My personal thoughts of the show....how about yours?

[swlovinist]

Wow! I just got back from the CGE 2K3 and I am tired! I had a great time, and this was my first show that I got to attend. Overall, I am glad that I went. I loved the auction, and I loved the Museum. SOME of the vendors were cool, however some of the vendors had prices on CRACK. I was longing for more NES stuff, and was suprised that there was SO much Lynx and Jag stuff, compared to a much more popular(and more available Nintendo). I was wondering if there was anyone else that felt this way, and if not, I would love to hear how everyone felt about the show, good or bad. Please let me know, John :)

[Atari7800]

That's about how it was last year... tons of Atari Lynx and Jaguar stuff. I suppose it's because Songbird Productions, Telegames (ugg) and maybe some other retailer had booths. All three are heavy on Atari items.

There were a few deals to be had last year, but a lot of overpriced stuff. Some really GREAT overpriced stuff!

[Darth Vader]

Wow! I just got back from the CGE 2K3 and I am tired! I had a great time, and this was my first show that I got to attend. Overall, I am glad that I went. I loved the auction, and I loved the Museum. SOME of the vendors were cool, however some of the vendors had prices on CRACK. I was longing for more NES stuff, and was suprised that there was SO much Lynx and Jag stuff, compared to a much more popular(and more available Nintendo). I was wondering if there was anyone else that felt this way, and if not, I would love to hear how everyone felt about the show, good or bad. Please let me know, John :)

Yeah, the pricing was pretty steep at a few tables, but overall, it wasn't too bad. I don't have a problem paying market pricing, but well above the current market is certainly goofy. (Like $100 for an Atari setup w/o any games x_x )

I had to bail early, had to work on Monday, so I headed out on Sunday morning. Overall, I had a good time, just wish I had more time to spend out there. The auction was pretty cool. I was surprised at how many items didn't have their reserve met. If you were looking for Atari protos, there were very reasnonable prices on them on the auction. I sat next to Sniderman (who is a very cool guy) and scored a few items (just one for me though).

Those are my thoughts, I am sure I will have more. :-D

Danny

[icbrkr]

Wow! I just got back from the CGE 2K3 and I am tired! I had a great time, and this was my first show that I got to attend. Overall, I am glad that I went. I loved the auction, and I loved the Museum. SOME of the vendors were cool, however some of the vendors had prices on CRACK. I was longing for more NES stuff, and was suprised that there was SO much Lynx and Jag stuff, compared to a much more popular(and more available Nintendo). I was wondering if there was anyone else that felt this way, and if not, I would love to hear how everyone felt about the show, good or bad. Please let me know, John :)

It's not just you... I went with a wad cash expecting to walk out of there with a ton of good games, and a ton of "filler" (common) games for my consoles that I didn't have many games for yet. Most prices were just ridiculous. I walked out of there with a total of 15 games. Sure, some were harder to find so they were worth more per cartridge, but it seems most were that way. Atari2600.com and Telegames were smoking the good stuff for much of the stuff they were trying to sell and it showed. Towards the afternoon, Telegames didn't seem to have many people around. Atari2600.com had a crowd due to the amount of rares they had (but they were insanely overpriced). B&C was great, I spent a good portion of my cash there buying up common Lynx and Jaguar stuff as well as accessories for my Lynx and XE. There was a vendor in the back corner that no one was looking at that had some really good stuff (Mean 18 Golf for the 7800 for $15!).

Overall, it was fun, but I don't think I'll be going back. For all the hassle of getting out there, etc, and the lack of reasonably priced games, it would be easier to order stuff online or go to the smaller events (Cinnci Classic, etc) and deal with vendors who are gamers and not online stores.

Brian

[RetroYoungen]

Loved it. LOVED IT. I went in trying to save a little of my cash for later (I start school in about a week), but I blew quite a bit overall. And now, about 16/17 games and a few hundred dollars later, I can sit around my 13 NEW NGPC games, my new stack of literature (Pheonix is a must read!), and my few odds and ends with a geeky drooling look of giddyness and glee etched onto my face.

