Im looking for a cheap console to get and collect for that dosent cost a arm/leg but also isint boring with the game section. I have a few consoles and handhelds from when i was a kid but i want something that i can stick with and not let collect dust?
What would you suggest or advise and why so?
I would suggest getting a Wii, but not for playing the games. Softmod it (pretty trivial) and install CleanRip.
Then just start collecting Wii and GameCube games, rip them to USB/SD card, and play them on PC with Dolphin. Use just about any PC compatible controller for GameCube games, and you can pair the Wii controller over Bluetooth for Wii games.
Last I checked Wiis are pretty cheap, and the GC and Wii library has a lot of real gems.
Honestly PS2 or the next gen up, PS3 and 360.
Lots of variety and great games for rock bottom prices. PS2 is starting to get up there are discs fail and systems ware down. But due to being the best selling system of all time. It’s be a while until it’s crazy.
Another option is to look around and buy local. Who knows what you’ll find for cheap.
Original Switches are getting more affordable now but the 3DS is a solid console that still holds up today.
Also, the PS3 is awesome, games are dirt cheap right now.
I got 2 dirt cheap second hand Wii’s last month, with some accessories. I never owned one and now that i’m a dad i wanted to introduce my kid to video games and play with him. Installed homebrew on one and keeping the other one as a backup. We love it. I was surprised with how well the games hold up, Super Mario Galaxy is amazing. My kid loves Kirby’s Epic yarn, which I must admit is absolutely stunning visually and in gameplay.
Someone else mentioned getting a small form factor pc and then do emulation, that’s also a great low budget idea. The only thing with that i found is finding the right input devices. Especially wii emulation is hard because of the wii remote and nunchuck, which is why i went on the hunt for the hardware. But the emulation route is very viable otherways. I run bazzite linux and can recommend it.
Good luck!
I have been wondering about setting up wii controllers on my batocera box I built. I have no clue how to go about it, but I do know that there is an aiming setting for games like duck hunt. Not sure how easy it would be to set up overall, vs just using the actually wii I have directly.
My suggestion might seem sacrelige, but hear me out.
If you want something to actually use that is convenient, a mini PC that emulates them all is far better than genuine hardware. Kinda like how I will always say that driving a replica of an expensive car is better than driving a real one out on the road. Set up takes a lot longer, but in the long run it is far cheaper and much more convenient.
- modern TV compatible output
- modern CRT shaders very closely approximate actual CRT look especially at 4k with HDR (I have real CRTs to compare, and they do look similar)
- you dont have to unplug and plug in multiple consoles, wearing out the tv input port when you want to change consoles
- only takes up one tv input port
- some games can run at better framerates than the original hardware could handle, giving a more consistent experience
- no physical space lost to game boxes and multiple unused console accessories
- expandable storage to include all games from each console’s library
- can play handheld games on a TV without needing overpriced genuine hardware like the GameBoy Player for the GameCube ($75+ is ridiculous)
- you get to play games you will literally never be able to thanks to speculative buyers and collectors making the real thing too expensive (~$1,000 USD for Panzer Dragoon Saga NTSC should be illegal)
You could potentially invest in console themed controllers, so the inputs match the controller you are holding. Sure, the integrated graphics might not be good enough to PS3 on some older ones, but it’s hard to beat that at ~$150 USD for up to 6th gen. Lots of genuine hardware now is that price or more thanks to speculative buying and “collectors” ruining the hobby for people that actually want to play the games instead of just hoarding them.
Just built a batocera box from a PC I found on the trash. Only had to buy a wifi/Bluetooth card for $40 and now I can play every system up to PS3.
I totally agree with this. The only reason why I have hardware (some original and a multi-console-in-one) is because I stream as a hobby in Japan and the general public doesn’t have a positive view on emulation.
In this case, might I suggest getting a MiSTer? I know availability is an issue and price too but hunting for it is really really worth it.
Up until and including 486(sx), Saturn, N64…
I would suggest a handheld console that can be portable when you want or connect to the TV when at home.
Retroid Pocket 6 for an Android console. Steam Deck for a mini PC. I’ve got both and both have been amazing for emulation.
Emulation box/PC is always going to be tops for game accessibility and overall flexibility. If you’re just looking to experience the games, this is the way to go.
That said, there’s something different about actually using a retro console. For me, it feels more deliberate. Kinda like how some people still prefer putting on a record (or popping in a CD) even though streaming has the same content and is more convenient.
Neither approach is objectively better than the other - it comes down to what the user wants to experience.
Being a genuine hardware owner and enjoyer myself, I know it might seem bad to recommend an emulation setup over genuine hardware. But in my experience, I find I spend a lot more time playing on a mini PC with emulators I have connected to a genuine CRT it 1x internal resolution than I do playing on the real hardware I have. Its a big hassle. Sometimes I pull them out for guests or jids or whatever to get to experience how things used to be, but for me I want to play the games and the genuine hardware is just extra steps.
