being phased out (PS3, PS4, Wii, XBox 360). Prices have not skyrocketed yet on those systems. I don't think there will be a video game crash as that idea was mentioned over 10 years ago. What will be interesting is if the gaming companies will entirely shift from physical media to only digital, then that might be my stopping point.
I've sold off my collection. I kept atari 2600 and 7800 as I have much nostalgia for them and find the games fit my time constraints. In my area Atari systems can sell for $200 plus, games are $1 to $3 dollars though. A armful of high quality games can be had for a $20.
That is a really neat story there. The nostalgia of the Atari I can totally relate to. That is crazy that the system goes for that much compared to the games. I suppose its just a matter of time before the prices of the games goes up, hopefully not though. Great story and hope you are still enjoying those classics when you can!
I got lucky and pretty much completed my collection. Everything I want from PS1 and Saturn. Around half of what I'd want for the SNES. Still on the lookout, but not as much as before.
Awesome stuff! really nice when you are able to finish off a collection that you wanted to and PS1/Saturn had some great titile! The snes as well, one of my favs. Hopefully you are able to pick up a few more good games this year at some nice prices!
I got a MiSTer in late 2019. It impressed me so much that I decided to sell off my entire collection which included my childhood games and systems as well as everything I'd collected after that. Don't regret the decision at all. With prices this high, it's time to get out.
There's only a few consoles I actually collect for now and it's difficult obtaining anything that's even in good shape without paying insane prices. I wont pay the high prices because no game is worth hundreds of dollars to be honest. The odd time I'll get lucky still and find a good deal so that's what I hope for going forward if the prices stay the same way. Consoles that I've stopped collecting for I just play the games on a flash cart and i'm fine with that.
That makes perfect sense. For me personally Ive always gone for the "gamer condition" games versus the "pristine" ones. They were easier to get, a lot cheaper, and you never worried about putting them in your console. The really nice looking games were like "do I really want to risk scratching it"? lol. Great story and interesting to hear!
Luke I'm super glad you're still uploading videos! Will you plan to do any Japan related vlog anytime soon?
Thanks!
- Peter Schoon
I do think the Retro Gaming bubble will eventually bust. We have reached prices where people aren’t willing to pay, which for any market, something is only worth what someone is willing to pay. I love projects like OpenFPGA / Mister which allow people to obtain these old games without paying the ransom.
Many people are going the fpga/multi cart/flash drive route and it is exactly because of what you said. I understand that people like Logan Paul may be able to sport a million dollar rare pokemon card necklace however the rest of the gaming world isnt as fortunate. Thanks for sharing!
The MiSTer prices are going up too though & sometimes can be hard to get. Chip shortage & all. Still a way cheaper & arguably superior way to play many old games. I love my MiSTer (& the RetroPie isn't bad either).
I’m not sure I agree with you. Just go and look at sold listings on eBay. People are paying the crazy prices.
@@lukemorse1 It’s not just about prices though. Take someone like Metal Jesus Rocks. He owns all those physical video games and yet, he used flash carts all the time. Why? Because it’s just easier to get gaming.
Physical games have no practical benefit. They are just for people who like stuff. The same kind of people who collect children’s toys and model trains.
They were saying bubble was gonna burst in 2011 when Bubble Bobble 2 was $80-120. What could happen is that people start devaluing unsealed content as much. I look at the comic market as the example RAW key issues still sell high, but graded sell for a lot more.
When I got into arcade collecting in the mid 90s, I thought prices were too low. I don't think spending hundreds now on a pcb that cost 1000s new then, is outrageous, but as you said it's not a lot of fun anymore. I think prices will go back down as nostalgia wears off and collectors get too old to keep this stuff going. I could be wrong. :)
Haha, I agree that some of those old boards were too cheap but when we look at how the neo geo aes did a complete 180 over what used to be expensive mvs carts its really interesting to see. Old arcade boards were considered more of e-waste than an investment and I believe that they were thought to be a consumable item back in the day which is why we find them in all states of disrepair. Similar to old consoles when they have lost popularity. Start off at $200 but 5 years later you can pick them up for $5, then 10 years later you pay $300 lol. I totally agree that it isnt very fun to collect that much anymore. If it werent for the TNT Amusement bargain basement chances, decent deals would happen even less. The fact that you yourself help continue to make these older games playable is also a feat to be proud of. Your adapters really do breathe new life into old boards so thank you man!
@@lukemorse1 Heh.. yeah for sure... :). Thanks for the encouragment. It really means a lot coming from you. You know I'm a big fan! :)
Yeah I've noticed Ebay prices have gone through the roof! Even consoles are now completely crazy. I struggled to find a Sega Saturn for less than 200 dollars on Ebay. The digital route was the only way I could get back into retro gaming, either through RetroArch & MAME and picking up digital re-releases on Steam etc. I recently got Final Fantasy VII from steam for £9.99 which is very reasonable for a game with so much gameplay and it's super convenient to be able to instantly purchase games and run them on my laptop whenever I want.
Old stuff gets harder to find. Old stuff found may need refurbishing. It's understandable about Saturns. They didn't sell as much as the NES. They are way more complicated and more things break down. If you want Saturn games without emulation, make the investment and then get a Pseudo Saturn or if you're richie rich, one of those ODE devices.
