Video Game & DVD Collecting | Resale Price Analysis

10 Rare Skylanders Figures | The Most Valuable Skylanders

2012-05-25T16:26:00.000-06:00

Skylander figurines come in all different shapes and colors but they are not all worth the same. Which Skylander figures are the rarest and the most expensive?

Concrete prices are near impossible to ascertain as sales are erratic and these items are often bundled with other figurines. The prices in this article are the best estimate. The actual price you pay may be a little higher or lower.

Pearl Hex

Price: $300

Pearl Hex is a paint variant of the normal Hex and functions the same in game. The only difference is the coloration. Given away or sold at the 2012 Nuremberg Toy Fair, they are very limited and hard to obtain. It has a brilliant luster using pearlescent white paint.

Clear Stealth Elf, Cynder, and Wham-Shell

Price: $ 275 Each

The Stealth Elf, Cynder, and Wham-Shell figurines also come in a clear variant. They function the same in game as the normal version but they glow which is a neat addition. These are part of a new approach by the publisher to prevent knock-offs. Creating translucent figurines requires a mold and impressive skills working with resin and is much harder than simply repainting the figurines.

Metallic Cynder

Price: $250

Metallic Cynder is a paint variant of the normal Cynder and functions the same in game. The only difference is the coloration. Given away or sold at the 2012 Nuremberg Toy Fair, they are very limited and hard to obtain.

Glow-in-the-Dark Zap, Warnado, and Wrecking Ball

Price: $200 Each

The Zap, Warnado, and Wrecking Ball figurines also come in a glow-in-the-dark paint variant. They function the same in game as the normal version but they glow which is a neat addition. These are part of a new approach by the publisher to prevent knock-offs as the glow process is harder to replicate than simply repainting the figurines. This is part of the newer wave of releases and for the time being they are more sought-after, driving prices up.

Golden Chop Chop, Flamslinger, and Drill Sergeant

Price: $125 Each

The Chop Chop, Flameslinger, and Drill Sergeant figurines also come in a metallic gold variant that is easy to fake. Buyer beware, these variants were part of the first wave of figures and the publishers have learned from their mistakes when it comes to paint variants. Bootlegged versions are fairly easy to find.

Silver Dino-Rang, Eruptor, and Boomer

Price: $100

The Dino-Rang, Eruptor, and Boomer figurines also come in a metallic silver variant that is easy to fake. Activision learned their lesson from this mistake and does not ship solid color variants anymore. These figurines are as rare as the gold variants but people often overlook them.

Flocked Stump Smash

Price: $100

This figurine is a unique variant of Stump Smash covered in felt. It was released as part of a Frito Lay promotion and only 7,334 were made. Prices for this game could skyrocket due to its rarity.

Blue Bash

Price: $55

The official Skylanders Facebook page held a fan poll of what Bash variant they wanted. The choices were translucent red, blue, or green. Even though Bash is an Earth element, blue won the contest and as such translucent blue Bashes were released to the public. They are relatively common but do fetch notable prices.

Volcanic Vault

Price: $45

The Volcanic Vault is an interesting piece. This figurine opens up a new Multiplayer arena. The level is just a recolor of the Aquaduct but it is interesting just the same. This is a really unique piece and was part of a few promotions in stores such as Best Buy in the US and GAME in the UK. I see this piece getting harder to come by as it falls further into obscurity.

Dark Spyro

Price: $35

Dark Spyro is a variant of Spyro but it actually functions differently in game. This piece is easy to find as it is bundled with the 3DS version of the game but that means that you have to buy that version to get it. It was sold in a single pack in the UK and may one day be brought to the US in the same fashion but it is hard to find for cheap.

Skylander figures could be a fad period prices are much higher now than they will be in the future. The publisher of Skylander, Activision, has purposefully made information about the figurines hard to find as a marketing tactic. This is the same strategy used by other manufacturers of 'collectible goods', the best example is Ty Beanie Babies. This level of top-down secrecy, ensures interest, intrigue, mystery, and their product selling.

Only time will tell if Skylander characters are different than Beanie Baby prices, which plummeted as soon as the fad died off.

Updated Rare Nintendo 64 Games Article

2012-05-24T10:47:00.001-06:00

We've updated the Rare Nintendo 64 game article to include more than 20 rare N64 games and reasons why the most expensive fetch such big price tags.

Read the article today and see what makes a Yoshi game top the list, how many Atlus games make an appearance, and what million selling title still sells for top dollar. Rare N64 Games >>

Added TurboGrafx-CD (Super CD) Games

2012-05-22T11:44:00.003-06:00

At a users request we have added all the TurboGrafx-CD (Super CD) games to our database. You can see them all by searching for "Super CD" or visiting the TurboGrafx-16 page and looking for titles with "[Super CD]" at the end. With this method of listing the games on our site you can compare prices on all TurboGrafx games on the same page or see prices for only the CD based games too.

Do Streaming Movies Decrease Demand for DVD's?

2012-05-17T15:14:00.001-06:00

More and more movies are available instantly through streaming services like Amazon Instant and Netflix Instant Queue. A customer has the option to stream it directly into their home and isn't forced to buy a DVD in order to watch the movie. Does the electronic availability of these movies change the price of the DVD?

Below is a table showing the change in price for a random selection of movies based upon availability on Amazon Instant and Netflix Instant:

The average price for a DVD in our study dropped 58% if it was available on Amazon Instant, but only 47% if it was not available for streaming through Amazon. A difference of 11 percentage points, which is statistically significant (see methodology below).

The average price for DVD's available on Netflix dropped 51% compared to a drop of 48% for those not available instantly. A difference of 3 percentage points, but is within the margin of error.

Why does Amazon's instant movie service decrease demand for DVD's while Netflix's service does not? This can be attributed to the types of customers using both sites. Amazon sells DVD's and offers customers the chance to stream the movie on the same page they offer to sell the DVD. If streaming is not available a large portion of them would buy the DVD. But when streaming is available it cannibalizes some of those customers.

Netflix on the other hand does not sell new DVD's and their users are more accustomed to renting DVD's. If the movie isn't available via streaming they will probably choose to add the DVD to their mail queue instead of buying it. So there is very little if any change in demand for DVD's caused by Netflix's service.

Methodology: For this study we randomly selected 112 DVD's released during 2010 from the Comedy, Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi, Drama, Horror, Animation, or Family genres and calculated the drop in price from the original MSRP to the current New price. We then looked to see which of these 112 movies was available on Amazon Instant Video and/or Netflix Instant as of May 16th 2012.

The average price change was calculated for those movies available for streaming and those not available and a statistical test to see if the difference between the two averages was meaningful (statistically significant). The test of two means was significant with a 99% confidence between the Amazon available and unavailable movies, but was not significant for the two Netflix averages even at a confidence of 90%.

Avengers Increases DVD Prices 48% for all Avenger Heroes

2012-05-10T11:02:00.000-06:00

The Marvel characters who make up the Avengers are Iron Man, Captain America, The Hulk, and Thor and all of them have their own movies before The Avengers came out this past Friday, May 4th. Resale prices for these DVD's in new condition increased 48% after Avengers came out and unit sales jumped 27% too.

