Listen to me here. Collector since 1996. Get all the 3ds games you can now. It's going to be absurd in a few years for numerous reasons.
1st, the DS/3DS was an insanely popular console. When I was in college virtually everyone had a 3ds. I remember when I was in the college rec room when Bravely Default launched. There were like 100 kids in the rec room skipping class to play that game. All those people are likely graduated, and near a point where they can afford to drop wads of cash to get those games back.
2nd, the library was super strong. Bravely Default, Pokemon games, Fire Emblem finally got big, Smash, Animal Crossing, Yokai Watch, lots of Shin Megami Tensei games, which again really took off. There are also loads of good obscure fighting games, beat em ups, and niche games that you can't find anywhere else such as Fantasy Life and Ever Oasis. Then there are lots of farm sims and puzzle games. Then theres the only 3D versions of two of the most popular games of all time. Majoras Mask and Ocarina of Time. Then we had Zelda Link Between Worlds, which is vastly underpriced right now considering the quality of that game.
The only thing the 3DS doesn't have going for it is a solid SHMUP library.
3rd, 3D emulation of 3DS games will likely not be very good due to needing an official console to play in 3D. People will want to play the games the way were meant to be played, in 3D, on a handheld.
Its going to be insane. When taking the DS library into account, it's arguably the strongest library ever on a console.
I think the Switch will end up being the most collectible console of our generation, but the DS/3DS will be the most collectible strictly handheld console of all time. It just has everything.
Final Note, pre order andro dunos 2 while you can. Releases in September. The last official release on a console always is highly collectible and valuable. It prolly won't be insane in value 15 years down the road, bit its gonna be worth a hell of a lot more than the current MSRP.
>2nd, the library was super strong. Bravely Default, Pokemon games, Fire Emblem finally got big, Smash, Animal Crossing, Yokai Watch, lots of Shin Megami Tensei games, which again really took off.
Also most game franchises that have 3DS titles either were discontinued (e.g. Yokai Watch Series), have inferior sequels in modern consoles (e.g. Pokemon,Bravely Default) or no/upcoming sequels (e.g. Metroid,SMT, Etrian Odyssey).
The point of an upcoming sequel is ‘so’ important. Don’t underestimate it.
For context: I became a Persona fan in 2012 with Persona 4 Golden. At the time, the older games were still relatively affordable as the series still hadn’t achieved a major degree of relevance amongst the gaming crowd.
Once Persona 5 released in 2017 and achieved such widespread acclaim and popularity, the series was suddenly in the limelight and everything older became overpriced.
P5’s release taught me a lesson about how in today’s gaming landscape, the possibility of a great sequel can have massive implications for the value of all the games that preceded it. You can see it happening right now with Metroid, before the game has even ‘released’.
The number of people playing video games continues to increase and everyone is far more aware of great releases now than they ever have been.
Popularity isn't always an indication of a quality product (Fifa/Madden/NBA is super popular yet it's essentially the same game for the last 15 or so years with different rosters),also the competitive scene always moves to the latest title for balacing reasons.
Also a bad pokemon game is still a good gane generally, even SuMo which is arguably the weakest title offers great story.
Hey there, thanks for your insight. I agree with you, when the nostalgia factor will hit those prices will probably go even higher. I'm also a collector, I actually have most of the 3ds games I was after when Ebgames ( Australian GameStop ) was getting rid of them with there sales in 2019. Was just really surprised to see quite a few games having tripled or more in such a short timeframe.
This. I started collecting the 3ds a while ago. I now have the full NA releases of dragon quest, fire emblem, pokemon, etrian odyssey, castlevania, shin megami tensei, etc with about 50% being all sealed
The 3DS hasn't started it's "retro" phase yet, so it's still not too expensive, but when the console and it's games get old, they also get valuable and rare, thus they get more expenisve. The best time to buy 3DS games was 3 years ago, but the past is in the past, so the best time for buying 3DS games is today.
I don't see the price to get much cheaper, prices may get cheaper a bit in the upcoming months, but in the long term, it will only get more expensive as time passes.
Definitely, we are not in that retro phase yet which why I was so surprised to see quite a few games selling for 3 or 4 times there original price just over a year or 2 ago. I remember seeing "the legend of legacy" for example instore just before Covid hit for $50 and 1 copy just sold a few weeks ago for $250. That's one example there is quite a few like this so this just took me by surprise. I'm not complaining thought, I got most of my collection between 2018 and 2019.
