Holy Grails of collecting

[Zsuttle]

In your opinion what is the Holy Grail of consoles? Games? Accessories?

[+Charlie Cat]

In your opinion what is the Holy Grail of consoles? Games? Accessories?

 

First, welcome to Atariage. I hope you enjoy your time on the forums. You'll definitely be reading and typing with some of the greatest members on the site and in general!

 

I feel when it comes to consoles, its the Neo-Geo.

 

Ever since my early days of playing the arcade MVS units in the early 90's at a Dairy Queen in Paramus, NJ with my family, it became my personal obligation to buy the AES home console later on in my life when I was more independent and more financially stable as a young adult. The advertising of "Bigger, Badder, Better" is like you get what you pay for. I wanted the best on what technology had to offer at the time, and the Neo-Geo was just what I was looking for in arcade quality to your living room. To me, its the holy grail of consoles.

 

I still collect for it and started a thread called "The Official NEO-GEO Thread" on the site. I've been playing and been a loyal fan of SNK/P, and the Neo-Geo platform for 25 years since the age of 7. IMO, Neo-Geo IS the best and forever more!

 

Anthony...

Edited June 19, 2015 by fdurso224

[Reaperman]

I suppose for consoles the Halcyon or a Car Marty would be pretty grail-worthy in my opinion. I don't have anything that special in my collection, but along the lines of the car marty, I have the somewhat less special Visteon Dockable GBA in NIB condition with a tan install kit.

 

I don't think I have any current 'grail' games, but I've got a few sealed titles that might count in a decade or so. I guess I've always wanted a battlesphere--no idea why, but I maybe I just hate my wallet. Also, one of these days NG:Dev team will finally hook me with one of their games--Razion almost did it...almost.

 

For commercial gaming, I wouldn't turn down one of those life-size initial D sega games, and I've been looking for a bingo or poker-themed arepachi for some time.

Edited June 19, 2015 by Reaperman

[BassGuitari]

Depends what you're interested in. There are a lot of things that could be considered holy grails.

[Andromeda Stardust]

The true "grail" consoles are so super rare they won't likely have any games worth playing. Maybe someday I own a Vectrex because it's totally unique in the world of consoles...

 

As far as game grails go:

 

Nintendo: NWC 1990 Gold, Stadium Events

Atari: Air Raid, Pepsi Invaders

 

are about the top high end of the rarity scale.

 

In reality, everyone has that special grail in their collection. Although it's hardly grail worthy, for me in 2004 it was the Tengen Tetris I found at my local Game-X-Change. I paid $40 and it wastotally worth it. I hardly consider it grail worthy today, but for the time, given it's colorful history, it was my grail.

 

The current "grail" in my collection is my sealed Princess Rescue which in 2013 escalated in value overnight from $50 to $300+ when Albert got the C&D from Nintendo. I also have a loose player's copy.

Edited June 19, 2015 by stardust4ever

[Rhomaios]

The true "grail" consoles are so super rare they won't likely have any games worth playing. Maybe someday I own a Vectrex because it's totally unique in the world of consoles...

 

As far as game grails go:

 

Nintendo: NWC 1990 Gold, Stadium Events

Atari: Air Raid, Pepsi Invaders

 

are about the top high end of the rarity scale.

 

In reality, everyone has that special grail in their collection. Although it's hardly grail worthy, for me in 2004 it was the Tengen Tetris I found at my local Game-X-Change. I paid $40 and it wastotally worth it. I hardly consider it grail worthy today, but for the time, given it's colorful history, it was my grail.

 

The current "grail" in my collection is my sealed Princess Rescue which in 2013 escalated in value overnight from $50 to $300+ when Albert got the C&D from Nintendo. I also have a loose player's copy.

 

Those are only holy grails for people who like to spend cash on stupid stuff. NWC Gold? Why not! For 1/10000 of the price, you can buy all three games included. Just doesn't make sense to me.

 

I don't think in "grails". There are games I want but I can't quite have yet. These are mostly homebrews, but they're certainly not holy. Even for something like Panzer Dragoon Saga, it's far more cost efficient to buy a Saturn, mod it, and burn the game. Or heck, it'd probably pay off in the long run to buy a couple books on Japanese and learn that.

 

It's this obsession with collections, flipping games, "holy grails", "most expensive", etc. that is going to ruin people just buying what games they want to play and playing them.