Reason for the Big Increases

More than 17 million people saw The Avengers during its opening weekend and it grossed a record setting $207 million in three days. After seeing the new movie, many of these people decided to buy the DVD's for the individual characters as well, which increased demand.

Supply wasn't able to increase as quickly as demand did so prices increased to compensate - Economics 101.

Methodology:
Price: The price shown is the average price for a brand new DVD sold on eBay. The 'before price' is during the last week of April and the 'after price' is the average from May 4th to May 9th.

Units Sold: This is the average number of units sold per day on eBay and only includes new condition DVD's. The 'before' and 'after' time periods are the same as those used for the price calculations.

The DVD's used in the analysis were Captain America, The Incredible Hulk, The Hulk, Iron Man, Iron Man 2, and Thor.

Skylander Figure List & Collecting Guide

2012-05-07T15:30:00.000-06:00

Skylanders: Spyro’s Adventure first launched October 12, 2011 in Australia for the PC. It has since spread worldwide and released on the Wii, Xbox 360, PS3, Nintendo 3DS, and Mac OS. It is slated to launch in Japan later this year. This title is the definition of a blockbuster and employs marketing techniques from several different series allowing for unparalleled success.

Activision has stated that they have already earned over $200 million in the US alone and are gearing up for a sequel, Skylanders: Giants. This game is redefining gaming, marketing, and collecting in one fell swoop. How did they do it?

Skylander Gameplay

For starters, it is a great game to play. It is fun, it looks good, and it is available across every major gaming console. The story is written by Alec Sokolow and Joel Cohen, both of whom worked on Pixar's original Toy Story film, guaranteeing appeal to children and adults alike.

The controls are easy to pick up and the game is fun and fast-paced but long enough to allow for time investment and sentimental attachment. It has colorful characters and is a stark contrast to today’s video game market oversaturated with bloody, gritty war simulations. The PC version earned a 93.00% aggregate score on GameRanking.com.

Skylander Marketing

Activision has outdone themselves and everyone else in the gaming industry with the marketing behind this project. They worked with Nickelodeon to create a tour as well as heavily invested in their own website and web games.

However, the number one marketing ploy that they have utilized is an incredible media blackout on their shipments for figurines. Release dates are hard to track down and they do not even tell their vendors what they are going to be sending them. Each shop has something different. Some stores do have exclusives and some exclusive are later on revealed to not be exclusives at all. This combination of misinformation and lack of information creates an interesting mix and is the exact same as the marketing employed to sell Beanie Babies.

Skylander Collecting

Just how many figurines are there? This is a hard number to find, but there are 70 know Skylander figurines. That number includes all known variants, items, promos, sidekicks, and levels.

Collecting the figures is not just for completionist purposes, these figures often unlock something in-game. They are tangible DLC (Downloadable content). You actually have to buy them to continue on in the game itself. However, several of these figurines are simply rarer variants that function the exact same in-game as their more common counterparts. Nowhere on the box does it say that, though. All of this is just part of the mystique.

Gamestop has realized the value of these figures and recently started buying and selling used figurines to capitalize on the success of the title. If you want each of these figurines, be prepared to spend several thousands dollars.

Below is a complete list of the 70 known Skylander Figures

List of Skylander Figures

Skylander Characters:
1. Lightning Rod (Single Pack and Triple Pack)
2. Sonic Boom (Single Pack and Triple Pack)
3. Warnado (Single Pack and Triple Pack)
4. Whirlwind (Single Pack and Triple Pack)
5. Bash (Single Pack and Triple Pack)
6. Dino-Rang (Single Pack and Triple Pack)
7. Prism Break (Single Pack and Triple Pack)
8. Terrafin (Pirate Seas Adventure Pack)
9. Eruptor (Single Pack and Triple Pack)
10. Flameslinger (Single Pack and Triple Pack)
11. Ignitor (3DS Starter Pack ,Single Pack, and Triple Pack)
12. Sunburn (Dragon's Peak Adventure Pack)
13. Camo (Single Pack and Triple Pack)
14. Stealth Elf (3DS Starter Pack, Single Pack, and Triple Pack)
15. Stump Smash (Single Pack and Triple Pack)
16. Zook (Single Pack and Triple Pack)
17. Dark Spyro (3DS Starter Pack)
18. Double Trouble (Single Pack and Triple Pack)
19. Spyro (All Starter Kits except 3DS)
20. Voodood (Single Pack and Triple Pack)
21. Wrecking Ball (Single Pack and Triple Pack)
22. Boomer (Single Pack and Triple Pack)
23. Drill Sergeant (Single Pack and Triple Pack)
24. Drobot (Single Pack and Triple Pack)
25. Trigger Happy (All Starter Packs except 3DS)
26. Chop Chop (Single Pack and Triple Pack)
27. Cynder (Single Pack and Triple Pack)
28. Ghost Roaster (Darklight Crypt Adventure Pack)
29. Hex (Single Pack and Triple Pack)
30. Gill Grunt (All Starter Kits except 3DS)
31. Slam Bam (Empire of Ice Adventure Pack)
32. Wham-Shell (Single Pack and Triple Pack)
33. Zap (Single Pack and Triple Pack)

Skylander Legendary Characters:
34. Legendary Bash (Legendary Triple Pack Toys'R'Us Exclusive)
35. Legendary Chop Chop (Legendary Triple Pack Toys'R'Us Exclusive)
36. Legendary Spyro (Legendary Triple Pack Toys'R'Us Exclusive)
37. Legendary Trigger Happy (Legendary Single Pack Toys'R'Us Exclusive)

Skylander Items:
38. Anvil Rain (Empire of Ice Adventure Pack)
39. Sky-Iron Shield (Empire of Ice Adventure Pack)
40. Time Twister Hourglass (Darklight Crypt Adventure Pack)
41. Healing Elixir (Darklight Crypt Adventure Pack)
42. Sparx the Dragonfly (Dragon's Peak Adventure Pack)
43. Winged Boots (Dragon's Peak Adventure Pack)
44. Ghost Pirate Swords (Pirate Seas Adventure Pack)
45. Hidden Treasure (Pirate Seas Adventure Pack)

Skylander Levels:
46.Darklight Crypt (Darklight Crypt Adventure Pack)
47. Empire of Ice (Empire of Ice Adventure Pack)
48. Pirate Ship (Pirate Seas Adventure Pack)
49. Dragon’s Peak (Dragon's Peak Adventure Pack)
50. Volcanic Vault (Best Buy in the US, GAME and Gamestation in the UK Single Pack Exclusive)

Skylander Sidekicks:
51. Whisper Elf (Summer 2012 release)
52. Trigger Snappy (Summer 2012 release)
53. Terrabite (Summer 2012 release)
54. Gill Runt (Summer 2012 release)

Skylander Promo Variants:
55. Flocked Stump Smash (Frito Lay Spring 2012)
56. Metallic Cynder (Toy Fair 2012)
57. Pearl Hex (Toy Fair 2012)
58. Translucent Blue Bash

Skylander Random Collectible Color Variants:
59. Silver Boomer
60. Silver Dino-Rang
61. Silver Eruptor
62. Gold Chop Chop
63. Gold Drill Sergeant
64. Gold Flameslinger
65. Clear Wham-Shell
66. Clear Cynder
67. Clear Stealth Elf
68. Glow-in-the-Dark Warnado
69. Glow-in-the-Dark Wrecking Ball
70. Glow-in-the-Dark Zap

When you purchase any color variant, you must beware. Only buy them sealed in their box. Anyone with a can of spray paint can create a rare color variant. That is why Activision has changed the variants to harder-to-fake versions such as clear or glow-in-the-dark to reduce the likelihood of forgery but you can never be completely safe. Be careful when buying these figurines. You can lose a lot of money with one fake purchase. All of the collectible color variants and promo variants are valued at anywhere from $500 to $900 each. Never pay more than $30 dollars for any individual Skylander figurine unless it is a variant. The Legendary characters are worth more.

