The State of Retro Gaming in Japan: 2024 in Review – Nintendo

I’ve been wanting to write an article about this topic for a while now. Ever since retro gaming got big in western countries and prices got out of control, I’ve liked to compare the prices and inventory to those in Japan. For a while it didn’t seem like the retro boom was going to have any if much impact at all here in Japan, however slowly but surely foreigners visiting Japan have had an impact. People that grew tired of paying exorbitant prices for retro games and gaming things came to Japan and picked up many things for pennies on the dollar thanks to the Yen exchange rate. This is why inventory in Akihabara in Tokyo in 2024 was a shadow of what once was in years past. The majority of tourists who game go there and due to the lower inventories, prices have either doubled or tripled and the quality of other things has become much worse as the stores will buy anything traded in just to have stock on their shelves. But is this true of all Japan or is it just a Tokyo thing?

In this article I hope to give my readers some insight on retro gaming as a whole in Japan. Having been part of the retro gaming scene in Japan since 2021 and having visited close to 100 stores in more than 5 prefectures, I’d like to comment on my experiences. People coming to buy retro games in Japan, or those living in Japan that want to get into the hobby would be better served if there was some information out there to help them with their choices. I’ll be covering a number of topics that I hope will be helpful:

• Quantity = How much is available as a whole for each game system
• Quality = What level of quality buyers can expect of goods
• Price = How much buyers can expect to pay for goods

I will then be going into more depth on each of these topics by covering the quantity, quality, and price (QQP) of hardware (consoles), software (games), and accessories. After that I’ll comment on the health for each category with high, moderate, or low. For example, Something could be in High Quantity (large number) but Low Quality (many loose games, not many with boxes) and moderate price (affordable but not a deal). For a full description of each meaning please check below.

• High Quantity = Large number of products, very easy to find
• Moderate Quantity = Medium number of products, popular products harder to find
• Low Quantity = small number of products, popular products very hard to find

• High Quality = Most products will have boxes and be complete, not damaged
• Moderate Quality = Half of the products might be without box/manuals, some scratches or damage on things
• Low Quality = very few products have manuals/boxes, bad batteries, many products with damage

• High Price = You can expect to pay close to the western price for these products
• Moderate Price = Some good deals if you look around, very affordable compared to outside of Japan
• Low Price = Very cheap, easy to buy, amazing deals

I can’t honestly say I’ve been following ALL of the inventory, the prices, and the quality of products for EVERY platform but I will do my best to comment on how I’ve seen these products change from the start of 2024 to the end.

Nintendo Products

Famicom (NES)

• Hardware(Console): Moderate quantity (high for clone systems), Low Quality, moderate price
• Software(Games): High quantity, low quality, low price
• Accessories: low quantity (high for clones), low quality, moderate price

The authentic original hardware for the Famicom seems to be getting harder to find, as are the accessories like controllers, but the games are plentiful and there are plenty of clone systems sold by used chains like Book Off and Hard Off. You shouldn’t be paying too much for these items but anything in the box will be exponentially more expensive than those without.

Super Famicom (SNES)

• Hardware (Console): moderate quantity, moderate quality, low price
• Software (Games): High quantity, moderate quality, low price
• Accessories: low quantity, moderate quality, moderate price

It’s still relatively easy to find Super Famicom consoles in Japan, and while you won’t find many in boxes, most of the ones you do find will be relatively clean. As for the games, there is a very large amount of them and you can find quite a few of them boxed and with manuals. Many of the more popular games have been picked up by tourists as souvenirs which has pushed up some prices but most are pretty affordable. You find Super Scopes, cables, and loose controllers from time to time but for the most part they are pretty rare. Luckily you can buy new cables for retro gaming very easily in Japan.

Gameboy/Gameboy Color

• Hardware (Console): Moderate/Low quantity, moderate/low quality, Moderate price
• Software (Games): high quantity, moderate/low quality, moderate price
• Accessories: low quantity, low quality, moderate price

It seems like it’s getting harder and harder to find Gameboys, especially Gameboy Colors in Japan recently. It’s a very popular item with tourists, and it’s getting harder to find the handhelds and prices are inching up. The games are still rather plentiful, but most places don’t change out the batteries so you’ll have to do that yourself for battery back up if you want to save games. The only company I know that switches out batteries is Game Camp in Akihabara. The stuff in boxes has been going up in price, but the loose copies are still pretty cheap. Most recently I’ve seen the Kirby Dreamland game triple in price from 2000 yen to 6000 for some reason, and many other Kirby, Zelda, and Mario stuff has been going up as well. The Pokemon games also have become almost expensive as their western counterparts. As for the accessories, you can still find the odd multiplayer cable or Gameboy Printer, but they are getting rarer and more expensive. Game cases for cartridges are everywhere though.

