Have You Been Priced Out of Game Collecting? - Retro Bird

Paying a lot of money for anything is never fun, but have some of us become priced out of game collecting? I go over some of the various factors that contribute to why people get priced out, as well as some of the different ways that the rising prices of retro video games can affect a collector's psyche.
Have You Been Priced Out of Game Collecting? - Retro Bird / Have Retro Video Games Become Too Expensive to Collect / Unaffordable? / No Longer Afford Retro Video Games
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#retrobird

[@RetroBirdGaming]

Games played: Symphony of the Night (0:01), World of Illusion (0:10), Einhander (0:18), Super Monkey Ball 2 (0:35), Mario Superstar Baseball (1:00), Super Mario Kart (1:38), Time Crisis 3 (4:05)

[@emmawagner8915]

I always forget how good genesis stuff looks. Booted up the Disney collection on switch the other day and I’m always impressed

[@siredaruler6016]

Does digital collections count?? Or only physical collections in your opinion?? Thanks 🙏

[@Thrakus]

I have no way of buying them, had a sega Saturn collection but I did keep them in a CD book but they did got stolen, So now I have manuals and cases only. It's something you had to do at the start before the price boost. Like panzer dragoon at 400$ when it should be 130 at most. I hate how many people on ebay jack up the cost after a vid is done , 35$ 8-track player did become 250$

[@orderofmagnitude-TPATP]

I've got the opposite. I had to sell my collection of entire worth of every sega for about 150quid back in 2013 due to me cockin up life. That hurt. Granted these were not museum pieces. They were well loved and worn. I mean my Saturn would not load unless you unscrewed the top part of for whatever reason... They had many many many miles and used daily since bought. Everyday I thank emulation tho as I have my entire collection and more all on my phone aka with me 24 7 with an 8bitdo mini controller hanging off my car interior mirror. I am gutted as I had a sega cd game worth 500 alone and had no idea. I sold them at a time when desperate and needed it quick still. It is funny thinking of how troublesome some of those systems are. Mega cd hates you lol

[@geoffreychauvin1474]

@@emmawagner8915 most genesis stuff doesn't look that great. The quality gap between SNES and Genesis versions of games is usually ridiculous, unless the game is made solely with genesis in mind.

[@Zachilles323]

I think the worst part is knowing you used to have specific games as a kid that you foolishly gave away and now they're too expensive to get back.

[@Euruk1]

Yep. It's so depressing knowing I traded in most of my old stuff. I also never kept any of the game boxes for SNES and N64. As a kid I tossed them in the trash like an idiot.

[@Zachilles323]

@@Euruk1 I 100% did the same thing. I think because a lot of cases back in the day were cardboard they just seemed pointless to keep. Before the time of discs especially, it just didn't seem necessary to keep the cases. Plus as a kid I definitely ripped open packaging swiftly to get the game out as quickly as possible haha.

[@AidanDrotzur-uz5sz]

For most people this is pokemon

[@zweihander7465]

​@@Euruk1youre not an idiot, you were just being a kid. Which we all were and all did the same shit.

[@dooglive922]

You're not alone my guy. Sold away all my GameCube games cheaply a long time ago. Had all the hits too 😔

[@RetroSpectiveGameReviews]

I stopped collecting after I stopped being able to find games in the wild. My favorite part of collecting was the thrill of the hunt. Sure I’ve bought a couple games on eBay. But going to a thrift store and finding some random game always felt more exciting. Even if it wasn’t a game I cared too much about.

[@Wolfstanus]

Wait, you gave up on hunting games because hunting games got harder?

[@RetroBirdGaming]

I've heard some people say they've had more luck recently. Perhaps this is because a lot of people have given up (therefore less competition)? Who knows.

[@leeartlee915]

I was never really a “hunter”. I just bought games as I wanted them. That’s how I have every high profile SNES RPG. But then again, I’m 38 and had the opportunity to buy them when they were, you know, new.

[@joelou]

I totally relate!

[@tonyp9313]

@@leeartlee915 That's really awesome that you are 38 years old. Usually they are all 20 & under on this channel.

[@ShadowEl]

Retro game collecting stopped being a hobby and became a "market". That's when I got out. It was something I did for fun and out of passion, not profit or investment.

[@davidplaysgames470]

You basically just hit the nail on the head as to why collecting became so expensive. When the yuppies who don't care about the games and only care about the money got involved that's when everything went to shit. I do say that the price will drop eventually when the yuppies dropout realize that what they have is not a gold mine they thought it was like no one wants your torn label Mario duck hunt for $20

[@Black-Rat]

Felt the same way recently, I was willing to spend a good chunk of money to gather the games I wanted back, I never meant it always being about big money, just having some fun with the games I wanted, picked the games I wanted to go after, got a bunch of others that I never had heard of before, but they were pretty good for the most parts... I already have a good numbers of those and still playing those games, some were too expensive for my taste, I was willing to pay big for some games, but there was a limit because I'm not rich, but I can have patience and wait until a game I wanted was available in a small video games store directly in my neighborhood and I made my move on the deal and after checking if it's a good deal or not, that's when I bagged the games... Most of them were in good conditions when I got them, but now my wallet wants me to stop, got no other options and the money was needed some where else... So, my games collecting days are over, even though I still have a decent collection, so I leave it the way it is now, it's only a small collection and I'm just playing them around when I have nothing else to do, I still think it was worth it, depends on how your economics are going and if you're willing to pay big money to get the games you might want to go after... If you want big games, make sure you have enough money to afford buying them before you think about going after them because they can get very expensive...

[@tymaginnis7746]

I think another big thing that isn't being mentioned is that recently everything has become so much more expensive than it was, groceries, cars, gas, rent... People have less money and we are all getting older priorities are changing. It's just getting harder or impossible to justify the cost.

