Gamestop to start selling/buying retro games and systems?

Not long after opening up trades for the PlayStation 2, retailer GameStop is moving forward with itspreviously announced plan to buy and sell even more retro gaming consoles and games. The company is planning to launch a new pilot program for classic consoles, games, and accessories starting April 25.

IGN has the full story.

The two test markets are New York City and Birmingham, Alabama, which together total around 250 stores. A spokesperson for GameStop told IGN that it could expand the program nationwide "later this year" if there is enough interest in the pilot markets.

GameStop shoppers in the test regions can trade in and buy consoles dating all the way back to 1985's Nintendo Entertainment System. Customers can also trade in the Super NES, SEGA Genesis, original PlayStation, Nintendo 64, and SEGA Dreamcast.

All legacy consoles and games traded in to GameStop will be sent to the retailer's Refurbishment Operations Center, known as The ROC, in Texas. There, like newer systems and games, they will be inspected and tested, and repaired if necessary.

Though GameStop will begin accepting retro consoles, games, and accessories for trade on April 25, the company says it will take about two months before inventory starts showing up in stores. You won't need to travel to NYC or Alabama to buy the legacy platforms, however, as they will also be sold through GameStop's online store.

There is no word yet on what GameStop will pay for retro consoles and games, or how much they will cost when they're made available later this year for purchase. However, IGN reports that these aged consoles will also come with the standard GameStop warranty.

Head to IGN for the full story.

Source: Gamespot.

Hmmm.....Ok? I mean, I already know where to go for all my retro gaming needs. So...

If Gamestop thinks that I'll trade in my N64 for a few bucks, then they're crazy. Some fools will do it, i'm sure. I'd rather trade in my PS4.

If I can buy games for Dreamcast, Sega Genesis, NES, SNES, PS1, Gamecube, etc, from Gamestop for a decent price, then I'm down like Huckleberry Hound.

As far as trading in old systems for, I'm assuming, less than $100 goes, screw you Gamespot...I mean GameStop.

Watch them want $100 for used a copy of Skies of Arcadia or Shenmue...

So another band-aid on a dying company.

Let me guess. $5 trade for a NES and sell it for $95. Straight up **** you GameStop.

Pretty much this

Yep. Exactly.

Only good thing is that we can buy retro games from local stores now...As long as they're not over priced. I'm not paying $150 for Duck Hunt.

"Oh-Oh but it's an old rare game that you can't find anywhere else!" Casuals will eat that up.

@FoxbatAlpha: Word.

More overpriced games to sell

didn't gamestop just post year over year gains? i think its doing fine.

Doesn't Matter... Had Six :D

Hmm...I was wanting to buy a Sega Saturn...If Gamestop has a "refurbished" Saturn with a years warranty...I might bite. I'd have to see the condition first.

Yeah **** those guys. I remember when they started buying out all the local game stores in my area, the first thing they did was get rid of everything that wasn't current gen at the time. We had these awesome game stores. The employees were cool, the policies were great, the trade in value and used game prices were fucking awesome, and you could find hardware, games and accessories for just about any era of gaming. Gamestop moved in and ruined all that shit.

I don't usually get all panties-in-a-wad over a place to shop, but Gamestop has pissed me off in countless ways and I quit doing business with them about 7 or 8 years ago.

Anyways, as a result of Gamestop saying **** you to the old school gamer plenty of retro shops popped up. I'd much rather do my business with them or the almighty internet before getting bent over by those douche bags.

I don't think Gamestop is going to see the type of profit margins they are used to seeing with current gen hardware/software. Collectors have a much better sense of what their products are worth and won't be trading in their copy of Super Mario Bros 3 to get credit toward their purchase of Call of Duty. Other than the occasional mother cleaning out her son's bedroom when he goes to college, there just won't be as much opportunity for them to gouge. I wouldn't be surprised at all to see them abandon this approach soon.

@ConanTheStoner: That sounds awful.

Cool, I guess, but ripoffs aside, I doubt they'd get in stock anything that I would want. Most people are probably only going to trade in gen 7 and maybe nes or ps2 games.

I think most of us will agree.

I rarely buy anything from Gamestop these days. For retro games, my local Game Exchange has me covered. They even restore the disc so that it looks brand new. Almost every used copy I received from Gamestop was scratched to hell. Some games didn't even work.

Last time I bought from Gamestop was Xenoblade Chronicles because I had no choice.

