Retro-Z

A 5-pin Commodore 64 isn't really worth any premium over the later 8-pin versions. In my experience, only the VERY earliest C64 units with the rarely seen silver label have any sort of "collector's" premium.

Nice! It's always great to see a neglected classic get cleaned up and put back into action. About 18 months ago I dug a Kaypro II and a Commodore VIC-20 out of a shed. My luck wasn't quite so good when it came time to fire them up.

Yes, I'm fairly sure it was a rental system. In fact, I think the white label stuck on top of the "Saturn" sticker indicated it was from Hollywood Video. It had an RF video cable/adapter in the case, since a huge number TVs in the 90s had only the "Antenna In" RF input. Even had a copy of Sonic 3D Blast sitting in the disc drive. To be fair, I haven't found anything equally as cool at any Goodwill since I found that Sega Saturn 12+ months ago, and I hadn't found anything cool for a long time before that. It was a nice surprise to pop open the case and see a complete Saturn system resting inside. I was even more surprised when it fired up and worked perfectly.

Where do I find stuff? Everywhere. Lately, I've had some decent luck picking up classic systems and games at estate sales. I picked up a nice 1st version Sega Genesis with about 10 quality boxed and complete games, a mostly complete Sega Master System with about 15 complete boxed games, I found a large stash of 20 or so complete big box PC games for $1 a piece, and have passed on several complete Nintendo NES & N64 systems. The Sega systems were all purchased as SIGNIFICANTLY below what just a few of the boxed games would bring on eBay. But I've also had reasonably good luck at flea markets, garage sales, and thrift stores. However, I keep an extremely open mind when looking for stuff. If you aren't too picky/focused, there's lots of great stuff out there. Occasionally I'll use eBay to pick up some games I haven't had much luck finding in the wild (for instance, I've been keeping my eye out for Choplifter III for the SNES for a while... I'll probably be using eBay for that one soon). Most of the retro game dealers locally have prices that rival or surpass eBay anyway (SMB3 for $30?... no thanks), so might as well save the gas and use eBay. If you are just looking for very specific games, or rare Nintendo NES or Atari 2600 titles, well, the internet and eBay are probably your best options. Here's an example of something I dug up at a Goodwill about a year ago... and it worked great! All for $29.99...

Okay, you've got me curious. What's the story behind the Commodore SX64/backpack combo? LOL.

Yes, place the listings in "Vintage Computing".

I've always thought that a gaming system with an integrated console/handheld setup and decent graphics on a large TV would be AWESOME. The later PSPs with the TV hookup capability are cool, but they have to be tethered to the TV by a cord, and the graphics were just OK. The PSP Vita & Playstation TV was a neat setup, but involved having to buy 2 different systems, and the Playstation TV has horrible game compatibility. It's cool being able to play a game on the go, then get back home and see it up on the big screen. It's just always came "with a catch" in the past... whether it be the Sega Nomad, the Super Game Boy/Game Boy Player, PSP, Vita, etc. I think it's a smart move for Nintendo to consolidate their efforts to one platform, and utilize this hybrid handheld/console approach. However, they are going to have to implement it extremely well. The Wii U has hopefully provided them with the lessons they'll need to ensure the NX is a refined and well-integrated system with a good selection of quality games available at launch.

It's Nintendo's right to shut down anything that that uses their IPs without permission. It may not seem (to us) to be the smartest move, but it's certainly within their legal rights. My biggest issue with taking down the Nintendo Power archive is that Nintendo itself does not offer an alternative from which to source the magazines. It gets old when companies don't offer a way to purchase/utilize their legacy products, but then those same companies get upset when their consumers find ways around that. I highly doubt many people will want to hunt down the vintage copies of this particular magazine just to satisfy their curiosity. The Nintendo Power archive was a GREAT way to keep fueling the nostalgia that in turn fuels Nintendo sales. Nintendo Power is a great source of information about games, and it was an AMAZING marketing tool. In fact, doing a formal release of the Nintendo Power archive just ahead of the sale date for the NES Mini would be some great marketing as well. To be honest, I'm surprised Nintendo allows any of use to use the word "Nintendo" in a sentence without their written permission. LOL.

Meh... not so much. Sure, the N64 was a great system with some awesome games, but it's sales success was eclipsed by Sony. The N64 trailed behind the PS1 substantially. Heck, the N64 didn't even sell as many consoles as the Super Nintendo. So, you're "every other" theory isn't completely accurate. If anything, with the exception of the Wii, they have been losing to the rest of the home console competition since the PS1 came out about 20 years ago. Luckily they have had their handheld market, which has helped pick up the slack in sales of their home consoles. Unfortunately, with a withering handheld market and absolutely dismal Wii U sales, they definitely need to do SOMETHING right with the NX. Fortunately, Nintendo has every opportunity to give the NX their best shot. Plenty of money from DS/Wii/3DS sales to develop the system and games, millions upon millions of hardcore fans, worldwide recognition of the "NINTENDO" name (even by non-gamers), and plenty of time for marketing and advertisements. I look forward to seeing what they come up with (but I dread the possibility that they may try a bit too hard after the Wii U failure).

