It seems like the announcement of Shenmue 3 a couple of months ago had some unexpected side effects - a massive rise in demand for used Dreamcasts and the old Shenmue games for the format. This was reported by MCV who has talked to several indie retailers on the matter.
Alex Bowness of Canterbury's Level Up Games says:
"We sold 20 Dreamcasts in the last week alone. All of sudden, people are asking where they can play the original two Shenmue games. The announcement of Shenmue III really piqued everyone's interest."
The renewed interest for Dreamcast and the Shenmue titles has, of course, led to an increase in the price as well. Reload Games Michael Wealleans adds:
"People are trying to get hold of the original copies of Shenmue and Final Fantasy VII, even if they don't have the console to play it on. They
just want it in their collection. But with that demand, the price has gone up."
David James-Turvey of Llanelli's Retrobution makes an interesting case and says that Sega has lost a lot of money by not doing HD collections with the sought after Shenmue games, and says his customers are more hyped for this than Call of Duty:
"Sega has really lost out on a load of digital sales by not releasing HD versions, so naturally indies like myself are the only place that would satisfy that itch to get back into these titles.
I've had more customers hyped about Shenmue III than Call of Duty, and I am glad there are gamers out there like this, because it proves that gaming is not as disposable as other forms of entertainment. Indies should be confident in their physical stock.
Dreamcast sales have come from nowhere almost, what's exciting now is that young gamers who perhaps didn't even know what the Dreamcast was are interested in it."
Do you still have your old Dreamcast and how hyped are you for Shenmue 3?