It is also important to remember that this is not a stable market at all. Prices vary wildly day-to-day and something that sells for $5 dollars today can sell for $50 tomorrow. This will even out after the hype dies down but right now, this is a seller’s market and buyers should expect to pay a premium price to get what they want to complete their collections.

Cover Art Added for Atari 2600 and PC Games

2012-04-26T09:05:00.003-06:00

This morning we added cover art to our site for the vast majority of Atari 2600 and PC Games. With these additions roughly 95% of the pageviews on our site will show the game's cover art.

I think the cover art makes each page look nicer. They can also be helpful at times to identify games if you aren't very familiar with the title.

If you see any cover images that are incorrect while browsing the site, please let us know so we can correct it.

12 Rare & Valuable Adult Video Games

2012-04-24T10:16:00.000-06:00

Today, retailers won't carry a game that receives an ESRB rating of "Adults Only" so video games very rarely receive this rating. Developers will alter the game to get back down to a "Mature" rating and ensure customers can actually buy it.

In the 70's, 80's, and early 90's there was no ESRB, but adult video games were still not very common. Many retailers wouldn't sell them and console manufacterers wouldn't grant licenses to adult games either. A few adult video games were made for consoles though and quite a few of them have become rare and very valuable as collectibles.

Below is a list of the rarest and most valuable adult video games:

Rare Adult Video Games

Peek-A-Boo Poker [NES]

Complete Price: $1,200 | See Current Prices
Peek-A-Boo Poker is a five card draw poker game with different erotic reward scenes for every $1,000 in winnings. Each scene is a picture of a partially clothed woman with a phrase riddled with sexual inuendo like "I know you have a Straight for me".

Peek-A-Boo Poker was published in the United States by a company called Panesian, who also released three other games on this list. The game was only sold via mail order to video rental stores. It was never sold to the general public and only avaialble via rental until rental chains started selling off old games they could no longer rent.

Hot Slots [NES]

Complete Price: $1,200 | See Current Prices
Hot Slots is a slot machine simulator with partially nude images as rewards for different monetary milestones. The more money you earn the less clothing is shown in the reward images. Each image also has a thought bubble, which usually contains a double entendre like "Get ready to score my jackpot."

Hot Slots was also developed by Panesian and like their other two games is available in very limited quantities. Complete version of the game include a one page instruction leaflet that explains how to play the game. That one piece of paper can increase the price of the game by $200-300.

Bubble Bath Babes [NES]

Complete Price: $1,000 | See Current Prices
Bubble Bath Babes is similar to Tetris and Puzzle Bobble. You rotate rising bubbles of different colors so more than four bubbles of the same color are touching and they disappear. Like the other two Panesian games, the nudity occurs after receiving a certain score.

All three Panesian games were unlicensed. Nintendo wouldn't approve publishers making adult video games, but Panesian was able to release them without the license. Being unlicensed limited the distribution channels and production capabilities for the game, which helped make it very rare.

X-Man [Atari 2600]

Complete Price: $400 | See Current Prices
In X-man you must manuver a man through a maze avoiding crabs, scissors, and teeth until he reaches a pink door in the middle. After reaching the door you are rewarded with a simulated sex scene.

X-man was the only game published by Universal Gamex. It sold very poorly because it wasn't covered by the gaming press or sold in many retail stores. It is considered one of the rarest Atari 2600 games of all time.

Bachelor Party [Atari 2600]

Complete Price: $199 | See Current Prices
Bachelor Party is similar to games like Arkanoid but instead of a ball bouncing around the screen it is a man and the blocks are replaced by women in a "sexy" pose. The graphics are so poor that it is hard to even tell the "sexy" pose is even a woman.

The game was developed by Mystique, which sold its games as "Swedish Erotica" even though they were made in the USA. The company went out of business in 1983, along with most other video game developers of the time.

Jungle Fever/Knight on the Town [Atari 2600]

Complete Price: $110 | See Current Prices
Jungle Fever/Knight on the Town is a double sided Atari 2600 game from Playaround. Both sides of the cartridge can play a different adult video game - Jungle Fever on one side and Knight on the Town on the other.

In Jungle Fever you play a nude woman hovering over a burning forest who must lactate out the fire. In Knight on the Town, you must build a bridge to a waiting princess while avoiding gremlins.

Philly Flasher/Cathouse Blues [Atari 2600]

Complete Price: $100 | See Current Prices
Another double sided cartridge from Playaround featuring Philly Flasher and Cathouse Blues. In Philly the Flasher you play as two men who try to catch a woman's breast milk as it falls down the screen.

In Cathouse Blues you try to score with seven different woman but must remember which house they live in without going into the houses with alarms. Along with all other Playaround games, this one sold very badly when initially released and is renowned for its horrible game-play.

Custer's Revenge [Atari 2600]

Complete Price: $66 | See Current Prices
Custer's Revenge was developed by Mystique. General Custer must dodge aerial attacks to make it across the screen and have sex with a naked woman tied to a pole.

Custer's Revenge was the very first video game controversy. The game looks like it depicts Custer raping Native American woman. It was renounced by many women's groups and Native American groups soon after its release. In spite of the controversy and publicity the game sold poorly.

Beat 'em and Eat 'em/Lady in Wading [Atari 2600]

Complete Price: $55 | See Current Prices
After Mystique closed down, they sold their game rights to a company called Playaround, who used the game concepts to make some of their double sided Atari 2600 games. This double cartridge includes Beat Em and Eat Em (originally released by Mystique) and Lady in Wading, which is the same concept as Knight on the Town but with a female lead.

In Beat 'Em and Eat 'Em you play a naked woman who must catch semen before it hits the ground. It is infamously known as one of the worst games ever created.

Bachelorette Party/Burning Desire [Atari 2600]

Complete Price: $50 | See Current Prices
The last of the Playaround double sided games to appear on the list. Bachelorette Party and Burning Desire mimic concepts seen early in this list but with the roles reversed.

Bachelorette Party is similar to Bachelor Party but with a woman bouncing around and hitting naked men. Burning Desire is like Jungle Fever but you are a man who must use his semen to put out the fire instead of using breast milk.

Riana Rouge [PC]

Complete Price: $31 | See Current Prices
Riana Rouge is a full motion video adventure game with full nude death scenes and horrible acting. A woman is pushed out the window after accusing her boss of raping a fellow employee. During the fall she is transported to another world where she becomes a seductive warrior.

Riana Rouge is one of the few video games actually released with the "Adults Only" rating. Because of the AO rating, the game was never widely distributed and sells very rarely in the secondary market.

