How To Start a Retro Game Collection - Retro Bird

How To Start a Retro Game Collection

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[MrAxelStone]

Also have to be careful when getting caught up in your hobby...easy to sit on ebay daily just buying up all those nostalgic bits of memory.

[FeralInferno]

As a collector my advice to people is to collect what you like. Don't worry about collecting something you'll never play or have no nostalgia for. You'll just end up diluting your collection and you'll burn yourself out fast. If you're interested in finding new retro games that you may like, emulation is a great way to try before you buy. Kinda like renting back in the day. Just without the late fees.

[bananonymouslastname]

It's a huge advantage to be old and to have stayed in the hobby all along. To be new to the hobby in today's age and to be set on collecting, either focus on what you know you like, or look at stuff that isn't currently en vogue. Like, today isn't when you want to be chasing Gamecube. Going against the grain lets you stay inexpensive and ahead of the curve if you're willing to do the research or just have the knowledge.

Also, find a community, whether friends, a forum, a facebook group, whatever, so you have an outlet to talk about your hobby. It's a lonely life to be enthusiastic about something when no one around you has any idea what you're talking about.

[_bit_gamer]

Another amazing video. Retro Bird is how I start my weekends. I've been collecting since 2005. I really only collect genres I like or games I like to play. When someone tells me they want to get into retro game collecting, I let them know that the popular games they want will probably cost $20-80 each. If they are not ok with that then I suggest to them they get a hyperkin system with a multi-cart and an original controller or a mini classic system. From what we've seen, playing retro games is cheap, collecting retro games is when it becomes expensive.

[CasperEgas]

I have never really decided to start collecting at one point, it just evolved like that. It started with the Dreamcast clearences in 2002. I had a full Dreamcast set in no time.

[TM-dbwz]

I only recently got back into gaming last year, what I did was start by collecting all the games I wanted for a certain series (Pokemon and Mario) which also opened up new consoles for me. From there I explored different series for those consoles I never played..and eventually branched out to more obscure consoles and games I never heard of but wanted to try.

[tomperel]

All your videos have been great you sir have earned yourself a new subscriber

[WayOutGaming]

I think my best bit of advice is to be patient. Probably not the advice people want to hear, but patience definitely pays off in this market. Prices fluctuate, and what was $150 yesterday may be $30 today. Quality advice to go with that is don't be afraid to check local game stores (they often have much better pricing, at least in my experience) and don't be afraid of imports, especially if you collect old PC titles.

[ChrisStoneinator]

In the words of Scott the Woz, "The f*ck do you mean how? I spent money!"

[ghostly]

I find it better to buy in a physical stores because I can often get a cheaper price for common games since the seller doesn't need to pay shipping fees. The more rare, expensive games I get on ebay.

[alfredocanas]

CRT's offer a lot of advantages for retrogames over HD TV's like low latency, true blacks and if you manage to get RGB output from your console or device (MISTer for example) you will get the best experience, even better than how you remembered back in the day.

[cellgames]

I traded $50 of uhh "stuff" for an NES and 32 games. 10 of which are some bangers. I think it was worth it.

[nealdavis]

I had great luck one time at a yard sale. That’s how I got my NES top loader!

[SuperNintendoMii]

I've committed myself to collecting for Sega and Nintendo consoles. Not cheap. Very informative video, I've subscribed

[bartfoppes]

I just never sold my older games and consoles. I always had a problem with people who sold their old console with 20+ games, to buy the next-gen system with one new game.

[AndDeathForAll]

The advice I give everyone: start by only buying what you actually want to play. Get oddities later if you find that you enjoy the collecting aspect enough to justify it.

[Chrisxanflo]

I didnt see retro gaming as a hobby, first i bought a xbox 360 with midnight club la and minecraft in 2018 then boom… 300 games later

[andrewt]

Fully agree. Research first. Watch videos, pick one console at a time, or consider plug and play units. Atari has a ton of them. And emulation or sound quality isn't really an issue.
Try out stores like Bed, Bath, and Beyond or Wal mart. Places most people don't look at for retro stuff. But they get price cuts quickly and can be fun to collect. These stores need to move inventory quickly by corporate order. Also, you may have a friend who is say getting married, or is moving and needs to eliminate clutter. Jump on that.
Finally, talk to old folks. Sounds goofy, but bear with me. I know a lot about comics. A family friend, 87, cleaned out his garage and found thousands of comics from the 70's. Someone else left them there. I didn't take advantage of it because of lack of money a d space, but that guy was sitting on a good chunk of change. Maybe 10k. I started appraising them, and got busy with other things. I probably could have bought the lot for $200 tops.
So talk to older people. Don't take advantage of them, but if they want to clear out the attic, take a look. You never know.

[Dariothehungry]

This is very simple Retro Bird (I know I'm 4 years late). You see... I collect... just the consoles. Everdrives take care of the rest.

[slunkster]

I use to be upset about the amount of money I was sending on old games but in my town their is a blood and plasma donation clinic near my home! I know it sounds silly but hey.... I bought Action 52 on Ebay with blood money In less than two months! And i didn't have buyers remorse because it was.. well my blood for it :) - because it was disposable income I went for complete in box with manual for 500.00$ thats right, I am crazy