GameStop typically steps away from older consoles a generation or two after they’ve ridden off into the sunset. As of today, however, the retailer is moving in the opposite direction, selling retro consoles and games through its online store.
GameStop announced a couple of months ago that it would be bringing back some retro console business and, as of today, that new model has taken the form of the store buying and selling games from six old-school machines including the Nintendo Entertainment Systems, the SNES, the Sega Genesis, Nintendo 64, PlayStation and Dreamcast.
No word yet on if more modern retro consoles will be added to the roster, such as the PlayStation 2, GameCube and OG Xbox, or if handhelds from a bygone era, like the GameBoy, GBA or Game Gear, will get a chance to be born again at retail.
But don’t rush off to your nearest GameStop just yet. For starters, today is the day that Arkham Knight finally releases and the place will likely be a madhouse. Secondly, this entire retro business is wisely being conducted exclusively online. I say “wisely” because this will keep the retailer from having to give up shelf space for new and used games more likely to go out the door on a regular basis, and it will give consumers a bigger pool to choose from. If this was being done on a site by site basis, your retro selection would be limited by what’s available in the area or what the manager ships in that they think might sell well. Hosting the whole thing online, you’ve got a perfect view of the entire available stock in one convenient location.
To see what GameStop’s retro classics section has to offer, all you have to do is head on over to the official website and get to perusing. Giving things a quick gander, I’m actually pretty happy with the prices I’ve seen thus far. They’re on par with what many of these games typically go for on ebay and, even more surprising, I’ve seen quite a few games that are noticeably cheaper than what I can get them for at my local secondhand stores.
It should also be mentioned that these retro consoles are also being made available, but not through the online store. The Sega Genesis, for instance, is just $34.99 and can only be found “for trade in select stores only.” Most consoles also have their controllers and accessories up for grabs, though you can pick those up online.
This should come as pretty great news for fans of retro consoles, as it makes GameStop yet another place where you might be able to track down that hard-to-find title. Being a major retailer, it might also help keep some of those secondhand prices from creeping up to astronomical levels.
