Your predictions for the future of video game collecting?

[atari art]

I believe the hobby of video game collecting is still very young. As time progresses we'll see changes occur that we may like or dislike. Perhaps things many of us never even thought about. If you have any predictions for the future or if you'd like to share your thoughts on the direction you'd like to see it take, I think it'd be fun to hear them. Here's a couple of mine. The hobby is in our hands, perhaps we should make more of an effort to make it better.

 

1. I think Nintendo will eventually recognize collecting and collectibility with the release of limited run cartridges or a special retro console to play both NES and SNES games. I never said they would be cheap! Check out the price of NES top loaders on ebay. I'll bet Nintendo has!

 

2. I'd like to see more conventions nationwide.

 

3. As piracy and reproductions and dealers increase, the real big ticket items will be the prototypes and original items easily identifiable but difficult to reproduce. These items will distance themselves in price even further from other items than they are now.

 

4. Someone will come up with a method for marking identification of cartridges.

 

Remember this is just for fun. We'll see if anyone's predictions come true.

[Ze_ro]

1. I think Nintendo will eventually recognize collecting and collectibility

 

This is sort of already happening... Check out the Card e-Reader for the GBA. It can read games off of playing cards, and Nintendo is putting out NES games on the cards. I really doubt we'll see them put out a system that will play the old cartridges... I think it's much more likely that they will re-release the games on system-du-jour so they can get more money. I would love to get a Game Axe though...

 

2. I'd like to see more conventions nationwide.

 

There will probably be more as time goes on, but I don't think they will ever become so commonplace that I'll be able to go to one here in Winnipeg. I have a feeling game collecting won't popular enough for that (at least I hope so, otherwise I'll get a lot more competition! )

 

3. As piracy and reproductions and dealers increase, the real big ticket items will be the prototypes and original items

 

Possible, but as the hobby becomes more popular, I think there will be more people interested in things, and less of these big ticket items to go around. People collect movies, but how many have original projection reels instead of VHS?

 

4.  Someone will come up with a method for marking identification of cartridges.

 

It might be interesting to see "appraisers" in the scene... I'm not sure if things would bear identification marks as you say, but it would be entirely possible for someone to inspect cartridges for tampering or forgery (Sorry, it's Fool's Quadrun..)

 

As for my own predictions, I guess it all depends on how far into the future you want to go. In the near future, I think NES collecting will be "The Next Big Thing" after Atari... in fact, it's already sort of starting. NES collecting will probably be what brings this hobby into new light, and us old-schoolers will be akin to people who collect records right now. I'm looking forward to it actually. I dislike NES stuff, and will happily sit back with my Atari stuff and scoff at the fools paying $50 for Final Fantasy on eBay

 

I can't predict what will happen with PSX becomes "classic"... I think it will become hard to find CD's that are in good condition by that point, and with all the copies around, it will be somewhat more chaotic than we're used to with Atari games... In my opinion, PSX's (and other CD based systems) are less sturdy, and it will eventually be hard to find working systems. I wonder if Sony will provide replacement CD mechanisms at that point?

 

To be honest, I can't really see video game collecting becoming popular enough to need any odd constraints like verification and anti-forgery devices. It will more likely follow the same road as sports card collecting... Of course, that's all in my opinion, so who's to say?

 

--Zero

[CPUWIZ]

1. I think Nintendo will eventually recognize collecting and collectibility with the release of limited run cartridges or a special retro console to play both NES and SNES games. I never said they would be cheap! Check out the price of NES top loaders on ebay. I'll bet Nintendo has!  

 

There is such a unit out there, it plugs into the N64 and allows you to play all 3 cartridge styles.

[Atari Master]

NES and Atari 2600 games are the main thing.

 

In about a year and a half from now Genesis games will become more popular as video game collectables.

 

And mabe a year later SNES games will become popular. Popular SNES titles will rise in price.

 

Then later on people will be looking for PS1 games that were in limited production. Demo Disc's will be saught after also.

 

By this time Dreamcast games will be a pain to get. If you find one sealed your lucky!

 

By this time about 5 years will have passed on and Nintendo will release a new system. PS3 will be out also. I don't know about Microsoft.