These days I just buy cartridge based games since I don't have too worry too much about disc rot / scratches and laser issues. Mainly only buy stuff I actually want to play now instead of random games as well, its just crazy how much stuff is going for, I was really big into Genesis/MD collecting, I remember getting Castlevania Blood Lines CIB for $30 USD back in 2013 now seeing how much its going for, I would never really buy it at that much tbh.
Im also going through and learning to recap my consoles so I dont have to rebuy anything at these prices so far so good, I've done my Genesis Model 1 and 2, Snes and NES along with their PSU, as long the chips dont fail I hope to get another 20-30 years out of them, just need a better setup for doing SMD stuff
@@sithwarrior all of these ideas are great! I also prefer the cart based games over the disk ones and it still shocks me how much some disk games go for. The scratches and laser issues I can work with but disk rot is an savage beast. I respect the console fixing and maintenance aspect. If you know this, you are more likely to be able to continue playing these games for much longer. Excellent stories
I've heard Demon Front was an interesting metal slug-like I might have to look into it! on collecting stuff though, I don't live in Japan but my understanding from youtube folks I've seen who have been there, I guess Super Potato is the worst culprit on the high priced games? In recent years I picked up a Retron 2 (plays NES/SNES and SFC stuff) as well as a Japanese Playstation 2 and a Game Boy Pocket system so I'm able to collect imports. I hear in some cases those can be cheaper to come by than the US versions? and depending on the game the language barrier might even be negligible. I definitely don't care as much about getting full sets for systems, I'm just happy with finding the stuff I know, or something new that might be fun that I missed. definitely a timely topic for sure.
I was lucky I got most I wanted while prices were ok. These days I only buy faulty games and fix, since working is just too expensive.
Ugh it’s so hard man. I have all original hardware including many arcade PCBs but it’s certainly hard to keep the collection going. I’ve considered just selling it all and doing only Mister. However when you have friends over and they get to see and experience the real hardware there is certainly something special about that…tough
I mostly deal with arcade games and I've been almost completely priced out of the hobby. Cabinets I previously bought for a few hundred 7-8 years ago are now well into the thousands, especially anything Japanese/rhythm gaming. You can't even get random crappy mahjong or sports PCBs from YAJ for 3000jpy anymore. The influx of new people into the hobby has brought a large amount of single, high-salary tech workers who are perfectly happy spending $6000+ on a single game, so prices will stay high. The sellers all know what they have; if they don't know what they have, they think it's worth gold.
I stick to picking up the really cheap and rough projects nobody else wants to deal with. More fun anyway.
Im right there with you! Ive seen the same trend (in person) here in Japan and its pretty sad when you see a game like Akumajou Dracula that went for $500 on the arcade now fetching prices like $4,000. A lot of the well paid single people have definitely shown sellers that they "can and will buy" these games for those prices hence the prices either going up or remaining steady. I also like picking up the "project/non working" pcbs because they are, like you said much cheaper and you feel great when you are able to get them up and running again.
Mostly focusing on Nintendo Switch and PS4 currently. On occasion I will buy a game for Nintendo 3DS or Sony PSP. Probably 75% of retro stuff that I want I have from years ago. Video game related items I have slowed down on also because of expensive prices for promotional stuff and old game magazines etc. Other hobbies I collect for have also seen a big increase in prices of CDs and vinyl and cassettes in regards to older ones anyway. Luke, I’m really digging this style of video. Maybe you can do more like this in the future.
Personally, I think the retro games were woefully underpriced for years (not Neo Geo games though). It’s just that people were so used to picking up N64 and Gamecube games for a buck at garage sales.
I luv to collect for my neo geo collection. I know neo geo games have been always expensive, but in this market the prices got insane high, like 2-3 the money before corona
I still have a decent size collection of original carts and discs. But I have sinced moved on to Everdrives/Flash carts for the cart based systems and soft modded original hardware for disc based consoles. For example, on the Neo Geo AES I have the complete library of games on my NEOSD Pro cartridge. My PS2, OG Xbox, Gamecube are all softmodded with large hard drives installed so I have access to any game I want to play.
Buying physical games just isnt fun anymore. Even at thrift stores in America they are trying to charge top dollar for common games. The smart solution if you really want to play these games, and in order to cut out the middle man, is to focus on getting the consoles you are interested in first. Then, get flash cartridges or softmod the disc based systems. Video games are meant to be played, not flaunted as some trophy on a shelf.
I've sold off a majority of my collection and mostly use flashcarts and ODEs these days. I think it was the right call, because as much as I enjoy collecting and owning physical games, actually playing them is much more important to me. I can't afford to drop hundreds of dollars a piece on just a few cartridges/discs!
A very understandable theme Ive heard. Many people have gone for the "playability" aspect over the "collectability" due to the amount of money it costs to keep up. There are a lot of great games that are intangible so being able to play them in whatever form they may be in is worth it.
Dude ..I have bonks 3 turbo chip complete ..got it a few years ago for 200$ the hucard alone right now is about 700$ or so 👀 it's insane and my dungeon explorer 2 and neutopia 2 complete crazy insane prices I'll never sell mine that's for sure
That is awesome you were able to get them when you did. I know what you mean though, now that you have it and you start looking at the prices to buy them again it really puts things into perspective.
