Retro Gaming

redlough

So I have bought myself a Christmas present of the A500 but the kids love Mario etc

So I was wondering what options handheld/tv would be to play the old Mario games etc. If I google loads of options with different price ranges so just wondering if any advice on what would be the best option?

Any advice would be welcome, thanks

Retr0gamer

Best option is probably one of the snes mini's. You can hack them easily enough to add other emulators to them and systems.

Would really be against the third party options online. They are usually cheap and tacky with major issues that affect how games play.

redlough

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119930215#Comment_119930215

Thanks, SNES mini seems a bit out of budget

Retr0gamer

Sorry, forgot they aren't being made anymore.

You could try the playstation classic. Out of the box it's absolutely awful because of the terrible software but you can hack it to play SNES, NES, Megadrive games handily enough and also hack it to play playstation games a lot better.

Should be cheap enough and available.

SuperBowserWorld

If you have a Nintendo Switch you can rent these games via Switch online.

Or with Wii U, Wii you can buy them. 3DS also ....but no longer on sale and not sure about their e shops anymore. Messy.

Then there is the unofficial emulator route and loads of options here. Raspberry pi ...

Amazon sell devices with 1000s of games on them. Must ask Leo is this legal.

redlough

I think I know the answer, but are these type of thing any good?

https://www.pigsback.com/en-ie/offer/439491?utm_source=google_shopping&utm_campaign=439491&utm_medium=affiliate&gclid=Cj0KCQiA1ZGcBhCoARIsAGQ0kkqyhsR-E0JF5LJAQRXsskjdEu8-6NfCD7InK0XT_q7vs5KuBOaGtKgaAgUGEALw_wcB

Mr.Saturn

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119932992#Comment_119932992

That one not so much, just a cheap Famiclone. If you want to scope out the emulation box/handheld scene, I'd recommend looking up the likes of Retro Dodo, Taki Udon or Retro Game Corps on Youtube and check out their reviews for these kind of devices. I bought an Anbernic RG351MP on their recommendation and it runs/play everything up PS1 beautifully.

SuperBowserWorld

I don't know the quality of these. There are a ton of them. Loads of videos on YouTube with reviews of all.

Nintendo need to resuscitate their mini consoles but I think they want everybody on the Netflix model.

I have a spare Raspberry pi ( and switch with virtual console ). Gonna repurpose the pi as a little gaming cabinet somewhere in the house.

SuperBowserWorld

Also, you can also run other games and emulators on the a500 mini you are getting..

World of choice 😜😂😂😹

quokula

If looking for a handheld device I'd recommend Anbernic. They are a cheap chinese brand but they are surprisingly well made and hold up as well as major brands. I have a rg351mp which I really like (honestly I prefer using it to my Steam Deck) - it was their best about two years ago but they're constantly bringing out updated models.

I'd recommend Retro Game Corps or Taki Udon on youtube if you really want to go down the rabbit hole as there are loads of options out there. Anything from PS1 down is emulated pretty trivially these days, performance varies for more recent consoles like Gamecube. The key for handheld devices is really the form factor, screen and the quality of buttons and thumbsticks.

redlough

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119933609#Comment_119933609

like this?

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Anbernic-Handheld-Console-console-Support/dp/B08W9ND5D5/ref=sr_1_1?crid=9J83MEM456N7&keywords=anbernic%2Brg351p&qid=1671658425&sprefix=Anbernic%2Brg351%2Caps%2C99&sr=8-1&th=1

quokula

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120023549#Comment_120023549

That's an older one from several years ago before they started making a name for themselves for build quality in retro gaming circles - I can't find much info on that particular device so not sure if it would be any good.

This is the best option I can find on Amazon Prime if you're looking for a quick delivery: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Anbernic-Handheld-Console-OpenDingux-Classic/dp/B08TC5MN3C

If you have time and want to shop around these are the models you probably want to look at:

RG350M / RG350P / RG350V - can play all 8bit and 16bit consoles, and handles PS1 pretty well.

RG280V - an updated version of the 350 series, same hardware but much smaller and more compact, it loses the analog sticks in the process but most games from the consoles you emulate won't use them anyway. It's extremely tiny so good for kids or something that will fit in your pocket

RG351M / RG351P / RG351V / RG351MP - the same form factor as the full sized RG350 series (which is still not big btw) but with a bit more power to handle the likes of N64, DS or PSP. Emulation for some of those more recent consoles does get a little more difficult and mileage may vary game-by-game, but the extra power still comes in handy for older consoles and being able to quickly switch games, manage save states etc. Really you want this series over the 350 if you can, but 350 is all I could see with fast delivery on amazon.

For all of those:

V means vertical (screen on top, buttons below)

P means portrait (screen in middle, dpad left and buttons right)

M means metal - the same as the portrait model but with a lovely sturdy metal body that feels great to hold

MP is the metal one again with a second SD card port and an upgraded screen (don't ask me where the naming scheme for that one came from)

There is also the RG552 series which gets a power boost and can much more comfortably emulate some of those newer consoles along with the likes of the Saturn and Dreamcast. But they're also a lot more expensive right now and don't really hit the sweet spot the RG35x ones do in my opinion.

I own a RG280V which is super tiny and nice for booting up a quick platformer or whatever, and I also own a RG351MP which is great for plane journeys or spending time in longer games like a big JRPG.

redlough

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120024028#Comment_120024028

Thank you, that is perfect and exactly the info I needed

Thanks for spending the time posting

I will be looking for one in sales :-) for the kids of course