Can't wait for next year!

[john_soper]

Yeah, I was also scooping up some of those common jag games (and kept on
walking past some of the other tables). Did pick up a Vectrex with multicart
at the auction ($140), it was my birthday so I treated myself. Also got a
way-too-redundant combo of 5200 and 7800 Klax (wife was rolling her eyes).

My favorite part was the people. Met QOF, PunkoffGirl, Lee Krueger,
Tempest and some others, all very friendly. Caught up on things with George
Reese; Me and Ben Heckendorn showed each other our 2600 portables
and had a long technical talk.

Overall, I thought the show was great. My only complaint was that the audio
in the keynote room was too low, had to concentrate to hear things in back.
That one wall was really terrible because the arcade game sounds (and
player shouts) were bleeding through. Missed some of the jokes and the
people speaking didn't always repeat the audience questions through the
mic either which would have helped.

But thanks for the great show gang.
John Soper
www94.pair.com/jsoper

[Raedon]

CGE isn't about filling out your commons ,though I did pick up 8 TG-16 commons during the first 10 min. of CGE for $5-$7 from a guy in the back corner.. it's about the shyt you don't see often. Though you will notice that the vendors with the high prices had 95% of the same inventory 4pm Sunday as 9pm Saturday. There was one kid with some tg16 and a boxed Turbo Duo who I asked for some prices (nothing was priced) and he would hit the laptop and come back with the average Ebay price+10%.
Many of the Vendors were just COOL. mostly on the back wall.. The homebrew DDR (though it is a company, I had the pleasure of having the vendor sit next to me on the plane home.) Couple of Commodore nuts and that cute girl who made that motherboard. There was also some great below market price Computer stuff.
8bitweapon put on a great show, that G4 channel was there and stuff..
The Auction was interesting.
The speakers were amazing, and the Stories they had!

For the price to get there I also got to see Penn and Teller, The blue man group, the Star Trek ride, Matrix:reloaded IMAX, got to see the strip and saw what places were cool and what sucked. Also had a crazy 4 hours in a "gentleman's Club" that no one will ever hear about here... ever.. O_O

If I was going to improve on anything it would be 4x the vendors and 2x more arcade and classic console sit down area's. There can only be so much fun in Vegas for me.. I don't gamble and the shows stay the same for years.

[digitpress Jim]

I lOVED CGE this year so much,I had so much fun.It was so great helping out other DP team mates(Joe,John,Sean,Etc.) setting up the show and cleaning up.Everybody is so very nice and fantastic to work with:)The show rocked hardcore and on Sunday at 1:30pm Video Game LEGEND Nolan Bushnell gave a two hour speech,which I am so very proud and happy I got on tape,YESSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!! this was so so so so so awesome and a very very rare treat.The Starcade/Mark Richards keynote speech was amazing and breathtaking also:)I got to meet alot of Classic Video Game Legends including Keith Robinson(Who I also got to sign my copy of "Tron Solar Sailer"YESSSSS!!!!!! :o :o :o )a very very nice guy,Jay Smith,Walter Day,and more.Plus it was so great to finally meet and thank Joe Santulli in person.Eveything went so smooth with the show,we had a couple of sags with the clean up and storage,there is a real funny story behind this one LOL LOL LOL LOL ,I will ask Joe if I can post it.The show was so Incrediable and I cant wait for next years show :D :D :D Game On everyone

[punkoffgirl]

.Eveything went so smooth with the show,we had a couple of sags with the clean up and storage,there is a real funny story behind this one LOL LOL LOL LOL ,I will ask Joe if I can post it.The show was so Incrediable and I cant wait for next years show :D :D :D Game On everyone

Heh, I can't wait till those photos come back..

