My prediction for where collecting will be in 2020

[homerwannabee]

OK, I will probably get flamed for this, but I honestly believe that we will look back around this time period vastly different animal. In 10 years if I am completely wrong I fully encourage someone to pull this thread from the doldrums have a very good laugh.

 

Here are the predictions.

 

1. AtariAge will have over 100,000 members. Based on how membership has grown over the years I do not expect this to stop.

 

2. Having Space Invaders, Combat, Pac-Man, Pitfall, Donkey Kong in any condition will be be bragged about. Instead of posts like we have now of how someone is trying to rip people off by charging $10, there will be posts about how they got this great deal of only paying $10 for a Combat cart.

 

3. Prices for all games in general will be worth 10 times as much as they are now. We will not only have an Atari 2600 game go for $10,000 in the next decade, we will have an Atari 2600 game go for over $100,000 in the next decade.

 

One huge reason for believing this. I decided to test the waters, and sell video games at the swap meet last Saturday. I was shocked at the reaction I had compared to just 2 or 3 years ago when I last sold at the swap meet. I had 4 different things out for sale. Comic Books, Video Games, Baseball Cards, and records. I had some tarnished Beatles records I was selling, Some old Baseball Cards from the early 70's I was selling, and some comics from the late 60's early 70's. Now as far as selling went. I only sold $5 worth of Atari 2600 games. a $3 Donkey Kong cart, and an Asteroids cart for $2 to someone who was about 20 who did not even have a system for the game, but had a friend with a broken system. But this was far from besides my main experience. It was the reaction of the people passing by. While I did not sell much, the thing that was commented on the most BY FAR was my Atari 2600 stuff. I had plenty of Oh Wow Atari 2600 carts! The comics no one said anything about, the cards was the same way, but the nostalgic button was huge for this system. Even more than the NES games I had out there. In fact there where a few that implied that they may of bought the games if I had an Atari 2600 system to go along with the games. In fact one seemed angry that I did not have the system to go along with the games. So after that experience, I firmly concluded that the Atari 2600 will one day truly shine again brighter than the noon day sun. Also, as an added note, on Ebay, I have seen some jaw dropping prices for just the system with games this Christmas season including several Atari 2600 systems with just 50 or 60 games going for over $250.

 

Of course let the flamers flame. I stand strong in my belief that the Atari 2600 be a major collecting hobby in 10 years!

 

P.S. Merry Christmas!

[Kurisu]

Actually, as far as the market goes, I think you are pretty correct: as time passes, things naturally get rarer, and demand among people (like myself) who want to experience stuff from before their time (I think a natural part of the human psyche) will cause the prices payed to rise quite a bit, to the point where crazy collections like mine, in an area like Memphis is, will become quite an investment.

 

Heck, it is sad to say, I am maybe the ONLY person in the Memphis / Bartlett / Cordova area who collects these things: Seems like almost no retro gaming stores carry anything older than NES (heck, one for some reason doesn't have anything Sega Genesis @_@, and of course Master System is unheard of to them), but one place, I am actually seemingly the only person to pick up anything: One of the guys up there will always put pre-NES game carts and such in one specific spot for me to check, knowing dang well I will buy them all up, while cutting me a GREAT price to boot.

 

Now, if I am such a black hole for these things, in this area, then I might do well to start a side business selling these things, especially consoles, as I can get a good bulk rate on them, if I ever save up the cash =^.^=. It's just a matter of getting everything together and seeing what happens.

 

If the trend keeps up, then I think we all luck out, as long as we are willing to spend higher initial investments on given carts. That is about the only problem with the value and demand going up is that, well, the dang things cost more!

[BrontyAA]

OK, I will probably get flamed for this, but I honestly believe that we will look back around this time period vastly different animal. In 10 years if I am completely wrong I fully encourage someone to pull this thread from the doldrums have a very good laugh.

 

Here are the predictions.

 

1. AtariAge will have over 100,000 members. Based on how membership has grown over the years I do not expect this to stop.

 

2. Having Space Invaders, Combat, Pac-Man, Pitfall, Donkey Kong in any condition will be be bragged about. Instead of posts like we have now of how someone is trying to rip people off by charging $10, there will be posts about how they got this great deal of only paying $10 for a Combat cart.

 

3. Prices for all games in general will be worth 10 times as much as they are now. We will not only have an Atari 2600 game go for $10,000 in the next decade, we will have an Atari 2600 game go for over $100,000 in the next decade.

