Going Retro (How to start collecting Retro Consoles and Games) 02-10-2018, 02:06 AM
#1
Thinking of buying a used game or console? Want to embrace your nostalgia? With Increasing prices, it can be hard to find a good deal when going back in time. @BurritoBeans and I are here to help you get the most out of your buys.
1. Where to buy
2. How to avoid a scam
3. How to get a good deal (with a bit of work)
4. Modern alternatives
Where to buy retro games:
So, you’re looking at getting something be it a console, cartridges, discs, controllers, A/V cables, or anything - the first thing to take into consideration is where to go when you want to buy. For those who don’t know, here are some great places to check:
The Internet
The easiest and sometimes best option is right in front of you - the internet. You can use auction sites like eBay and shopgoodwill, forum boards, online stores for small shops, and even Amazon at times.
The pros of using the internet include:
The cons of using the internet include:
In the end, no matter what people have as their opinions, the internet is, will always be, and has been an amazing resource to the majority of people - it will always have the greatest selection and you can find everything from domestic systems that every kid had to oddball plug ‘n play Space Invaders from the late ‘70s out of Japan.
Your Local Game Store
When I say your local game store I’m not talking about Gamestop - Playstation 3 isn’t “retro” yet even it has been 12 years since it launched. Every now and then you can find chain stores that deal in older video games - Game Over and The Exchange being two of the biggest - alongside many Mom & Pop places.
The pros of going to your local game store include:
The cons of going to your local game store include:
I, @BurritoBeans, personally love using the local store mind you I’m an employee and manager of one so I have some bias in the topic. If you have a good spot - maybe they also do movies, music, and even occasionally an arcade - then it’s an amazing time to sit there and browse for deals.
Flea Markets and Boot Sales
A tougher but sometimes better place to look, these can be either amazingly good or bad. If you’ve got the time to sort through some old junk and you’re not dealing with resellers (people who buy up stuff for cheap just to flip it for profit) then there’s always chances of scoring a deal.
The pros of these include:
The cons of these include:
While I can’t say I enjoy the work that goes into finding anything, if it wasn’t for these I wouldn’t have got certain old computers and consoles that are usually out of my price range - as long as you’re patient it’s a good option to check into.
Secondhand/Thrift Stores
Similar to flea markets and boot sales, these types of stores can be either good or bad. Being full of random old junk, it takes some work - some of these types of stores don’t even take electronics but they manage to get in here and there. If you’re going, look past the electronics section - check the board games for old PC titles, the CD racks for Playstation/Saturn/3DO titles, and occasionally even the movie section for random other games.
The pro of these stores include:
The cons of these stores include:
Other options
These are places that while they can be useful are either very situational or not the greatest options. If all else fails they’re decent places to check, but I’d recommend you to look elsewhere before relying on these options.
Avoiding a Scam
You’re out and about or surfing the web - great, now what do you want to look out for? Here’s a basic procedure to know that you’re not getting scammed.
Condition
The Legend of Zelda for $2.50 but it’s missing half of the shell and held together with duct tape - should I get this?
When it comes to buying stuff like loose cartridges this is something that you’re usually not going to look out for past the label, but when going for something with a box then condition is something you’ll definitely want to check out. You may find a great deal on a game but it has no label and chipped plastic everywhere, or you may find a game you would like the box for but it smells like smoke and has tears in the cardboard - if you don’t need pristine copies then this is great, but for some people it just won’t cut it. My ultimate recommendation is to figure out how you want your collection to look and build on that vision - you could have an entire shelf of 300 boxed NES games but the one with tape holding it together and faded side artwork will stick out like a sore thumb.
![[Image: UmXN4vi.jpg]](https://i.imgur.com/UmXN4vi.jpg)
The yellowing is normal and the plastic does get brittle, but if you bought it would you be dedicated enough to fix something like this or would you just let it live as it is?
When it comes to consoles, and other hardware, remember that some companies didn’t use the best plastic - UV exposure and heat will cause some systems like the Super Nintendo to yellow over time, this is completely normal so don’t be hesitant if you find one with a good shell that’s just a bit yellow.
Price
Wow, a copy of MUSHA! Too bad it costs $225 because it’s a legitimate cartridge.
Due to growth and people wanting to revisit their old games, price has gone up and up - it is true that some communities are actually on the verge of going down in price, primarily the earlier and non-niche second-generation consoles like Atari 2600, but for the most part prices in the major communities are going up. If you want to get games it’s not hard, but you may find that some stores are asking high prices on titles just because “oh it says Mario in the title” even if it’s one of the most common cartridges.
![[Image: 8u6Tz32.png]](https://i.imgur.com/8u6Tz32.png)
The same game in the same condition but one costs almost 22 times more and can’t be opened without breaking a hard plastic case - why would you want this?
