A to Z Electronics

07/13/2026

Hi. Today is Embrace your Geekness Day (not the Geek Pride Day celebrated on May 25th) and I must say that successfully monetizing one's geek interests such as science, technology and popular culture pays off big time.

In my previous post I mentioned some new titles I got in stock, but I forgot to list Pragmata and The Adventures of Elliot for PS5. I still have Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles for PS5 as well as Final Fantasy I-VI Collection for PS4.

While I'm a huge supporter of physical media (since it's my bread and butter), you have to admit both physical and digital media have their respective pros and cons.

Cartridges and disk can and do get lost, stolen, damaged or destroyed. Digital media can simply be redownloaded. Even if your console gets stolen or destroyed, you can always get another one and redownload all the games you've already paid for.

Some titles are only available as digital downloads. One of my customers is a big fan of RPGs and one of his favorite titles is The Last Remnant. It came out in 2008 on XBOX360 but not on PS3, so he had to buy an XBOX but got pi**ed off with all his consoles RRoDing on him and he boycotted the brand, but he was delighted when a remastered digital version came out for PS4 in 2018. I'm sure there might be a Limited Run physical copy published eventually, but often legacy titles are only available as downloads for newer consoles, like the Sega Saturn shoot 'em up (shmup) Radiant Silvergun being available as digital on XBOX360.

Which brings me to my next point. Physical media need to be printed, warehoused, shipped and then stocked at a retailer and can only be sold on launch day. Midnight sales are rare except for highly in-demand titles and only at select locations, while digital games are available on launch day as soon as the clock strikes midnight as a rule and you can do so from the convenience of your own home.

All physical games eventually get discontinued, but digital copies are always available unless they get delisted for some reason (often legal ones like with Capcom no longer having the license for the Joker in Mortal Kombat which I'm sure the Joker would find amusing). The whole online store can also cease supporting older platforms like when Nintendo closed the eShop for 3DS and Wii U downloads even if you've already paid for them and need to redownload them again.

Good points for both, but since my livelihood depends on reselling physical games and digital copies can't be shared or traded like tangible ones can, and don't even need a retail location to purchase them, I'm strongly in favor of physical games. Notice the bias there.

Next time I'll post about how City Hall is giving everyone here a hard time.

Later

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07/12/2026

Hi. I see lots of summer activities planned for July and I plan on joining in.

I've just picked up the complete series of Dark Souls for PS4, not the Dark Souls Trilogy but Dark Souls I, II and III separately. I've even scored a copy of Cytus alpha for the Switch. It was too good a deal to pass up, so sorry for any missed appointments.

In the meantime things are holding steady and I've even managed to finally give away a few hard to to get rid of items. I want the whole front of the store cleared out for new stuff that'll be coming in soon.

In the meantime, please keep sending in your old electronics to get recycled as they really help me out with spare parts and all.

Later

07/12/2026

Hi. I've heard this rumor back in the days of the PSP Go where physical media will be discontinued and games will be digital only.

Well, last week Sony just confirmed that they plan to discontinue physical media in February 2028. This means that the Playstation 6 will be digital only. I've also heard that the support for PS3 and PS Vita titles will be discontinued around this time, too.

First Nintendo with their digital-only Switch 2 titles and now this. For all the risks of physical media getting lost, damaged or stolen, at least when you own it, you own it and can lend it, sell it and borrow it as you please.

No worries about characters the game publisher no longer has the rights to (like DC comics Joker in Mortal Kombat for PS3 and Xbox 360) and other reasons to discontinue a title with no regard for the money you've spent on it.

Who's going to shop at brick-and-mortar retailers when you can just buy the games online, especially if their digital only?

It sucks but it is what it is.

Luckily for me, I'll be specializing in physical media even if they're reproductions and a few select bootlegs.

Later

06/27/2026

Hi. I'm writing to wish all my a customers a (belated) Happy St. Jean Baptiste and a Happy Canada Day.

I used to sell toys and figurines, comic books and manga, trading cards as well as VHS, Betamax, DVD and Blu-ray movies. I got out of these respective markets as they dried up and liquidated my collections, but I might get back into some of them now that there's a rise in popularity for certain collectible trading cards.