 

Now video game collectors will have almost doubled. New conventions will be out and people will possibly start developing homebrew consoles.

[JagMX]

id say the DC and the Jaguar will be high on peoples collecting lists. mianly cuz they were the last systems put out by both companies and it pretty much looks like they're both finsihed with consoles altogether - but i could be wrong (i wish i am)

[LiquidPenguin]

There is such a unit out there, it plugs into the N64 and allows you to play all 3 cartridge styles.

 

That's not a Nintendo endorsed product though.

 

To whomever

 

It saddens me a bit to see people attempting forgeries. What saddens me even more is that the community as a whole doesn't do anything to stop it. A good example is that stupid 10 in 1 joystick (the one where they borked Adventure?). I saw a picture of it in the thread and the joystick clearly shows the Atari logo even though Atari had absolutely nothing to do with it. And yet, I didn't see one single person stand up and say, "Hey! Atari didn't make it so don't put the Atari logo on it."

 

Alas, what does my opinion even matter? In 20 or 40 years we're going to regret many of the decisions we made today.

[christianscott]

i dont think video game collecting, as we know it, will ever go mainstream. there will be nostalgic reissues on new platforms and i predict playing old school games on advanced cell phones will be a fad for a while but thats it really. now we are seeing the NES generation come into their disposable income years, but collecting on that front isnt likely to reach the level that atari has achieved. atari, intellivision, coleco and the other classic systems represent an era unto itself, seperated from modern gaming by the 84 crash and the death of the arcade. nintendo and sega have carried on an unbroken chain of games for nearly 20 years now so theres no longing for sonic and mario because they never left.

 

sometimes i do see high school age kids at funco looking over the SNES piles but they dont have the gleam of collectors, outside of the RPG fans. as for the playstation, the collecting future looks bleak indeed, the games are already appearing in the thrifts...sadly though the CD and jewel case lacks the toughness of a plastic cart. shattered cases, scratched discs, missing manuals its not pretty, why bother when you can play the games on a emu? besides all that i think the modern eras obsession with always being cutting edge dates the early games badly.

[Phosphor Dot Fossils]

I predict that the future of game collecting will feature me going tragically and irrevocably broke trying to pick up all the neat stuff.

[atari art]

I think it's far too early to say video game collecting won't go mainstream. It simply boggles my mind to think of how many systems (let alone games) have been sold in the U.S. Perhaps we need a catalyst such as more video game shows to bring out those closet collectors. Would you agree that collecting has not yet peaked? I know I'm still buying. And how popular it gets depends on us to some extent in the enthusiasm we show.

 

Does anyone have any more information on the unit cpuwiz spoke about to play NES and SNES games on the N64?

[AtariDude]

As time goes by, systems that still work will become more and more rare. While it will still be possible to scavenge parts to help out non-working models by replacing certain parts, this will only extend their life for so long. Eventually there will be no more spare parts and since the companies who manufactured these systems are no longer in business, there will be no more systems to play these games on.

 

The resulting scarcity of certain titles and systems will make them more valuable.

 

I don't think it will ever truly go mainstream but there will be collectors for these systems, even if they are the minority items collected by collectors.

[Ze_ro]

Does anyone have any more information on the unit cpuwiz spoke about to play NES and SNES games on the N64?

 

I think there's actually a couple of these things floating around. Lik-Sang has a device called the Tristar 64. They don't seem to have any available at the moment, and you'd probably need a (Super) Famicom converter(s) to use it, but it's still pretty cool.

 

I predict that the future of game collecting will feature me going tragically and irrevocably broke trying to pick up all the neat stuff.

 

"... and in today's news, noted collector Earl Green was found dead, face-down in a ditch last night. Circumstances of death remain unknown, but police say he was found holding a copy of Quadrun..."

 

--Zero

[Phosphor Dot Fossils]

"... and in today's news, noted collector Earl Green was found dead, face-down in a ditch last night. Circumstances of death remain unknown, but police say he was found holding a copy of Quadrun..."

 

That's about right. If I ever do get a Quadrun, the Mrs. will likely bludgeon me to death with it after she sees the dent in the account balance.