If you’re buying online you may see some crazy prices on “VGA Graded” titles - whatever you do, please stay away from these. To put it shortly, these are just copies of games in a condition determined by a small-scale organization and put in cases that don’t actually preserve the contents - it’s a complete scam unless you want wallhangers instead of playable materials.
When buying anywhere, if you’re not comfortable with a price but considering buying it’s completely reasonable to reference the sellers price to the average. Online “price guides” may have been useful way back when but they’re somewhat outdated now - if you want the average the best online option is to go to the Sold Listings for whatever item you’re looking at on eBay and average it out.
Reproduction or Real
Magical Chase for $10 in the case! I just made the best score of my li- oh wait, it’s from China?
Nothing against anyone who collects in China, but there’s been major problems with reproduction copies of rare games that will keep growing as the scene grows. Reproduction cartridges, for those who don’t know, are either new boards populated with the chips to make a new copy of an old game or modified old game boards with different ROMs. These can be amazing - you can produce cartridges that never existed past the prototype stage, you can put translation patches on to make games more accessible, and you can even throw ROM Hacks on to make it your own cartridge.
![[Image: jDy98o8.jpg]](https://i.imgur.com/jDy98o8.jpg)
Reproductions can be used to do amazing things - This game would’ve never existed if it wasn’t for the community dumping the ROM and making translation patches, all of which can be bundled into a great piece like this.
If you’re willing to buy a reproduction instead of the real deal, great! When bought from a decent person - usually a hobbyist who uses high quality parts and marks the cartridge as such to stop people from trying to pawn these off as real - these can be amazing in both saving you money and introducing you to titles which would require you to use adapters. Just be careful - most Chinese sellers with the $10 cartridges that you’ll find online are using cheap components on boards that can be too thin or too thick, both having the potential to die at any moment and to damage your systems pins or laser.
So to summarize, it’s really personal preference - if you want a chinese bootleg of Little Samson to save you from paying $250+ in a generic plastic case with a crappy label then by all means go for it, nobody is going to stop you.
Getting a better Deal
Now, this section is only applicable to certain situations, usually eBay or other person-to-person sales where the face value may be altered, so if you’re just going to go to a game store then this may not be necessary to you.
Haggling/Bargaining
Generally considered to be either good or bad by people, if used properly this is a technique that will occasionally save you a few dollars. Essentially what you’re going to do is suggest a comfortable price and work from there - the usual way it goes in most secondhand trades. You probably already know how to do this, most-everyone does it in their life, but remember a few things when going for this approach:
Modern Alternatives
Collecting doesn't have to be expensive. Sometimes there's a better way.
![[Image: aoZz7S0.jpg]](https://i.imgur.com/aoZz7S0.jpg)
Every Atari 2600 game on one cartridge - now doesn’t that sound better than paying $21,000 for Air Raid?
So, say you want to play the real hardware but don’t want to pay for the games - lucky for you, there’s modern ways to load games. Generally referred to as flashcarts, these are easy ways to squeeze a whole library for not that much money. The general concept of these is that it’s a cartridge that loads games from flash memory like SD or CF cards into your system - in addition to old ROMs, these also allow you to load your own hacks and homebrews from the community. There’s many great options for almost every system from the Atari to AdventureVision - just make sure, like with repros, to buy them from a reliable seller instead of China with sites like Aliexpress as most of those are cheap and will die in a matter of a year if you’re lucky.
With all of this you should be able to get a start on your own collection - while it may not be the cheapest hobby it is a fun one to explore and can open you up to new communities like speedrunning, hardware modification, and homebrew game development.
Please leave any feedback and suggestions for future threads you’d like to see on the topic.
Good luck, and good hunting.
@Skullmeat - Concept and Writing
@BurritoBeans - Writing and Suggestions
1. Where to buy
2. How to avoid a scam
3. How to get a good deal (with a bit of work)
4. Modern alternatives
Where to buy retro games:
So, you’re looking at getting something be it a console, cartridges, discs, controllers, A/V cables, or anything - the first thing to take into consideration is where to go when you want to buy. For those who don’t know, here are some great places to check:
The Internet
The easiest and sometimes best option is right in front of you - the internet. You can use auction sites like eBay and shopgoodwill, forum boards, online stores for small shops, and even Amazon at times.
The pros of using the internet include:
- It’s convenient
- Everyone has access to use it
- With some looking around you can find good deals.
The cons of using the internet include:
- Dealing with price scalpers
- Shady sellers
- Shipping fees
In the end, no matter what people have as their opinions, the internet is, will always be, and has been an amazing resource to the majority of people - it will always have the greatest selection and you can find everything from domestic systems that every kid had to oddball plug ‘n play Space Invaders from the late ‘70s out of Japan.