@@lukemorse1 the last good deal i got was on mercari last year a few months ago i grabbed Astal for saturn complete mint for 70$ which was s steal. Other than that nothing really else maybe exile for turbografx for 80$ was decent my most recent grab
From the beginning, I have only bought games I want to play and have, sometimes I discover one or two that I never heard of and they are way too expensive if I can say that because this is a personal feelings.
If I win at the lottery, I will just go on and buy whatever I want to have no matter the price, but now it is very difficult because of the prices getting ridiculous.
It is not that I can't afford them, it is more like to me it is just not the right price at all, many many gmanes are way overpriced, specially on ebay.
Sometime you found a game that is sitting there from almost 5 or 10 years, and nobody will ever buy it at the asking price, but for some reason, they finallly get sold at this price and after that, everybody with the same game put them at the same price or ever more because if it has been purchased for this price one time, it can happen again I guess.
Love your vids as always & appreciate you still taking the time to upload; been watching 15-years. | That said, to your retro Q: I don’t collect for old systems anymore. My new rule is; keeping 90% of my Sony stuff and close to 100% of my Ninty. Had to draw lines in the sand & eliminate some (some due to natural chip burn out and wear-&-tear, you, Luke have a phenomenal repair skillset). For “retro” I now try to recreate it by way of M2, select mini consoles & various Limited Run + Strictly Ltd sets.
WOW! great to hear from you! yeah, what a blast from the past! I still upload from time to time but really not sure even what to upload anymore. My channel is about to be bumped from the partnership program as Im not interested in all of the corporate restrictions and filing of this and that so it will go back to the way it was 15 years ago lol. Really good idea to keep the stuff you want and to reduce the wear and tear on other stuff. Im fortunate that I am still able to repair some of these old games, but I do get a bit frustrated that I have to repair most of them again before playing them after a long time haha. Hopefully your M2 and Limited Run collections continue to grow and at least we know they will be cost efficient!
Great topic Luke! I remember chatting with you on FB about 10 years ago when I was heading on my first trip to Japan. Now, I've been there 17 times and made a recent video trying to hunt down some retro games. I'd love to meet up at a game store sometime soon in Japan. Keep up the great videos! And I think there are some deals still out there, but they are way harder to find!
WOW! now THAT is an amazing story! I cant believe how much things in your life have changed since then! There are still some games that can be hunted down for sure and it isnt impossible by any means, it just isnt as abundant as it used to be. Thanks a million for the updates and great to hear from you!
Great, although depressing, topic for a video Luke! Prices have gotten insane for sure. I've been out of it for a few years and trying to get back into it is harsh! Can find a decent deal now and then, but it's getting hard to find people who don't 'know what they have' and compete with the resellers who have bots scouring the marketplaces to find those similar deals. Hate those flipping ass hats, I applaud people for finding good deals, but if the only intend is to sell it off to actual collectors, you're not helping anyone but your own wallet.
I've kind of enjoyed getting the Evercade carts, kind of as an alternative I suppose. Just cool boxes with curated games that don't break the bank. Kind of scratches that collection itch, as indeed the actual retro collection is barely getting new additions of note. I'm glad I have a MiSTer to play the old stuff and a big emulation box (externa HDD) if I'm curious about a (newer) game to check it out before getting it, or potentially to practice a game. I try to own the games one way or another, but quite a few have moves just WAY out of my league.
I totally hear you Seb. I saw your vid where you picked up some PS2 titles recently and that seems to be a safe market for most games now but for how long? Getting good deals for people who want to play them is awesome but yeah, just to flip it for an extra buck I hear you there. The awesome thing about your collection is that you have all? the titles for the CD-i and you got them when they were abundant. If it werent for your generosity back in the day, I also would have never been able to try out the games on that platform. You introduced me to it and I cant imagine trying to pick up a copy of Zelda's Adventure nowadays... I think going the evercade route is perfectly fine but I think people covering less popular games and systems is also really neat. Buy what you can, play what you want, but dont break the bank! Excellent to hear from you as always and look forward to seeing more of your vids here soon!
Well getting some ridiculously cheap niche PS2 titles and play through those can still be a lot of fun! Titles that I find quite amazing passed the Sony sensorship on what could actually be published on the PS2. But then again there are a ton of absolutely atrociously bad games on the system that are soo bad they're good again! Or just very very quirky that makes them interesting again.
The game collecting market has become insane. I look at my saturn or 3do collections and just sit in awe. I mean these are things I picked up for cheap in the late 90s and early 2000s because people were just trying to unload games from failed consoles. Now there is no way I could ever afford to purchase even 1/4 of the games I have. My most insane price increase has to be Snatcher for Sega CD US version. $5 at a flea market in 2001. Its worth more to me than the money though, I still play it to this day.
That being said even new physical games are nuts. I mean over $100 for some of these new console games, and you don't even get the full game, there is still all the planned DLC and micro transactions. Ugh. Even stuff like Limited Run is nuts and made even worse by the fact you can likely pick up the digital copy on sale for like $2 or $3.
I used to be able to pick up cps2 games in rough shape (cheap), but now...with the infinikey and what not...its really hard.
