Will we see prices level out?

[Azzurri]

Prices right now seem to be crazy high, and this is not just Turbografx stuff, but SNES, Sega Saturn, and other retro consoles.  Even the stuff that isn't 'rare' is double or even more than it was a couple years back.

Do you guys think the prices will eventually level out, once resellers move out and the gouging stops?  Or are we in for these prices for the foreseeable future?

Part of me thinks it's here to stay since these games are not getting any newer, and over the years people lose stuff or it breaks.

Anyways, what say you?

I don´t think prices will ever significantly drop in the future. TG and PCE are now vintage items, hence there is a price rise. Whether it is justified or not, prices will continue to rise and might rise into heights we probably now just have a mere imagination of.

And since we´re talking about vintage items, they will have a certain base price point that is dictated by their rarity, age and of course, availability to a certain market. If you live in Japan you will be happier than in the EU, since you pay less for items in general.

It is the same with classic cars. They never drop in price, they cost you money to drive them, they cost you money to stay in good shape (so does a game console, unless you can service it yourself), and they become more and more expensive due to less and less available original parts and of course generally models in running condition. There´s no way around it.

So I expect to rise certain games and items to become more and more expensive within the coming years. So I´d better start with the more rare items and purchase the less expensive ones later, since they are way more common and will stay common, hence become less expensive over a longer period of time.

Just my 2 cents. Anybody else perhaps with a different opinion?

I agree with you, just like you said the price for vintage cars just keep going up as the years pass by, and since none of these games are in production and haven't been for over 20 years now, I don't see prices really dropping, especially for rare titles.  The commons ones probably won't move all that much.

[Necromancer]

It is the same with classic cars. They never drop in price...

That's true for stuff like a 250 GTO, but it's false for classic cars in general.  Values are cyclical for most, rising and falling as their popularity waxes and wanes.

[BigusSchmuck]

It is the same with classic cars. They never drop in price...

That's true for stuff like a 250 GTO, but it's false for classic cars in general.  Values are cyclical for most, rising and falling as their popularity waxes and wanes.

Right, try to find someone who wants a gremlin from back in the 70s and see what happens. Yet if someone asked for a Dorlean than everyone and their grandmother who watched Back to the Future will want it.

[synbiosfan]

Right, try to find someone who wants a gremlin from back in the 70s and see what happens.

I'd love a Gremlin X, the little f*ckers are fast as hell, real sleepers.

[tbone3969]

There are a number of factors that worry me with Bit Rot being the number one.  After 20 yrs. most CDs and a high percentage of carts will start to become unplayable.  Many of my collecting friends have varying thoughts on how this will effect value.

Uh oh, should probably lower the price on this before it dies then, huh?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/BRAND-NEW-Dragon-Slayer-The-Legend-of-Heroes-TurboGrafx-CD-1992-Turbo-/141376759387?pt=Video_Games_Games&hash=item20eab6265b

No that game is sealed.  Sealed games will always hold their value because they are only meant to be collected and not played as people will not open them.

[Necromancer]

Sealed games will always hold their value because they are only meant to be collected and not played as people will not open them.

Wanna bet?  I like popping game cherries.

[tbone3969]

Sealed games will always hold their value because they are only meant to be collected and not played as people will not open them.

Wanna bet?  I like popping game cherries.

Correction "most people will not open them"...  there are always a few exceptions.  Do you think anyone has ever opened a high graded NIB game?

[Necromancer]

Do you think anyone has ever opened a high graded NIB game?

If you mean a game that some retard wasted money sending off to a bullshit grading "authority" like VGA, it's not likely as those fools have a vested interest in not opening the game; if you mean a game that would be graded as sealed, minty fresh by any moderately intelligent person, then of course.  My most recent one was Manhattan Requiem just a few weeks ago, and I sure as shit ain't the only one here that frees games from their plastic prisons.

[ultrageranium]

I don't think it's possible to accurately predict how the retro bubble will develop in the coming years as its market can be highly influenced by the silent ones who owns/license the IP for these objects.

For instance an analogy can be drawn here with analogue synthesizers, which were abandoned by their manufacturers yet eventually, thanks to a growing popularity in the last two decades, brought back to life first via software, then into simplified SoC, and very recently so-called 1:1 hardware replicas. A good example of this is the original Korg MS-20, made available again as a limited edition kit.

While the purist will find some differences between the original MS-20 and the very recent 1:1 replica kit, it was good enough to slow down, possibly stale and invert the price trend of the increasingly hard to find and maintain original hardware, and funnily enough, significantly increase the availability of the old synth, suddenly liberated by musicians who would see the added value of selling the old gear for a 99% as good, yet brand new, model.

Given circumstances in which retro gaming keeps on increasing in popularity, I do not see far fetch the idea of a manufacturer, the original IP owner, or a licensed one, starting to make 1:1 replica of old console hardware and games.

[HailingTheThings]

No that game is sealed.  Sealed games will always hold their value because they are only meant to be collected and not played as people will not open them.

. . .

Wanna bet?  I like popping game cherries.

Yesh!

[mitsuman]

...and I sure as shit ain't the only one here that frees games from their plastic prisons.

[johnnymad]

Sealed games will always hold their value because they are only meant to be collected and not played as people will not open them.

Wanna bet?  I like popping game cherries.

Found a sealed PSP game at a thrift store today. Imma gonna open it.

[BigusSchmuck]

Do you think anyone has ever opened a high graded NIB game?

If you mean a game that some retard wasted money sending off to a bullshit grading "authority" like VGA, it's not likely as those fools have a vested interest in not opening the game; if you mean a game that would be graded as sealed, minty fresh by any moderately intelligent person, then of course.  My most recent one was Manhattan Requiem just a few weeks ago, and I sure as shit ain't the only one here that frees games from their plastic prisons.

I opened my sealed Don Quixote Laseractive game a few weeks ago so I have no desire to keep sealed games. Thats just retarded stupid how much something is worth just because its unopened.

[esadajr]

This is a great time to get into those missed gems from the 6th gen. (I'm looking at you PS2)

For the older stuff, just go with emulators, CDRs or flashcarts if you can't get it at a decent price.