Your Local Game Store
When I say your local game store I’m not talking about Gamestop - Playstation 3 isn’t “retro” yet even it has been 12 years since it launched. Every now and then you can find chain stores that deal in older video games - Game Over and The Exchange being two of the biggest - alongside many Mom & Pop places.
The pros of going to your local game store include:
- (Usually) Knowledgeable employees
- Better chances at a good deal
- No shipping charges
- can see the game in-person
The cons of going to your local game store include:
- The occasional bad employee
- Certain stores like to price based on inflated eBay “Buy it Now” pricing
- A limited selection
I, @BurritoBeans, personally love using the local store mind you I’m an employee and manager of one so I have some bias in the topic. If you have a good spot - maybe they also do movies, music, and even occasionally an arcade - then it’s an amazing time to sit there and browse for deals.
Flea Markets and Boot Sales
A tougher but sometimes better place to look, these can be either amazingly good or bad. If you’ve got the time to sort through some old junk and you’re not dealing with resellers (people who buy up stuff for cheap just to flip it for profit) then there’s always chances of scoring a deal.
The pros of these include:
- The ability to haggle and barter without outright disrespecting people
- The occasional very cheap deals
The cons of these include:
- Resellers in flea markets
- If you give the seller the wrong impression you can completely ruin a deal
- You can go for a long while without finding anything
While I can’t say I enjoy the work that goes into finding anything, if it wasn’t for these I wouldn’t have got certain old computers and consoles that are usually out of my price range - as long as you’re patient it’s a good option to check into.
Secondhand/Thrift Stores
Similar to flea markets and boot sales, these types of stores can be either good or bad. Being full of random old junk, it takes some work - some of these types of stores don’t even take electronics but they manage to get in here and there. If you’re going, look past the electronics section - check the board games for old PC titles, the CD racks for Playstation/Saturn/3DO titles, and occasionally even the movie section for random other games.
The pro of these stores include:
- Occasional cheap items from games to consoles
The cons of these stores include:
- Some places base on eBay pricing meaning it’s going to be inflated
- It can be hit or miss if you even find anything
- While I’ve had some finds in the past, the biggest being a Commodore PET with some 8” floppy drives, I only ever check these stores when I have the time to search as I know it won’t be guaranteed if I get anything.
Other options
These are places that while they can be useful are either very situational or not the greatest options. If all else fails they’re decent places to check, but I’d recommend you to look elsewhere before relying on these options.
- Electronics Recycling Centers
- Estate Sales
Avoiding a Scam
You’re out and about or surfing the web - great, now what do you want to look out for? Here’s a basic procedure to know that you’re not getting scammed.
Condition
The Legend of Zelda for $2.50 but it’s missing half of the shell and held together with duct tape - should I get this?
When it comes to buying stuff like loose cartridges this is something that you’re usually not going to look out for past the label, but when going for something with a box then condition is something you’ll definitely want to check out. You may find a great deal on a game but it has no label and chipped plastic everywhere, or you may find a game you would like the box for but it smells like smoke and has tears in the cardboard - if you don’t need pristine copies then this is great, but for some people it just won’t cut it. My ultimate recommendation is to figure out how you want your collection to look and build on that vision - you could have an entire shelf of 300 boxed NES games but the one with tape holding it together and faded side artwork will stick out like a sore thumb.
The yellowing is normal and the plastic does get brittle, but if you bought it would you be dedicated enough to fix something like this or would you just let it live as it is?
When it comes to consoles, and other hardware, remember that some companies didn’t use the best plastic - UV exposure and heat will cause some systems like the Super Nintendo to yellow over time, this is completely normal so don’t be hesitant if you find one with a good shell that’s just a bit yellow.
Price
Wow, a copy of MUSHA! Too bad it costs $225 because it’s a legitimate cartridge.
Due to growth and people wanting to revisit their old games, price has gone up and up - it is true that some communities are actually on the verge of going down in price, primarily the earlier and non-niche second-generation consoles like Atari 2600, but for the most part prices in the major communities are going up. If you want to get games it’s not hard, but you may find that some stores are asking high prices on titles just because “oh it says Mario in the title” even if it’s one of the most common cartridges.
The same game in the same condition but one costs almost 22 times more and can’t be opened without breaking a hard plastic case - why would you want this?
If you’re buying online you may see some crazy prices on “VGA Graded” titles - whatever you do, please stay away from these. To put it shortly, these are just copies of games in a condition determined by a small-scale organization and put in cases that don’t actually preserve the contents - it’s a complete scam unless you want wallhangers instead of playable materials.
When buying anywhere, if you’re not comfortable with a price but considering buying it’s completely reasonable to reference the sellers price to the average. Online “price guides” may have been useful way back when but they’re somewhat outdated now - if you want the average the best online option is to go to the Sold Listings for whatever item you’re looking at on eBay and average it out.