[@VogueDistortion]

This could also be reason to expect the bubble is going to burst. The world economy is on the brink of a big recession (if not already in it) so overpriced video games will not be a top priority for most people. Some collectors will also need to sell of part of their collection to pay the bills.

[@NoMereRanger73]

One thing that I’d like to do more often is have that social aspect of local multiplayer that games used to have. The reason why many games feel nostalgic isn’t just how good the game was, but spending time with people who were fun to be with while playing them.

[@melancholas]

Totally agree. And I have to admit, that feels different with nowadays multiplayer online games. There are some exceptions like "it takes two", but in general, we hadn't that toxic competitive behavior. Giving a friend the "special" controller.

[@tonyp9313]

Couch coop or vs is great for social gatherings, I just don't have the time to meet up with friends though.

[@melancholas]

@@tonyp9313 That's exactly my nowadays problem: my brothers live too far away, to have some games. So in this case, the online variant is the better option.

[@NoMereRanger73]

@@blitheringrando1410 For real, man. Once people drift off it’s hard to meet new people.

[@drunkensailor112]

I still play couch Co up many times a year. Few times a year even with old friends from the 90s. We gather for this

[@Freezer94]

Every week or so I like to look through a random game's case and instruction manual. There's a lot more to appreciate that is just missed with a ROM or ISO download. And it also makes me feel less like I wasted my money.

[@yellowblanka6058]

To be fair, cases and manuals can and are scanned, yes, it’s not the same as having the tangible item but if you just care about playing the game it beats paying a small fortune to some random collector for a cart and box that in most cases are noticeably worn and aged anyway. Hell, the prices for just the media alone are insane as it is. You do you though.

[@Shishkebarbarian]

so much this. it's probably the main reason i collect. I dedicated a huge amount of space, money and time to physical goods i can just get and consume digitally (movies, music, games, comics). but the tactile interaction with the goods is everything to me. it's not just about reading Amazing Spider-Man #38, it's about holding it in my hand, feeling it, smelling it and interacting with a 50 year old relic written and illustrated by legends. so even just thumbing through a collection on the shelf once a day or pulling out and item and just looking at it is a nice reminder of what we collectors love about these items.

[@Manic_Panic]

It's all ROMs for me. Manuals if I want, I can find digitalized scans. I invest the money in the well being of the consoles instead so they can last me as long as possible. For example, my backwards compatible PS3 is considered to be a console that has overheating problems and can fail often. However, the seller I bought it from fully cleaned it up, reapplied a quality thermal paste to it and I installed CFW myself not just for the ROMs but to increase the fan speeds as well to keep those heat demons cooled down. Most people who buy old consoles go for cheap stuff that looks like it is on its last legs and was never opened up, they are basically going to get ticking time bombs. There are a few you normally don't have to worry about though like the fat PS2s, those will never die, literally.

[@yellowblanka6058]

@@Manic_Panic If original carts/discs were still reasonably priced, I wouldn't mind building up a small collection of favorites, but in a where where digital re-releases/unofficial ROMs are available and emulation is "good enough" for 99.9% of people, I'm not keen on paying a small fortune for original carts/hardware.

[@Shishkebarbarian]

@@Manic_Panic if you want to pirate, then pirate. You're no collector.

[@HyperSniperCo]

I like being able to use my technical knowledge to bring formerly thought to be dead older consoles back to life. Im a retro gaming necromancer and it feels great.

[@karimcheese7257]

Glad I got most of my retro games 15-20 years ago (esp my Saturn titles). Neo Geo games are beyond anything I can consider collecting

[@RetroBirdGaming]

I remember Saturn games always being relatively expensive, but at this point they are sadly out of reach for most.

[@ABD-pc3jf]

@@RetroBirdGaming I have exactly one Saturn game. Gex

[@karimcheese7257]

@@RetroBirdGaming "relatively" is the key word. Many of my Saturn games were reasonably priced when I found them

[@manygatos885]

My brother had a sega Saturn I remember playing Daytona USA , Tomb raider etc I know some of them games had to be worth money today

[@samuelbaugh4952]

My buying habits really haven’t changed much for a long time. For years I’ve been able to spend about $80-$120 on games. Big difference now is instead if 5-6 new games to try out, it’s just 1 or 2. Definitely a bummer, but at least it gives me more reason to replay the stuff I already own

[@attackofthetheeyecreatures3472]

Remember FuncoLand? Check out what retro games used to cost. A lot of people blame Wata for the price increase. But anything Snatcher is absurd. Even the vinyl.

[@kingedwin]

One thing I'll say for the upcoming Genesis Mini 2: It has several games that cost more in their original form than the entire system. I'm tempted to pick one up just so I can play Crusader of Centy again.

[@minusp895]

I'll need to check it out. I don't want to buy the usual collection over again lol.

[@RetroBirdGaming]

Especially if Snatcher ends up on it. Edit: Nevermind. The full list came out and no Snatcher :(

[@minusp895]

@@RetroBirdGaming I'd buy the heck out of that!

[@devonwilliams5738]

The PC Engine mini is even more insane. $1500 for Ginga Fukei Densetsu Sapphire anyone?

[@alfredl3831]

@@RetroBirdGaming Mega Everdrive pro will fix that Snatcher issue. Saves wear and tear on my Sega CD.

[@PazuChill]

One way in which I've been dealing with this is getting the Japanese versions of JRPGs, which go for a lot cheaper. I study Japanese in my free time and one day, that's the plan at least, I'll be able to play them with the original text. This way I have added motivation to keep studying, too.

[@AnthonyFlack]

Certainly I don't collect the same way. Old games used to be considered worthless and I would grab them more-or-less indiscriminately just to save them from the trash, and part of the fun was not knowing what I might get. Well, that's not happening any more. But thanks to the internet there's no reason to buy anything without knowing all about it first, anyway. And that's also why there's no bargains any more.