I know exactly what you mean. I started collecting the CPS2 Phoenix games and conversions back in the day and I even took some cheap and beat up titles to convert them to games I wanted to play. Nowadays, you cant find Street Fighter Alpha for less than a couple hundred dollars and the Infinitykey as well as cps2 multi's has driven up the prices a lot.
I was always a cheapskate about collecting, only buying when I saw a good deal. I would ask co-workers and friends if they had anything they didn't want and most would just give me whatever they had without really thinking about it. If I was going to spend money on anything, it was Japanese software, and I swore I'd never pay $100 for a single game.
I was hitting up thrift stores and coming home with five to ten games at once. I'd buy big lots of games (20+ items) on eBay for $30-40 just to get one title. Once I saw prices were starting to skyrocket a few years back I splurged and bought up the last of my 'must-have' list and basically haven't bought anything since. I got lazy about cleaning up after those game lots, so now I have boxes full of cast-offs and I can pull just about any of them out and sell them and make back whatever I paid for the entire lot they came from. This is certainly the time to dump anything you're not committed to keeping forever.
I lost interest in modern systems with the Wii/PS3/X360 generation and haven't bought a game console since. Recently, someone gave me a Vita and a Wii U that I fixed up, but I haven't really used them. Instead, I'm emulating most things because it's easier for my wife and I to play together on a simple, unified system that just does everything. She's burned the background to Dr. Mario into my old TV, and we have a great time competing for high scores in Dodonpachi, Batsugun and Mushihimesama. I know a lot of people hate emulation but if it allows me to spend time with her doing something I enjoy, I'm going to say it's worth it. I'm still hitting up thrift stores and rarely you'll find something but the prices are pretty bad now so I have just been buying cheap audio CDs to try out new stuff and expand my knowledge there.
I used to think games were overpriced until I got into anime figure collecting.
Only $1000 for one knockoff unlicensed figure with shit quality control!
Wow, that is on a whole different level. Never knew about that at all, thanks for sharing.
I’m pretty much done with retro aside from occasionally picking up unpopular/obscure B-tier games that are still cheap. I actually sold off a chunk of my collection a couple years ago when the prices were already absurd - I just couldn’t resist.
I was lucky enough to have kept all my childhood collection. Plus my mother was smart enough to put all the boxes and manuals somewhere I could not crush or rip them. Right now I’m collecting for the original Xbox. Many good deals out there for Xbox stuff.
I miss the days when I could get used games and consoles of all generations at Electronics Boutique and Babbages. I don't identify with this time and feel lost.
hello, luke
great video as always. thank you very much for sharing your thoughts and knowledge
luke I was wondering if you offer service repair of games, monitors etc in Japan?
thank you in advance
I do go for convenience too. I have a PS2 Slim and FreeMcBoot and have transferred all my PS2 titles onto a NAS. The PS2 Slim is hooked up to an OSSC which translates the component video to HDMI with little to no lag and that's how I tend to prefer playing my PS2 games which I have since stored in the attic and eves of my gameroom. The Xbox original is hooked up the same way. Then there's Everdrives for many of the classic systems and solid state solutions for a PSOne, Dreamcast and Saturn next to untouched consoles. I do tend to run stuff off these instead of putting in a disc in the drive or a cart in the slot. But that's laziness convenience talking here. There's a downside to having your games in the attic and having them sit as files on an SD card as it's difficult not being distracted by the amount of games in a menu.
So I changed my gaming habits around. I haven't hooked up all my systems all at once anymore but hook one up on the CRT setup I have and select a game that I want to focus on and play and try to finish those and experience the game instead of having short bursts of gameplay alternating and eventually playing multiple games at once. It is a more in depth and deep experience focusing on a single game.
Emulation and FPGA fascinates me though - from preservation aspects and also how a piece of software can mimick the experience of a real system/game combination so perfectly or imperfectly and I am fascinated by what makes it click and work and what doesn't. The fact the PS3 emulation exists and is almost more perfect than PS2 emulation is mind blowing.
But in the end nothing beats firing up the Turbo Duo with the multitap and play 5 player bomberman off a hucard! Or play Silent Hill on my orginal PlayStation hooked up to my Sony 14" Trinitron. Those experiences are precious.
Looks like facsimile of a Metal Slug game. There's been a uptick on price on the majority of the hobbies I'm in - You should see the pinball prices. I've been collecting arcades since '89, you wouldn't believe how cheap stuff was back then compared to today.
if a person enjoys it, thats all that matters. if their hobby/passion is collecting retro games, so be it.
but there are so many ways to emulate at essentially flawless quality now, the mister project for example.
obviously people that collect stuff have a different mindset to people that just want to play an entire consoles back catalogue
Speaking of prices i have a couple of old boards, one comes to mind, circus charley, not a great game going for around $400 or so... i guess its rare but not worth $400. I paid probably $50 a couple of years ago... the neo geo scene is so obnoxious...
That is exactly what Im talking about. Those games that you picked up for cheap and not being on the really "rare" side of things, now going for crazy money. I was lucky enough to complete my NEO CD and AES collection within the last 5 years but as for AES, not even trying anymore.
