botolo wrote:Thanks to all of you for your feedback. I am trying to find some similar topics here but I had no luck so far. I'll keep searching. I found some threads on the "which game should I buy" theme but none related to "which system should I buy".
Maybe base the purchase on the variety of games over just selecting a console?
Go to the top of the Forum, click the Black Bar that states Guides. There is the 101 and Hidden Gems series listed in there that gives great info on various systems.
Menegrothx wrote:Sharp X68000 is the true elite retro gamers choice
This actually isn't a bad idea at all. If I ever ended up in Japan I would seek one of these out - they're nearly impossible to find in the States.
Now as far as consoles go, PC Engine Duo is your best bet. Not too expensive and you get tons of bang for your buck (huge library of HuCard and CD games).
Collect super famicom IMO, carts are insanely cheap in japan. Can you read japanese? SFC RPGs are all very cheap on the SFC, compare that to the snes versions which tend to be $50+ for the cart. Not to mention many SFC rpgs never made it to the states like the dragon quest games.
As far as where you should shop goes, I wouldn't recommend starting off with Super Potato. If you end up going with a disc based system Super Potato tends to sell resurfaced games. Maybe that's not a big deal for you, but overall, they're not the best retailer in terms of price and selection. I'd recommend Trader (also in Akihabara) which has a 'junk' section for $1-2 games that are untested, non-guaranteed. They also, overall, are less expensive, have a massive selection, and everything is in very good to mint condition. I think it's one of the best stores in terms of condition vs price. There's also a small store, called Friends, as you start to get to the end of Denki-gai, heading toward Ueno station. There's a small cafe and taiyaki stand on the far left corner. If you follow the sidewalk down that way, there's a small sandwich-board advertising the store, and it's up on the second and third floor of a narrow stairway. Overall, they're pretty expensive, but they're geared toward collectors, and are sometimes the cheapest place for certain games.
Otherwise, keep an eye out for Book-Offs (not all book-offs have retro games other than PS1/PS2, though) and Hard-Offs (the one in Akihabara doesn't have games, unfortunately). You'll also want to stop into any recycle shop you see. A lot of times all you'll see is a bunch of crap, but sometimes, you can find some really good stuff.
What system you should go with is really going to depend on budget. A PC Engine Duo, boxed, will run you about 17,900 yen. While the core system has a pretty good library (and would probably only set you back 2500-3000 yen for the system alone) the real staples for the system are going to be in CD format, and are also much more expensive on average.
If you like the Super Nintendo, and it's what you're familiar with, you may as well grab SFC stuff. The games are everywhere in Japan, and they're cheaper than dirt. I would also recommend just getting an SFC console, if you can fit it in your luggage on the return flight, as it would probably cost you far less for an SFC and an SNES to SFC cartridge converter, than it would to buy an SNES in the US. I will say, though, that if you're not entirely comfortable with playing games in Japanese, a large portion of the SFC library is going to be more or less off limits.
If you want quasi-arcade consoles, with fast, fun, pick-up-and-play games, then go with a Sega console. They're usually more in the mid-ranges of expense.
Figuring out what games interest you should guide what system you buy.
pierrot wrote:I'd recommend Trader (also in Akihabara) which has a 'junk' section for $1-2 games that are untested, non-guaranteed. They also, overall, are less expensive, have a massive selection, and everything is in very good to mint condition. I think it's one of the best stores in terms of condition vs price.
Trader was definitely my favorite 'big name' place when I was there too. I bought more there than anywhere else.
Otherwise, keep an eye out for Book-Offs (not all book-offs have retro games other than PS1/PS2, though) and Hard-Offs (the one in Akihabara doesn't have games, unfortunately).
I had good luck at the Book Off near Akihabara too in the cheap bin.
Hobie-wan wrote:I had good luck at the Book Off near Akihabara too in the cheap bin.
Yeah, the cheap bins are great for picking up commons. I know the Book-Off in Ikebukuro has retro game bins, but I honestly don't think I ever went to the Book-Off in Akihabara. I probably missed out on some good stuff. (I'm not even sure I know where the Book-Off in Akihabara is.)
I usually shopped Book-Offs for PS1/2 games, though. The Tsutaya at Shibuya Crossing is pretty good for Playstation stuff as well. Every now and again they have some other retro stuff, but I remember seeing their lone Dreamcast game: a used copy of Bangai-O they had sitting in the cases with Limited Edition PS3s and things, with a price tag for what I want to say was over 10,000 yen, or very near it.
pierrot wrote: (I'm not even sure I know where the Book-Off in Akihabara is.)
It was west of the main drag a block or two I think. It might have been just down from that bigger red Sega arcade on the west side. I just happened to come across it while I was wandering. But this was 2 years ago.
First of all, thanks a lot to all of you. I read each and every answer and they are very interesting and helpful. It seems like the consensus is over the PC Engine Duo. I have checked Super Potato online and, as another friend said here, the price is a little bit steep, around 13,000 yen, which should be something around $130.
I will also take a look at some of the stores you suggested. So far, I only went to the Book-Off in Shibuya. They have some retro games, mostly Super Famicom and Gameboy but they don't sell any retro system.
Keep the suggestions coming and, again, thanks a lot!!!
Yeah I'd look into what effort each system takes to run US and Japan games.
Having too similar models side by side will eat up valuable space fast.
Nintendo 64 is physical shape like SNES. Don't have to modify it, that dust cover unscrews.
Genesis and Gamecube can have a region toggle switch added.
Japan Megadrive shape is easy to deal with in the US. They fit things like Game Genie, or some later US 32X units (usually MK-84000A)
