Yahoo! Auctions watch

If you’re in Japan and have even a slight interest in the murky terebi gemu underground, chances are you’ll already have a Yahoo! Auctions account set up and fully operational (if you haven’t and you want me to guide you through the whole tedious process, just ask). With no eBay in Japan, ヤフオク, as it’s commonly abbreviated by the locals, is the place to get sorted for curios, retro stuff and useless crap. Every week I’ll be introducing a few current auctions that have caught my retro-trained eye. Think of me as David Dickinson on tour in Japan looking for some “real bobby-dazzlers” and trying to escape from a sea of similarly Tango’d Shibuya gals…

Anyway, let’s begin the hunt with some (completely-impractical-for-your-Japanese-apartment) choice arcade machines:

Lot 1: Virtua Racing twin coin-op

The asking price for this classic SEGA racer is 50,000 yen (about £330/$550), which isn’t bad, especially considering it’s the Twin version of the cab and therefore facilitates head-to-head two-player action like the year is still 1993.

Lot 2: Astro City cabinet loaded with 4 Neo-Geo games

This dirty but perfectly functioning SEGA Astro City cab has been modded so that it can play both MVS and JAMMA games, and included in the deal are Neo-Geo titles Samurai Spirits, King Of Fighters ’97, KOF ’98 and KOF ’99. Starting price is only 12,000 yen (£80/$130) and the unit is currently in Gifu prefecture (central Japan), so no matter which part of Nippon you’re based in, delivery shouldn’t be too steep. “Cheap as chips!” (Thanks, David.)

Lot 3: BeatMania Complete Mix

At 25,000 yen, this twin-decked BeatMania Complete Mix machine is only a bit more expensive than a DJ Hero set-up… Shame that half of its blue neon facade is shot.