Here are the videos covering the "Best Switch Games for Retro Gamers" that I mentioned in the video: Part 1 - kzfaq.info/get/bejne/iryhqciFz7van3k.html / Part 2 - kzfaq.info/get/bejne/l5thZs-Hq9Odeok.html

Crazy how expensive these old consoles and games are now. They used to be so cheap once the newer consoles came out. I remember buying a NES for $5 shortly after the N64 came out and I bought my N64 for $20 just shortly after the GameCube came out. etc. I rarely paid more than $10 for used games on those consoles back then.

The cheapest consoles to collect for currently are previous generation consoles (particularly Xbox One and PS4 games). To be honest Microsoft consoles have always been affordable even going back to the OG Xbox and 360 (as you've already stated). I imagine 10-15 years from now that will change. Most of us never thought GameCube and certain PS2 games would be so valuable today

Remember, buying one $40 game you love is smarter than eight $5 games you don’t care about.

Bananas 🍌 are cheap.

There's one game cart that elevates the Sega Genesis on this list and that is the 6-Pak cartridge that goes for like $14 loose. It includes Sonic, Streets of Rage, Golden Axe, Revenge of Shinobi, Columns, and Super Hang On. AT barely over $2 a game on an official release, that's a great deal.

I definitely agree about collecting for the original Xbox. So many exclusive great games. Two Sega produced games come to mind (which I thankfully own) Otogi: Myth of Demons; and Panzer Dragoon Oorta; which to this day, is still stunning from a graphical standpoint. It's just beautiful.

In my country (Hungary) PSP games and consoles are nowadays dirt cheap. Great system to collect for.

I’ve been collecting a lot for the original Xbox and PS2 lately. Tons of great games and still affordable for now.

Wii u has been great to collect for. If you missed it like most people it was actually a great system and the games go for cheap now.

I’ve definitely gone on the “cartridge only” route for my Game Gear and Neo Geo Pocket Color games. Something about being portable makes me want to keep a portable profile. Who totes around boxes for portable gaming cartridges?

In my grandma's house there's my father's NES, I hope to find it for now, I found the manuals of the games and the poster with the games on it, my father had games like super Mario 3, boulder dash, star wars and others, I seriously hope to find it

I usually recommend the Sega Master System from the 8bit era. It has quite a selection and apart from a select few games, most loose carts are affordable. For the later systems, a PS2 will give you tons of enjoyment - especially as boxes of the stuff can still be found here and there.

I bought all of my Genesis games except for the last 176 for 5 cents to 2 dollars. For the last 176, it wasn't like I spent a ton with most being around $3.50 or so. I only spent a descent amount for a few... Crusader of Centy $136, MUSHA $150, and everything else was far below $100, with about 20+ being around $50 or less, and the rest landing around that $3.50 to $5 or even $7 mark. I would up paying $2,499 for the entire Genesis library and I haven't regretted it since. Moreover, I now have 44 complete console libraries. The Genesis happened to be the 6th library and at the time, the largest library I had ever completed.

Can confirm that NES peaked probably around 2021 - prices stopped going up and even started dropping. The SNES has continued to go up so I'm confidant it's not the general retro market but instead the "nostalgia gap." The roughly 25 year rolling gap between when a console was new, to when it’s owners are old enough to start wanting to reclaim that childhood AND have the disposable income to afford it. This seems to happen when people hit their mid 30’s, meaning consoles that were popular roughly 25 years behind the current date are in demand. That puts us at about 1997 right now. That having been said, I really do wonder if CD based consoles will ever average as high as cartridge based consoles; CD's were incredibly easy to produce, printed in droves, and often cost half as much as of carts, all leading to (what I'm sure was) many times more sales and a fully saturated market. Tl;dr: they’re much less rare. Not only that, it's much easier to play pirated games on original hardware - a simple Free McBoot and a burned CD, with no need for expensive Everdrives. Even now that the nostalgia gap is hovering right over the PS1, prices remain incredibly low (barring of course the few high-demand gems and obscurities like Tron Bonne). And honestly, there's something about CD's that just don't FEEL the same as carts; I'm okay with paying $80 for a beloved Zelda cart, but I'd never pay that for a cd. They just seem..uninteresting. Not even sure why lol. Actually, I could see that being a good idea for a video - what are YOU thoughts about the value of CD games vs Carts?