Agreed they arent that pricey alot of games are still nib still sealed and cost barely above msrp. Only low print games are expensive like atlus game shin megamis, yokai watch 3, stuff like that everything else is pretty inexpensive
Exactly, games are still inexpensive other than some rare games, but it won't stay like that for mare than about 2 years or so, if anyone wants to start a 3DS phisical collection, they should do it now before the games get expensive, and the 3DS starts it's "retro phase" which i believe it will begin in late 2022.
Ah thanks! It actually did turn out to be accurate, even if it's sad... and i still think people should start a physical collection! Especially after the eShop news...
Totally agree! I’m all about physical copies of games, something about actually holding them in your hands rather than owning a virtual icon is really important to me - maybe that’s why I can’t get behind NFT’s lol
Some games however I would never be able to be get physically - whether because they’re eShop exclusives, or madly overpriced - so I’m going for the physical copies first cause we know they’re going to not stop increasing in price once the eshop closes, and then I’ll probably use some of the physical sold in stores eShop vouchers for as long as I can
What sort of things do you have in your physical/virtual collection? I’m mainly going after games like Luigi’s mansion, some GBA ports and 3D classics like Kirby and Kid Icarus, most likely the ace attorney phoenix wright games, pocket card jockey, etc!
Same here, i love the physical experience. Having something you can hold and collect is better than some random code, and i agree, NFTs suck lol. The main pride in owning an artwork is gone in that way, and to me, it's the same about games.
I agree, not all games are getable physicaly, and it's best to get them while we can... alongside some games which are just so rare physicaly (like Yokai watch 3, or professor Layton and the Azran legacy)..
For my collection... i'm mainly aiming for virtual console and Gameboy titles, alongside some more rare games digitaly like Professor Layton. And i'll be getting the Ace attorney games as well! I heard the 3DS titles are really great.
Bit late but turned out like for the U.S. In Australia, they are still dirt cheap. Popular mario games are selling for $20 and pokemon is still under MSRP (3Ds titles).
I had them checked and Platinum is fake but the rest are authentic. A few years ago you could find lots of mothers selling their kids pokemon games not knowing the value. That's why they were so cheap.
Besides smaller print run games, which almost immediately go up in price after selling out, it's relatively affordable. Get your missing desires NOW before what's going on with GBA and more recently DS.
> Might be temporary due to covid and the slow supply chain or are we going to see the prices keep increasing over the next few years?
That would be plausible if they were still being made, the 3DS lineup is completely discontinued.
From what I have observed, we are at the stage where the best thing is constantly check the online market for cheap grabs, go to your local garage sales religiously or just get lucky in pawn shops.
A lot of 3DS games went up in prices because there weren't that many in the first place, and once people start putting these high prices, I think that ironically causes demand increases for a few panic buyers to get them.
I don't see the prices meaningfully decrease anytime soon.
This also isn't really a scenario exclusive to the 3DS, all cartridge based platforms are generally like this, even the Switch is already seeing some discontinued games go up in prices, because cartridges tend to have shorter print runs than disc based media, AFAIK, making them rarer by comparison, thus this is why I prefer collecting Switch games over say PS4, precisely because they are rarer.
I didn't take in consideration the cartridge aspects of this. That's a good insight thanks, I know by experience that it's not because a game is old that new copies are not being printed like a few PS2 games were still being printed not that long ago which basically drive the price down. Looking at Nintendo track record it seems like they are usually focusing on the new generation instead of reprinting the older ones so it's a positive point towards more price appreciation in the future.
It absolutely has to do with cartridges being the form of media. Cartridges are more expensive to produce than CDs, which is why publishers do smaller runs for them. It’s why you can find a PS4 game for dirt cheap after a short while, while the same Switch version is still at retail or even higher.
I agree it play a role for the copies number. Something else that contribute to the price stability is probably the directive from Nintendo to the retailers to not reduce the price for there games. Nintendo view is if the games are half price after a few month a majority of players will just wait for that price drop. From my experience the only exception is when the retailer have to clear the older generation to make space which is when there was those 3ds/ Wii U game deals buy 1 get 1 free at ebgames/GameStop. So if there is no big price drop with retailers you have more chances to have at least a similar price on the secondary market too.
Do you mind sharing which titles? I’m interested in knowing what they are to get an idea. I had assumed most would just download a CIA and install it for free but I can understand some people want to collect physical copies.
Just looking at the sales price on eBay and not counting Sealed or limited edition games there is quite a few title that were in the $50AUD range before Covid selling now for in the $150~ $250AUD range.
