Jon you are going to raise the prices again

Collecting older games second hand used to be one of my favorite aspects of gaming, but with how the prices from online sellers have spiraled out of control the past couple years, my enthusiasm for it has been almost completely drained and I've felt priced out on even a lot of fairly commonplace older titles.

I wonder if this is partly why Nintendo hasn't put much effort into Virtual Console/retro game releases, since its not as expensive over in Japan.

Finally, learning Japanese was worth it. Playing Chrono Trigger in Japanese is like playing it for the first time all over again!

I had to give up game collecting. It just got too damn expensive. I still have some retro games/consoles that I hold dear to me, though. And I have to agree with you on the packaging quality from Japanese sellers. I bought a spice orange gamecube and it was wrapped so intricately - in a whole different league from any American seller I've bought from. Everything was in near pristine condition and he also sent a warm, passionate note.

It’s super crazy how expensive retro gaming is. I know some people can’t always go to a brick and mortar store but I always find going to actual stores that have those games for fair prices. It definitely depends on where you live as I know some people don’t have access to them but if you can find a gaming store, chances are likely that they’ll have fair pricing or even cheaper.

The Retron 5 will let you apply translation patches to these Japanese cartridges too so you can play them in English. Great job with the video!

Well yeah, most of the games that are rare and expensive in the US saw a less popular and very limited release in the US and Europe. Meanwhile they were mass produced and marketed very well in Japan, meaning now you can easily find a japan copy. Pair that with the fact that anyone who only speaks english, german or spanish wont be able to actually read the games means higher supply and lesser demand.

I can tell you 3 reasons why that is: 1) Japan doesn't have as many die-hard video game hobbyists/collectors as the west does. 2) Collecting video games is looked down upon as it is part of the broader otaku culture and seen as counter-productive / a waste of money and or time. Collecting and building Gunpla figures on the other hand is viewed as a form of art, and is generally approached with a positive attitude. Some sort of double-standard going on there. 3) Akihabara (Japan's electronics district) has many many video game stores-- both new and retro, which have bins upon bins filled with video games that are still in their original packaging. Since there is a surplus of supplies, market prices for those games have stayed affordable for the most part. TL;DR too many otakus/scalpers here in the West driving the prices up insanely high.

I’m an expat in China and yeah, online retailers are a treasure trove of affordable SNES, GBA, Genesis import from Japan, boxed in mint condition. Kinda bums me out since back then hardly any games had language options, so I’m just collecting things like fighters, platformers and racing games, which don’t require much text to work through. But then I see a fresh Final Fantasy VI on GBA, with the manual and box for less than 50 bucks.. guess it’s time to learn Japanese.

Some games I've been wanting to experience are pretty much unaffordable. We need Gamecube virtual console more than ever now.

Yeah they are cheaper, until people on KZfaq start talking about it and in a year or so they'll be expensive aswell. Not everything should be exposed, people have internet, they can look stuff up themselves.

Completely agree with you, buying from Japan is a lovely experience. I've been sent origami, sweets and always a thank you note.

Just a reminder for ebay watching: don't go for the Buy it Now and always compare with the end bidding. Ther's so much confusing around that a Game is "worth that much" because one idiot payed a overpriced buy it now.

Thats why I buy a lot of my games and consoles from Japan, New 3ds are so much cheaper from Japan, and if you're willing to do a little bit of nodding it's well worth the savings! Got my ps vita from Japan as well for cheap and its totally region free so no issues there!

Awesome video Jon, really enjoying these collecting videos, and all the great information y’all provide! Also, really just enjoy seeing y’all’s collections and hearing about what games you enjoy playing.

One day. Rare nes/snes games are gonna cost the same as a used car from the early 2000s

I like Jon’s chair directly beside the window and facing the same window; it is a good chair and a good window, too.

It's because Japan has actual retro shops and retro gaming is commonplace. It is probably why Japanese companies are late to the remaster/remake game (and much more limited) compared to the west.

I love how Starfox is Starwing in Pal regions. Starfox is such a better title, less generic sounding.

“Noone from Englamd sends me origami.” 🤣

Guys, can you please stop raising prices because of world record. Whatever happened to fun hobby

Nice room Jon! Is it like a separate room from your house? If that’s the case, I tentatively plan on doing something like that and adding on to my garage on the back to make a game room for both video games and table top games! Love your space you have there, it’s great!

Hey Jon love the “ugh” part when u showed dkc3 since kiddy Kong is on there lol keep up the great work! 😊

Amazing to see how different, each part of our world sees these treasures. Prices are vastly low to high. Also love that you received a note, and even origami as a gift from buying a title from someone. So sweet

Jon! You're making me want to collect famicom and super famicom games!