Oh, c'mon... That type of seller isn't depriving anyone of anything, other than depriving themselves of a sale. It's not like the local thrift and game stores are the only options. Anyone can pick up a copy of NES SMB/DH on eBay any day of the week for less than $10 shipped. That's less than it would cost me just in gas money to drive to a few places in town to find a copy. I see this "resellers are evil" sentiment on internet forums all the time, and most of it is nonsense. Sure, resellers who over-inflate their asking prices can be a total bummer... but there's an easy solution... don't buy from them. If they want to keep it forever, that's their right, as the game they are selling is their property. Personally, in a perfect world I'd take easy online shopping at fair prices ANY DAY over scouring local flea markets, garage sales, estate sales, etc. with a TINY CHANCE I may actually find something interesting. However, the world isn't perfect, good eBay deals don't happen as much as we might like, and besides... it's still really fun to scour the local scene for good buys!

This is exactly what I was getting at earlier. Online resellers with FAIR PRICES are definitely an asset. In my experience, it's never been "easy" to find the really good stuff "in the wild". Sometimes it's possible to get lucky, but usually making a big score relies on a lot of patience, persistence, and hard work. Just because someone can't walk into a thrift store and find a full Atari 7800 system for $5 doesn't mean the stuff isn't out there. I have a short list of SNES games I keep an eye out for, primarily titles from my youth that I remember renting at Blockbuster as a kid. In over 5 years of looking, I have NEVER found a copy of Air Strike Patrol or Choplifter III in person (including at numerous independent and corporate gaming stores). These aren't even rare or valuable games! In situations like this, I am THANKFUL for eBay resellers listing up games like these for less than $20 shipped. Saves me a ton of time finding those specific games, and I get to enjoy the game sooner rather than later. So yeah, the "golden age" of finding tons of interesting vintage gaming stuff at thrift stores has probably come to an end. However, it's completely inevitable that this would occur. it's still a great time to be a vintage video game collector/gamer, with TONS of different sources for great vintage games, modern homebrews, vintage gaming collectibles, etc. Plus, if someone is persistent enough to keep looking, I guarantee they'll find something cool from time to time. Or just find a fair price for it on eBay, buy it, have it shipped directly to you, and save yourself from all of that hassle...

LOL. By all means, come on down and give it a shot. However, there are just as many resellers around here as anywhere else, as well as horrible inventory, high prices, etc. Occasionally, you time it just right to find something cool. I've probably made about 100 visits to thrift stores the last 3-4 months. Of those, I found the N64 games one trip around 2 months ago, and the Sega Saturn system about a week later. Every other trip has been a bust. So if you want to come to Kansas, spending a big wad of cash on trip expenses, for a less than 2% chance of finding something, be my guest! Garage sales have been a bust this year so far. Like the $300 Wii system. Or the $30 beat up Xbox with no cables or controllers. Or the $50 PS2 with a couple of sports games. There was a like-new recent model boxed Xbox 360 with a few nice games for $80, but it was one of the 4GB hard drive versions. So don't mistake my enthusiasm for actual availability of cool stuff to buy. I just don't expect to find a heavy sixer 2600, Colecovision, or Vectrex every time I go visit a thrift store. And I get as much fun out of searching as I do actually finding and playing around with this stuff. It's simple reality that yeah, nearly 20 years after the last cartridge game for a major video game console (not including handhelds) rolled out of the factory, you won't find many cartridge video games or the consoles that play them at a thrift store. But, if someone keeps looking, I guarantee they'll find something. As far as resellers being lazy, the successful ones that make a decent living wage doing it are probably more ambitious than most of the people in the regular work force. They are out well before the sun rises looking for places to visit, spending tons of hours every week listing things for sale online and packing/shipping them off, and dragging their stock to flea markets and other events with no guarantee of success in sales. Any reseller that is lazy either won't be a reseller for very long, or already has a good primary source of income anyway.

