Rising prices for physical games aren't just about the PlayStation Store's impending closure, but that's not helping
PlayStation 3 games have gotten expensive lately – as have many other old games that are either rare, truly desirable as something an adult would play and enjoy in 2022, or heaven forbid, both.
I'm not about to sell anything, but it's gotten to the point where I found myself re-checking my collection in amazement after seeing the prices games are costing right now. In some cases, especially in my DS library, these are titles I haven't touched (let alone thought about touching) in years. I know myself well enough to know that giving them up now would end in eventual regret, but it's tempting.
It's a similar story on other consoles, including my bestie the GameCube, and while it's not necessarily a new trend – the pandemic has done a number on retro game prices – the PS3 is worth the worth watching.
Following Sony's announcement of its plan to remove the ability to purchase PS3, Vita, and PSP digital games later this year, I rushed to catalog my existing purchases, uncover my long-standing shortcomings, and start buying. digital copies (mostly PS1 Classics so far) before the store closes in July. I was so obsessed with that original goal that I hadn't really looked into getting physical copies of PS3 games. In retrospect, that was a mistake. It's probably too late for me.
As ResetEra pointed out, some PS3 games have become expensive – even some are readily available on other platforms and can be purchased digitally for a reasonable price from the PlayStation Store. This isn't an exhaustive list or anything, but here are some recent awards that stood out to me:
It's moments like this that remind me of “Oh shit! The PS3 arrives at 15 years. I'm just dust. »
Personally, my YouTube feed has become filled with lists of hidden gems worth picking up on the PlayStation Store, as well as well-known games that are incredibly expensive on disc but cheap digitally. With all this swirling information, I've been thinking about my PlayStation 3 more in the past few weeks than I have since buying the system late in its lifecycle – no kidding. I finally got a second DualShock 3.
I'm not the only one focused on the PS3 at the moment, and that's reflected in the skyrocketing prices on the used market. The recent drama over the inability to download patches for certain games is surely adding fuel to the fire. Many of us seek to situate our libraries, and in this generation of consoles, that means more than just buying a game, putting it on a shelf, and calling it a day.
If you're a motivated shopper, start your research and do what you need to do before you feel even more pressure as we approach store closing. If you're ready to part ways with some of your least-loved games at the right price (inflated as hell), it might be time to take another look at your library.
This doubles for full copies of PS1 games like Suikoden II, Tron Bonne, and Klonoa.
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