New Prices on consoles in Japan and new cutie
Bought this beauty in Osaka for ¥39,380, which is around €213 or $249.
It is the orange Japan release PS Vita, boxed, and I found it in one of the retro stores in Osaka after checking almost every retro store I could find in Osaka and Nara, including Book Off and Hard Off.
For context, loose PS Vitas were usually around ¥19,000 to ¥22,000, which is about €103 to €119 or $120 to $139 depending on condition.
Boxed black or white lime models were mostly between ¥33,000 and ¥37,000, which is about €178 to €200 or $209 to $234.
So when I saw this orange boxed version for ¥39,380, about €213 or $249, I thought the difference was small enough to justify going for the more special version.
Loose Game Boys were also selling for around ¥20,000, about €108 or $127, and PSPs were starting around ¥22,000, about €119 or $139. So retro handheld prices in Japan are definitely not what they used to be.
I remember seeing older YouTube videos where people were finding boxed Vitas for around ¥25,000, about €135 or $158. But I guess those good old times are over.
My logic was simple. If I am already spending around €120 to €150 on a loose one, I might as well add a bit more and get something boxed, cleaner, rarer, and sweeter.
Not the cheapest Vita I could have bought, but probably the one I would actually be happy to keep.