10 replies to this topic

[jlh2600]

It seems to be just a smaller version of the stick, but I read that the "detail and the clarity of the mini" isn't as good. Don't see why that would be, but too bad they didn't make the mspacman into this instead.

Anyone tried it? http://www.amazon.co...151968?v=glance

[awace]

I actually bought one of these they are cool I play it a lot it seems its exactly like the regualr pacman ones but smaller and more collectable I havent seen one again so i am glad i got it..

[[d2f]Iggy*SJB]

Holy Shit!!!

[darthkur]

[d2f]Iggy*SJB, on Thu Dec 10, 2009 5:36 PM, said:

Holy Shit!!!

$100?!?!?!? What are they smoking? They want $70 for the for the Namco Arcade Classics one too. I seriously doubt they're flying out the doors at those prices.

http://www.amazon.co...ASIN=B00009VDXX

[Crimefighter]

darthkur, on Fri Dec 11, 2009 5:30 PM, said:

$100?!?!?!? What are they smoking? They want $70 for the for the Namco Arcade Classics one too. I seriously doubt they're flying out the doors at those prices.

http://www.amazon.co...ASIN=B00009VDXX

Gee has these things been snapped up by collectors or something? I find it hard to believe the value of these have shot way up.

[BigO]

Man, I gotta be more careful about what I give away.

[brojamfootball]

All those plug and play tv games units are wacko priced on Amazon. Not sure why.

Look on Ebay--pretty much any version of any of these games you want for about $20 shipped.

[Fellow Atari Man]

I think it's because Jakks comes out with so many of these they become collectors' items in no time flat. A lot of people have a hard time finding them when they come out in the first place even, much less when they don't even find out about them until a few years later.

[onmode-ky]

Fellow Atari Man, on Mon Dec 14, 2009 11:24 PM, said:

I think it's because Jakks comes out with so many of these they become collectors' items in no time flat. A lot of people have a hard time finding them when they come out in the first place even, much less when they don't even find out about them until a few years later.

That's not really it. I think you're missing the fact that toy manufacturing has a general turnover of about a year. That is, for the most part, last year's models are no longer produced this year, and this year's models will no longer be in production next year. It's not like with cars where the same model is produced each year, with some changes and new features at each model year (and occasional platform overhauls, discontinuation, or renaming), or video game systems, which are continuously produced year after year until support is dropped. Anyway, my point is that plug-and-plays are part of the toy market and are thus usually only stocked on store shelves for about a year, and then the next year's models come in. Any old models still being sold are mostly just leftovers. High prices you see on Amazon come from sellers trying to take advantage of the fact that retail stores aren't getting any new stock of old models, not because of any universal rarity of the product. They just think that they have no competition, so they sell at whatever ridiculous price they feel like charging. It's artificial inflation, where they ask for a huge amount of money despite there being no demand at that price.

In fact, though, the specific model linked by d2fIggy can likely still be found at some Wal-Marts for $20 or less; the Namco 2 was probably one of the most heavily produced TV Games, due to its popularity. It actually stayed on shelves (multiple production runs, not just leftovers, I mean) for about 4 years. I'm thinking maybe 2004-2007. So, definitely not a rare plug-and-play system.

In contrast, the *wireless* version of the Namco 2 (which doesn't look anything like the wired one, but it has the same games plus 2 more) is actually pretty rare. I think its significantly higher price than the wired model meant it didn't sell well and didn't get orders for restocking. It has the only TV Game release of Bosconian with 8-way control, so it's both desirable (well, I think so) and rare, a potent combo.

onmode-ky

[atarilovesyou]

Anything on Amazon that isn't in production is going to have a ridiculous price tag...games, boardgames, books, you name it. Means nothing; like already mentioned, you can find just about any Jakks product on ebay for around 30 bux, which is pretty much what they cost on the shelf.

I've collected all the Namco ones, but they became harder to find over the years. This latest version, with the two buttons, supposedly is a step up in quality; the Jakks sticks were flimsy and the gameplay, while acceptable to most, isn't spot on like you'd expect for the price. For gameplay, you're still much better off finding a Namco Museum for PS2 or something like that...then the only problem is finding a decent, sturdy arcade-like stick controller...not an easy feat for the PS2, on a budget anyway.

So the only Jakks sticks that I think are more 'rare' than the others were the Capcom stick and the 'series 4' Pac Man which had a plastic cartoony Pac Man on the base of the handle...the thing is, they keep releasing these things without any new games. No doubt next years model will include Ms Pac Man, their biggest seller.

I don't think these things will be any more collectable in the future than, say, the Coleco tabletop games from the early 80's are. You'll basically get what you pay for...even those Coleco games were around 60 USD, and that's what they usually go for unless they're sealed in box...the Zaxxon one is the 'flagship' as far as collectables go and you can have it for under 100 bux.

Anyway, collect em cause you like em...that's why I have mine. They look cool, even if they're not that great to game with.

[SLVR99]

WOW!!!!

My friend has one!
I guess i need to take it and make a quick $149.00
Then I can finally get a 5200!!!