/vr/ - Retro Games

[Anonymous No.10769464]

How often do you buy games from retro game stores? What makes you go to one?

[Anonymous No.10769468]

I live in America so there is no point

[Anonymous No.10769475]

I owned a retro game store.

[Anonymous No.10769478]

I don’t, because it’s like going to Vegas and expecting to win

[Anonymous No.10769482]

>>10769464
Man, I would've liked to visit that store. I wonder what they wanted for Turtles in Time for SFC?

[Anonymous No.10769503]

>>10769464
I go every few months, some of them are great, others complete garbage. Mostly it has to do with what they do and don't accept game wise (not a billion copies of madden 2007 sitting out) and the kind of town it's in. College towns are great because you get transient young people going to college, dipping their toes in retro, and then selling it off later on when they decide they don't like it. Likewise, a lot of kids go to college with their old systems and sell their games in that town and return home with fewer or different games.
As far as why I go? I think mostly I just want to support places like that, it's funner browsing shelves irl, decent social activity, and sometimes you get deals at better stores.

[Anonymous No.10769515]

>>10769464
As late as 2020, there was a retro game store maybe 4 blocks away from my house. I passed it 2 times a day going and coming from work. I was buying ass loads of stuff for cheap every week. Got to become friends with the workers and owners to the point they stopped charging me tax on purchases and gave me great deals + held stuff sometimes for months for me. Then they moved to a different street a bit further away when the landlord forced them to. I still stop in, but not as frequently. More so, my problem is their prices started to line up more with online prices. They use to always be cheaper then online. I still buy a lot from them, but man those 10 or so years when they first opened. To give you an idea, or maybe just a reflection at how the market use to be, they had nes games at 2 for $5, $3 snes games which included things like Legend of the Mystic Ninja and Knights of the Round, arcade cabinet for under 200, Vectrex for 100(still kick myself for not snagging this for a 2nd to have) and i got my Sharp NES TV for 150 from them.

[Anonymous No.10769520]

>>10769515
Yeah thats a major gripe with used games stores, ideally your prices should be below online, games shouldn't be sitting in your store for ages because you want to get the best possible deal, just use ebay at that point.
I feel like a lot of stores try to be friends with their customers which can be a double edge sword and possible factor in decline.

[Anonymous No.10769521]

>>10769503
>College towns are great
They sure were a decade ago.

[Anonymous No.10769525]

Why would i waste my money when i can download every game for free?

[Anonymous No.10769528]

>>10769521
Still are, I'm speaking from experience, even small college towns have majorly better game stores. I will say it matters how big the campus is, the bigger it is, the more likely for the games to be shitter. Ideally a mid-size college town in like golden.

[Anonymous No.10769529]

>>10769515
Most all the game stores I went to if I bought a large enough lot and offered cash it was really easy to either not pay sales tax or even get a discount. Those places loved having 100 dollar transactions in cash.
I think there's one left that's like that. All the others have closed around here.

[Anonymous No.10769532]

>>10769528
How about a private college full of shut ins from rich families that never wanted for anything? Those kids don't leave the campus to contribute anything to that town. They even had a Pizza place with an arcade across the street. It closed down due to lack of business.

[Anonymous No.10769537]

>>10769464
Never anymore. As much as I enjoyed going to the game store as a kid, hunching over and scanning through 500 copies of madden so you can have the privilege of overpaying for a game is not fun. Especially when you can just order whatever the fuck you want for cheaper without even getting out of your chair.

The last game I bought from a retro game store was Champions of Norrath. I didn't realize it until months later but the label is fucked up in an incredibly weird way. Part of the ESRB logo came off (???) and is stuck to the outer clear plastic bit of the case.

[Anonymous No.10769539]

>>10769532
true, I mean you can't apply it to every situation I suppose. I'd say it's still a pretty good rule of thumb though.

[Anonymous No.10769540]

>>10769537
It got wet. That's your "incredibly weird" way it got fucked up.

[Anonymous No.10769543]

>>10769464
There are no retro stores in my country. I use my local online marketplace to buy PC games solely to dat them for Redump and scan them for MobyGames.

[Anonymous No.10769545]

>>10769543
Man, I remember seeing bootleg video game markets in india and being so fucking envious. Would be so cool to just walk into a stall and buy like 20 games for a $1 each as a kid.

[Anonymous No.10769553]

>>10769464
When I was in college, I would go a couple times a week. Now I mostly just buy on eBay. I do kind of miss the game store experience, though.

[Anonymous No.10769557]

>>10769520
It depends on the worker when i go in. I like them all to talk to, but the one guy will always mark down the prices for me even if i dont ask because he knows the stuff should be moving, not sitting there and the owner gives them some leeway with prices. The owner also sells stuff online and he will take stuff off ebay if i say im interested in something since he rather not deal with ebays cut and shipping. I recently got a snes game that way from him and he sold it to me cheaper then the starting bid he had it at which was already decently below current online prices.

I memorized the general days the two main managers work for when i want to go in and just buy a bunch of stuff i had my eyes on, the one who works with prices for me and the one who doesn't.

[Anonymous No.10769559]

>>10769525
Why would you waste your precious time here instead of ignoring a topic that doesn't concern you?

[Anonymous No.10769563]

>>10769559
Emutrannies tend to have a lot more time than money desu

[Anonymous No.10769565]

>>10769557
Do they actually make money from you as a customer?

[Anonymous No.10769567]

>>10769545
I mean, thats how it use to be for retro games atleast at flea markets.(im assuming you mean bootlegs of at the time modern games)

[Anonymous No.10769576]

>>10769540
Makes sense. I don't go around pouring water on my games so I'd never seen that before.

[Anonymous No.10769583]

>>10769565
I can say for certain, post moving locations, i was their biggest whale.(at that location, they had a 2nd some miles away) Bought multiple arcade machines, demo kiosk, spent usually 100+ a week. I would say 25% of my total collection came from that one store. I still buy a lot of higher price items like Saturn games(and probably another arcade cab soon) and the owner knows this and calls me up personally sometimes when they get niche items traded in. Im not going there to buy modern systems though that they also sell.

[Anonymous No.10769590]

>>10769464
Haven't been to one in five years.
Bought Mission Impossible on N64 from a cute black chick. Then went back to my nephews birthday across the street doing paint by numbers or whatever the fuck.