 

One huge reason for believing this. I decided to test the waters, and sell video games at the swap meet last Saturday. I was shocked at the reaction I had compared to just 2 or 3 years ago when I last sold at the swap meet. I had 4 different things out for sale. Comic Books, Video Games, Baseball Cards, and records. I had some tarnished Beatles records I was selling, Some old Baseball Cards from the early 70's I was selling, and some comics from the late 60's early 70's. Now as far as selling went. I only sold $5 worth of Atari 2600 games. a $3 Donkey Kong cart, and an Asteroids cart for $2 to someone who was about 20 who did not even have a system for the game, but had a friend with a broken system. But this was far from besides my main experience. It was the reaction of the people passing by. While I did not sell much, the thing that was commented on the most BY FAR was my Atari 2600 stuff. I had plenty of Oh Wow Atari 2600 carts! The comics no one said anything about, the cards was the same way, but the nostalgic button was huge for this system. Even more than the NES games I had out there. In fact there where a few that implied that they may of bought the games if I had an Atari 2600 system to go along with the games. In fact one seemed angry that I did not have the system to go along with the games. So after that experience, I firmly concluded that the Atari 2600 will one day truly shine again brighter than the noon day sun. Also, as an added note, on Ebay, I have seen some jaw dropping prices for just the system with games this Christmas season including several Atari 2600 systems with just 50 or 60 games going for over $250.

 

Of course let the flamers flame. I stand strong in my belief that the Atari 2600 be a major collecting hobby in 10 years!

 

P.S. Merry Christmas!

 

is that homer under there? your sig line suggests it.

 

I'm not going to venture into 1-3. The swap meet thing I will comment on as I did the same thing once years ago at a comic convention, but with nes games. I was pretty shocked too - the eyes glazed over at the comics but people woke up and their faces came alive when they saw the games. Didn't really translate to any sales for me either so I wouldn't jump to many conclusions from it. Its neat that they get such a reaction from people but it doesn't mean they are going to go sell their car to buy a rare cart.

[VectorGamer]

 

I only sold $5 worth of Atari 2600 games. a $3 Donkey Kong cart, and an Asteroids cart for $2 to someone who was about 20 who did not even have a system for the game, but had a friend with a broken system. But this was far from besides my main experience. It was the reaction of the people passing by. While I did not sell much, the thing that was commented on the most BY FAR was my Atari 2600 stuff. I had plenty of Oh Wow Atari 2600 carts! The comics no one said anything about, the cards was the same way, but the nostalgic button was huge for this system. Even more than the NES games I had out there. In fact there where a few that implied that they may of bought the games if I had an Atari 2600 system to go along with the games. In fact one seemed angry that I did not have the system to go along with the games. So after that experience, I firmly concluded that the Atari 2600 will one day truly shine again brighter than the noon day sun. Also, as an added note, on Ebay, I have seen some jaw dropping prices for just the system with games this Christmas season including several Atari 2600 systems with just 50 or 60 games going for over $250.

 

 

I hope you are right, but your example says otherwise. The fact is that you only sold $5 worth of merchandise while others just marveled. Actually, this is the very point Todd Tuckey makes in the upcoming issue of Classic Video Gamer magazine. But, to be fair, the traffic at the swap meet may not be a viable indicator.

 

So, in the eBay example, the carts alone average $4 a pop but were there any rare carts that carried the Pac-Man and Combat carts?

[+swlovinist]

I think that as time moves on, so will the demand for collecting other video game systems. The "popular" video game systems to collect will move with the population. Atari 2600 stuff will always be collected, but every hobby has a supply and demand. Atari carts/systems are everywhere and still are easily found for $1/$25 respectively. As time goes on, there will be bigger demand for NES, SNES, Genesis, and Playstation as well. Atari will share growth with many other systems. I think that as long as the hobby for newcomers stays affordable, the hobby will continue to grow. As soon as the hobby becomes too expensive to "jump in", then the demand will wane. Right now is a great time for the hobby. There is a ton of great used systems at affordable prices. Product is anywhere you look. There are even "clone" systems supporting retrogaming. There is no question that games will at least continue to hold a certain value, but to say that it will skyrocket in value has yet to be seen.

 

 

My prediction is that I will still be able to get cheap Atari carts for $5 or less in 2020.

 

 

Thank God that Atari made too many carts for people to buy back in the day!

[Shawn]

As the folks that are now aged from 30 something, 40's and 50's (which is most of us) get older and older as time goes by and nature eventually takes it's course of taking life away I think the big drive behind the 2600 machine will kinda die off with us.