Funko (the maker of Funko Pops) went out of business a couple years ago (generally not a good sign) and my colleague has no further demand for Funko Pops, so unless I get a bunch real cheap and then flip them I'm not interested in restocking on those. Ditto for other figurines such as Kotobukiya, as well as Gunpla and War Hammer 40K model kits (although some stores seem to do well selling these exclusively).

Ditto for hard cover and soft cover graphic novels; it was fun while it lasted but without regular buyers, it's not worth keeping in stock.

So unless something new and exciting comes along that's more than just a passing fad (looking at you, Bey Blades), I'm focusing almost exclusively on videogames.

Sometimes you have to just stick with what you know.

Later

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06/23/2026

Hi. One my customers was in a bind and sold me his whole Anime collection, including the complete series of Dragon Ball Z, Cowboy Bebop, Black Lagoon, Attack on Titan, Initial D and Gunslinger Girl.

My colleague came and bought the whole collection off of me. I was even able to get rid of my Super Submarine 999 (the only item I had left from my last Anime purchase a few years ago that included Goldorak, Captain Harlock and Ulysses 31).

As much as I enjoy Anime, it just doesn't sell all that well now that people are streaming it online and even downloading it for free. The whole video rental and sale business model has collapsed and all the video stores closed down, with only niche locations such as myself carrying any physical copies.

Ditto for comic books and manga. At least physical videogames are still in vogue.

Later

06/15/2026

Hi. Well tax season is well underway and I've managed to get my tax returns filled out and mailed out before the deadline.

It's funny how we have to pay to have someone tell the government how much we owe in taxes but its better than doing it yourself (unless you're a tax expert) or going to H&R Block (my accountant warned me that they make a lot of mistakes on your tax returns) or filing them online (my accountant also warned me that a lot of identity theft happens this way).

Now the only thing to worry about is that some data entry clerk will make a mistake on your forms and then ask you to refile your tax returns instead of them fixing that typo on line 255.

At least there's a nice big payout coming my way this summer.

What about you?

Later

06/09/2026

Hi. I've realized for a long time that I'm sitting on a gold mine, since my carefully curated videogame collection is the talk of the town.

Lately, however, certain conversations I've had and the observations I've made have really driven this point home for me.

I've previously mentioned that Nintendo has upped the prices on their Mario, Zelda and Pokemon titles, even the ones like Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, Mario Kart 8 and Super Mario Odyssey that launched with the original Switch back in 2018. Now except for the latter three, it's hard to find any physical copies of most older Mario titles as they're only available on digital download.

So Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity and others that I've got in stock are pretty much the only copies available and I'm still charging $80.00 tax included instead of $80.00 plus tax like Game Stop used to do, now raised to $90.00 plus tax. You save almost $20.00 buying it from me; just another reason to shop local and support small businesses.

In other news, my accountant is back on his feet after a long hiatus and I'll get my tax returns processed this week.

About time.

Later

06/07/2026

Hi. Things are finally coming along.

One. I picked up that translucent green N64 controller from my supplier after much squabbling on their part. I've dealt with rude, disrespectful staff at pawnshops before but I expected better from these guys.

Anybody else notice that customer service seems to gone to crap all across the board? Some places are better than others, so you just have to persevere till the end.

Two. I'm in line to pick up a complete in box copy of Pokemon White 2 for DS and a brand new sealed copy of Ys: Memories of Celceta Timeless Adventurer deluxe edition for PS4. Just one more installment left to go and they're mine.

Three. My accountant is recovering from his dental surgery and will finish completing my income tax returns this coming week. It's amazing how often Revenue Canada screws up your tax records and then tries to force you to refile everything instead of correcting their typos. Disgusting. Zero respect for the people whose hard work pays their salaries.

Well, that's it for now.

Later

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05/28/2026

Hi. I just picked up a used PSP Fat from my supplier. It works great, is in very good condition and is up for sale.

Some of my customers ordered games through me and I was able to fulfilled those orders except for one: Cyberpunk 2077 Ultimate edition (with all the DLS and the Phantom Liberty pack already included) which my other supplier promised would be reserved for me but wasn't when I got there. Not the first time they screwed up.

Oh, well.

05/18/2026

Hi. Nothing else gives you sense of accomplishment than building or fixing something yourself. Whether its building a business, starting a family or completing a project (like refurbishing a PS Vita to bring my total to three units, you get a clean rush and it's better than any drug.

Later