How exactly does one get into collecting old software/hardware?

>>4100397
Stupid faggot, just buy whatever interests you.
You don't "get into collecting", you collect something because you're into it.

It depends on what you're interested in. As a collector, I only go after systems that were important to me personally as a child. It's hard to justify a big cost for a game or accessory to some console you don't have an emotional investment in.

That said, at the moment I'd say your average cost for the consoles that /vr/ largely talks about (with a controller and all wires) is something like:

THIRD GENERATION
NES: $50
Atari 7800: $80
Sega Master System: $70

FOURTH GENERATION
SNES: $50
Sega Genesis: $20

FIFTH GENERATION
Nintendo 64: $60
Playstation: $20
Sega Saturn: $70

Mostly prices are commensurate with console price. Playstation games are generally cheaper than Nintendo 64 games, NES games are cheaper than Master System games, etc. That said, big name titles despite the fact that they were far more common generally have much larger price tags. For example, your average Super Nintendo game is $10-$20. Donkey Kong Country, despite having been sold like crazy and being all over the market retails around $35 because it's a big title that everyone knows. Logic doesn't always follow with collecting prices.

As far as where to start, against the general consensus of the board, I don't recommend craigslist and yard sales. There's not a lot of consumer protection in those instances and people are goddamn cheats. You're better off hitting major sites like Amazon to develop a baseline of what the game costs, then camping e-bay until you find a good deal relative to that price. If you're impatient, the secondary online retailers like JJGames or DKOldies usually have slightly better prices than Amazon and the same kind of consumer guarantees. But your best bet is generally ebay. It'll never be cheaper anywhere else and if someone fucks you there, ebay'll front the cost for you.

Unless you're a literal millionaire, don't bother collecting games - It's just too late to start. Just find yourself a system and then a flashcart for it.

>>4100472
Should I get SNES or SNES Jr

Buy Japanese, it's a million times cheaper

Fuck the burgers and their retarded price gouging

>>4100480
Whichever you personally prefer. There's no wrong answer with collecting. Get the SNES, SNES Jr, Super Famicon or whichever.

>>4100478
why would it be too late to start buying old games? they're usually cheaper than modern games.

Don't. Retro game collecting is fucked beyond belief thanks to hipsters getting into it the last few years.

Prices have spiked for individual games by hundreds of dollars, all thanks to scalpers and resellers and collectors who don't actually care about games.

It's not worth it. Go collect stuff for your favorite series instead and be much happier.

>>4100518
I was wondering why the Japanese market has been so awful lately.

Turns out the answer is foreigners importing stuff they won't even play. Thanks a lot.

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170KB, 750x750px

>>4100397
>How exactly does one get into collecting old software/hardware?

1. Find system you're interested in and buy it
2. Buy the games you want
3. Play them

Is this really so difficult that you had to make a thread for it? Just look at prices on ebay, average them out and subtract about $10. That's what you should be paying if you find it that low. Personally I don't mind overpaying for certain games if they're in good shape though.

>>4100527
He's an idiot who's used to paying $3 for an snes game. Markets change.

Just don't go overboard. SNES games are ridiculous though. Especially if it's a jrpg. N64 isn't in a super terrible spot except for certain games. Shit's twice as expensive as it was 7 or 8 years ago but it's still pretty bearable.

I think ps1 games are generally cheaper than n64 games. NES is kind of a mixed bag. Some great games are cheap as fuck and other shit games are insane.

>>4100478
I disagree. Unless you're a collectacuck you can easily focus on one console and only your favorite games for a few hundred. I don't care for donkey kong anything (or Rare games) so why bother to get those games on the snes for example. Most games range from $10-$60 on ebay. If you like hunting then try thrift stores or garage sales but be aware that these places are cased by the above collectacucks. Find out the right times to visit those places.

Now's a great time to be buying games for the ps3 or wii also.

If you're really cheap buy japanese or reproduction carts.

>>4100397
If you want to play games on original hardware get a flashcart. Consoles are on ebay, sometimes japanese imports are cheaper.

If you want a pretty shelf collection then here are your options from least to most expensive: get chinese reproductions, import used games from japan, ebay

>>4100469
I was about to post this almost verbatim.

>>4100397

This has to be the worst thread on /vr/ all year. You use money to buy the games and systems you want.

>>4100397
>besides checking out local yards sales, pawn shops, etc

That's step 1. There is no step 2.

Go to garage sales. Buy games when they're cheap.

