So many games, so little money and time

[Atari2008]

So I have a question, I've been trying to contain myself to just one classic console to keep money spent and time spent on gaming down, I couldn't resist so now I'm up to 2 systems. The issue is that I'm usually drawn to homebrews and I want to support the work of homebrewers but they can be pricier than original games so I'm a bit torn. So curious, how do people juggle getting homebrews for multiple classsic consoles? Any budgeting tips? Also, I don't want my place to start looking like an arcade - not that it's necessarily a bad thing - but I like to just keep one console out, do people do system rotations?

 

Thanks for your help...

Edited March 6, 2012 by Atari2008

[+Ransom]

I keep myself from going overboard by:

 

- only owning systems that I actually play regularly (if I don't own it, I can buy it if I'm always firing up the emulator; if I do own it, I need to sell if it's just sitting there most of the time)

- only having one primary and one backup of each of those systems, and

- requiring myself to only buy games CIB.

 

I also set a budget for myself and try really, really hard not to go over it. And since I'm married, I keep my wife informed of all my purchases -- that also limits some of the sillier stuff.

[godslabrat]

Be honest with yourself about what you want, and why. I've taken on the impossible task of getting every NES game, because my love for the system is strong enough that I think it warrants a goal that lofty. My SNES and Genesis are for "quirky" titles that remind me of how goofy the early 90s were. My 2600 is mostly for homebrews. I do have a lot of systems, but they all get a reasonable amount of use.

 

If you feel like your interests are pulling you in a new direction, there's nothing wrong with exploring that, just don't buy stuff because it's there.

[Atari2008]

Thanks for the tips! These are all very good ideas. I think part of my problem is that I'm instantly drawn to the homebrews because they're new and shiny and part of me wants to support the efforts but of course buying every homebrew for both systems would get too pricey. I think I do need to set a budget and set limits. I like the idea of telling my partner, I think being open and honest will hopefully deter any crazy impulsive purchase.

 

Also I don't have much time to play, so I'll definitely have to keep track of which systems are getting used and which ones aren't, I really hate to see stuff just collecting dust.

 

The current system homebrews that appeal to me are the Odyssey2 and Intellivision but those cost $50 a piece so you can imagine it can get pricey. Maybe I should stick to the original and far cheaper libraries for now until I'm sure that I'll keep these consoles since they're both relatively new to me.

[Austin]

Only two systems? MAN.. You're making me look like a crack addict (for games)!

[+Ransom]

One thing I've considered doing, but haven't, is to make a rule that for every dollar I spend on games, I have to put X amount in a savings/retirement/whatever account. Maybe 50 cents on the dollar, maybe 1:1.

[Atari2008]

Only two systems? MAN.. You're making me look like a crack addict (for games)!

 

Haha, so maybe I'm worrying over nothing? I do have an Atari 2600 but I never play it, it's in the closet. I keep it for sentimental value since it belonged to my sis. So if it makes you feel better, I have a whopping total of 3!

 

One thing I've considered doing, but haven't, is to make a rule that for every dollar I spend on games, I have to put X amount in a savings/retirement/whatever account. Maybe 50 cents on the dollar, maybe 1:1.

 

That's an awesome idea! Considering I spent a bit getting an O2 and homebrew for it, maybe I should put some in one of my savings account. Good one.

[atari181]

No Limit, Get what you want and can afford! Take care of your Bills, retirement and Family and then spend whatever you feel like. If it makes you happy then do it! If your a gamer it shouldn't bee too hard to control as lots of classics are free to get the ROM. If youre a collector like me, you need to make sure everything else is taken care of, and spend and/or buy whatever makes you happy.

[SlowCoder]

 

 

 

On the number of consoles, and money: I got the bug for retro games a couple of years ago. I bought quite a few systems that simply looked interesting. I found a few gems in the pile and all of them get at least some play time. My buying has slowed quite a bit as I've gotten a good stock of games for each system. Now I'm primarily working on getting flash carts for each.

Am I sorry I spent the money? No.

 

On time: I have 2 kids of the age where time is a premium. I also have multiple projects and interests, usually going at one time. My evenings are pretty fluid, in that activites with my family is different every daay. If I have a few minutes, I'll decide what one thing I will do for myself that evening. I just fit it in when I can. Family time is very important, but sometimes I take time for myself.

 

 

[atari181]

On the number of consoles, and money: I got the bug for retro games a couple of years ago.

Love that you call it "The Bug" That's what i call it as well

[SRGilbert]

My general rule is to never pay more than I think I could get back if I needed to sell it. Plus, as I'm out looking for stuff to add to the collection, I'm also trying to score stuff I can sell for a nice profit. I'm primarily a flea market, yard sale guy though. I honestly haven't gotten into the homebrew scene becuase of the prices.

