I was wondering how much, if any, you guys think the value of the VB, and particularly its games, will increase over time. I don't know about you, but I didn't drop a huge wad of cash just so I can play the amazingly magnificent game that is Virtual Lab or Space Invaders. I am hoping that the value of it increases quite a bit as vintage games become more popular.
I see some old hard to find SNES and NES games starting to increase a little bit, and even some newer games (Sealed or mint FF7 originals for example) go for a pretty penny. Where do you think VB fits in to the vintage game collection? It was so short lived that the supplies are very short, especially the rare games. I'm only missing a couple of games (Virtual Bowling, SD Gundam, Mario Clash JAP, and Wario Land JAP) and am actually looking at this whole collection as a kind of stock, except more fun to collect. I even have alot of random things that aren't games, such as the guide, boxed headphones, boxed visor, an old pamphlet, old magazines, etc. I'll be taking pics of my collection and probably posting them to a website in the near future.
I'm just curious to see how many people are like me and are buying up and looking forward to seeing their investment increase in value.
Since Virtual Boy's were only in production for like a year at most...I imagine the price for one, as well as it's games to increase a good bit over time.
Well, considering the original price of the VB and its games, if you did buy it at those prices it'll be a fair while before you make your money back. :p:
I agree that because of the relatively short production time, coupled with the obscurity of it compared to other consoles, the VB will eventually turn into a decent money maker. Not so much the common games like Tennis and Baseball (which I have), but the rarer ones like Jack Bros, Waterworld, Wario and the rare Jap games (which of course I don't have :rolleyes:).
It may not be the best investment, but that won't stop me collecting. ;)
I was incredibly lucky to find a brand new one from TOYS "R" US for a mere $25. This was back when they were clearencing them out. Recently I obtained a HTF adapter from a GOOD WILL store for a mere $5.
For the past couple of years, the Virtual Boy market has been quite volatile. The actual systems don't seem to go for much these days. The VB seems to be worth more if you sell it in parts. I have seen just the eye shade sell for $20 and a stand/legs sell for as much as $35. Yet, I have also seen a complete system sell for $40-50 and include 1 or more games with it.
It is also near impossible to predict what games will sell for as well. Here is a perfect example: [URL="http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=8291547559&rd=1&sspagename=STRK%3AMEWA%3AIT&rd=1"]This copy of Virtual Bowling[/URL] sold a little over a month ago for just over $1,000. But, [URL="http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ih=009&item=190007662317&rd=1&sspagename=STRK%3AMEWA%3AIT&rd=1"]this one[/URL] ended on Friday and only sold for just over $600. [URL="http://cgi.ebay.com/Nintendo-Virtual-Boy-VIRTUAL-LAB-Ultra-Rare-MIB_W0QQitemZ190007668637QQihZ009QQcategoryZ187QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem"]Virtual Lab[/URL] usually sells for over $400. And [URL="http://cgi.ebay.com/Nintendo-Virtual-Boy-SD-Gundam-Dimension-War-Ultra-Rare_W0QQitemZ190007657875QQihZ009QQcategoryZ187QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem"]SD Gundam[/URL] Used to sell for about as much as a grand like V-Bowling did. Hell, if you look at closed autions on ebay for Spiderman: Web of Fire for the SEGA 32x, you will notice that they are only going for about $75 now. They used to sell for closer to $200 NIB. And there were only 15,000 copies produced.
Of course, we also have to consider the fact that many people just don't have the cash to dump on vintage games these days. A lot of people are hurting for cash. That, or they'd rather spend the money on a next-get system. People are selling off their collections (of all kinds, not just VB stuff) just to make ends meet. The people who are bidding don't have much competition, because not everyone can afford that kind of bread just for a video game. Also, I have seen V-Bowling up on ebay at least 3 times in the past 2-3 months. When such a rare game shows up on ebay that often, the latest ones to sell typically sell for less. So, a lot of things can factor into this. I'm sure that over time the value of the VB will stabilize and eventually increase. Especially as more VB units break or malfunction and get thrown away. Rght now they are still cheap enough that you can just buy another one. But, I don't think that will be the case in years to come.
So, just hold on to your collection. I'm sure it will gain in value at some point.
Now don't get me wrong here. I guess I worded my initial post poorly. I'm not buying to invest, I am buying to collect. As you say, if I were trying to make money, I'd do so otherwise. I love VB and always have, so I am collecting it of course. However, I would not collect it if I would be getting a negative return on the items I buy. Right now, I don't have the cash to spend on Virtual Bowling or SD Gundam. Hopefully I'll be able to snatch one up when it's low. I will post some pics of my collection in the other thread soon since I finally bought a digital camera.
Not very much because it sucks!!
Ok, so people are gionna want it cuz they're collectors. Who cares? The system is terrible. Anybody played Waterworld?
Thats just one bad game. There are some actual classics on the console.
...Just because your brain borks after 5 minutes playing doesn't mean it sucks.. :rolleyes:
yeah like Virtual Boy Wario Land AND Galactic Pinball for just naming a few :-P
Wouldn't it be the coolest thing if the values just plummeted and we could all have every bit we wanted at a reasonable price? I just ebayed a system after not having one forever, (unit with tennis, wario, telereboxer, and red alarm+power supply, 100 dollars) (japanese jack bros, 45 dollars) and I suppose I didn't pay too much--after all, Jack Bros is new/sealed--but I would have loved to have gotten it cheaper.
I'm rooting for what would suit us best.
...But then those of us who have already spent the money will be really p*ssed off.
I know I would.
Back in the 70's comic collectors (speculators, really) got into a frenzy over a rare giveaway comic titled Donald Duck Talks About Kites. It wasn't anything special from a reader's perspective. It was Carl Barks art (always good) but it was just what the title described and not a "key" issue in any way.
It was hard to find, that's all. And the price soared to 700 dollars plus before the frenzy ended. And here is what happened. The people who paid high dollar for it refused to take less than what they paid for it, and most of them expected to turn a profit. Unfortunately, the market for Donald Duck Talks About Kites was pretty narrow and the people that bought up the few existing copies of that book for WAY too much were stuck with them, because everybody on the planet willing to pay multiple hundreds of dollars for that thing already had it. And nobody else cared. Recordable trades on that comic book didn't just slow down, they ceased.
Donald Duck Talks About Kites was a lousy investment, and everyone knew it but the speculators.
It's a very good example of how the collectibles market can go wrong for the investment collector, and if you are invested in anything at all in the geek world for any reason other than enjoyment, you are playing a losing game. A game system or cartridge is worth what you think it's worth to play it, and not a cent more. And I think the VB cartridge market is pretty volatile as an investment market.
If you are heavily invested in the system and worried about devaluation (legitimate enough if you intended to resell at a profit) I would keep my eye on ebay and be ready to sell. Even these so-called "rare" cartridges are available, if you are willing to pay the high dollars. And I am seeing more than a few of these items not selling. (I've seen Space Invaders listed twice at 275.00, no takers. Bad sign for the seller.)
If on the other hand you love the system and games you have, don't worry about it. You weren't going to sell your collection anyway, and you'll be able to get backup copies more reasonably.
I'd love to hear your point of view on all of this...
Buying video games as an investment is a very bad idea. Some increase in value, while others drop. Even the ones that do increase aren't that good of a return in comparison to good stocks or bonds.
If you want entertainment, buy video games.
If you want to invest, buy stocks, bonds, real estate, etc.