I have gotten candy, origami & a thank you on top of a completely free bonus game one time. It all depends on the seller & what was purchased. It’s also one of the reasons I love the Japanese market. Was able to get a copy of Magical Chase for the PC Engine for a fraction of what the US Version would cost.

i bought the Japanese version of Chrono Trigger DS for $37 US in 2019 and the North American version seems to be going for around $72 US!

It’s very simple: the retro market in Japan isn’t as big as the foreign market. Therefore, there is less demand on the Japanese stuff.

The music makes me want to play Pilotwings Resort. But to get back on topic, I sold most of my game collection a few years ago. The prices are way too high, and I don't have that much time to play since I became a dad. I was blown away by the price some game were sold. I like playing on original hardware and all, but to really do these game justice you need a CRT TV, so at the end of the day, when I want to play some retro games I try to get a digital copy which are expensive for what they are, but are always more affordable. And in last resort emulation, which work really well these days. You can even set CRT filters or Gameboy filters via shades on Retro Arch and probably other emulators as well. And it looks fantastic. This week I've replayed Super Metroid on the Switch Snes app, and I had a blast with it. There's no way I would have bought it for 200€ for a shitty PAL 50Hz version.

As for me: The only retro system I collect for at the moment, is Classic Game Boy. All but one of the games is the American version. I managed to hit it at the right time and get most of them for as cheap as possible. I didn't care whether or not the cartridge was yellowed as long as the label was in decent shape and the board worked. I even got one with a dead save battery and fixed it. The one game I have so far that is from another country, is Fatal Fury 2, which was only released in Japan last I checked, and was less expensive than King of Fighters. I should probably point out, that with the exception of Tetris, all the games were purchased over a year ago.

I like that you're directing the people who want to play these retro games to a more affordable solution. I personally haven't bought any Japanese games my self but I may try it with any title that isn't an RPG. Also, nice collection you got there. 😀

YESSSSS THANK YOU FOR USING THE GLIDER THEME FROM PILOTWINGS RESORT

Had no idea the difference was so great. Insightful video, cheers!

Idk why but you guys are always on point. I literally just ordered a copy of Pokémon crystal from Japan yesterday

Shhhhhh!!! You going to cause the prices to go up. I’m still trying to pick up a few more games I want to own the Japanese versions of. Once I get those feel free to drive those prices up.

Flashcarts are also an option! Especially for those wishing to experience rpg's and other text heavy games on original hardware. The cheapest SNES flashcart can be obtained for 60$, and can run every major rpg except those with enhancement chips (which is really only Super Mario RPG).

This is why I am starting a flash cart collection.

I love older games but I don't collect them on the original hardware. I love my SNES mini and games like the Mana series on Switch because I can play the classic games without having to order possibly broken or damaged second hand copies. One area where I have started importing games is with Asia English games on Switch. Games like Legend of Mana, Saga Frontier, Final Fantasy IX etc. These games were fully translated into English (even the box) but were not released here in America but were released in the Asia region (which I believe refers Sinapore, Hong Kong, Taiwan etc. but not Japan or Korea) so I've been importing those. I also got into the Super Robot Wars games through importing of Asia English games.

Way back in 2010 I remember I bought a Japanese Diddy Kong Racing cartridge because it was the cheapest option I found online... And that included shipping, and it was like new (maybe brand new, it was in perfect conditions).

I think if I ever get an NES I’m probably going to get an adapter to allow it to play famicom games because the prices are so much better. Great video!

I love that Jon’s copy of Donkey Kong Country for Super Famicom has ハタノ (Hatano) written on it. Hatano clearly needed a way to identify his copy.

I spotted a copy of Front Mission for the Super Famicom, which confirms Jon has great taste in games!

I got a Japanese Wii and Fire Emblem Path of Radiance on my last trip to Japan a few years back for just under $100 total Canadian. And F-Zero GX a couple months back for just $15! It’s crazy how GameCube games shoot up in price, but generally are much cheaper in Japan. As a collector of Fire Emblem, I finished my physical collection this year. The only exception in Fire Emblem however, is that Thracia 776 is quite expensive. There are less copies compared to the other games in the series and there are a few different ways it was sold, one being the “Nintendo Power Flash Cartridge System” where the front of the cartridge and box was a plain box art not relating to the game. It’s the cheapest, but I went for a later release that has the box art and a standard cartridge for about $200. There is also a special edition that released which I really wanted, but it’s quite rare and prices go over $500+.

Got a Spanish Xenoblade Chronicles before the Wii U eShop release and ports dropped the price and made quite a saving from it. I think my Australian Pikmin 2 was about £10 in 2014. I'd also highly recommend looking at Japanese sellers when it comes to retro controllers. Postage can be a turn-off but when I was looking at a setup for 10-player Saturn Bomberman, it was the only way to go. Mainly just thankful for collecting retro stuff when I did. My Mega CD copy of Snatcher cost me £30 back in 2005.