[sniperCCJVQ]

The show rocked hardcore and on Sunday at 1:30pm Video Game LEGEND Nolan Bushnell gave a two hour speech,which I am so very proud and happy I got on tape,YESSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!! this was so so so so so awesome and a very very rare treat.

Good god !

You need to dump that !

[Teddman]

Yeah, it was odd that the prices were so high at a couple vendors. First one that comes to my mind was the Neo-Geo Pocket Color, which was available for $79.95 with the Sonic game packed in or for $129.95 with six games.

Then I get back from the show and see on the web that EBgames.com is charging $39.95 (http://www.ebgames.com/ebx/product/237463.asp) and $79.95 (http://www.ebgames.com/ebx/product/237469.asp) respectively for the same products (click the prices for links to the web pages). :angry:

I hardly ended up buying any games at all, but I did snag a brand-new copy of Conker's Bad Fur Day, with the strategy guide packed-in, for $15 at Digital Press's booth. Now that was a good deal!

[wolfseekereqer]

this was my second cge my first post. I would have to say that some of the prices was a little on the high side but have pay for the booths somehow. Loved the couch and the packrat booth "did i win yet ". Im not much of a collector but i did get a kick out of seeing some of the games i use to play. see you all next year :cheers: james "wolfseekereqer"

[punkoffgirl]

Well, one thing about CGE is that it isn't a fill-out-your-collection type of show. But then again, it never was meant to be. It's more a celebration than a video game flea market.

[ianoid]

Telegames and Atari2600.com prices = same as it ever was

Filling out your collection used to be something you could do at the CGE services booth, but every year it's mostly the same games, and they haven't added too many. A few years back their selection was better. Their prices are still really good, in general.

Random booths = best places to score. The heavier duty vendors aren't going to take lowball offers on stuff they think they can get more for on the internet. I know that sucks, but booths cost a bit and it's expensive to move alot of stock out to Vegas. CGE isn't all about making money as it is representing.

Sorry to all of you hoping for a greater breadth of cheaper titles for your favorite system, but it's pretty much a crapshoot as to what will be available. I can say that next year I'll be bringing more NES and SMS to sell. Sorry, likely no Panesian games for $25.

I had a blast. I hope to help out with the show and DP booth every year, and I feel very fortunate to have shared some space with the DP booth. Being close to the couches was fun.

[l_lamb]

I thought the show was fantastic! I never knew there were so many laserdisc arcade games. Yeah, some of the vendors were outrageous with their pricing, but that's their choice. It was still great to see some of the rare games that I've never seen before. The whole show was about enjoying the moment rather than shopping. I did almost all of my shopping in the first hour so I could enjoy the show. The alumni dinner, the auction, and the museum were the highlights for me. Even helping out on Sunday night was fun (storage fiasco aside).

I got to meet some really great people and have a great time. It was more than I could have asked for and I'll definitely be coming next year!

[Arcade Antics]

The show was tons of fun and awesomely outrageous, all in one convenient package. The organizers are to be commended for putting together such an awesome spectacle year after year, and for continually topping themselves with outstanding guests and releases.

It was a blast to work, play, and kick back with everyone at the show. See you all next year!

[kevincure]

Yeah, I also noticed that the prices were ludicrous at a lot of the booths - I wound up buying very little because of it. Telegames is off their rocker price-wise, as was the dude that TheRedEye was helping sell NES games for. 15 bucks for Mario 2? Wtf?

The swap meet was a bit of a crapshoot. I figured that most people would bring their extra goods and let it go for anything interesting (which is what I did - pretty much take any offer for something I needed). I brought a decent bunch of common games too. However, some of the other people there seemed to think of the swapmeet as a "How can I profit" meet, which was sorta wierd. Who expects ebay prices at a swapmeet?

For buying, the auction was the place to be. A few people overpaid greatly (did that Sonic LE go for 80 bucks?), but if you wanted rares, you won't find any better prices than at the auction. Here's a few that I remember:
Mint boxed Microvision with 7 of the 8 games mint boxed: 80
Dragonball Z: GT Final Bout: 110
Vectrex w/ Multicart: 140
Condor Attack: 175
I think that Vectrex 3d goggles went for something like 300.