[Crazy Climber]

Pac man and Combat will always be 50 cents silly rabit

[JPjuice23]

If the Atari 2600 does get this popular, Atari may notice, and release a flashback 3, or something to that extent.

 

It would be huge news if someone bought a 30 year old videogame for $100,000.

[CPUWIZ]

FLAME++;

[BDW]

As the folks that are now aged from 30 something, 40's and 50's (which is most of us) get older and older as time goes by and nature eventually takes it's course of taking life away I think the big drive behind the 2600 machine will kinda die off with us.

While I do agree that the main drive of the 2600 will die off with your generation, there is still those from my generation that collect and play. I know for certain that I'm going to try to get my future kids into the classics.

 

 

As for Homers $10 a combat cart prediction: As people get older (as we all know) they tend to get a mid life crisis. People will probably be clamoring to the 2600, a staple of their youth. Demand goes up, prices go up. Simple as that.

[+Random Terrain]

This whole thing is silly. Albert will get sick of Atari and become a monk before 2020 (if a pissed off John Titor doesn't murder us all in 2012 with a Scourger bomb from the future).

[Mirage]

Maybe Albert agrees with you and that's why he's snapping up all those Pac-Man's and Combat's as trade-ins for "homebrews"... yeah, right, he's investing and is going to be a bazillionaire!

[kemmer]

I didn't really think 2500 prices would go up much when I started collecting 12 years ago, but they certainly have.

[Armonigann]

I didn't really think 2500 prices would go up much when I started collecting 12 years ago, but they certainly have.

Soooo. how much are 2500 carts actually going for these days??

[VectorGamer]

I didn't really think 2500 prices would go up much when I started collecting 12 years ago, but they certainly have.

Soooo. how much are 2500 carts actually going for these days??

 

I don't think you can really put a price tag on the 2500s since they are so rare...

[fiddlepaddle]

I didn't really think 2500 prices would go up much when I started collecting 12 years ago, but they certainly have.

Soooo. how much are 2500 carts actually going for these days??

2500 ET carts (even with CIB) would be lucky to go for $500. 2500 Malagai carts (cart only) might go for maybe $20,000. 2500 Video Reflex? maybe $100,000.

[Armonigann]

I didn't really think 2500 prices would go up much when I started collecting 12 years ago, but they certainly have.

Soooo. how much are 2500 carts actually going for these days??

2500 ET carts (even with CIB) would be lucky to go for $500. 2500 Malagai carts (cart only) might go for maybe $20,000. 2500 Video Reflex? maybe $100,000.

I'm guessing you'd be lucky to even score a 2500 Heavy Eighter for your first born or your soul..

[Kurisu]

Haha.. 2500.. I wanted to make a long drawn out joke on it, but decided not to.

 

Well, as unpleasant of a topic as it is, while time will eventually end us up in a world where no one around during the 2600's life will be.. well.. alive, if people like me, and many other younger members on here continue to show up, demand might not taper off.

 

I am drawn to the quick action and simplistic complexity of the majority of these classic games (Spider Fighter anyone?), and impressed by the depth and complexity of the more slow paced epics (Pitfall, Dark Chambers, to name a few).

 

Thinking on it, maybe things as Mr. G said would be a little extreme, but I think things will stay strong, and maybe around the 40 year mark in 2017, things will really heat up. 2037 will be a major year... the 50 year mark.

 

If the media decides to stay on top of things, every report will make demand higher and higher. Look at Twitter: nothing till the media and celebrities picked up on it.. sure, now people are getting smart and leaving in droves, but it worked for it, for a time.

 

Things go in cycles like that.

[shadow460]

I dunno. I think the nostalgia wave is moving up the system list, and that 2600 prices will stabilize if they haven't already. A Combat cart is going to take the sam percentage of your income in 2020 that it does today.

 

I can't say that for PS1, though. The nostalgia wave hasn't hit that in force yet. Intelligent Qube will probably hit $200 in today's dollars. Other high end titles such as Xenogears (or whatever is rare for PS1, I don't know) might also hit $200.

 

Right now I'd say that wave is still on the NES, though. Now's not the time to get into NES at all. Wait about five years, and that will stabilize, too.

[AtariLeaf]

Yea I think Atari will always have a following but like shadow says its will move. One day people will be collecting 360's which will go for crazy prices. And they will, simply because a working 360 will be about as a rare as a working 5200 controller.