[Anonymous No.10769594]

>>10769583
That's cool. Must have been a really good town for vidya for them to have two locations. That's crazy.

[Anonymous No.10769604]

>>10769567
Depending on the game. I do remember some pretty crazy deals at those places as a kid, wondering if the owners knew certain games worth, but some were savvier than others, and everyone knew about your grand theft autos and mortal kombats and such because of moral panic.

[Anonymous No.10769608]

Never, they always charge more than ebay so why would I get up and go somewhere when I could save time and money and buy online.

Not that I buy games online either, the entire market is fucked probably for the rest of eternity.

The days of games being reasonably priced is over, sold my collection a couple years ago when prices were truly fucking insane and haven't looked back. Don't miss it at all the soys can keep their plastic bullshit.

[Anonymous No.10769613]

>>10769608
Cope

[Anonymous No.10769615]

>>10769559
This isn't your safe space coomlector and it's a legitimate question
>>10769563
>you are either a coomlector or an emutranny, no in-between
Why are you like this?

[Anonymous No.10769621]

>>10769615
I self-identify as a coomlector, emutranny.

[Anonymous No.10769624]

>>10769594
The 2nd location was actually in another, smaller town, maybe 45 minutes away, so i guess further then a couple miles. Ive never actually been to that one though the owner says thats where he puts out the better quality stuff(like boxed nes/snes games) that now a days he only brings if i were to ask for them.(i dont really go after boxed stuff too often so dont really care) It's also closer to the owners home so he considers that his "main" store.

The 2nd one(mine), is in a bigger town, but it only had competition from 3 pawn shops at the time they opened(now 2) and 6 GameStops(now 5) all within 10 minutes of where I live. There has been the occasional retro store that tried to open in the local malls and there are a bunch of antique mall type places around as well with vendors selling retro games.

Prior to this store opening, the pawn shops were my go to place. All 6th gen console games at the one were 3 for $10. Walked out one day with God Hand, Gitaroo Man and .hack part 4. There was also a great hole-in-the-wall shop i use to frequent and got chummy with the owner. Mostly sold motorcycle parts and subwoofers, but also collectibles and games. Got a lot of great stuff from him as well for barely anything at the time.(till it got torn down and made into a parking lot)

On the topic of location, i still hate myself for not grabbing the copies of Mega Man Legends the CVS within walking distance of me had sitting on their shelves till they tore that location down.

[Anonymous No.10769631]

>>10769604
I remember, maybe around 2004, went to a flea market and got Bucky O'Hare for nes for 5, Strider 2 for 5, model 2 sega CD for 10(which had Lunar 1 inside), a super scope for 5 and TimeGal sega cd+ Mario's Cenent Factory game&watch for 10. It was glorious times to be into dead technology.

[Anonymous No.10769639]

>>10769615
>it's a legitimate question
Dont be a fag, you know it's not. You saw the thread and decided to come in to get a rise out of someone.

[Anonymous No.10769646]

>>10769520
>ideally your prices should be below online
Then you won't be able to keep anything in stock and you'll lose money because of all the overhead of running a retail store.
It's honestly hilarious how so many retro enthusiasts want everything to be a deal, expect to pay less than market and then wonder "where did all the stores go?"
If you want deals go to the flea market or garagae sales. If you don't like retail don't shop there. They will adjust or go out of business..or maybe they will be fine because your cheap asses aren't their customer.

[Anonymous No.10769654]

>>10769646
These stores do know they should be cheaper then online though. I can see a game in a store, look up its price online right there and usually get it cheaper online ordering it right there, even with shipping. Smart stores when you ask if they can "do better" will look up the current prices and go below that. They know anyone can just order online now.

[Anonymous No.10769657]

>>10769646
except, that doesn't happen, news doesn't travel that such and such store has yada yada like that. The owners need locals to come in and regularly shop, why would they if you have the exact same prices as the internet? you wouldn't. I don't think you know what you're talking about because if you've ever been to a store worth half their salt, their stock is not ebay prices. Flea markets aren't also run by ignorant people anymore, the bar for appraisal has been massively lowered thanks to apps and price checking, only flea markets in podunks are gonna have 6th gen back for less than $10. Even lower end flea markets in otherwise well off towns know better.

[Anonymous No.10769663]

>>10769646
Yea... this is pretty much it. Most of the vintage gamer customers are not actual collectors and just poor people who can't afford new consoles. They're the ones who get visibly angry at higher prices. There's not going to be very many vintage game stores in the near future. Overhead is going up. Normal people who have older games to sell are drying up. And the customer base that's willing to spend money and go into a store front are getting more sparse. People move away. Younger kids don't care about physical games.

[Anonymous No.10769664]

>>10769657
>>10769654
You have no idea what overhead even is.

[Anonymous No.10769667]

>>10769663
Kids like retro games, they get interested in it through their parents. This idea that only boomers can enjoy games prior to the 6th gen is just out of touch at this point.

[Anonymous No.10769671]

>>10769667
Kids definitely like retro games, but it has a lot more to do with YouTube than there parents I think.

[Anonymous No.10769673]

>>10769671
Why not both? At this point, these games have been embedded deep in our pop culture and greater culture at large. It's kinda like older movies, like there's always gonna be those people that revisit the classics to experience it for themselves.

[Anonymous No.10769680]

>>10769664
The owner of my store straight up told me he always tries to do 20-30% lower on prices then ebay + the fact he doesn't have to deal with shipping, potential customers scams or ebay cuts.

[Anonymous No.10769683]

>>10769464
I've got one I started going to recently, mostly for non-/vr/ stuff but I've grabbed a few /vr/ games for prices a little cheaper than ebay. I'm happy to support local stores and it's nice to have someone to shoot the shit with about vidya, plus I like being able to see stuff before I buy it.
The owner outright told me that most people come in and buy new stuff and sports games, so I'm the only one really buying retro games and RPGs. I believe it given that his retro stock has barely moved every time I come in. I don't think I could ever open a video game store, but more power to him for doing it.

[Anonymous No.10769685]

>>10769667
Liking and collecting physical games are two different things. You realize that right?

