General Arcade & Retro Chat' Special Championship Edition

o1s1n

Atavan calling the DS and PSP back in 2011 😁

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2056325834/future-rare-collectable-game-lookout-thread/p1

o1s1n

Anyone else beyond frustrated with the price of things nowadays?

I've been purposefully not buying anything due to prices/trying to find a space for what I already have, but over the weekend I wanted to pick up a couple of things and it really hit home how expensive everything has gotten.

Wanted to get a LAN adapter for my Dreamcast and remembered that if you bought one from Japan it was a far cheaper option - not at all the case anymore, talking 150-200 for one.

Resident Evil 2 on the N64 - apparently it is now made from solid gold.

Also considered maybe getting some more 32X games. I can forget about that one!

Jack burton

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120092882#Comment_120092882

Opened a buyee account last week so definitely check that out

o1s1n

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120093368#Comment_120093368

Some items Buyee won't ship, if you get stuck try White Rabbit Express instead.

What I do is use Buyee to search Yahoo Japan in English and then paste the link with the item into my White Rabbit Express account for them to bid on my behalf.

Retr0gamer

I'm just totally out of the game with buying retrogames. Just can't afford it anymore. I've changed jobs a few times but always feel like I end up with less disposable income and now that I've a house I really feel pushed to make ends meet. Not helped that the place I work for has gone full Atlas Shrugged with the pay increases this year but hopefully I can get something that makes things more comfortable. Even if I do I'll probably stay out of buying retro stuff. Kind of got a bit unhealthy at times 'chasing the chuck wagon'.

Steve X2

I'm so glad I picked up most of all the games I want for every system over the last 10-15 years(including a few full sets). Prices have just gone bonkers, with no sign of calming down. These days its mostly hardware bits I pickup and the occasional few games here and there.

I am planning on going back to Japan for a visit in the next year or two as I haven't been there in ages. So hopefully prices are not too crazy over there by that time and I can grab some interesting bits. It'll be a family trip this time, so should be a different experience than the previous trips.

o1s1n

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120093414#Comment_120093414

Everyone in Ireland spends their 20s/30s chasing the house dream only to find out they're an absolute pain in the tits to run when you get one.

I'm a year in my new place now and the amount of cash I've sunk into it is astronomical. Am really hoping 2023 is the year where it stops falling down around me! The front door handle fell off on the 1st of January and I'd to look all over the city for the right replacement to fit a uPVC door so I don't have too much hope in that regard...

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120093511#Comment_120093511

You've a few full sets? Wow, amazing! I never did manage that PAL Megadrive complete set... could probably have been manageable about 10-15 years ago when I was trying but the dream is well and truly dead now.

I've a trip planned to Japan myself towards the end of 2023, never been before so am incredibly excited to finally get a chance to head over.

We'll be traveling around quite a bit so I won't have too much space to buy stuff. Was thinking of maybe posting a few items back if I see anything particularly tempting.

Retr0gamer

Despite the money being sunk into the house I'm so glad I did buy it. At least my mortgage is going to something tangible and I'm not dealing with housemates and arsehole landlords treating you like **** because you are just a licensee.

Inviere

Hardware all the way for me these days too....the dreamers and scalpers are welcome to the games. Luckily I've got the majority of what I need now, with a few outliers just left. It's been a lot of fun repairing/restoring machines too, and you scratch the 'buying itch' with repair parts and upgrades.

johnny_ultimate

Also eyeing up a Japan return trip this year if things work out. I don't have much much interest in stocking up on games while I'm there, mainly because I don't think my dream purchase - a full Taiko no Tatsujin cabinet - would fit in my carry on :P

o1s1n

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120093603#Comment_120093603

Oh 100%! Can't beat being king of your own space. Nice to have a final resting place for all your games and consoles too. You manage to get everything set up yet or is it all still in boxes?

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120093634#Comment_120093634

I find it really interesting to see that, despite game prices shooting up to insane levels, consoles have remained fairly unchanged. You can get a fully boxed Super Nintendo for less than many single games are going for these days.

KeRbDoG

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120093582#Comment_120093582

As someone said to me - if you buy a house, it turns into a constant project of fixing/improving/funds. That has been a solid reality for me for the past 10 years for sure

Mr.Saturn

CeX Online are doing this wonderful new thing where they try to peel off their stickers upon dispatch and then promptly just give up. Not sure what's going on but have had it happen on a couple of orders this week, anyone else? I'm open to possibility someone is just going '**** this guy in particular.'

On the subject of game prices, I despaired last night when I clocked a Pokemon Emerald ad for sale for €200 thinking it was semi-almost-slightly okay for the current market (I know, I know) and then discovering it was just for the box. Massive market for that craic apparently.

Inviere

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120093665#Comment_120093665

Yep it's crazy to think about. I think it possibly shines a light on many people buying games as a commodity/investment to sell, whereas hardware is usually bought to be owned and played by an enthusiast/collector. Even at that, there's signs that hardware is going this way too.

Retr0gamer

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120093665#Comment_120093665

I've only got the tiles finally down so it's still a project so far. But since the tiles are down I can get all the junk out of the sitting room and finally get a couch and a tv. I can start putting in shelves and finally getting my game south of saurons lair.

