Page 7 - Old School Gamer Magazine Issue #39 FREE Edition

These units were produced to celebrate the 20th million PS2
sold, a feat Sony has only done one other time. In 2018, they sold their 500 million PlayStation console, and to celebrate, Sony produced 50,000 limited numbered PS4 units worldwide. The case held over 100 titles and there were a few exclusive Dreamcast consoles, but I was out of luck on the PS2 console. After about an hour of wandering around, we grabbed some soundtracks and headed out to the next stop.
YOKOHAMA: SUPER BOOK OFF UNLEASHED
¥19800/$137 ($222 adjusted for inflation), with Sakura pink being the one I was looking for to give to Ms. Malice. The color has been the most expensive to find stateside, topping out at $500 for a clean complete console. Once inside, the hunt was on. Rows of games and plushies became overwhelming. You start at one end and don't realize it's been 30 minutes, and you haven't moved. I found Vitas, PSP, and even a special edition PS3 Lightning Final Fantasy 13 edition. This store reminded me why I love coming here. I grabbed a lot of
handhelds and quite a few games, but ultimately, I did not find what I set out to find. Maybe tomorrow will bring us more luck.
CHIBA: A HIDDEN GEM IN TOKYO
On Day 10, we made our way out to Chiba. This area of Tokyo is an hour outside of Asakusa, northeast of the city. The store was
a long walk from the station, so we set out on foot for 25 minutes, taking in the local area. Once inside the store, it was game time. As
I walked around,
I turned a corner and, on an endcap was something I
had never seen. In the
“Not for Sale” case there were 3 beautiful PS2s on display. The first console was the SCPH-50000 MB/ NH Midnight Blue BB edition ¥35000/$242 ($409 adjusted for inflation). The second and third were both from Toys R’ Us – Ratchet
& Clank Action Pack - SCPH-39000 TB Toys Blue ¥26800/$184 ($310 AFI) and SCPH-50000 TSS Satin Silver ¥35000/$242 ($409 AFI). I knew Toys R’ Us was in Japan since the SNES was out, but to see some
of the best consoles they had to offer was a sight to see. The Toys
Blue Color Ratchet action pack
was made in honor of PlayStation being 8 years old. Sony would do something like this with the PS4 but for the 20th anniversary. Unlike the Toy Blue version, the Satin Silver console had no milestone
or game attached. The cool factor for this unit really comes from its limited availability, being sold at only one chain of stores. No known numbers were released, but it's
safe to say that there are less than 10,000 units of each made. I asked a salesclerk if the items in the NFS case would ever be available for sale. He replied that most items did not work anymore and that even
if they did work, they would not
sell them. I thanked the clerk for the information and headed to find something I could buy. When I was ready to leave, I was happy as I had found 4 PS Vitas in the box – a nice consolation prize for my troubles.
UNVEILING HIDDEN TREASURES: A GAMER'S PILGRIMAGE IN JAPAN
On Day 7, we headed out to Yokohama. This Super Book Off was not a typical tourist spot, being an hour from Asakusa by train. The prices were more in line with what locals pay versus the tourist prices of Akihabara. The plan
today was to look for any of the 5 Seasonal Color editions that came out between 2003 and 2004. The only difference between the models from 03 to 04 was the updated internal components. The SCPH- 39000 consoles came in 3 colors: Silver, Sakura, Aqua, with Sakura being the most desired. The SCPH- 50000 units came in 3 colors as well: Ceramic White, Sakura, and Pearl White. Both were priced at
So, this is where I would love
to tell you I was able to find all the consoles in Japan to bring home with me, but alas that was not the case. I was in Japan for three weeks, and I was going home with just 1 PS2 console. I
MARCH 2024 • WWW.OLDSCHOOLGAMER.COM
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