Now those are great buys.

(And speaking about ladies of CGE, that chick who was helping out with the music was bomb like no other. Plus she showed no shame dancing with an alien mask, hehe)

[Darth Vader]

Though you will notice that the vendors with the high prices had 95% of the same inventory 4pm Sunday as 9pm Saturday. There was one kid with some tg16 and a boxed Turbo Duo who I asked for some prices (nothing was priced) and he would hit the laptop and come back with the average Ebay price+10%.
Many of the Vendors were just COOL. mostly on the back wall..

I noticed on Saturday night that the "way to high priced" vendors didn't sell too much either. That kid who looked up prices on a laptop did that for me too. DW4 for NES (cart only) $55 O_O, Mega man 7 for SNES (supposedly complete, but resealed so you couldn't check out the condition) $90 x_x .
As a person who has been in the retail business for over 15 years, I can say that it is a good idea to have ALL of your games priced individually. It takes a little more time, but I guarantee that you sell a much higher amount of product (as long as the prices are respectable). Nothing irritates a potential buyer more than having someone check a list or ask what the price is. It makes it seem like the seller is trying to hide something.
Little things like that aren't a huge deal, but it is something for some vendors at the show to think about if they want to improve the amount that they sell.

Danny

[swlovinist]

I started this post, and I really like what I have heard. The show was good, but I think with a little tweaking, the show can be even better next year. I think a little more diversity with vendors would be great. I understand it was primarly an Atar Show, but man, there is so much more out there!!! I was dissapointed with the 8-bit end, it would be neat to see more of that in the future. I know it cant be a yard sale and have yard sale prices, but balance is the key. There is nothing more frustrating than to see a non gamer selling games to hardcore gamers and having unrealistic(and greedy) prices. Yeah, you have to make a profit, I understand that, just dont be so gosh darn blatent about it that it makes me churn in my stomach to think about it. All about the love for games?????? It might of started out that way!

[Six Switch]

The swap meet was a bit of a crapshoot. I figured that most people would bring their extra goods and let it go for anything interesting (which is what I did - pretty much take any offer for something I needed). I brought a decent bunch of common games too. However, some of the other people there seemed to think of the swapmeet as a "How can I profit" meet, which was sorta wierd. Who expects ebay prices at a swapmeet?



Yea I know,I didn't trade at all,everyone wanted to buy!But oh well,more spending money I guess.


Overall very cool.Got to meet the fine people that 1-Up!,very cool people!Everyone buy their mag!

[Kitsune Sniper]

Things to do for next year:

1 - Save up at least $500;
2 - Practice more English;
3 - Find a way to look sexy so people will buy stuff from TheRedEye's booth;
4 - Bring more bags;
5 - Get more free stuff. Haha!

I really enjoyed this trip. It was better than what I ever expected, and I came back much, much poorer - but at least I managed to meet some of the people I admire [and some I don't, sadly]. None of which are old-timers from the Atari ages. No offense meant, I'm just not from that era.

Maybe next year someone will buy my awful NES games. Or I'll pay them money to take them from me.

[IGotTheDot]

It was a great show this year. It seems to be getting stronger and stronger finally.

Looks like it may outgrow the Plaza in a few years.

[TNTPLUST]

I thought it was really great. I too met some really neat people and had some fun. Being my second time going I new what I was getting myself into so I had the cash and my wish list on me :bday: I always enjoy seeing the museum and attending the keynotes. THANK YOU FOR GETTING RID OF THE DROP! Nearly got squashed in 2002! :help: More great arcade games to play this year. I played for hours....the money I saved in not having to drop quarters in machines paid for the event. I picked up a SX-64, 5 TI-994/a carts, and a few 2600 homebrews.....oh and a copy of the Collector's Guide! Next year I plan to bring my 10 year old son!