What has become of Akihabara?

[Mrhide]

...will be there in april.

this thread pretty much tells me there's nothing to expect.

even so, any "must see" or "must get" while I am there?!

[rancor]

Beep! opened a shop in Akiba recently... It's pretty cool.. but again - prices are mostly insane. And they seem to only be open 3 days a week, and some days only after 5. Its really hit or miss trying to shop there. Really not much to see / do unless you're into arcades (still really nice) or maid cafes / pedo shit. Don't go expecting some kind of retro game console heaven.

[cj iwakura]

...will be there in april.

this thread pretty much tells me there's nothing to expect.

even so, any "must see" or "must get" while I am there?!

Taito Station, so many classics(see the arcade thread here). Check out the Book Offs too, TONS of cheap old game LEs.



Food wise, eh. Not really.

If you're a Steins;Gate nerd, you have to see the maid cafe that was turned into May Queen. It is 1:1 the same place. They won't let you take photos, but screw them, I flew 12 hours.

I did anyway.

[Mrhide]

ah ! thanks I did see Stein's Gate.


basically, which arcade has Saidaioujou ?

[gbaplayer]

I wonder what Akiba was like before 2010 in case of retro game shopping, so sad that i could not go there before 2010.
Now look at those insane prices on Ebay. 500€ for Hyper Duel (Sega Saturn), wtf happened?

Next time i will be in Japan is in 2019...iam really scared about retro game shopping by then...

I wonder where those places in the rural areas are where you can get some cheap retro games? Any ideas?

[_rm_]

ah ! thanks I did see Stein's Gate.


basically, which arcade has Saidaioujou ?

In Akihabara just visit Hey (i've said it before) and Try amusement Tower and forget about the rest of the game centers.

The Natsuge Museum is also cool.

[Eaglet]

I agree with the general sentiment in this thread.
First time in Japan and Akiba was summer of 2012. Found crazy shit everywhere and shopped loads of niche and nice things.
Visited again the next year and while i noticed a big incline in both "foreigners" (mostly westerners) and maid/AKB shit it wasn't that extreme a difference.
When i got there this summer there were western and Chinese otaku everywhere. Demographics out on the street had changed in the same way that Shibuya has where i as a westerner was a pretty rare sight in 2012 and almost felt like part of a majority in 2016. Could have something to do with it being tourist season as well... but eh.
Only reason i'd hit up Akiba today is to check out BEEP (haven't been) and HEY of course, which is just as good as always and always has WR players on fridays and saturdays.

In general it felt like i had to get out of the Yamanote circle to recapture the spirit of 2012.
Best night out was O-bon spent entirely in Gakugei Daigaku after a particularly late and heavy tebori session where i ended up drinking and discussing conspiracy theories with local GakuDai peeps and some centerfold models all night.

[gbaplayer]

Is BEEP a new shop in Akiba?

[Eaglet]

Indeed it is

[GaijinPunch]

I wonder what Akiba was like before 2010 in case of retro game shopping,

Still bad. You'd want to have gone before 2005 to get the killer 8-bit/16-bit stuff. Pretty sure you can see an inverse correlation to the number of operating maid cafes to the number of quality retro titles available. That's all I'm gonna say about that.

[Mrhide]

I wonder what Akiba was like before 2010 in case of retro game shopping,

Still bad. You'd want to have gone before 2005 to get the killer 8-bit/16-bit stuff.

Question for your Crystal Ball : how high do you think it will go? meaning ok so it was cheap and abundant before 2005 ... and it was probably less cheap and less abundant in 2010, 2015 etc ...

so you see the slope coming down or continuing to go up ? will we look at 2017 in 2022 saying " damn I should have bought it when it was so cheap!" ??

[Xyga]

How high ? it's been over for a few years already, you can't call the current retrogaming world a market anymore, it's borderline-to-blatant moneymaking scam.

[jandrogo]

so you see the slope coming down or continuing to go up ? will we look at 2017 in 2022 saying " damn I should have bought it when it was so cheap!" ??

Those stuff was created in limited numbers, every day some units vanish.. And are not going to be remanufactured, so while people show interest, prices will raise because there are fewer available units..

Maybe, following generations give a shit about retro stuff, and prices go down... Who knows.. But theory is always: "less units more money"..

