Retro games are back in BIG style. Video games now have a long and legendary history. Rich enough that older games are not considered “obsolete” but valued for what they are. Interest in last year’s games has never been this strong, so it’s a good thing now is the best time in history to get into retro gaming.
These gifts range from those that are suitable for the gifted who just want to dive into a touch of nostalgia, to those who take their old school retro gaming experience very seriously. Either way, there is something for everyone here.
Nintendo has one of the best catalogs of retro games of any company. If you already own one of their main consoles, it’s usually pretty easy to access their classic games. If not, buying an NES or SNES Classic is the most economical way to experience the classic Nintendo era.
Nintendo seriously underestimated the demand for Classic consoles when the NES Classic was first launched, which led to ludicrous price increases in the used market. Fortunately, there are tons of consoles out there now, and when you add up the individual costs of the included games, any console is a bargain.
Each console comes preloaded with a selection of retro games that you can’t change. At least not in a way that voids the warranty and possibly violates the law. In doing so, the included game libraries have been carefully selected so that everyone can get an optimal view of the gaming era. This is a library that the locals could have envied at the time.
The consoles themselves are designed to be faithful miniature copies of the originals. Obviously, cartridge slots and other accessories are just for show, but they are undoubtedly pretty to look at.
Sega Genesis Mini
Sega left the console business years ago after the brilliant Sega Dreamcast failed to sell. However, the company continues to release games today while maintaining its classic collection of retro games.
Before the NES Classic rekindled a massive passion for classic games, Sega licensed retro Sega consoles to ATGames. Unfortunately, they were widely criticized for poor quality emulation.
The Sega Genesis Mini is different. This plug-and-play console designed by Sega has one of the best emulations ever found in this type of product. While hardcore retro enthusiasts have found a little something to find fault with authentic reproductions of classics like Sonic the Hedgehog, they’re just nitpicks.
If you have someone who loved their Genesis in the 90s and still got a lot of retro gaming hardware, this is the perfect gift to bring back the magic of “Blast Processing” and all that ultra-90s marketing bullshit. everyone loved in their time.
Super Resolution: Analog Console Range
Copies of plug-and-play consoles from Nintendo and Sega are a great, affordable way to give both old and new players a solid example of what made old games great in the first place.
However, they only emulate the original console hardware using programmatic methods. While this works well enough, it will never be more than an approximation. The visuals will not be quite correct, the performance is always at least slightly lower and the sound is slightly worse.
This is why Analogue has created a series of consoles that do not work through emulation. They use a special type of microchip known as an FPGA chip. This little miracle can be physically reconfigured to become the original hardware of the console in question.
It is 100% accurate and 100% compatible with any game cartridge designed to work with the original console. At the same time Analogue provides all the modern conveniences like HDMI outputs and proper scaling for modern TVs.
These analog consoles are expensive and require original game cartridges, but there is no better way to play retro games on the market today. You can’t go wrong buying one for the serious fan of retro games.
NT Mini is the console for anyone who wants to play games from the NES, Famicom, or Famicom Disk System libraries.
Super NT is the best console for the SNES and Super Famicom. It also includes a free built-in game called Super Turrican. A game that was never released for the SNES and is exclusive to Super NT
The Mega SG is arguably the best premium retro video game console for Sega fans. It is a perfect reproduction of Mega Drive / Genesis equipment and can play Master System Mega Drive / Genesis and Sega / Mega CD games. Of course, you need to plug your Sega / Mega CD into it to actually read the disc. The only part of the classic Sega library that doesn’t work is the 32X games, which the Mega SG is not compatible with.
Finally, there is a new analog pocket. This is their latest console and the world’s first portable console. Out of the box, it is compatible with nearly 3,000 GameBoy, GameBoy Color and GameBoy Advance games. It can work with other systems as well, but you need to purchase cartridge adapters separately.
The screen alone on Pocket puts it in a class of its own, but of course it uses the same FPGA technology as their home consoles, which means you’ll get a perfect reproduction of the original games without any emulation. You can even buy an analog dock to connect Pocket to your TV. Indeed, it is a cork.
Main Arcade Lockers
The best gift for a fan of retro games (with lots of space) might be an old school arcade cabinet. Who in childhood did not want to own one of these cars without endless little things!
A dream may be more affordable than you think. For example, you can get a tabletop arcade machine with several classic titles like this lovely PAC-MAN with over 400 games to play.
Of course, this is an affordable modern take on arcade design. If you’re lucky enough to win the lottery, you can always spend a small fortune on a full-size commercial monster like this. Just make sure you buy the correct size arcade machine as some are too small for adults to use.
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