[@BongOfDestiny]

I've been collecting for long enough that I have almost everything I could want, but the worst part about the way the market has turned imo is that there's such a huge quantity of great games I can't easily share with people anymore, because they've become too expensive to recommend without a series of asterisks. Something like Ghost Trick on the DS is one of the most charming games on the platform, and I'd say anyone with a DS should have it... if only it wasn't going for over $100. I got my copy brand new for $15 about 6 years ago or so, and I don't feel good or "smart" for owning it before the price hike. I'm just disappointed that it's become that much harder to share the games and experiences I love with other people.

[@yellowblanka6058]

Good thing flash carts/emulation exist. I suspect the artificial pricing bubble inflated in large part by bad actors in the community will eventually pop as people turn to repros, flash carts and emulation more and more and all but the most ocd and irresponsible collectors stop collecting.

[@orwwan]

Scuse me ur telling me ghost trick is going for a 💯 wtf i love the game is a great hidden gem, but 100!!!!!!! WTFF

[@samt7756]

I missed the boat on this one though my bro was always recommending it to me :(( oh well, there’s always the iOS version..

[@Shishkebarbarian]

well there are flash cart/ODE solutions to pretty much every platform these days. sure it isn't collecting, but you can certainly still share your knowledge and recommendation about these games and clue in other people to their awesomeness. Like for instance i just found out about Ghost Trick.

[@LumbyMcGumby]

Responding to the title before watching the video: Yes I have

[@marccaselle8108]

I feel like Saturn and Dreamcast and GameCube have been hit hard with covid inflation. Luckily for me, all the intellivision games I have, boxed CIB and loose have been very cheap still. 🙂

[@wantsome-zs5sq]

I remember Little Samson going for $200 and I thought that was too much

[@tooruoikawa8985]

For the most part yes. GameCube has become ridiculous. The console didn’t even sell well when it was released. I wish I wasnt convinced by GameStop for years to trade in and trade up because I owned many of the most sought after games and only let go of them when I was convinced by store clerks it was the best idea ever and I needed all new games all the time. I just have a really hard time paying for twice what I paid originally for games that were not popular. It just sucks :( anyways thanks for the vids!

[@RetroBirdGaming]

Thank you for watching. And yeah, buying back games you used to own can be really painful.

[@totallyfrozen]

Dude, about 10 years ago, I moved to another state so while I was liquidating a bunch of stuff to lighten the load, I have my GC and all my games to to niece. I was expecting enthusiasm and was met with “meh, OK. Thanks” I sure she doesn’t have the system anymore. I had about a dozen games for it too. (Punches self in face)

[@alfredl3831]

My GC-Loader was the best thing to happen to my GameCube. The Raspberry Pico mod works great as well. No more GameCube pain. I still have several of my original GameCube games but they just sit on the shelf looking pretty nowadays.

[@joshuamatt8387]

I think the current wave of collectors just got to the market too late. The ridiculous price on gamecube is everyone's fault for not supporting Nintendo at the time. I bought my gamecube brand new and all the games I wanted when it was released and was made fun of by all my friends on playstation and xbox. Heck most didn't even know what they were looking at when they saw a gamecube in the flesh. It was rare at the time it was released so was always going to be worth lots and has nothing do with current trends. If you still want to collect just go for what is not trending. For example Super Nintendo is ridiculous while mega drive owners are giving their stuff away.

[@bluefates58]

@@RetroBirdGaming yeah I sold a lot of my Wii games when I was younger thankfully it's the wii so most of the games I sold weren't rare or something

[@MrCalvin7892]

Collecting has become really hard for many of the consoles I enjoy playing (Turbografx sticks out the most). I have done a couple things to stay invested in the hobby. 1. Downsized certain parts of my collection and reinvested that money into buying games for other systems. For example, Saturn has become too expensive for me, so I have begun selling and using that money to fill out other collections I am more passionate about. 2. Playing the games I already have. Just like you alluded to in the video, sometimes just sitting down and trying to enjoy what you already have can keep your love alive for the hobby and appreciate what you have. 3. Homebrews. I think this is a standout aspect of collecting/playing on retro hardware in the current day. I love supporting, buying and playing so many great homebrew games for many of my favorite consoles. Genesis, Jaguar and Intellivision are getting tons of support to this very day. The cost of purchasing many of these great homebrews also is fair and in line with other modern released games!

[@wes773105333]

I can't afford to collect and it's a good thing because I don't have enough space for adding tons of games to my "collection". I tend to think of my games as a library. I hold onto games I buy so I have a connection to each game I own. I have some games that I could sell for a couple hundred bucks each, but I know if I sell them I'll never be able to buy them again, especially at the discounted price I originally paid. I only buy games I intend to play, so paying super expensive prices for games I "missed" growing up isn't I do. If I can't afford a game, I look into re-releases on newer hardware or emulation.

[@Exiled2Eazy]

I got priced out of collecting years ago. I couldn't imagine attempting to try to nowadays. Emulation works for me, especially today where you can emulate pretty much anything and they even make controllers that mimic the same thing. My only regret is not waiting til now to sell everything I had. Could probably buy a house with cash with the prices people are willing to pay now.

[@God777JESUSfreak777]

Prices of certain genres hurt too. God, it sucks to be a jrpg fan sometimes. I love Chrono trigger and Earthbound, but they are way out of my range.

[@moandaindesigns]

Yea started collecting in 1996 and so glad I did. No way I could afford my collection at today's prices.

[@Throbingkcoc]

Luckily I began collecting before retro games became insanely expensive. Sure I've dropped a pretty penny on games like Conkers bad fur day and Silent Hill 3 but most of my valuable games were pretty reasonable when I got them. Almost my entire GameCube and Dreamcast collection was bought dirt cheap.

[@karimcheese7257]

I'm mad I didn't buy Silent Hill 3 when it was still affordable. Thankfully I have 1 and 2

[@Throbingkcoc]

​@@karimcheese7257 the first 4 are insanely expensive now.

