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Ezekiel

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The sad part is knowing we wouldn’t have to work if we just bought an extra copy or two of all these now-rare games back then and never played them.
I used to be really upset that this older kid stole my copy of Mario 64 when he visited. His parent denied it to my mother. Which is why it made me so happy that last year's PC port blows it out of the water. Looking forward to Ocarina of Time. It has been 95 percent debugged. I might finally get all the Skulltullas, since I barely play anything these days and have the time. My brother still has his copy somewhere.
 

Chimpzy

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The sad part is knowing we wouldn’t have to work if we just bought an extra copy or two of all these now-rare games back then and never played them.
Except your games would never fetch those kinds of prices because you don't have connections to auction houses and grading firms like WATA Games to bullshit inflate the value at auction of your game far beyond what they're actually worth.
 
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hanselthecaretaker

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Except your games would never fetch those kinds of prices because you don't have connections to auction houses and grading firms like WATA Games to bullshit inflate the value at auction of your game far beyond what they're actually worth.
Well consider me somewhat less disappointed then. Thank you, kind chimp!
 
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BrawlMan

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The sad part is knowing we wouldn’t have to work if we just bought an extra copy or two of all these now-rare games back then and never played them.
I don't regret selling my N64 and PS1 outside of maybe 1 or 2 games. A lot of them have not aged well, I still have my PS2, GC, and nearly all of the Game Boy handhelds. I still have those and that does not bother me in the slightest.

Nah. Our moms would have thrown them out along with all the soon-to-be-super-rare baseball cards.
Not my mom. She would never throw away our games, unless we asked her too. My dad would never do the same either, even though he does have a lesser view on video games. Aside from a couple of the classics any way.
 

CriticalGaming

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Except your games would never fetch those kinds of prices because you don't have connections to auction houses and grading firms like WATA Games to bullshit inflate the value at auction of your game far beyond what they're actually worth.
I think emulation and preservation of games online have kept the value of original carts from becomes too crazy for the most part. Outside of hardcore collectors, which there are very few, people aren't going to drop loads of cash to collect games. And even the rarest treasures tend to top out around $100-200 in most cases. There are a couple of notable exceptions but for the most part if you really wanted to do it you could probably collect almost every N64 cart for a couple thousand.

I think what holds games back from truly gaining stupid collector's value is that the devices and the tech to run these games is a decayed resource. Unlike a Pokemon Card which will never decay in terms of the ability for the card to be used in the game in which it is associated, video games will fizzle out.

Find a working 8-track machine. A working Atari 2600. A working Commadore 64. These devices are going to become rarer and rarer over time.

Meaning that the only remaining way to preserve the game itself is to make a digital copy of it via a Rom. Some companies are willing to update these roms to run on current platforms and resell the ROMs for profit, like what Nintendo is doing. While others simply move on for the most part and you can only find the games via emulation online.
 
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Chimpzy

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Well consider me somewhat less disappointed then. Thank you, kind chimp!
I think emulation and preservation of games online have kept the value of original carts from becomes too crazy for the most part. Outside of hardcore collectors, which there are very few, people aren't going to drop loads of cash to collect games. And even the rarest treasures tend to top out around $100-200 in most cases. There are a couple of notable exceptions but for the most part if you really wanted to do it you could probably collect almost every N64 cart for a couple thousand.

I think what holds games back from truly gaining stupid collector's value is that the devices and the tech to run these games is a decayed resource. Unlike a Pokemon Card which will never decay in terms of the ability for the card to be used in the game in which it is associated, video games will fizzle out.

Find a working 8-track machine. A working Atari 2600. A working Commadore 64. These devices are going to become rarer and rarer over time.

Meaning that the only remaining way to preserve the game itself is to make a digital copy of it via a Rom. Some companies are willing to update these roms to run on current platforms and resell the ROMs for profit, like what Nintendo is doing. While others simply move on for the most part and you can only find the games via emulation online.
Really mundane games like Super Mario Bros 2 aren't getting auctioned for ludicrous amounts because of their rarity, exceptionally perfect condition or lack of hardware to run them on. Karl Jobst has done an excellent video on what is actually going on in those cases (yeh, I know, thumbnail and title are rather clickbaity, unfortunately)

It's pretty lenghty, so to save you time, here's the TLDR: a clique of rich asshole friends are (ab)using a bunch of scummy practices to artificially enrich themselves.
 

