Price Bubble.

[Alex1]

Is it me or are we experiencing a retrogame price bubble? A few years agi you would rarely see anything above $1000 sold unless it was a really rare game. Now any mint conditioned CIB seems to cross that barrier.

What do you guys think?

[twiztor]

Is it me or are we experiencing a retrogame price bubble? A few years agi you would rarely see anything above $1000 sold unless it was a really rare game. Now any mint conditioned CIB seems to cross that barrier.

What do you guys think?

people have been talking about a "bubble" since at least 2012.

 

the reality is that prices have been an an upswing since about 2010. People that grew up playing these games are now fully in the "i have more disposable income and i want all the things i had as a kid" period of their life. That, along with things like YouTube videos, 'overlooked gems' lists, and falling supply have all led us to the point that we are at now. Generally, there's more knowledge and interest in the 'rare' titles, and as people discover them, they also discover that they want them, continually rising the price.

 

it is completely possible that in 5-10 years, the "bubble will burst" or prices will go down. But that is absolutely not a guarantee.

 

edit: i'm specifically talking about the NES, although it is also relevant for most other systems. The Super Nintendo is at the early point of its price increase, although i feel that it is on a much faster/higher upswing than the NES took. The Sega Genesis is still at a pretty low point, although i foresee that will change in the next couple years.

Edited August 19, 2016 by twiztor

[Alex1]

Wow. So it has been that long. I'm from the generation u describe. I was a bit of a hoarder so I kept most of my SNES and the following Nintendo consoles.

Unfortunately I didn't keep the NES as these were handed down to the younger siblings.

Recently I've resurrected my interest in retrogames/mags and figured I would build up a NES library.

Hence the discovery that the prices seem excessive. Will be taking the plunge on some old favorites. Will be skipping the CIB's and just get the cartidges.

Any idea if releases like the NES mini classics and virtual consoles inflate or deflate prices in general??

[kitsunebi]

Any idea if releases like the NES mini classics and virtual consoles inflate or deflate prices in general??

 

My guess is they won't deflate them at all.  The extra attention they bring to the old games may drive prices even higher.

 

Of all the ways you can play a classic game, the absolute most difficult way is by using the original hardware.  It's the most expensive, is sometimes in need of repairs, and isn't even compatible with modern displays without alterations or additional components.  Emulation, whether on PC, virtual console, or the mini NES is far cheaper and more reliable.  But people still want those original carts.  It's more about collectability than it is about just playing the games, I think.  For some people, it just isn't the same unless they can hold the original in their hands.

[twiztor]

Wow. So it has been that long. I'm from the generation u describe. I was a bit of a hoarder so I kept most of my SNES and the following Nintendo consoles.

Unfortunately I didn't keep the NES as these were handed down to the younger siblings.

Recently I've resurrected my interest in retrogames/mags and figured I would build up a NES library.

Hence the discovery that the prices seem excessive. Will be taking the plunge on some old favorites. Will be skipping the CIB's and just get the cartidges.

Any idea if releases like the NES mini classics and virtual consoles inflate or deflate prices in general??

 

good luck in your hunt, Alex! the NES is my all-time favorite system. i'm sitting at about 160ish games (haven't counted in a while). i have no designs on getting a complete run (over 700!) and just grab what i'm interested in playing. i also go the cartridge-only route. Mainly due to price, plus what am i gonna do with 160 cardboard boxes? i've got no room to display them, so may as well not even bother.

 

My guess is they won't deflate them at all.  The extra attention they bring to the old games may drive prices even higher.

 

Of all the ways you can play a classic game, the absolute most difficult way is by using the original hardware.  It's the most expensive, is sometimes in need of repairs, and isn't even compatible with modern displays without alterations or additional components.  Emulation, whether on PC, virtual console, or the mini NES is far cheaper and more reliable.  But people still want those original carts.  It's more about collectability than it is about just playing the games, I think.  For some people, it just isn't the same unless they can hold the original in their hands.

 

yeah, the NES-Classic may drive prices up a little bit, but my guess is that the difference will be negligible. That mini system has a fantastic lineup of games on it, so it should satisfy most people.

 

agreed, kitsunebi. Emulation is absolutely the easiest and cheapest (and in many ways, best) route to go if you're just interested in playing the games. You've got every available game at your fingertips (including games that weren't released in your region AND prototypes/hacks/homebrews) and they run smoothly. i just never got into emulation much, for whatever reason. i love my cartridges.

[RetroDefense]

Of all the ways you can play a classic game, the absolute most difficult way is by using the original hardware.  It's the most expensive, is sometimes in need of repairs, and isn't even compatible with modern displays without alterations or additional components.

 

Sometimes I joke about how my CRT will soon be the rarest item in my collection.

 

Lately, I've only been kinda joking.

[RetroDefense]

agreed, kitsunebi. Emulation is absolutely the easiest and cheapest (and in many ways, best) route to go if you're just interested in playing the games. You've got every available game at your fingertips (including games that weren't released in your region AND prototypes/hacks/homebrews) and they run smoothly. i just never got into emulation much, for whatever reason. i love my cartridges.

 

I'm the same way.  Emulation is super convenient - and I respect it immensely as it is crazy important in terms of game preservation - but I've yet to find an emulator that replicates the original hardware experience.  (That said, I've yet to sit an emulation PC in the living room in front of the couch.)

 

I've grown fond of a compromise: flash carts with original hardware.

[Alex1]

I'm the same way.  Emulation is super convenient - and I respect it immensely as it is crazy important in terms of game preservation - but I've yet to find an emulator that replicates the original hardware experience.  (That said, I've yet to sit an emulation PC in the living room in front of the couch.)

 

I've grown fond of a compromise: flash carts with original hardware.

I will see if the "originals only" strategy will satisfy my gamimg needs. Playing those rare, expensive games like Little Samson are begging for an emulator/ROM. I think that emulation is probably the most important factor to keep prices lower. Just imagine if the only way to still play these games would be with the original cartridges. Or would they be the same??

[Alex1]

good luck in your hunt, Alex! the NES is my all-time favorite system. i'm sitting at about 160ish games (haven't counted in a while). i have no designs on getting a complete run (over 700!) and just grab what i'm interested in playing. i also go the cartridge-only route. Mainly due to price, plus what am i gonna do with 160 cardboard boxes? i've got no room to display them, so may as well not even bother.

 

160 is already an impressive number. Hope you've got a good system to handle backlog.

[kitsunebi]

I will see if the "originals only" strategy will satisfy my gamimg needs. Playing those rare, expensive games like Little Samson are begging for an emulator/ROM. I think that emulation is probably the most important factor to keep prices lower. Just imagine if the only way to still play these games would be with the original cartridges. Or would they be the same??

 

If emulation didn't exist, the only games I could see being affected are the super-common popular titles - the games everyone used to own as kids and wants to play again.  Because that's the only demographic that could be affected by emulation - people wanting to replay games for nostalgic purposes.  Little Samson would still be just as valuable as a collectible due to its rarity, but it carries very little nostalgic value, since so few people actually owned it.

[Alex1]

Good point. That would probably be the case. The market for rare games wouldn't change much.

Only other factor that might infleunce price is the plethora of profit seeking web based stores since they need to make some profit. I wonder if it isn't an overcrowded market with slim margins though.

At least they make the games more readily available for consumers I would think.

[RetroDefense]

If anything there's a long, generational price bubble going on.  Which is common with just about everything nostalgic, really.  As we age and stop collecting, the next generation won't have the same demand for these games.  Without buyers having those warm 'n fuzzy feels, prices will drop some.