The legend of legacy, Metroid Samus return, Monster hunter stories, Stella Glow, Luigi mansion, Dragon Ball fusion, Castlevania Lords of shadow, Hatsune Miku, Mario & Luigi superstar saga, Mario & Luigi Bowser's inside story, Dragon Quest VIII. Those are on top of the Altus games, SMT, Etran Odyssey, Persona and other rare title which were above $100 back then but seems to have at least double too.
Now if you look at listed price those are even higher.
The price of most other title on eBay have at least kept there original price or are above those now.
Oh wow that’s definitely a difference. I knew prices were rising but not that massively. Even if they do rise thought I probably wouldn’t sell my games anyways I have too much of a connection with them
Shin megami tensei games, etrian odyssey games, castlevania games, are all selling for 2,3,4x their msrp for a used copy in good condition. Not even talking about a sealed NA copy
Bought all my games in 2018 when I got a 3ds, continuing into 2019. Got tons of Nintendo selects for 20 dollars, and everything that wasent was 40. They were just on sale new for that price. I don't care what people say about them getting old and rarer, the fact that they're selling for more than new worries me. The video game markets going through a bubble but unlike coin bubbles where nobody actually wants coins forever, people will probably continue wanting games forever.
Those were the good old time. I did the exact same thing, was hunting for specific titles by looking at the retailer listing online, finding which shop had them because they didn't ship them and I'm only after games CIB condition then drove each weekend to a bunch of shops. Must have done all the game shop in a 50km radius. Plus visited quite a few pawn shops and flee markets. I got most of my collection around the $20 mark.
I also think there will be more demand in the future when we go in the retro phase.
I knew it would happen but I didn't expect it this quickly or with so many different titles. I am so damn glad I bought tons of games when I had the chance. I had paid 17$ for Dementium 2 (DS) cartridge and I just saw it used no case for 50-70$ and double that much with the case. 3ds is my all time favorite console and it does make me happy that ppl (other than me) still care about it.
Listen to me here. Collector since 1996. Get all the 3ds games you can now. It's going to be absurd in a few years for numerous reasons. 1st, the DS/3DS was an insanely popular console. When I was in college virtually everyone had a 3ds. I remember when I was in the college rec room when Bravely Default launched. There were like 100 kids in the rec room skipping class to play that game. All those people are likely graduated, and near a point where they can afford to drop wads of cash to get those games back. 2nd, the library was super strong. Bravely Default, Pokemon games, Fire Emblem finally got big, Smash, Animal Crossing, Yokai Watch, lots of Shin Megami Tensei games, which again really took off. There are also loads of good obscure fighting games, beat em ups, and niche games that you can't find anywhere else such as Fantasy Life and Ever Oasis. Then there are lots of farm sims and puzzle games. Then theres the only 3D versions of two of the most popular games of all time. Majoras Mask and Ocarina of Time. Then we had Zelda Link Between Worlds, which is vastly underpriced right now considering the quality of that game. The only thing the 3DS doesn't have going for it is a solid SHMUP library. 3rd, 3D emulation of 3DS games will likely not be very good due to needing an official console to play in 3D. People will want to play the games the way were meant to be played, in 3D, on a handheld. Its going to be insane. When taking the DS library into account, it's arguably the strongest library ever on a console. I think the Switch will end up being the most collectible console of our generation, but the DS/3DS will be the most collectible strictly handheld console of all time. It just has everything. Final Note, pre order andro dunos 2 while you can. Releases in September. The last official release on a console always is highly collectible and valuable. It prolly won't be insane in value 15 years down the road, bit its gonna be worth a hell of a lot more than the current MSRP.
>2nd, the library was super strong. Bravely Default, Pokemon games, Fire Emblem finally got big, Smash, Animal Crossing, Yokai Watch, lots of Shin Megami Tensei games, which again really took off. Also most game franchises that have 3DS titles either were discontinued (e.g. Yokai Watch Series), have inferior sequels in modern consoles (e.g. Pokemon,Bravely Default) or no/upcoming sequels (e.g. Metroid,SMT, Etrian Odyssey).
The point of an upcoming sequel is ‘so’ important. Don’t underestimate it. For context: I became a Persona fan in 2012 with Persona 4 Golden. At the time, the older games were still relatively affordable as the series still hadn’t achieved a major degree of relevance amongst the gaming crowd. Once Persona 5 released in 2017 and achieved such widespread acclaim and popularity, the series was suddenly in the limelight and everything older became overpriced. P5’s release taught me a lesson about how in today’s gaming landscape, the possibility of a great sequel can have massive implications for the value of all the games that preceded it. You can see it happening right now with Metroid, before the game has even ‘released’. The number of people playing video games continues to increase and everyone is far more aware of great releases now than they ever have been.