Nintendo 64

• Hardware (Console): moderate quantity, moderate quality, moderate price
• Software (Games): high quantity, moderate quality, low/moderate price
• Accessories: moderate quantity, moderate quality, low/moderate price

Nintendo 64 games seem to be getting more popular with tourists as souvenirs, but there are still a lot of them for sale and most retro sections will have at least half of the games in boxes with manuals which is pretty neat. The consoles also show up pretty often in retro stores, and while most will be just the system itself you can find some with boxes as well. The accessories are also rather easy to find. Original and replica controllers are everywhere, and you can find rumble packs and expansion packs in many places too.

Gameboy Advance

• Hardware (Console): moderate quantity, moderate/low quality, high price
• Software (Games): high quantity, moderate quality, moderate price
• Accessories: low quantity, moderate quality, low/moderate price

The original Gameboy Advance handhelds have become almost as popular as they have overseas, as well as the Gameboy SP versions. You can even find Gameboy Advance Micros at most of the bigger chains/stores. Due to their popularity, prices have gone up about 20-30% since last year. A system that was 6000-8500 yen last year is now around 8000-10000 yen. The most common accessories you’ll find for the Gameboy Advance in Japan are going to be the Gamecube connection cables or the wifi version, but they actually don’t seem that easy to find and are a little overpriced. You can find a lot of loose GBA games in Japan, and a decent amount of boxed games as well for good prices. Some of the popular game series like Castlevania and Metroid are VERY expensive in box however.

Gamecube

• Hardware (Console): moderate quantity, moderate quality, moderate price
• Software (Games): low/moderate quantity, moderate quality, moderate price
• Accessories: moderate quantity, low quality, moderate price

It’s not too hard to find Nintendo Gamecube systems, they aren’t as common as Super Famicom or Wii consoles, but most retro game stores will have a few in their console section usually. The quality of the systems range wildly though. About 60% of them will be without a box or console, but those that you do find in a box are usually priced at twice the cost. The price of the systems hasn’t changed much since I started hunting for retro stuff, probably because of the lack of games to buy and not having many games with English options. The games themselves usually come with a box and manual and are in good condition, but are becoming increasingly rare. One of the reasons for this is that the outer sleeve for Japanese Gamecube games is made of paper and get lost or destroyed easily. You’ll always find a lot of Mario games for sale, but the non Nintendo software is getting harder and harder to find. You used to be able to pick up quite a few of these games for 400-800 yen each, but due to the shrinking inventory in 2024, prices have gone up as much as 50-80%. A game like Mario Kart Double Dash can still be found for about 1500 yen in some stores, but most are selling it for about 3000 yen now. Controllers aren’t too hard to find either, but you have to look for ones in good condition with good joysticks and buttons. Gameboy Players for the Gamecube are still rather affordable, but are starting to increase in price (especially if they have the start up disc). Cables and power adapters are easy to find though.

Nintendo DS

• Hardware (Console): Moderate quantity, low/moderate quality, low price
• Software (Games): high quantity, moderate quality, low price
• Accessories: low quantity, moderate quality, low price

The type of DS you want will affect these rankings, but you can use this categorization as an average of all of them. The original DS are getting rare now, but the DS Lite and DSi handhelds are easy to find. The DSi XL is a little more difficult to locate though. The problem that all of these systems seem to have is that the screens start to yellow after a while and finding a clean one could be difficult. You also have to be careful about the hinges and buttons on these things as well so while you can find these everywhere, you might not find “good” ones. The prices are pretty good though. They are much cheaper than buying Gameboys or Gameboy Advances. The current average is about 5000-6000 yen for them. Finding them in boxes are pretty rare however. The games are still everywhere, but more of the inventory is become “shovel-ware” and the ones that aren’t are going up in price (like the Dragon Quest games).