[MegaManFan]

.. then you don't want to know what I just bid on Okie Dokie #92.

 

However, I'm hoping I do win, just so I can drive over to Bob's house and have my wife take a photo of us together as he inscribes my name on the owner's list!

[Brian R.]

I doubt there will ever be collecting for any non-cartridge based system, at least of the kind of collecting we see with Atari, as in finding things at second-hand stores, thrift stores and garage/yard sales. The hardware and software of the CD-based systems is too fragile to survive the ravages of time as well as the cartridge-based systems.

 

Now, I have a DC and a few dozen games and plan to keep 'em. As long as my console works, I have a DC collection. But I doubt it will be possible for me to go out and find DC stuff like I had done for my Atari systems.

 

I had once seen a Saturn at a flea market, but didn't buy it, not wanting to risk the money on buying something that had a high likelihood of not working. Compare that to the fact that long before that day I had seen and bought an Atari XEGS from the very same seller without much hesitation, aside from the fact at that point I didn't know much about the thing and had been hoping to find a 5200 that day.

 

Also, when it comes to Atari systems, there is nostalgia in the hardware itself - having that 2600, with its woodgrain, toggle switches and one button joystick. The newer systems are too much like computers - you don't see much interest in collecting old 386, 486 or Pentium Is, do you?

[Ze_ro]

I doubt there will ever be collecting for any non-cartridge based system

 

I've often wondered about this too... I have a feeling "collectors" for PSX and such systems will basically just have a huge collection of burnt CD's, since it would be so hard to find them in good condition.

 

I had once seen a Saturn at a flea market, but didn't buy it, not wanting to risk the money on buying something that had a high likelihood of not working.

 

I risked buying a Saturn for $15 from a thrift store, and it works fine. I was a little wary, but for only $15, I was willing to take the risk. You definitely have a point though... finding working CD systems might become quite difficult eventually.

 

you don't see much interest in collecting old 386, 486 or Pentium Is, do you?

 

No, but that's a bad analogy... computers are (mostly) downwards compatible... so the 386's you see cluttering up thrift stores don't really have any good use. You could argue that due to emulators, consoles have no good use either... but playing a game on an Atari with an Atari controller is a more rewarding experience. Playing a game on an old 386 isn't really any different than playing it on a 486, except that you have to worry about IRQ's and expanded/extended memory.

 

It'll be interesting to see what happens to the Playstation when it becomes classic. Since the PS2 is backwards compatible, will anyone bother with a PSX? It would be akin to buying a 386 when you could get a Pentium for slightly more.

 

Perhaps we're backwards on the issue though. It never ceases to amaze me how much boxed/sealed stuff can be found on eBay... and since things are made in higher quantities now, I can easily imagine CD systems standing the test of time. They may become more sought-after due to reliability problems, but I guess we'll just have to wait and see.

 

On a bit of a different subject... is anyone here stockpiling their stuff, intending to sell it 10 years down the road when it's appreciated in value? Personally, I could never part with my collection for anything less than a personal space shuttle (The real thing, not the game ), but I'm sure there are people doing this...

 

--Zero

[Atari Master]

I think if you try hard enough you can salvage CD games. You can't leave them in a hot area, that would be dumb. If I do buy games for a CD system for collectablility it would stay sealed (like my DC I-Spy game).

 

I think CD based games can live, but I don't know about CD based systems.

 

And since you guys are talking about systems like the PS2 and what would be the point of buying a PSX system... If a 7800 can play 2600 games, why get a 2600 system?

 

Got yah!

[Brian R.]

Another way of looking at it is the format itself - cartridge vs CD.

 

There's just something a lot more interesting about collecting cartridges than CDs. Each is unique - you have different labels, different styles (from the different manufacturers, at least with the 2600, and on different systems) - and it's a physical thing you can pick up, inspect, etc. Fortunately, I've never been bitten by the label variation collecting bug. A CD is... well... a CD. Seen one, seen 'em all, and it's best if they're not handled too much.

