Video Gaming is a past time many Geeks, Nerds and Tech Savvy people have enjoyed for the past 50 years.
Today's gaming consoles are comparable to mid range gaming PC's. They have come along way since there inception in the late 60's when the world was introduced to Pong. But for those gamers among us, having some memorabilia of this past time goes hand in hand with there gaming life style. After looking at how sparse my console collection is, I went looking for some older retro consoles I should invest in to add to it.
So here are 5 retro consoles that any collector will be proud to have in there collection.
5 – Sega Dreamcast.
This console was far beyond anything that was around at the time, including features like mini games on the memory cards, mini screens in the pads and online multiplayer which we all take for granted today. But this advancement was ultimately its downfall as the world was just not ready for it.
Sega was the only other company that could go toe to toe with Mario and Nintendo. But thanks to some slip ups by the Japanese side of the company, they missed opportunities like working with Sony for the PlayStation, using a chip set that would ultimately end up in the N64, and not using the recommended hardware in the Dreamcast, that allowed the PS2 to take over with its DVD player.
After years of mishaps and failed consoles, the company decided to stick to software development with the Dreamcast being the last console they ever made, and the company as a whole ending up as a shadow of its former self.
Any gamer who appreciates this kind of history should have this console in there collection.
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4 – Super Nintendo. (original)
Any and every gamer who lived through the 80's had one of these consoles, or were best friends with someone who had one. The Super Nintendo or, SNES as it was more commonly knows is undoubtedly one of the most recognisable consoles of all time.
Nintendo's 2nd gen console doubled up on the power and performance of the previous console that powered classic games like Mario Kart, Donkey Kong, Super Metroid, mega man to name a few, and was also the very fist console to sport true 3D graphics in the form of StarFox.
What made the console stand out from everything else was the Super FX chip that was designed from the ground up in the UK, and many of the polygonal 3D games that appeared on the SNES were all made in conjugation with the same company, with each game pushing the system further and further.
With so many games available for the SNES, and so many of them being classics, the SNES is now one of the most sort after consoles to date, with prices from $150 for a non functioning one up to the $10'000 mark for a new unopened and sealed one, complete with the Light gun, R.O.B. and the dual game cartridge duck hunt and Mario bros.
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3 – Nintendo Gameboy. (original)
When it came to mobile games in the 80's, we never had the luxury of a smart phone that could play awesome 3D games, we had to resort to single game pocket games that cost $40 to play a single game, and if we wanted to play a different game, we would have to buy another one. That was until the Gameboy came along and showed the world mobile gaming is possible.
The small handheld (small for its time) was revolutionary in that you could now play previous gen console games while on the go, and if you wanted to play a different game, just simply pop in a different cartridge.
Although the monochrome screen was severely limited in that you could not play at night or if the sun was too bright, the handheld outsold the SNES as kids wanted to play them in the school yard and even adults wanted to play them when commuting to work.
It wasn't until the colour version came out that we could enjoy games in full 8 bit colour, and when the advanced came around, only then did the battery life start to improve. But it is all the flaws the original had that made it so good, because it was the first handheld to do what it could do.
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2 – Sega Game Gear.
Yes the Nintendo had there Gameboy and a whole army porting NES games over to it, but it was the Game gear who got it right the first time round.
Unlike the Gameboy's monochrome screen, the game gear had a larger, full colour and backlight screen with a much higher resolution that gave us much crisper graphics. Even though it was bulkier and required more / larger batteries to run it, what Sega had effectively done was shrink down the 8 bit master system and added a full colour screen that could be held in your hand, so just like Nintendo's offering, you could now play games in the school yard or on the commute to work, but have a more visually enjoyable experience.
Although Sega made some seriously costly mistakes that ultimately doomed them, when they were in there prime, they could take a punch from Nintendo and strike back harder with something better, and this is one of those consoles that did exactly that.
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1 – Sony Play Station. (original)
With both Nintendo and Sega missing the opportunity to create history, initially Sony wanted nothing to do with the gaming side of things and just print the games onto disc for said companies, but Sony had had enough of being let down and embarrassed, and decided to go it alone into the gaming world.
Before the PS1 was released both Nintendo and Sega collectively owned the gaming market, but then when the PS1 was launched, Sony, almost over night, became the market leader with its new sleek looking and very powerful console that ripped all others a new one.
Sony had agreements with almost half of the game developers at that time, and because the PS1 was so simple in its design, games were very easy to develop for it. Many developers even abandoned developing for other platforms like the Saturn because of how much more complicated it was to develop on them.
The games kept coming, and the reasonable price of the console made it so successful. While other companies like Sega and Nintendo trying anything and everything to remain in the market, the simplicity and affordability of the PS1 is what ultimately set it apart, and the main reason why everyone wanted one. Even today, along side the SNES, the original PS1 is very sort after by collectors and retro gamers, and its price increases every day. So best get one now before they become too expensive.
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My collection is very light when it comes to consoles and games. But I do like thinking back on the good times from gaming on some of these consoles, so having them in my collection will be purely for nostalgia as I tend to use emulators or PC ports of those original games.
So if you are a self respecting retro gamer who appreciates older consoles and there history, these are just some of the consoles you should have in your collection.
Thanks for reading.
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