As an enormous Sonic fan and SA2:B being my favorite game ever, about 6-7 years ago I bought the Japanese only Dreamcast SA2 birthday pack that was only sold in for two days for about $35. Now it's going for like $75 on eBay, but the English CIB regular release is going for over $90. And the birthday pack comes with a gold coin, a soundtrack, and a fold out case that is separate from the game case. That is freaking nuts that it is cheaper where it come with so much stuff AND it was only sold for two days

I live in Japan and yup, it is an absolute heaven for collecting retro games ! I'm extremely cheap, I think the most expensive retro game I bought was Pokemon Soul Silver for the DS fully boxed with the poke walker for around 29/30 dollars, and I thought that was overpriced until I found out about UK/US prices, holy shit. Most of the games I buy here are generally less than 10 dollars (except for gamecube games which are usually 20/30+), sometimes I can even get loose cartridges for 100yen (less than a dollar) ! Not to mention the consoles here are usually in great condition and extremely cheap ! I can't even start to imagine how much this all would have cost me if I lived in the US, I probably wouldn't even have started.

is this the same for japanese consoles that they’re cheap like the games won’t we need something to play them on?

One cool thing to note for super famicom games is that you can actually play them on a north american super nintendo quite easily. The only modification needed is to remove one plastic clip which otherwise prevent the famicom cartridge from fitting.

In my country(Brazil)too, Stadium events on NES is 20 dollars here and DuckTales 2 is around 40 dollars but Chibi robo on the GameCube costs 134 dollars

that was good for retro Nintendo of Japan & UK, this very glad video.

I'd love to see a video on getting Japanese consoles to run in the UK. Always been confused about that, despite having been a 'collector' for nearly 20 years! Also, when it comes to PAL games, some are optimised for 50hz to run/sound the same. However, some aren't at all so they run slower. If you play a 50hz optimised game on a PAL 60hz modded console they would run too fast or be glitchy (DKC and Super Mario World on SNES come to mind), so it's a bit of a lottery!!

it also depends on where you are in japan, I wanted a DMG gameboy in the box, in akihabara places like super potato and traders wanted like $100 for a loose dmg, but in kyoto I found a minty one in the box for $40, theyve caught on to tourist

There are retro stores in my country that sells Japanese imports of collectibles, games and consoles and it’s usually dirt cheap but pristine quality. The stores would pile up on surplus and they will have to hold a clearance sale pretty often which makes the items even cheaper and bundled. I got a lot of good finds from them. Everything on Ebay is just ludicrously expensive. It’s better to just go and hunt on physical stores… but pandemic. Honestly can’t wait to go back to Japan and scout every retro store I could.

This is why I collect Pokémon music. Pretty much the only item with a super-high price tag is the soundtrack to the Pokemon Live stage show.

Going for the japanese versions of games is really the best alternative. I just got a like-new copy of Chainsaw Lollipop Premium Edition for half the price of the american version. Thank you so much for this awesome buying tip, Jon!

Im glad i did start collecting over 15 years ago. My collection is not "huge", but still around 800 games for many different systems. For example i have around 100 GB Games, most of them cartridge only to get the idea). And the time i bought them, they got sold in bundles like 10-20 games for 0,50€ each on ebay (no joke). This was truly a time only collectors cared about that stuff.

Except for RPG's, I import games for my handhelds all the time. My last one was Resistance for Vita, paid less than $20. On an unrelated note, a plastic model I've bought from Japan years back had origami, snacks and a Pokemon mini-puzzle.

It’s gotta be like a bubble, the prices will go up but they’ll go down eventually once people decide the prices are getting too high!

Well the retro market got out of hand thanks to youtubers, so thank you Jon, because of this video Japanese games are going up in price as well xD

Is that Super Fire Pro Wrestling along the bottom row??? beside Earthbound and All Stars???

If you want to play famicom games on an nes you can with a cartridge adapter. Good luck collecting my friend!

To put it simply the Japanese ain't as greedy as the US followed by the UK.

This video alone is gonna make Japanese prices go up. Dang

<a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="520">8:40</a> Now just imagine being in Japan and going to a Hard Off (Used discount electronic store) and being able to find box versions of these games for 500 yen a piece or even less sometimes. Having that knowledge I can't just bother to pay for retro games unless I'm visiting Japan, which due to the pandemic is not possible at the moment (I live in Asia so it's traveling to Japan is possible). ㅜㅜ

A couple months ago I got a pristine pink 3ds from Japan on eBay for $70 and free shipping, Meanwhile ones from the US cost at least $130. It took a couple days to figure out the CFW and region change but it was so worth it

I always buy the Japanese version for retro but not current/next gen. Lucky for me I can read Japanese so that helps too for JRPGs.