Lots of doom and gloom in this thread. LOL. You'll ALWAYS have to search for the good stuff. EVERYWHERE. Garage sales. Flea Markets. Thrift stores. Etc. Finding the good stuff at bargain prices is NOT easy! Within the last few months I found a stack of quality N64 Mario games, a complete Sega Saturn system, and several interesting PS2/Xbox games. All at Goodwill. However, I drop in about 3-4 times a week. The stuff definitely doesn't last long on the shelves. It's also important to keep an open mind at thrift stores. If you go with a specific goal in mind, such as hoping to find Atari 5200 games, you'll likely be extremely disappointed. I've chosen recently to start messing around more with the PS2 and original Xbox (stuff that I can actually find fairly frequently at thrift stores these days), and have found some great games for incredibly cheap. A local pawn shop was clearing out their Xbox/PS2 inventory late last year, and I built up an instant collection of 20-30 good titles for less than $40. That alone is probably enough gaming to last me several years, at least at the rate that I finish games these days. The Wii is another good system to watch out for, as mentioned earlier. I have passed up several boxed Wii systems the last 12 months in beautiful condition for $40 and under. Talk about some INSANELY cheap gaming on a great system with some awesome games made for it. And the PS1!!! Those things are basically free!!! Right now is a great time to collect for the PS1, especially considering how cheap the systems and the games are right now. No, you won't find a lot of cartridge games at thrift stores anymore, which is to be expected considering how long it's been since they were made. You don't find a lot quality film cameras at thrift stores either, and they started dying off around the same time as cartridge-based video games. There's also all of the other factors including increasing collector's value of classic cartridge games, an increased demand for them, increased competition in the form of other collectors and resellers/"pickers", and the availability of sites like eBay that allow people to easily sell stuff to a global audience. In another 20 years, the thrift store shelves will probably be stocked with PS3/PS4 and Xbox360/Xbox1 stuff, with maybe a few games for older systems like the PS2 mixed in. This is just part of the natural cycle of what gets donated to thrift stores. There's still tons of great stuff out there. And in all seriousness, eBay isn't necessarily a bad option. You can save the headache and frustration of burning up time and gas money by just buying from an eBay dealer. Let them go through all of the BS of locating the merchandise, camping out at thrift stores all day, searching through garage sales at the crack of dawn, etc. Just get online, run a quick search, and buy it on eBay, all from the comfort of your own couch. However, that DOES eliminate the fun of the hunt. I would imagine that physiologically, searching for stuff at thrift stores creates the same kind of brain activity as gambling at a casino. LOL. I've said it before, but the only time you truly stop finding stuff is when you stop looking...

Legit "estate sales" generally occur after someone passes away, however there are "living estate sales" which are more like "moving sales". With a proper estate sale, the family gets together, everyone decides what they want to keep from the passed away relative's house, then the family contacts an estate sale company to liquidate the rest of the home's contents. This way, the house can be cleared out so the real estate can be listed and sold as well. It's possible to find some great things at an estate sale, but it's also possible to find nothing but a bunch of canned food, unused but fairly old bathroom toiletries, worn out furniture, etc. However, in my experience, any old computer equipment is generally thrown out as trash before the sale even begins, to make room in the home for "the stuff that actually sells" (that's basically a direct quote from one of the local estate sale companies). I've found maybe a dozen computer systems at estate sales in over 10 years of going to them, none of which I'd consider notable. The last time I saw an Apple computer at an estate sale was probably about 8 years ago. I've had MUCH better luck at local flea markets and buying old computer systems on Craigslist directly from the original owners. How do you get into one? Easy... look for the ad (online, on Craigslist, or in the local newspaper) and show up when they are open. However, if you REALLY want to get anything good, show up a few hours before it starts on the first day so you can be at the head of the line and snag the good stuff within the first 5 minutes. Then again, this sometimes turns into "be at the head of the line so you can be one of the first ones to see how obscenely overpriced everything is!"

LOL. That's a game I haven't heard about in a while. I remember I had that as a kid... can't remember at all how I got ahold of it... I played it for hours and hours back in the late 90s. You are absolutely right, though... definitely hasn't held up well. However, I think rather than "HD-ify" G-Nome, it would be better to have sequel with updated/refined gameplay and graphics with a brand new storyline.

I played a lot of Doom, Warcraft, Descent, and Commander Keen as a kid. Several of those came at the tail-end of the DOS era, but still great games nonetheless.

The 2DS is a nice little system. I like the placement of the controls better, having them higher up towards the top screen. It makes holding it a lot more comfortable, and less prone to causing hand cramps. Plus, they are incredibly cheap. You can pick up a used one (or a refurbished one, like the OP points out) for less than a nice, clean original Game Boy.

I've found that some PS1 disks don't work properly in PS2/PS3 consoles (it seemed like the PS1 disks were slightly too thick). So I keep a $5 garage-sale-special PS1 sitting around just for PS1 games.

