Getting Started With Game Collecting

I got started game collecting years back and though I do not keep up with it as much as I used to, I still managed to obtain a decent collection and I am capable of adding to it whenever I feel inclined. Game collecting can also be a source of extra income where you find great deals and then turn around to sell them for profit, I would label myself both a collector and a seller. The main thing that I would recommend for a person looking to get involved in any form of collecting is to know what you are collecting, specifically are you focusing on a particular franchise, genre, platform, etc. I am going to list a variety of places that you can use to buy/acquire games, I will only discuss methods that I myself have used so understand that there are always more options at your disposal.

• Large Retailers(Target, Walmart...): The Pikachu 3DS XL is one of my favorite items in my collection and I picked it up at a Target store when it was on sale for $160, including tax I paid a total of $176. I never opened my copy and just a couple of days ago one sold on Ebay for a total of $400 including shipping.
• Ebay: Not only is Ebay the best idea of what a game is actually worth, you could also come across a great deal. Some people that list on Ebay do not know what they are listing and can miss out big time, that particular game Earthbound will sell for over $130 all day.
• Pawn Shops: I have scored great finds more frequently at pawn shops than anywhere else, they tend tend carry current releases as well as older games but if you do not know what you should be paying for a game you could easily overpay. I have managed to pick up older consoles and games complete in the box and rare gems that I would have had to pay 10x more had I gotten them anywhere else.
• Yard Sales: Second to only pawn shops as far as where I have gotten the best deals, you may need to get there early but you can always negotiate(what would be the total price if I bought all of the games?) and you may have to ask specifically if they have games for sale, some people look at those old things and tell themselves that nobody would want to buy them.
• Thrift Stores(Salvation Army/Goodwill): Recently I have been having the most luck here, you can find all sorts of unique items and I recently picked up a brand new in box NES "dogbone" controller for a couple of dollars.
• Friends/Coworkers/Neighbors...: There are probably more people than you realize that are currently sitting on a bunch of old games collecting dust. Given that these are people that you personally know, you should offer to buy the games, especially if your intent is to turn around and sell them.

I want to stress that no matter what any game collecting website may say, your item is worth exactly what a person is willing to pay for it and nothing more. If a website tells you that your copy of BMX XXX is worth $10 but I can readily pick one up on Ebay for $2, your copy is actually worth $2. If you do intend on selling on Ebay it's best to have an existing history of buying/selling there and make sure you have positive feedback but I will get more into selling successfully on Ebay at another time.

E3 2014: Giveaway; Betas, Recap

E3 2014 is in the bag, there were far too many moments to touch on in a single post so I will feature a few highlights as well as link full pressers from the event. Here are links to individual press conferences Microsoft, Sony, Nintendo, Ubisoft, EA. I have picked games that I personally enjoyed from the show and I will post their trailers as well as gameplay. If you missed out on the E3 2014: Humble Bundle E3 Digital Ticket, worry not as we will be giving one away either through here or our Twitter @ConsensualTechs. Also PS4 and PC gamers can still sign up for the Battlefield Hardline closed beta. The multiplayer beta for Halo 5: Guardians will begin on December 27th and will be available by purchasing The Master Chief Collection, available November 11 for the Xbox One. The Destiny beta will begin on July 14th for PlayStation 4 and will be available with a pre-order, the alpha is currently ongoing for those that signed up through the game's website. You can currently sign up for The Crew beta for which beings July 23rd.

Destiny- Developed by Bungie, creators of Halo: Combat Evolved. Action RPG; single and cooperative missions; scheduled for release on September 9th for the PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360 and Xbox One.

Evolve- developed by Turtle Rock Studios, creators of Left 4 Dead; first-person shooter; four-player vs one-player cooperative; scheduled for release on October 21st for the PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC.

Assassin's Creed: Unity- developed by Ubisoft Montreal; action-adventure, stealth; single and four-player cooperative; scheduled for release on October 28th for the PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC.

No Man's Sky- developed by Hello Games; not yet scheduled for release for PlayStation 4.

Super Smash Bros.- developed by Sora Ltd. and Bandai Namco Games; fighting game; scheduled for release on October 3, 2014 for the Nintendo 3DS and Q4 2014 for The Wii U.

Batman: Arkham Knight- developed by Rocksteady Studios; action adventure; scheduled for release 2015 for PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC.

Kingdom Hearts 3- developed by Square Enix; action RPG; scheduled for release for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.

Xbox's Revamped Games With Gold Goes Live

Last call for free Saints Row The Third. Xbox has extended its Games With Gold feature to the Xbox One, meaning a single Xbox Live Gold account will get you free games on your Xbox 360 and Xbox One. This month Xbox 360 gamers will receive a third free game, June's free games are as follows:

• Halo: Spartan Assault and Max: The Curse of Brotherhood for Xbox One
• Dark Souls, Charlie Murder and Super Street Fighter IV: Arcade Edition

Games are available the first and 16th of each month. The Xbox One Games With Gold program operates a bit differently than the Xbox 360 version. The Xbox 360 Games With Gold program allows any Xbox Live Gold member to download a game and keep it essentially forever. The Xbox One Games With Gold offers games on a subscription basis, if your Gold membership lapses than you cannot play games that you already downloaded. Xbox One owners will also have access to “Deals With Gold” sales starting with Forza 5 and Ryse: Son of Rome.

Microsoft is planning a huge update for June, where the console will receive support for external storage, a Real Names feature for easily identifying your real-world friends, auto-sign-in, major updates to SmartGlass, and an expansion of TV and OneGuide capabilities to more regions. June will also see an end to the need for an Xbox Live Gold account to access popular apps such as Netflix, HBO Go and ESPN among others. Once the Xbox One and Xbox 360 system updates become available in June, Xbox Live Gold members who purchased a paid membership before that day can cancel and receive a pro-rata refund of any unused remaining days between the date of cancellation and the date their paid Gold membership ends. Cancellation and pro-rated refund requests must be made by August 31, 2014 and require six to eight weeks for processing. Free or trial Gold memberships are not eligible for a refund. To request your pro-rated refund, please click http://support.xbox.com/contact-us after the system updates become available.