[GaijinPunch]

I wonder what Akiba was like before 2010 in case of retro game shopping,

Still bad. You'd want to have gone before 2005 to get the killer 8-bit/16-bit stuff.

Question for your Crystal Ball : how high do you think it will go? meaning ok so it was cheap and abundant before 2005 ... and it was probably less cheap and less abundant in 2010, 2015 etc ...

so you see the slope coming down or continuing to go up ? will we look at 2017 in 2022 saying " damn I should have bought it when it was so cheap!" ??

I was mainly talking about availability... not prices. Akihabara stopped having great deals around 2002 or 2003 when all those assholes like rgb_bubblebath started scouring the place and selling on Ebay. I guess in hind sight, the prices were great, but they were in line with what you could get them for through a Yahoo Japan proxy, and maybe even an Ebay reseller. However... there were 10 shopts easily that carried 8-bit to current games. Now... there's only a few.

As for the prices: nobody knows. I think it has way more to do with demand than supply, although low supply obviously helps. Looking through the FS forum here, the long term members have most certainly seen the prices go up and down. At one point you could sell lame games on Ebay for $10-$15 a piece... then, couldn't get rid of them for $1. Now, people seem to be pickier, but will pay more.

I'm interested to see, and have basically zero skin in this game anymore. Kind of nice watching from the side lines.

[charlie chong]

the only game that has gone down in price is teh rarezt saturn game from that time radiantsilvergun ahhhah
saturn stuff is what astonishes me.real obscure platformer/puzzle games that were a £10-20 now going for 200 euros n ting.

you didn't even need to go to japan to get the deals cos of dudes like hit japan and other resellers. i seem to remember a uk reseller steve666 or something along those lines who would always have good titles starting at £4.99 with no reserve.
sadly i moved out of my mums in 2004 and stopped buying so many games..if i knew what i knew now . i would of definitely invested in more hardware.think of the stock videogameimports used to have (megajets/nomads/pc engine lts/wondermegas etc/multiples of all the raerz games) now they aint got shit.
also as much as people slag japjac he did sell me a harmful park for £35 back in the day

[neorichieb1971]

I recently decided to buy 16bit hardware and games. Its been very expensive for the most part.

I'd say the Japanese side of things has been relatively cheap.

But when you want something like a SNES game, USA version, boxed and complete in good condition.. Wow, the prices go through the roof. The SNES NTSC USA stuff is much more expensive than the Super Famicom equivalent. Not only that, but its easier to find good condition Japanese stuff. Most American stuff looks like it had a full life on Blockbuster shelving.

[Stealthlurker]

Even before my time...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D6zmIe0tJxE

I actually got to go to Japan several times during the mid to late 80s (and then again a few more times in the early to mid 90s). This was back in early elementary school with either my grandmother or mom.

Back in the 80s and early 90s there were no used game shops. However what was cool is that older (but still new/unused) games were heavily discounted to make room for the new titles. Scored some great Famicom games for about 15-20 bucks. This was a bit surprising because these types of discounts didn't happen on NES games in the US. Reading a couple of books of Nintendo's practices in the States back then in terms of controlling retailer pricing and stock, it seems consistent.

[MintyTheCat]

I wonder what Akiba was like before 2010 in case of retro game shopping, so sad that i could not go there before 2010.
Now look at those insane prices on Ebay. 500€ for Hyper Duel (Sega Saturn), wtf happened?

Next time i will be in Japan is in 2019...iam really scared about retro game shopping by then...

I wonder where those places in the rural areas are where you can get some cheap retro games? Any ideas?

Edit: hahaha - this guy wants GBP 652 € 751 for Hyper Duel
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/HYPER-DUEL-Sp ... SwLF1X~VnB

People after us is what happened and Youtube with its often shallow worship of anything Retro.
Any idiot can drop a load of money at any time. I might sell Hyper Duel - I had no idea it was going for top dollar

I would not be too interested in securing the low, low price deals now, just buy what you want. The main issue is now with too many people literally collecting everything. Who on God's Green Earth needs a full set of Super famicom games? There is one hell of a lot of total shite that is best avoided. Better to collect what is really worth having I would advise.

But, well, it is a vicious cycle: the more people like you charge the more people particularly new to the entire thing think that is a normal price and up goes the price again. What is needed are more sane people who appreciate the value of money.
I am personally bored to death of people harping on about how it is all a massive investment on Youtube and the like. If you really want to invest then buy something that both retains value and accrues wealth over time - an investment.

