Why do people buy retro systems at high prices?

I recently watched a YouTuber try to say the Atari Jaguar was a good system because people are now paying more than a PS5 for one. I think that saying how much money you'll spend for a piece of gaming history shows how good it is is a fallacy and the truth behind people buying older systems for more money is more nuanced.

Some people are a part of the collector business and it has become a big business getting your hands on a piece of tech not being manufactured anymore for a trophy or to resell at a higher price. I'm sure people aren't spending $10k on Atlantis v1 on the 2600 to marathon play because they absolutely love it.

Some want the nostalgia of the gaming experience like back in the day. Just like some people like to listen to vinyl over digital or watch laserdisc over DVD. I appreciate a good Sega Genesis or SNES RPG on the consoles they were intended to be played on than on an emulator.

Some missed out on that age of gaming and want to try it in that disposition. I never played a Colecovision back in the day, but I would definitely like to try one on the original hardware, because the controllers just look very unique to use with a very tactile looking joystick.

I'm sure there would be more reasons why people will pay a lot of money for retro, but like I said, it doesn't mean that the system and its games overall were actually underrated mana from heaven.

Mostly nostalgia for me…. But I won’t break the bank for that , depends on the price and I pick and choose which retro games and consoles to get.

Maybe I should sell my retro stuff to hipsters.

It is nice to have the real hardware experience, you're right, how long are you going to play these games? Atari Jaguar is a joke. Many final release games on that platform feel like beta versions. Many are not well thought out and have boring and frustrating gameplay loops with completely random and relentless enemy spawns to keep you busy, like the worst of Amiga games.

There are some good retro games but now you can get a good experience with current hardware. If you already own the originals, there isn't a big need to re-buy, but if you don't, then the only reason to go back is out of curiosity.