Yeah man, they're a pile of twats... which I suppose could sound like a good thing to some, but let's just say moldy twats. Nowhere near as fun as a pile of boobs, which is what the old game shops were like.

Amen (although I already have duck hunt :P).. This will be great for the collectors, but not if the prices are ridiculous.. of which I fully expect them to be.

I get that :p

We don't have Gamestop, but whenever I hear about it, it's something bad. Can't say I care about us not having them around.

Earthbound: 1200 dollars

They will sell it for $50 if they can get it. The problem they will encounter will be finding somebody dumb enough to give them a copy for $5 or $10 store credit.

Cut them out of my life as of 2015 starting, so no thanks.

This will never work.

this might be good to buy some PS1 or maybe Snes. Although I'm not expecting anything rare to show up.

They won't be getting any working consoles from me. Screw that. Someone should try selling them $20 NES clone systems.

Poor mom and pop retro game stores.

Gamestop is coming back for a final sweep to kill them off...

ReviewTechUsa has spoken.

Basically, if Gamestop starts selling old retro games and consoles, maybe prices for old retro games and consoles will go down. If a big worldwide gaming store is selling these systems for less than you'd pay for on E-bay and Amazon, then maybe retro game prices in general will go down...

Unless Gamestop sells them for super high prices. Then that theory goes down the toilet.

We'll have to wait and see. Who knows? Maybe Gamestop will do the right thing...I doubt it, but who knows? Miracles happen sometimes.

Cool, i might pick me up some PS1 games (if their selection isnt shit) but thats about it.

This may or may not be a good thing for a collector like me, hopefully this floods the market with used retro games and drives retail costs down so I can get them elsewhere at a cheaper rate.

They should sell IBM PCs.

nailed it.

Are they attempting to return to their Funco roots? Because if so, I recall the stores I went to specializing in older consoles and games, they still sold newer stuff but in a limited way, they way more specialized in the dated stuff it seemed.

Anyhow, knowing GameStop, shit prices for your stuff that's worth a lot more.

I can just see it now, someone coming on here, saying they traded in their PS1 with a collection of like 100 games, and gleaming about it like "hey guys, I just got a PS4 for $250, GameStop is such a graet company"... "you got a PS4 for $250, did you trade anything in for it?"... "well, yeah, I had to trade my PS1 in and like a few games"... "a few?"... "well, more like a dozen... a few dozen"

I'll stick to ebay

holy freakin moly I just got a PSN card code that actually worked for FREE from this site: http://psn.freegiftcode.com

I already have shops to buy older games from. Not even slightly interested in buying an overpriced older stuff from GS. Let me guess. We will buy that SNES from you for $5. We will turn it on, makes sure it works, box it up and call it Gamestop certified refurbished. For sale only $100.

i wonder if thats going to lower the price of ebay and resellers? i'm ok with the prices for the most part but there are straight up jerks that drive up the price AND they dont even clean and test the product

Fucking Ace. I'm dying.

Buying used from gamestop online In my experience is fairly lackluster. Games rarely ever come with any actual cases or manuals. It's cool to have another outlet to get consoles from. But it's not really the best option for physical game collectors or people who just want everything to look original and nice.

Cool there testing it though I guess.

You'd be a donkey to sell any of your retro games to Gamestop. ..Just no! :P

Well the retro systems are cheap and have virtually no value.

I don't see anyone "trading" or "selling" any of the decent retro games to Gamestop. Why would they?

So they are becoming play n trade? Lame. Especially with their insane markups.

Couldn't have said it better myself.

I see. Gamestop is having financial trouble. Give it a year or two and hopefully it will go bankrupt.

I have no intrest or time to go back to old consoles but we do have a couple local stores here that deal with them.

about 12 to 15 years ago at least in my area locally in North Texas. I'm sure they are doing it to try to increase their profits as it is my understanding that they are currently in the red.

Yes I can finally get that .50 cents for trading in Indigo Prophecy.

They gave $20 for the PS2 so maybe $5 for the SNES?

It is the indie shops that are the ones artificially raising prices through ebay. This is a good thing, potentially, as it may likely bring prices down. The "retro" scene has become too much of a collectors thing in the sense that prices have increased to the point where it makes it unattractive to people that might just want to play a game.

Not sure why any one would bother going for the old machines.. You can't get machines now that can play multiple systems on it like the Hyperkin Retron.. Which plays SNES, NES and Gensis games on it..