HoshiChiri

This collection is impressive, but it pains me to see it so cluttered up. Why the pileups? Half your systems are so buried they'd be impossible to use!

Plus, for the SNES specifically, We're right at the sweet spot for maximum nostalgia buyers. It's a market bubble.

I have NO idea- but if you find any, I want some too!

Yeah-even if you opt to do some sort of crazy sniping shenangians, as long as you have a number in you head where you're out, it's not worth worrying too much about shill bidding. You'll never pay more than you intended, the shills quit getting anything out of it. Best scenario.

I'll often put a low bid in earlier in an auction, just to get it active in the Ebay app so it'll ping at me when it's ending. The serious bidding comes in the last seconds, unless I'll be working during that time. Then it's one big bid as late as I can place it, and hoping for the best.

Different, yes. Nonexistent? Hardly- as confirmed by a few folks earlier in this thread, NES didn't really catch outside of Japan and the US. While the massive popularity in those countries definitely shaped console gaming as we know it, I find it hard to believe no one would look at the Colecovision/SG-1000/ other mid 80s consoles and not attempt to update them. Atari did- they basically stole the lockout program to make their own carts & then spent years in litigation with Nintendo over the whole thing. Here, watch this vid for an overview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fLA_d9q6ySs

Nope, you can get one from anywhere. Worst case scenario, you end up with one where the internal menus are set to Japanese- but all that would mean is asking someone here to walk you through which buttons to hit to switch to English. Make sure you have a 2032 button battery handy on top of a couple AAs. They use those for on-system save info, and chances are you'll need to replace that right away.

Dude- pop over to US Ebay. You should be able to find a working unit for $50-70 dollars, depending on color. The vast majority of the games are under $20 too (provided you don't need boxes.)

I can't really help more, I can't read kanji (like I said, my Japanese is horrendous). I did screw up the yellow text- it's 'family computer family basic'. It's not Lode Runner- at least, not a standalone Lode Runner. I wish I could tell you more!

It's pretty simple- Japan is OBESSED with baseball. I think they like it more than Americans, quite frankly. Back when Ichiro Susuki joined the Mariners, Seattle International District stores used to have random stickers in windows that just said 'Ichiro' in Japanese. It was a really big deal.

My Japanese is horrifically rusty, but I think the yellow text says 'family computer family best". Judging from the mahjong tile, and pink monster that doesn;t match the rest of the box- some sort of minigame collection, maybe?

We got any UK/European gamers who wanna weigh in on 'the NES did/did not save console gaming'? I'm curious because a British guy I watch on Youtube has stated more than once that, due to a late & bungled release, NES didn't take off over in Europe. They mostly played home computers. I'd love to hear some other perspectives on that- I don't want to take one guy's word for it. If it's true though, it really emphasizes the NES being a 'right place right time' product for the American market, as opposed to a worldwide game changer. (Since, as I understand it, Sega ruled Latin America.)

Congratulations! Now, are you gonna do birth announcements on 5200 carts? As to the 'we're pregrant' thing I missed 9 months ago- I think that was all Ms. Kunis not minding her own business. If Mrs. Kimmel didn't like it, she'd tell Jimmy to start giving her the damn credit. Let the couple decide what pronoun they like, they'll be ones on diaper duty.

There's a lot of retro places around me (I'm just south of MetalJesus's stomping grounds), but I spend a lot of time in a hole-in-the-wall called Game Lobster that's walking distance from work. They... are not the store if you're looking for the best, most perfect condition games in an easy-to-shop setup. It's dirty, it's horrifically disorganized, it's run by a lil' Korean lady I don't think plays games and an old Russian guy my brother thinks must be ex-mafia. They also have a reputation for being 'rude'. Personally, I don't think it's justified. Most of the complaints I see on yelp & the like are from people who seem to have expected pristine games and super organization, didn't figure out that's not how it works when they walked in, and don't know how to troubleshoot a non-working game. Now, if you're the sort who's OK with cleaning your own games, and doesn't mind jumping into someone's junk heap to see what's available, you can get some good stuff (I got my Channel F there, and they currently have an Odyssey & the gun in stock- out of my price range though.) Once the owners get to know you, they soften up on the policies a bit too- I bought a couple games yesterday, and was told "return policy is 3 days, but you're special- you get a week!" They do charge Ebay-level prices... about on par with the lowest buy-it-now for the game (give or take a couple dollars). Here's the thing, though- I'm OK with that in the right store. Game Lobster keeps a lil' CRT behind the counter, and does test their stuff- in fact, if they've got the system around they'll test anything you want before you buy it. So, unlike Ebay, you can look a game over in-person, and make sure it works, before you put up money for it. If the cost is going to be the same, I'd much rather get the is-person game than the online one.