The Guy Game [Xbox, PS2]

Complete Price: $25 | See Current Prices
The Guy Game is a trivia game with live action footage of women in bikinis after every question. The footage was shot during spring break at South Padre Island. When the game starts the breasts are blurred but as you answer more questions correctly they became uncensored.

The Guy Game was pulled from retailers shelves after a female contestant on the game revealed she was only 17 at the time. Lawsuits insued and a judge granted a restraining order which prevented the publisher from selling or distributing the game anymore.

The list is ranked by the highest average price for the game in complete condition (includes the original game, case, and manual) and then highest average used price in the event of a tie.

Top 5 Most Valuable e-Reader Cards

2012-04-23T10:38:00.000-06:00

In lieu of Nintendo’s recent foray into cards with AR cards for Kid Icarus: Uprising, I must remind everyone of another card-based enterprise started by Nintendo. Do you remember the Nintendo e-Reader? I do.

History of e-Reader Cards

This card-scanning add-on was released in Japan for the Game Boy Advance in December 2001. The original version did not support the link cable and could not be connected to the Gamecube. Later on, the e-Reader+ was released in Japan, this version did include the link cable support. In September 2002, the e-Reader was released in North America, this time with the link cable support. It was not successful at all. As a result, Nintendo canceled most of their projects with the add-on and pulled all support for it.

The whole project was horribly misconceived. Some cards came in sets and if one of those cards were missing, you could no longer use the data stored on them. The cards were also easy to lose or damage unless they were kept stored in a binder. They also received tremendous wear and tear as they had to be manually scanned, which could damage them.

People didn’t want to buy DLC in the form of a card. It is a pity because Nintendo put a lot of time and money into hyping and advertising this and as a result we, as the collectors, have a few really neat and interesting pieces of history to keep an eye out for.

Collecting e-Reader Cards

It is important to say that there is no stable market for these cards. You can just as easily buy a card for $5 dollars today and be able to sell it tomorrow for $50. Without this stable market, it is impossible to create a comprehensive price guide of them.

It is also not a well known fact but these cards can be printed using your own printer at home. This completely undermines the entire market but it is also important to note that not all of these cards have been scanned and finding the scans is a real pain.

You should never buy any e-Reader cards for any region other than the same region as the e-Reader you intend to scan them with. These cards are region locked.

Most Expensive e-Reader Cards

5. Kirby Slide Card

Included in the December 2003 issues of Tips & Tricks and Nintendo Power and also given away at Toys ‘R’ Us stores, this card contains a slide puzzle featuring Kirby. It is interesting to note that it also contains images of Sonic, Raphael from TMNT, and characters from Shaman King. It only contained one puzzle and when you beat it, it asked if you wanted to play again. Never pay more than $5 for this card, you can probably buy a copy of the entire magazine for that much.

4. Mario Party-e

Released on February 18, 2003. This 64 card set included a playmat and much needed instruction manual. It received very poor reviews and could even be played without the titular e-Reader. What makes it rare is that it is hard to get a full set of 64 cards along with box, playmat, and instructions. The rarest card wasn’t even included in it put instead came packaged with GamePro Magazine issue 177. It was a “Special Bonus Card” and by that, it was simply meant to replace one of the Coin cards in the deck.
The price for a complete set without the “Special Bonus Card” can be found for under $10 and with the “Special Bonus Card” the price doubles to $20.

3. Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bro. 3-e

The Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bro. 3-e card set included two sets of 18 cards each, two pack-in cards, and five Walmart exclusive cards making a complete set of 43 cards. Finding all of them is nearly impossible but they unlock some really neat stuff in-game and might be worth purchasing just for what they do. You can find several incomplete sets on eBay ranging from $20-$40 but to find them all you might have to shovel out $60. If you find all 43 for cheaper, they are a good buy.

2. Eon Ticket

This card is usable with Pokemon Ruby or Sapphire and is the only way someone can obtain tournament legal “Soul Dew”, an item held by the Pokemon. This card was given away at E3 2003, in the September 2003 issue of Nintendo Power, and for a limited time at Toys "R" Us stores. What makes this card valuable is the packaging. The only version of this card that is worth more than $5 is the E3 2003 version. You can tell which one that is because it came with a red and blue paper pamphlet stamped with a golden E3. That version sells for over $100.

1. 2002 E3 e-Reader Pack

This pack was given away at the 2002 E3 and contained 4 cards. The two Pokemon cards (Hoppip and Pichu) in this pack are interesting in that they come from a the official TCG but they have the Japanese backings as opposed to the normal US backs. The other two cards are a special variant of Manhole (the gameplay is the same but the card looks different) and a Kirby Prize Card. The Kirby Prize card is worth the most because it was used in a contest then ripped up. Not many survived.

As you can imagine, this is pricey. I have seen these cards go for around $300. That is a lot for four pieces of paper but collectors are just that insane.

That concludes the TOP 5 MOST VALUABLE e-READER cards list! I want to reiterate that there is no stable market for e-reader cards and they are a niche collector's item. As far as I can tell, this is the first price guide. Since there is no stable market, you can find prices for all these items that vary wildly from my own numbers. Now is a good opportunity to buy these while they are cheap.

This article was made in Stevesesy (from thoseguys.tv)

Show New Condition Prices on Charts

2012-04-17T09:59:00.000-06:00

After the recent user survey, we promised to add a line to our price charts showing items in new condition. Today we fulfilled that promise. Here's an example for Chrono Trigger DS:

The blue line shows used prices. The red line shows new prices. For most games, new price data goes back to about August 2010. We have older data for a few popular titles. When you first load a game page, new prices are hidden on the chart. To display them, click the New label in the upper right corner of the chart (in the legend). For many games, the new prices are so much higher than the used prices, that showing them on the same chart makes it hard to see meaningful trends in the used prices.

With this change, we also switched from Google's Flash charts to Highcharts JavaScript charting. The new charting component provides the following benefits:

almost instant chart loading
charts should work on iPad and Android tablets
makes it possible to add many cool features down the road

We don't have a tablet for testing, so please let us know in the comments if the charts don't work on your tablet (my Android tablet recently careened off the front seat cracking the glass). Because the new charting component was originally designed for showing stock price charts, it supports some great features. At some point, we might display sales volumes or candlestick charts. Those changes aren't yet on our roadmap, so let us know in the comments if that's something you'd like to see.

During testing, we've found these new charts to be a lot of fun. We hope you like them too. Enjoy!

Closing Forum and Starting Facebook Page

2012-04-13T14:01:00.000-06:00

More than six months ago we launched a PriceCharting.com forum for our users to discuss video game collecting, rare games, their latest finds, and anything else you wanted.

Unfortunately the forum never really caught on as well as the rest of the site and we have decided to close it.

I want to thank all the loyal forum users who I have gotten to know during these last six months. It has been great hearing about your great finds, discussing the next rare games, and even seeing the odd pictures of goats and SNES lamps.

At the suggestion of our forum users we have started a facebook page for PriceCharting so everyone can continue their video game and movie discussions on the facebook page instead. Give us a like today and let us know your latest video game find and feel free to post your crazy photos too.

We will be spending the time we devoted to the forum binging new features to the site and writing more articles for the blog. There are hundreds of thousands of users who read the blog articles and find game values every month so we decided this would be a better use of our resources.