I'm sure it's a lot of things. The Kansas climate is bad for electronics if they are stored anywhere but in a climate-controlled environment. Bitterly cold winters, extremely hot and humid summers, etc. So, if the stuff is stored in a garage, attic, or storage unit (where a lot of old obsolete computers end up), they don't take the neglect very well. Coupled with the lower-quality construction compared to IBM, Tandy, Atari, etc., the Commodore stuff just doesn't hold up as well. I have had luck with the C128 and C64c, but not the older C64 and VIC-20 units.

Guess I just have bad luck! Seriously though, I had a huge storage tub full of defective Commodore stuff at one point. I purchased 3 VIC-20s at garage sales last year... none of them worked.

I have picked up 8-10 C64s, and only 2 of those worked without any problems. I was able to get another 2 of those up and running after some work. I've picked up 4-5 VIC-20s, and have NEVER had one fully functional. Whenever I buy an untested vintage Commodore computer, I always assume it doesn't work. Vintage Apple, IBM, Radio Shack/Tandy CoCo, and Texas Instruments have been MUCH more reliable. I'm at 100% with all of these brands so far.

LOL. What a strange way to buy/sell stuff. I'm just going to assume this is all a weird joke, because there is no way you could be serious about all of this with such an unprofessional approach. Very weird. LOL.

I'll need to figure something out. 2016 will be a year of simplifying, re-focusing, and liquidating. I'm pretty sure I already have more games than I'll ever be able to play in this lifetime (thanks largely to a massive amount of insanely cheap PS2, X-Box, and XB360 games, along with Humble Bundle and GOG). Probably focus more on those, and liquidating most of the vintage console and PC stuff I currently have sitting around. Here's what I'll shift focus to vintage wise: Sega Master System: I would really like to pick up one of these, along with a few of the games I'm always playing on the AtGames handheld I have. Super Nintendo: Pick up the 5-6 games I remember renting from the local video store as a kid that I'm currently missing. Also pick up a nicer SNES console and controllers. Raspberry Pi & PC: See what I can do with some tiny computers and all of those GOG/Humble Bundle purchases. I'm looking to stick all of the games on one and hook it up to a giant HD-TV. Should be fun to play with. Other than that, I'll probably get rid of most of everything else that is pre-1995. I've tried out a TON of stuff the last 5-10 years (C64/128, Tandy Color Computer, Genesis, Odyssey, Odyssey 2, TI-99/4A, Pentium & earlier PC, Atari ST, Atari 8-Bit, Intellivision, etc.), and honestly, I've found that these three options are enough to satisfy most of my retro gaming for a long while. There is such a HUGE backlog of cheap games and systems available, it's almost ludicrous. I mean, I actually PASSED on complete $20 Wii system a week ago.

As a kid, I actually played on both the Sega Master System and the NES quite a bit. Personally, I think they are both pretty awesome, and some games are MUCH better on the SMS (for instance, check out the difference in Choplifter between the SMS and NES). There are other really nice titles for the SMS, with some favorites of mine being Ninja, Astro Warrior, Fantasy Zone, and Ys Vanished Omens. I never once saw the SMS as an inferior system. In about 1992/93, our NES was replaced by a SNES, and the SMS seems to have disappeared at some point (sold in a garage sale, given to a family member, who knows...). I rocked that SNES up till we got a PS2 in 2002/2003. By that point, most everyone else had LONG since moved past the old SNES, but to be honest, I never once felt like the SNES was lacking. It was a great system that held up well for the types of games I played, and besides, all of my friends had the N64s, PS1s, Dreamcasts, etc. if I ever wanted to play on one. I also had quite a few games on an old 486 computer my father snagged from his work when they sold off some of their surplus equipment. That SNES and the 486 with Doom, Commander Keen, Descent, Warcraft, and a few other shareware games were all I needed for video gaming throughout basically all of the 90s. In the end, I guess I'm just the type of person where it wouldn't have mattered what system I had. I mean seriously, my SNES setup had a Super Scope 6 with most of the compatible games made for it, and it was an absolute blast (though many people report how bad the Super Scope 6 was). I had fun with what was available, and enjoyed the heck out of it. Who cares what may have been the "hot setup" in 1989 when you are zipping through space and destroying an alien army in Astro Warrior, or in 1999 when you are enjoying the insane tunnels and awesome soundtrack of Descent?

Is the adhesive of the tape actually sticking to the label? It looks like you may have actually protected the label from the adhesive by backing the tape with another piece of tape. If so, you may want to clarify that the tape can be easily removed. You are probably having some people pass this over, thinking the label will be destroyed when the tape is taken off. If you are simply sticking a piece of tape over the label, you may want to refrain from doing that in the future. Very few collectors want a piece of packing tape over the original manufacturer's label.