[ledzep]

Hmm, I'm kind of in the middle of the where the other responders are. I only have 3 systems (Atari 2600, Atari 5200 and Vectrex) and I do seek out and actually prefer the homebrews for them. But almost always only if they come complete (box, manual). That tends to slow down my expenditures (you're right, it can get expensive fast). I've only recently decided to add the 3rd system (the Atari 2600) and only because I miss it from my youth. It has the most games and there are so many that I can't possibly get them all (some really really rare ones out there) so knowing that I can't get them all stops me from trying. So I'll only get the games I'd like to play or thought were good back when I originally had it. On top of that, I prefer the Sears Tele-games versions so any of the first run of games I like will be those, not the Atari versions. The 5200 and Vectrex have way less games to worry about though the Vectrex is going full speed with homebrews. Still, I don't need a whole room to store them all (yet).

 

I got a Sears Video Arcade complete in box (all the packaging) for like $200. Just because it wasn't an actual Atari 2600, I'm guessing. I've been slowly gathering up games, all boxed, though I don't care too much if some of the boxes are a little beat up. I've gotten almost every Atari 5200 game that I want because that has the least "must have" games out of the three systems, at least for me. That may be something you want to consider as well. I mean if you like 6 or 7 different game systems, which ones will cause you the least headaches to collect.

 

As for the idea of only keeping the system if it gets played a lot, I don't agree with that. Mostly because I work a lot of hours and don't have the time to play the systems like I want to. But I look at it like this - 1) I have a lot of books that I like (sci-fi novels, technical books, science books) along with a lot of magazines and it's not like I keep re-reading all them all the time yet I'm not planning on getting rid of them, and 2) all this crap is going to get more and more rare which = more and more expensive so it's a good idea to get them now even if you can't really enjoy them at the moment. If it turns out later that it was the wrong move you can probably sell them for a profit because they'll be even rarer by then. I have some homebrews and a few rare original games that I got for a decent price because I bought them back when they weren't that rare or in demand. How many times have any of us seen a game on eBay for some stupid high price and kicked himself in the ass for not having the forethought to buy it back when there were dozens of them for sale for cheap? I hate that feeling.

[Atari2008]

No Limit, Get what you want and can afford! Take care of your Bills, retirement and Family and then spend whatever you feel like. If it makes you happy then do it! If your a gamer it shouldn't bee too hard to control as lots of classics are free to get the ROM. If youre a collector like me, you need to make sure everything else is taken care of, and spend and/or buy whatever makes you happy.

 

I think this is key, I don't really have a ton of money to spend on non-essential items, so I think my focus on homebrews might be wrong headed in that it's more expensive for one game so while I do get a shiny new game, it's usually above my budget whereas if I focus on originally released games I could probably get a few more for a far lower price. I'm more of a gamer than a collector. I'm really only interested in getting games I like to play for the systems I own, if I don't like a game, I'd rather get rid of it.

 

On time: I have 2 kids of the age where time is a premium. I also have multiple projects and interests, usually going at one time. My evenings are pretty fluid, in that activites with my family is different every daay. If I have a few minutes, I'll decide what one thing I will do for myself that evening. I just fit it in when I can. Family time is very important, but sometimes I take time for myself.

 

I'm in the same boat. I have various competing interests as well as my girlfriend and friends I want to spend time with, so I honestly don't have time to game every day which makes me feel bad about owning the games in the first place. I'm the type of person that if I'm not using something, I think "well someone else who really wants this should have it." So that's part of my dilemma or I think "I wasted money since I don't even use this." But maybe I just need to get comfortable with the fact that I can't game every day but the systems might be fun for the rare day that I have a lot of time on my hands.

 

My general rule is to never pay more than I think I could get back if I needed to sell it. Plus, as I'm out looking for stuff to add to the collection, I'm also trying to score stuff I can sell for a nice profit. I'm primarily a flea market, yard sale guy though. I honestly haven't gotten into the homebrew scene becuase of the prices.

 

Yeah, I'm thinking I need to move away from the homebrews for now. They're tempting because they look super cool and today's programmers can pull off stuff that wasn't possible in the 80s, but that also means I don't get any other games (or other things) because of the prices. I think for now I'll create a rule that I'll only buy originally released games since those can be found for less than $20 usually.

 

So question, do folks here have systems that they keep in storage or in a closet due to lack of space? And do you rotate when you want to play those systems?

[lucifershalo]

it is not easy at all

to manage a collection according to what you said

- collect only the stuff that you will play and not collecting for the sake of

- buy homebrews for the systems that you like the most

-the problem is you cant really, this homebrew, I will buy later because most of them are limited

[Atari2008]

Actually yea I forgot to touch on that, most homebrews have limited runs so I usually purchase them when I don't even have the money because I don't want them to sell out...

[SlowCoder]

To answer your question about stored items:

Yes, I have a closet of stored items. Duplicate systems, accessories and games. I'll periodically rotate them out so that each won't feel left out, and to make sure they are all working. I have a couple of pong systems, Atari Pong and APF TV Fun, that I rotate out just because they are different. Mostly the games that are stored will remain in storage because I have milticarts for those systems. But again, I may pull them out to make sure they still work.

[AtariLeaf]

Take care of your Bills

 

Pffft, Shatner and Gates can afford to take care of themselves.

[Atari2008]

Take care of your Bills

 

Pffft, Shatner and Gates can afford to take care of themselves.

 

LMAO! If I had Shatner or Gates money then this topic would be irrelevant.