Ok, so who's right?

[jetset]

So I got my first "9" this week....Waterworld. I also got a nice lot of games which included a Tapper for $7 bucks. Needless to say, I'm on a high right now.

But...Earthworld is a "9" here. The Cart Commander program I use has it as only a "7". Tapper, here on AA is a "6", Cart Comm has it a "5".

Then there is the Digital Press list, which costs $25 BUCKS (is it just me or is that a little high btw? ) which I'm sure is different from both (otherwise why would anyone buy it right?)

 

Yeah...I know, everyone will probably say AA. I'd tend to agree.....but since I've been here over a year now, I notice none of the rarity codes seem to ever change. Not to say they should....

 

Thoughts?

[Mock]

The AA guide seems to have a very good basis for what they rate games for and it's open for discussion...I would think it has the more accurate listings, although it is far from complete (i don't know one that is complete) and a few of the non-standard issues are not covered...I think it's still an ongoing and evolving process...but I think AA is pretty accurate and sets the standard by which all others are judged.

 

Just my .02

 

Mock

[robsbucs]

I totally agree....AA is very good. There are a couple games that I think should go up and some that should come down in rarity but all in all AA is very close. But thats my own .02 cents as well. Also the Digital Press guide that costs 25 bucks....yah thats a little much in my opinion. Once again my .02 cents..thanks

[StanJr]

I don't see any reason to pay $25 for a rarity guide when AA is giving it away for free!

 

AA is the guide I use and it seems pretty accurate to me (with a few exceptions here and there.) The rarities do change from time to time, usually if someone contests a game's listing. So if you have issues with a rarity, please post them here so we can all examine it and perhaps sway the Al's to update it! Its for that very reason I think the AA guide is best, its determined by the community, not just ebay trends etc.

 

 

 

 

[oesii]

All the lists are just opinions, so the more the better for comparisons. But the DP Guide is a good value. Joe often has specials when the new guide comes out and at other times of the year so you can get it cheaper than the $25 retail. Sure you can print out all the different rarity lists for pre-1986 systems and carry them around but the DP guide is 10 years of polish and is the only good guide that attempts to price things (which is an inexact science but at least they try). It's also a fun book to read if you're into collecting, lots of interesting tidbits about everything in handy book form.

 

As a side note, DP is a good trader/seller who stands behinds the prices in the guide which are often lower, collector type prices. Got a few Sega 32x games from him last week

[Keir]

Digital Press lists Waterworld as a 7 and Tapper as a 5.

[Keir]

Oh, and as for "who's right", remember that no two rarity scales are the same. The only valid use for a rarity rating is to compare against other games on the same list. In other words, a '9' on AA is not the same as a '9' on DP or CC or whatever.

 

BTW, congrats on 2 really good finds!

[hhwolfman]

I dont go by the prices in the DP guide but it has a great amount of knowlege. I love it. It also has some cool memory storys of the heyday.

[jetset]

Kewl, thanks for the info guys. I may consider buying the DP guide. Again, I think AA has the rarity right 90+ % of the time....I was just curious what everyone else thought.

[MegaManFan]

I know things get "testy" when people make comparisons, but in all honesty for Atari games AA is all I rely on. For +Atari+ games. I think the knowledge base and depth as regards Atari games and their rarity is better and deeper here, and I find their ratings reflect my real life experience: 1's and 2's everywhere, 3's and 4's some of the time, 5's not so often, 6's in a blue moon, 7's on a very lucky day and 8's and up you'd be better off going to eBay or making private deals with folks here (and I have and do).

[CPUWIZ]

I know things get "testy" when people make comparisons, but in all honesty for Atari games AA is all I rely on.  For +Atari+ games.  I think the knowledge base and depth as regards Atari games and their rarity is better and deeper here, and I find their ratings reflect my real life experience: 1's and 2's everywhere, 3's and 4's some of the time, 5's not so often, 6's in a blue moon, 7's on a very lucky day and 8's and up you'd be better off going to eBay or making private deals with folks here (and I have and do).

 

Sucks you're not coming this weekend, I am bringing some killer stuff with me.

[MegaManFan]

Sucks you're not coming this weekend, I am bringing some killer stuff with me.  

 

I think the Mrs can tell it depresses me that I'm not going, but I told her it's worth it since we're getting a house in a week. The owner had us through tonight to show us some "quirks" as he put it, but I personally felt it was a waste of time since it was all the same things the home inspector had told us when he took us through it. And hey if you think you have anything really killer I want, PM me before you go.

[sku_u]

I use personal experience to determine demand/rarity for certain games. This is because my main focus has been collecting HTF PAL/PAL-M games as of late which have no rarity rating in any guide for the most part.