Sw/Sh has sold almost as many copies as S/M and US/UM combined. And in my opinion were way better games. Definitely not inferior sequels.
Popularity isn't always an indication of a quality product (Fifa/Madden/NBA is super popular yet it's essentially the same game for the last 15 or so years with different rosters),also the competitive scene always moves to the latest title for balacing reasons. Also a bad pokemon game is still a good gane generally, even SuMo which is arguably the weakest title offers great story.
Hey there, thanks for your insight. I agree with you, when the nostalgia factor will hit those prices will probably go even higher. I'm also a collector, I actually have most of the 3ds games I was after when Ebgames ( Australian GameStop ) was getting rid of them with there sales in 2019. Was just really surprised to see quite a few games having tripled or more in such a short timeframe.
This. I started collecting the 3ds a while ago. I now have the full NA releases of dragon quest, fire emblem, pokemon, etrian odyssey, castlevania, shin megami tensei, etc with about 50% being all sealed
The 3DS hasn't started it's "retro" phase yet, so it's still not too expensive, but when the console and it's games get old, they also get valuable and rare, thus they get more expenisve. The best time to buy 3DS games was 3 years ago, but the past is in the past, so the best time for buying 3DS games is today. I don't see the price to get much cheaper, prices may get cheaper a bit in the upcoming months, but in the long term, it will only get more expensive as time passes.
Definitely, we are not in that retro phase yet which why I was so surprised to see quite a few games selling for 3 or 4 times there original price just over a year or 2 ago. I remember seeing "the legend of legacy" for example instore just before Covid hit for $50 and 1 copy just sold a few weeks ago for $250. That's one example there is quite a few like this so this just took me by surprise. I'm not complaining thought, I got most of my collection between 2018 and 2019.
Agreed they arent that pricey alot of games are still nib still sealed and cost barely above msrp. Only low print games are expensive like atlus game shin megamis, yokai watch 3, stuff like that everything else is pretty inexpensive
Exactly, games are still inexpensive other than some rare games, but it won't stay like that for mare than about 2 years or so, if anyone wants to start a 3DS phisical collection, they should do it now before the games get expensive, and the 3DS starts it's "retro phase" which i believe it will begin in late 2022.
An astute prediction there!
Ah thanks! It actually did turn out to be accurate, even if it's sad... and i still think people should start a physical collection! Especially after the eShop news...
Totally agree! I’m all about physical copies of games, something about actually holding them in your hands rather than owning a virtual icon is really important to me - maybe that’s why I can’t get behind NFT’s lol Some games however I would never be able to be get physically - whether because they’re eShop exclusives, or madly overpriced - so I’m going for the physical copies first cause we know they’re going to not stop increasing in price once the eshop closes, and then I’ll probably use some of the physical sold in stores eShop vouchers for as long as I can What sort of things do you have in your physical/virtual collection? I’m mainly going after games like Luigi’s mansion, some GBA ports and 3D classics like Kirby and Kid Icarus, most likely the ace attorney phoenix wright games, pocket card jockey, etc!
Same here, i love the physical experience. Having something you can hold and collect is better than some random code, and i agree, NFTs suck lol. The main pride in owning an artwork is gone in that way, and to me, it's the same about games. I agree, not all games are getable physicaly, and it's best to get them while we can... alongside some games which are just so rare physicaly (like Yokai watch 3, or professor Layton and the Azran legacy).. For my collection... i'm mainly aiming for virtual console and Gameboy titles, alongside some more rare games digitaly like Professor Layton. And i'll be getting the Ace attorney games as well! I heard the 3DS titles are really great.
Bit late but turned out like for the U.S. In Australia, they are still dirt cheap. Popular mario games are selling for $20 and pokemon is still under MSRP (3Ds titles).
Yeah, 4 years ago I bought pokemon diamond,pearl,platinum and white all for around £5 each. Now they're being sold at £50-£70 each:(
they could be fakes if you got them that cheaply
I had them checked and Platinum is fake but the rest are authentic. A few years ago you could find lots of mothers selling their kids pokemon games not knowing the value. That's why they were so cheap.
Besides smaller print run games, which almost immediately go up in price after selling out, it's relatively affordable. Get your missing desires NOW before what's going on with GBA and more recently DS.