BrawlMan

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Meaning that the only remaining way to preserve the game itself is to make a digital copy of it via a Rom. Some companies are willing to update these roms to run on current platforms and resell the ROMs for profit, like what Nintendo is doing. While others simply move on for the most part and you can only find the games via emulation online.
Or buy mini versions of the consoles with a whole bunch of emulated games on them, but event that is not fool proof from price gouging as we have seen with the NES and SNES mini.
 

hanselthecaretaker

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Really mundane games like Super Mario Bros 2 aren't getting auctioned for ludicrous amounts because of their rarity, exceptionally perfect condition or lack of hardware to run them on. Karl Jobst has done an excellent video on what is actually going on in those cases (yeh, I know, thumbnail and title are rather clickbaity, unfortunately)

It's pretty lenghty, so to save you time, here's the TLDR: a clique of rich asshole friends are (ab)using a bunch of scummy practices to artificially enrich themselves.
I’d say they should be called out for this, but it’s not like it fucking matters to them.
1635352467337.gif
 

CriticalGaming

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Or buy mini versions of the consoles with a whole bunch of emulated games on them, but event that is not fool proof from price gouging as we have seen with the NES and SNES mini.
Yeah that's true, Nintendo likes to drive false scarcity to be a bunch of shitheads which is why emulators are morally correct in preserving their games....or something. I'm not saying you should do that, but I'm also not saying not to do the thing we can't endorse.
 
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BrawlMan

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I’d say they should be called out for this, but it’s not like it fucking matters to them.
View attachment 4780
It does when they get death threats and want to act like they did nothing wrong, or as if they are innocent victims.

Yeah that's true, Nintendo likes to drive false scarcity to be a bunch of shitheads which is why emulators are morally correct in preserving their games....or something. I'm not saying you should do that, but I'm also not saying not to do the thing we can't endorse.
I find it ironic that a Genesis mini (goes on sale a lot during Black Friday and holidays), Commodore 64 Mini, Coleco Vision Mini, Neo Geo Mini, and T-16/PC Engine Mini (most of the time) are all cheaper than both Nintendo Mini consoles.

EDIT: The Commodore 64 Mini even has a USB adaptor where you can download C64 roms to it, without modding the console in any fashion.
 

CriticalGaming

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I find it ironic that a Genesis mini (goes on sale a lot during Black Friday and holidays), Commodore 64 Mini, Coleco Vision Mini, Neo Geo Mini, and T-16/PC Engine Mini (most of the time) are all cheaper than both Nintendo Mini consoles.

EDIT: The Commodore 64 Mini even has a USB adaptor where you can download C64 roms to it, without modding the console in any fashion.
It also shows you where the limits of Nostalgia lies really. I don't particularly know why Sega's Mini isn't nearly as popular other than it less people grew up with those games than anything Nintendo. As for those Atari systems and such, I just think that even though they are important parts of gaming history, they simply aren't really good games or experiences to ever want to revisit. They are novelty items and nothing more, because I highly doubt even the oldest gamers ever have the urge to go back and play fucking Asteroids or E.T. for any reason.
 
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BrawlMan

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It also shows you where the limits of Nostalgia lies really. I don't particularly know why Sega's Mini isn't nearly as popular other than it less people grew up with those games than anything Nintendo.
The Sega Mini is still popular all things considered, but not as popular. I know at least in Michigan and places around the Detroit area, you're gonna find more Genesis Minis than NES/SNES minis by comparison. Hell, I've seen more people ask for Genesis Minis than NES/SNES mini for the past 2 years. You still get the occasional people asking for the Nintendo minis and such, most people realize (non-gamers and the like) are a lost cause unless they're willing to take out a loan.

because I highly doubt even the oldest gamers ever have the urge to go back and play fucking Asteroids or E.T. for any reason.
Tell that to my parents or older relatives in either side of my family that game. E.T., a majority of them don't know, or forgotten that video game version even existed. My parents would be more than happy to play Asteroids, Galaga, Pac-Man & Ms. Pac-Man, Centipede & Millipede, and many other single screen arcade classics.
 

CriticalGaming

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Tell that to my parents or older relatives in either side of my family that game. E.T., a majority of them don't know, or forgotten that video game version even existed. My parents would be more than happy to play Asteroids, Galaga, Pac-Man & Ms. Pac-Man, Centipede & Millipede, and many other single screen arcade classics.
But would they go out and buy one of those mini's, or even the 1up arcade machine to have that available to them? Or better yet would they go out to get ahold of the original hardware and discs for those games? Am i right in guessing probably not?
 

BrawlMan

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But would they go out and buy one of those mini's
My parents have an Atari Flashback, but they have not touched it in years. I got that for them as a Christmas gift.

even the 1up arcade machine to have that available to them? Or better yet would they go out to get ahold of the original hardware and discs for those games?
No. And No. I don't want a 1up, unless I can get it for a really good price.
 
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FakeSympathy

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Do my eyes deceive me? A COD game that doesn't take 1/3 of your hard drive space?
 

CriticalGaming

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November's PS Plus games have been revealed early as per usual. Continuing the drought of fairly boring offerings tbh. Knockout City is headlineing the month, a dodgeball battle royal that I forgot existed. And probably so did everyone else.