Collecting for the PS2 & PSP, now is the time

[kamiboy]

So, every system goes through this arc of interest where it is popular at launch, but then falls into a limbo of obscurity for the one or two generations that follows its demise only to be revived due to the nostalgia factor.

PS2 and PSP games can be had for next to nothing right now as there are next to no interest in them. But in a few years all the kids who grew up on those systems will become adults and will want to go back and recapture their youth with their newfound disposable income.

In a few years those two systems too will play host to absurd annual price increases. At first the most common titles will start to go up in price and soon afterwards all the so called "rare" and hidden gems will follow.

Well, I have over 50 PS2 games, so I have most of the most common titles covered. The PS2 was a beast though, so I am sure just as many titles passed me by that I would want to play some day in the future.

So I thought maybe we could use this thread to get ahead of the curve and get those titles now.

Let us assume we already own all of the mainstream stuff and focus on titles that might explode in price in the future.

Unfortunately I myself cannot think of too many titles that fit that mold. Rez comes to mind, but I would consider that almost too mainstream for this thread.

Next there is the Zettai Zetsumei series, such as Disaster Report and Raw Danger.

Once again God Hand is a bit too mainstream, but I think it will go up in price.

Also, generally, I think Survival Horror titles will go up in price on the PS2. They are too mainstream to be worth mentioning individually though.

I think the PSP has potential for bigger increases in price since there are fewer games for it and in fewer quantities in general. No titles come to mind though.

[Retrogamer0001]

RPGs are good bets for price increases and generally hold their value well. However, we're entering into new territory where Sony has many of these games released on the PSN, with more on the way. I'm not sure we'll see such insane price mark-ups in the future.

[kamiboy]

Collectors will always want physical copies. Besides, the PSN releases might work on the PS3, but how about PS4?

[RyaNtheSlayA]

Collectors will always want physical copies. Besides, the PSN releases might work on the PS3, but how about PS4?

Gaikai streaming? We don't really know yet tbh.

[kamiboy]

Let me put it this way, Wii Virtual Console didnt cause NES/SNES cart prices to crash, so niether will those other emulation services.

Collectors want to collect physical objects, that is how it works.

[Purkeynator]

God Hand too mainstream? I think you are asking which games will be rare, which is a separate question from which games will be valuable. We already know all we are going to know about which games are rare because the print runs are done. The numbers produced of each game is set in stone for 99.9% of games are done printing new copies of games. Which games will be in demand will drive prices and a lot of games that people will remember from childhood and want to buy in the future will be your "mainstream" games. The extremely niche games will really only be valuable to completists going for a complete set. If that is what you are after you could always check digitpress.com for the rarity score.

Rareness can be an indicator of value but not always. I have a sealed copy of Fox Hunt, a Playstation FMV game that came out early in the Playstation's' lifespan to an extremely limited print run. Is the game rare? Certainly. It is valuable? Nah not really.

[Retrogamer0001]

God Hand too mainstream? I think you are asking which games will be rare, which is a separate question from which games will be valuable. We already know all we are going to know about which games are rare because the print runs are done. The numbers produced of each game is set in stone for 99.9% of games are done printing new copies of games. Which games will be in demand will drive prices and a lot of games that people will remember from childhood and want to buy in the future will be your "mainstream" games. The extremely niche games will really only be valuable to completists going for a complete set. If that is what you are after you could always check digitpress.com for the rarity score.

Rareness can be an indicator of value but not always. I have a sealed copy of Fox Hunt, a Playstation FMV game that came out early in the Playstation's' lifespan to an extremely limited print run. Is the game rare? Certainly. It is valuable? Nah not really.

Not necessarily. Look at a lot of the games that were considered "rare and valuable" on the PS2 a few years ago like Persona 3 and 4, Digital Devil Saga, Devil Summoner 1 and 2, etc, that have all seen recent reprints now. Values on those games crashed. We haven't seen that drop in price for a lot of Nintendo games, but we have for PS1 games. It's too early to tell what will happen with the digital releases.

[Valkyrie-Favor]

I have about 50 PSP games but there are twice as many I still want. Get on it. I don't have enough money though...

[kamiboy]

No, I am asking what none mainstream games will shoot up in price. God Hand is pretty well known by most gamers, so chances are you already have it.

There are always good overlooked titles that grow in popularity due to hindsight and because of their quality. Of course good overlooked titles usually dont sell so they tend to have low print runs as well.

There are plenty of examples like that on NES/SNES so there will be on PS2/PSP as well.

[oxymoron]

Hammerin' Hero is kinda rare.