Nintendo slowed with the N64 by not modernizing with the rest of the gaming world (and screwing over sony, inadvertently creating a serious rival). They recovered well with the Wii by deciding to basically pull out of the Top Console race, and just make something that's fun for everyone- the fantastic ad campaign helped a lot too. They then proceeded to flush that with a confusing new system that was advertised poorly, costing them most of their new audience. Why there was never a commercial showing someone moving a Wii U game off the TV and onto the gamepad is beyond me- that's a selling point for a family sharing a TV! And now, rather than make that commercial and show us why the Wii U is awesome... they're flushing it for a new system they won't even explain to us yet. I'm not sure they're even thinking anymore. There is/has been a big issue with third party content too. Not just because they have none- they could eek along on the power of the their alone for awhile. It's that they aren't even using their first party lineup well! The first proper Starfox since N64 is a dud, Metroid's been MIA since Gamecube, and how do you not get a Zelda game on your new system for over 3 years?! The first party lineup is the one thing you can count on people wanting, and we aren't getting it! I'm hoping the NX turns out to be something amazing, but considering how tight they're playing it I doubt they even know what it is yet. Honestly, they might be better off with a PSTV-sized box that has access to the virtual console. Let everybody download their retro favs and rake it in. (bonus points if the unit's a portable.)

I hope he's OK too, I'd hate for this to be something serious... but in the meantime, I've deleted my PM. Saturn stuff is pricey, I don't want to have to keep a floating offer on it in mind while I pursue other new additions. Gabster, when you get back, shoot me a PM- I'll re-crunch the numbers and we'll try again.

Actually, the smaller of the cons I've attended in the last few years averaged 15-20,000 while I was going. Pax Prime/West has around 75,000 attendees. You don't really have to plan for the whole con, just the size of the room your stuff is in. Plus, the badge-taking seems to be pretty effective... nobody really wants to give up their time at the con to get a free game. (Plus, with the smaller cons, you typically have to give your name & address to get a badge. Even if you ran out with a stolen game, they'd be able to check your abandoned badge, pull your registration, and call the cops.) Like I said- it's not perfect, but it seems to work. I will admit, I can be guilty of this- not cable-pulling, but menu fiddling & general system prodding. Usually, it's because I'm interested in buying the system in question & I'm trying to get a feel for what to look for on a working unit. I remember pulling out a tape measure once to figure out how much room I'd need to accommodate a Saturn someday. Of course, I'm always careful to not pull cords or otherwise stress the system- and I always get back to the game before I leave. I don't want to mess up anyone's stuff. It's just kinda hard to get to try some of these older machines before you buy one, y'know?

The most common thing I see at my conventions is less about the systems and more about the attendees. There's two tables when you go into the console room: one for cart checkout, and one 'doorman' who takes your bags and con badge when you go in. They note what game & station you're at when they take your badge. You don't get it back until you turn in the game. It's not a perfect system, there's always a guy or two who gets in with a badge- but since games are tied to badges, someone is losing their con privileges if a game goes awol. It deters most folks.

Reminds me of a conversation I had with my fiancé at a con years ago. We passed each other in the hall by our hotel room. I was carrying a couple of boxes. "What are those?" "About $200 worth of Pinky Street dolls." "Why did you spend $200 on dolls?" "Why did you buy a $200 lightsaber?" "...Fair enough." And we went on our way.

Dangit! Ah well. I don't actually own that one, how is it?

River Raid!

There's a shop near me with a copy of Takeshi's Challenge for sale... *evil cackle*

At least I know it's not just me- I'll wait a bit longer. Either I get some good games, or I get to keep a lot of money.

Has anybody gotten a reply from Mr. Gabsters89? My message still says 'not read', I'm trying to make sure something didn't glitch out somewhere.

On the subject of Asking The Spouse: Who says it's about money? Maybe it's about space, or just impulse control. I have often deferred to my guy for 'permission' to get a new console- not because I specifically need it, I won't be dumped over it & it is my money. Because I want his level-headed input to counter my "look! Shiny!" impulses (which only rears up with game acquisitions.) Sometimes just being told "Why? What are you gonna play on it?" can help reel me in from buying something I don't really want to devote my limited shelf space to. On the subject of holds: To each their own, but I'd never do it or ask someone else to. I've known too many people who shop very impulsively, and ask for holds on things they can't afford, only to keep spending whatever extra money they have on whatever shiny is nearby and extending the 'holds' indefinitely. Some people really do just need to get to payday, but I can't blame anyone for not wanting to. I don't have credit, either- I get around that by setting money aside for general game-buying. I just put whatever's left over from the discretionary spending aside at the end of the week, and use that for bigger buys. The seller doesn't have to wait, and I, knowing how long it took to save up the money, can be encouraged to try and slow down & look for better deals. Say, for example, asking my fiancé for permission so he can remind me why I don't need a new game right now. I will say, regardless of anything else, I typically don't contact the seller until a serious offer is ready/imminent. While it can be nice to know if someone is interested, if you're asking your spouse for input/taking more than a few hours to assess your finances, you probably shouldn't be messaging them. Get that permission, do the math, THEN send the message. don't make them waste their time waiting for an offer that might not come.