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In the modern day, collecting old games is a somewhat common hobby. And why shouldn’t it? There’s so many great games made through the years and all the platforms have their own charms and rabbit holes to go down. As a Saturn owner, I was warned for nearly a decade of the price of admission. And, being honest, I’ve actually been quite shocked by how uneducated this perspective was. Not because there isn’t a large number of games that’ll run you over $100, no, but because it failed to mention the number of titles you can pick up for a reasonable price that you would actually want to play. As of this current time, I’ve posted my Saturn collection as it’s been increasing, and I’ve yet to spend over $100. The most I ever spent for a game was $95 for Astal, which I feel was worth every penny. On average, my collection is full of games that usually go for around $30 or so.
In the spirit of it all, I think it’s time we discuss the truly insane. The most expensive consoles or computers to collect for. This excludes arcade machines, as they’re clearly the most expensive (both initially and overtime), but everything else is fair game.
I’ll start off the list with a low and high end pick.
LOW END EXPENSIVE - SEGA CD
Early CD consoles are really the more expensive retro options traditionally. The asking price for SEGA CD varies heavily depending on what you want. For me, I want a model 1 system with cool platformer and FMV games, with a smattering of sprite scaler options. In my personal case, it’s a massive upfront cost, and one that simply eludes me. It’s simply brutal.
HIGH END EXPENSIVE - NEO GEO AES
Thank goodness that the games for this machine are available elsewhere. Thank goodness the games on this machine are available in emulation. Thank goodness some of the games on this machine had great ports to its CD based little brother. Because the AES is, has, and always will be an enthusiast’s game machine. It’s got all the hallmarks of horror:
Games you want to play
Prices you don’t want to pay
A form factor you simply don’t see today
In terms of cost, it’s a nightmare. Hundreds of dollars? Cute. Try thousands for multiple entries in the Metal Slug series, and the unenviable monster of game prices, the now $13,000 Neo Turf Masters. Of course this system is mad cool. Of course it’s one of the most beautiful of its day. But it’s the kind of console you don’t even TRY buying until you have lots of disposable income. And even then; I’d question how worth it some games are for the platform.
Do you know of any systems that are more than Neo Geo? Even if not, feel free to share your pricing woes down below. Remember: game collecting is fun, but we all have our own limits. Be respectful of all opinions and have yourself a darn good time.
In the spirit of it all, I think it’s time we discuss the truly insane. The most expensive consoles or computers to collect for. This excludes arcade machines, as they’re clearly the most expensive (both initially and overtime), but everything else is fair game.
I’ll start off the list with a low and high end pick.
LOW END EXPENSIVE - SEGA CD
Early CD consoles are really the more expensive retro options traditionally. The asking price for SEGA CD varies heavily depending on what you want. For me, I want a model 1 system with cool platformer and FMV games, with a smattering of sprite scaler options. In my personal case, it’s a massive upfront cost, and one that simply eludes me. It’s simply brutal.
HIGH END EXPENSIVE - NEO GEO AES
Thank goodness that the games for this machine are available elsewhere. Thank goodness the games on this machine are available in emulation. Thank goodness some of the games on this machine had great ports to its CD based little brother. Because the AES is, has, and always will be an enthusiast’s game machine. It’s got all the hallmarks of horror:
Games you want to play
Prices you don’t want to pay
A form factor you simply don’t see today
In terms of cost, it’s a nightmare. Hundreds of dollars? Cute. Try thousands for multiple entries in the Metal Slug series, and the unenviable monster of game prices, the now $13,000 Neo Turf Masters. Of course this system is mad cool. Of course it’s one of the most beautiful of its day. But it’s the kind of console you don’t even TRY buying until you have lots of disposable income. And even then; I’d question how worth it some games are for the platform.
Do you know of any systems that are more than Neo Geo? Even if not, feel free to share your pricing woes down below. Remember: game collecting is fun, but we all have our own limits. Be respectful of all opinions and have yourself a darn good time.