[Anonymous No.10769687]

>>10769685
except there are kids that plainly collect games and frequent game stores, some kids aren't gonna know about emulators too, not that it really matters. Kids aren't dumb, they know that playing the games on original hardware evokes a different feeling, everyone who indulges in retro gaming nostalgia acknowledges such constantly.

[Anonymous No.10769691]

They do exist... they're the exception.
Kids have Switches. That's where they play them. The vast majority of kids don't care about physical games, because they didn't grow up with physical games.

[Anonymous No.10769702]

>>10769691
if you think that you're just out of touch. Kids have PS4s and PS5s and whatever with physical games. Kids play physical retro games all the time, sure some may play some on switch, but the savvier kids are gonna know that nintendo switch isn't gonna have every game they want to play. The thing is these kids seek these games out just like we do, it's not like their just hopping on the switch and having a go at whatever (unless you mean nintendo switch online with the expansion pack and not just games you can buy on there in general), they usually know what they want from hearing friends, family, and internet personalities talk about them.

[Anonymous No.10769703]

>>10769464
I always appreciated how clean retro gaming stores are in Japan (according to pictures). Not only does it look cleaner, but also more organized and like you're buying something new.

[Anonymous No.10769705]

>>10769680
He will go out of business soon.

[Anonymous No.10769707]

>>10769702
Who the fuck are you talking about. You don't know cultural and reginal differences. All you know is your little circle of kids that you're interacting with for some reason. If anything you sound way out of touch on the subject.

[Anonymous No.10769712]

>>10769707
>you don't know cultural and regional differences
like what? do kids in south dakota hate video games more than kids in florida? you're an unwashed idiot that needs to venture outside.

[Anonymous No.10769717]

>>10769464
I live rural so the nearest one is about 30 miles away. When I'm in the area I stop by every now and then.
It's an alright place. He prices the same as pricecharting so it's eh, but better than the shops who charge more than the site. He also will charge less than sticker price if the value has actually lowered on pricecharting so I respect him not being a sneak.
Aside from that there was one that opened up really close by a couple years ago. A group of friends split it 6 ways to start up. They went out of business in a year. I distinctly remember being in there and a mother asking the clerk if they had any Mario games to buy for her son and the clerk said that Mario would be too complex for a kid and offered her Shrek for the GC instead lol

[Anonymous No.10769720]

>>10769707
You're more angry about this than you should be.

[Anonymous No.10769725]

>>10769712
>>10769720
LMAO
"Touch Grass, I know what the kids like."

[Anonymous No.10769727]

>>10769725
it's common sense retard. Kids have and will forever grow up with physical media of their own. You said "what the fuck are you talking about" to a plainly worded response, you're just a moron, I'm sorry.

[Anonymous No.10769729]

>>10769705
He has been running one store for 20+ years and the second location nearing 15.
Im going to take his buisness expertise over a nameless online rando.

[Anonymous No.10769732]

>>10769464
I don't recall ever buying a game from a "retro game store". I've never been so desperate to impulse buy that I couldn't wait until I found what I wanted cheaper. I need to go to them because hardly any do repairs and I get a lot of business from them.

[Anonymous No.10769740]

I go maybe once per month, mostly to look around. I usually buy cheap boxless gb and gbc games because they are small and I grew up with a gbc as a kid. Every other year I may buy something more expensive that has some special meaning to me but I try to avoid collecting stuff, it takes too much space. I try to go to retro stores when I’m traveling around to see different things, there are not many things that interest me when traveling so I’m likely to check stores selling used stuff,

[Anonymous No.10769745]

>>10769727
>Kids have and will forever grow up with physical media of their own.
LMAO... No they won't. You fucking retard.

[Anonymous No.10769746]

>>10769745
Yes they will because owning things is an important part of development, retard. You didn't grow up in a unique time in history in that regard. This just proves your a jaw-dragger that has 0 foresight or common sense.

[Anonymous No.10769748]

>>10769746
Just how close are you to these kids?

[Anonymous No.10769749]

>>10769732
If you're always waiting to get something cheaper than the price in front of you, doesn't that mean you won't buy anything ever?

[Anonymous No.10769752]

>>10769729
Then he's lying to you. There's literally no way to operate a store at a loss.

[Anonymous No.10769760]

>>10769745
Not every child is an iPad toddler who only knows how to grip a tablet. Most of the kids in my family specifically ask for physical versions of games so they have something cool to look at and
show their friends.

>>10769752
"Selling below market value" doesn't mean "selling at a loss", businessman.

[Anonymous No.10769763]

>>10769683
>I believe it given that his retro stock has barely moved every time I come in
why do you think that is? lack of interest in old stuff?

[Anonymous No.10769772]

>>10769760
>Most of the kids in my family
Who cares? Great job grooming kids with video games. The general public is a completely different beast than your hyper biased demographic you've pulled your opinion from.

[Anonymous No.10769776]

>>10769772
>everyone has bias except me

[Anonymous No.10769778]

>>10769772
Buying my nephew a Switch game he asked for is now "grooming" in the eyes of emutrannies. Very cool.

[Anonymous No.10769816]

>>10769752
?? How is he selling at a loss, he doesn't buy stuff off people for the price he sells it for.

[Anonymous No.10769837]

>>10769760
>>10769816
Just shut the fuck up.

[Anonymous No.10769914]

Used to go to one in the early 2010’s that had an amazing selection but their prices were pretty high at the time so I bought sparingly, mostly GBA games with an occasional PS2 shmup. Still have the GameCube gameboy player with disc I bought there for like $35. Little did I know how stupid prices would end up getting, that place was actually a goldmine. More recently I went to a number of shops in Japan, everything was well organized and it was cool to see all the rare shit like Garou for Neo Geo, Magical Chase for PCE, Pokémon center game boys, etc but they were priced accordingly. It was hard to find crazy deals but some of the shops had nice prices, around 60% of eBay give or take but for every good shop there a few with prices on par with eBay or even worse. For the amount of legwork you have to put in it probably makes more sense to just buy online as much as I hate to say it. I did get a bunch of PC Engine, Neo Geo pocket games, and a few Jap-only GBC and GBA systems for pretty decent prices. I was impressed with how well Japs take care of their stuff, even things marked as “dirty” were pretty damn clean and a lot of the boxed games were near pristine and usually included all the manuals and inserts.

