Retro Game Price Gouging Thread

[Jeff_the_Thriller]

Honestly the people that pay extortion prices for crt's deserve it to be honest. It's especially stupid cause most of those crt's are pretty small. Nothing will ever beat having one of this big fucking crt's that took like 3 people to move though. Playing war of the monsters for ps2 on that was the fucking tits. That's the only crt worth paying more than $30 for.

The only reason I have a CRT and don't use a RCA to HDMI converter is I like old light gun games. Since I had this ancient TV, I decided to go all out with it and hooked a bunch of pre-2000 consoles and a VCR to it. I normally play my old consoles on modern TVs with a converter and the old TV is kind of a joke.

Nostalgia fags are the worst. No Goldeneye was not meant to be played on a blurry 17in TV. It was the only type of TV available. You aren't losing because you are playing on a 50in LCD. You are losing because you suck. They think old equals good and it causes prices to reflect that. I blame the Stranger Things for this trend.

 

[Seasoned News Reporter]

The only reason I have a CRT and don't use a RCA to HDMI converter is I like old light gun games. Since I had this ancient TV, I decided to go all out with it and hooked a bunch of pre-2000 consoles and a VCR to it. I normally play my old consoles on modern TVs with a converter and the old TV is kind of a joke.

Nostalgia fags are the worst. No Goldeneye was not meant to be played on a blurry 17in TV. It was the only type of TV available. You aren't losing because you are playing on a 50in LCD. You are losing because you suck. They think old equals good and it causes prices to reflect that. I blame the Stranger Things for this trend.

Yeah just because it's old doesn't mean it's good. There are plenty of old things that are absolute trash. I think some people get that idea because of the thing with how some old products were built as quality & lasted for decades compared to now.

 

[Marissa Moira]

A more apt comparison would be like a volcano eruption. There's not going to be a sudden pop, per se, just a very gradual cooling on games(though the legitimately rare ones will remain pricey imo). "Too old lmao" remains to be seen as to whether or not it'll apply to the more timeless stuff like snes, but it could be argued that the new generations would just ignore physical altogether.

Considering that fucking records returned I doubt it.

A big difference is for series that first appeared on the NES are still going, their first installments will always be relevant. Unlike Atari where there was a clear break and nothing was really built on them as far as a modern legacy goes. Like Dragon Quest is still going and there will always be demand for Dragon Quest 1-4 on the NES and 4-6 on the SNES.

Zelda is another one, people are always going to want the first game (I dunno about the second) and Link To The Past.

 

[Nick Gars]

Slight power level but I live in the rural US. I can think of at least 5 places within 15 miles that you could get a CRT TV for at most $20. All it takes is a little leg work and you can easily find one near you for $10. I'm sure they are even easier to find in metropolitan areas where hillbillies don't use them for target practice. I can't imagine the shipping costs on a 75 pound TV.

I can easily walk into any thrift store or indoor flea market and find a working CRT for $5 - $10, and my city is small. The only people paying these prices are the same hipsters who willingly pay $1500+ for a phone that doesn't even have a headphone jack.

 

[cummytummies]

Yeah just because it's old doesn't mean it's good. There are plenty of old things that are absolute trash. I think some people get that idea because of the thing with how some old products were built as quality & lasted for decades compared to now.

Old CRTs had response times and refresh rates unmatched by the LCD screens that replaced them.

Now, these days we have 4k 144Hz IPS screens with a 1ms response time and everything else one could want out of a monitor packed into one, but for about a decade there truly was a period where the old tech outperformed the new tech in just about everything but convenience. The legacy of that lives on, as there will always be people who educated themselves to a degree on a subject at one point and just reject all newer information that contradicts what they once learned.

And granted, some old games can look better on old CTRs which act almost like built-in anti-aliasing. If you're playing on original hardware and refuse to take advantege of new tech that compensates for or fixes many of those shortcomings and renders the old solution obsolete, you might actually have a better time with a CRT.

 

[Seasoned News Reporter]

Old CRTs had response times and refresh rates unmatched by the LCD screens that replaced them.

Now, these days we have 4k 144Hz IPS screens with a 1ms response time and everything else one could want out of a monitor packed into one, but for about a decade there truly was a period where the old tech outperformed the new tech in just about everything but convenience. The legacy of that lives on, as there will always be people who educated themselves to a degree on a subject at one point and just reject all newer information that contradicts what they once learned.

And granted, some old games can look better on old CTRs which act almost like built-in anti-aliasing. If you're playing on original hardware and refuse to take advantege of new tech that compensates for or fixes many of those shortcomings and renders the old solution obsolete, you might actually have a better time with a CRT.

I guess. I'm not familiar with the finer details of things like crts. I could tell you more about sewing machines or how an old fridge from before I was born beat a new age fucking freezer in lifespans.

 

[cummytummies]

I guess. I'm not familiar with the finer details of things like crts. I could tell you more about sewing machines or how an old fridge from before I was born beat a new age fucking freezer in lifespans.

Let me guess, they weren't built by soulless chinks with planned obsolescence in mind?

 

[Seasoned News Reporter]

Let me guess, they weren't built by soulless chinks with planned obsolescence in mind?

Idk who build it. All I know is this old as fuck white fridge freezer combo beat some black & silver freezer. Parents had this before I was born. Hell, my old n64 & ps2 still work like a dream.

 

[Seven Costanza]

I've been buying a lot of Famicom carts recently. Not as a "substitute" for more expensive NES games; I'm going for Japanese exclusives.

