Say hello to my boxed Sega Genesis. This was my last retro pick-up before COVID-19 put Canada on lock-down.

It was actually full on Winter when Nintendo Joe and myself visited Retro Game Bros.; where I made this purchase. I was on the hunt for some affordable boxed NES and SNES games when I noticed this boxed ‘launch edition’ Sega Genesis. “Launch Edition” wasn’t a thing back in the day but what was important to me is that this is the packaging variant I got as a kid. (“Variant” also wasn’t a thing back in the 90’s.)

I already had a very similar boxed Genesis but the condition of this replacement is much better and I could not resist. When I asked for the price the Retro Game Bros. asked me to offer a fair price and after seeing a ‘sold listing’ for a similar boxed Genesis for $150 USD that is what I offered; which was about $200 CAD at the time. Knowing that I’d have my previous boxed Genesis to sell helped make this an easy purchase.

My new boxed Genesis (above) is compete with everything: console, hook-ups, game pad, Altered Beast, adapters, manual and a Golden Axe poster. All in really great condition!

If you look close you can see the original retail price of $189.99. Because it’s says Kay Bee Toys I’m pretty sure that price tag is in USD. I don’t think Kay Bee Toys ever made it to Canada. $189.99 is the launch day price of the Genesis in the US which makes me believe this is a pretty early release; not that it’s particularly important but just cool trivia.

My now dethroned boxed Genesis you can see below. It’s OK. The hardware is in very good shape. It’s only the box that’s a bit battered. This one cost me $40 CAD (~$30 USD) years ago.

This variant is actually pretty interesting. I believe this is one of the last Altered Beasts boxes to sell at retail. You can see a black sticker stating ‘Game Cartridge Not Included, Sold  Separately.’ It’s placed right over the area of the box that says (if it was visible) “Included Arcade Hit Altered Beast”. I image when Sega was slowing down on the Altered Beast bundle they had more consoles to unload before moving onto new packaging and new bundles.

I had no idea how satisfying this upgrade would be. I was pretty content with the battered and beat-up box but now that I have a new champ I find it very gratifying!

For kicks have a look at why I don’t bother with eBay anymore; here’s what some serious gougers feel this same boxed Genesis is worth:

Between $800-$2,800 CAD (~$600-$2,000USD) Really?! This is why I haven’t had an eBay account since Dec. 2016. And I don’t miss it at all.

What did Nintendo Joe end up scoring at Retro Game Bros.? He purchased a used copy of Metroid: Samus Returns for his Nintendo 3DS. And like a good lad he’s already beaten it.

Go visit Nintendo Joe at his Instagram NintendoJoe1985 and MyNintendoDimension.