I know it would be shot to pieces but part of me wants to see lots of rates of change of prices. I would love to be able to find the drop points and then look at how the buying action is working but, well, you could use that knowledge for something more useful such as trading actual stocks and trading currencies - which will always net you more cash than videogame speculation and it is a lot less hassle too.

The other factor that has started to become semi relevant: say you have a top dollar game, worth a fortune and has been on the rise for some time. You then think "yes, I will sell it" so you try to sell it but then find that most of the time there are fewer and fewer people with large wallets who are even able to drop the heavy cash and you simply do not feel like acting in a charitable fashion so have no choice but to simply hang onto the title until the next cycle. That, in a way becomes a factor in the debate on how rare an item is and how often it pops up for sale. Many titles are not rare but few really want to sell them on once they have them - I am very much like this and have been since the start. In trading it is a bit like holding onto the bags and selling without taking much active risk, just waiting. I think many people of a certain age who simply kept hold of their games from the 80s, 90s and onwards are sort of in this category.

It is half 'nice' for some of us to find that some of our games are worth a bit but it is not the most important thing.

For me personally, when there is too much cash involved it just takes out the fun of it all.

[Skykid]

I wonder what Akiba was like before 2010 in case of retro game shopping,

Still bad. You'd want to have gone before 2005 to get the killer 8-bit/16-bit stuff.

Question for your Crystal Ball : how high do you think it will go? meaning ok so it was cheap and abundant before 2005 ... and it was probably less cheap and less abundant in 2010, 2015 etc ...

so you see the slope coming down or continuing to go up ? will we look at 2017 in 2022 saying " damn I should have bought it when it was so cheap!" ??

I was there on 2003 with £1k reserved to spend in Akiba. My suitcase wheels broke on the way back to Narita airport.

The entire market has been sky high for some time now. Prices are amusingly high. I'd say he wheels of greed will slow a little most probably. I don't expect Hyper Duel to reach 1k in the next two years for example, because nobody is buying it for €500.

[MintyTheCat]

Indeed, most of them are just trying it on.
Whenever there is easy money to be made it always attracts the worst people I tend to find.

[gbaplayer]

Problem is that when the prices return to a normal level, the shops still won´t restock i guess.

[MintyTheCat]

Problem is that when the prices return to a normal level, the shops still won´t restock i guess.

Well, people die so imagine all the partners of once avid collectors "clearing out" all the stuff that has been lying around. Sadly, shops are becoming less over time which is really sad. If a shop is fair then it tends to stay in business but usually a shop charges way over any odds and people tend not to buy from that shop and then it goes under.

I think that the really decent shops realise that a Retro gaming shop plays a role in bringing like-minded people together.

Recently there was a director who put together his own video rental shop catering to Horror fans and providing a large library.
I think what people really want when they visit a specialised shop like that is to find the fans, well informed staff members about the genre and categories - in the video rental shop's case it was really about Horror films and the like and not to pay well over the odds for it all. I say vote with your wallet and feet and if a shop provides a good balance of service, community and pricing then it is great.

http://www.lunchmeatvhs.com/blog/oldskoolvideo/
https://www.facebook.com/Old-Skool-Vide ... 1/?fref=ts

However, most businesses are simply out to make cash. They stick some minimum wage slave on the front desk and hope to rake the cash in then when it all goes bust they never learn and continue on to the next 'opportunity'. A business that serves a specialised community - be it Retrogaming, Shmups or Horror films - knows that it must foster something to stay long-term in business.

If I lived close by that Video Rental store I would be down there often to chat about Horror films and all sorts which is something a forum tries its best to replicate but cannot really compete against.

[neorichieb1971]

Problem is that when the prices return to a normal level, the shops still won´t restock i guess.

What shops?

We live in a era where online prices dictate everything.

As time goes on and everything because a file on a system/computer/device. People will see they own very little and this will cause a return to the tangible old school stuff.


If a Harry Potter original pressing book can fetch $1000's then so can anything else.

The problem that Akihabara had was that the whole world was drinking from that water well.

[gbaplayer]

Problem is that when the prices return to a normal level, the shops still won´t restock i guess.

What shops?

Talking about Super Potatoes empty shelves...