 

But the thing is, price follows demand. As shadow said, these things move with the system. As those with NES, N64, PS1, etc get into their 30's and 40's they'll be buying the systems of their youth. I personally can't see some of these prices speculated here. $100 grand for a cart? I don't see it, certainly not in 10 years. Then again, spending $5 grand on a cart is stupid to me but I guess if you have that kind of disposable income, maybe.

[Atarian7]

OK, I will probably get flamed for this, but I honestly believe that we will look back around this time period vastly different animal. In 10 years if I am completely wrong I fully encourage someone to pull this thread from the doldrums have a very good laugh.

 

Here are the predictions.

 

1. AtariAge will have over 100,000 members. Based on how membership has grown over the years I do not expect this to stop.

 

2. Having Space Invaders, Combat, Pac-Man, Pitfall, Donkey Kong in any condition will be be bragged about. Instead of posts like we have now of how someone is trying to rip people off by charging $10, there will be posts about how they got this great deal of only paying $10 for a Combat cart.

 

3. Prices for all games in general will be worth 10 times as much as they are now. We will not only have an Atari 2600 game go for $10,000 in the next decade, we will have an Atari 2600 game go for over $100,000 in the next decade.

 

One huge reason for believing this. I decided to test the waters, and sell video games at the swap meet last Saturday. I was shocked at the reaction I had compared to just 2 or 3 years ago when I last sold at the swap meet. I had 4 different things out for sale. Comic Books, Video Games, Baseball Cards, and records. I had some tarnished Beatles records I was selling, Some old Baseball Cards from the early 70's I was selling, and some comics from the late 60's early 70's. Now as far as selling went. I only sold $5 worth of Atari 2600 games. a $3 Donkey Kong cart, and an Asteroids cart for $2 to someone who was about 20 who did not even have a system for the game, but had a friend with a broken system. But this was far from besides my main experience. It was the reaction of the people passing by. While I did not sell much, the thing that was commented on the most BY FAR was my Atari 2600 stuff. I had plenty of Oh Wow Atari 2600 carts! The comics no one said anything about, the cards was the same way, but the nostalgic button was huge for this system. Even more than the NES games I had out there. In fact there where a few that implied that they may of bought the games if I had an Atari 2600 system to go along with the games. In fact one seemed angry that I did not have the system to go along with the games. So after that experience, I firmly concluded that the Atari 2600 will one day truly shine again brighter than the noon day sun. Also, as an added note, on Ebay, I have seen some jaw dropping prices for just the system with games this Christmas season including several Atari 2600 systems with just 50 or 60 games going for over $250.

 

Of course let the flamers flame. I stand strong in my belief that the Atari 2600 be a major collecting hobby in 10 years!

 

P.S. Merry Christmas!

 

 

I hope you're right.

[Kurisu]

Yea I think Atari will always have a following but like shadow says its will move. One day people will be collecting 360's which will go for crazy prices. And they will, simply because a working 360 will be about as a rare as a working 5200 controller.

 

But the thing is, price follows demand. As shadow said, these things move with the system. As those with NES, N64, PS1, etc get into their 30's and 40's they'll be buying the systems of their youth. I personally can't see some of these prices speculated here. $100 grand for a cart? I don't see it, certainly not in 10 years. Then again, spending $5 grand on a cart is stupid to me but I guess if you have that kind of disposable income, maybe.

 

Oh yes, it is hitting hard for my Generation.

 

I am already starting to get back into the Genesis (well, harware wise, been emulating for years now), and of course wanting to get more NES stuff again, but since that is the crest of the wave right now, I am waiting for it all to die down, like the pre-crash scene is now.

 

As far as PSX software goes, the number one game for that will ALWAYS be Final Fantasy VII, with Xenogears a close second. Heck, dang near any square title from that system is gold, even if it sucked as a whole.

 

I know people can EASILY spend 120+ USD on a pre greatest hits version of FF7. Heck, I need a copy myself... :/

[shadow460]

IMO, FF7 was the mass produced critical success that ET should have been. Both games are super common, however, one is worth pennies while the other is gold. IMO, they are both decent games.

I almost automatically discount FF7 as a rare game, but it certainly is valuable. BTW, they go for between $40 and $60 around here, and often times they are in stock.

[Crazyace]

Emulation , and changing TV standards will eventually kill off old consoles. After all in a few years TV's wont have analogue RF inputs, so they won't be able to tune the really old consoles in.

[Armonigann]

Emulation , and changing TV standards will eventually kill off old consoles. After all in a few years TV's wont have analogue RF inputs, so they won't be able to tune the really old consoles in.

Good point, I just hope that does'nt really happen though..Considering (IMO) emulation sucks.