Of course, using genuine hardware is going to give a more immersive and nostalgic experience. But if someone is wanting to actually play the games and not just experience nostalgia for a week before the hardware starts collecting dust, emulation is clearly superior.
The thing about genuine hardware is that constantly getting up to reset it when a glitch happens, or when you want to change games or change consoles, etc, gets annoying pretty fast. Eventually you figure you don’t have enough time or energy for it and thats when it starts collecting dust. I say just skip that step altogether and go the emulation route. Then if you really want a genuine console, buy a cheap one first and see how long you last playing on real hardware. I give you a week before you go back to the emulator.
Which mini PC do you have that has native analog out for a CRT? Most of the ones I see only have HDMI or DisplayPort and scaling those down to component or composite always introduces awful lag.
I currently use an HP EliteDesk SFF (the middle size one) and use a DAC for DisplayPort to RCA.
DACs generally add less than 1 frame of lag. Youre thinking of scalers. If the adapter applies any sort of processing other than simply converting from digital to analog, then it adds more lag. But simply converting will usually have nearly imperceptible levels of lag. I can try to measure it when I use it next and see, but I can say that I don’t notice any “awful lag.” I am not a fighting game player, but timings in Shenmue for QTEs and Legend of Dragoon for combat don’t feel off or bad.
If you wanted, the EliteDesk Mini has a proprietary expansion slot in the rear for modular video output, and one of the available modules is VGA. VGA to RCA is just a cable adaption (analog to analog) and intoduces zero extra lag, so that could be an option if you for whatever reason feel like DAC conversion introduces too much lag.
Which DAC do you use? I’d love to have a decent machine for playing PC indie games on my CRT natively.
I have an N64 and an original Gameboy because they were the biggest things from my childhood so there’s a whole extra layer of nostalgia attached to the physical devices and their “feel”.
Everything else I have only passing memories of playing but I want to experience the games again so I emulate everything else.
RetroPi is a great emulator setup for a Raspberry Pi. It’s cheap to get into, small, and works with any existing Bluetooth controllers you may have.
My only reason for not suggesting one and instead suggesting a mini PC is the lack of general availability when I went to get a Pi 5. And the cost, when I looked an Pi5 cost about $80, and for its price I figured a mini PC like an Intel NUC or even easier to find an HP EliteDesk mini, would vastly outperform it for a little higher cost.
They can regularly be found online or in person for $120 or less. I got a secondhand EliteDesk mini with a 9500T for about $60 USD, including a 256GB NVME and 16GB RAM, which is plenty for retro gaming in general. You can also get just the regular SFF and add a SFF GPU for PS3/Xbox 360 emulation at a pretty low cost as well. I put one together with a base PC cost of $99 for an i5 7500, 16GB RAM, and 500GB HDD, and added an AMD RX 6300 2GB for just $75. It easily handles PS3/X360 emulation at native resolutions. Sure it cant run most modern PC games because its an RX6300 designed for business PCs and not gaming, but that doesnt mean it cant run older stuff really well.
The 3rd and 4th points are moot with an input switch box though.
It’s also possible to just buy android TV boxes that are pre-configured to do this.
I used to closely follow the retro handheld scene. So if OP wants to go down that route, they should check out the RetroGameCorps YouTube channel to get a feel for what kind of devices are available today. But he has occasionally covered those TV boxes too, and being android there’s often a lot of software and hardware overlap with those handhelds. It’s sketchy for sure, but for like $90 you can get a device when all those benefits you mentioned but already pre-configured to work as a console, with minimal mouse/keyboard input required. And tens of thousands of roms without needing to worry about where or how to get them, viruses (as long as you don’t cross with any other devices lol), or getting letters from your ISP for pirating.
I have seen people scammed from preloaded boxes. I recommend just DIYing it, it’s not too difficult to do.
All the emulation boxes with included games that I’ve seen have been terrible with inaccurate audio, bad controllers, frame drops
I think you’re better off getting a cheap mini PC and putting Batocera on it
I’ve heard people make those complaints in comments on the internet, but I got my Powkidsu RGB10MAX and never had any issues. I mean, some demanding Saturn/Dreamcast/N64 games drop the occasional frame but that’s just from pushing the hardware to its limit, nothing to do with the roms.
I would recommend finding YouTube reviews for a specific device. There’s a whole community of people out there who can set the expectations for performance of different emulators, often picking out some of the harder games to emulate for each system. Eventually you will get to a point where there are trade-offs: do I want to upscale the resolution at 30FPS or drop the resolution and get a solid 60FPS?
