is getting in to collecting old consoles good?

gamer12

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I for some reason want collect consoles :) but is it worth the time?
Will it get old after a long time?
I need some opinions on getting a NES,SNES,N64,and others...
like games that are good/rare and the consoles too...

PLEASE HELP thank you

G12
 
I'd say no. If you get a collection of any substantial size it ends up being a huge space waster. And considering the simple control scheme of a lot of older consoles and how well a lot of them are emulated now there is little point to having the original consoles. Plus collectables (especially video games) are an investment that will only plummet as time goes by.

Take it from someone who has about 1500-2000 complete/sealed games from across all platforms... they are a poor investment, you will never get your money back if you decide to sell, and there just isn't much point to owning more than a few games at a time since you'll never have time to play most of them.

Collecting is really just a less stinky word for hoarding.
 
I would say try out some of the older consoles and if you decide you like one a lot then you can collect for that one. I would also say not to collect the entire library as kspiff is right this hobby does take a lot of space, but then again so does arcade collecting.
 
At about mid point of last generation, I had every console known to man...save for two. The Bandia Playdia and the Apple Pippin.

It really is just a less dirty word for hoarding, I don't know anyone who has been collecting to the point I got to, that hasn't looked at it and said "WTF!" and sold it all off.

I sold EVERYTHING save for last gen and this gen, it's such a space waster...and a money waster.
 
Check out Nintendoage.com for some good info on NES and up.

Recently there have been more and more people joining the collecting scene, so demand is up and prices are too.

Games for the NES that were $75-100 are now $300-400 and climbing.

My best advice, find what you want to collect and stay focused.

There are a few ways to collect consoles: take your time, find deals and play off a budget. You can resell to fund, but large lots, keep what you don't have and sell the rest. There is also the brute force method. Something comes up for sale? Throw money at it.
 
thanks for the help! i hope to find ONE console (NES) or maybe 2 :D :D

but yeah i will probably will focus on one and get some games..

THANK YOU!!

G12
 
I for some reason want collect consoles :) but is it worth the time?
Will it get old after a long time?
I need some opinions on getting a NES,SNES,N64,and others...
like games that are good/rare and the consoles too...

PLEASE HELP thank you

G12

Up to yourself isn't it? Is it worth your time? Do you want to play all the games you use to play when you were younger? If you don't even know what NES & SNES games are good why would you even bother. People that collect old consoles are mainly people that loved them growing up.
 
I would collect the consoles but not all the carts. As mentioned, carts take up lots of space. Most consoles have multi carts and you can fit just about every game on them.
 
If you have a favorite old console that you personally miss, it is a very fun hobby. As others have said, don't collect one just to own it, that's hoarding. You've got to have some sort of sentimental attachment to it.

Don't expect to be wowed by what was cool back then. For example, the Turbo Express. Playing it on a bus would have been cool if you were rich as a kid. Now, the TV tuner than was released in small quantities (and was very valuable) is completely worthless. The screen is smaller than a post-it-note and often had dead pixels out of the box. The viewing angles are complete junk, even the cheapest cell phone today has a screen that far surpasses this. The Turbo Express screen also sacrifices detail from the games and has an odd burn-in effect. Oh, and the audio is always in need of repair on each and every system. Average e-bay price: $250.

Also be aware that you will really want to play these systems on an older tube TV. Check your local Goodwill, it should only cost you $10-$15 at most.

If you are used to paying $30-$60 for each current gen game, it can be a real good way to have fun on a budget provided you can find a good source nowadays. When I was doing it, thrift stores were clueless as to the value and there were a lot of retro game stores clearing out their old 8-bit and 16-bit stock.

Not so now, a lot of thrifts e-bay things, retro game stores that are still around gouge on anything but the common sports games. Spending e-bay prices on each game will burn out your enjoyment fast. Craigslist is full of people wanting a lot of money for their old gear.

As others have said, don't collect and expect to get any of your money back out of it. Multi-carts, knock-off consoles, and current console 'shop' downloads have killed a lot of the valuable games already.

EDIT: I'm also noticing a lot of collectors selling everything they own on Digitpress lately. Personally, it was a great way to help me get through some tough times and an enjoyable hobby while it lasted. I am not so sure nowadays. Looks like everything 16-bit and up is getting re-released...Is the generation that grew up downloading mp3's going to care for what will be essentially "vinyl records" when they reach middle age? I doubt it.
 