[@Nicomanism]

You can get Silent Hill 4 on GOG for less than 10 bucks. Unless you want the physical, thats on you

[@sarah11737]

Games are now worth a small fortune, and my mum threw my entrie collection out a few years ago thinking I didn't want them anymore 🤦

[@dexocube]

Jeez that stings!

[@GarnetRodLady]

I collect games that mean something to me, regardless of whether I have the console or not. I'm just really picky so I don't have that many games to begin with.

[@AndrewRathburn]

Thank you for making these videos. Your channel is going to blow up someday soon. Keep up the great work.

[@kevinb1096]

It's seriously a hidden gem. His positivity is so refreshing.

[@RetroBirdGaming]

Thank you for watching!

[@tonyp9313]

@@kevinb1096 unlike so many other channels where politics gets discussed on video games.

[@cebing83]

Definitely replaying my old favorites is fun. Fortunately, i have kept all of my favorites through the years which allows me to play through them over and over. I will say, even with all the other options to play these games now (truly incredible), I can attest, there is still nothing like playing originals on the hardware itself.

[@Xeinok]

I completely sold all of my physical games and media and just use Launchbox to organize a beautiful collection of 3D box art for every game on every system. Saves tons of money, time, and space - and honestly it's more fun for me to play games on emulators with support from very cool stuff like RetroAchievements.

[@tonyp9313]

Awesome. Digital is way more convinient.

[@FinnSwede906]

I agree with you Retro Bird. As a physical 🥈 stacker I started in spring of 2021 when prices were quite high compared to right now... A 5 ozt 🥈 bar I paid $170 for is only about $125-130 so because everything is relative... As a newer 🥈 stacker I'm seeing the current prices as a total bargain while more experienced stackers might not feel the same.

[@MattAkiyama1]

I don't collect anything myself, but I still watch your channel. Your skits are entertaining!

[@dwightdixon8508]

There’s always someone that will pay high prices. Either it be because they missed out, want to complete their collection, sold their games early in life and want to buy back or reached a comfortable place in life and has disposable income, etc. I sold off some of my games to buy the next great thing only to rebuy them all back later, thank goodness that was still in the 90’s. Regardless of the reasons prices will go up and there’s always someone that will pay, I have and still do

[@melancholas]

Living in all kind of gaming worlds, Retro and modern, console and PC, I've found a healthy solution to avoid that "priced out" feeling. I gave myself a budget and looking more forward to buy games I like and are in a for me comfortable price range. Due to my job, my free time is limited and playing a game like Elden Ring took me a very long time to complete. Then there's the fact that I already have a good collection. When especially retro games are recommended, I take a look on all known marketplaces. If the price is in my "OK" price range then I pick it up. If not, well then I still have a bunch of games I can enjoy. There are games like Rocket League, Final Fight, Zelda OOT or Indie games I could always play. GamePass and similar subscription services and Steam help saving money, too and trying out new stuff. Well, and then there are my other passions, music, photography. That are my keys for still enjoying games, especially those I have.

[@Marc_Araujo]

Looking at prices now, I can confidantly say that I'm very happy with what I have now (I've been collecting for a long time too). At this point I'm ok waiting for the bubble to burst before I buy anything else...and that's going to happen sooner rather than later.

[@drunkensailor112]

There is no bubble so there won't be a burst.

[@antiquecardboard]

Collecting for the Wii has helped me stay away from high prices. And there are so many hidden gems. I consider the wii the very last retro console. The last console to have true CIB games (no patches, dlc etc.). Someday wii games will be worth a lot...but not this day. This day we buy!

[@tonyp9313]

The wii? Worst Nintendo Console. Also it's obsolete.

[@dannysummers4591]

@@tonyp9313 I'd say that goes to the Wii U since it has less games, the Wii at least had a new Zelda and Metroid.

[@antiquecardboard]

@@tonyp9313 Believe me, I once had your attitude towards the Wii. I sneered at the thought of "Shovelware" and "Waggle". But once I started digging I found a world far richer and more complex than any of the previous Nintendo consoles (including the Gamecube). I won't try to convert you here...but I will say a good rule of thumb is when people are sneering you should be buying. I can 100% guarantee the console and games will be very sought after in 20 years.

[@summerishere2868]

@@antiquecardboard I agree with you. I also have a decent wii collection (of games I actually want), and best of all they are affordable today. I also agree that its library is better than the gamecube (at least for my taste), it's true that maybe 85% of the wii library is showelware, but the last 15% are gold to me, lots of interesting, unique and fun titles.

[@drew335]

Great video! This applies to other collectors as well. As someone who has a modest collection of guitars, I wholeheartedly agree with your observations and advice.

[@WayOutGaming]

I actually am one of those folks who have bought games for a system I don't own because the price was good. The reasoning being that I already planned to grab the system itself at some point, so why let a good deal pass me by?

[@isquirtmilkfrommyeye]

I don’t just collect retro games, but Nintendo games in general. I’ve been priced out of most retro games and have focused my collecting on affordable Switch games instead. Usually limited run stuff since they’re usually half the price of triple A games. As far as playing games, I have plenty of retro ones I got before prices shot up to keep me busy.

[@WeegeeCool1]

Personally, I put the REALLY expensive titles in a wish list called my "Holy Grail" titles. Makes it easier to say "Okay, I can't afford these games, but that's okay, there's other titles"

[@Bee_Mavrick]

Marvel vs capcom 2 is on that list for me.

[@WeegeeCool1]

@@Bee_Mavrick Oh mine has stuff like Tron Bonne, Fire Emblem GameCube, Popful Mail, etc.

[@777bookmoon8]

I do this too!

[@GameplayandTalk]

To continue to enjoy the hobby these days from an actually-playing standpoint, I heavily rely on flash carts, ODEs and other devices such as the MiSTer. In terms of collecting carts and media for older systems, I have downsized on a lot of things I just don't want to play anymore (and probably never will), selling them and converting that money into games I do want and will hold onto.

