How much is this Donkey Kong Kong Off Edition Worth?

[kaneda]

http://www.richieknucklez.com/products/Donkey-Kong%252d-Kong-Off-Edition.html

Looks like it's one of the original 12 used at Kong Off one.   Thought I'd ask you guys if you think this machine comes close in value to the asking price.  Obviously it's worth what ever someone will pay, but with DK machine value rising and this thing being part of history, it's anyone's guess. 

[hooch66]

In my opinion, no. You have to ask yourself the question of do you want it enough to pay $3,000 for it and if down the line if you needed to get rid of it, would anybody pay $3,000 to take it off your hands.

It's a nice machine, but outside a limited group of people, is the Kong Off really that significant?

[d3scride]

It's worth whatever someone wants to pay for it.

For me personally, no it's not worth 3k. Maybe 1500

[JNugent]

Because it's coming from Richie, I would agree with Craig and say $1500.  I have no doubts the machine will be in incredible condition and last you a long time, but $3000 is quite a stretch.  Others have bought them at that price, though. 
Another thought, though... with Richie being featured in 'The King of Arcades' and 'The Video Craze', and the growing popularity of the Kong Off events, I wonder if one day these machines (and other RK) merch will be worth a lot more in 10-15 years.  No telling, I suppose.

[hchien]

Something like that is really hard to value.

I would say a pristine DK cabinet is worth $1800-$2000.  Now you have to ask yourself if having the limited edition original KO machine is worth an extra $1000-$1200.   If the KO's really take off and there is a KO25, then you're sitting on a gold mine.   If the KO fades away into obscurity, you blew $1000-$1200.  So it's an investment and as with all investments it's a risk as well.

[kaneda]

I bought it.   Got it for 3K with shipping included (which runs about $400).   Few reasons I paid a premium, none of which include profit down the road.  First...I used to work on Stride Gum and a campaign I did, called "Save the Arcades" was so awesome.  We basically were on a mission to save classic coin up arcades, and had a competition where gamers could win money for their local arcade.   As part of that campaign, back in 2009, offered Steve Wiebe $10,001 in quarters if he could beat Billy Mitchell's record.  So when I found out that this machine was Steve Wiebe's in the first Kong Off, it added more sentimental value.

Lastly, I live in NYC and money here goes like water.  I've bought stocks that went up.  Stocks that went down.  Paid for dinners that were $1,000 (just for 2).   Nothing seems to bring a long-lasting sense of joy or happiness...but games, especially the ones I grew up with, they always make me smile.  So this thing is worth it.  It's part of DK history.  Kong Off will grow and Richie is an aggressive pioneer who knows what he's doing.  This is from his personal collection.  Also, this thing is a piece of art work.  A relic from the past that still brings joy day in and day out. 

I'm happy with this purchase and will share photos with all of you when it arrives.

Kaneda

[ChrisP]

"Peak DK" is basically right now (2012-2014), all of this will be a memory in 5 years, and if CAG in general was gonna get big it would have by now, but hell yeah cobba! I like your style. Have fun with the machine.

[Scoundrl]

Having bought and sold many machines, I can tell you there is no real 'whats this game worth'. Retail on a DK is about $1500 but not with the Kong Off/Weibe connection. Its worth every penny to someone who sees value in that. I'm glad someone stepped up with the money, good show!

-Ken

[stella_blue]

I have 3 thoughts, and since I can't decide which one to go with, I'll include them all:

• My recommendation (too late) was to ask Richie which player used that machine during the first Kong Off.  If his answer was "Vincent", I would have suggested offering him twenty bucks.
• This "relic from the past" will make you smile, until you actually start playing it.   
• The machine will bring you a longer-lasting sense of joy than a $1,000 dinner for 2 (of course, a lot depends on your choice of dining companion).

All kidding aside, you're obviously happy with your decision.  Enjoy your piece of history.

[marinomitch13]

"Peak DK" is basically right now (2012-2014), all of this will be a memory in 5 years, and if CAG in general was gonna get big it would have by now, but hell yeah cobba! I like your style. Have fun with the machine.

You think so? Is this mainly because you see it dying out once someone get's 1.2m, or is it for some other reason? I feel like more people are entering into the community than in years past, and the fact that now we have DKF going as well as (soon) a DK manual, it seems to me that the pipeline might still get much bigger. One thing is for sure, as long as the KOs are around, I think DK will be big. Do yo think there may only be one more KO? Just curious as to your reasoning.

[d3scride]

I bought it.   Got it for 3K with shipping included (which runs about $400).   Few reasons I paid a premium, none of which include profit down the road.  First...I used to work on Stride Gum and a campaign I did, called "Save the Arcades" was so awesome.  We basically were on a mission to save classic coin up arcades, and had a competition where gamers could win money for their local arcade.   As part of that campaign, back in 2009, offered Steve Wiebe $10,001 in quarters if he could beat Billy Mitchell's record.  So when I found out that this machine was Steve Wiebe's in the first Kong Off, it added more sentimental value.