Even a cheap mini PC is going to be much more expensive. Still a great option, especially if you also want to do PC things, but not what OP is looking for. For just having a TV box that plays games, ARM is hard to beat. And most of those YouTubers also can tell you how to put a variety of other operating systems and your own roms on if you prefer, but I’m not assuming OP has the skill or will to do so.
You can install an ssd on a ps2 and load more than half of its library onto it. Last year I paid $70 for a used ps2 at a flea market so they’re definitely still out there
This is a great suggestion. PS2 had some great games, the graphics were good enough that, while they obviously look dated today, it’s not difficult to play, and it’s still recent enough that the hardware is affordable.
PS2 has remained surprisingly cheap over the years. I think the only reason it’s so cheap is because the OG PS3s are also a PS2 but with an HDMI port and wireless controllers. And those things keep creeping up in value. Too bad they’re so damn unreliable. PS2s on the other hand seem to be rock solid.
Fat model?
Fat model. There’s also an sd card enabled memory card for sale so you should technically be able tofreemcboot a slim and load the games on flash storage
Yeah I’m also looking for a PS2 with network extension for the drive. But I firstly need to find a CRT, I’m tired to play with shaders to get a decent experience.
My last tv with analog input died a few years ago and I recently gave up on trying to find a crt. I’m waiting for the right time to buy a retrotink.
I really like what the shaders community is doing but these setups-time and expensive retro-hardware makes my just wanna find the first crt I can in a random vintage market, more faithful and less expansive.
The SNES was my favourite console. Huge game library, still looks great on a oled or crt screen.
However, a modded handheld could play all those games and more such as a vita.
Could also put a pi in a portable case.
Can’t help with pricing, but as far as variety and quality of games, the SNES dominates. We play ROMs at home, and despite having pretty much every game for every system, the SNES gets the most play hands down.
I play Gameboy advance all the time. And the Nintendo DS and DS lite can play GBA games for an even bigger library. Both you can find for around $40. Also flashcarts for DS is very cheap, I think around $15. GBA carts are around $30 I think.
Nintendo DS lite is cheap and good. You can get them from Japan off of eBay and get colors that are Japan exclusive. Sometimes you can buy them as ‘not working’ and it just needs a battery or just the buttons need to be cleaned. Just don’t buy one that needs a new top screen as they’re hard to replace and cost too much compared to just buying a different one. You can get flash carts for them for cheap and load every game onto an SD card.
You have options, since you still need different consoles if you are really into videogames, but PS3 is the single most valuable in my opinion:
- It can’t be always decently emulated on PC
- Exclusives still today (mostly japanese)
- Games need space so they are best to buy retail, they are cheap and on bluray (great durability over time)
- You probably already have a 1080p display, so it work well on it.
- You can play movies and cd audio on it, so a great companion to every desktop PC
- Also eventually hackable if you prefer
- It’s so cheap to buy
PS3. Really easy to mod (not that simple on super slim models, make sure you dont get that), can run both PS2 and PS1 games natively, loading games externally / backing up your games is really easy. Can emulate weaker consoles like SNES/NES/Genesis just fine with Retroarch. It also has a lot of banger games for its era, and works as a 1080p Blu-Ray player.
If you want something modern then I would recommend an Xbox One S (or a One X if you can find it cheap enough) because of the backwards compatability with pevious consoles and a lot of games are dirt cheap nowadays. Also as a bluray player or streaming stuff if you want that too.
Might be an unpopular opinion (but that’s what makes it cheap): An Xbox One.
It’s got a fairly sizeable library at 3,067 titles and a backwards compatible list with 632 games from Xbox 360 and 63 original Xbox titles. So you have plenty of choice depending on your gaming tastes.
It’s the last generation, so many stores will be clearing out the old inventory at a discount. Popular titles like Mass Effect Trilogy or Borderlands Handsome Collection will be a great value for the money. If those are your style.
I’d like to add two more things:
It was the generation of HD remasters, so a lot of older (high quality) titles are available on the platform, such as the Dead Rising games, the Mega Man collections, almost all the Resident Evil titles, Devil May Cry collection, Bioshock collection, Final Fantasty X/X-2.
And most importantly, since they are last gen, they are not stupidly hard to find yet.
Xbox One S or X is a really good choice if they want to buy physical games. Great backwards compatability and it plays blurays too.
My friends and I still have a huge stack of original xboxes we fixed up and modded to sell back in the day in storage, since fixing RROD issues was pretty simple but people just threw them out making it an easy way to turn a quick buck.
What was involved to fix the rrod out of curiosity ? I had it happen 2 times. After the second time it was out of warrenty so i just bailed and got a ps3 instead, as it had free online at the time too.
Most of the time, it was just a thermal shutdown and needed to be reset in the BIOS. Other common fixes were just replacing capacitors or resoldering some bits that got a little too hot and came loose.