[@RetroBirdGaming]

I think consolidation is a great tool for collecting. It's basically a win in every way. More space, more money and a more curated collection :)

[@GameplayandTalk]

@@RetroBirdGaming Oh totally. Well.. at least until you fill your shelves entirely with NES and SNES games, but I digress. 😅

[@bluefates58]

Honestly what I like doing is learning more about games like the history of their development peoples experiences on working on games is just so interesting to learn about

[@matthewcortazzo2739]

I've most definitely had to slow down in part due to the increased prices (which seem to be leveling out if not beginning to drop a little) and additions to my family making it harder to justify the frivolity of collecting. I've definitely begun taking stock of what I have and arranging it, as well as rearranging and defining the order of my backlog

[@jaysherman2615]

Even two or three years ago the local thrift stores were treasure troves. Picking up $400 of games for $28 was possible. Now it is just Madden on the shelves. Goodwill screwed us and sends all games to an electronic online division.

[@minusp895]

I'm happy with the recent influx of PS1 and Saturn remasters. I also have been having a blast paying $4 a month for NSO. I didn't realize Crystalis was so great.

[@NiallGriffin]

I've mostly focused on collecting consoles and games a lot of people don't care about, so I'm still rolling but most of my actual playing retro games happens on my raspberry pi or PC.

[@GoodVibeCollecting]

I had a dream that I found a pallet of sealed NES games for cheap...then I woke up. If prices continue to rise, everyone is going to say screw and not buy anything. Then prices will probably drop way down. I spend more time buying and repairing video games these days but even that market is getting too high.

[@emmawagner8915]

I had that same dream about goodwill and gba sps with the nice screen. And then in the back they had every Metroid game for any console

[@lordeowstheking]

Was looking up prices for the shantae and the pirate's curse game and it's almost comical what people are asking for online. No way I would buy one game that's ( what they think) the same price as the console you play it on.

[@justinmacchiaverna4028]

You’re in luck if you have a 3DS. There’s a version of the Pirate’s Curse on the Eshop going for 20.00 bucks. You’ll have 2 weeks to download it, but it’s a great way to skirt the issue of it being expensive.

[@devonwilliams5738]

If you think that's bad, then the original Shantae for GBC will make you scream.

[@PabstOban]

I’ve managed to get mostly everything I hope to own one day… I still like getting great old Games even if they weren’t on my short list. I watch a lot of KZbin content that inspires me to get some games I missed or under appreciated from my childhood that are defiantly worth taking a look at. Problem is… I’m a CIB collector and when I see a game like Lone Ranger get reviewed.. and I think… why didn’t I ever give this game a try, it looks like a lot of fun… let’s see how much it goes for…….woooooh, $175?! Maybe I’ll skip that one!

[@immitationstation3369]

I feel you but yeah sometimes just the KZbin video of a game is cool for me. Sometimes even when you obtain the game you don't even feel relieved you have it after the initial thrill of the purchase wears off

[@immitationstation3369]

I feel like people only salivate over obtaining a game due to the value and not because they would enjoy it in a lot of cases. Think of a game like say 🤔 Second site on the OG Xbox. Its a great game but its only $12 but if I feel it was around $120 then people would want it 😄

[@totallyfrozen]

Yeah, the CIB thing throws a wet towel on the fun. If you pick up a game, but then you aren’t even willing to open it up to play it…seems like waste on many levels.

[@emmawagner8915]

@@totallyfrozen that’s why I don’t worry about impeccable condition. I don’t want to baby a game or system instead of playing it, though I prefer complete just for the history of it.

[@PabstOban]

@@totallyfrozen You can still play a CIB game. I just love reading the manuals and appreciating all the artwork. Many games, particularly NES games… you would struggle getting anywhere without the manual. Before the internet, you just had what was in the game pak and whatever your friends figured out.

[@danbauer3669]

One way I like to enjoy my games is by sending my PS4 away for a repair and paying $150 for it and getting it back with the USB ports on the front still not working! Good times. At least they cleared everything off my hard drive, did shoddy work and created some cosmetic damage in the form of broken plastic by said USB ports. You know, looking on the bright side....

[@danio2015]

I gave up collecting games before I have even started. I'm a music fan, and I used to buy lots of albums, but then I didnt took good care of them, or I lend them so I ended up without any of them, as I ended up without any of the consoles or games that I have bought or received as a gift. Then I realized that with games as with music I enjoy much more the experience that the possesion of the artifacts themeselves, so right now for music I spend my money going to live shows and with games I play the games in emulation form, I had a gameboy like handheld that allows me to play even N64, sega saturn and PS1 games, so Im happy with that.

[@Bloody-Butterfly]

I emulate but need to buy physical copies of 6th gen games and some are absurd.

[@jersydvl]

I've been collecting since the 90s, but once it left the garage sale and flea market eras I was over it. It's too expensive for what it's worth. I'll still add to my collection if I find a really good read, otherwise forget it. Only games that are important to me are worth the price these days.

[@supersonicracer19]

Most I paid for a game was $110 for Pokemon Colosseum. Even though I enjoyed the game I still feel that buyer's remorse sometimes like "Why in the world did I do that?" At the time, I was seeing it on Ebay for $200-$300 and $110 seemed like a great deal to me. But when I told a coworker how much I paid he looked at me like I was crazy.

[@SegaTron64]

Great video RetroBird. I stopped collecting for the most part about 5 years ago. Between Everdrives, ODEs and Hard drive modded consoles, I have full collections on pretty much every classic console I own from NES up to the Wii. Look at it like this, sure it may be up to $250 to get the mod/everedrive/ODE but then you never have to buy another game for that console unless you want to display it on your shelf. Then you can use the extra cash saved to buy more consoles to mod or extra controllers/light guns/peripherals. Sure you can do it all on a Raspberry Pi but you gotta have standards. Playing on real hardware with official controllers is just something to behold. Thanks for yet another affirming video for all us maniac collectors of all types. Now if they would just release an ODE for the Philips CDi... Keep it up Bird!

