Best Device For Retro - Roms Etc

SourMash91

SourMash91

SourMash91

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6 Mar 2020
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91
Hey guys,

Is there something out there that I can buy preloaded with older games? Ive seen Nvidia shield, wiis etc do it but whats the best one you can get preloaded?

I want a entertainment station / device that I can buy and just load up and play. I've got emulators on my pc but always a bit hit and miss with them. I just want a plug and play kind of thing that I can plug into the TV downstairs and relive my youth!

My little boy is slowly getting into retro, absolutely loves Mario games but ive shown him a few older games and he's intrigued. I watched some old Ren & Stimpy gameplay the other day and just have a massive urge to go back and try them. And Earthworm Jim!

Thanks in advance !
 
I have a load of older games here, and the PS Classic which has a few on. But wanted to go to maybe Megadrive ish era type. Sure thats what I had Earthworm Jim etc on. Ill have to do some proper research on it and make sure I end up getting the right console. Worse case, I will have to buy an old console or see if I have any of them in the attic etc. I think I have my N64 still but not sure about the rest
 
I havent looked yet so have no clue what to expect for some of them. And I need to see what ones I had as a kid, sure it was Sega Megadrive, Saturn and N64.
 
SNES mini is a great piece of retro gaming kit. Lots of classic games on there, and it's easily modded.

For vintage computing there's nothing better than the C64 remake called 'TheC64'. Full-size, with a keyboard it plugs in via HDMI and comes with a load of built in games, and has the ability to load games off USB.
 
Don't get one of the 'mini' consoles. I bought a mini Sega megadrive, the sound quality was horrible compared to the real think.

These mini consoles are only emulatores with licensed ROMs loaded onto them

Can't beat the real think :)
 
Guest2 said:
Don't get one of the 'mini' consoles. I bought a mini Sega megadrive, the sound quality was horrible compared to the real think.

These mini consoles are only emulatores with licensed ROMs loaded onto them

Can't beat the real think :)
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The main thing about these modern versions of retro consoles is that though they are not exactly the same as the originals, they are more convenient, will plug in to any modern TV, and they're relatively inexpensive.

Actual retro hardware can be unreliable, and difficult to get working on modern TVs. Collectors and retro-enthusiasts will go for the orginals, but for casual use the modern remakes are more usable, and are 'good enough'.

For instance, I still have my C64 from 1984, as well as the monitor, some games, and peripherals. But it doesn't work properly. Joystick port 2 is broken, the picture breaks up, and the disk drive doesn't load any more. The PSU is original, and that can be a big problem as they can break and kill the C64 connected to them. I could get it all fixed up, but it's a lot of time, hassle, and money.

Instead I use TheC64 full-size reproduction which plugs into a normal TV, and runs all the games and software I loved to use, but without the reliability and modern display issues of the original.
 
The sound quality also varies within different models variants of the Megadrive itself as well, so the mini could be excused a little for that.

All the legit mini consoles are at hugely inflated prices now except the PC Engine Core Grafx Mini which I got on sale recently.

There are some very cheap, but non legit mini consoles being sold on even huge sites, claiming 600+ games, but all likely stolen roms or variants of pong.

Another legit way of playing Megadrive is via the Megadrive Collection on Steam, also includes mod support which is amazing. Can often get the complete 60 game full collection on sale cheaply, as little as £8 for the whole lot. I haven't even bothered with a Megadrive mini due to how good that collection is on Steam.

Always nice to have original consoles, I still have my original Snes, but minis also offer a lot of positives in terms of size, HDMI, being powered from USB, and savestates, while still being official versions. As we're seeing with inflated Snes mini prices some are proving to be highly collectible and increasing in value.
 
Take a look at MiSTer FPGA. Not quite plug and play, but once set up it is. It'll be far more accurate across more consoles than a mini console would be (or traditional software emulators)
 
Bouton Aide said:
I actually haven't seen anything legal in regards to roms apart from the mini consoles that emulate the games.
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I highly expect many of the mini consoles are not legal or in the 'grey area' There are the Sega / Nintendo / other company official ones, but still many that dont appear to be licensed.

Ones on wish with 800 games for about £15 that look like someone made it in their bedroom in China :D
 
Guest2 said:
I highly expect many of the mini consoles are not legal or in the 'grey area' There are the Sega / Nintendo / other company official ones, but still many that dont appear to be licensed.

Ones on wish with 800 games for about £15 that look like someone made it in their bedroom in China :D
Click to expand...

Surprised that the big companies hasn't went to track them down n sue them to be honest.
 
If you want to go legal Steam also has a few retro collections that I own that feature various emulated platforms including Snes, Nes and arcade.

Castlevania Collection
Contra Collection
SNK Arcade Classics

All decent enough emulation IMO from someone who played most of the original games on console or arcade.

Edit, checked my Steam list, there's more legit ways to play retro on Steam than I hadn't remembered including multiple emulated Nes and Snes games, it seems I have quite the legit collection of retro on Steam to add to my others:


Megaman Legacy Collection
Street Fighter Arcade Collection
Konami Arcade Classics
Capcom Beat em Up Collection


Add the Megadrive Collection on Steam and my Snes and Corefx Mini's, I've got plenty of legit ways to play retro games.

If they ever released Snes collections on Steam it'd be getting close to a really quite decent emulation platform in itself.
 
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