As far as i have researched, HK probably is not really a good place to dig retro gaming stuff. Very few items can be found and not cheap (well atleast for me).
One of the most common shops that came out when i browsed the internet was the TOYZONE 16. The shops in town are kind off hidden because you can see them on places inside commercial buildings which are relatively small, they are not publicly displayed or something that you can pass by the road. I guess that right there is a good indication that retro gaming scene is really not large around. I wonder really, considering the fact that famous consoles had HONGKONG versions and most retro gaming hardware were made in HK.
Anyways, here is a very short guide for anyone that is planning to go to toy zone 16 Hongkong, someone might want to take a peek while on a vacation: I came from Mongkok so i will just start the guide from a MTR (subway train system in HK) which anybody can go.
First ride the MTR Line which will pass the Shim Tsa Tsui Station, that most probably is the line going to Central station.
Take off from the train at Shim Tsa Tsui Station and then take the Star ferry exit and take the foot bridge just right off the exit. Just follow were most people go and you wont have any problems.
You need to walk for about a minute or so and then you will see this
It is the ferry entrance that says "to central" ( you can actually ride the MTR straight to the Central station but, if you are a tourist on the town , might as well ride this ferry for experience)
you wont get lost . Even the stairs have the sign that says "to central" . Hong kong is generally tourist friendly. The secret is to always read the sign, they are everywhere and very visible.
You need to prepare 2HK Dollars only! for the ride. and 2.20 i think during weekends and holidays.
Get a token pass, you can see token machines just on the side.
You will insert the token just right at the machine before entering the boarding station.
Its a very short but nice ferry ride. You will see buildings and other commercial establishments from the ferry. I have been to the ferry both day and night time, id say the view is better during nights because of the fancy lights,and if you happen to go at around 8pm, there is a light show.
When you go down the ferry, just walk towards the exit and find yourself on any of the many Tram cart stops just at the main road. You can easily find them by looking just above the road, when you see cables hanging above, that means Trams pass by that road.
Ride a Tram cart that has the sign that says "causeway bay". You can see the sign board just right at front of the train
Go down on Sugar st. Its a very small street,you should have no problem locating "causeway commercial building" . When you enter the building you will see this on the left wall.
Take the lift and go to 16th floor. When you alight the lift, you will see this ultraman action figure! Welcome! I think the store opens around 12noon so..
I think the store actually specializes on action figures , die cast and the likes, not retro gaming stuff. But, yea they have quite a few number that is available, mostly Japanese retro gaming items though.
The price is not cheap but quite fair i guess.That's atleast from my standpoint. Some might find it cheap and others just okay.
They have on this shelf , Cd's , cartridges for Pc engine, Megadrive, Neo geo pocket, Mega cd, and stuff like that.
Mostly Japanese stuff. Sure thing. Did not find any western stuff as far as i am concerned.
Just right beside it is the table top and handheld section. I was expecting to see, HK versions of consoles and some cartridges but i guess they were not there or i just did not see.
I saw some Game and watch , some obscure Japanese handheld stuff though.
I was kind of curious that they had no consoles until i saw some boxes above the cabins.
Not HK versions but a mint boxed sega megadrive 2 with a sega mega cd 2 and a pc fx. Niceee!
The megadrive 2
Oh how i wish they had it on sale so i can purchase! I think the Mega drive 2 and the Sega mega cd 2 is at 1500HK Dollars. I think its a pretty good price.
The Pc-fx
Cool stuff! I could spend a lot of time looking around in that place. How much was the PC-FX? I've never seen a real one but have messed around with a couple of the games on emulation.
ReplyDeleteYes, they have cool stuff. mostly Japanese stuff though. The PC-FX was at HK600 Dollars, its really neat boxed. I have not seen one either personally before seeing it on HK =)
ReplyDeletenice - I'm pretty sure you wouldn't find a boxed PC-FX that cheap on eBay.
ReplyDelete@ mad planet
ReplyDeleteYea sure! i hope i realized that and had some extra bucks to cash out that pretty little thing, well i hope it sits there for a while or lucky the one who gets it! I'm not really familiar on how rare it is yet to be honest =)
Toyzone!!! Cool!!
ReplyDeleteAwesome store! :) Aside from JOJO HOUSE (as cited in your other cool blogpost), this store really is like a number of Greenhills stores: a consignment hodgepodge. What this basically means is that whatever gets brought in, that's what the store owners will have in their glass displays. On my last trip to this wonderful store in 2010, I wasn't expecting to find anything game related, but then when I spotted that very glass display you took a photo of, I spotted some PC-Engine games and asked to take a look.
Man, was I happy that I took the time to scan each of the cases! I came away with over 8 PC-Engine games, all in pristine condition, complete with the case & spine cards. I scored AirZonk, Final Zone II, Burning Angels & Dragon Egg, among others. All of them were priced at a pretty decent HK$80 each.
One surprise find of mine was the quite rare "Ninja Ryukenden" (Ninja Gaiden) for the PC-Engine, which I was able to buy for just HK$150! This game normally fetches much higher than that. :) But, I think my best find there was when the store owner told me to wait as he went in the back to pick up something he thought I'd be interested in (this is why it's always good to talk to people..). He returned with a Super CD-ROM2 unit, which did not come with any power adaptor, cables or controllers. But I knew I had to get it. He was amused by my uncontrollable excitement & offered it to me for just HK$500, with no promise of it working. I smiled & asked if he could instead take off $100 off it, and we'll call it even. ;) It was a pretty heavy expense, all-in-all, but you don't pass up opportunity like this. ;)
I never came away from a more productive trip to HK then that trip when I discovered Toyzone & JoJo House. :)
Great post, man! Makes me so happy to know someone else knows of Toyzone's wonders. :)
No longer at 1601
ReplyDeleteThanks for the info sir.
DeleteCurrent directions to the NEW branch of Toyzone HK (in Tai Koo):
ReplyDelete- Take the MTR to Tai Koo.
- Exit A1.
- look ACROSS the road and look for a building that bears the name WAH HA FACTORY BUILDING
- Enter Wa Ha Factory Building.
- go to 4th floor.
- exhaust your money on toys, games, models, etc.
- sell a liver to have more money to spend..
The new branch is much bigger, much more cluttered, and a much more organized store overall. Great to see these guys in a bigger place!
Hope this helps!
Hey, bud! I recently made a post with the new directions to the new Toyzone. I think the pos is still being given moderator clearance... so just updating in case you may want to update this post with my directions.
ReplyDeletethis is new toyzone address (more bigger than before) : http://www.toyzone.com.hk/Eng/Contact_us.php
ReplyDelete