Cash in on
THE gaming scene has changed so much over the years as technology and the way we interact with games improves. And while that’s great news for gamers, it also leaves you in a quandary of what to do with your old kit.
Some heartless individuals can simply sell or throw away their obsolete consoles, while others, who find it harder to part with possessions (yes, I’m a bit of a hoarder), soon find their lofts bursting at the seams with ‘retro’ gear. But those of us who obsessively hold on to our vintage technology could have the last laugh.
Old computer and game consoles can actually be worth a pretty penny, especially rarer releases.
An Amstrad CPC 464 – the first personal home computer built by Amstrad in 1984 – sells for around £220 (around £70 less than the original price if you brought one with a colour monitor back in the 80s.) A handheld copy of Donkey Kong, released as part of Nintendo’s Game & Watch multiscreen series in 1982, is worth around £200.
And if you have a pristine, boxed example of the insanely popular
Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES) from 1992, then you could sell it for up to £640. Even a used version could net you £160.
It’s not just hardware that collectors are hunting for. Classic games are also popular, with rare editions and unused copies selling for thousands of pounds.
You don’t have to venture that far into the past to find a game that’s worth a bob or two.
A Mario Kart 64 cartridge for the Nintendo 64, which came out in June 1997, could be worth up to
£320 – if it’s complete with its original box and instructions.
On the original XBOX, a good condition copy of Outrun 2006: Coast 2 Coast could be worth upwards of £100. If you happen to have a factory sealed copy of Outrun for the Sega Genesis, then you could