Lastly, I live in NYC and money here goes like water.  I've bought stocks that went up.  Stocks that went down.  Paid for dinners that were $1,000 (just for 2).   Nothing seems to bring a long-lasting sense of joy or happiness...but games, especially the ones I grew up with, they always make me smile.  So this thing is worth it.  It's part of DK history.  Kong Off will grow and Richie is an aggressive pioneer who knows what he's doing.  This is from his personal collection.  Also, this thing is a piece of art work.  A relic from the past that still brings joy day in and day out. 

I'm happy with this purchase and will share photos with all of you when it arrives.

Kaneda

Enjoy! Take some pictures and post here when you get it.

[kaneda]

Thanks for the response guys.  What a great community.  I'll definitely share pictures of it when it arrives.  Building a game room in a NYC one bedroom is going to be an interesting experiment. 

Having collected Transformers for years I can say that classic nostalgia stuff never fades.  There were always be a demand for this stuff.  I call it the rosebud effect.  People live there lives, gather all these things they thought would make them happier, but nothing is more precious than reliving those childhood memories.  I'm not too old now (mid 30s), but lately, I just don't find the joy in the things people my age are supposed to be excited about. 

Now I need to learn how to play DK better.  Good thing I came to the right place

-Chris

[ChrisP]

"Peak DK" is basically right now

You think so?

Mitch, I started to answer this question but realized that there's just no way to do it succinctly!

In a nutshell, there's currently a magical and unique confluence of circumstances around DK that are making the game, the community, the scoreboard, the Kong Offs, etcetera, very exciting (Dean being on the verge of burying the record is one, but only one of many). It's not going to last forever though. It can't.

Simple thought experiment for you: in five years, will the action around DK be more interesting than it is now, or less interesting than it is now?

Can you honestly say "more"? If so, how?

I say it's going to cool off, pretty much inevitably, and the beginning of that cool-off is imminent, which is what I mean by "peak."

Consider that, in five years, the game will have been maxed out by (at least) one player, there will be at least 40 players with over a million points (and a meaninglessly small point-gap separating 20th to 40th place), Allen will have kill screened (or killed himself trying), there will be no stones left unturned in terms of theory or code analysis, and the Kong Off will no longer be the novelty that it is now. There's just not really anywhere else to take this.

I'm not saying it will be dead, I'm just saying that it's peaking. Just like anything else that peaks and declines, and for most of the same fundamental types of reasons that things peak and decline.

In five years, a whole bunch of the current community will have moved on, or at least put it on the back burner (God help me if I'm still on this forum every day!), and every newbie who comes into this will be entering a much less interesting environment than the people who came in between 2007 and 2013, when there was still a whole lot of virgin territory to explore.

The existence of a forum and a manual isn't gonna change the fact that future players will just be walking on trails that others blazed. That's a big turn-off for competitive types, and only  competitive-type people are drawn to grinding at Donkey Kong in the first place.

KoK "created a market" so to speak, but that market is reaching maturity.

[Ohrami]

-Chris

Another Chris in the Donkey Kong community! As if we didn't already have enough...

Just kidding, of course. Enjoy your stay, and your new cab.

[homerwannabee]

"Peak DK" is basically right now

You think so?

Mitch, I started to answer this question but realized that there's just no way to do it succinctly!

In a nutshell, there's currently a magical and unique confluence of circumstances around DK that are making the game, the community, the scoreboard, the Kong Offs, etcetera, very exciting (Dean being on the verge of burying the record is one, but only one of many). It's not going to last forever though. It can't.

Simple thought experiment for you: in five years, will the action around DK be more interesting than it is now, or less interesting than it is now?

Can you honestly say "more"? If so, how?

I say it's going to cool off, pretty much inevitably, and the beginning of that cool-off is imminent, which is what I mean by "peak."

Consider that, in five years, the game will have been maxed out by (at least) one player, there will be at least 40 players with over a million points (and a meaninglessly small point-gap separating 20th to 40th place), Allen will have kill screened (or killed himself trying), there will be no stones left unturned in terms of theory or code analysis, and the Kong Off will no longer be the novelty that it is now. There's just not really anywhere else to take this.

I'm not saying it will be dead, I'm just saying that it's peaking. Just like anything else that peaks and declines, and for most of the same fundamental types of reasons that things peak and decline.

In five years, a whole bunch of the current community will have moved on, or at least put it on the back burner (God help me if I'm still on this forum every day!), and every newbie who comes into this will be entering a much less interesting environment than the people who came in between 2007 and 2013, when there was still a whole lot of virgin territory to explore.

The existence of a forum and a manual isn't gonna change the fact that future players will just be walking on trails that others blazed. That's a big turn-off for competitive types, and only  competitive-type people are drawn to grinding at Donkey Kong in the first place.

KoK "created a market" so to speak, but that market is reaching maturity.

I disagree, I think we have only just begun.  It will be interesting to see who is right, and who is wrong in 5 years time.  I do know this the Donkey Kong competitive environment is a lot stronger than it was in the first year the movie came out.  That fact alone makes me think there is a chance for greater participation among people.   People thought it was crazy that a forum that talked mainly about Donkey Kong could exist.  Well guess what?  It not only is existing, it's thriving!  So you never know, but I have a sneaky suspicion that you will be off base in this.