[@RetroBirdGaming]

Yeah, I think ODEs are a great option for those who want to play on original hardware without having to collect individual games. It's reassuring moving forward as well, since we don't really know exactly how long some of these game discs will last.

[@tonyp9313]

What's O.D.E?

[@RetroBirdGaming]

@@tonyp9313 "Optical Disc Emulator". They're basically a replacement for having games read by a laser (on consoles that use discs) and instead can just be loaded from an SD card.

[@tonyp9313]

@@RetroBirdGaming Thank you

[@grgmj1980]

Your channel is so underrated! This is easily one of the best gaming channels on KZbin. Thanks for your hard work and dedication.

[@shhhvcnear]

I'm priced out of owning games for many systems, so I pick a few systems I like (and may be on the cheap side) and then get a flash cart or ODE or fmcb for the rest 8). I still will pick up sentimental games for those systems, ffx for example, but games that won't break the bank, ffx for example.

[@butterflypooo]

I discovered something a few weeks ago and it still is blowing my mind. Game prices didn’t go up bc of gamers, they went up bc investors who don’t care about games and don’t play games manipulated the market so that they could make a profit. Look up Wata Games lawsuit. It’s huge.

[@Shralla]

In 2020 I bought a replacement copy of Ogre Battle for SNES because my cat had chewed up the box for my original copy. I paid $200 and it came with the manual and 1 of 2 folded inserts which I didn't have for my original. Now the cartridge alone is worth $300. I'm glad I got it when I did because there's no way I would pay prices like that.

[@OilFreak]

What keeps the retro gaming hobby fueling for me is 2 things. First, falling in love with a game that I hadn't even heard of a half hour ago. There's just no better feeling. Second, it's the new way to play old games. I'm talking both rom hacks, as well as enhancements like hd mode 7 and msu1 packs. They keep things interesting

[@THEKLEVER187]

I’ve stopped retro collecting a few years back because the prices were just getting out of hand and honestly it’s not even fun anymore , before that I was finding great deals just about everywhere even bought a Virtual boy in the box with three games for $60 . Now I’m just collecting Nintendo switch games like limited run stuff and other companies that print physical copy’s .

[@idxman01]

Prices are shocking at times as I’m fairly new to collecting. 1.5yr in. Though I’m very, uh , thrifty and will search quite a bit for deals. Both for stretching dollars and like you said an effort to lower the average price over time. I’ve also been focusing more on Gameboy as they tend to be cheaper. It’s taken a year, but I finally have both Zelda Oracle games, in good condition for great prices. Was it worth my time? Eh, probably not, but the search was fun.

[@michaeldemers2716]

I recommend using Zip up three ring binders and baseball card sheets for your games. A great system is the Retroad 5 Plus with the GB/GBC Extension Converter from Ali-Express. It works with the Everdrive GB X7 as well and has two wireless controllers. It's on sale right now for $120.00. It's normally $150.00. It has HDMI out for TV use and has different aspect ratios.

[@mrbrocephus3849]

Finding the consoles broken and fixing them I find it satisfying and such an accomplishment

[@kenspeedbicycle]

There will always be a market for retro gaming. It only makes sense for prices to go up when games are 30 going on 40 years old. But i think social media hasn't helped because there are so many cool accounts showcasing their collections and now i want one of those square sony crt tvs!

[@demisemedia]

Clicked for the content. Stayed for the derpy faces! My game collection consists of one SNES with 2 controllers. Super Mario All stars, DK Country, paper boy 2, MK 2, Ultimate MK 3, Super Mario Kart & Super Street fighter 2. I never paid more than $35 for a game.

[@3DevilDog]

I don't feed the speculator / investor machine. Haven't for some time now. The central FL area dried up some time ago. Play what you have, emulate the rest. I look back fondly on my game hunting days. But I refuse to pursue it under these conditions. A piece of advice: Wanting is usually more powerful than having.

[@anactualbear5683]

I enjoy the hobby despite the high prices, by using my tears to polish the few games I have already purchased.

[@lstacey143]

Between my full time career, owning and taking care of a house and having a 4 and 2 year old, I don’t really have the time for much collecting. Also paying $660 a week for daycare which is equivalent to buying a copy of Little Samson every month. The way I stay connected to the hobby though is sharing gaming with my 4 year old son. We play games together and he is interested in games from the original NES to current day PS5 games. He will enjoy Sonic 2 on the Genesis and Astro Bot on PS5. So I will take him to retro game stores and share the hobby with him.

[@valkiriforce]

I enjoy a lot of my favorite games I've held on to for all these years. The games I collect now at least have some other options between re-release compilations and sometimes reproduction carts if the original title's price is way too high. I just wish an option like it existed for a lot of the games from the GameCube generation.

[@NegativeGamer418]

I think we as collectors get into the habit of buying multiple games in a row before actually playing the games 1 by 1, that's pretty much what happened to me with the SNES, but I've learned from that experience. So now even if a game is expensive it doesn't hurt my wallet as much. As for emulators I've used those as demos for games that I'm not sure if I'll like them, before making a decision on buying the physical version. Playing these games on their original hardware is definitely the best experience, but I can't blame anyone for sticking only with emulators.

[@raycerx87]

I'm an anime VHS collector, and I have at times felt "priced out", but there are ways to enjoy the hobby, like watching my backlog over again, talking to others about what I have and sometimes building a report with other collectors who happen to sell and like you enough who will throw you a bone and vise versa. Like sure, I skipped the boat on getting Berserk, Legend of Black Heaven and a few other titles that seem unattainable, but with collecting anything, it always comes full circle. Great video and insight!

