Do You Have Any Unpopular Gaming Opinions?

[AppleQueso]

That's just the way collectible markets work in general. It's never going to change. Learn to roll with it.

[BurningDoom]

The difference with retro-games lately, though; is that the prices don't seem to go back down.

In the comic example I used, after the hype died down, the prices went back down. But it seems retro gaming prices just keep climbing and climbing in the last few years especially. SNES, TG-16, and Saturn games are prime examples of this. I really hope the bubble bursts eventually, like it did with comics in the 90s, and prices level back out.

[Gamerforlife]

One thing I'm not liking with gaming lately as a collector is digital content. Some games give you digital stuff when you pre order a game like avatars, themes, etc. or things like that digital download of the original Castle of Illusion that came with pre-orders of Castle of Illusion remake on PSN. There's no secondary market for stuff like that. If you don't get these games on pre order, you're never going to be able to get that stuff ever again.

Keep pre order bonuses physical, so people who miss out can at least get another chance on ebay

[Ack]

The difference with retro-games lately, though; is that the prices don't seem to go back down.

In the comic example I used, after the hype died down, the prices went back down. But it seems retro gaming prices just keep climbing and climbing in the last few years especially. SNES, TG-16, and Saturn games are prime examples of this. I really hope the bubble bursts eventually, like it did with comics in the 90s, and prices level back out.

Not entirely true. Now it is true that prices on average have steadily risen for many consoles over the last couple of years, since around roughly 2010. We'll illustrate this with Nintendo consoles and handhelds.

First, yes, the NES, SNES, N64, and Game Boy have all seen upswings in the last few years. But as to whether prices have ever dropped, they have. I've linked these resources before, but here are the VGPC pages for those consoles, with a chart of average prices ranging from around 2008 to now:

NES
http://videogames.pricecharting.com/con ... rt-by=name

Here's a steady curve on NES prices, which generally started under $8 and on average have grown about twice as much in price.

SNES
http://videogames.pricecharting.com/con ... rt-by=name

And here is the SNES. This one has also gone up in price. But notice how it descends at the beginning of the chart for nearly all of 2008.

N64
http://videogames.pricecharting.com/con ... rt-by=name

And the same trend with the N64, though this one visually has a much more significant decrease through 2008 and didn't really start seeing an upswing until the beginning of 2012.

I won't link the graphs for Gamecube and Wii, but both show a steadily decline in numbers.

But as for handhelds:

Game Boy
http://videogames.pricecharting.com/con ... rt-by=name

Again, there's that descending price point for 2008 and 2009 before a steady increase.

Game Boy Color
http://videogames.pricecharting.com/con ... rt-by=name

Ah, but here the trend breaks! Game Boy Color has steadily decreased since 2008 and stayed low, nearly $3 lower on average 5 years after the initial figures of around $8 were pulled.

Game Boy Advance
http://videogames.pricecharting.com/con ... rt-by=name

We see a similar trend with GBA, but it's actually more severe, dropping from over $11 to under $6.

Originally I thought that these corresponded to the overall economy, since video games are a luxury item. But I'm intersted in why certain consoles have increased, while others decreased or fluctuated wildly, like the Atari 5200 has.

Atari 5200
http://videogames.pricecharting.com/con ... rt-by=name

[Hazerd]

You know DLC has gotten out of hand when they dedicated a blu-ray disc to it.

Borderlands 2: Add-on Content Pack - Playstation 3


I saw this and said, one day when PSN is shutdown on PS3, this will be the only way to play this DLC.

[marlowe221]

Great info Ack! I've never seen those charts before but I think they are very interesting.

I will say that I do consider Ebay a wonky place to get a feel for prices. Personally, I never buy games from sellers on Ebay - no offense to the individual sellers intended, Ebay is just kind of a strange environment. It's kind of like buying food at an airport....

Personally, I have always found prices to be more reasonable from individual sellers through Amazon.

[AppleQueso]

Personally, I have always found prices to be more reasonable from individual sellers through Amazon.

It's really all over the place. I try and check both.

Most of my all time best deals were actually on here.

[fastbilly1]

Originally I thought that these corresponded to the overall economy, since video games are a luxury item. But I'm intersted in why certain consoles have increased, while others decreased or fluctuated wildly, like the Atari 5200 has.

Atari 5200
http://videogames.pricecharting.com/con ... rt-by=name

That is most likely due to prototypes being sold publicly. There were only 69 games released for the console, most of which are available for around $5. However when a prototype sells it goes for much higher.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Centipede-Atari ... 232d108afb

You know DLC has gotten out of hand when they dedicated a blu-ray disc to it.

Borderlands 2: Add-on Content Pack - Playstation 3


I saw this and said, one day when PSN is shutdown on PS3, this will be the only way to play this DLC.

It just makes it into an expansion pack. And that is legit DLC, not on disc. Both of those are expansive new areas with quite a bit to do in them. Not as big as the fourth DLC, but still impressive on their own.

[Ack]

Personally, I have always found prices to be more reasonable from individual sellers through Amazon.

It's really all over the place. I try and check both.

Most of my all time best deals were actually on here.

The problem I have with Amazon is the lack of pitures for items. I'd really like to see what it is I'm buying, so I can confirm damage, general cleanliness, and even region or version.

[brunoafh]

The problem I have with Amazon is the lack of pitures for items. I'd really like to see what it is I'm buying, so I can confirm damage, general cleanliness, and even region or version.

Actually, just recently Amazon has implemented the option to upload photos of your item. Pretty awesome. It's not required and not everyone does it, but go on there and browse some used games and you'll see what I mean.