 

I often find myself going through my Atari cart collection... for all my Atari systems... just checkin' em out, dusting, whatever. I never do that for the CDs in my DC collection. The cartridges are just a lot more interesting.

[MegaManFan]

I often find myself going through my Atari cart collection... for all my Atari systems... just checkin' em out, dusting, whatever. I never do that for the CDs in my DC collection. The cartridges are just a lot more interesting.

 

A-MEN. There's just something about the visceral feel and touch of holding a cart in your hand, shoving it in a console, hitting the power switch and getting GAME. No loading times, no delays - pure unadulterated instant gratification. Of course the technical limitations of a cart format are well known, but you have to love how Nintendo 64 really tried to push it to the max - making it the last late great "retro" console. The N64 has a warm place in my heart right next to the Atari 2600. I admit I'm forced to use the CD format to play the next gen games (see GTA: Vice City) and I still enjoy them but there's still a small part of that gaming experience that's lost in the process. Some may not miss it, but that's what makes some of us retrogamers and some not.

[Inky]

I PREDICT!!!!

 

That in the future Atari Games will STILL be collected and that ET will STILL show up on Ebay as RARE!

[MegaManFan]

I PREDICT!!!!

 

That in the future Atari Games will STILL be collected  and that ET will STILL show up on Ebay as RARE!

 

We need to start a new thread inspired by Late Night With Conan entitled *singing* "In the year 2000!"

 

IN THE YEAR 2000..

.. someone will pay $41 for Pitfall, only to tragically die before receiving the game by falling into a pit of quicksand!

 

IN THE YEAR 2000..

.. Curt Vendel will release his one of a kind Atari 5200 jr. prototype for sale, only to learn too late he left a rare Asteroids prototype plugged in!

 

IN THE YEAR 2000..

.. interest in Atari games will peak at an all time high with the release of Skeleton on October 31st, two years before it's release date.

[Atari Master]

I PREDICT!!!!

 

That in the future Atari Games will STILL be collected  and that ET will STILL show up on Ebay as RARE!

 

I predict in 100 years when Albert's son runs AtariAge that E.T will be upperd to a rarety 2.

[MegaManFan]

I PREDICT!!!!

 

That in the future Atari Games will STILL be collected  and that ET will STILL show up on Ebay as RARE!

 

I predict in 100 years when Albert's son runs AtariAge that E.T will be upperd to a rarety 2.

 

I predict in 100 years that will probably be Albert's SON'S son, at the very least.

[DeV0]

I predict that in 100 years time my grand children will be soaking up the sun on an island somewhere funded by the auctioning of grandpas console collection.

[MegaManFan]

I predict that in 100 years time my grand children will be soaking up the sun on an island somewhere funded by the auctioning of grandpas console collection.

 

Yup! I can see the same thing happening to my heirs.

[krisjohn]

Since collecting itself is not mainstream, I doubt that original old games will ever be traded by anyone other than a relatively small group of enthusiasts.

 

People think they are collectors, when in fact they're just normal consumers. Think of all the "Collector's Edition" DVDs that were released. The only true collector's edition DVD I know of is the Powerpuff Girls DVD that was distributed with a virus and recalled.

 

What's more likely is that companies will continue to release popular old favourites for each new platform -- purely in an effort to cash in, not as any service to real enthusiasts. Casual fans will be attracted, but hard-core collectors will see it for the cash-cow-milking that it is.

 

Personally, I tend to head towards innovative technology in the video gaming field. (My GBA e-reader plus NES cards should be on its way by now -- It'll look nice next to my Barcode Battler.) Value-adding I guess it could be called. I don't just want a remake, I want an interesting remake. Also, I love interesting expansions, always have. The 32X was a major player in me getting hooked on retro video game stuff.

 

I'm sure each person here is different, but I would guess that we'll all wander off in our respective directions in a year or 10. New fans, well, many new fans look like they use "emulation" and "free" interchangably, so I don't hold out a lot of hope of the hobby continuing to exist as-is.

 

But all it would take is for something like a major museum to decide that old video games are legitimate historial artifacts (rather than just a way to get kids through the doors), or for the extensions to copyright to be repealed and predicting the future of video game collecting would be impossible.