 

Both DP and AA are excellent sources for determining rarity of better known games.

 

Since price is in the eye of the beholder, I tend to ignor prices in the available guides both online and off.

[Marco]

I use personal experience to determine demand/rarity for certain games.  This is because my main focus has been collecting HTF PAL/PAL-M games as of late which have no rarity rating in any guide for the most part.

 

The "non US" section of the DPG currently lists over 2,000 games. I guess we can add another 500-1,000 over time, but for now, it should give you quite a good idea of rarity on those unusual PAL games.

 

Cheers,

Marco

[Jobf]

As Marco says, the DP guide is as good as it gets for a guide to PAL VCS stuff.

 

What he also didn't mention is that he's also the co-editor of the 'Import' section!

[slapdash]

The DP Guide is well worth $25. It has more than just rarity ratings, and more than just Atari systems. Now, if you don't collect outside of Atari, you might not need it then.

[dougy76]

The DP Guide is well worth $25.  It has more than just rarity ratings, and more than just Atari systems.  Now, if you don't collect outside of Atari, you might not need it then.

 

Agreed. In addition to the rarity guide, the stories, articles, easter eggs, editorials on games, etc. make it well worth the $25.

[MegaManFan]

Lately I'm starting to find the "established price" for rare games really irritating. People set reserves on eBay based on the prices in these books, and then refuse to sell when an item goes for way less than that in bidding. Blame the bad economy, blame the glut of sellers lured in by Antiques Roadshow, blame the fact that the 1% of people who were willing to pay such high prices already got their copies, but a lot of these big ticket games are worth half what they used to be 2-3 years ago, and yet these prices guides don't reflect that at all. They only show the high water mark.

[dougy76]

Lately I'm starting to find the "established price" for rare games really irritating.  People set reserves on eBay based on the prices in these books, and then refuse to sell when an item goes for way less than that in bidding.  Blame the bad economy, blame the glut of sellers lured in by Antiques Roadshow, blame the fact that the 1% of people who were willing to pay such high prices already got their copies, but a lot of these big ticket games are worth half what they used to be 2-3 years ago, and yet these prices guides don't reflect that at all.  They only show the high water mark.

 

I think the problem with the term "established price" is that there is no "established" price for any Atari game. The prices are constantly changing. Seems like to remain truly relevant to reality they would need constant updating.

[Marco]

Prices indeed are almost constantly fluctuating. If you look at the prices in the DPG, at least the import section, you'll find that most of them have changed since previous issues of the DPG. A couple of years ago, PAL games were much more in demand than they are today. Accordingly, we dropped most of the prices on these games. But as the paper DPG only appears once in every so-much time, we're always one step behind. But I guess there's pros and cons for both on-line and off-line guides. I'm happy they're both around.

 

Cheers,

Marco

[Christophero Sly]

Lately I'm starting to find the "established price" for rare games really irritating.  People set reserves on eBay based on the prices in these books, and then refuse to sell when an item goes for way less than that in bidding.  Blame the bad economy, blame the glut of sellers lured in by Antiques Roadshow, blame the fact that the 1% of people who were willing to pay such high prices already got their copies, but a lot of these big ticket games are worth half what they used to be 2-3 years ago, and yet these prices guides don't reflect that at all.  They only show the high water mark.

 

MMF, speaking of high-water marks, here's an auction that you might find interesting. I don't think it helps when people actually pay the high prices

 

Again, I'd say that you got a nice deal on your cart/manual.

 

I'm starting to feel a little frantic about picking up rarer carts. Should I take the financial hit now and snap up what I can? Or can I wait and expect that prices for rare carts will stay reasonable over the next couple of years? Anyone have a sense for what to expect?

[sku_u]

 

I'm starting to feel a little frantic about picking up rarer carts.  Should I take the financial hit now and snap up what I can?  Or can I wait and expect that prices for rare carts will stay reasonable over the next couple of years?  Anyone have a sense for what to expect?

 

The classic game collecting community is not growing as rapidly as the comic book or baseball card industries did. For this reason, I don't think classic games will go much higher in value. It would take a serious exponential increase in the number of serious collectors to impact the prices down the road.

[Christophero Sly]

The classic game collecting community is not growing as rapidly as the comic book or baseball card industries did.  For this reason, I don't think classic games will go much higher in value.  It would take a serious exponential increase in the number of serious collectors to impact the prices down the road.

 

What concerns me is that there is a growing general perception that vintage video games are worth a lot of money. And, as they say, perception equals reality. I think we've all probably experienced some absurd example of this.

 

But I think your right...ultimately, value is determined by the serious collecting community, not the casual participant. It's important to remember that and not fret unduly about rising prices.