[@kevinb1096]

I'm impressed that you have Puzzle entertainment pack. Keep up with the top tier content!

[@mcgelie4528]

I pretty much exclusively play jrpgs, with some outliers here and there. So basically every game that I'm looking for has ridiculously gone up in price. I used to love going to the local game shop or flea market to see if I could find anything fun. I haven't been able to do that in years. I've stopped collecting. I will still buy new games I am interested in, but anything retro I've given up on for the time being. As much as I adore playing on original hardware (and oh yeah I really do), emulation is really the thing to do if you're not into getting physical media. I do hope this whole thing changes, although I doubt it. In the meantime, I'll be playing through everything I already have now.

[@officegossip]

I’m more of a gamer than I am a collector. If I can mod or get an everdrive cart, then I’m going for it. If not, I’ll seek out and buy the game if it’s at a reasonable price. Prices nowadays are ridiculous and it’s just not worth it. In the end I’m just happy owning the real hardware, a nice monitor and the game I specifically want to experience.

[@shinobi197]

Me: I want that game. My mind: you could buy groceries for 2 weeks with that money and its easily emulated. Me: ... KZbin: Recommends why it sucks to be out priced out collecting. Me: Fair enough universe food it is.

[@DP12321]

Let's have rice for dinner again!

[@emmawagner8915]

@@DP12321 what about dessert?

[@DP12321]

@@emmawagner8915 Rice pudding 😋

[@megamob5834]

You can find creative solutions or side hustles to pay for those bigger ticket games, but yeah, $100+ for *any* game can be a tough pill to swallow, regardless of how good it is

[@onehardtosolvekase6670]

Mine is to slowly save on the side for big priced titles I need instead of dropping big bucks at once

[@megamob5834]

@@onehardtosolvekase6670 I tend to accumulate a bunch of lower and mid priced games that I get super cheap from thrift stores /garage sales / pawn shops and trade them in at the lgs for those more expensive games

[@ShinSynZero]

Great vid and topic, for games that are beyond what's a comfortable price point sometimes I'll just say up. When that's not happening though attacking the backlog, organizing/decorating my game room, or getting some family gaming in is generally on the agenda.

[@lowca3717]

The "Half-Priced" book / thrift store by my house has eBay(+) pricing for all game related stuff. They wanted over $300 for a scuffed-up 3DS. There are no deals to be had any longer.

[@GameKollector]

The problem is a lot of people got into collecting the last couple of years because of what the games were worth as opposed to just wanting to collect the games. I’ve been collecting for 12 years or so and have 3,430 games and over 100 consoles and handhelds. With 1,700 NES/N64/SNES games they account for essentially 50% of my collection. I’ve completed the licensed N64 and NES game sets (minus SE) and I’m about 200 games away from the licensed SNES set. I always had a goal of completing a series, completing a set, or just going after the harder to find games for a system. These are still my goals….I still don’t buy things as investments. I really like buying CIB games (have about 450 CIB NES/N64/SNES games) and the rare stuff for various systems just because I like having hard to find games. My collection is currently packed up as we are moving, but once I’m ready to unpack I’m going to make some unpacking videos for my channel as I haven’t uploaded anything in years about my collection.

[@hymns-harps-harmonicas1934]

Another great video , currently your the only channel i watch that mostly talks about gaming , usually i just watch game hunting channels , thats for two reasons 1 they bore me or 2 they have a lot of fowl language. Thanks for the great content!

[@8BitHorse]

I set a $20 limit on game purchases. I'm willing to pay a bit more if the market demands it, but most of the games that I'm "priced out of" are now into the hundreds of dollars.

[@regional1000]

LOL Good luck with that.

[@8BitHorse]

@@regional1000 It's worked pretty well on the last 100 or so retro games I've bought, so I think I'll stick with it. Lots of gems to be found in yard sales and flea markets if you have a keen eye and plenty of patience.

[@TrophyJourney]

I collect for the N64 and can say that prices have gone up a lot in the last two years here in Brazil. I feel lucky I got the bulk of my collection around the R$100 mark and now I'm priced out of games like Harvest Moon 64 and Castlevania Legacy, but that's alright. What I do is, for example, instead of paying R$400 for Harvest Moon, I paid R$400 for a pack of 6 games I also wanted and are still on the cheaper side (Turok 1 and 2, Star Wars games etc). However, this tactic won't work forever, and I'll have to bite the bullet eventually on those games. But while I wait, I spar with my backlog happily. Awesome content, Bird, love your vids!

[@DouggieDaDucker]

I would also say it an instance of being born in the right time because my nephews wanted to pursue the hobby inspired by me but with retro prices being more than half their paychecks plus they were little kids back in the 2010s they were quickly discouraged and left the hobby and so did I.....

[@christopherjackson2157]

The next gaming purchase I make will be a mister I think. The games I want that I don't have are the ones that I thought were too expensive 5 years ago. Most of them cost pretty darn close to the price of a mister today.

[@josephpiedmonte]

A local used game store is currently selling loose copies of Super Mario 64 for $70-75, there's a huge portion of the retro market where the main goal is to get one over on someone. I have set my limit at $100 for one game but it's still important to look out for things like this.. nostalgia is a powerful thing and it speaks in dollar bills.

[@silverwings21]

+Joesph Piedmonte $100 used to be my limit too; now, I don't have a limit due to it looks like we are in the beginning stages of hyperinflation. With all the money printing with the stimulus checks the dollar is become more and more worth less. It's better to spend it, preferably on assets: gold, silver, canned food, survival supplies, guns, etc; because the longer you hold it, the more it loses it's value (i.e. higher prices on things), until it reaches it's intrinsic value of zero.

