Posted yesterday: "Unreleased Versions of Super Mario Bros. Duck Hunt Discovered in Warehouse" https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49099113
We discovered a new variant of Super Mario Bros
21–30 of 36 posts
Re: We discovered a new variant of Super Mario Bros
#22Something that I wonder about when I see the 'final' results like these NES cartridges sealed in a graded plastic box as a collectible. Surely the market value of these will only hold up as long as they're within the normal lifespan of the people for whom the original NES is a nostalgia item? For example: If you were born in 1978 and were 7 to 8 years old when your parents bought the original NES and brought it home…
Honestly, I don't think the average nostalgic Gen X-er is that interested in a sealed video game cartridge.
I think the "sealed, unopened, graded" flavor of collecting is always more of a niche thing, and the actual market potential of tapping into American Gen X video game nostalgia is more clear when you look at sales of the NES/SNES Mini plug and play consoles or the Nintendo Switch subscription for classic games.
Collecting is an absolute rabbit hole, and it's often intrinsically tied to the "lore" and history of the collection's theme/genre more so than a collector's personal feelings of nostalgia.
Re: We discovered a new variant of Super Mario Bros
#23I hate grading companies, they are a part of the retro industrial complex which made old consoles (ones that were manufactured in the millions, mind you!) and games so expensive. Old stuff should be sold at old stuff prices. Look at the New 3DS, it's approaching the launch price!
I have mixed feelings on this.
Should old stuff be cheaper because it's old, or should it be expensive because you can't get it anymore? I've seen many things turn into "vintage classic collectible" after being "cheap, outdated, old junk" for years. Old body style trucks, CRT Monitors, typewriters, Mosin-Nagant rifles.
Ultimately stuff is worth what people are willing to pay.
The proliferation of selling things online has probably driven up prices more than anything because it connects motivated buyers with sellers with low friction, and allows even a fairly unmotivated seller to do accurate market research.
If you want a good deal on something old, your best bet is thrift shops, garage sales, and FB marketplace.
Re: We discovered a new variant of Super Mario Bros
#24TLDR: The new variant is that the word "repair" was changed to "service" in the user manual.
Re: We discovered a new variant of Super Mario Bros
#25Do we know if the actual binary on the cartridge is the same ?
I'd love to hear about the game ROM. This post is just focusing on a new, slight variant of the packaging, as if the game is a collectible like a stamp or coin.
Re: We discovered a new variant of Super Mario Bros
#26[dead]
Re: We discovered a new variant of Super Mario Bros
#27Something that I wonder about when I see the 'final' results like these NES cartridges sealed in a graded plastic box as a collectible. Surely the market value of these will only hold up as long as they're within the normal lifespan of the people for whom the original NES is a nostalgia item? For example: If you were born in 1978 and were 7 to 8 years old when your parents bought the original NES and brought it home…
For an anecdote in a different direction, my father bought a Ford model T a few years ago. Now, "classic" cars of the 60's and 70's are still very popular among those who lived through that time. Maybe your family had one or there was a particular car you wished you could have had. I don't think the model T works like that. Next year, all model T's will be 100 years old, so even if you are 95 today, when you started…
I could see the NES being comparable to the Model T.
People are going to know what an NES or an “original Nintendo” is for decades, just like we all know what a Model T is.
Re: We discovered a new variant of Super Mario Bros
#28I was expecting to read about a new variant of the game ROM itself. But, this just sounds like a new, slight variant of the packaging. It almost feels more like stamp or coin collecting, than video game collecting as I understand it.
they're like physical NFTs
Re: We discovered a new variant of Super Mario Bros
#29Talk about a barn find. According to ChatGPT, this box might be worth $1 million or more. Good thing the owner talked to the author before putting them up for $15 each...
Ah yes, because a probabilistic text generator should be trusted to appraise a rare collectible that wasn't even known to exist as of the time it was trained.
Re: We discovered a new variant of Super Mario Bros
#30TLDR: The new variant is that the word "repair" was changed to "service" in the user manual.
That was only one of the differences mentioned; the others were on the cartridge itself and included a different sticker on the back and different manufacturing codes.