[Anonymous No.10769973]

>>10769521
this. the college town near me can't even keep open a night club anymore. kids used to get trashed, cross the street and dine on pizza. now they don't even venture outside. pizza shop in question folded too.

[Anonymous No.10769987]

>>10769464
Never.

t. Japan

[Anonymous No.10770414]

>>10769763
I think it's moreso the clientele. The game store is attached to a pawn shop in a relatively low income area. Of the times I've been in there, the only time I've noticed someone asking about a game that wasn't for a current console was someone my age asking about pokemon black.

[Anonymous No.10770417]

>>10769464
How the hell are there still so many shops selling retro games?
How many of those game carts was actually produced back then?

[Anonymous No.10770424]

>>10769464
Used to, until the prices got out of control or the stores focused more on tabletop games. After getting used to my Retroid, I've had no interest in buying retro games anymore. Fuck scalpers.

[Anonymous No.10770429]

>>10770417
>How many of those game carts was actually produced back then?
Here's some best selling NES games.

[Anonymous No.10770493]

Every couple of months I hit the retro stores or the flea market. The retro place is run by an old boomer selling off his stock before retiring and the flea market were two Mexican zoomers. Get better deals off of 6th and 7th gen games off of the boomers and better deals on 5th gen and lower with the zoomer

[Anonymous No.10770572]

>>10769749
If that was what was happening then I suppose it would. But it isn't, so it doesn't.
>>10769752
What's with all this next level retardation ITT? It is a snow day at a special needs school or is it just one incredibly stupid newchild?

[Anonymous No.10770920]

>>10769464
I tend to purchase more accessories from them and have found some things cheaper/more convenient than online. Things like controllers, cables and the like. Sometimes they have cool stuff in stock like cartridge organizers or dust covers. I used to buy most of my games from a record store that is out of business now. If I'm going to buy a game that's relatively pricey though I'll check retro game stores in my area since they'll allow the cart to be tested in store.

[Anonymous No.10770957]

>>10770417
>How many of those game carts was actually produced back then?
Anon, back when the world was better you were able to buy working physical copies of games for console and PC. You were not cucked by e-shops or Steam, you owned your games and short of the devs or publisher coming to your house and breaking your copies they stayed yours. I can only imagine how alien and unnatural that must seem to modern game renters though.

[Anonymous No.10771010]

>>10769464
I used to buy retro game from a Books and Music Exchange back in 2010 when I was 12-13, but now I just emulate everything.

[Anonymous No.10771482]

>>10769464
>What makes you go to one?
sovl

[Anonymous No.10771579]

>>10769464
I go to retro game stores about 10 years ago.

>what makes you go to one
10 years ago they were reasonably priced.

[Anonymous No.10771730]

>>10769464
>$50usd for Link to the Past, cart only

Never, Ever, just emulate

[Anonymous No.10771761]

>>10769464
I know the owner of one nearby on a personal level, and have for over a decade. He keeps certain games for me on layaway, lets me try out games for free to see if I like them, and cuts me deals on stuff I buy all the time. I buy games from him 6-7 times a year

[Anonymous No.10771787]

>>10769464
Not in the past 5 years. It's all the same old stuff priced at eBay/pricecharting prices. Stores seem to forget they are competing with online shopping.

10 years ago GaneStop actually had retro games in stock, let you search local inventory online, and you regularly do buy X get Y free sales. I got a large portion of my collection at good prices by timing my purchases.

[Anonymous No.10771815]

>>10770957
I know that, I'm just curious how come there's still so many retro shops popping up and have stocks to sell.
Most of those stocks are not even used at all, and look pretty new.

[Anonymous No.10771819]

>>10771815
Supply is increased thanks to your friendly neighborhood scalpers. Things wouldn’t be so cheap without them, you know.

[Anonymous No.10771828]

>>10771815
It's not that surprising. Big hitters like Mario games have millions upon millions of copies per entry. That alone is a significant number even before looking at other game series.
Then there's other factors like people buying a game and then selling them back. Games are in constant circulation and the people who actually collect and never sell their games are a small minority. The retro store near me has had the same copy of Rule of Rose pop into his store multiple times as an example.
Although if the stores you're going to all have games that look new and not used that is pretty surprising, that's definitely rare.
>>10771819
This is kind of true in the fact they're part of the constant circulation process but they're definitely not the ones making things cheap.

[Anonymous No.10771858]

>>10769772
Are you bothered by telling kids to keep physical backups because it reminds you of your secret seepy stash?

[Anonymous No.10771906]

>>10769464
>that copy of Mother 2 for 2980JPY
God, the world would be a better place if the western retro gaming market were something like this.

[Anonymous No.10771950]

>>10770429
Crazy how many people played that broken-ass Turtles game.
>the PAL Teenage Mutant Hero Turtles game was a pack-in
even weirder

[Anonymous No.10771954]

>>10771950
>even the music's the wrong speed
grimmm

[Anonymous No.10771962]

god PAL consoles SUUUUCKED. No wonder you bongs can't stop talking about micros. At least games were released properly for it in your region.

[Anonymous No.10772365]

>>10769727
>>10769746
>>10769776
>>10769778
This fucking retard just doesn't get it at all. What an absolute moron.

[Anonymous No.10772368]

>>10772365
bump disguised as low effort bait, those aren't even the same anon, retard

[Anonymous No.10772369]

>>10769973
It's happening more and more. Storefronts are becoming a thing of the past and it sucks. Kids just don't care anymore. Others don't feel safe or secure enough to go physically shop. The same thing that happened to down town. Happened to the Malls. And now it's happening everywhere. The last bastion of storefronts are going to be plazas. Good luck opening a small business in a plaza connected to a grocery store.

[Anonymous No.10772371]

>>10772368
What are you a f'n jannie? Nobody here is stupid enough to take what ever the fuck you just said seriously.

[Anonymous No.10772380]

>>10772369
>Others don't feel safe or secure enough to go physically shop
judging by this statement I'm gonna assume you live in a large city, no one has any qualms about safety where I live about shopping or anything like that, I frequently see many people in gaming stores. Also I think plazas have always been the go-to I mean, does it really matter, it seems to be just a matter of where you can rent space, and personally something being in a small plaza doesn't deter me to shop there.