[Skippy B. Coyote]

Several people have already mentioned the big $$$ "holy grails" for collectors with money coming out their ears to burn, but for me my personal holy grail is something a bit less pricey; though equally unobtainable on my current budget.

 

My grail is a bartop Centipede arcade cabinet with a joystick on the left side, three buttons in the middle, a trackball on the right side, a coin slot for credits, and one of those 412-in-1 JAMMA boards installed so I can not only play Centipede but also Millipede, Ms. Pac-Man on fast mode, Raiden, Frogger, and all the other vertical cabinet classics on my own personal ultimate piggy bank. I'd want all the aesthetics of the bartop cabinet to be flawlessly faithful reproductions of the aesthetics on a full size Centipede cabinet, from the marquee and control graphics to the side art, bezel graphics, and original Atari one player/two player buttons; which look like little black cones with red buttons on top.

 

I'm sure there has to be some talented custom arcade cabinet maker out there who could build me exactly what I want, but right now (and for the foreseeable future) I don't have the $1,000+ it would probably cost to commission it. Still, a man can dream.

[Andromeda Stardust]

Those are only holy grails for people who like to spend cash on stupid stuff. NWC Gold? Why not! For 1/10000 of the price, you can buy all three games included. Just doesn't make sense.

I own "blue cart" reproductions of NWC 1990 and NCC 1991.

 

High price of games for certain systems is exactly why one of the first things I bought after I got my Turbo Grafx was an EverDrive. Most of the good games are retarded expensive.

 

My grail is a bartop Centipede arcade cabinet with a joystick on the left side, three buttons in the middle, a trackball on the right side, a coin slot for credits, and one of those 412-in-1 JAMMA boards installed so I can not only play Centipede but also Millipede, Ms. Pac-Man on fast mode, Raiden, Frogger, and all the other vertical cabinet classics on my own personal ultimate piggy bank. I'd want all the aesthetics of the bartop cabinet to be flawlessly faithful reproductions of the aesthetics on a full size Centipede cabinet, from the marquee and control graphics to the side art, screen protector graphics, and original Atari one player/two player buttons; which look like little silver cones with red buttons on top.

I built a Raspberry Pi bartop arcade (Porta Pi) from a kit off retrobuiltgames and am thouroughly enjoying it. There's no trackball but MAME can emulate trackball and spinner games with a joystick fairly well. At least Centipede, Millipede, and Tempest play well enough. My joystick switches between 4-way and 8-way under the control panel so I'm good for 4-way and 8-way games.

 

Here's DK discovering his roots!

I also got a MAME DVD preloaded with 2271 ROMs and installed all of them on there...

Edited June 19, 2015 by stardust4ever

[Nutsy Doodleheimer]

Check out Magical Chase for the TG-16 ebay auction. DAMN!!! It's worth a few thousand but not few 10 thousands. 40 dollars for shipping. Make it free if it's that high! Let alone a ridiculous price.

 

http://m.ebay.com/itm/311012474307?nav=SEARCH

[jaybird3rd]

I just looked over my "holy grail" list from 2006, the last time this question came up:

Here are a few items on my "holy grail" list:

• An Atari 1450XLD
• An Atari 1090 Peripheral Expansion Box
• A TI 99/8
• An Entex AdventureVision
• A Cromemco C-10 (a funny old CP/M system that I like but have never seen on eBay)
• A Lambda PC8300 (an ZX81 clone that I had a lot of fun with as a kid)
• An Intellivision Entertainment Computer System
• A complete Coleco Adam system

 

I'm glad to say that I've since knocked off three of the easier-to-find items on that list (all complete and in the box, no less!): a Coleco ADAM, a Cromemco C10, and two or three Intellivision ECS Computer Adaptors. I've had a few opportunities to pick up a PC8300, but the prices are crazy, and I probably wouldn't put the 1090 on my list anymore since there's really nothing to do with it except look at it. That leaves a few ultra-rare or prototype machines that I'd enjoy owning: the 1450XLD, the TI 99/8, and the AdventureVision.

[78001987]

Assigning "Grail" status to certain games and the pricing that goes with it prices so many "regular" people out of the market that it mirrors the giant divide between the 99% and the top 1% who control everything.

 

I buy games I want to play. I open boxes. I throw away useless plastic bubble containers. I'm not a museum curator, I'm a gamer.

[UberArcade]

The Holy Grail is that game, console, accessory that you really want right now but can't find anywhere. For me it changes based on whatever game or system I am into at the moment. For example I collect arcade games and would love to find a Sega Ninja Princess. I have looked for many years and can't find one anywhere. Other people may not give a flip about that game.

