why are xploder/gamesharks so damn expensive!?

[Phantom64]

Why pls

 

[codezer0]

I know with at least the Saturn for example, the cheat devices could be used to play imports and/or copied versions of games to defeat the console's AP as a function to enable its cheat features. Depending on the system, there's also additional propietary hardware (memory card/USB dongles) that they depend on to store and update codes with that also has to be verified working.

And, of course, there is the eBay scalper factor.

 

[FAST6191]

When people buy into the "hardware is better" concept they realise they miss cheats and all the good stuff from emulation, cheats often most of all. As cheat devices sold enough to be popular at the time to sell (possibly even in real world shops) and have things made but at the same time not enough to be common you then get to pay for them.