NES is surprisingly affordable, even the more sought after stuff like JRPGs Sega Systems with the exception of the Genesis require taking out a loan or winning the lottery

That smile... 🤣 great vid, keep it up Mr Bird!

I've never cared for hand-held consoles but the few Game Boy games I own are played on my Super Game Boy, which is def my favorite console accessory of all-time...it's the optimal way (imo) to play Kid Icarus: Of Myths and Monsters, Metroid II: Return of Samus, and the Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening DX. P.S. I have a "modded" Super Game Boy, by which I mean I put a Super Game Boy 2 pcb board inside of an original Super Game Boy shell...optimized!!

1:03 - 1:10... truer words have never been spoken before!

I've been collecting for PS3 recently. Many great games like Skyrim and MGS 4 for under $10.

ok but the real question is what do I name my lots of kids.

One system I'd recommend as inexpensive SORT OF is the Japanese PC Engine. It's interesting and you can find a bunch of stuff that you've never tried before and it also kind of works as a conversation piece. But the catch to this is international shipping. My entire PC Engine collection cost me something like $300 for a working system and like 40 games. But about $100 of that was currency exchange and shipping. If you can bundle purchases together it saves a lot of money.

This is really a great info for someone wanting to buy some retro games at a decent price. Thank you very much 👍

Generally, the PS2 and Wii have some great games for cheap. The mass produced games are always easy to purchase.

I collected for the GBA recently, outside of a few particular titles it was pretty much $12 a cartridge. Almost all of the 50ish titles i bought were under $50, aside from Final Fantasy 6 (which i got from a friend for free but totally would of been like $80 or more) and Ice Nine. Waiting and finding a ebay listing for the UK versions of rare US GBA games really pays off.

I never realized how bad aiming was on the GameCube version of Timesplitters 2 until I revisited it recently. Oh man.

I’m okay with just cartridges for my other consoles, but I want my Genesis games to be CIB.

ive been watching retro bird one video after the other. keep it up!

Great video as always! You listed a great selection of consoles but the one I will always recommend is the PS2. There are just so many different quality games for the system. While some genres are certainly more represented than others, it’s almost impossible to not find something you’ll enjoy. Most of the best games are also pretty cheap. Sure, there are exceptions (for example, many of the best horror games can get pretty pricey), but most of the best games will run maybe $30 max. This makes it a great console to collect for, especially for beginners who are just dipping their toes into retro games.

Glad to see you mention Battletoads in Ragnarok’s World 👍 it was one of like five games I had on the Game Boy growing up. Still have it to this day; never beat the turbo tunnel and never will, but the first couple levels before you get to the tunnel are honestly super fun lol

As much as I like floppy ear dogs, I think CD ear dogs are where it's at.

Finally got myself a CIB copy of Rocket Knight Adventures. Payed a little more than I would have liked, but don’t regret it for a second 😉 incredible game

I used to have Kid Dracula for Game Boy. It was one of my favorites. I can't believe how expensive it is now. 😭

Lately I've been playing ps3 rail shooters more than usual. Been collecting them more over the last while and I'm having fun with them. Love the show!

Perfect vid for me! Love your channel but don't have a collection yet myself(mostly due to finances). I wish all the best for the creators of emulators

Right now I'm collecting for ds and switch 😊

One console that i think doesn't get enough credit for being pretty cheap is the game gear. Most titles will run you around 20-50 dollars witch is suprising considering it didnt sell all to that well.

I am one of the weirdos who love the duke controllers… I have large hands, so big controllers like the duke and Dreamcast are really comfortable for me

Pretty cool picks, retrobird.

This varies a lot by region. Xbox games are frequently relatively expensive in Europe, where it had a smaller market, but outside of a few big franchise representatives and rare titles, PS2 games are typically very affordable. I'm sometimes surprised to see modest prices for N64 games here, after seeing them featured on US KZfaq channels. If you like regionless systems like the Game Boy and DS, it might be worth looking at import copies before buying something.