[Rhomaios]

I own "blue cart" reproductions of NWC 1990 and NCC 1991.

 

Is there a reason for owning it, though? Do you play it?

[Nutsy Doodleheimer]

I collect games I want to play. The only ones I have complete in box/case are cd/dvd/blu ray games. Saturn,PS1/, Dreamcast, PS2, Xbox/, Gamecube, Wii, PS3, and Wii U. Everything else is thrown out of the box, except for a few.

[CatPix]

Holy Grails are different for eveyone depending on your taste, age, and even location.

 

My Holy Grail is a French export version of the Magnavox Odyssey; a version so elusive that only one model is RUMORED to exist.

Figures says that Philips made or sold 1000 of them. No one ever surfaced.

That is one hell of a Holy Grail ^^

[Clint Thompson]

My current Holy Grails are an Atari ST Book laptop and an Atari C-Lab Falcon MK-II. Wouldn't mind finding one of the 486 ABCs either.

Not really sure I have one console wise anymore. I've always wanted a complete JagDuo but none are even know to exist in complete form so meh... I'm happy with the Dremcast and a copy of Sturmwind and Cosmic Smash.

[7800fan]

My grail is to have as many games as possible without taking up space. Flash carts are the solution and I have most of them. I'm still debating if I want one for Intellivision, waiting for SD card flash cart for Lynx, waiting on PS-IO to get done, and also waiting on DC mod as well. I am also waiting on Everdrive Game Gear (which also plays SMS games without adapter) for when I get the new LCD for the GG system (hint McWill, get that LCD done and ready to sell )

 

Currently I have only 1 system that do not have the luxury of multiple games in one cart: 7800 (2600 Harmony doesn't do 7800 ROM). While GBA do have flash cart option, the current one is somewhat convoluted to use and doesn't hold much plus mini-SD is obsolete technology so even with micro to mini adapter, I doubt I can make 32GB or 64GB card work.

 

Some CD system like PS2 can use hard drive option with Free MCboot and XBox too.

[Andromeda Stardust]

Assigning "Grail" status to certain games and the pricing that goes with it prices so many "regular" people out of the market that it mirrors the giant divide between the 99% and the top 1% who control everything.

 

I buy games I want to play. I open boxes. I throw away useless plastic bubble containers. I'm not a museum curator, I'm a gamer.

Right on. Loose is the way to go for the budget minded consumer. As for "Grail" games, many aren't worth owning, but the multi-thousand dollar games in the 4-5 figure bracket can shove it, honestly. If collectors want to get into a pissing contest to prove who has the most disposable income, that's there business. Anyone investing in these rarities surely does not understand the concept of a collections market bubble. See also baseball cards, comics, and Beanie Babies...

 

The Holy Grail is that game, console, accessory that you really want right now but can't find anywhere. For me it changes based on whatever game or system I am into at the moment. For example I collect arcade games and would love to find a Sega Ninja Princess. I have looked for many years and can't find one anywhere. Other people may not give a flip about that game.

Exactly. Tengen Tetris was my "Holy Grail" before I scored one in a B&M store in 2004. I played the mess out of that game too. Earthbound as well as other titles may be good candidates as sensible "Grails" for gamers who actually want to play games.

 

Is there a reason for owning it, though? Do you play it?

Yes. I'm no Thor, in fact my scores tend to suck, but I do play the NWC and NCC on occasion. They also make decent showpieces as well.

[Andromeda Stardust]

My grail is to have as many games as possible without taking up space. Flash carts are the solution and I have most of them. I'm still debating if I want one for Intellivision, waiting for SD card flash cart for Lynx, waiting on PS-IO to get done, and also waiting on DC mod as well. I am also waiting on Everdrive Game Gear (which also plays SMS games without adapter) for when I get the new LCD for the GG system (hint McWill, get that LCD done and ready to sell )

 

Currently I have only 1 system that do not have the luxury of multiple games in one cart: 7800 (2600 Harmony doesn't do 7800 ROM). While GBA do have flash cart option, the current one is somewhat convoluted to use and doesn't hold much plus mini-SD is obsolete technology so even with micro to mini adapter, I doubt I can make 32GB or 64GB card work.

 

Some CD system like PS2 can use hard drive option with Free MCboot and XBox too.