Updated Rare PS1 Game Article

2012-04-11T09:45:00.000-06:00

We've updated our rare PS1 game article with more than 30 rare and/or valuable Playstation games.

Read about the $3,000 PS1 game, one of the greatest strategy games of all time, and see which series has three different games on the list.

New Feature Roadmap

2012-04-03T16:20:00.000-06:00

We have tabulated everyone's feedback and comments from the survey asking what new features you want added to PriceCharting.com. Based upon your feedback here are the new features we will be adding to the site and the order we will add them:

Show New Condition prices to the Charts
Track "Complete" as a Separate Condition - Used, Complete, New
Show a Rarity Score for Each Item

Adding New condition prices to the chart will be a relatively quick change because we already collect the data. But we will need to change our charting software to make it happen. This will also allow charts to show up for mobile users and will give us more flexibility for future chart features.

The "Complete Condition" and "Rarity Score" features are much more involved and time consuming. They will require changes to our database architecture, changes to the programs that gather prices, and changes to a good portion of our website too. Unfortunately, because they are so much more involved we can't give a timeline for when to expect them to be finished.

While we work on these larger features we will also roll out some smaller features to make the wait easier. These include:

Tracking prices for niche consoles like Amiga and Atari 400
Adding additional capabilities to the completed auctions tab including showing a longer history of sales and showing the title of the listing even after it has been removed from eBay.

A few features we asked about were almost universally disliked so we will not be pursuing those. Most people didn't like the idea of receiving email updates when prices reach a certain level or having us predict where prices are going in the next couple months.

Thank you for all your feedback and continuing to use PriceCharting.com

See Buy/Sell Game Prices While Browsing the Site

2012-04-03T11:54:00.000-06:00

We already provide buy/sell prices for retailers in our downloadable price guide, but retailers told us it would be helpful to see those prices while browsing the site too. All premium retail subscribers can now see our recommended buy price, sell game only price, and sell complete game price while they browse. No need to download the price guide if you don't want to.

The used prices and new prices are the exact same as before but closer together on the page. Any user who is not logged in will see a message saying they cannot view the additional prices, or if you are logged into your consumer account you will only see the used and new prices with no promotional message. See the screen shots below:

Retailer's Logged Into Their Account

Collector's Logged Into Their Account

Users Without An Account

All users can now see the sales volume for new condition items as well.

The $1,500 Xbox 360 Console: Batman Arkham City Edition

2012-03-30T08:40:00.000-06:00

Xbox 360 Side 1: Joker

In 2011 Rocksteady Studios raffled away four limited edition Xbox 360 Consoles. One was in a raffle directly from the studio and three were raffled at the PAX Expo.

Each console was custom colored by ColorWare. One side features a black and white Joker with a hint of green (Side 1 Above) and the other side depicts black and white Batman with a hint of red.

I've never seen one of these sell before, but a seller is asking almost $1,500 for one of the four on eBay right now.

Considering there are only four ever made it might be pretty close to the actual price.

Xbox 360 Side 2: Batman

Lifecycle of a Video Game's Price [30 Years of Data]

2012-03-26T10:04:00.000-06:00

The chart above shows the lifecycle for a video game's price as it gets older. A game will generally drop in price pretty quickly the first few year. Then the price decline slows down until it eventually reaches stability. After a long enough time, prices for the game start to increase again as it becomes harder to find and more of a collector's item.

The Early Years: Release to Year 5

The first five years after a game launches the resale price declines very rapidly. There are short reprieves from the decline every November and December when there is a brief holiday bump in prices, but the decline begins again in January.

During the first two years, prices will decline roughly 40% per year. In years three through five, prices continue to drop double digit percentages each year but it starts slowing down.

Example Games: Assassin's Creed II | Batman: Arkham Asylum | Resident Evil 5

Systems in this Period: Wii, PS3, Nintendo DS, PSP, Nintendo 3DS, Playstation Vita

Slow Decline: Year 6 to Year 10

In this period prices generally decline but the pace slows considerably. During this entire five year period prices will drop 40-50%, which is a much slower pace then a similar drop in one year in the 'Early Years' stage.

After five years most games are no longer readily available at retail and are only available via resale. This helps give prices more stability because supply is no longer increasing. But demand has usually dried up quite a bit as well as consumers focus on the more recent releases.

During this period the seasonal price swings during the holidays are much more noticeable. Prices will increase 30-50% during the holidays as consumers are forced to buy resale versions if the item is on a Christmas list.

Example Games: Call of Duty: Finest Hour | Halo 2 | Lord of the Rings: Third Age

Systems in this Period: Xbox 360, Xbox, Gamecube

Stabilization: Year 11 to Year 15

Prices are quite stable for games in this period of their lifecycle. Another console generation, or two, has come after the game was released and no retail stores carry the games or consoles anymore. Even used game shops like Gamestop have stopped selling these titles.

The only place for consumers to find the titles are usually resale from other consumers online or other consumer-to-consumer places offline like garage sales or flea markets.

The prices will show a very consistent seasonal pattern with price declines during the year and increases during November and December, which bring the prices back to the same level they were a year ago.

Example Games: Mario Kart 64 | Spyro the Dragon | Donkey Kong 64

Systems in this Period: Playstation 2, Nintendo 64

Pre-Collectible: Year 16 to Year 24

During this time period, a few games continue to lose value but most are very stable or start to increase in price. The price increases will generally be fairly small to begin with.

Some collectors start coming into the market and a nostalgia factor comes into the price. People who grew up playing the games as kids are now 20-30 years old and many of them want to play games they remember playing as kids.

Example Games: Super Mario World | Super Metroid | Moonwalker

Systems in this Period: Playstation, Super Nintendo, Sega Genesis

Collectible: Year 25+

Almost all games are either steady in price or increasing during this time period and some games start increasing very substantially. More collectors enter the market and are willing to pay top dollar for the most collectible games. These games are the ones with the biggest increase in price.

Complete games with the box and instruction manual sell for a big premium to the game only versions because they are quite a bit harder to find. After 25 years many games have been destroyed. Brand new games sell for many times more than the game itself because collectors are willing to pay a bunch of money for them and they are harder to find in sealed condition.

Example Games: Chip & Dale 2 | Little Samson | Mega Man 5

Systems in this Period: Nintendo NES, Atari 2600

Chart: Lifecycle of Video Game's Price with Console Release Dates

The above chart shows the lifecycle chart with the release dates for each console shown for reference. Super Nintendo and Sega Genesis games might be the next ones to start increasing in price according to the past data. If the Genesis Price Index is any indication, prices actually started increasing dramatically about 3-4 months ago.

Obviously these trends and charts do not hold true for every game. There are some exceptions that increase in price after release or some games that drop in price much faster than average. For the average game this lifecycle is very close to how its price will behave over time if the past is any indication of the future.

How the Price Lifecycle Chart Was Created

We do not have price data going back 34+ years, but we do have four to five years worth of data for thousands of games at different stages in their lifecycle. We combined the price data for all the different games to determine the lifecycle during the entire 34 year time period.

The four years of Xbox 360, Wii, and PS3 data was combined with the four years of PS2, Gamecube, and Xbox prices at their respective years from release on the chart. The prices were indexed so prices differences at the start of one generation and end of another didn't cause a spike in the chart. This was repeated for each subsequent generation.