This guy reminds me of comedy legend Super Dave. Good vids.

I only just stumbled upon this channel recently. With most collector channels, I only watch the videos pertaing to consoles that i collect for. With this channel, ive been watching them all because this bloke is hillarious and entertaining.

Great video! May I ask what was that drifting racing game you were playing on xbox?

Just the other day my son wanted me to get him an original XBox for Christmas. Now after watching this video looks like its in my price range! If your my son reading this...act surprised on Christmas! I was late in the game for the Switch, but I did notice how many retro games they release, so I had to buy me a Switch Lite. My biggest collection is by far my Game Boy hands down I have the most games for that console! It's my hidden jem at home as the green screen scares off modern gamers! Here's a cool catch phrase for ya..."I'm Bananas for Retro Games!"

Yeah some times when you are lucky enough to catch the sail, got several for $0.03 before On the E-shop side.

The Switch's library is almost as large and varied as the PS2's and im here for it!!! 👍🏿👍🏿

Another great Retro Bird video! Thanks for the great content. I can only hope my own channel grows into this someday. Have a great day Retro Bird!

I found this after finding my old cdx and game gear in my parents house. Now I’m looking to find out what will increase over time that I can grab now

I died not drinking water. Watched this video and came back to life. Thanks Retro Bird! Also I saw Ninja Gaiden Black did you beat it on Master Ninja yet?

I love this channel

Thank you! Looks like I'm going to start collecting OG Xbox lol.

My buddy recently got really into the Gameboy. He's got a Play It Loud DMG that he put an IPS screen into and has been buying quite a few games over the past couple months. Took after what I did to one of my Glacier GBA tacos with an IPS, LiPo battery, glass screen, buttons, stickers, etc. I'm tempted to do it again on a GB Pocket, not decided on whether it's my original childhood Blue one or the Arctic Blue (?) one that I got a little while ago. Though to be honest I'd probably trick out my og DMG first, since it's in pretty rough shape. Definitely agree with the original Xbox, that platform's a steal for 6th gen stuff. I been telling people this for awhile, usually they don't listen. At this point I think my xbox library is almost as robust as my ps2 library. And tbh I was kinda surprised I didn't see PS3 (or XB360) on the list, they're both insane value for the games right now. Give it another 5 years and I suspect it'll be a different climate for those platforms.

I've always said the slim Xbox OG Controller was the best! Glad to see someone else mention it!

A great console to collect for I think is the Neo Geo.....pocket color. Great little console and highly underrated.

I've been building up my PS2, Switch and my PS1 games at good prices because I'm a bargain hunter. Old school Xbox and my Series X I don't have to get to many because I have the game I wanted

The OG Xbox is also modifiable to play ROMs straight off the hard drive. If there's an expensive or unfindable game, the Internet can fill in the gaps of your collection.

I think collecting for the gameboy is a win just because I love the cartridges so much. It brings back so much nostalgia.

I'm looking to buy a used NES for cheap now. Hoping that the seller can throw in Little Samson along with it.

I have been collecting for the original xbox since about a year ago, and it has been such a surreal feeling collecting all the games I use to see for rent as a kid. The prices now are MUCH cheaper than how they were during release, so I would be stuck browsing the early internet with envy or watching X-Play reviews of all the games I wanted to play.

Alright, you've convinced me to get a Genesis, despite it's lack of banana-colored cartridges. A console I only played at friends houses and at a really cool daycare I went to as a kid.

Great vid, and I wouldn't take anything off of that list. I think having the OG Xbox is really cool, I think it's a console a lot of people still sleep on. I would add the PS2 to your list, provided a person is just getting into classic gaming. It has a large library to choose from w/a lot of reasonably priced games that are very solid, and it plays all of the original PS stuff as well...so it's a win-win.

Very happy my Gameboy boxes (games included) are near mint & I've even got 2 megaman games. Also I've gotta say the only issue with the xbox controller is not having shoulder buttons, that's where the 360 beats the original for me. Very fun grabbing games for xbox because you can just take a chance on so many things.

