I agree with most. Prices are to high for me to justify going after the last 4 I need. It is crazy how fast everything rose in the past 6 months to a year.
That being said, I am just another potential buyer that stopped "seriously" looking to buy these expensive games. And from what is sounds like, there are a few others in this thread alone...which means at least 50-100 across the collecting community as a hole...
How many more of us big ballers have to stop going after expensive games before the bubble does actually pop? One day, nobody is going to pay the expensive prices and sellers will get stuck overpaying trying to flip...I look forward to that day

I dont see it. If anything they will go higher. The NES generation are in their thirties, N64 generation is in their early twenties. The amount of people with disposible income who want to spend money on video games to relive their childhood will only increase the number of collectors. Whether or not the price will follow and by how much is a different question.

This.  Want proof?  Look at the ending price on open auction vs. what people are asking in the Buy It Nows.  Obviously BINs would be a little higher - but twice or three times as much?  That's just shitty.

I've noticed this as well. I've only been doing this thing for a year or so, and even in that time I've noticed a jump in the prices for many games. While I understand there is a bigger demand and therefore more sellers, it does bother me a bit. My goal isn't to have rare games. I have no care at all for Stadium Events, or Caltron 6 in 1, or any other such game. I like to play video games I enjoyed as a kid, games that I missed out on, and games that I think are a lot of fun to this day. I'm not really into having anything that's valuable, just something that's awesome to play. It seems that maybe to a certain degree collectors are pushing some gamers out of the market. I'm not saying that's wrong, or that it shouldn't be that way. It just means I'll probably buy less games. If it take a couple hundred to play Earthbound.... heck, I'll go back to emulators and rereleases. I don't like playing on emulators, but I don't dislike it that much. : ) There's nothing wrong with the prices increasing, it just means I'll buy less games. And honestly, that's alright.

You also have to factor in inflation. Although it doesn't account for a lot of the appreciation a game receives, it does count for some of it. Every year inflation goes up 1-2% so I would guess video games that are worth anything will go up at least that much. Just something to think about.

I think prices will eventually drop, but it's a long ways away.

Either 1, when the NES Generation retires, and runs out of money, and of course, 2 when we all die.

But income should just increase for the next two decades, so prices, should remain steady or even continue to increase for years and years.

I think the other thing to keep in mind, is people collect NES, even if they didn't grow up playing it. I think people just like collecting retro video games. It also makes sense for people that grew up playing N64, or SNES, what will they collect when they complete those sets? Probably NES.

When I saw a teen girl on the site with a couple of Rare carts that I didn't own, I knew it was time to start getting them, and my optimistic aproach of trying to get everything cheap wasn't working for everything.

ughhhh its not price gouging when its not something someone needs to survive. If nes game were water or gas then fine yea price gouging. But these are nintendo games, sounds luxury to me. Im just sick of people saying "price gouging" because no one is forced to buy them to live.

Virtual boy sealed and complete copies were flooded by mexico kinda like caltron.

I'm more of a casual collector, have 95% of what I want, but the last 5% is something I just can't justify spending the money on these days. I really enjoy collecting video games, but spending a few hundred dollars on one game is just too much.

The sad thing is the thought of selling out does cross my mind. I have very little invested in my games at this point and having my games pay for things like new siding, new windows, mortgage payments, a nice vacation is tempting. I'm not going that route, but this is kind of what happens (at least to me) when I see prices go this high.

Anthony

Prices have definitely slowed my collecting down significantly (at least online). Luckily I have most of what I want already, but some of the things I wanted before I no longer want due to price. I am definitely going to be purchasing an NES and SNES Powerpak soon. Also, since the majority of games that I do find "in the wild" are usually PS2 and Gamecube games, I have been collecting those. Never really considered collecting them, but if I find a nice, complete copy of a PS2 or GC game that I don't have for $3 or less I'll usually buy it. Also have been picking up random Dreamcast, DS, and PS1 games if they are nice and cheap enough (and Genesis since the kids seem to love it).

What he said!  The prices are indeed rising, however that is at a reseller level. In the general world video games are still a media item, we just have to get to the games before the asshole resellers looking to flip for profit. eBay is beyond the "get a deal" phase and rarely do things slip through the cracks anymore. The age old "in the wild" technique is the true way collectors get their deals. Luckily craigslist has still remained semi-"wild"

Exactly.  Sure, it sucks to be temporarily "priced out of the market" when sellers ask more than you are comfortable paying.  

