Best Retro Consoles
There are a fair few retro consoles out there these days. Some are officially licensed products, others have been replicated by third party organisations in the hope of cashing in on the nostalgia market.
Regardless of who they’re developed by the quality of these vast array of machines does vary greatly. There are a lot of factors that are easy to get wrong with these nostalgia filled boxes, so care should be taken when making your choice of purchase.
Below is a list of the consoles that have stood out for me.
Best Of The Bunch – Sega Megadrive Mini
You may have gathered from my review of the Sega Megadrive Mini, that I’m pretty fond of this machine. Boasting 42 (mostly) awesome games and built with quality and detail in mind the Megadrive Mini will have you grinning ear to ear from the time you flick the on switch, right up until the moment your mum shouts at you for staying up too late… At least, that’s what happened to me 😉
Built with attention to detail in mind, this minified version of the classic 16-bit console manages to replicate all the features that made the original so popular. From the spring loaded flaps on the cartridge slot down to the removable expansion port cover on the underside of the console, no expense has been spared in faithfully recapturing the megadrive charm that is somehow missing with other attempts at replicating this console. If nothing else, quality is assured.
CHECK PRICE ON AMAZONBest Of The Rest – Super Nintendo Classic
Another quality machine and, like the Megadrive Mini, the Super Nintendo Classic is an officially licensed product. With regards to quality and attention to detail it gives the Megadrive Mini a good run for its money, but then falls slightly short on it’s content.
Pre loaded with 21 classic games the SNES Classic is slightly lacking in this department, however these games are all highly regarded titles and the list even includes the never released Star Fox 2. A must buy for any SNES fan in my opinion.
Honorable Mention – Atari Flashback 9
I can’t end this page without giving a mention to this Atari 2600 retro console. If like me you’re old enough to remember the days when your room was littered with toys like the Bigtrak and Speak & Spell, you may have been lucky enough to own one of these iconic machines.
The Atari Flashback 9 may not be imitating any of the consoles that are traditionally associated with retro gaming, but for the one it does emulate, it performs perfectly. With 110 built in games you can be sure that many of your old favourites are included. The console also recreates that ultra classic Atari 2600 design keeping your nostalgia levels at critical and casting your mind back to a time when gaming was simple. If you owed the original back in the day, you will want to own this timeless miniature.
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