[Anonymous No.10772385]

>>10772380
>judging by this statement I'm gonna assume you live in a large city
NTA, but I live in a smallish college town (population of ~50k). Shops and restaurants are starting to go cashless here because of the dramatic increase in armed robberies - can't empty the till if there's not a till to empty, after all. Homeless people set up camp in the doorways of businesses during working hours, blocking anyone from entering without stepping around/over them. The cops don't do anything about it. It's not just a big city thing. Genuinely hellish. Never come to the Pacific Northwest if you can avoid it.

[Anonymous No.10772414]

>>10772380
>no one has any qualms about safety where I live
Who gives a shit what goes on in your little bubble.

[Anonymous No.10772443]

10 or 12 years ago most games were cheap now is better play retro games on emulators thanks to these youtubers who made videos that every retro game is a gem

[Anonymous No.10772447]

>>10772414
do you just sit in this thread waiting to argue

[Anonymous No.10772479]

>>10772414
If you're not already questioning whether or not the world would be a better place if you were dead, I hope you start soon.

>>10772443
To be fair, I prefer the relentless positivity of YouTube coomlectors to the miserable losers here who never stop console-warring and whinging about what surface-level bullshit is "objectively the best game of all time", or whatever.

[Anonymous No.10772578]

>walk into retro game shop
>look at high ticket items
>over 90% of them are clearly repros
>they're asking highest ebay price ever + tip

[Anonymous No.10772646]

>>10769464
Plastic trash collection goes in >>>/toy/ >>>/trash/

[Anonymous No.10772795]

>>10769464
Used to frequent them often 10 or 15 years ago, now? Fuck no! They have become a meme and now only frequented by scumfuck shitstain poseurs who only do it to consoom like their favourite YouTube buttbuddies who thanks to them have completely locked out the average joe from the hobby.

[Anonymous No.10772932]

>>10769464
I buy from local stores more often than I do online, but it’s still a relatively rare occurrence for me. It’s maybe once or twice a year, and typically a handful of games at a time if I do.
I’m frugal, so a lot of stuff is off-limits to me. I’m simply unwilling to spend more than $50 on a used game, and that’s if it’s in very good if not like new condition. I think the last time I spent that much was on Monster Rancher 4 about two years ago, though.

>>10769525
There’s something inherently irrational about buying games. We get it already. We don’t care.

[Anonymous No.10772996]

the vintage toy store i go to has everything cheaper than pricecharting.com

[Anonymous No.10773012]

>>10769520
>ideally your prices should be below online
I was talking to a friend about this a while back. It's completely unreasonable to have used stuff at or more than online pricing at this point. It makes no sense to shop in the store.
I understand it's harder for brick and mortar to offer deals since they have additional costs, but with how high fees have become on online platforms, I figure this has to come close to leveling out at some point. I know that there are stores who can and do price competitively because they're blessed with volume of business to make it worthwhile, so that's good.

As much as it sucks for games, it's even more infuriating with places that will change their prices on the fly, like some comic shops do. I had this old faggot do that to me once. I've been to pretty much all the shops within a day's drive in my state, and I had never once actually experienced that until him. He chatted me up for the hour and half I spent digging through the rat's nest of a store he had (which I admittedly usually like, because it means they'll have good shit that isn't usually still laying around), just for him to have some monkey behind the counter check eBay as he was ringing me up. He didn't even tell me he was charging over MSRP. He just gave me the total. Of course it was noticeable though because this $30 book was now $100.
If I was willing to pay that much, I would have bought it online years ago instead of working for you for almost two hours checking your inventory, you fucking idiot. Now it can sit on your shelf for another 10 years.

[Anonymous No.10773059]

>>10772369
>>10772385
>he same thing that happened to down town. Happened to the Malls. And now it's happening everywhere. The last bastion of storefronts are going to be plazas. Good luck opening a small business in a plaza connected to a grocery store.
people saying malls are a dying thing is an extremely weird thing to me as i live in the east coast and there's like 9 or 10 malls where i live. i mean fuck we just recently opened up one a year or two before COVID and it's STILL open with a pretty good amount of foot traffic.

[Anonymous No.10773142]

>>10773059
Same. Im also on the east coast and i have 2 malls within 10 minutes of my house. One is thriving as fuck, while the other had its anchor store leave and is more like a mall attached to a shopping plaza, but besides that still empty store, everything else is still in operation and the stores in the mall section have shifted more into independent stores like an arcade, brewery and collectibles shop, which i honestly prefer to the shit in the other, bigger mall. I think it's just a balancing act. Malls thrived during an era of economic growth to the point they were being built in areas that couldn't necessarily support them long term. My absolute favorite mall that closed down was up in hicksville coal country. Malls will always exist in areas of significant population bubbles, it's something to do, like an attraction. We are just seeing a leveling out of malls to these denser trafficked areas and in accordance to online sales from those unwilling to drive far to get to a mall location.

[Anonymous No.10773167]

>>10773012
I know exactly what you mean on the 2nd part. There is this typical jew, i mean this quite literally because he is Jewish and the typical jew buisness owner stereotype, who will do anything he can to up prices on stuff you are interested ar this store he owns. I have stopped in since i was a kid and im nearing 40 now, this dude has the nads to state "his manager" will get mad at him if he cuts deals or doesn't check prices and he will purposely never remember who you are if you are a repeat customer so he can repeat the same grifts. On games, he has most priced, but then if you pick something out he says his "manager" requires they check the current online prices since they are higher now. If you want to change prices outside of operating hours, fine, but dont make the customer be the one to pick out the items of interest you are going to jack up. I only stop in because he is usually completely ignorant on stuff that flys under the radar and is cheap enough he doesn't have behind a glass case. He also has a wall of Atari 2600 games that hasnt moved 5% of its inventory since the 80s, because he doesn't price them, he thinks all Atari games are "rare" and goes purely off online prices. The thing is, he actually does have a bunch of rarer titles which is what interests me, but they will continue to sit there till the day he kicks the bucket because everyone in the local area, including other buisness owners, knows he is a shyster.

