Australia’s Big Retro Fair Lacks PC Gaming – Here’s Why
▼ Summary
– Collect Fest, an eBay-backed event at the Melbourne Convention Centre, featured numerous stalls selling collectibles but had almost no PC gaming hardware or software.
– The event was dominated by retro console gaming, with stalls offering old games, modded handhelds, and revamped consoles from brands like Nintendo and Sega.
– Modded Nintendo handhelds, such as GameBoys and DS systems with OLED screens, were the top sellers, attracting significant buyer interest and high sales.
– PC hardware and software were largely absent due to low demand, high costs, and the availability of digital downloads for most PC games.
– The expo catered mainly to collectors of consoles, trading cards, and tabletop games, leaving PC gaming enthusiasts with few options.
Australia’s biggest retro fair had something for everyone, except PC gaming enthusiasts. The Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre recently hosted Collect Fest, a sprawling marketplace where collectors and hobbyists gathered to buy, sell, and trade everything from vintage sneakers to rare film reels. Yet amid the sea of nostalgia, one glaring omission stood out: PC gaming hardware and software were nearly absent from the event.
Walking through the aisles, it was impossible to miss the mountains of Pokémon cards, retro consoles, and modded handhelds drawing crowds. Stalls overflowed with classic Nintendo, Sega, and PlayStation systems, each generation represented in pristine condition. Enthusiasts eagerly sifted through stacks of cartridges, swapping stories about their favorite childhood games. But for those hoping to find relics of PC gaming history, the pickings were slim.
A lone Tandy TRS-80, encased in glass with a hefty $400 price tag, was one of the few nods to vintage computing. Meanwhile, custom-modded Game Boys stole the spotlight, with upgraded OLED screens and premium price tags ranging from $200 to $400. Vendors confirmed these handhelds were the event’s hottest sellers, one attendee reportedly dropped over $1,000 on multiple units.
So why was PC gaming so underrepresented? Conversations with stallholders revealed a simple truth: demand just isn’t there. Unlike consoles, which thrive on physical collectibility, most PC games remain accessible digitally. Unless it’s a legendary title like Half-Life, physical copies rarely justify shelf space. Retro PC hardware, meanwhile, is both harder to source and less appealing to casual buyers compared to plug-and-play consoles.
Beyond gaming, the fair catered to every niche imaginable, comics, tabletop RPGs, and even obscure memorabilia filled the halls. But for PC collectors, the message was clear: if you’re hunting for vintage rigs or boxed software, you’ll need to look elsewhere. The retro scene may be booming, but it’s still very much a console-dominated world.
(Source: PC Gamer)