Reproduction or Real
Magical Chase for $10 in the case! I just made the best score of my li- oh wait, it’s from China?
Nothing against anyone who collects in China, but there’s been major problems with reproduction copies of rare games that will keep growing as the scene grows. Reproduction cartridges, for those who don’t know, are either new boards populated with the chips to make a new copy of an old game or modified old game boards with different ROMs. These can be amazing - you can produce cartridges that never existed past the prototype stage, you can put translation patches on to make games more accessible, and you can even throw ROM Hacks on to make it your own cartridge.
Reproductions can be used to do amazing things - This game would’ve never existed if it wasn’t for the community dumping the ROM and making translation patches, all of which can be bundled into a great piece like this.
If you’re willing to buy a reproduction instead of the real deal, great! When bought from a decent person - usually a hobbyist who uses high quality parts and marks the cartridge as such to stop people from trying to pawn these off as real - these can be amazing in both saving you money and introducing you to titles which would require you to use adapters. Just be careful - most Chinese sellers with the $10 cartridges that you’ll find online are using cheap components on boards that can be too thin or too thick, both having the potential to die at any moment and to damage your systems pins or laser.
So to summarize, it’s really personal preference - if you want a chinese bootleg of Little Samson to save you from paying $250+ in a generic plastic case with a crappy label then by all means go for it, nobody is going to stop you.
Getting a better Deal
Now, this section is only applicable to certain situations, usually eBay or other person-to-person sales where the face value may be altered, so if you’re just going to go to a game store then this may not be necessary to you.
Haggling/Bargaining
Generally considered to be either good or bad by people, if used properly this is a technique that will occasionally save you a few dollars. Essentially what you’re going to do is suggest a comfortable price and work from there - the usual way it goes in most secondhand trades. You probably already know how to do this, most-everyone does it in their life, but remember a few things when going for this approach:
- Don’t do this in retail stores
As with any store there will occasionally be that one customer who comes up and tries to suggest different pricing. I, @BurritoBeans work at a store where we allow this kind of stuff as long as you’re respectful and we know who you are - most stores are never like this unless it’s a Mom & Pop shop so keep this to areas where you know it’s acceptable or you risk looking like an ass and getting kicked out.
- Be respectful
It’s perfectly normal to want to make a deal if you can and it doesn’t hurt to try, but whatever you do don’t try and force it on the seller. Shouting “MAKE THIS FIVE DOLLARS” at them is going to nothing but make you look stupid and ruin the deal - Take it easy, suggest a price and see how they respond.
- Accept that not everything will be what you want it to
This isn’t a RPG and you don’t have a perfect luck stat - you’re not going to get every deal you want. If someone won’t budge then either go with it or move on.
- Bundling
When going at a flea market, say you find a seller with a bunch of common cartridges that you don’t own at $5 each. If you want to try, ask them if you can get a discount on the whole stack - if they just want to sell their goods or it’s closer to the end of the day and they want to leave then this can work letting you get out with a dollar off each game and/or a free game. Another good place to know this strategy is conventions with local sellers or people who aren’t store employees - if they’re somewhere with set prices they may not move, but if it’s just some guy wanting to see what he can get for his five hundred Atari cartridges over a week then you may have some success.
Modern Alternatives
Collecting doesn't have to be expensive. Sometimes there's a better way.
Every Atari 2600 game on one cartridge - now doesn’t that sound better than paying $21,000 for Air Raid?
So, say you want to play the real hardware but don’t want to pay for the games - lucky for you, there’s modern ways to load games. Generally referred to as flashcarts, these are easy ways to squeeze a whole library for not that much money. The general concept of these is that it’s a cartridge that loads games from flash memory like SD or CF cards into your system - in addition to old ROMs, these also allow you to load your own hacks and homebrews from the community. There’s many great options for almost every system from the Atari to AdventureVision - just make sure, like with repros, to buy them from a reliable seller instead of China with sites like Aliexpress as most of those are cheap and will die in a matter of a year if you’re lucky.
With all of this you should be able to get a start on your own collection - while it may not be the cheapest hobby it is a fun one to explore and can open you up to new communities like speedrunning, hardware modification, and homebrew game development.
Please leave any feedback and suggestions for future threads you’d like to see on the topic.
Good luck, and good hunting.
@Skullmeat - Concept and Writing
@BurritoBeans - Writing and Suggestions
![[Image: qcYJ3l.png]](https://i.skull.moe/u/qcYJ3l.png)
![[+]](https://sinister.li/images/modern/collapse_collapsed.png)
![[Image: AD83g1A.png]](http://i.imgur.com/AD83g1A.png)