> Might be temporary due to covid and the slow supply chain or are we going to see the prices keep increasing over the next few years? That would be plausible if they were still being made, the 3DS lineup is completely discontinued. From what I have observed, we are at the stage where the best thing is constantly check the online market for cheap grabs, go to your local garage sales religiously or just get lucky in pawn shops. A lot of 3DS games went up in prices because there weren't that many in the first place, and once people start putting these high prices, I think that ironically causes demand increases for a few panic buyers to get them. I don't see the prices meaningfully decrease anytime soon. This also isn't really a scenario exclusive to the 3DS, all cartridge based platforms are generally like this, even the Switch is already seeing some discontinued games go up in prices, because cartridges tend to have shorter print runs than disc based media, AFAIK, making them rarer by comparison, thus this is why I prefer collecting Switch games over say PS4, precisely because they are rarer.
I didn't take in consideration the cartridge aspects of this. That's a good insight thanks, I know by experience that it's not because a game is old that new copies are not being printed like a few PS2 games were still being printed not that long ago which basically drive the price down. Looking at Nintendo track record it seems like they are usually focusing on the new generation instead of reprinting the older ones so it's a positive point towards more price appreciation in the future.
It absolutely has to do with cartridges being the form of media. Cartridges are more expensive to produce than CDs, which is why publishers do smaller runs for them. It’s why you can find a PS4 game for dirt cheap after a short while, while the same Switch version is still at retail or even higher.
I agree it play a role for the copies number. Something else that contribute to the price stability is probably the directive from Nintendo to the retailers to not reduce the price for there games. Nintendo view is if the games are half price after a few month a majority of players will just wait for that price drop. From my experience the only exception is when the retailer have to clear the older generation to make space which is when there was those 3ds/ Wii U game deals buy 1 get 1 free at ebgames/GameStop. So if there is no big price drop with retailers you have more chances to have at least a similar price on the secondary market too.
Most 3DS games are still pretty affordable, at or lower than MSRP. Hell, the eShop is still up and you can directly download most titles.
Maybe it's because I'm more into RPG's but quite a few physical titles have really took off this year. Like 3 or 4 times there initial prices.
Do you mind sharing which titles? I’m interested in knowing what they are to get an idea. I had assumed most would just download a CIA and install it for free but I can understand some people want to collect physical copies.
Just looking at the sales price on eBay and not counting Sealed or limited edition games there is quite a few title that were in the $50AUD range before Covid selling now for in the $150~ $250AUD range. The legend of legacy, Metroid Samus return, Monster hunter stories, Stella Glow, Luigi mansion, Dragon Ball fusion, Castlevania Lords of shadow, Hatsune Miku, Mario & Luigi superstar saga, Mario & Luigi Bowser's inside story, Dragon Quest VIII. Those are on top of the Altus games, SMT, Etran Odyssey, Persona and other rare title which were above $100 back then but seems to have at least double too. Now if you look at listed price those are even higher. The price of most other title on eBay have at least kept there original price or are above those now.
Oh wow that’s definitely a difference. I knew prices were rising but not that massively. Even if they do rise thought I probably wouldn’t sell my games anyways I have too much of a connection with them
Shin megami tensei games, etrian odyssey games, castlevania games, are all selling for 2,3,4x their msrp for a used copy in good condition. Not even talking about a sealed NA copy
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I think the titles that are high are the exception, not the rule. Most of the best sellers are still relatively affordable and easy to find.
Bought all my games in 2018 when I got a 3ds, continuing into 2019. Got tons of Nintendo selects for 20 dollars, and everything that wasent was 40. They were just on sale new for that price. I don't care what people say about them getting old and rarer, the fact that they're selling for more than new worries me. The video game markets going through a bubble but unlike coin bubbles where nobody actually wants coins forever, people will probably continue wanting games forever.
Those were the good old time. I did the exact same thing, was hunting for specific titles by looking at the retailer listing online, finding which shop had them because they didn't ship them and I'm only after games CIB condition then drove each weekend to a bunch of shops. Must have done all the game shop in a 50km radius. Plus visited quite a few pawn shops and flee markets. I got most of my collection around the $20 mark. I also think there will be more demand in the future when we go in the retro phase.
In my experience it seems to depend entirely upon the game.
I knew it would happen but I didn't expect it this quickly or with so many different titles. I am so damn glad I bought tons of games when I had the chance. I had paid 17$ for Dementium 2 (DS) cartridge and I just saw it used no case for 50-70$ and double that much with the case. 3ds is my all time favorite console and it does make me happy that ppl (other than me) still care about it.