[d0s]

Akiba is worth it for the 8th floor of Try alone

Spoiler

HEY is also pretty essential but crowded, but if you truly love the games this forum is about you will have a blast in certain Akiba arcades. I personally would avoid the Taito Stations and Club Segas in Akiba unless you like modern fighting and music games.

BEEP is cool and good for certain parts like tiny Sanwa power supplies for superguns and esoteric books though their prices for good games are insane, it's an amazing place to browse in. MAK has good PCBs under ebay scalper prices (because they buy from MAK) but not forum bro prices. S*-Y*'s game shop is awesome but censored here so herbs don't raid it to scalp which is sadly something you have to do now. Denden town in Osaka is better for shopping, worse for arcades though the Taito Station (the one deep in denden, not on the outskirts) is pretty good and cheap.

I was in Japan for the first time last fall and had an absolutely great time in Akiba, though it was mostly due to the arcades which are jaw-dropping I did find some decent deals, you just have to look harder and spend a few days there I think. Avoid some of the tourist trappier shops on the main road that are just called "Retro game shop" or something, they're a waste of time.

EDIT: I personally was very disappointed in nakano broadway from an old game perspective. Nothing arcade related, very little in the way of action games. My friend who is really into music CDs had an absolute blast there though. It also seems like a great place for anime lovers and doujin people, but for games it's pure shit

EDIT2: Might as well post a pic of my "haul" from the entire 3 week trip. Some of this stuff I got at hard-offs in suburban locations which is where the real deals are.

Spoiler

[Magicalbottle]

I was in Tokyo in 2003. Still remember games like Metal Slug 1 AES for about a grand and there were rows and rows of saturn and famicom/super famicom games, like thousands upon thousands. I still have the receipts from TRADER 2 and SOFMAP. Too bad I didn't know too much about the good stuff back then, I bought my AES and tons low priced games. But now, i'm 35 and don't really care/collect anymore. I usually just watch youtube vids, haven't played a game in years.

[WelshMegalodon]

EDIT2: Might as well post a pic of my "haul" from the entire 3 week trip. Some of this stuff I got at hard-offs in suburban locations which is where the real deals are.
[snip]

What's inside those orange boxes? Miniature joysticks?

[caincan]

Beep seek sheeps on vintage stuff (but sure they have pretty things).. but there is better...

some parasites on ebay got their part of this haul.. and try sell it for 1000€ ...



i read sometimes.. there are more foreigners (ebay or forums resellers who try get/sell every thing they can day by day basis, STV is just among them there are a lots in specialised niche subgenres and french/spanish/italians are the worst figuring the prices & choices..) , in akiba than japanese sellers..

as some say & see in arcade.. there is more stuff in europe nowadays than in japan (& neogeo AES by example too.)!

[MintyTheCat]

french/spanish/italians are the worst figuring the prices & choices..) , in akiba than japanese sellers..

I wonder why this is but I tend to find this too. Mind you, there are lots of german sellers who put astoundingly silly prices down.
I also think that if I could have a dollar each time a german customer (not on this forum though) come to me and ask "what is all that chinese writing" I would soon be rather wealthy. It appals me in this day and age and given the history of nintendo that people are so unaware still.

[Xyga]

french/spanish/italians are the worst figuring the prices & choices..) , in akiba than japanese sellers..

I wonder why this is but I tend to find this too.

Me too.

It's simple actually, I can tell in the case of France that this 'market' has been controlled by a number of sharks with enough happy merchant spirit and who felt the winds turn around 2008~2010. They invested money and went to Japan, combing the land for everything they could afford to send back to Europe (or open their own juicy channels with local Japanese stores).
With natural stocks decreasing and people being afraid for the economy, the market was ripe for the game of value/high prices.

In the same time they've patiently worked on building the mood, literally shepherding all the young men relatively new to the retrogaming thing, through 'holy grails collectors' forums, events like public auctions, or salons/meetings for 'professionals' like them (sharky friends!), stores of course, etc.

Why did it work so well ? Most of these newbie customers were (are still) inexperienced, have sparkly begging eyes, and can't speak a fucking word of english (consequently they also suck at ordering stuff abroad).

You get the formula; an isolated population of misinformed people, artificially hyped and controlled by a legal local mafia. It's that mediocre.
I've seen the arcade and retro communities change radically over the years, getting stupidier and more isolated, the 'veterans' unhappy with all that shit leaving the 'scene' losing interest or even being told to scram.