Great video! For me, I’ve found the Megadrive isn’t too expensive and most Saturn games aren’t bad either. 32x can be really expensive and N64 is hit and miss based on box condition etc. PSone are insanely cheap, as is PS3 and PS3, even PS4. Personally I really like collecting Megadrive, Saturn, a few Sega CD and some N64x

Just picked up a PS2, Valkyrie Profile 2, and a memory card for like $120 total (shipped). Not bad imo for a pretty rare game and a console. Also, so many games are less than $10 now.

The Wii is still very affordable and has lots of great games.

PS3/4 and Xbox 360/One are really cheap right now, I would recommend them as well.

Nice! In my country, PS2 seems to be the one to buy, a lot of consoles, a lot of games, and somewhat cheap...for now at least.

The Wii with a CRT!

If we bring imports into it, that boosts the Switch substantially. A lot of limited run games or digital only have wide releases in Japan that automatically play in English (Atlus excepting). Imports actually make the Saturn pretty affordable. You can often find a bundle with the console, a bangin' roster of games and the controllers needed for $150 or less and a lot of arcade perfect ports can be found for $20 or less - even games that never came out here. I should do a list of Saturn games that you can get from Japan and don't need to know Japanese to play...

personally i think it’s a great time to collect for wii, although the best affordability was probably a few years ago. You can still get great games and hardware really cheaply. It is easy to find games complete with case and manual. Probably because the cases are much more durable than the cardboard boxes that older games came in and most people would have just kept the game and manual in the case when they weren’t playing it. I expect that it will go up in value soon. Just look at how much more expensive Gamecube games are now. I expect that Wii will go up a lot in value in a few years. The downside is that it doesn’t have the same online functionality that it used to due to the servers being shut down. In terms of Gameboy, I found that one exception to affordability is if you want to collect Pokemon games and accessories. They are so expensive these days. In my country you rarely see pokemon games for less than about $100 just for the cartridge. Sometimes the CIB are listed for about $300.

Love your facial expressions retrobird. 🙂

Don’t sleep on Japanese versions. Especially for consoles like SNES and Dreamcast. Translation patches can be used on SNES with Analogue or other systems and some very expensive US games can be bought at a fraction of the price.

Ex Mutants and Boogerman are all ya need for the Genesis.

i have an atari 2600, a nes, a snes, and a tandy extended basic color computer 2(yeah. i learned the name by heart). and some miscelaneous cartridges and controllers that sometimes dont even match any console. they are all collecting dust in a room.....in the hoarding room. i do my retro gaming in retroarch. the space saved and survivability of the roms and saves is awesome.

I would say just try out the retro game options on the modern consoles on their streaming services and see what you like. And maybe get your hands on some of the mini consoles too. And if you end up really liking a certain console then maybe collect for that. But everyone is going to have different interests. There were a few Sega Saturn games on the Playstation streaming service, such as Knights into Dreams and Super Puzzle Fighter and Virtua Fighter 2. And I believe a few Dreamcast games. And if you like 16 bit games then buy the PC Engine mini console, it's totally worth it and much cheaper than the TurboGrafx Mini. Ys 1 and 2 is in English on the PC Engine mini, so no fears there.

Great job with the facial expressions 👍👍

So glad my first Gameboy game was Wario Land: Super Mario Land 3. Man that game is awesome. Well actually it was Caesar's Palace.. came in the thing when I found it at a garage sale and begged my mom for it. Don't count that one though. I was just happy to have a cool portable system. Good times

It's been a while since I checked but PS4 games tend to be fairly affordable too.

OG neo geo with a few cartridges for me. kof, metal slug, some shmup

Collect for the Switch while you can because this console is gonna be one of Nintendo’s biggest hallmarks since the Super Nintendo imo. Also, the console isn’t region locked so half of my games are from Japan due to sometimes having the cheaper options online. Just got the japanese import of New Pokémon Snap from ebay for $25.

