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?
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.