Any gaps with no price overlap or no price data at all we used trends for the previous generation to extrapolate the few months with missing data. The only long period of time with no data was between Atari 2600 and Nintendo NES, which was a little less than six years. All other time periods with missing data were less than a year or two.

Darksiders II Limited and Collector's Editions

2012-03-21T12:47:00.000-06:00

THQ announced two special editions for their summer release of Darksiders II for PS3 and 360. There will be a limited edition and a collector's edition.

Limited Edition Includes:
Standard Game
Arguls Tomb DLC

Collector's Edition Includes:
Standard Game
Arguls Tomb DLC
Life sized Death Mask
Darksiders II Artbook
Soundtrack Digital Download
Exclusive Shadow of Death DLC

All pre-orders will be limited editions. The collector's edition has a list price of $99 and is only available at Gamestop.

Pricing Cart Improvements & Simple Point-of-Sale (POS)

2012-03-16T15:18:00.006-06:00

Our Pricing Cart feature for free and premium subscribers is one of the most popular features on our site. It allows collectors and retailers to value multiple game lots at the same time.

We made some additions to the Pricing Cart that make it even more powerful and make it into a simple point-of-sale (POS) system for small retailers.

Scan and Search by UPC

Now the Pricing Cart lets you search by UPC code. Anyone with a barcode scanner can quickly add items to their cart.

This makes it much easier for retailers to scan games a customer brings into a store. In 2-3 seconds you can scan a whole pile of games and have a total price for the entire package.

Enter UPC Code on the Game

Price Many Games in a Few Seconds

Calculate Sales Tax

To help retailers calculate sales tax during a transaction we implemented an optional sales tax setting. Set the "Sales Tax Rate" to anything but zero and the cart will show the sales tax and a grand total with the items and sales tax.

Adjust Sales Tax Rate

Grand Total After Sales Tax

Customize Your Own Markup to Use in Pricing Cart

Some of our current customers asked for this feature. You can customize the markup you want to use for your store in a percentage markup and/or a flat dollar amount. The cart will remember your settings for future use as well.

An quick example: Our prices are for the item without a cost of shipping, you can add $3.99 to all your prices if you want your prices to match what a customer would pay if they had to pay shipping online.

Set a Flat Markup and/or Percentage Markup

Totals After Markup Changes

Improved Print Formattting

We improved the formatting when you print the Pricing Cart screen. The page no longer includes logos, menus, and other extras when printed. It just includes a list of the items in the cart and the total value.

Retailers can print this page for a simple receipt for customers and consumers can print a list of games for their records too.

Print Sample

Log into your account today to try these new features

If you have any suggestions or comments about these features or the Pricing Cart in general please let us know in the comments below.

How to Clean Video Games & Consoles with Household Products

2012-03-08T13:04:00.002-07:00

Author: Smsoko1988

Below are some quick tips on how to clean your video games and game systems using household products. The most common problems like dirty contacts, stickers, and markers are covered. Most of this info pertains to older cartridge based consoles but will work on newer consoles in some instances.

Warning: While cleaning the inside of a game system with a liquid solution, ALWAYS UNPLUG THE CONSOLE first to avoid electrical hazards. Also make sure the electronics are completely dry before powering the system back on.

How to Cleaning Game Cartridges

Supplies Needed:

For cartridge based consoles it is highly recommended to clean your games and the system (Mainly the cartridge slot) before playing games on it. I say this because some games or cartridge slots may be really dirty and the last thing you want to do is insert a dirty game into a clean cartridge slot or the other way around.

It is very common for people to simply blow on cartridge based games to clean them. This is a simple solution but not a perfect fix. I would recommend using a Q-Tip and original Windex, yes Windex not rubbing alcohol. Believe me it works much better to clean games.

I usually have a small jar I put Windex in and dunk the Q-Tip in to soak the end with Windex. You will want to then place the wet end of the Q-Tip on the contacts of the game cartridge and run it across the board a few times on both sides of the board. You may see the tip of the Q-Tip turning black from the dust it has collected, even if you did the old blowing into the cartridge technique you will be surprised how much more dust and grime is still left on the board. When done using the wet side of the Q-Tip you will now want to use the dry side of it to dry the area you just cleaned.

How to Clean Cartridge Slots

Supplies Needed:

Cleaning cartridge slots in the game system is a little different. Usually I like to take a credit card and wrap it in a thin felt cloth and spray it with Windex. Do not completely soak the cloth just dampen it. Simply take your dampened cloth with card and slide it into the cartridge slot moving the card up and down through the slot. To dry it you can simply blow on it or you can use a can of compressed air. Windex is designed to dry quickly without having to wipe it off. So not much to worry about if you just dampen the cloth it should dry without a problem.

How to Remove Stickers from Games

Supplies Needed:

Removing those pesky stickers can be a little annoying and involves a little patience. It is recommended to slowly peel the sticker off, but we all know chances are the sticker will just tear and you will be stuck with a white torn sticker left on your game or sticker residue. Only if you’re lucky will the sticker simply come off with no problem. The longer a sticker is on the product the harder it is to remove.

If the simple tear method doesn't remove the entire sticker try this.

Use either high content rubbing alcohol (Usually 90% or higher) or Goo Gone. Whichever you may have at hand. Take your product and apply a generous amount to a paper towel and soak the sticker. You may also slowly pour the chemical directly from the bottle onto the sticker but be careful for spills. Let the product sit for approximately 30-60 seconds, rubbing alcohol dries very quickly compared to Goo Gone so keep that in mind.

After the chemical is applied you may just want to scratch away at the sticker with your fingernail until the sticker is removed. Sometimes you may need to apply more chemical and repeat these steps until the sticker is removed completely.

You can also use a razor blade and scrape the sticker off instead of scratching with your fingernail, but the razor may cut the product you are cleaning if not positioned right, so be careful and patient if you try that. For any leftover sticker residue after the sticker has been removed I recommend using a rubbing alcohol soaked paper towel or even hot water soaked paper towel and wiping the area clean. Then simply dry it off with a paper towel. Now you should be sticker free!

These tips are for stickers stuck on game cases, game cartridges, or consoles. If you have a sticker on a paper game cover art or manual I cannot recommend using these techniques as they will damage your product. Also this only works on paper based stickers. Some stickers may be metal based "Non-removable" rental stickers. There are ways to remove rental stickers but that is a completely different method and may damage your product.

How to Remove Permanent Marker from Games & Consoles

Supplies Needed:

So you just got a game or system with someone's name or initials. What do you do? Well truth be told permanent marker really isn't permanent and can be removed using two easy techniques.

Technique 1 involves hairspray. I prefer hairspray in an aerosol can as it seems to work better. Simply spray the area with hairspray and let it sit 5-10 seconds. You should see the ink start to bleed off quickly. Now wipe the area vigorously with a dry paper towel. Most if not all the ink should be gone. If some ink remains simply repeat the above steps.

A few things I want to address about hairspray are that it does not leave a sticky feeling at all to the applied surface. Hairspray is designed to be absorbed in the hair and then cure after being absorbed. Hairspray cannot be absorbed in plastics and metals. If stickiness is of a concern to you it is possible to wipe the area clean with a paper towel soaked in water and wipe dry afterwards. This method works great for areas like LCD screens or any area where light pressure is needed to remove ink from a product. Since the hairspray does most of the work for you.

