BARSTOW — As the holiday shopping season approaches, small retailers like Game World offer insights into this year’s trends — including an increase in demand for retro gaming consoles, amid inflation, supply chain issues and shipping delays.
According to the gaming retailer located in the Barstow Mall, demand for older Nintendo, Atari and Playstation 4 consoles is on the rise as families are choosing to spend more time at home.
“Multiplayer games have been more popular with families playing games together more now than I’ve seen in years,” said Game World owner Matt McKerall. “I also get a sense that many people are buying out of nostalgia, taking them back to happy times in their lives.”
Consumers still face a competitive market for new gaming consoles – such as the Xbox Series X and the Playstation 5 – amid a semiconductor chip shortage and scalpers using bots to snap up the machines online.
“Consoles are available out there, but just at heavily inflated prices,” said McKerall, adding some customers mentioned paying $800 on average for a Playstation 5, which has a recommended retail price of $399.
McKerall says he’s also noticed people buying more board games as they are willing to try alternatives for gaming with friends and family.
Game World is located at 1884 E Main St, Barstow, CA 92311. For more information visit https://www.shopgameworld.com/ or call (760) 255-4263.
