As featured in Retrogaming Times Monthly issue #58, March 2009.

For this grand relaunching of Retrogaming Times Monthly I wanted to step away from my usual NES'cade column and share my thoughts on something I've been noticing recently.  A popular subject I've seen in many places is how the current economic downturn is influencing the prices and values of video games.  Now for new stuff the answer is not much at all.  Granted throughout the holiday season there were some great deals to be had and more and more retailers and pushing value priced games as weekly specials.  However that's modern gaming, what about retrogaming?  While some have said they've seen big deals pop up on craigslist and eBay, I honestly don't see very much difference in the median price of select games that hold value.  That means the Chrono Triggers, EarthBounds, rare late NES releases, hard to find VCS cartridges - all seem to really be sitting firm with the over all trend for their platform and era of collector.  Yet the place I've seen a phenomenal change is in arcade cabinets.

Up until this year popular classic arcade games were still riding high values.  I'm talking about up to four figures for classics like Galaga, Pac-Man and the like - although lower priced cabinets could still be found.  The choice cabinets however, in the right markets, could net a bundle.  In the past few months though there has been a total shift in asking prices for arcade games and the scales are now firmly tipped toward the buyer.  Here in Silicon Valley, searching craigslist for arcade cabinets has always yielded a fairly good selection.  Prices were on par with what one would expect to pay, $600.00 and up for good condition classics.  These days the same search will return twice as many cabinets for sale, most for one third the price they would have been listed for last year.  The kicker is that many of them aren't selling for those full listed prices.  Buyers for the most part seem to be open to being haggled down, it really is unprecedented.

From what I've gathered the consensus as to why prices are down seems to point to a few things.  First of course is people losing their homes and dumping their cabinets for quick cash due to an inability to relocate them.  This is where a lot of the really cherry machines are coming from.  Some who are not in as bad of shape may sell their cabinets for additional cash to ease the burden of the ever tightening economy.  In both of these instances the sellers usually simply want the cabinets gone for whatever they can get.  On the other side of the coin, the limited amount of people that can drop extra money on something like an arcade cabinet is smaller than ever.  So the few that can, now have a lot less competition.  Something else that was brought to my attention is that a lot of former arcade operators are dumping their warehouse inventory for the same reason, to get out of the business.  Really can we blame them?  Arcades are beyond being on life support these days and most arcades that are still up and running own all their own machines.  With the pressure on just to be able to carve out a living it seems pretty obvious that if you had a warehouse full of games, and no one leasing them on route, you'd want to dump them and keep your head above water as well.  This is why some recent arcade auctions have had bargain basement prices.  That first point is the big one though - people looking around for things they can sell for some fast money.  Food on the table or a giant hulking arcade cabinet against the wall?  Sadly from the people I've talked to, this is the current choice they are faced with.

As buyers go, the exact opposite is true.  Many who never thought they'd have the chance to be able to afford an arcade game, are finding themselves hauling one into their home.  Go to any online community that has a discussion forum on arcade games and you'll see that there are new arcade game owners every day right now.  I can speak first hand about what it's like to see an arcade cabinet you've always wanted, for a price you just might be able to work out.  That's the way it was with my Galaxian cocktail.  While I'll be the first to admit I don't have a lot of money, I was able to work things out so that I could afford the cabinet.  A lot of that has to do with seizing an opportunity you're not going to get every day.  Since I really thought about it and took the time to work it into my budget, I have not a single regret concerning the machine.

Seeing how prices were dropping I once again started to work out a way to save a couple bucks here and there and build up a small savings to go after another cabinet.  Not just any cabinet, one I had been after for years, a dedicated Klax cabaret.  Cabaret cabinets are the mini uprights that were designed to take up less space than a full size arcade upright would.  This is key since the next machine would be going in the kitchen since that's the only place there was space for it.  Klax is a game I've always loved, as is evident in my "Titles of Tengen" article about the NES port.  On top of that the cabinet is a perfect match for Tetris as well since it has a horizontal monitor, two four-direction joysticks, one button per player, and most importantly uses a JAMMA harness.  That means with the purchase of a Tetris PCB I could have two of my all time favorite puzzle games in one space saving cabinet.  Not to mention some possible Mr. Driller action down the road.

A Klax cabaret was for sale locally over seven months ago for a considerable sum, more than I paid for my Galaxian cocktail in fact.  I didn't want to spend that much so I decided to wait it out as cabinet prices continued to fall.  Now I know what some are saying to themselves, "David, it's Klax, Klax machines aren't worth anything, anyone that's owned one can tell you that" and that's true.  Klax is notoriously worth very little, especially considering that most Klax setups were sold as conversion kits to be installed in generic cabinets.  Most people that have built recent Klax conversions end up spending more on the parts than they're able to eventually sell the entire machine for.  Yet it's still a game I love and the dedicated cabaret version has a very unique cabinet that has always been on my list of arcade machines to own.  Not to mention it has unique thicker than usual joysticks.  After months of watching the same listing get posted to craigslist with a lower price every other time, the goal price was reached.  The Klax cabaret would be mine for $225.00 delivered.  Again, "David, it's Klax, Klax machines aren't worth anything..." well to me this one is worth two hundred bucks, maybe a bit more due to how much I love the game.

Over all the machine is in great shape with the exception of the expected cigarette burns on the control panel and a few nicks in the side art.  The game works great but the monitor board could use a couple solder points reflowed to fix an intermittent problem.  It's something I'll get to fixing eventually.  Aside from that the picture is bright and sharp.  I've actually already purchased a Tetris board and it's on the way to me as this goes out for publication.  However when I do play Tetris it will just be a board swap, this cabinet will always be a dedicated Klax cabaret.  Interestingly enough I have seen a Klax cabaret fully converted, new side art and all, to a Tetris cabaret.  It was years ago at the Galaktican Arcade in San Jose, the all time favorite hole in the wall arcade of my youth.

Since purchasing my Klax cabaret the prices have continued to fall across the board.  When I start seeing perfect condition Crystal Castles cabinets going for south of $200.00 it makes me wish I had more space.  Then again I'm very thankful for the space I do have.  I'm reminded of that every time I talk with someone that just sold or just purchased an arcade cabinet.  There always seems to be a story to tell concerning a fast sell off, a move of desperation or a triumph of finally obtaining something once thought beyond one's grasp.  If one can justify the purchase, it truly is a grand buyer's market for arcade games right now.  It would seem the days of only broken machines going for rock bottom prices are temporarily on hold, while the real jewels of the past can be found for less than the price of a Wii.  It's an interesting time indeed.  NES'cade returns next issue.
 

"InsaneDavid" also runs a slowly growing gaming site at http://www.classicplastic.net/dvgi
 
 

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