Really interesting stuff man, both to hear your thoughts and see some extended play of Demon Front. Honestly this has played through my mind since the retro market started to saturate with retro content creation. Personally I set a spending limit of £50/$60, basically 'new game price' and don't go above that. Because I collect PS2, 360 and Master System, there are only a small handful of games that have made that a tricky wicket, but I understand completely how it'd be much harder to do that for collectors of other systems. I'm effectively priced out of the Mega Drive collecting game these days but I bought all the stuff I wanted for that literal decades ago. You're also bang on the money that rare and expensive does not frequently equate to 'good'. That's another reason I set the price limit is cos honestly, some of the stuff I've paid a lot for has been a bit naff, and some of the stuff I've got for 50p is never leaving my collection. Great, thoughtful video man, all the best from the UK!
I thought the bubble was over. It seems to me the peak was a few years ago. Most things are going back down. Im thankful I got all my old systems, and most of my childhood games back around 2008-2009. I just wish I could play my MVS, as it wont fit in my condo and its been relegated to a spare room at my dad's house. I do have an AES, but only one game. Do you know what the best MVS to AES conversion hardware is? They all seem to have complaints.
The bubble seems to deflate and then suddenly reinflate again. a sad cycle. As far as the MVS to AES adapters, you are right. A lot of people swear by the 5v AES models being the better ones to use over the other ones especially for the adapters. I think you might be better off getting a consolized MVS instead. Either making one, buying an adapter where you can run scart or RGBS through a MVZ1 motherboard or picking up one on the net. Best way to go instead of messing around with overpriced adapters.
@@lukemorse1 Thanks for the reply Luke. Wish you would make more "exploring" Japan videos like you did back in the day. Youre the only one of the old heads I still watch (HCG, Pete D, etc.). This one streamer was having a HDMI port issue with one of his cameras while he was in Japan, I was trying to point him to you, because you can fix anything (was prob just a loose solder connection). lol
it definitely sucks. I made a list of games I wanted to pick up on my next trip but with the prices it might not even be worth it now. I seen a video about this as well a few months ago. They said they know some people whos only source of income is going to multiple different hard/book offs and selling/flipping games online. Those people are ruining the prices for us.
What i saw in recent history is sellers, not just ebay, listing their games for outrageous prices. And as a result the games just sit there. Often for years. They just don't sell at those prices. And these sellers are also immune to critical thought. So i guess the future of the market is plenty of games for sale, with no buyers. And scalpers sitting on their goods.
I moved to Japan 11 months ago, I'm a Neo Geo collector... prices for the games I'm missing are, like you said, out of control 😢
My rule now is one, at most two, games per year IF I can even find the rare titles I'm looking for.
I have yet to find any shops with full MVS kits, any tips?
I am done with retro game collecting because I had gotten into it in 2011 and ended in 2022. I will just start collecting for PS4 because the games are cheap for it right now.
Picking up those cheaper ones now is such a great idea. We all know that if this trend continues or comes back again in 25 years or so, those PS4 games are going to be gold! Thanks for sharing and good to hear from you.
I'm lucky enough to have a lot of the games that have gotten really expensive that I want. Now unless I find a good deal I'm perfectly fine using Emulation or buying rereleases digitally. I'd rather spend $6 on Suikoden 2 on PSN vs paying $200 to have a disc. There's so many modern games I'd rather spend my money on.
That is awesome. Its cool to hear those stories where someone has been fortunate enough to pick up those games for less back in the day and now are sitting comfortably on a nice nest egg. There are some digital only titles out there as well that are still cool to have and yes, $6 is much better than $200 for sure.
My hard to keep going is Xbox with the limit amount sold and the suicide cap in it they only have so many. Even if the Gamecube did not sell well the Wii did and had perfect backward compacity and if you mod it you can still use roms to play the gameboy games that the Wii can't play. It is my preferred way to play because they are smaller, lower power consumption, and easier to source.
I am all for piracy and ram/flash carts. Secondary market only helps those selling on the secondary market. Those that design and produced this games are not getting anything so I don't feel bad at all. If there is a way to play games on new hardware I tend to push for that and especially on open platforms if available.
That is a good point with the hardware, especially with the xbox. I think that in order to keep the old xbox going you really have to do a lot like soft modding and cap removal etc. The wii is a really good console and I think that is some great hardware to collect for! nice choice in systems and much easier to come by. Flash carts are awesome and yeah, there are hundreds of games out there that have lost all monetary value so I hear you there as well. Thanks for watching and your comment!
Do you shop at any brick and mortar stores for games now that you aren't visiting Hard Off much?
I bought the last few Castlevania games I didn't own; Chronicles for PS1, Dracula X for SNES, & the N64 games. Now I have *all* of the series up to PS2. But, boy, those above cost me about a grand total. So, I'm _done._ There's not much I'd want really anyways. Bonk 3 would be nice but the price on that is truly absurd.
I collect old and new but I tend to use ebay to find better deals usually you have to be patient and wait for a discount on the thing you're watching. Thrift stores and pawn shops either put the game on a auction site like goodwills selection is generally crap or they put it out for the price it's going for same thing with retro game stores I understand they to make a profit but I tend to go there and think "I can get this for the same price or slightly cheaper on ebay" if a game store has slightly cheaper prices than ebay it would be a incentive for me to shop there instead. I know recently my friend bought me a game from a new retro game store that just opened its golden sun dark dawn for the ds and the game needed to be cleaned for it to work correctly it's a ds game they never have issues how hard is it to take pride in your business and spend $5 on q tips and rubbing alcohol to clean the stuff you sell?