Not really far where I live, there´s a shop that sells old, second-hand videogames for like 40-50 dollars. I got Sonic Heroes, Mario Party 6 and Wario World for my Wii, for like, 120 in total. In other places, with 120 you only get to buy one of them. Heck, maybe even one of them.

I thought about getting import Hardware for Famicom, Super Famicom, and Mega Drive but decided on going with the Analogue Consoles instead. The Super NT, Mega SG, and Analogue Nior Mini. Future proof and region free. Awesome visual quality as well but the price tag is hefty. I just figured I would use the money that I was holding for a PS5 on those because the whole PS5 situation is a complete debacle.

Thanks, now prices are going to go up here too.

Clicked for the retro games, stayed for the Jon Cartwright Room Reveal/Tour

I LOVE the Japanese Super Metroid cartridge art. Wow.

Honestly everything and everyone is healthier in Japan

Jon inadvertently pushing the foreign market up.

True this. I saw lots of cheap games in Japan when i was there. Terranigma for the snes for example. In Japan complete woth box and manual for 55€. In english its above 180€ crazy shit

also proof of point: god of war collection on ps3 is listed at $37.50 on amazon. i got the korean version at a gaming shop for a dollar.

I have consoles from different regions too: most are from Europe and then I have one Martian Gamecube which is pretty rare.

Coming soon to GBA: Jon Cartwright - Four Walls Adventure. You will need link cables for it.

I'm living in Japan and the other day I walked in a store and saw multiple copies of Fire Emblem Radiant Dawn, CiB for about $20 each. There's exceptions here and there but generally speaking yes, it's much easier to find retro/older games at reasonable prices even fully complete.

Shh don't give ebay some ideas

I've bought a lot of games from Japan on ebay and have gotten some thank you letters, but never got any origami.

I like the Pilotwings music :D

Kotaku literally just posted an article on the rise of prices of the Japanese retro game market.

This is why I only collect modern era Nintendo stuff from the DS onwards. It just isn't feasible or affordable for someone like me to collect any of the retro stuff anymore :/

My first/only times playing the original Wario Land trilogy was via the Japanese versions. Aside from some tiny confusion surrounding the treasure minigames, I had an amazing time with them. And I managed to get all three cartridges for less than the average going price of *one* English cartridge. I say just go for it.

In order to play Japanese famicom carts you don't need to buy a Japanese console you can easily buy an adapter like my arcade in order to play on your American NES. However my arcade only accept standard famicom cart if you purchase Splatterhouse wapaku graffiti it will not fit because of the unusual tall size of the cart. Also you can purchase a Retron 5 to make it much easier as well especially if you want to put English patches on some RPG game like Mother 2. As for pricing is really depending not all famicom games are cheap especially shipping and takes a long time to deliver.

Buying retro games directly in Japan is super cheap! A few years ago I went into a mom and pop shop and bought all of the pokemon versions for gen 1 and 2 for under 10 dollars, no box but they all looked brand new!

My entire SNES collection is Japanese for this reason.

It really is sick how cheap games in Japan are in comparison. When I had my exchange semester over there I bought so much gaming books and games for low prizes. Though, newer used games (e.g.3DS, Switch) can be at least as expensive as here in Germany so I guess it really just goes for retro stuff. I speak Japanese and often think about selling my Pal versions and rebuying games in/from Japan, too. ^^ And yeah, "used" in Japan always feels to me like "in almost new condition", even for most books and the like.

If you like playing on original hardware, repro carts are the way to go unless it’s one of your favorite games and you want to have an authentic copy.

I believe japan mass produces their games where as here in the states games are produce just to cover the demand

I've noticed that. Also Kirby in Japanese is called "Hoshi No Kirby" which might translate to "Kirby of the stars".

Maybe I'm wrong about this but I think certain games would give me a hard time selecting options in Japanese. I think this would be particularly bad in RPGs like final fantasy.

The absurd prices are also why emulation is often favored. Legal or not, I don't have huge surpluses of money or space to reserve for retro games. And if I sit on the sidelines while everyone else has fun, I'll never leave the sidelines.

Was living in Japan 2 years ago and i've never seen so many Final Fantasy games in my life every time i went into a Hard Off, Book Off, or Retro store. you could build a coffee table out of them all ....(100 yen a piece = $1). Also if you're a CD collector they keep their stuff in immaculate condition so you could get so much music for $1- $3 a pop.

You hear that that’s the sound of the prices going up

<a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="915">15:15</a> even though the game appears expensive for what it is, the Famicom version came out in 1994 so yeah

"Hey everyone!" Love that...

I think the way cheaper prices in Japan overall relate to the fact that english-speaking people cannot easily play them, hence the difference in demand and value.

Every Japanese copy I've bought came with a hand written note and origami. Can confirm it is true and wholesome