Technique 2 involves using a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser soaked in water. Simply soak the magic eraser in water and start scrubbing away at the permanent marker ink. With a little patience and elbow grease the marker will come right off.

How to Clean & Restore Corroded Electronics

Supplies Needed:

Corrosion can appear as a light blue or white gunked up substance on game cartridge boards or system cartridge slots and electrical connectors. Corrosion and rust are completely different types of degrading on metals. Corrosion is usually formed by two dissimilar metals. There are several other ways it can be formed, but you're not here for a chemistry lesson you want to learn how to clean the corrosion off.

To clean corrosion off you simply need baking soda and hot water from your faucet, that’s it. I would suggest one cup of hot water then about 2 tablespoons of baking soda. Mix the two together with a spoon. Now you have a safe corrosion cleaning chemical. Depending on what you are using it on makes a difference how you apply it. If it is a cartridge slot on a game system than you may want to just apply it to a felt cloth and wrap the cloth around a credit card (Make sure the cloth is damp you and not soaked. You may need to lightly squeeze the cloth to release some liquid), then proceed to move the card up and down in the slot to clean the area.

For game cartridge contacts you can simply dunk a Q-Tip in the solution and use it in a similar way you would to clean games with Windex. I would allow the solution to sit for a few minutes before you dry the area. When done dry the area with compressed air or a dry Q-Tip. You can also use a Scotch Brite pad dampened in this solution to clean electronics if you can access areas with it. Corrosion rarely forms on electronics, so only use this guide if corrosion is present.

How to Clean CD or DVD Discs

Supplies Needed:

If a disc you have has scratches or scuffing you may want to seek out a place in your area to correct these problems and resurface the discs. Most places only charge a few dollars to resurface discs. I would not recommend using cheap cleaning kits to clean a disc as most people have reported that it may make your disc worse. I have experienced this first hand with Disc Doctor as the machine left many scuffs on my disc.

For discs some problems may be from simple finger smudges present on the surface. For a light cleaning of the disc use a dry felt cloth and rub the surface of the disc from the inner ring outward. Do not rub the disc in a circular motion as it will go against the 'grain' of the disc. No chemicals needed here.

How to Clean Console Casings

Supplies Needed:

So you have a game system and its collecting dust and you want to let it shine like new again. Or maybe you have a console or controller that has buttons that may stick and may not rebound all the way back or get stuck. Cleaning consoles goes a long way for looks but also in the consoles functionality.

If you want to properly clean the entire shell of the system you can simply remove the screws and the electronics connected to the case. I really would only do this with systems that have ridges in their molding such as an Atari 2600 or Sega Genesis systems. Cleaning those grooves can be a pain without taking the system apart.

Don't be afraid to take the old school game systems apart they are literally just a couple of screws and the motherboards come out easily. You can take the bare casings of the system and wash them in a sink with soapy water and a sponge. Dry it off and put back together. This method also works to clean jammed buttons that are filled with grime and food crumbs that get stuck in the buttons from kids using the system/controller.

A Swiffer duster and a can of compressed air are great products to invest in. No need to rip the console apart to use those. Keeping your consoles free of dust helps them breathe better keeping them less prone to getting clogged with dust, which can overheat the system. I've seen modern systems fail due to overheating from being covered knuckle deep in dust.

I'm always interested hearing new technics and what methods you use to clean games and consoles. Feel free to leave a comment with your cleaning technics below.

Revised 'Most Expensive' Nintendo DS Game Article

2012-03-02T16:59:00.002-07:00

The article about the rarest and most expensive Nintendo DS games has been revised to include 15 games with updated prices and descriptions.

Here are a few teasers:

The most expensive game is just a demo
Three different series have two titles on the list
One of the games is now expensive thanks to mobile phones and facebook
Five games on the list were made for little girls but are quite rare

Read the updated rare DS game article to see more.

Game of Thrones Limited Edition

2012-03-02T11:45:00.002-07:00

After seeing the high prices for limited editions of Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning and Dead Space, we have decided to write more articles letting our readers know when a noteworthy limited edition is announced. Hopefully you will be able to buy some of these before they start selling for thousands of dollars.

The first limited edition as part of these new articles is Game of Thrones Limited Edition. It is available for Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 at Amazon, Gamestop, and HBO Shop.

The game is published by Atlus and an RPG. Both good indicators of a game that keeps its value over time. The game is based upon the HBO series, Game of Thrones, and the book A Song of Ice and Fire by George R. R. Martin.

The limited edition includes:

Game of Thrones video game
Hardbound 64 page Artbook with sketches, screenshots, and photos

Limited Edition Guide & Values for Kingdom of Amalur Reckoning

2012-02-29T10:43:00.002-07:00

In February 2012 EA released Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning for PC, PS3, and Xbox 360. With the standard edition of the game they also released four special editions. Two are very rare and one is among the rarest games ever commercially sold.

Each limited edition is the exact same for each platform except for the game included inside. Each customer could choose which game was included inside so the number made for each platform was based upon customer demand. I have spoken with 38studios, the developer of the game, and they will not divulge the number of limited editions actually made per platform.

Assuming customer demand by platform is similar to Skyrim (another RPG released on the same platforms) 360 would be 50% of sales, PS3 32%, and PC 18%. The units available per platform listed below are based upon this assumption.

Use this Amalur Reckonging Limited Edition version guide to learn which version you have or verify you are buying everything included in a potential purchase.

The four limited editions listed below are in order of rarity:

Kingdom of Amalur Reckoning Limited Editions

Kingdoms Of Amalur Reckoning: Special Edition - Quantity: 2,000
Kingdoms Of Amalur Reckoning: Collector's Edition - Quantity: 700
Kingdoms Of Amalur Reckoning: Signature Edition - Quantity: 300
Kingdoms Of Amalur Reckoning: Exclusive Signature Edition - Quantity: 12

Kingdom of Amalur Reckoning: Special Edition

See Prices & Historic Sales by Platform: Xbox 360, Playstation 3, PC

QUANTITY: 2,000 (360: 1,000 | PS3: 640 | PC: 360)
PRICE RANGE: $90-130
INCLUDES:

Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckonging Game
Parchment map of Amalur's Faelands
Amalur themed 7-piece dice set and dice bag (D20, D12, 2x D10s, D8, D6 & D4)
Set of 40 Destiny Cards
Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckonging Soundtrack
Bonus Downloadable Content - Fate Touched Weapons Pack

Kingdom of Amalur Reckoning: Collector's Edition

See Prices & Historic Sales by Platform: Xbox 360, Playstation 3, PC

QUANTITY: 700 (360: 350 | PS3: 224 | PC: 126)
PRICE RANGE: $250-375
INCLUDES:

All items in Special Edition
Limited Edition McFarlane Toys Prismere Troll figure
Original lithograph signed by Ken Rolston

Kingdom of Amalur Reckoning: Signature Edition

See Prices & Historic Sales by Platform: Xbox 360, Playstation 3, PC

QUANTITY: 300 (360: 150 | PS3: 96 | PC: 54)
PRICE RANGE: $450-750
INCLUDES:

All items in Collector's Edition
Troll Figure is Signed
1 of 300 individually numbered Todd McFarlane sketch screen-prints (looks like image above)