A lot of great points there! Its great that you are still able to find those deals from ebay and I agree with the places like Goodwill trying to toss out trash for unrealistic prices. That issue you described with a simple cleaning of a ds game seems to be the same haunting theme surrounding the DK0ldies saga.
I feel like everything from 80’s and 90’s is getting ridiculous in pricing.
Games, comic books, toys, video games, rc cars and especially cars.
I wanted to pick up an ea86 because it was fun and cheap… not anymore :/
Right!? Its one of those things that if you want to take a walk back down memory lane, you had better choose one thing to collect for and hope it doesnt break the bank. Not as easy to have multiple collections like it was in the past.
@@lukemorse1 it's a good thing people took initiative to preserve some of those media so it wont be lost in time in basements :P.
It's difficult to preserve cars like that, but toys and rc models can be 3d printed :)
For example you can recreate tamiya trf201x prototype buggy from 1992 from 3d printed parts :)
I stopped collecting for Systems that are very well emulated or that are easily modded. So these days I really only look at 7th gen and up though I don't really collect anymore. The Switch is a modern collector's dream but I don't fancy that stuff anymore. I get modern games on PC but sometimes a game appears that I must have for collection like Metroid Prime Remastered. I always say that if all my physical collection went up in flames, I wouldn't do again. Prices are stupid.
I'm thinking of just ordering a Mister FPGA and selling my collection. Apparently it's equal to the original hardware because of the way it emulates the actual hardware. Now that people are asking $700 for a Sega CDX, I am thinking that it seems like it's not worth it to collect retro anymore.
Happy late new year man, for me I have almost everything I want in my collection now. I got a lot of my collection when stuff was fairly new. I think a lot of this has to do with modern games just not having the replayability or even being fun to play like these old games. Games now are made like they are to be consumed and thrown away.
Happy late New Years back at you! Its great to know that you have almost everything you wanted and it definitely makes the wallet happy lol. As for me, there are still some amazing new gen games that I really enjoy but the remakes are ones I cant bring myself to constantly keep buying. If you have a couple copies of it in various forms, its probably enough. I agree that the "consumable" part of gaming has made its mark in the industry.
I moved over to ODEs, emulation, and flash carts even before the crazy price increases. Why would I want a bunch of stuff around my house that is completely unnecessary? I’ve moved a lot, sometimes out of the country. I also have lived in major cities. Both those things are very anti material possessions.
I still have my physical video games but truth be told, i should sell them off… especially now that some of them are worth thousands of dollars (for some stupid reason).
Are the prices of retro games to high? Depends on your situation. Too much money for you might be a fair price to me. The market determines the price, not what consumers would like it to be. Sure we would all like games to be inexpensive but again my perspective of coats could be totally different than yours.
If something you want costs too much. Go change your financial situation or go without. It is that simple.
Fair point. I suppose it would come down to how bad you want to buy it and if you have the means to do so or not. If the market demand is there and people are willing to pay the prices then things will remain the course they are. Ive seen a lot of video of people picking up consoles and games from places like DK0ldies and they seem to be selling quite a lot on a daily basis. If people didnt like the prices and werent buying from them, they would be out of business but thats not the case. Although some people may feel the prices are inflated , for the others are willing and able to buy them its a different story. Thanks for sharing.
Everyone on eBay seems to put stuff on as a buy it now. Games are all at buy it now prices four times what they should be.
I sold off the majority of my collection to just cash in. Pretty much anything that the mister can play; I sell because that way I only feel like I lose a box on the shelf.
FPGA is the way to go.emulation never feels the same and using /owning actual hardware can be very difficult /impossible.
a device like Mister FPGA is the best way to play retro stuff.(it’s hardware simulation/ cloning very different to emulation).
Is "anything" that gets collected "worth it"???? Probably not....at least not to the people who are not the collectors. The good thing, at least with gaming, through various forms of emulation, people can play great games that unfortunately go for insane prices.
A good point there. Some people "collect", keep it in a box on their shelf for display or in a glued shut plastic case where others use them until they break. Which way is the best? really up to the person I suppose. I also feel that emulation has given people the ability to sample or play games that arent available, too expensive, or unknown. I think the only thing feel might be going a bit far with emulation is if the person had only emulated roms and never bought any game (whether physical or download) including the new gen stuff.
I just checked phantasy star 4 prices and people want 250-350€ for it. It was my first game i bought on ebay back in 2010 and bought it for 40€ and still own it😅 i also remember your old hard off videos, great times back then. Nowadays i still play my retro consoles and if i don't own a game and it's too expensive, i just emulate it. Just found my old psp the other day and found out that i have a gba emulator on it, so i'm playing castlevania aria of sorrow now😅
For me, I’m just downsizing to be more mobile in my life. I want to go anywhere and yet still take my games with me. If I had more room yeah I’d buy classic stuff but, for my situation I’d love a portable MISTER fpga or such thing. Portables that emulate are a good way for me to have in my backpack or day bag. Play here and there on the bus train or plane. In a hotel quiet moment. In line somewhere like at the movies.
Just, portable and ready to go. Same time, I’m not giving up my Sega Saturn or Dreamcast. Gotta rebuy Genesis one day. So many new home brew carts and indie games to get like Pier Solar. Still haven’t played that one yet. Well, that’s me anyway.
