Are Retro Game Prices Really That Bad?

I'm talking all about retro game prices today. Is playing retro games really as expensive as we think? Also, if you want to see a video where I recommend cheap games, let me know!

0:00 Introduction
1:14 How Did This Happen?
2:31 PriceCharting
6:31 Categories of Pricing
11:31 What Consoles Have the Most Expensive Games?
13:33 The Type of Games You Want to Play
15:30 My Game Recommendations
22:20 How to Go About Buying Games
27:51 My Overall Thoughts on Prices
30:40 Conclusion

[FranchisePlayyer]

The price of everything is not the same as things were in 2019. Games, housing, cars, etc. You can still find deals you just have to look a little harder or bundle

[thohillesland]

I wanna point out that the pricecharting price you showed for the different regions of Pokemon Emerald was probably not the best example. since pricecharting is very bad destinguishing between repro/fakes of Pal games, those very often gets bundled in with the sold price of loose games. That is why the Pal version of Pokemon emerald was listed as only 30$. A more realistic price for a real Pal Pokemon Emerald is probably more around 100$.

Pricecharting also has the problem that it cannot destinguish between different language versions of Pal games, for example on Pricecharting right now the average loose price of Terranigma for Snes is 60$. The problem is that this number include the English, German and Spanish versions of that game, where the German and Spanish versions are almost half the price of that of the English version which is more realisticly a 110$ game.

[flavioeiras]

I really like the tone of your voice, how casual you sound, and how you cover content. Keep it up, kid!

[CoolCatDoingAKickflip]

Prices aren't a concern for me since I don't collect to sell. I collect games to preserve and play.

[Simoss]

Finally! Someone that sees things the way I do.
I know the prices have gone up for retro games but the price for over 95% of the retro market is cheaper than when it was new. For instance, DKC was $60 new and if it is $20 (loose) today after 30 years of inflation, well I think you are doing well with such a classic timeless game.
Sadly so many YouTubers focus on the 5% of games scaring people off.

[misterkeebler]

Great video! I like how you pointed out that there are plenty of affordable games that are still very good and in some cases considered must-plays like SMW and ALTTP. Most youtubers just focus on the expensive ones as if those games are the only titles to bother with if you want to get into retro. I think part of it too is that consumers need to be honest with themselves and decide whether they want to play or collect. You can do both, but as you mentioned the collecting side is going to be more expensive. There are numerous ways to play games whether it be for free via emulation, modern console ports, subscription services, flash carts and ODEs on original hardware, etc. So there really isnt much holding a person back from just playing games. If that person "needs" an original chrono trigger cart...so be it but better bring the funds! Lol.

[mlc]

For me, I realized that a Everdrive N8 Pro/FX Pak Pro is indistinguishable from a real NES/SNES cartridge. Much more affordable than collecting, and playing on original hardware

[OzymandiasWasRight]

I think emulation keeps them in check. I'm happy about that.

The WATA scandal is absolutely a factor though. Definitely watch the vid recommended in this video.

[ezhumbug]

One good thing about retro collecting is sometimes if the EN games are expensive I just flock to the JP ones and it gives me motivation to learn Japanese and buy these games instead of going for the EN which saves me money at times as an average retro collector/gamer.

[TheFriskySquid]

Incredibly valuable video. I didn't know about pricecharting so I was going through ebay sold listings instead. Now I can save all that time.

[AmareloStudios]

some collectors for some reason have a obsession with collecting every game and honestly thats not necessary. my collection only spans 10 consoles and is only about 1000 games big, but i love every one

[leeartlee]

Here’s my thought. Games are never going to be as cheap as they were… but the truth is, used games were always way undervalued. What other item do you buy new for $60 that sell for $2 in a couple of years?

I think this retro boom will die out. Maybe not soon but, truthfully, using retro machines is a pain in the ass (and don’t even get me started on people who claim that the “only way” to truly experience retro games is on CRTs).

As soon as emulation becomes more easily accessed by the average person, they no longer will want to have a physical copy of, say, Mario Party 3.

I’ve been a “collector” for over 30 years. But I haven’t bought a retro game in years. There’s just very little point.

[itranscendencei]

The Pokemon games are the most frustrating for me, personally. As you stated in the video, these games ALL sold *very* well and there are SO many copies out in the wild. It's just so baffling to me. The 3DS prices are almost just as egregious as Pokemon games. I just wish I at least understood why people are so willing to pay these crazy prices. I've been collecting the NDS/3DS family of consoles, with the intention of getting all the mainline Pokemon games afterward, and it makes absolutely no sense for a console that has been discontinued for less than 10 years to be going for just as much or more than it sold at retail.

As far as FB Marketplace for buying retro games/consoles, your availability depends *solely* on your area. My area for instance has essentially nothing at all for retro gaming. Even when something does show up, it's usually in rough shape and the seller will have it listed for the highest price they found on the Google shopping tab with a screenshot of the price they found. Either that, or they just list it for a completely random price that they came up with. Like I've seen a couple people asking for $75 and $80 for a beat up DS Lite, and a O3DS being listed for $200. My favorite is when they list it as "MODDED" and list it for upwards of double the price because they put some pirated games on it. If you live in an area that's good for it, then take advantage of it. For the people like me, it's little to no help at all. My collection has had to all come from online, sadly. It is what it is though.

[somesalmon]

These prices are why I mod and homebrew all my retro consoles

[legoboy-oxkx]

PS2 has a ton of really cheap games, but some of the craziest games too. Kuon, Rule of Rose, Xenosaga Episode 3, the Silent Hill games like you mentioned. If you like Horror or JRPGs those 2 genres are generally the most expensive.

[apanapane]

Great video! And I completely agree with the statement to only buy what you want to play. It's so easy to over-buy. I have over-bought in the past (and, to be honest, will most likely in the future too), which also applies to digital games. I think a lot of us have vast Steam Libraries full of games we don't even remember buying.

[undamned]

Well done video with some great pointers! Perhaps the days of buying whatever you want on a shoestring budget are gone, but there are several options to play every game on real hardware (Everdrive carts, etc.) for the cost of a few expensive games.

[lowchaomain]

collecting games is simply not worth it anymore. if you're dead set on playing on real hardware, use a flash cart.

[matthewhetrick]

Great video! Totally agree that there are still wonderful gaming opportunities on a budget (even for GameCube!) I've stopped trying to bid on ebay though. Lately I've been putting in bids at the upper end of the sold items spectrum and always get outbid at an over market price. I just can't understand that.

[troysworldawesomeness]

Thanks for making another awesome, high quality video! Glad you're uploading more frequently