The Nintendo DS accessories are getting very hard to find these days too. Carry cases, storage containers, and other auxiliary accessories used to be a dime a dozen a few years back, but now you’d be lucky to find them. Whenever I find a case to put my DS Lite or DSi XL in I’m pretty ecstatic. They do have lots of extra power adapters at retro stores though, and you can find USB chargers as well for DS handhelds these days.

Nintendo Wii

• Hardware (Console): high quantity, moderate/low quality, moderate/low price
• Software (Games): high quantity, high quality, low price
• Accessories: high quantity, moderate/low quality, low price

Everybody and their grandparents had a Nintendo Wii about 10 years back. Nobody and their grandparents have one now though. The Nintendo Wii system is the most plentiful retro gaming system in Japan at the moment. You’ll find tons of consoles, tons of games, and tons of accessories in every retro gaming store you go to. You can find a good number of consoles in boxes still, but the majority will probably be without. You can expect to pay around 6000-8000 yen for them. Most of the games will also be in boxes, and in good condition too. These games will most likely be between 500-1500 yen for most titles. There are very few rare games on the system right now aside from the Metroid series (for example). Accessories are also everywhere. Stores had way too many balance boards a few years back, as well as Wii-motes, straps, and Wii-mote covers. You will find the majority of these things in junk sections of places like Hard Off recycle shops because they are overstocked and have too many. I’ll probably get a Japanese Wii when my Japanese Gamecube bites the dust because of it’s backwards capability with the system and might get games for the system then.

Nintendo Wii U

• Hardware (Console): Low/moderate quantity, moderate quality, moderate price
• Software (Games): moderate quantity, high quality, low/moderate price
• Accessories: moderate quantity, moderate/low quality, moderate/low prices

The Wii U didn’t sell well overseas and it also didn’t sell that well in Japan so you’re not going to find as many consoles here. I’ve seen a few at retro shops but compared to the original you’ll find 1 for every 5 Wiis. Price is a little more expensive than the Wii’s because they are slightly newer and rarer, but there hasn’t been any movement on that front for a while. There do seem to be a lot of games complete in boxes though and the inventories seem rather healthy so if you do buy into one you shouldn’t have a problem finding something to play. As for the accessories, I’ve found stuff like Microphones and wireless controllers to be the most common. They shouldn’t be too hard to find.

Nintendo 3DS

• Hardware (Console): moderate/high quantity, moderate quality, moderate/high prices
• Software (Games): moderate/high quantity, moderate/high quality, low/moderate prices
• Accessories: moderate quantity, moderate quality, low/moderate prices

The Nintendo 3DS, 3DS XL, and 2DS are barely retro but are still very popular, both with residents and tourists. There are a lot of these handhelds for sale at retro stores, with many limited editions for sale. The prices of the regular 3DS are somewhat high, but a few of the limited editions like the Super Famicom or Pikachu colors are insane. The number of loose consoles outnumber those with boxes and manuals, but you can still find them. I think the prices of these could go down in the future because the 3DS is region locked, but if modding becomes popular that won’t matter and I could see more tourists buying them. As the Nintendo DS inventory of games got smaller and smaller this year, the number of 3DS games seems to have overtaken it. There is a very healthy amount of stock for 3DS software right now, and I don’t think it’s changed since the start of 2024. You can still find a lot of accessories for the 3DS now too. Cases, screen protectors, adapters, you name it they got it. Now would be a good time to get them. I got the Amiibo adapter for my wife’s 3DS she picked up in 2023 for a good price.

To Be Continued

I started this article to do all of the major gaming platforms but after doing just the Nintendo ones I feel like there is enough here to do multiple posts. When I get the chance I’ll do another article on Sony products, and then follow that up with Sega and Microsoft. Time permitting, I’ll have them all out by the end of January. If you’ve read the article this far, I hope you’ve found this information interesting and useful. The number of people visiting Japan who are into retro gaming has been growing over the last few years but there isn’t a lot of information out there in English. Sure you have the YouTubers talking about their favorite stores or making clickbait content, but a lot of it is lacking in substance and actual data and first hand accounts. If I can save some people time and money when they visit Japan to buy retro things, I’ll feel liked I’ve accomplished what I set out to do with these articles.

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