[@loon1994]

I wouldn't call myself a retro collector, but I do like and appreciate the 2000's era of gaming. Generally speaking I will try and collect series of games rather than for consoles. For instance Pokemon is probably my favorite series of all time. I don't buy all pokemon games, but I will buy all main line games though. Biggest reason I collect the main line games is because I want pokemon bank/home compatibility, ability to complete regional dex any generation, and trade evolutions for nuzlockes, plus now that I have kids of my own the ability to pull out the 3ds and play essentially any region (not generation) up to alola is freaking awesome

[@teneleven2818]

I didn’t intentional collect games. It just happens. I keep what I really like collectible/rare or not.

[@HouseWulf]

I’m relatively new to video game collecting. While I have a modest collection from just holding to games that I’ve gotten over the years, I’ve recently started buying games that I never got to play while growing up or games that did slip through the cracks to GameStop trade in solely because I didn’t have any other way of buying a newer game. When asking myself what games I want to collect, I decided to take a less approached route (well one that I don’t see often anyway). I decided to cut out cartridge based (home) consoles entirely. The earliest memories I have of gaming are ultimately with the GameCube. Needless to say, that’s a pretty big bullet to bite within itself so to ease the pain I decided to start from there. While there are many titles I enjoy from N64 and beyond going backwards, it just doesn’t make sense to bother with those libraries when they are the absolute easiest to emulate if I get desperate (I don’t emulate but I’m at ease knowing the option is there). However most of the games that are worth playing from older systems have found there way to modern platforms. Wether it’s physical or digital (physical is preferred and I only buy digital if it will save me A LOT of dough), I only care about having access to the games I want to play over ensuring I have the original print or method of playing. A recent example is 3D Zelda. Between my 3DS and Wii U, I was able to successfully buy every game in that series without breaking the bank. None of which are digital either! The Metroid Prime Trilogy is a good example of something I would rather spend $20 now to digital experience than bother with the $1-200 prices I’ve seen. I have a love/hate relationship with Nintendo at the moment but at the end of the day (for now anyway and I dread March next year), I’m able to access the games I want to play and about 90% of them I am able to get on my shelf so I can fall asleep knowing that if I wanted to grope their spines… I can. ❤️

[@RicardoRandom691]

I used to collect until last year. When the games I wanted started costing more than they did new, I got out. I mostly play through emulation these days anyway, and although I'm happy to buy re-releases on modern platforms or homebrews for original hardware, I'm pretty much done buying vintage originals. At least until the speculator boom collapses, if it ever does.

[@waywardlynx5651]

Man...I loved playing Black Bass when I was a kid.

[@Danewd98sChannelgaming]

This is pretty spot on. I had a breaking point when trying to obtain Persona 2 on PS1 and the best offer I saw was $350 at some game store and was like "I'll wait." But the wait just got longer and longer until 1 year, 2 years have passed. Then I saw an ebay listing for the game at $350... I bought it. I never want to contribute to rising prices which is why I'm always careful about buying from retro stores, in fact, I rarely go to retro stores except for a few nowadays because they all have this tendency to overprice niche games by like $10 when I can get the game for less including shipping any day of the week. Pricing sucks.

[@dogsbark5750]

As someone who never retro collected, I just bought stuff I wanted when kn sale. I have not wanted to spend $$$ for Primal Rage on the Jag CD.

[@RippahRooJizah]

I had slowed down on my collecting and I do resort to emulation more. But I will absolutely get a game if I liked it and previously emulated it. Last time I did that I bought Battle Monsters.

[@iBMcFly]

I remember thinking I’m going to start retro collecting, then thinking I really liked gamecubing in high school, then I started looking at the prices and pivoted to buying a Wii because “prices”. I’m happy with the Wii, and have since bought a lot of different consoles, not one of which is a GameCube.

[@emmawagner8915]

If you have any games for it a lot of wiis will run them! Not sure if you have any but I didn’t know that until I started collecting so can’t hurt

[@benjib2691]

@@emmawagner8915 The only thing a Wii can't use that the Gamecube can is the GameBoy Player. But I would say that they are so many options out there to play GBA games (even with some kind of original hardware on-board), that for 99% of gamers a Wii will be far cheaper and offers exactly the same experience as a Gamecube, without emulation.

[@iBMcFly]

@@emmawagner8915 yeah, I actually bought two GameCube controllers at a garage sale for $1 each and put new joysticks on them, I do have the Wii with the top that opens up to GameCube ports, the games on the cube are just so expensive compared to other older consoles I just can’t justify starting collecting.

[@emmawagner8915]

@@iBMcFly i get it I just didn’t know if you happened to have any games lying around. I never bought any gamecube but I happened to have them from when I was a kid. Good you knew about it, that’s an awesome price for controllers

[@krimsonshadow94]

I get it, ive been collecting sence around 2008 and i keep the prices on my games to remind myself how high things have been getting

[@dabradmp1]

I was a gameboy collector, I stopped collecting at around 2020...the hobby changes completely. Before it was 30$ to get a castlevania 2 but its now more then 100$... Retro gaming is now owned by resellers and scalpers... I've seen Soo many youtuber simply stopped collecting it kinna sad actually.... Now everyone think anything they have is worth gold...it was fun while it lasted I guess

[@scottlentfert1827]

I finished my game collection, but am currently thinking of completing it. Thank you for letting us remind of the things said in this video :)

[@MaryTownsendRyokansDomain]

I always been priced out of collecting back then, but now it's happening less because I have less utilities to pay. In truth I have to control how many games I can fit on the shelf and that also goes for consoles as well. Plus I'm a picky game collector and that means I don't want every game for the consoles I have. I just get games that catches my eye ,played the demo or I borrowed from a friend years ago.

[@kingactonsim]

Every day I look at my games and think I should sell up because the cost of nostalgia is high. And every day I hurt at the thought of not having all these rare titles in my collection 😅

[@alfredl3831]

I still don't know how you don't have more subscribers. It is so refreshing to have such a wholesome content provider. Great topic.

[@RetroBirdGaming]

Thank you. I appreciate the compliments and am glad that you enjoyed this topic :)