The world of video games has evolved tremendously. From moving two sticks in Atari’s Pong to exploring vast worlds in today’s games with extremely realistic graphics. This without forgetting the 8 and 16 bit classics from SEGA and Nintendo with games like Super Mario Bros, Sonic and others. What are the best retro consoles to relive past experiences and why?
Nostalgia is born from the search for experiences and sensations of the past in the present time. It seeks to reach that state of mind by listening to music, watching movies or series and even playing video games with the aim of remembering times that are no longer. Retro consoles are a good way to achieve this, however, knowing how to choose well is important and you will be surprised to know which is the best retro console.
What is the best retro console to play SEGA and Nintendo classics?
First of all, we are going to talk about those that connect to the television, of these there are four different types:
- Proprietary models of a specific brand to celebrate the existence of said system in its day. Such as the Nintendo Classic Mini, the Capcom Arcade Stick, the Playstation Classic or the Sega Mega Drive Mini.
- Raspberry Pi-based systems with operating systems such as Emuelec or Batocera installed as standard.
- Smart TV boxes modified to function as retro consoles.
You may have heard about them in recent years. However, many have limited power and the quality of the emulators they integrate leaves much to be desired . It is essential to have a moderately configured PC to be able to enjoy powerful platforms from PlayStation 2 onwards and there are even models that have problems with more modest systems.
Our advice? If you want a little box connected to your TV to play classic games on your TV and don’t mind frills like picture fidelity to the original game. I mean, you’re a retro casual. So our advice is that you get a MiniPC , install Windows or a Linux distribution prepared for emulation. Although many of them use an Intel Celeron as a processor, you will get much more performance than the other alternatives and you will be able to benefit from the rich ecosystem of PC emulators for consoles of the 20th century.
Retro laptops are not always the best option
The so-called Retro Handhelds or retro portable consoles are fine in appearance, however, they all suffer from a series of common problems that make them not the best place to enjoy retro games on them. Especially on certain platforms, whether it’s because of things like the screen’s aspect ratio or an inexcusable lack of performance.
Today and after several years, many of these devices are no longer able to run PlayStation 2 and GameCube games at decent and even playable speeds. We find that many manufacturers, after several years, cannot run systems like PlayStation Portable or PSP, SEGA Dreamcast and Nintendo64 well, even with the latest models.
game boy advance
In case you want to play GameBoy Advance classics, older handhelds, and less powerful consoles. That is, the 8 and 16 bit consoles from Nintendo itself, its rival SEGA and others like the Neo Geo, so our advice is to opt for an RG351MP or alternatively the RG351P. Its 3:2 ratio screen is ideal for this and both the distribution of the buttons and their quality is ideal. The only problem? The ratio is not the classic 4:3 and, therefore, you will see games from other consoles with an image ratio that is not correct, otherwise it is an excellent system.
NintendoDS and 3DS
The dual screen system of such laptops is not easy to implement and many Retro laptops have serious problems emulating even the simplest games smoothly. Our advice? Try to get a New 3DS or New 2DS as it is backwards compatible. Throughout Nintendo’s Dual Screen platform there are methods to easily load games without complications and without having to mess with the console.
PlayStation Vita and PSP
Something similar to Nintendo happens to SONY’s portable consoles, but this time it’s not because of a double screen, but because of the lack of power of retro portables. The best solution? Get a PS Vita with the proper Custom Firmware and a MicroSD card adapter for the console. Thanks to this you will be able to play the games of both platforms at maximum performance and anywhere.
So are any retro handheld consoles worth it?
On the contrary, but we think that sometimes the simplest overcomes the most complex, not in vain, a system that has fallen in love with the community and that is ideal for playing 8 and 16-bit console games is the Miyoo Mini V2. The motives?
- It is not the most powerful console, but its small size makes it ideal to take anywhere.
- Its screen with a 4:3 ratio at 640 x 480 resolution may not seem like much to us, however with a 2.8-inch diagonal, the sharpness it obtains on its IPS screen is worth seeing.
- It lacks analog sticks, however, since they weren’t used on the consoles it can emulate, they don’t need to be.
So if you want to play your favorite classics anywhere with a discreet, functional and totally portable device, the Miyoo Mini V2 is the best option. Although you can also pull from the recommendation that we have made before, but this little thing has made us fall in love for months.