It's great. Tons of games go for like $1-$5. Been playing some solid platformers, RPGs, you name it. Grabbing the occasional FDS floppy here and there too; thought it would be cool to have the "original original" Zelda, Metroid, etc.

Take the Famipill.

 

[Childe]

Been looking to buy a copy of Chrono Trigger for the DS since I foolishly lost my copy I had when I was young, been on the lookout for a while but cannot find any that are going for under $100. Shit sucks.

 

[Seven Costanza]

Been looking to buy a copy of Chrono Trigger for the DS since I foolishly lost my copy I had when I was young, been on the lookout for a while but cannot find any that are going for under $100. Shit sucks.

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Oof.

I'm sorry and I sympathize. I got EarthBound at launch for retail price, had it stolen around 2001 or. Eventually and begrudgingly bought a used cart-only copy for like $200 some years later as it was/is one of my all-time favorites. That shit stung.

And yeah, I've been looking into some of the DS games I missed out on during the system's heyday and I'm not in love with these prices.

 

[Pickle Dick]

I've been buying a lot of Famicom carts recently. Not as a "substitute" for more expensive NES games

I don't get how Famicom games are far cheaper than NES games

Even Stadium Events of all games is cheaper as a Famicom game than the rare NES version

 

[Marissa Moira]

I've been buying a lot of Famicom carts recently. Not as a "substitute" for more expensive NES games; I'm going for Japanese exclusives.

It's great. Tons of games go for like $1-$5. Been playing some solid platformers, RPGs, you name it. Grabbing the occasional FDS floppy here and there too; thought it would be cool to have the "original original" Zelda, Metroid, etc.

Take the Famipill.

You can buy a functioning US NES clone for under 30 bucks

Get an adaptor for the Famicom carts and it will work on clone hardware



This is one of the better ones out there, the shell gives the famicom cart the same dimensions as an NES game.

 

[Seven Costanza]

I don't get how Famicom games are far cheaper than NES games

Even Stadium Events of all games is cheaper as a Famicom game than the rare NES version

I'm guessing that a large majority of these games were mass produced in Japan and released in limited quantities in America. Think of something like Dragon Quest IV -- HUGE in Japan, niche late-stage NES title in the US.

As far as playing Fami shit goes, I have a Sharp Twin Famicom and actually use an adapter for NES games. But more often than not I'm using my RetroFreak these days.

 

[Marissa Moira]

I'm guessing that a large majority of these games were mass produced in Japan and released in limited quantities in America. Think of something like Dragon Quest IV -- HUGE in Japan, niche late-stage NES title in the US.

As far as playing Fami shit goes, I have a Sharp Twin Famicom and actually use an adapter for NES games. But more often than not I'm using my RetroFreak these days.

The US version of DQ 4 is the only US released title I'm missing.

I have the japanese version of 4 and the DS version of 4 but not the US NES release. With Square now toying with the idea of releasing their old games like Pixel perfect Remasters and DQ3 HD, I figure it's only a matter of time.

 

[XYZpdq]

I don't get how Famicom games are far cheaper than NES games

Even Stadium Events of all games is cheaper as a Famicom game than the rare NES version

iirc Stadium Events in particular was a thing of massive difference in distribution.
I get the impression that part of the FC market is how there's never been any major slowdown on demand there, to the point they were still making the AV Famicom into the early 00s or so.
So although there's obviously no _new_ carts the supply chains and general business models are very thoroughly established.
I also recall a few instances the other way around, like Contra was cheaper for the NES than the FC back when I was in the market. That one ends up in demand because the NES one came out first, and Konami jazzed up the graphics a bunch for the Japanese version.

 

[Dojima's Dragon]

What's the deal with fat ps2s euro models being so fucking expensive seriously being considering if possible to change the power supply to that of the euro power supply ( although something I've read is that depending on the model either the console won't start or ends up fryed because of the hardware being tailored for that specific region's electrical output like the us plugs being different that the European plugs due the European plugs consuming more electricity than us plugs

 

[I.B. Niggin]

Been looking to buy a copy of Chrono Trigger for the DS since I foolishly lost my copy I had when I was young, been on the lookout for a while but cannot find any that are going for under $100. Shit sucks.

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It seems like the second hand market for the DS has always been kind of ridiculous. Some kid lost their 3DS at an old job of mine in 2014 and never came back to get it oddly so I just kept it for myself and I could never find anything but shovelware for less than 30 bucks around where I am. I just gave the damn thing away two years ago because it was so futile.

 

[Smaug's Smokey Hole]

What's the deal with fat ps2s euro models being so fucking expensive seriously being considering if possible to change the power supply to that of the euro power supply ( although something I've read is that depending on the model either the console won't start or ends up fryed because of the hardware being tailored for that specific region's electrical output like the us plugs being different that the European plugs due the European plugs consuming more electricity than us plugs

Look on the back near the port at what it accepts as input. I think the PS2 was Sony's first console that did 110-240 so it was universal but came with region specific cables. Always the 8 plug at the back though. edit: no, they might have changed that to the kettle plug, the PS1 had the 8.

 

[Judge Dredd]

What's the deal with fat ps2s euro models being so fucking expensive

I think it's piracy related. I remember when fat PS2s could get mod chips, but thins couldn't. I don't know if that's changed.

I want to say there's a reliability/repair issue as well, but don't quote me on that. My dad used to buy any cheap (usually broken) fat ps2s, fix them, and flip them, since most broken fats were cheap, easy fixes like greasing the disc tray rails.