Do you spend more money on vintage or modern games?

[AceHart]

Vintage, aye, vintage.

Our newest system is the Wii; whilst admittedly, not ancient, the point is my family and I are not excited about the Wii U and contemporaries. I've been focusing on Atari lately, with the exception of Sega Genesis cartridge I recently purchased. http://atariage.com/forums/topic/250617-s-factor-sonia-and-silver/ Actually, it's the first Sega Genesis cart I've ever bought; since heretofore it's just been Nintendo and Atari for me.

[Garwor]

I prefer vintage games hands down, but a contributing factor is all of this endless needling for DLC, etc. I'm tired of spending a ton of cash for incomplete games.

[decypher]

I used to spend a ton on vintage and that dropped off a lot. However, of the past few weeks the vintage is picking up. I vote vintage.

[broncoman]

vintage alot alot of $$$ lately

[imstarryeyed]

Neo Retro games are the only ones I am getting nowadays. Sure I may pick up a new 3DS game once every 6 months or so, but I seem to get every new released title for retro systems all of the time.

[+DZ-Jay]

Those who spend more money on modern games should visit XboxAge.com or PlaystationAge.com instead.

[jdollatari]

these days modern as i no longer collect and am just getting into this new generation. overall in my lifetime it may be a tie though

[AussieAtari]

Modern.

 

I have enough games for ever console that I own, some complete collections, that I nowadays only buy new stuff (I gather the Rare collection for Xbox One does not count as vintage?).

[adamchevy]

Vintage by a landslide.

[+sramirez2008]

Vintage and nothing but. 

[adamchevy]

Vintage and nothing but. 

 

That’s how I roll as well these days. It pains me a bit to spend my hard earned money on modern games. That’s why I don’t do it anymore. My wife is trying to talk me into a PS5 purchase. I told her in 3-4 years I’ll think about it.

 

[Keatah]

A 6-month update:

 

As far as the software itself? It's extremely rare I'll buy anything modern for console, mobile, or PC. But vintage? Sure. Like I said before, there's tons of material I have yet to get into or even revisit. And that is but one factor against the modern scene. The other factors are excessive DLC, micropayments, and 0-day incompleteness.

 

I purchased some cheap vintage PC & Apple II hardware bits & pieces and literature & manuals. Some of it for gaming some for spare parts. And some to increase compatibility, like those old MDA, CGA, EGA, and VGA modes. I will buy modern PC hardware to stay current, like a 3080 or 10900. Modern gaming isn't a driving force behind the decisions.

Edited October 20, 2020 by Keatah

[pacman000]

I spend very little money on gaming. When I do buy something, it's usually vintage. (The newest system I have is a Wii U.)

[+wongojack]

14 hours ago, Keatah said:

A 6-month update:

 

6 months?  The thread is from 2016

 

Buying patterns for modern systems have changed in the last 4 years as GamePass is paid for and dominates my modern gaming.  My Steam purchases have tailed off because so much is readily available on GamePass.  Vintage purchases are about the same as 2016.  However COVID has spiked prices and interest for vintage stuff.  I buy homebrews for old systems and make the occasional hardware purchase.  It probably evens out, but I'm trending modern at the moment.  Steam gets confusing because there is more and more vintage stuff there.  I recently purchased the Genesis collection for example.

[Keatah]

2 minutes ago, wongojack said:

6 months?  The thread is from 2016

My last post prior to the one you just quoted is from end of March, this year.

[+wongojack]

3 minutes ago, Keatah said:

My last post prior to the one you just quoted is from end of March, this year.

Seems wrong, but ok

 

[Keatah]

Oh heavens ta'Betsy you're right! Make it a long-term update then!

[+GoldLeader]

On 10/20/2020 at 1:19 PM, pacman000 said:

I spend very little money on gaming. When I do buy something, it's usually vintage. (The newest system I have is a Wii U.)

 

^Me Too!

 

(Although for a  bit I dabbled in "modern" for Wii U just to get it rolling, and PS3 while prices are dirt cheap...Maybe someday I'll have time to play them...)

[adamchevy]

 
^Me Too!
 
(Although for a  bit I dabbled in "modern" for Wii U just to get it rolling, and PS3 while prices are dirt cheap...Maybe someday I'll have time to play them...)

As my 2600 collection keeps expanding it feels more like curation. But I know once I get to a certain point I’ll be far enough. I worry about missing out on collecting while it’s still obtainable.

[Keatah]

I reached that "certain point" sometime about 10 or 15 years ago. It's nebulous. It's hard to define the precise moment.

 

My Apple II stash has long been "complete". In fact I'm slowly deduping hardware. And today I just idle along picking up bits and pieces now and then, with strong emphasis on documentation and HTF spare parts. There isn't a rush to get anything. I might see something and not make a purchase till a year or two later sometimes. It's an evolving thing with the only permanent items being the stuff I had as a child. Those'es is keeper stuff!

 

Having the ability to make physical floppies from ftp.asimov downloads means I can have access to thousands of titles. Especially ones I never got as a kid back in the day. Or just play them in emulation straight away. And just think.. The entire asimov archive plus more fits on a puny flash drive. Compare that against 10 RubberMaid tubs of disks and printed documentation. Or even 100 tubs even! Remember, this is information-age stuff we're playing with. So as long as the essence is captured it doesn't matter what form it takes.

 

And having complete documentation (printed or scanned) seriously adds to the aura. It brings so many views and perspectives to the hobby. It shows us the past with no interpretation. No bias. Nothing left behind. It is also a source of grounding that helps make vintage "vintage"! It preserves things exactly as they were BITD.

