Japanese Game Boy prices rising as demand surges at retro stores

Retro gaming stores in Akihabara are reporting big surges in demand for Game Boys, causing prices to soar.

Over 118 million Game Boys were sold during its original lifespan. With so many of them around, you might think that there are plenty of old Game Boys available for retro fans to pick up at bargain prices. However, according to retro gaming retailers in Japan, rising demand for these classic handhelds has caused prices to skyrocket.

Japan’s Akihabara is sometimes known as ‘Electric Town’ due to the collection of stores and entertainment providers geared towards video games and its associated culture. According to Automation West (via Time Extension) one particular retailer in this area named Ken-chan has been inundated with demand for Game Boys.

At the moment, even a non-working and almost destroyed Game Boy is going for the equivalent of $20 while a standard version can be sold for as much as 24,800 yen, roughly equal to $159. A rarer transparent version still in its box can sell for 34,800 yen, which equates to around $223.

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One Japanese publication Akiba PC Hotline! speculated that the massive surge in demand is being fuelled by tourism. Foreign tourists have begun to return to Japan since travel restrictions were relaxed, with the country seeing over three million tourists enter the country in March 2024 alone, according to The Japan Times. Eager tourists are seemingly seeking out the iconic Game Boy as a souvenir, particularly models and variants that were never made available in the West.

There is also a growing modding scene for the Game Boy, which makes new screens, buttons, and other parts available. Most of these still require an original console as a base to work on. Similarly, as Chiptune music rises in popularity, newcomers to the scene are seeking out their own Game Boys to use as instruments.

Despite the rise in prices, the weakness of the Japanese Yen means that many of these consoles are still a bargain to tourists.