^^^^ tús maith, leath an obair déanta

Quigs Snr

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120093747#Comment_120093747

Co-incidence, I just had a 3DS Bravely Default arrive this morning, although I picked it up new and sealed for £35 from Amazon UK. They do still have a handful of decent 3DS games in stock.

o1s1n

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120093758#Comment_120093758

Money laundering, it's all money laundering! 😂

After seeing Mr Saturn's post I decided to search some ended auctions for sealed copies of early Pokemon games. Look at this madness:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/155212174999?hash=item24235dd697:g:QVUAAOSwTApgy4uK&amdata=enc%3AAQAHAAAAoCkkz3Llpc%2Bze8BDZ6Pue70n1%2BLo5Vp%2B4ilkeQlPTIWntnNkmMH%2F2fSoOrZlBHVmq9OdF7X%2F3HLWN%2Bjsi%2BU%2B4fzEv7CVsPNRHdEwfjU3qryhnU%2BOfDB%2F7eFgdLHoN1Xn%2FckZW6mQ9PJnxPGmi7QBG2RpO5W3BP0J6DJAtFD9z%2FRjY96DILyWNKzVQhvVIfHbU%2FTmUa9QTHGxvjAcE3YD5sI%3D%7Ctkp%3ABk9SR9rO5pG0YQ

Remember years ago when people were amazed at Megadrive games going for a few hundred quiz or super rare 32X PAL games like Darxide going for 2k? really nothing in comparison to now, absolutely nothing.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120093896#Comment_120093896

Tiles make a great surface for rolling arcade machines into a kitchen, just saying. 😄

Much of an attic in the new place? I'm humming and hawing about converting mine into a bit of a games room.

DaveyDave

I feel like we just had a conversation about game prices...

The PSP is a great system, I have fond memories of it. Lots of games dirt cheap in CeX, at least up until recently. Couple of euro each with shipping. Their shipping rates of €2 per item kinda takes away from the bargain but still good prices. Haven't checked in a few months though.

I noticed a few PS2 games I wanted are under €20-25, not too long ago absolutely everything was well over €20. The odd Mega Drive or Saturn game are back down to €20-25 window shopping territory. I'm hoping this is the year I can get back into collecting without breaking the bank.

I'm really considering a Steam Deck to emulate bigger games as I don't spend any time in the game room these days outside of a rare pick up and play session. I'm not going to make any progress with the likes of PS2/Dreamcast stuff. I need to force myself into the game room!

Mr.Saturn

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120094390#Comment_120094390

Such is the nature of trauma, we keep talking about until we can come to terms with it.

Inviere

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120094301#Comment_120094301

I look at those prices and just laugh nowadays tbh, what else can you do? A piece of plastic containing a ROM chip filled with 1's and 0's for £7500....so glad I'm out of game collecting tbh.

o1s1n

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120094501#Comment_120094501

I'd love to know who the buyers are. It's kind of a bit of an oxymoron - you'd think someone with the money to buy something that expensive would also have the sense not to waste their money on something clearly not worth that much.

I am assuming it's all mid to late twenty somethings working for big tech companies who have nothing to spend their 200k yearly salary on other than cocaine and hobbies.

sniper_samurai

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120094301#Comment_120094301

Oof. I only got a couple of hundred for my sealed Leaf Green about 5 years ago. That's a big jump.

Inviere

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120094548#Comment_120094548

Yeah most likely, as you say you'd expect maturity and solid reason when it comes to amounts like that...but nostalgia mixed with high income tech roles possibly add to it all? Who knows man, who knows.

DaveyDave

It probably doesn't help that people are grading newer games and there's presumably more companies doing it now. I saw a graded copy of San Andreas on PS2. The best selling game on the system, why bother. Anything from 2000 onwards is generally oretty mint if it's complete in box.

We're in very trendy times, I've noticed a few things more and more people are doing for no good reason. It wouldn't surprise me if this grading shite picked up as people are seeing games as investments these days and they want to be the next diamond hands Redditor or missed their chance to buy Tesla stock...

sniper_samurai

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120095450#Comment_120095450

And I wouldn't trust WATA grading. They've been caught with inflated grades on games in poor condition and have also graded repros as original copies.

omerin

Interested in getting a plug and play retro console. Have looked at a few YouTube vids, reviews seem to be hit and miss with dodgy controllers, duplicates, bad layouts etc. Any recommendations, looking for something up to ps2 level or a bit better, have a pc and mame but looking for something standalone without the hassle of linking rhat cam be fired up with no hassle

phily2002

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120095506#Comment_120095506

You could go the raspberry pi route. Think the 4 can emulate ps2 but not sure how well it runs. Another option is get a ps3 and mod it.

geotrig

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120095450#Comment_120095450

I could say the same about any graded game tbh... I never understood it and just don't get it , It has to be the stupidest thing that has happened to buying games

dav09

Just back from EAG, not much in terms of retro games but there certainly are tonnes of new games arcade coming out that's for sure for anyone who's interested in that sort of stuff.

It's bizarre to see new releases of F&F (which resembles nothing from the F&F series and just not too good even being full motion) and a new Need For Speed (which is actually a lot of fun).

And at the end, another headscratcher, a seemingly unlicenced remake of Ice Cold Beer in 2023???

Genuinely some good fun games coming out and feels like the first time in a long time there's way more video arcades coming out rather than all redemption. A lot of games now feel more "on rails" rather than the usual rubber banding like before but some games are still really good.

And of course I've probably said this before, but the DLX Asphalt 9 is definitely one of the best motion games ever built, it's mental money but I believe there's one or two in ireland (funtasia I believe), if you ever get to try one definitely do.