Quoted from Rarehero:Yeah, I don't get collectors when Everdrives are the ultimate way to play on original hardware. But hey, they willingly threw about $10k at me for my old carts so I shouldn't complain. I see a lot of people buying bootleg reproductions just to have more carts on their shelf. I don't understand that AT ALL. All the money they're spending to collect fake carts...just get one Everdrive.
Collectors are not buying reproductions. Those that JUST want to play THAT one game are buying them. It's cheaper than the original. Chrono Trigger original vs. $20 reproduction plays the same on an original console. You can't buy an Everdrive setup for $20.
A lot of people also group bootleg reproductions, home-brews, and prototypes all into the same category.
So it's just not as simple as you put it. First, roms are not always available to download. Perfect examples would be for homebrews, foreign releases, and prototype games.
Is a homebrew release a bootleg? Depends really... There are obviously some games that just can't easily be played on the Everdrive. Are they worth buying the actual cart? I say yes if it supports the DIY home-brewer. There are ALSO games with extra chips and RAM in them that will not run well or will not run at all. How would you play those games?
Another case is extra peripherals... Light gun games on an everdrive? You would need a CRT to play any classic light gun game, not just an Everdrive. Once you are owning a vintage CRT, I would just rather have the original console and games along with it. Anyone play Lethel Enforcers or Mad Dog lately?
Another aspect that I know I don't have to point out is that people want to play original carts on original systems.
There are other habits that outsiders will never understand from the perspective of a hardcore game collector.
One day I decided that I was going to collect Ti-99 4a games. No reason other than no one appreciated some very talented programers that worked for TI back in the day.
Another day, I decided I was going to collect every single Activision game for EVERY single system ever made because I really like their packaging and dedication for featuring the programmer in the retail packaging. When will THAT ever happen again now that gaming is a billion $ industry?
I believe that people will realize in the next few years that the historic cartridges and software that started the industry in the 70's is important. Would the Madden EAsports juggernaut exist if it was not for those years? Remember Jordan vs. Bird or Desert Strike? Yeah, EA was very small back then, comparatively speaking.
Physical software has just about evaporated altogether, right before our eyes. The classic foundations like Playstation 1, NES and the like will be collected because those companies still exist today and are relevant. Why does Smash Bros. Melee still sell for close to $100 on Gamecube? Because it is considered one of the best games that Nintendo ever made.
Has nothing to do with collecting it for the sake of collecting. I refuse to own any modern system that requires you to be connected to the internet to use the console. That is where I drew my line in the sand and I am not alone.
This really is all just personal preference. Kind of like using LEDs or keeping with incandescent bulbs. When LED bulbs first came out, they were BAD. When emulators first came out, they were BAD. Time moves on an and improvement were made, where necesary.