Interest in retro gadgets has surged in recent years, with studies showing that 45% of the British public are interested in buying retro tech.
At Protect Your Bubble, we investigated a range of iconic video game consoles to find the top grossing tech of 2025. We also compared their highest resale prices with what their original retail prices would equal today when adjusted for inflation.
Top Grossing Retro Consoles
Among the highest grossing consoles, Nintendo’s Game Boy, first released in 1989, takes the top spot. In 2025, 5,344 units were sold, generating an estimated £302,417 in revenue. The average resale price was £56.59.
Following in second place is the PlayStation 1, released in 1994, which grossed £267,064 from 2,995 items sold. Their average resale price was marked at £89.17.
Nintendo 64 is third, released in 1996, with an estimated gross of £225,953 from 1,698 items sold. The average cost for this console was £133.07, which is the most expensive average in the top 10.
Five of the top grossing devices are from Nintendo, followed by two of Sony’s early consoles.
The Xbox Original, released in 2001, also came 4th, with an estimated gross of £170,063 from 1,901 items sold for an average price of £89.46.
Highest Prices for Retro Consoles
Looking at individual sales, the Xbox Original recorded the highest single selling price. One purchased listing sold for £5,086, placing it firmly at the top.
Nintendo DS, released in 2004, was in second with a selling price of £1,815, followed by PlayStation 1 with £1,744 and PlayStation 2 with £1,653. In fifth was the Nintendo Game Boy with a high price of £1,562.
How Do Retro Consoles Selling Prices Compare to Inflation?
When comparing 2025 resale prices with inflation adjusted original retail prices, several consoles show substantial increases.
The Nintendo DS demonstrates the largest jump. Originally sold for £99, which equates to £181 in 2025 when adjusted for inflation, it has been sold for as much as £1,815. This represents a 904% increase.
The Xbox Original shows a 795% increase, rising from an inflation adjusted value of £568 to a highest recorded sale price of £5,086.
In third is the Nintendo Game Boy, which would be valued at £188 in 2025 based on inflation but has been listed at £1,562, an increase of 733%.
At the opposite end of the spectrum, we can see that some consoles have had a drop in resale price from their inflated price.
The Intellivision, released in 1979, has seen the steepest drop. Its inflation adjusted value in 2025 would be £1,102, yet its highest recorded sale price was £236, a decrease of 79%.
The Atari 2600 ranks second for the largest decline, falling 58% from its inflation adjusted value of £877 to a highest sale price of £367.
The third console is the Sega Saturn, released in 1995, which dropped 43% in price between its inflated price of £833 to the highest price sold of £472.
Methodology
Protect Your Bubble created a seed list of 35 popular retro gaming consoles. These were then analysed to find their original release date, as well as their original pricing, which were then calculated to account for inflation. The eBay Seller Hub was then used to find the average price these consoles were sold for across 2025, as well as the number of items sold and highest prices. This was then calculated to find the top grossing consoles.