[adamchevy]

I reached that "certain point" sometime about 10 or 15 years ago. It's nebulous. It's hard to define the precise moment.  

My Apple II stash has long been "complete". In fact I'm slowly deduping hardware. And today I just idle along picking up bits and pieces now and then, with strong emphasis on documentation and HTF spare parts. There isn't a rush to get anything. I might see something and not make a purchase till a year or two later sometimes. It's an evolving thing with the only permanent items being the stuff I had as a child. Those'es is keeper stuff!

 

Having the ability to make physical floppies from ftp.asimov downloads means I can have access to thousands of titles. Especially ones I never got as a kid back in the day. Or just play them in emulation straight away. And just think.. The entire asimov archive plus more fits on a puny flash drive. Compare that against 10 RubberMaid tubs of disks and printed documentation. Or even 100 tubs even! Remember, this is information-age stuff we're playing with. So as long as the essence is captured it doesn't matter what form it takes.

 

And having complete documentation (printed or scanned) seriously adds to the aura. It brings so many views and perspectives to the hobby. It shows us the past with no interpretation. No bias. Nothing left behind. It is also a source of grounding that helps make vintage "vintage"! It preserves things exactly as they were BITD.

 

 

Yeah, “certain point” sounds like something I would say to my wife. There probably isn’t such a thing when it comes to the hobbies you really love that grab that part of your heart and mind nothing else does.

 

I guess in reality if I could afford to have every 2600 game CIB on a shelf I would for sure. But part of the adventure for me is learning about new games on a podcast, forum, YouTube, or just searching the Internet and then seeking them out and acquiring them.

 

I’m not sure why having them tangibly makes the experience more for me, especially having physical documentation like the manual. I’m not so much into the boxes. But somehow the bits of data flow more realistically in the experience when I plug the cartridge into the system and read the manual physically in my hand.

 

I sometimes get bored or find something new and need to harvest some money out of particularly expensive purchases. But those times have become less now that I am focused exclusively on 2600 collecting. And honestly I’m much happier this way.

 

And this is all strange to me because I didn’t grow up with a 2600. The first system I owned was an NES. I came across the 2600 first at my great Uncles house when I was 4 or 5 years old. So maybe my mind somehow feels it differently. But either way I like the history and games much better on the 2600 than any other system I’ve come across so far.

 

[Keatah]

On 10/21/2020 at 7:51 PM, adamchevy said:

Yeah, “certain point” sounds like something I would say to my wife. There probably isn’t such a thing when it comes to the hobbies you really love that grab that part of your heart and mind nothing else does.

Respectfully disagree because too much of something can easily become a distraction. Attention is spread across so many things and ideas that none of them can grow into something rewarding.

 

A perfect example (for me) would be label variations on a cartridge. One or two is more than enough. The original numbered VCS games are nostalgic and very vintage. Nothing screams 1970's like they do. The later ones with picture labels, less so.. but more interesting and colorful.. more wholesome so to speak. That's fun and interesting.

 

But when you start getting into the subtle revisions or and cost-cutting variations with differently positioned model number printings or boarders or evolutionary changes or B&W labels. Pfaaggghh! It gets boring, its full of fluff, its filler material you hesitate whether to keep or sell. It becomes a thorn.

 

And that's where I call it on collections.

 

As far as history goes. That's awesomesauce. Fun to read about it. New material is uncovered all the time. Stories emerge. And. Documentation, books, manuals, great stuff! Always entertaining. An unchanging reference to the past telling it how it was. Always good for retaining important operational procedures and hints and tutorials. A time capsule within a time capsule preserving the style and aura of the day.

 

Edited October 29, 2020 by Keatah

[Keatah]

One other brief thing. Focusing on one (or two) systems IS more rewarding. Through and through. I don't care what megacollectors say. It allows you to concentrate resources into effectiveness. It allows you to pursue something with a vigor and vitality that would otherwise be diluted into ineffectiveness. It allows one to savor the flavor. Immerse oneself in the entirety. That's what I do with Apple II.

 

And if a system is living large like the PC - so many aspects to it - focus on a few aspects is the name of the game. My personal goal is to have the best representative graphics cards from each major era. And to have the ability to run all the period software up to when they started making multi-core systems. A side goal is to do it on as few machines as possible. Another side goal is maintain my vintage 486 well into this century and the next.

 

And that's a lot to swallow!

[zzip]

I spend more on modern.   For vintage games,  I collected most of the games I care about years ago.   I may check out new homebrews that push the system,  but I don't care that much about period games I wasn't playing back then, because so many were just clones or knock-offs of popular games of their era.

[zzip]

17 minutes ago, Keatah said:

And if a system is living large like the PC - so many aspects to it - focus on a few aspects is the name of the game. My personal goal is to have the best representative graphics cards from each major era. And to have the ability to run all the period software up to when they started making multi-core systems. A side goal is to do it on as few machines as possible. Another side goal is maintain my vintage 486 well into this century and the next.

I've upgraded my PC piecemeal over the years, so I'm left with a bunch of unused parts-  enough to build at least three working systems from different eras.   I just revived a 486.   I'm going to work on a K6-II system next.    To me it seems like there are only three eras of PCs that need to be represented for maximum backwards compatibility.   1)  a pre-1995 386 or 486 DOS system   2)  A legacy pre-XP Windows system preferably running Win98sp2  3)  A modern PC that should be able to handle most post-XP stuff.    Maybe if I was a masochist, I'd add a 8086 or 286 system for software that runs too fast on a 486