NES, SNES, N64 collectibleness

[Nintegageo | 582]

How do you think these are going to rank with long-term popularity? Let's say 50 years or so. Not necessarily investment-wise, just in general. I've had this conversation with my buddies who sorta laugh when I say I adore the old consoles and ask me how they rank. Curious what others think. They each have strong arguments.

The NES has the whole 1st console aspect. It is an important aspect to Nintendo and gaming history and it introduced many popular game IPs.

The SNES has arguably aged the best due to its awesome spritework. The SNES' soundchip allowed some pretty awesome tunes and the console was another one that introduced us to some beloved series' while also providing some amazing new entries to established game IPs.

The N64 is the newest amongst these consoles, and yet has arguably aged the poorest with regards to graphic and controls. This console was the 1st 3D Nintendo console (hush Virtual Boy) and can also be attributed with some incredibly important games that people argue as #1 to this day.

I think they rank as NES, N64 and SNES with regards to long term. The NES is the original, and whilenthe hardware was limited it was not the Atari. The N64 was the 1st 3D Nintendo console and changed gaming. The SNES, despite being my #1 console, doesn't really have the high claims that those two do history-wise which is why I think it'd rank last.

Oh and I think the GameBoy prolly would rank #2 were we to include it.

[OptOut | 8,892]

Yeah, in terms of general collecting fervour, I think if SNES was ever gonna have its time I think it's been and gone, frankly. Even at the height of SNES collecting in like the mid 2010's NES was still the main draw for most collectors, and now N64 has risen up to give the NES a run for its money, Super Nintendo is kinda an also ran at this point.

Long-term, I don't see much changing, we've already seen where the money is going, at least, so yeah NES, N64, SNES looks like it.

[fox | 1,681]

50 years? none of them

anyone who grew up with these systems will be dead or prob have dementia or arthritis and be unable to game

RIP me

[Alder | 243]

2 hours ago, Nintegageo said:

I think they rank as NES, N64 and SNES with regards to long term.

I had the same gut feeling but I can't really explain why. Maybe marketing? What I'd really like to know is where Wii collecting will be in a few decades. I don't see the same nostalgic love but maybe that's just my perspective. They sold a ton of them.

[OptOut | 8,892]

1 minute ago, Alder said:

I had the same gut feeling but I can't really explain why. Maybe marketing? What I'd really like to know is where Wii collecting will be in a few decades. I don't see the same nostalgic love but maybe that's just my perspective. They sold a ton of them.

Yeah, but most of those were to boomers playing Wii bowling who have probably been dead for years by this point!

[DefaultGen | 5,436]

N64 has no depth. There's a few rare variants and a super rare test cart I guess. The other consoles have more than twice as many games, competition carts, homebrew scenes, huge import libraries. NES alone has a huge, interesting unlicensed universe plus being the most important Nintendo console.

I think NES wins both from a historical perspective and you can literally collect it forever and never run out of things to collect. N64 loses because after you collect the 25 nostalgia classics, the library is really boring, and even after you collect everything N64 you've only collected like half of what a basic licensed NES or SNES collection consists of.

Edited September 8, 2021 by DefaultGen

[a3quit4s | 4,127]

6 hours ago, DefaultGen said:

N64 has no depth. There's a few rare variants and a super rare test cart I guess. The other consoles have more than twice as many games, competition carts, homebrew scenes, huge import libraries. NES alone has a huge, interesting unlicensed universe plus being the most important Nintendo console.

I think NES wins both from a historical perspective and you can literally collect it forever and never run out of things to collect. N64 loses because after you collect the 25 nostalgia classics, the library is really boring, and even after you collect everything N64 you've only collected like half of what a basic licensed NES or SNES collection consists of.

I agree with this and want to add that PlayStation stole a lot of thunder from Nintendo 64 so I’m with NES SNES N64

[RegularGuyGamer | 2,018]

I voted Sega. It's ripe for the collector market. 32x, Sega CD and Saturn are already hawked by collectors as it is. Also Sega CD and Saturn games have to be CIB to even be considered by most collectors which is a huge contrast to NES, SNES AND N64. 

[croagunk | 798]

I’m gonna go with SNES, NES, and N64. 

[twiztor | 855]

NES, SNES, N64

i think the n64 popularity will be short-term. outside of a couple long-standing franchises starting here (Smash Bros., Mario Party), there's not much. i LOVE the n64, but agree with @DefaultGenthat there's no collecting longevity in the the games, and with @a3quit4sthat the PS will in the future (as it was in the past) be viewed as more forward progressing.

the SNES will grow in popularity as it will be viewed more and more "timeless" as opposed to the n64 "aging poorly". 

NES is king.

i AM interested in how Sega's notoriety lives on 50 or whatever years from now.

[Foochie776 | 1,062]

18 hours ago, DefaultGen said:

N64 has no depth. There's a few rare variants and a super rare test cart I guess. The other consoles have more than twice as many games, competition carts, homebrew scenes, huge import libraries. NES alone has a huge, interesting unlicensed universe plus being the most important Nintendo console.

I think NES wins both from a historical perspective and you can literally collect it forever and never run out of things to collect. N64 loses because after you collect the 25 nostalgia classics, the library is really boring, and even after you collect everything N64 you've only collected like half of what a basic licensed NES or SNES collection consists of.

I agree with this completely but I still feel snes is the least collected out of the three. People always collect nes and seem to gravitate to n64 over snes. Aside from the top playable titles, I was talking more set collecting. 

[Tanooki | 4,953]

Even if perhaps just perhaps the SNES deserves equal if not upper footing, people have been losing their minds over how stunning, amazing, collectible, classic 8bit amazing that the NES is, it's hardware, the games, the dozens of franchises it spawned or inspired it's just on a tier of its own.