But if they ask too much, eventually they lower the price because they need the money more than you need the games.

You can't "price gouge" on a luxury or leisure item.  You can ask a price that is too high, but absolutely no one is compelled to pay it.

This same thing happened to Atari 2600 years ago and then Atari took a complete dive. This will happen to the NES as well. I remember I could go to a garage sale and pick up a 2600 for 10 bucks with a handful of common games and turn around and sell it for 100.00 on ebay. And that was letting people bid on it, not buy it now!

We are technically in a recession and because of this shows like "Pawn Stars" and "Storage Wars" are really popular.  Because of said shows being popular, many people want to be the next  star picker.  They have dreams of buying things for nothing with the hope of selling it for big profits.  Unfortunately for these noobs, its not that easy.  Yes it takes alot of knowledge, patience and especially experience to become the next American Picker or the Next Storage Wars celebrity.  So yeah I'm not surprised many wanna be pickers would soon be frustrated and give up.

As far as the state of retro game collecting goes, yes its tougher to find good deals nowadays.  I have been collecting video games for a long time, and the insane amounts of money people throw at NES games these days is truly mind boggling.

My advice to people who have only just begun collecting video games:

Buy games you know you will play.  

Rarity does not mean a game is worth playing or even owning.  

And in my humble opinion, games are meant to be played, not displayed.

The problem of skyrocketing prices, especially for rare, CIB, or sealled games, is that the market bubble will bust. These guys paying $25,000+ for sealed games will be very butt-hurt indeed when they realize they can no longer resell their beloved sealed games at a high enough prophet to pay off their morgage. VGA cases will become worth less in added value than what it initially cost to get them games graded. And when it the NES market does finally crash, it will be a retro gamer's dream and a collector's nightmare.

MattMan is right about Atari. NES carts will be next. I recently hitched a ride on the Atari bandwagon. I've been collecting since Saturday, and I am amazed at the low bargain basement prices on this stuff, which I used to believe was a lot harder to find than NES. My Atari system (4-switch with wood grain) and the other ebay lot I ordered haven't even gotten here yet, and the anticipation of recieving them is driving me bonkers.

I will be a happy camper when this NES bubble finally bursts, because I collect games with the intention of playing them. That's why I feel the Famicom is somewhat of an untapped market. Famicom / Super Famicom games give a new flavor to even the most seasoned NES veteran, and even the good ones tend to go for less than most uncommon NES carts. So rather than seeking out those uber rare NES games (often with lackluster gameplay), I'm now chasing down those unique Japan only games that were either too cute, whacky, or bizzare for US markets. I've got an aftermarket NES-Famicom adapter and a lockout-disabled NES, so it's GAME ON!

trade you stadium events for a muhammed?

or perhaps a nostradamus?

Trust me these two are different.

I collected Atari hardcore for years. I then then jumped ship to concentrate mostly on Nintendo. By the same logic you could say that Nintendo soon will fail as a company because Atari failed.

The people paying insane prices are not going to be hurting if the carts are suddenly worth nothing.  They have hundreds of thousands in disposable income so paying a mortgage isn't a problem.  They will just move onto Ferraris instead.

Atari though... those games are so basic that there's barely any replay value, at least for me. NES/SNES/N64 type games I think will always be sitting in a sweet spot where they are fun to play and don't take weeks to finish like some modern games. Replay value is pretty high. Of course there are a lot of crap games but those can be fun too. Plus I've yet to have someone about my age come to my place and not be floored by playing these old games again.

It's really mind boggling after countless threads, people still think these ridiculous sales are real. What's even more puzzling is the debates that come from them!  Those 25k sales arnt real!

I think the amount of people in this hobby with large amounts of disposable income are still only a tiny percentage.  It seems like most of the big spenders started collecting early and can treat their collection like a bank.  It's more about having assets of value (collections) rather than having a large take home salary.  But I'm sure there's people who have both as well.