Very few people go up to bat for Xbox anything, let alone the controller of the OG! Mad respect. As a lover of all video games, I've always been the odd one out that prefers the xbox controller (I'm even a DUKE fan, if you can believe it). Racing and shooters were just *chefs kiss* on that controller/console combo

That's a very solid list! I'm not as familiar with collecting retro games anymore, but I was surprised to not see the SNES on the list. Are SNES games just more inherently expensive than the NES or Genesis? I figure the demand for SNES games has always been pretty high, but I would have thought games like Super Mario World or Super Mario All-Stars can be found at a reasonable price (cartridge only)? The Switch is actually a retro gamers' dream! Not only are the modern games fun, but it has a ton of retro games available! You can play the NSO games, there have been wonderful remasters and collections of many classic games, and there are a metric ton of good indie games that perfectly capture that retro feel!

Although I'm not very fond of figuring out consoles with expansive libraries to collect, I do have a suggestion for a future video: thoughts on the Nintendo Wii. You don't talk about it very much, so it would be interesting to hear what you have to say. Perhaps you can even suggest your ideal library of games to get for it for those who are looking into adding one to their collection.

N3ds and ds are usually decently priced. Sometimes the consoles are pretty cheap to buy

Only trick to the xbox is you pretty much have to replace the clock capacitor or you've got a time bomb on your shelf. I adore mine. It was some work to set up, though.

I have an og xbox conected to insignia, and a rgh 360 highly recommend it

I think a sega Saturn and an action replay cart flashed with pseudo Saturn is an awesome way to play an amazing library for cheap. It n the end though if you want to be a serious collector and buy legit games don’t go retro because you’ll be broke in no time

The OG Xbox controller was much hated back in the day... unless you're talking about the Controller S, which was pretty alright.

Please start selling Retro Bird merch already, so I can buy a “Get On My Lawn” baseball cap!

I will always advocate for the original Xbox because it does not get enough attention compared to the PS2 or GameCube. Of course it was also a great Sega console in a way as well considering the many games that made their way to it after the Dreamcast's demise. Otogi, Craxy Taxi 3, Jet Set Radio Future, OutRun, Panzer Dragoon Orta and, House of the Dead III.

To play game boy games on the switch don't you need to have a online subscription what happens when the servers go down can I play first party switch games dlc offline?

I've recently started collecting more games for the OG Xbox and I am pleasantly surprised by the price tags on the games I want. That being said, it isn't as cheap as I would like, as I've found you can sink a lot of money into the hardware itself. I pulled out my old Xbox to play my newly acquired games only to find that the disk drive didn't work. Apparently, the lasers in the Xbox's disk drives are notorious for dying even after moderate usage. Based on the price listings I've seen, buying a new disk drive costs around $80. You might as well get a new console at that point, as those usually cost $100, but there's no telling how long the disk drive in the "new" console will hold up either. The only other option I have is to play the games on my 360, but OG games don't run perfectly on that thing and more than half of the games I want to play aren't supported. Playing OG Xbox games has become a bit of a problem for me, as I have a limited budget. Makes me thankful I don't collect for older consoles!

I think the Wii is a criminally undervalued console, the games are cheap and the console itself isn't too pricey.

Awesome!

What’s the name of the Cowboy game you were playing in the Switch segment?

Wii U is cheap right now and there is some cool stuff on it that never came to switch. I think its a great one to collect for now with a real chance of the games going way up in value in the next 5-10 years. Its probably a better investment strategy than 3/4s of stocks.

We stay away from X-box. First one had problems reading the discs. It would always say can't read disc or it's dirty etc. When it was Super clean no scratches.

My "one everdrive cartridge to rule them all" mentality allowed me to buy and play consoles/games I had never played before, while skipping the game hunt all together. Some prefer emulators + roms, others prefer original consoles + games, I comfortably sit in the middle with original consoles + roms, it's the closest to the original experience without spending too much money.

Mr. RetroBird, do you ever buy your current generation games used? I feel like your retro games always appear in pretty great condition. Maybe minus Timmy’s cart. Was jc cus I keep holding out for that Luigi’s Mansion 3 sale again too lol

I got into CIB Genesis collecting in the mid 2000s cause I couldn't afford CIB SNES lol. Around 2015 I decided to collect Game Gear (very underrated console.... A+ games on F- hardware but the LCD mod fixes all that). These days.... Yeah loose Genesis and OG Xbox are great budget picks. Stay away from 360 and onward because servers aren't forever and most of those games need patches to play right