Isn't $710 a bit much for a crummy PSOne demo - seemingly worthless when it was handed out 12 years ago? The collector who won the bidding for NBA 2-Ball thinks he got a steal on the price.
Speaking under the pseudonym "Richard," the winning bidder told Multiplayer Games that the disc's rarity and the completionist mentality of game collectors means sometime, someone's going to pay a lot of money for this game. NBA 2-Ball also has a unusual provenance - it came only in a sleeve and was handed out as a prize at the 1998 NBA All-Star Game in Madison Square Garden.
I think it was a steal. I would not consider a PlayStation collection complete unless it included this game … There are not many people now trying to complete a PlayStation collection, but take my word for it there will be in the future. Just as no one thought about collecting a complete set of NES games 15 years ago, it will happen. The PlayStation may not be as popular and the NES today, but, it will be in 2020! Everyone of those collectors will want this game to complete their collection. I could see this game being worth $5,000 or more, even if more of them come out.
Sounds like a lot, but the way things are heading, I bet $5,000 in 2020 won't even cover a month's rent.
Read more of Richard's thoughts on game collecting, and the need for games preservation - even of crappy demos no one wanted - at the link.
Interview: NBA 2 Ball Auction Winner [Multiplayer Games]