[attakid101 | 273]

On 9/7/2021 at 7:54 PM, OptOut said:

On 9/7/2021 at 7:54 PM, OptOut said:

Yeah, in terms of general collecting fervour, I think if SNES was ever gonna have its time I think it's been and gone, frankly. Even at the height of SNES collecting in like the mid 2010's NES was still the main draw for most collectors, and now N64 has risen up to give the NES a run for its money, Super Nintendo is kinda an also ran at this point.

Long-term, I don't see much changing, we've already seen where the money is going, at least, so yeah NES, N64, SNES looks like it.

I think what we’re seeing with the N64 will be short lived. The SNES has staying power because it’s library has aged so well. The N64 on the other hand…

Edited September 9, 2021 by attakid101

[attakid101 | 273]

The other thing the SNES has in its favor is that it was a combatant in the only console war that really mattered. That bloody conflict was fought endlessly in the playgrounds and hearts of an entire generation.

….lest we forget…

[Hammerfestus | 3,891]

NES, SNES, PSX

[Nintegageo | 582]

@attakid101 that is an excellent point with the history

[KokiriChild | 1,644]

I will be a N64 fan boy till the day I die, and I understand where people are coming from with the historical importance of the NES...

That being said I think long term the SNES will forever stand the test of time. The sheer number of incredible games, variety of genres, unique collectibles like SFSW and DKCC carts, will make it stand out as the defacto all-rounder for the early Nintendo consoles.

And while Mario might have saved gaming in 1985, there is a lot of historical significance with the SNES as well, with the rise of SEGA as a legitimate competitor, which led to the "bit races," which led to deals with Philips and Sony, which led to the PlayStation, which led to the Xbox. So I think it is completely fair to say that the SNES is equally as important to the history of video games as the NES.

Tl;dr -   SNES >> NES >> N64

Edited September 9, 2021 by KokiriChild

[fcgamer | 4,754]

The correct answer is NES, N64, SNES.

SNES (well SFC) had a HUGE library of games in Japan, but even now, most Japanese SFC games are worth peanuts. People just don't care about it.

NES is where it's at, where the generation of Nintendo collecting started, and it's where it'll remain. 

N64 has the appeal of having a smaller library, and also being early 3D, so the appeal from the tech side as well.

SNES doesn't have much, it's just caught between the others. And those horrible looking machines and carts, the color of cat vomit.

 

Edited September 9, 2021 by fcgamer

[AirVillain | 491]

NES top of the list, no question.

But in 50 years.... hmmmm... 

[Bonanza125 | 55]

It's more of a generational thing. Most if not all the people in this community have grown up with either a NES, SNES, or N64. Kids now want the newer stuff. It will continue that way and when time goes by the long term interest in retro stuff will be in a sharp decline. NES will always have that rich history behind it as the most popular gaming consoles and gaming library ever but like anything people will move onto other things.

[KokiriChild | 1,644]

Honestly, also, if we are looking 50-100 years down the line, I think the Switch could be a contender.

The criticism that it is a glorified port machine is valid, but the sheer number of amazing games and counting on that platform is a force to be reckoned with.

[Tanooki | 4,953]

One of those rarer moments I think fcgamer is on crack, the SNES.  The only time I've seen such fantasy drivel driven home like the fat pitcher through a wall, would be the die hard Sega fans of that console war, and even then it wasn't dumping on the look of the hardware, it was going nuts over the games, or the smoke and mirrors bs of blast processing.

 

You know I forgot about the whole dual gems of the Star Fox Weekend and DK Competition carts.  I wonder what those run now...hmm.  Maybe it's insanity, but shit I'd probably take that SF cart for my entire console setup I'm letting loose if they're comparable in value.  I took part in that competition, I should/could have taken the win locally, but the night before I came down with a wicked high fever, shakes from it and all...still went in and came out decent, but nowhere near what I could do.   It would be nice to have that little piece of history as a consolation prize.

[AnimalHouse | 117]

I collect everything, I don't discriminate or play favorites. No, wait yes I do. Nvm.

[DarkKobold | 196]

I think a lot of people see the sub 300 game count for a complete N64 set, and think "this is doable." It's just an attractive goal. Or was, before Sculptor's cut became a 1k game.

Whereas, with NES, everyone and their brother was going for a fullset from around 2010 to 2015. I know at least 6 other people in Utah who went for, or at least attempted an NES fullset. I only know one other person who bothered to go for SNES, and they gave up around 60% in.

I voted for NES,SNES,N64, because I thought this was a personal preference vote. As far as the community goes, it definitely feels like "N64, NES, SNES"

 

[Tanooki | 4,953]

@DarkKobold I do, that's for certain, but then I see that like 40% of it is crap sports games, racing, and wrestling and I just can't do it.  So I went with the 14/14 of Virtual Boy instead.   It's not in (either case) just the low numbers, you have a hard definitive no debate wall of what you have to have to get there.  NES is a dumpster fire as is to a lesser degree largely the Game Boy.  So many people who throw fits over if this was out, was that out, is this something I should count or not (Sachen, etc) and so on.  Sure there's somewhat of a defined limit to what a full set is, but it's as much politics as fact depending who you ask which is a shame.  Yes, you could stick to the hard numbers Nintendo gave as they pretend unlicensed = invisible, but buyers know better yet it's not wrong either.

Technically with the NES a full set could just be what Nintendo licensed alone and kept the license up on, which would take the total down to a range of nothing but them but also anything they jerked off the market for a revision like Stadium Events and Athletic World for World Class Track Meet.  I've seen it all, the angry debates, etc.  Or you have fcgamer losing his shit over Sachen on the NES and Gameboy market fighting it for years, and while he's not wrong, it's just gray enough there's an endless level of pushback as it would skew so many so called 'complete' sets into being NOT.