It's sucks man the cost of retro games is crazy. I have to buy and sell on eBay just to afford my collecting.
I always wonder(since you are a retro purist and always use original hardware) why you use these old LCD TVs and not a proper CRT like a Sony PVM or even a small CRT TV?
Retro games look MUCH more “natural” on CRT and there’s no the input lag which is very important is fast paced games.
I wouldnt say Im a retro purist but when it comes to hardware, you are right, I use the original hardware that I have and thats it. Not sure if you have seen some of the other videos or not but I do have a couple of CRT monitors but I dont use them all the time, usually for shooting games only. When it comes down to the monitors for game play videos I dont think I have any games where there is that much of a noticeable difference in lag so that doesnt bother me. I dont think there is any rule that says you must use a crt monitor with these games etc and there will eventually come a time where CRT monitors will completely disappear, not sure what people who only use them will do then. For gaming, there are several other factors for using an LCD monitor over a CRT. One reason is they are just easier to record from. Im not worried about fact that it isnt "pixel perfect" as long as the viewer can see it and its playable. Dont get me wrong, I do enjoy the look of the CRT and they are amazing hands down but its not the make it or break it for me. Another thing is if you try to record direct from a CRT you get the strobing effects and people sometimes hear the high pitched sounds which can be really hard to watch. The LCD isnt perfect but there are less problems to worry about. Next is the space in Japan. There just isnt that much space here to leave out a CRT on the counter (mostly due to the depth) so the LCD's are more convenient to set up the supergun. More reasons are the parts for them. We dont have Wells Gardner tubes or replacement parts for NANAO monitors here as easily as other parts of the world so when they break down you are out of luck. If the flyback transformer goes out so does the rest of the chassis. Many replacement parts are obsolete here and if you cant repair your monitor, you have to pay to get rid of it.
@@lukemorse1 I agree CRT is tricky to record on video and also you’re right about space specially in Japan.makes sense.
I only asked because personally I do believe they look so much nicer than LCD for retro games .but I can see from your response you have the same opinions.
for me ,whenever I play retro games on LCD they look/feel unnatural and dated.but on CRT I just forget I’m playing 30+ years old games and they look/feel the same way they did when they were new (if that makes sense).but I completely agree about the cons of CRT in this day and age..
On the plus side, what you do own has gone up in value.
You mentioned people making vids about something related to DKOldies. I've known that seller to be expensive like at least 2X the buy it now of every other seller. Is that the topic people are discussing? I don't frequent any gamer news channels.
I no longer collect retro. I have decided to sell off all my retro collection and go the flash cart / everdrive route. I collect modern stuff instead.
I can totally hear what you mean. Im sure with the sales of the retro collection, you can expand into other areas like selling a TG16 in exchange for a new 4K 70" TV lol.
Ah ye olde days of filling the trunk of boxed systems/games in the flea market with just 40-50€
i use ebay mostly for collecting and i look for broken games to fix so i can get good deals
And THAT right there is a great way to go! The repair vids on YT and videos about flipping are making even doing this a difficult thing but hopefully people like yourself will continue to get some good deals!
@@lukemorse1 that's how i got a loose paper mario thousand year door for 27 bucks. may just need a resurfacing
I love retro. But I only buy the games I love and want to play. A fullset is a nonsense for me.
That is so true. Having a lot of games that arent interesting just to say "I have them" isnt worth the space they take up.
I still think these pcbs are more worth in in terns of what you get compared to stuff like cib boxed snes games. I mean they rolled out 100,000 of each run for snes whearas pcbs only were made in limited numbers. Plus you get a better game rather than snes collectors boasting how arcade perfect xxx game is. Besides, Snes is just a few roms incased in a bit of plastic. Luckily there cant be more than a dozen of tier 1 games i dont have yet. A bit like you i bought my collection decades ago.
Hey Luke, it's always nice to see a new vid pop up from you. :)
So my thoughts as an old, OLD (I turned 50.. What?!) collector/gamer. I've felt bad for years now, for newer people wanting to get into the older stuff. I suppose it would get high prices sooner or later, but I do think a lot of it is from "flippers", shelf collectors, and whatnot. There are also a ton of classic game stores popping up. I see a new "just opened my own game store" video on RUclips far too often. And of course the WATA nonsense, which news sites love to latch onto. IS YOUR COPY OF SUPER MARIO WORTH A MILLION DOLLARS?!?... No. No it's not. It's a game that has been printed millions of times though. Your copy of a rare Neo•Geo AES game night be though! There were maybe 500 prints of a few of those.
Anyway, I've mostly had what I've wanted to own long ago. Having downsized from a huge basement to a guest bedroom for my collection has made me be much more picky. And that's a good thing IMO. Each game should be meaningful. I'm certain not one of those people who has complete collections. (Well I do have a complete Virtual Boy set, but that's only 17 games?) I see some people now with complete Wii sets, and I'd never want to have all of those shovelware titles. I'd rather have it be a curated collection.
