What Should Retro Video Games Be Worth / Cost? – Retro Bird



Nobody like to pay more money than they have to for things.. even something as great as video games! So, what kind of prices should video games actually sell for? I cover some of the reasons why people are willing to buy games for as much or as little as they do, including all the different factors that determine value for any given gamer.

What Should Retro Video Games Be Worth / Cost? – Retro Bird

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36 thoughts on “What Should Retro Video Games Be Worth / Cost? – Retro Bird”

  1. I finally hit the point where physically having games was starting to feel like more of a chore than a joy. They took up so much space, and I've been moving around a lot for jobs and school, and having to lug everything just isn't fun. They make for a great investment though if you bought them back when they were cheap though haha

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  2. I'm not proud of paying 100 bucks for Chrono Trigger, but at least I was able to nab it. It's good. Not worth 100, but I worry if I don't buy them then they'll skyrocket in price and I'll never get to experience them.

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  3. I gotta say, your vid a keep getting better man, this was another really good one. As far as prices go, I would like to see more reasonable prices but if the prices aren't crazy, say over $100+ I'll usually get by especially if it's something I really want to play. If it's even more than that, say at a retro store it's time to figure out a trade and work some deals.

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  4. This is a multilayer subject thats really hard to truly tackle. For me, I buy arcade pcbs, which are 10 to 30 times more expensive than consoles games. So it really depends on how much you want to replicate the old experience.

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  5. I've reconciled with the fact that some games are going to be expensive. I consider that price an opportunity cost. I divide the cost by my hourly salary and then consider how long it would take for me to find it in the wild at a garage sale. Most of the time I'll spend the FMV. Especially NES games.

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  6. I don't have much to say in terms of what games "should" cost, as it's all market value as you said. I will say that an unplayable game is worth NOTHING to me. I would never buy a sealed game with the intent to keep it sealed. Games are meant to be played. Period. I've been buying mostly old late 80's, early 90's computer games lately. Mmmm big box. 😀

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  7. While a part of me would like all games to be more affordable, the combination of rarity/desire and people defining the market definitely makes sense to me, and as I get into more obscure console libraries like Turbografx where there simply weren't that many copies of the games made to begin with and are even less on the second-hand market now, it's easier for me to justify shelling out $30 for a common turbografx game than a common-but-wanted super nintendo one because even a common TG game is rarer than most "rare" games on successful consoles.

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  8. Most I spent was 100 bucks on mk trilogy for saturn. It was totally worth it to me and many hours have been put in since I got it. I saw its gone up big time. Sad to think if I was to have held out longer, I'd miss out on the fun of this game

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  9. I love how you pulled up Chrono Trigger…. 😆 I actually came across a copy while I was out of town over the weekend and pulled the trigger on purchasing it! I got it somewhat cheaper than the average Ebay price but not by as much as I would have liked though….

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  10. A lot of Hype for older games has inflated prices to be more than I would like to pay. There is no way I could repurchase my current collection. Honestly anything over $100 seems a bit much for older games. The real problem are not the gamers or collectors. It is the Investors. You know those jerks that buy 20 copies of a rare game and have zero appreciation for it. All they want to do is get as much profit as they can squeeze out of it.

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  11. Another great discussion topic. I actually own a small video game store. What I’ve learned over the years is that in order to get in the popular and high-end games, you have to pay a lot for them. The way I look at it is this. Collectors want certain titles, and they want them at a relatively good price. However, in order to get those titles you typically have to buy them off of other collectors (usually in large collections), who also want fair value for their games. Odds are if you see a game that is expensive in a game store, it’s because the owner had to pay good value just to get that game in. In terms of paying a lot for a game, for me it’s all about value. If you think you’re going to play a game for tens of hours then it’s well worth paying the going rate for the game.

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  12. I would say the games probably should go up
    Cause they don't make em no more. For example say u wanna buy a Super Nintendo there may be many now but more and more will break over time till theirs just s few left and they'll be harder than ever to find

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  13. Why don’t you stop cutting away from the video game footage just to throw in clips of you making goofy faces. It’s literally so unnecessary to cut away just to show you nodding your head smh. I swear I haven’t commented on a YouTube video in yrs.. I looked this video up on my phone just to comment because it bugs me so much but my Xbox doesn’t let you post comments..You look like that one kid in elementary school that acted like a dinosaur at recess lol.. haterz come at me.

    Your content and opinions are entertaining but we don’t need to see your facial reactions a dozen times a video

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  14. Some games can be more expensive even with a digital availability on modern platform. Example would be SOTN physically. There were many patches on this game but the patches didn't make it better but worse than the original.

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  15. My pet peeve is when you see an online listing for an item that isn't particularly rare and the price is below the going rate, but others are willing to pay market price. So many times I have been one of the first people to jump on the deal, only to get messaged by the seller saying "sorry, someone else offered me $XXX" (usually an amount close to the going rate). I wish those people would just choose to buy from sellers who post similar listings at market price if that is what they are willing to pay. It costs the same to them anyway! I get that at the end of the day money talks, but I was first, danggit!

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  16. Oh man, I have been both on the selling and buying end of retro games for awhile until I finally sold off most of my collection a year or so back. The retro gaming market can be wild, and be driven by so many things. Good video, and good break down. I appreciated it man!

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  17. Anyone who comments on retro video games costing too much needs to understand that this formula you just mentioned has always been applied for sought after things beyond video games. Card Games, Comics and hell, even classic cars outside the nerd circle. It does suck that stuff just gets higher and higher over time but that’s how the market is with anything sought after and it’s really impossible to change it.

    I will say that IMO collecting a video game sealed is a bit silly and feels just as elitist as owning a classic car and never driving it: The point of both products is to use them, not to flaunt around like a rare art piece. The only exception to this sort of thing is old TCG cards when they’re extremely vulnerable to any sort of wear AND they rarely have a use outside of the occasional rare “all cards allowed” match ups

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