Kingdom of Amalur Reckoning: Exclusive Signature Edition

See Prices & Historic Sales by Platform: Xbox 360, Playstation 3, PC

QUANTITY: 12 (360: 6 | PS3: 4 | PC: 2)
PRICE RANGE: $1,000-2,900
INCLUDES:

All items in Special Edition
Troll Figure is Signed
1 of 12 individually numbered Todd McFarlane sketch screen-prints (looks like image above)

MORE INFO: 38 Studios sold these limited editions exclusively on their website. The Signature Edition sold out, but they mistakenly sold 312 instead of 300. Instead of canceling 12 orders or making more of the Signature they created an Exclusive edition with a different sketch print. This edition was given to the first 12 people to respond to this email from 38 Studios:

"Earlier this month, we announced the Reckoning Limited Editions, and the response from our fans was overwhelmingly enthusiastic and supportive. The Reckoning Signature Editions were so immensely popular that all 300 sold out in less than five days. In the process, due to an unexpected issue with our store system, we accidentally oversold our stock for the Reckoning Signature Edition by 12 units. It’s extremely important to us that none of our loyal fans—you—miss out on the items you ordered as a result of our mistake, so we want to assure you that will not be the case."

"So, what are we doing to resolve this? We’re making sure you get what you ordered, and for a handful of fans, a little something more. We’ve put together an extra special Reckoning Limited Edition package for 12 lucky Reckoning: Signature Edition customers. The first 12 customers to respond to this email will be upgraded to the Reckoning: Exclusive Edition bundle."

Video Game Grading (VGA) Pros and Cons

2012-02-28T14:57:00.003-07:00

Graded video games are becoming more and more common. When a game is graded, it is evaluated on the conditions of the box, cellophane, price stickers, and circulation status. The actual contents, inserts, and video game cartridge or disc are usually exempt as they cannot be accessed and inspected on sealed games. After it is inspected it is given a grade correlating to the condition it is in.

The most prevalent grading authority in the video game world is the Video Game Authority, or VGA, a subsidiary or the Collectible Gaming Authority.

Until recently only sealed games were graded but recently cartridge only or complete but opened games have been added to the list of eligible items.

Should you get your games graded? Below are pros and cons to consider when deciding whether video game grading is right for you.

Pros to Game Grading

Graded video games sell for more: Recently, a VGA graded copy of EarthBound went up on eBay and ended at $4,700. The average price of a complete Earthbound is 10% of that price at an average of $493. This is just one example but graded versions of games do sell for more than non-graded versions of the same game, even if they are in same condition.

Graded video games get sealed by the authority: After the VGA grades a game they seal it in an acrylic case. For a slight fee, you can even have it sealed in a special Lucite case that blocks up to 99% of UV radition. This sealing will prevent damage from moisture, insulate, prevent pest damage, protect from falls, and prevent fading from UV.

This may sound great but grading video games does have drawbacks:

Cons of Video Game Grading

Grading can take time: Depending on how much you are willing to pay, the turnaround on grading a game can be up to 45 days so if you are looking to make some fast cash, grading is not the way to go.

Grading costs money: The VGA can charge you up to $295 to grade your game. The minimum is $25. There are also additional fees and charges that can add up.

Sealing a game does not preserve it: Sealing a game does help protect it but it does not preserve it. Batteries and chemical components in some video games will degrade over time, destroying the game and box, even if it has been sealed. Since the sealing process uses just air, instead of an inert gas such as argon, the oxygen in the air can continue to catalyze and break down things inside the acrylic case.

Can we trust the VGA: They are incredibly secretive and are themselves not verified by a third-party. They set their own standards and there is no quality control by another party.

You can’t unseal it: If you want to remove the game from the acrylic case, you void the grade. You can never take it out and play with it, the grade is no longer valid. You have to resubmit it after you’ve opened it.

Grading is not a new phenomenon. There exist several grading authorities for comic books and collectible sports cards and it is only natural that more and more authorities pop up as newer markets emerge such as video games. However, there is an important lesson to learn from these previous emergences of grading in other markets. Comic Buyers Guide wrote an article about the biggest events related to comics in the 1900's, the last event is the most telling for video games. It explains how grading can lead to a speculative market where the prices of graded games increase dramatically and then crash after the market gets over saturated.

This will happen in video games, it is only a matter of time as more and more high-profile sales of graded games push profiteers to start buying up games just to get them graded only to resell them and flood the markets. The bubble will burst.

For the time being, you can make good money by buying, grading, and selling games but there is another important argument that needs to be made. When you grade a game, you lock it in an acrylic prison. It defeats the very nature of a game; a game is something that is meant to be played.

This article was made in Stevesesy (from thoseguys.tv)

Vote on Which New Features You Want Most

2012-02-27T13:52:00.000-07:00

We recently rolled out a mobile site as the newest feature of PriceCharting.com. Now we would love to hear from our uses to know which new features you want to see the most. We will use your answers to prioritize which features are added next.

Thank you for taking the brief survey below and letting us know your opinion.

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Mobile Price Charting

2012-02-22T12:27:00.000-07:00

For the last couple years, people have consistently asked for a version that works well on mobile phones and tablets. After several iterations, we've finally released it publicly. Visit PriceCharting.com on a mobile phone and you'll now see something like this:

Summary

This is all implemented using responsive design so the site now works seamlessly on any device with a web browser. Here are some of the benefits from the new design:

it works on desktops, phones and tablets
faster load times for desktop users
all features (except historic charts) are available on mobile devices

Performance

While developing the new mobile design, we tested extensively on slow 2G mobile networks. That highlighted several performance improvements we could make to the site. For example, we now use data URIs for small images so your browser makes fewer network requests. We also trimmed down the size of some larger files and improved how we use web caches. Our data shows the new design loads up to 50% faster than before. If you're a typical mobile user with 3G or 4G speeds, the site should be pretty snappy.

Graceful Resizing

The new design works by automatically showing and hiding content based on the size of your browser. For example, on a large desktop screen, the top-level menu now has an entry for Xbox, so you don't have to scroll through the Other Systems menu:

As your browser window shrinks, we move less popular systems into submenus so that mobile devices see only the most commonly used menu options:

We perform similar resizing tricks to optimize the site's appearance depending on how much screen real estate you have. If you don't see a particular feature on your phone, try rotating to landscape mode and more features will appear. You can also pull down on the top of the page to show the Search and Log In features.

Feature Parity

One of the best parts about this design is that all PriceCharting features are available on all devices. If you're at a flea market, you can use the Add Typical Shipping Prices feature to compare prices for online and offline options. If you're in the basement organizing your collection, you can use the Pricing Cart to see what it's worth.

Home Screen Icon

The new site is configured with an icon specifically for your iPhone or Android device's home screen. On your iPhone, tap the icon, choose Add to Home Screen, give it a name and click Add. On your Android device, bookmark the site, then long-press on your home screen. Choose Shortcuts > Bookmark and choose the bookmark you just made. Now you're only one click away from the site.

If you don't want to add a bookmark or a home screen icon, you can also type our short URL: vgpc.com which redirects to the games site.

If you notice anything wrong with the new site, please let us know about it in the comments below. Be sure to mention which device you were using when you spotted the problem so we can fix the bug.