Atari 2600 does not equal NES. Never has and never will. There's just so many reasons why the Atari sunk in value in recent years and the NES has gone up. In an effort to back up that claim, I will make 10 points. I want to say I love Atari 2600 and please don't take this as a stab in the back at Atari fans.

1. Atari went defunct following the Atari Jaguar. They no longer exist as they once did. The Jaguar was over hyped by Atari as 64 bits when in reality, it could barely stand up to the other systems of that era that were only 16 or 32 bits. Both Atari's demise and the Jaguar left a negative impression on the name. I won't say this reason is why Atari stuff isn't as collectible these days, but it must play a role, even if it's a very small one. On the other hand, Nintendo is the biggest and best game company still to this day. They have made so many systems, each being a worldwide success story, one after the next. NES was the first one. There's a lot of respect and fondness for the name NES, which is something that Atari or the other companies can't really say.

2. There are very few games for Atari 2600 with the depth that systems like NES have. Things like passwords, battery backup, and GOOD arcade ports brought gaming to a new level that may have been just enough to make them have a long lasting lifetime. The Atari is a great system, don't get me wrong, but the lack thereof in depth has left the system to be remembered more of as a nostalgic "first home game system", while the NES as the "first GOOD home game system".

3. Characters like Link, Mario, Mega Man, and Simon Belmont not only helped establish entire series of games that are still going strong today with gigantic fanbases, but they all made their big debuts on the NES. Unfortunately, Atari never established anything of that nature. So many people want the original Mario games or the play the first Contra, the first Zelda, and so forth. Some of the greatest names in history.

4. The NES was made popular by Nintendo with the release of Virtual Console in 2006-ish. The old classics were playable for new gamers. Not everyone goes to garage sales or uses eBay. Some people don't have access to the originals. Well, the Wii allowed ANYONE with a Wii (and that's a lot of people) to experience the original NES. I'm sure it wasn't their intention - but doing so helped ignite a new audience in retro gaming and collecting of NES. And as we all know, only SOME of the games made it to Virtual Console. Some never will because of licensing restrictions, which has made them sought after to gamers wanting to play them. Add in the Angry Video Game Nerd's videos which have reach millions apiece, which has caused many people to take a liking and discovery of the NES.

5. The NES has a lot of notorious and famous games that have never left the spotlight. The most valuable games of all time: Stadium Events; the rarest: NWC 1990; the worst: Cheetahmen 2; the uber-rare: Flintstones Surprise at Dinosaur Peak; the sub-sets: Black Boxes, The Mega Man series, Dragon Warrior Series, and so forth.

6. Two of the most interesting titles on the system are Halloween and Texas Chainsaw Massacre. And they are STILL worth good money. There's still a lot of valuable games for Atari - the stuff that lost value is the commons and basic games. Try to find a Swordquest Waterworld for cheap. Not gonna happen. The valuable stuff is still valuable.

7. The accessories: the power pad, ROB, the power glove, and Game Genie were all things that were revolutionary then and are still being pumped out like offspring to this day for the new gaming systems. The Atari on the other hand, had no memorable accessories.

8. Atari 5200's controllers break so easily and are hard to find in A1 condition. That has made many people skip collecting for that system. Myself included. Why even bother? Not to mention, the library isn't that impressive. That's why 5200 games aren't really sought after today.

9. Atari 7800 was heavily trumped by the NES. The library is small and the games weren't that good. That's why 7800 games aren't really sought after today.

10. The rom/hack/prototype/repro/translation industry for NES is very strong. The Famicom and the PAL games also offer even more gaming options. The Atari has had homebrews too but nothing like we've seen for NES.

Watch, I give NES a couple more years before it drops like Atari did. Then everyone is gonna all of a sudden be saying how SNES prices are to to high.

As collectors we will always collect but there are people who hit a certain age and get all nostalgic like and start collecting for the system they first got when kids. When this starts happening prices tend to go up until the nostalgic feelings are gone. From the way I see it when people hit the mid to late 20's range this begins. So that means SNES is right around the corner and NES is out.

This is just one aspect of many that I believe things like this happen and just my personal theory.

so many levels of wrong and generalization. You have no idea the young gamers in this hobby. Nintendo was made during the video game age. Our generation is the video game generation. Solid games. still fun to play.  Its not going anywhere. Based on your avatar, hard feelings?