[Anonymous No.10773169]

>>10773142
I'm not educated enough on the topic to say anything definitive, but I think the majority of failing malls in America are being purposefully driven to failure by the conglomerates that own them, they drive up rent prices to an absurd degree, likely to force companies out so they can re-develop the area into some low overhead project, or ultimately to sell the property off to someone else so they can funnel the rest of the money into malls situated in more densely populated areas. My point is the failure of the traditional mall framework is only partially the result of a lack of interest in that model by consumers.

[Anonymous No.10773197]

>>10769464
I used to until I found all the consoles they’d reasonably have and bought them. I mod everything for backups so I don’t buy overpriced carts/discs. It’s kind of sad as there isn’t any reason to go now and I liked it.

[Anonymous No.10773218]

>>10769464
Why the fuck is Earthbound around $1,000 yet there's copies of Mother 2 at this store for $20?

[Anonymous No.10773229]

>>10773218
Because rpgs were call of duty to nips since forever and earthbound was a flop amongst an already niche genre of the era for burgers.

[Anonymous No.10773243]

>>10769464
my local store will charge an additional 10-20 dollars if the game has the manual, and the prices are already overpriced as is.

[Anonymous No.10773282]

>>10773059
Not the ones around here. Half of the shops in one of the top malls are empty and the anchor department stores are long gone. Another one about a half-hour away closed completely and one closer converted half of the building into a doctor's office and fitness gym. The only leading mall left is almost completely filled, but it's got several gimmicky shops, that won't last forever. You know, shit like laser target practice and now a lighting studio for social media whores. It's honestly embarrassing.

[Anonymous No.10773562]

>>10772447
>>10772479
You're an unbelievable narrow minded piece of shit. You know that right?

[Anonymous No.10773563]

>>10773059
>>10773142
That's obviously not the norm. The norm is malls are dying.

[Anonymous No.10773591]

About 10 years ago I bought PSX DOOM from a Movie Trading Company, because they had it priced for less than it was online. A few years later I bought Ninja Combat for the MVS at a convention because I got the guy to accept an amount that was less than ebay. A little bit before COVID I bought some decent condition Genesis controllers from a Goodwill Computerworks.
Other than that, I mostly just buy online. Granted a lot of what I'm interested in buying are either arcade titles or R@RITIES that probably don't show up at local stores.

[Anonymous No.10773595]

>>10773218
Almost every Japanese game had more copies made in Japanese. Importing for Saturn and PS2 can save you a lot of money.

[Anonymous No.10773930]

>>10769464
Retro Game Camp
Akihabara, Tokyo, Japan

I bought Rockman 2 there. Probably my favorite retro game store in Akihabara to be quite honesty family.

[Anonymous No.10773939]

>>10769482
I want to say it was like $30-40 USD about 6 months ago. I remember looking at it but not wanting it bad enough to pay that much. Personally, I stick to games that are notable in Japanese to buy like Tokyo Xtreme Racer/Shutokou Battle and TMNT feels more like a US game to me even though it was made by a Japanese company.

[Anonymous No.10773946]

>>10769763
Retro gaming is niche. Everyone that plays video games will play new release games, but only certain people will go after retro: people that remember playing it as a kid, those that miss certain gameplay tropes of the past, and people that just like to collect physical games and like the designs of retro games.

[Anonymous No.10773960]

I pop into my local one occasionally but they don't have jp imports so I don't bother most of the time.

[Anonymous No.10773974]

>>10773946
>Everyone that plays video games will play new release games, but only certain people will go after retro
The most recent game I've played is Borderlands, and I intend on keeping it that way.

[Anonymous No.10774101]

>>10773974
You're lying to yourself if you genuinely think there's no good games coming out. Even if you stick to indie games inspired by retro games like TMNT: Shredder's Revenge, which is basically the best turtles beat em up ever made and fixes all of the issues with the previous arcade games. Most newer games are globohomo handholding trash, but not all.

[Anonymous No.10774121]

>>10774101
I'm sure there are some I'd enjoy. Just not worth the money for the hardware, or the time spent picking through the slop. I spend enough on retro stuff as is.

[Anonymous No.10774159]

>>10773563
Yes, the ones that are not in areas with high population/through traffic density.

[Anonymous No.10774185]

>>10773218
The Mother series was a huge success in Japan but EarthBound flopped in America and released late in the SNES's lifespan. Add on that it has a strong niche cult following among Americans who hold on to their physical copies and you have all the ingredients for a rare expensive coomlector's item. I honestly consider myself lucky to have gotten a copy for $200 years ago now that they're going for twice that today

[Anonymous No.10774447]

>>10769464
i used to go a lot years ago when things were more reasonably priced. it was cool, i traded in two crappy games for one good game a few times.

[Anonymous No.10775367]

Never. I haven't bought retro games since maybe 2010, I don't even want to know the prices that crap can fetch now.

There's a retro gaming store next to the office and I look to the other side when walking past it on my way to work. I don't want to relapse.

[Anonymous No.10776678]

>>10769475
Is this you?

[Anonymous No.10777240]

>>10776678
No, but I remember seeing that thumbnail. I didn't watch it since I'm just kinda done with the whole thing for now. I wish I would have closed it after the pandemic instead of trying to keep it going.

[Anonymous No.10777329]

>>10769464
>How often do you buy games from retro game stores?
If the money's good and I'm interested in picking up a new gamecube game for my (small) collection
>What makes you go to one?
I wanna see if there's anything there, or if there's anything new if it's local.

[Anonymous No.10777556]

>>10769464
I went to one today and they were trying to sell a Gameboy advance for 150 fucking dollars, for a Gameboy advance, that shits worth at least 10 bucks, these idiots are on crack.

[Anonymous No.10777589]

>>10769464
There's one I've been going to for years located in some random ass business plaza that barely sees any action, only knew about it from googling "retro game stores near me". The guy running it is good with prices for most things, though he has a bad habit of not having enough shelves so I have to dig through piled boxes on the floor for games. Also, he actually leaves everything out in the open with no protection. I am surprised he just leaves the discs in the cases in this fucking hood ass city, but it makes it way more convenient when I want to inspect them for damage.
There's honestly something really nice about being able to browse and buy games in-store and being able to really put your hands all over what you're looking for. Plus, I get to immediately enjoy what I bought instead of waiting on shipping time. It really sucks that most retro stores of late are just pulling scams with overbloated prices for random crap and going full gamestop with their inventory.