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I'd echo what's been said above - If you've never played with these consoles before and don't have a sentimental attachment to them, I wouldn't bother - unless you are particularly interested in the thrill of the hunt, searching craigslist or going out to flea markets and thrift stores in search of cheap games or rare bargains. If you don't mind loose games without boxes/manuals, and know how to spot a reseller who is marking up games, some great classic games can be picked up relatively cheaply.

The availability of market information on the internet and eBay have largely killed the ability to get bargains for this sort of thing anymore.

You can try out most of the old games on emulators to see if you like them or not.

- James
 
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I have about every console that I grew up playing from 1980 on. I only acquired games I loved for each, which is similar to my arcade purchases.
 
The biggest issue I ran into when collecting old consoles was not having the right television to run them on. Anything that wasn't an old Curtis Mathes or Zenith killed the nostalgia for me.

(Collecting Vectrex stuff solved that problem though.)
 
I suggest watching youtube videos of any of the consoles and games you are interested in buying. See if they are something you would be interested in playing/owning.

I have the NES, SNES, SEGA GENESIS, SEGA CD, SATURN, DREAMCAST, N64, and ATARI 2600 and Colecovision. I mostly have the games that I enjoy playing and don't bother trying to collect every damn game for each console. The best part is playing the games on the actual hardware and not on some emulator. Another aspect is the nice boxart for some of the games. But the more you have the more space they take up so you have to decide what's really worth keeping/buying.

Some homebrew games are still being made for Atari 2600 and Colecovision and Vectrex. So that's another aspect of owning the older systems too.

If you plan on buying lots of cartridge games you should consider buying the flashcarts for those systems and only buy the actual carts for games you want that don't work properly on the flashcarts.

Eventually you will decide what games/consoles you no longer have the desire to spend time playing and will start to sell off what you don't want. Or maybe not. Only one way to find out....
 
As others have said, some sort of connection to the console is key to getting a lot of enjoyment from collecting, whether it be something you played years before, or wanted to buy at the time but couldn't.

My approach was never to amass a "definitive" cartidge collection, but to focus on what I found at thrift stores and flea markets for cheap to stretch the money further. I have several classic consoles and at least some carts for each, and one or two with a good sized library.

It's true you won't make money from your collection, which is another reason to focus on loose carts so you can enjoy buying some here and there without breaking the bank. I haven't actively acquired games in years, but I enjoy what I have!
 
If you want good stuff for cheap.
It also helps to know what systems are nearing the bottom of their market.

Right now: N64,DC, PS1/2 and xbox are bottoming out.
 
I'm not so sure about Dreamcast. That hasn't been in my recent experience. But I can say PS1 (not 2 yet since I think people value its ability to play DVDs), Gamecube, GBA, Xbox for sure... I mean that's just last gen. Older ones you usually only see hardcore collectors after Sega products, but a wider range of people will be after Nintendo products.

Either way, if you are just starting out, don't be afraid of those sports games. xD
 
PS2 is picking up. It has a huge selection of JRPGs and they have a large following.

As for sports titles, there are several key ones to keep your eye out for.

NES: Stadium Events (should be obvious)
SNES:Super Copa (soccer game)
N64: International Superstar Soccer (another soccer game)
Game Cube: NCAA College Basketball 2K3 (dirt common on any other system, but fairly rare on the cube)
 
I'm not so sure about Dreamcast. That hasn't been in my recent experience. But I can say PS1 (not 2 yet since I think people value its ability to play DVDs), Gamecube, GBA, Xbox for sure... I mean that's just last gen. Older ones you usually only see hardcore collectors after Sega products, but a wider range of people will be after Nintendo products.

Either way, if you are just starting out, don't be afraid of those sports games. xD

I'm still talking about the software.
 
The biggest issue I ran into when collecting old consoles was not having the right television to run them on. Anything that wasn't an old Curtis Mathes or Zenith killed the nostalgia for me.

(Collecting Vectrex stuff solved that problem though.)

That's why you hit up a Goodwill or Salvation Army and pick up a couple $5 Zeniths.
 
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