Retro Games Losing Their Worth

[StigmataDiaboli]

Do you reckon with the sudden boom of PC emulators and downloadable ROMS, as well as the XBLA, PSN and Wii Virtual Console downloads, that original copies of the retro games will soon become unwanted?

I'd imagine the common question would be, 'why pay £60 for Secret of Mana when I can download the ROM free?'

 

[Aedrial]

Because of the worth to collectors. You cannot replace a solid cartridge or disk with data.
It's why people buy collectors editions, you have something to show for it!

EDIT: Also you can trade it in after or if you don't like it.

 

[Katherine Kerensky]

any shops or people that still have them charge extortionate amounts for old games. it just doesn't seem worth paying more than the release price for old games. (Most) people don't want to pay that much.

 

[Psypherus]

Because of the worth to collectors. You cannot replace a solid cartridge or disk with data.
It's why people buy collectors editions, you have something to show for it!

Nothing more need be said

 

[Xyphon]

Some people like to pay a lot of money for their childhood memories. The nostalgia is greater when your cartridge isn't as buggy like a lot of ROM's are. Like with grandfather clocks and such, they are considered antiques due to their age and rarity. Thus they are given a heft price tag.

 

[Kollega]

Because of the worth to collectors. You cannot replace a solid cartridge or disk with data.
It's why people buy collectors editions, you have something to show for it!

This. Collectors can show their work - that they actually went whereever neccesary,and found games they need,rather than just downloading them from the internet.

 

[mikecoulter]

I enjoy having something to show for my time. Sadly, the most retro console's I currently own are a PS2 and Gamecube. I'd love a SNES however.

 

[Proteus214]

Obsolete technology is just that; obsolete. In terms of monetary value, games and consoles are judged by the materials they are made of, not what's on them. From a pure investment standpoint, the price of a particular technology always goes down. Sure if you have a rare collector's edition, it might be worth some coin, but the technology it's made with will always decay in value as newer advances push it further into obsolescence.

 

[Depth Charge]

I wouldn't call downloading ROMS a sudden boom. People have been doing it for quite a while. People who like to collect will still collect.