It doesn’t matter how technologically advanced fancy next-gen consoles get, playing classic Nintendo 64 games like Mario Kart, Goldeneye, and Super Smash Bros with your buddies will always rule. If you don’t have one from back in the day, there’s a chance you have a friend who does. Dusting it off is a good time.
If you don’t have a Nintendo 64 stashed in a box in your parents basement, soon you’ll be able to get one at GameStop, who is trying to make money off the gaming nostalgia market. The will start selling refurbished old school consoles, games, and accessories in about 250 stores in the New York City and Birmingham markets this year, according to IGN, before rolling it out nation-wide. Via IGN:
According to a spokesperson for GameStop, the qualifying locations will begin accepting “games, systems and select accessories for most ‘retro’ platforms,” going all the way back to the Nintendo Entertainment System. If the program proves successful, GameStop hopes to roll it out nationally “later this year.”
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The systems and accessories that you will be able to trade-in and purchase include the NES, Super NES, SEGA Genesis, PlayStation, N64, and SEGA Dreamcast. This will increase the number of games GameStop offers either for sale or to purchase by “about 5000.”“We will bring all of the product back through the Refurbishment Operations Center for inspection, testing and repair,” GameStop told us. The lead time between when it begins accepting trades and when the products will be put on sale is estimated to be about 2 months. This gives the company sufficient processing time and “time to build up a good assortment for retro games fans to select from when shopping.”
You can also still cop an N64 on Ebay for around $50, though that’s always somewhat of a crap shoot since it has gone through GameStop’s “Refurbishment Operations Center” to make sure it works. The other day I saw a store here in NYC selling old school N64 WITHOUT controllers or games for $70. So clearly the market is ripe to be tapped.
[H/T: Daily Dot]