[Anonymous No.10777590]

>>10769464
convenience. also i don't like a world where retro stores don't exist.

[Anonymous No.10777592]

>>10769525
That's where I am at. Launchbox with 17,000 games, ExoDos, C64 collection, all on my big screen with wireless xbox controllers. I even bought two sindens and a raspberry Pi for barebones to play the 8 light gun games I liked. I even bought a SW arcade yoke and plan to sell my actual SW cab.

Other than the novelty, there is no reason at all to retrogame with actual hardware anymore.

[Anonymous No.10777792]

>>10773218
Because there are way more copies of mother 2 than earthbound and way more EOPs who can't play it in Japanese. Simple economics

[Anonymous No.10777798]

>>10769654
Of course some shop owners are willing to come down on price to get business. They will obviously ask for market rate but are flexible based on their margins. This is common sense.

>>10769657
Yes it does. Many shops like Pink Gorilla don't sell online because if they did they wouldn't be able to keep desirable items in stock, people would come in and have disappointed, then post about that experience online. Other customers see that, don't bother going, business goes down. Also common sense.
Common sense ain't so common these days is it

[Anonymous No.10779046]

>stopped by my local store today
>vidya wing was closed for remodeling

[Anonymous No.10779071]

>>10777556
Gameboys are kind of in rn, theres a bunch of people that are customizing theirs on tik tok, theres specifically a guy that will customize your gameboy for you if you send it in. So I think current trends may be a factor.

[Anonymous No.10779129]

>>10769464

Physical stores--once a month

I mostly buy from ebay though, I just go around and find games with "Best Offer", then low-ball the fuck out of them. This tactic works maybe 5-10% of the time. Gotta find a seller that desperate to unload their shit and get it out of their hands.

[Anonymous No.10779197]

>>10779129
I have no idea why more people don't do this. I list games I don't want anymore once a year for maybe 20% above market value, taking offers. About 80% of buyers just pay the sticker price. I'm usually willing to accept about 15% below average, but most don't even try lol

[Anonymous No.10779235]

i pooped at one before and that was it

[Anonymous No.10779257]

>>10777556
Look I get not paying 150USD for a GBA, but 10 bucks... really? Let's not be retarded.

[Anonymous No.10779324]

>>10773960
This is the issue for me.
There are few games I prefer to play in English but if it's something like a JRPG I really don't have a choice but to wire Keiichirou.

[Anonymous No.10779347]

There's not many independent stores around anymore and cex has bad pricing so I don't buy much in person anymore maybe a few times a year

[Anonymous No.10779420]

>>10769464
BOught wario world from my friends new store for $100. Got Demon's crest for a good price like 10 years ago. Thats about it for offline purchases that i can remember
Bit unrelated but how could you tell if a snes cart is fake. Got chrono trigfer on ebay for 40 bucks last week and it seems like thats too low nowadays

[Anonymous No.10779487]

>>10779420
> how could you tell if a snes cart is fake

Easiest is to open it up and see what the PCB looks like. If you've seen legit ones you know what they look like. Usually repros will have a much simplified PCB design vs the older ones that will have much larger and bulkier chips/ICs. The repros/fakes will also tend to look cheaper/bootleg vs. the very high quality originals as games were actually pretty damn expensive back in they day.

[Anonymous No.10779489]

>>10779420
>>10779487
And here's a fake

[Anonymous No.10779562]

There's one somewhat near me that's decent, there or thereabouts eBay prices but he only sells stuff in immaculate condition and it's worth it seeing before you buy. My sister likes going because I think she enjoys the whole "retro game" type of thing but doesn't actually play them that much anymore.

[Anonymous No.10779726]

>>10779420
SNES Central has pics of most boards out there: https://snescentral.com/article.php?id=0282

[Anonymous No.10779759]

>>10769464
>How often do you buy games from retro game stores?
Never.
>What makes you go to one?
Morbid curiosity. I really want to see what kind of gauging they they're doing with a straight face. Saw a guy trying to sell a final fantasy guide book that was wrinkled, damaged and missing the poster for 100 bucks.

[Anonymous No.10779850]

>>10779257
It was an SP and the most reasonable price I'd be willing to accept is 20 dollars, explain how it's worth anymore than that.

[Anonymous No.10780610]

>>10773587
>>10780524
>>10779971
>>10777494
>>10778789
>>10778514
>>10771379

[Anonymous No.10782426]

>>10779129
i'm gonna try this low-ball method out, thanks anon

[Anonymous No.10782486]

>How often do you buy games from retro game stores?
Never anymore. The price are too damn high. I am literally priced out unless I go thrifting.

[Anonymous No.10782531]

>>10769464
Back when I was still going through my backlogged PS2 games I would visit our local retro vidya shop from time to time to get my scratched up discs buffed. Other than that I don’t really have any reason to go there. I’m never gonna buy any of those insanely overpriced games and just popping in to briefly peruse their stock doesn’t sound like a great use of my time.

[Anonymous No.10782539]

>>10779850
It's worth more than that because clearly people are buying them for those prices. I hate the entire physical retro scene. Nothing but scalpers, grifters, retards like you who don't understand minute zero of high school economics class, the chuds that are clueless and enable the $150 price tags in the first place, and other assorted morons too stupid to invest in ETFs and too scared to trade stock. What's left are 80 dudes who either have enough disposable income to blow on a copy of Silent Hill 2 CIB or just emulate things instead.

[Anonymous No.10782558]

>>10769464
5 days a week because I work at one

[Anonymous No.10782576]

>>10782558
How’s business?

[Anonymous No.10782817]

>>10782539
>and other assorted morons too stupid to invest in ETFs and too scared to trade stock.
Wtf does that have to do with me wanting some old games?

[Anonymous No.10782876]

>>10782539
I'm glad that people like me price people like you out of the hobby.

[Anonymous No.10782879]

>>10776678
That video is so weird. The whole thing is about how much he loves his job and does pretty good business thanks to his practices. No idea why they used the doomer clickbait.

[Anonymous No.10782880]

>>10769464
None of the retro game stores near me ever have anything I give a shit about. I feel like even when they get rare games in they just sell them online like a glorified modern thrift store.

