I collect and play a lot of old games (PS1, N64, Gameboy, and Ps2 are the main ones I buy for), but the prices on retro games are rising rapidly. Many games have doubled or tripled in price since around 2020. I like to play PS1 RPGs, but a lot of them are worth way more then I'm willing to spend nowadays. I usually prefer original hardware over emulating, but I've just been priced out of most systems (PS2 is about the only one that I care about where the price is still afforable, but even that is way up). Do you guys think this is a bubble that will pop, or are these insane prices here to stay?
(P.S. if you don't belive me look up any major game on pricecharting.com and look how the prices have spiked since 2020)
It's the middle aged nostalgia factor. As you enter middle age you have the money and means to buy stuff you wanted as a kid. So, all the games go up in price by people who want to make extra money.
The best trick is to buy them before the nostalgia kicks in. My PS3 and 4 collection grew quickly because everything was around $2.
It goes back down when the same people enter geezerhood.
At the Portland retro gaming expo, we had Atari and odyssey games going for hundreds as the creators were treated like celebrities. Now I can buy all those games for $10 for the lot. The creators are still treated nicely though.
I'm waiting for arcade games to drop back. Every time I think I have the money, the price doubles.