I do play a few modern games, though I've had some heath issues pop up in 2020 that has made things difficult, not to get into that here, but I've been trying to adapt and get better. My gaming has been in a slump, though I've still been buying some releases here and there. I also found that I'm playing more stuff that is convenient to play. I bought an Analogue Pocket in 2021. I figured this would be the thing to get for both, the best portable gaming, as well as plugging it into a TV, and also having it play original carts for GB, GBC, GBA, Game Gear, and soon PCEngine, NGPC, and Lynx cart adapters too. The thing that has made it my goto emulation device has been the openFPGA cores, to which a ton of been added. I'm still not able to have my Neo•Geo AES system work.. It seems like a short in the cart adapter.. Maybe? So I'm happy that I can play near perfect Neo•Geo on the Pocket on my TV, with an arcade stick. Though I'd still love to get my AES fixed someday. Playing on original hardware still brings you the most nostalgia if you've grown up playing those systems. So I've talked to much and I'm forgetting my point. Haha.. Keep up the good work Luke, -Matt
WOW Matt, a lot of stuff there and thanks for taking the time to share so much! I understand where you are coming from and I see quite a few people either hitting a slump, just playing the easy "go to" games or the flash / rom route. I know a lot of friends who have said "I have what I want and Im good with that". Rather than having games that arent interesting, having the ones we like is much more important. As someone once said : "All killer, no filler". On a side note, I think we need to take a look at that neo aes of yours and get it back up and running again 😉.
Retro prices are so bad, like any famous game for a console, if it hasn't been profusely rereleased, is going to be $20+ and the sky is the limit. Particularly what bothers me is the Neo geo CD market is now so expensive you might as well get an MVS instead as inconvenient as it is. What's the point of settling for the horrible load times if the games are like $80+?
Most of the good games are common because everyone bought it and not as expensive. Doesn't matter how good the game is depends on again like you said the hype
Awesome game
nah, just wait for Misterfpga to implement IGS Polygame cores and every possible arcade cores... i dont see any point in collecting actual hardwares
I've started to catalog my collection, and it's crazy to see some of the prices. Been streaming it all as well on my channel and on twitch, currently going trough my PC BigBox stuff.
Been to Japan 3 times to chase every hardoff I could come across, got some nice deals from them as well. Hooked up with Jim aka Kidshoryken the last two times, was fun going hunting with him also.
Hoping to record some hardoff hunting my next visit to Japan, considering the "market prices" of games, it still possible to make deals on hardoff I believe.
Would be cool to go hunting with Luke ^^
That sounds pretty amazing about your collection! I can only imagine what you may have lol. Really cool to hear about all of the good deals and travels throughout your visits here. I agree that there are still some good deals at HardOff but nothing like pre-pandemic. Maybe those prices were just too good, Im not sure. Hopefully you can find some more good games on your future visits and we might bump into each as well. Thanks for sharing.
@@lukemorse1 Thank you for all the content trough the years, been following you for a long time, always interesting to watch your videos. Learned to repair arcade boards from watching you :)
Most retro classics are way overpriced now these days. The frustrating part is that some collectors just collect to show off, they don’t even play the games. Unfortunately now Im forced to mod consoles and play the roms instead cause I can’t afford the authentic games. I have a decent retro game collection, I buy games when someone posts a game at a reasonable price which is not that often.
That is the truth. Some people just keep them up on a shelf or show off something that is enclosed in epoxy but no other value than just to show off. I think that playing them or giving others a chance to see them in action is another fun/cool point of owning the games. Modding consoles has also allowed for games that were ridiculously expensive in one region to be obtained cheaper in other areas and still be enjoyed. Hope you can continue to enjoy the games without breaking the bank!
Straight a metal slug clone no fucks giving
lol, It sure is! a lot of the PGM games as well as the hardware was essentially a rip off of the neo geo mvs arcade.
Sadly a lot of people are turning to emulation now more than ever. Even if anyone has to complain that it's not 100% authentic, it's really going to boil down to whether or not people are willing to pay that amount and make someone else feel rich (which is what it comes down to sadly).
Yeah, to be fair game collecting has gone totally ridiculous as far as prices go.
I live in Italy, right? There was this friend of mine who came up to me all happy and dandy being like "YOO I FINALLY GOT ME A BOXED COPY OF FINAL FANTASY 7, I'M SO HAPPY"
So was I, but the first thing I asked was, how much did you pay for it? And he was like, oh about 100€.
You kidding me right? FF7 sold by the fuckload and it's not even that rare, it can't be worth THAT much.
And in fact, a full copy of the game is worth about 40.
I told him "Man, you've been scammed."
And that was it for the day: the prices they put on games are all over the place and it rises up even more if a game is well known and desirable: who cares if like Crash Team Racing sold hundreds of thousands of copies, they still charge you 60€ for that son of a bitch, maybe even more.
Thankfully I have an eye for searching inside, you know, the discount bin with stack of games that the seller isn't interested about because they lack the manual or are not in the best condition, but you still get them at a huge bargain and at times you find something interesting - say, last month I found a japanese copy of PaRappa The Rapper and a japanese Minna no Golf/Hot Shots Golf/Everybody's Golf. I payed 1€ for each of them. And they all work, so suck my ass, scammers.
The same goes for whenever I go flea market hunting.
But yeah, I hope this price bubble will burst so that game collecting could be more affordable for everyone. If not, emulation away.
I prefer emulation than physical myself. I don’t have space for all the games I want plus I’m broke 😅