[Anonymous No.10783274]

>>10782576
Great, prices are going down and people are picking up more games.

[Anonymous No.10784138]

My local RGS has an arcade in the back with DDR, IIDX and fighting games.
I don't really buy games there though. Maybe modern releases since they're the same price as anywhere else, but I don't really buy retro stuff anymore.

[Anonymous No.10784154]

$40 is reasonable price for mario 64

[Anonymous No.10784235]

>>10769464
i know the owner bought the game for 1/3 of the price on ebay so whats the point?

[Anonymous No.10784343]

>>10782879
>No idea why they used the doomer clickbait.
You answered your own question right there.
Negativity tends to bring in more views. I'll admit that I clicked on that video at one point solely because of the title and thumbnail.

[Anonymous No.10784402]

>>10782879
Guy is actually a smart business owner. It does get into why he thinks it's hard because his family and not being able to spend time with them but I think that's more due to his workaholic ethic than being a game store.

[Anonymous No.10784409]

we have a retro game store nearby
its fantastic as a regular game store, carries all the current stuff plus limited edition stuff, and tons of games from the 6th and 7th gens that gamestop removed

all the retro stuff is overpriced of course and its moreso just museum shit to look at. not a lot of import games either

[Anonymous No.10784425]

>>10769464
I certainly don't go regularly. But there's two independent retro vidya shops in my city that I'll check out first if I ever do want something physical. I usually only buy physical games if I have a nostalgia for them or in the extremely rare case I'm playing local multiplayer (I find it makes for a more memorable experience for the friends and family I play with).

I go mainly to support local business, my city is blessed with two shops where the guys who work there are very friendly and helpful and the prices are not ridiculous (i.e. about right for the market), and I think it would be a shame if they disappeared.

We had a non-profit gaming cafe with events for game devs that I used to visit frequently and it was awesome. But a combination of covid and cost of living killed it. So I'd like to contribute to keeping the in person community around if I can.

[Anonymous No.10784743]

Retro game stores have become so sanitized and boring, at least around where I am. I used to have a local shop back in the 2010s that was just unbelievably comfy, I was honestly a little devastated when they closed up
>2011ish Summer, one of the hottest days of the year
>See new game shop opened up, decide to check it out
>Go in, store is dimly lit, mostly by fluorescent neon lights from old store displays and the glow of TVs showing the demo screens from Mario 64 and some PS1 game
>the store is packed with an insane library of games, though nobody else is shopping there
>The clerks are all dudes who are clearly passionate about old games, one talks to me all about his recent CIB NES games he picked up for his personal collection
>I find Majoras mask CIB for $14
Genuinely one of the best shopping experiences I had, everyone who ever went there was just as passionate about games. I miss that place.

[Anonymous No.10784895]

I frequent a few in my area, but one of them weekly. I've spent probably thousands of dollars in the last 3 years there as they are fairly priced, been there forever, and the staff are so genuinely kind/helpful/play stuff. I'll go to some of the chains (vintage stock and game exchange) but they are not frequented nearly as much. Game x change is a pain to navigate because it's so poorly kept up with. That said, my local retro shop is amazing and I will always buy from them. They have a CIB copy of Snatcher I want so badly but I cannot justify $1100 even though that's way cheaper than eBay. Maybe one day....

[Anonymous No.10785194]

>>10769464
Found out my local retro game store tried to sell Fallout 3:GOTY Edition for $100. It was the PS3 version.

[Anonymous No.10785904]

>>10785194
Not even a collector's edition?

[Anonymous No.10785929]

>>10785904
It wasn't even a collector's edition. The guy who ran the store was really bad about overpricing everything. Prices would change on a daily basis and he'd look them up on his phone before telling you. He'd charge you extra, based if they had the manual or if they were a player's choice print. discs often were dirty or not in good condition either. I used to have a doc listing a bunch of prices just to give people an idea of how bad it was.

[Anonymous No.10786296]

last time i bought games in a store was in the summer of 1999 when a store was about to close, and I snatched up about 30 copies in total of of Shadow Warrior, Hexen and Blood. i had very problematic ocd back then.

[Anonymous No.10786368]

>>10769464
The only dude I ever found worth buying retro games from was a guy with a stall at a local flea market. He priced his stuff competitively and his stock was always changing. Every other stall in the same flea market was just loaded with the same, unmovable shit (Caesar's Palace anyone?), and maybe a handful of good games that were so overpriced that nobody ever bought them either. I don't even know if he's still in business, I haven't been game hunting in 6 or 7 years. I think I'm happy with what I own. Anything else, I'll emulate.

[Anonymous No.10787774]

My high school history teacher opened one in my town. It did good for a while until corona fucked everything up. The store closed and he lost a lot of money, not sure how much but he sold his house and moved to something smaller. I didn't see him for about two years. Then, according to his family, he had an extended psychotic breakdown. He stayed inside for months, flying off the handle over little things and screaming randomly sometimes. It ended with him cutting his cock off, he almost died. Turns out he was undiagnosed schizo for years.

[Anonymous No.10788026]

Live in Norway. We have no retro game stores.

[Anonymous No.10788035]

>>10769608
Being able to fully explore the game's condition before purchase and eliminating the chances that A) the seller doesn't know how to pack and B) the package isn't gangbanged in transit.

[Anonymous No.10788041]

We have a place in the store that's half retro games. I go to browse their cables and accessories- sometimes their VHS shelf. Prices on games and systems are horrid, though I did buy a tastefully sun bleached copy of Qix for shits and giggles.

[Anonymous No.10788045]

>>10786368
>it ended with him cutting his cock off
His speed running career is just beginning

[Anonymous No.10788048]

>>10788045
Damnit that reply was for >>10787774

[Anonymous No.10788616]

>>10784412
>>10786520

>>10785734
>>10788434

>>10780614
>>10780513

>>10786793
>>10785932
>>10787880
>>10787560

[Anonymous No.10789092]

Went to one today. Got B.O.B and Subterrera for Genesis for $10 as a buy one get one, as well as a complete Metroid Prime 3 for Wii for $15. SNES and N64 selection was down since I was there last year, but Genesis, 2600 and everything else was well stocked and generally under Ebay pricing. Even had gunpla- although it was more money compared to buying at Hobby Lobby.