Im just getting into big box game collecting. In my country ppl sell them for like 100€ more than they worth, so dunno if any of you use some kind of app or website to get them cheaper?

Im not asking for a DII: CE for 10€ but neither a HoMMIII in it´s big box for 90€.

Pick a system you like and buy it. I only recommend buying games you think are good, otherwise it's too expensive. I got an NES this year and only plan on getting about 40 games for it.

I'd advise against cd based systems because the games don't have the same longevity, modding them is fine, especially because the best psx and Saturn games are super expensive.

Use your excess money on more systems, a decent sized CRT and multiple controllers so you can get the most fun out of the multiplayer games.

>>4100397
Just buy stuff you want. That's all collecting is. If there is nothing you want,don't waste your money on it.

From personal experience, I never intended to get into collecting. I was 21 years old and had little to no interest in my old PS1 and SNES games. Then I got suspended from college. When I was home at my parents house, I would get bored and one day I decided to get out my PS1 which I never particularly liked as a kid.

Since I was making a lot of money at my job, I was bored and started looking into possibly buying a game for my Playstation. I picked up Test Drive 6 (not a particularly lauded game by any means) and I fell in love with it.

Thats when I started to obsess. Everyday at work, I would get into the office and watch youtube videos of PS1 games. Each and every day I discovered something new, an awesome game that I "needed to have". Thats when I started collecting a shit ton (2012). I only buy games that I want to play and I play my PS1 every single day. Don't know why that happened back then, but here I am 6 years later and it still hasn't died off. This was also way before I even went on 4chan, so it was never a fad. I just really really dug the PS1 at later age. No nostalgia, just fascination man. Start watching youtube videos and research odd games. Look for hidden gems for yourself. Personaly i gravitate towards PS1 FPS titles and I love to collect and test out all the different kinds of PS1 controllers / joysticks / mice / light guns / etc. WE are an odd community, and the majority of us probably hate watching TV lol.

>>4101097
PC games are not region lock. I buy American games and I'm from Europe.

>>4103039
But ebay sources are expensive as fuck. I was about to get a Deus Ex box for 35 bucks, but the shipment was like 45 more.

>>4100397
1. You'll get dogshit prices online
2. You'll get pretty good prices online from japanese sellers
3. You'll get fair prices at flea makets and yard sales and shit
4. You'll get kickass fucking prices from actual stores in Japan
that's pretty much it

>>4100550
>importing stuff they won't even play
i just bought a few japanese GBA games CIB that I play all the time in emulators, because i wanted to have the real cartridges for my GBA

1) Have to set up a game room. It needs to have tall shelving - maybe a foot or so taller than you.

2) Invest in CIB games for as many consoles as possible, focus on NES to Dreamcast era games, focusing primarily on Nintendo consoles but using stuff like PS1 games for general bulk. Line your game room shelves with these games.

3) Pepper your gameroom with videogame decor. Buy old Pokemon plushes, shirts, posters, figures, etc. Quality isn't too important, even old Happy Meal boxes will do, so long as they are old and videogame related. Pepper in some newer cheap stuff - again, bulk.

4) Stand + CRT TV/monitor. Quality is irrelevant unless you want to get into the "scanline club" OR if you are able to obtain a holy grail monitor, like the NEC XM29/XP29 or a Sony BVM. Put it on a high enough stand so that it will be visible in YouTube videos.

5) Try to focus on obtaining a holy grail item or two. Some desirable CRT is passable, but it won't be a substitute for a gaming grail. Some examples include a CIB Earthbound (or a loose Earthbound, but don't expect much response), an NES prototype (and yes, I do mean NES - even if a game was developed in Japan first therefore making a Famicom prototype version of the game likely to be more significant, NES is what the collectors care about), or a VGA rated sealed Pokemon Red. An arcade cab or two works well, too.

6) Every once in awhile hold game nights for your friends. The focus should be presenting pieces in your collection and talking about how wonderful or interesting certain games are.

7) Rev up that YouTube channel! Upload videos talking about old games and how meaningful they are to you, even if you never touched an NES until 2015. Always stand in front of your collection. Be sure to continually feed your collection. Have regular pick-ups videos, even if the only story is that you threw down on an overpriced eBay BIN. Be enthusiastic and animated - act like that shitty copy of Madden 95 is the best thing ever.

>>4100397
>get old enough to have a job
>get a job
>buy shit

>>4105507
>tfw got a job and now i spend all my money on shit

>>4100397
>How exactly does one get into collecting old software/hardware?
You buy that shit and keep it. BAM, you a collector nao.