Yes. There is the possibility in the future that I may need to downsize once my fiance and I move in permanently. I already have games in my collection that are shelf sitters I rarely play or have not played yet. I am prepared should that day come.

 

7800 Harmony Concerto is coming and Kirkzz is rumoured to be working on the GBA Everdrive, so I've got my bases covered.

Edited June 20, 2015 by stardust4ever

[Nutsy Doodleheimer]

I have them all on my modded xbox. Have all the console emulators and Roms.

[Andromeda Stardust]

I have them all on my modded xbox. Have all the console emulators and Roms.

Ditto for my Raspberry Pi bartop MAME, along with a dozen other emulators. Tons of options but it's no replacement for real hardware.

[Nutsy Doodleheimer]

Ditto for my Raspberry Pi bartop MAME, along with a dozen other emulators. Tons of options but it's no replacement for real hardware.

 

Agree! I also use my android phone for emulators. I have mame4droid, john nes, super retro 16 (snes), genesis, tg-16, game boy, and 2600emu. I use my wiimote bluetoothed for controller inputs and the wii classic controller.

[+GoldenWheels]

Mine was Mean 18 for the 7800. I played it tons with my grandfather on his PC Jr 25 years ago. I can't (don't want to!) replicate that, so this game was important to me.

 

I waited for a good price. I got it. I play it and I smile (even though there's no yard markers on the damn power bar!).

 

Life is good.

Edited June 20, 2015 by GoldenWheels

[Reaperman]

I'm not even sure that the emu fans really notice when they're unintentionally(?) kinda crapping on a very collection-specific thread. Heck, it's why I try to stay out of the entire emu forum. While I might have a lot to say there, it's not my thing, so I probably just shouldn't.

 

So, I finally thought up a 'grail' accessory. Kind of a sad tale about meeting your heroes, but here goes. It all revolved around my search for a poorly-documented psone-attachable controller that I had seen exactly once, and actually spent years searching for later. I created numerous threads here on the subject, the latest of which is in the previous sentence. When I found it, the thing wasn't expensive at all, but was rare enough that most people here hadn't even heard of the thing. One day they just started showing up in my followed ebay search for about 1/10th what I would have paid for it, so I picked one up. It was crap, but for a long time, I considered that a collecting goal. Actually it was SO BAD, that I never bothered taking better pictures of it to document its existence properly and that above thread just died. No wonder the internet had no info on it. A controller that clips to the front of a psone/screen combo is a really neat idea, though. Combined with a battery pack, it's a portable game system.

 

If anybody's in for a far funnier tale of grail collecting gone wrong, and hasn't checked out the fake $20-30k english Aero Fighters 3 AES mess, I highly recommend it over at the Neo Geo forum. Honestly, I'm not sure if it really ever happened or if the whole thing was fake (because it seems a bit too over the top), but the end result was a brilliant tragic comedy that spread far beyond the confines of that community. Here's one of many topics on the subject that (like all the rest) quickly devolves into a popcorn-eating 'oh-snap' session.

 

I'll go ahead and third the entex adventure vision too--holy cow do I want one of those systems.

Edited June 20, 2015 by Reaperman

[+GoldenWheels]

I'm not even sure that the emu fans really notice when they're unintentionally(?) kinda crapping on a very collection-specific thread. Heck, it's why I try to stay out of the entire emu forum. While I might have a lot to say there, it's not my thing, so I probably just shouldn't.

 

So, I finally thought up a 'grail' accessory. Kind of a sad tale about meeting your heroes, but here goes. It all revolved around my search for a poorly-documented psone-attachable controller that I had seen exactly once, and actually spent years searching for later. I created numerous threads here on the subject, the latest of which is in the previous sentence. When I found it, the thing wasn't expensive at all, but was rare enough that most people here hadn't even heard of the thing. One day they just started showing up in my followed ebay search for about 1/10th what I would have paid for it, so I picked one up. It was crap, but for a long time, I considered that a collecting goal. Actually it was SO BAD, that I never bothered taking better pictures of it to document its existence properly and that above thread just died. No wonder the internet had no info on it. A controller that clips to the front of a psone/screen combo is a really neat idea, though. Combined with a battery pack, it's a portable game system.

 

I'll go ahead and third the entex adventure vision too--holy cow do I want one of those systems.

 

I went to that old thread and saw the pics....crap or not, that thing is cool. It's unique.

 

(I have a softspot for collecting third party nes controllers period, the weirder the better).