I've always been into retro gaming on handhelds but would like to take the step into consoles. I'm trying to figure out which consoles to start with. I started gaming during the 16bit era but the SNES in particular looks very expensive. Are there any big pro/cons about gaming/collecting for the following systems I should be aware of?
- Master System
- SNES
- Mega Drive/Genesis
- Saturn
- N64
- Dreamcast
- Gamecube
Thanks for any input!
Which consoles to start with?
Re: Which consoles to start with?
The Genesis is the cheapest way to get into classic gaming. There are some really great games that are extremely affordable. It's the best way to get bang for your buck.
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alienjesus
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Re: Which consoles to start with?
Location matters - NES is pretty pricy over here in the UK, but Master System is dirt cheap.
If you want an affordable console, Mega Drive is likely your best bet either side of the pond. Saturn is super pricy, and everything Nintendo is only on the way up too.
You didn't list it, but the original Playstation is a fantastic system for starting with - there is an abundance of games for pittance prices, and a pretty vast library.
If you want an affordable console, Mega Drive is likely your best bet either side of the pond. Saturn is super pricy, and everything Nintendo is only on the way up too.
You didn't list it, but the original Playstation is a fantastic system for starting with - there is an abundance of games for pittance prices, and a pretty vast library.
Re: Which consoles to start with?
Genesis is nice due to both being relatively affordable, and due to using the plastic clamshell cases for a lot of games, finding them "complete" is more common.
That said, I would highly suggest starting with emulation or ports to later systems. Whether as a much simpler way to play the games, or to determine if it'd be worth it to you to invest hundreds or thousands into it. It's not just the carts/discs themselves, it's a good display, accessories, all that.
6th gen and on is a lot spottier for emulation though, and not always as pricey. Gamecube is probably the worst of that gen for software (in terms of price). Quite a lot of PS2 stuff is still fairly inexpensive, as is a lot of original X-Box stuff (in the U.S. anyway).
If you do want to collect Gamecube, keep in mind that it'll likely be a lot cheaper to get component cables for a backwards compatible Wii. Unless you really want to use the GBA adapter or something, probably best to just skip the actual Gamecube console.
That said, I would highly suggest starting with emulation or ports to later systems. Whether as a much simpler way to play the games, or to determine if it'd be worth it to you to invest hundreds or thousands into it. It's not just the carts/discs themselves, it's a good display, accessories, all that.
6th gen and on is a lot spottier for emulation though, and not always as pricey. Gamecube is probably the worst of that gen for software (in terms of price). Quite a lot of PS2 stuff is still fairly inexpensive, as is a lot of original X-Box stuff (in the U.S. anyway).
If you do want to collect Gamecube, keep in mind that it'll likely be a lot cheaper to get component cables for a backwards compatible Wii. Unless you really want to use the GBA adapter or something, probably best to just skip the actual Gamecube console.
Last edited by isiolia on Sat Dec 10, 2016 2:57 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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Edge Master
- Newbie
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- Joined: Sat Dec 10, 2016 1:24 pm
Re: Which consoles to start with?
Interesting to read the Mega Drive suggestions. Just browsing on eBay now and it does look more affordable than the SNES. Would love to get Sunset Riders among many others.
I'm a huge Sega fan - love the old arcade games. Very tempted to pick up a Dreamcast as well.
I'm a huge Sega fan - love the old arcade games. Very tempted to pick up a Dreamcast as well.
Re: Which consoles to start with?
I'd say find a list of games that look interesting to you. Give some a try on emulators. Then get the system(s) needed for those games.
Blizzard Entertainment Software Developer - All comments and views are my own and not representative of the company.
Re: Which consoles to start with?
Most of the systems you listed the better/best games in many cases are grossly scalper influenced expensive.
So you have to ask yourself, how much am I willing to spend and do I need the real deal or something in the middle? Would you be ok owning the system and an everdrive+SD card to get the true experience without the plastic, board chips and stickers? Or do you have to have a real game? It can add up horribly fast on many of those systems.
Genesis, Master System, many of the N64 still, they're fairly cheap as a cart only option. The others are getting to be fairly ugly outside of the commons.
Perhaps find a top10-20 list of games per system, use a PC or Android setup and an emulator that's highly recommended and see how you feel.
So you have to ask yourself, how much am I willing to spend and do I need the real deal or something in the middle? Would you be ok owning the system and an everdrive+SD card to get the true experience without the plastic, board chips and stickers? Or do you have to have a real game? It can add up horribly fast on many of those systems.
Genesis, Master System, many of the N64 still, they're fairly cheap as a cart only option. The others are getting to be fairly ugly outside of the commons.
Perhaps find a top10-20 list of games per system, use a PC or Android setup and an emulator that's highly recommended and see how you feel.
Re: Which consoles to start with?
These are just my first thoughts, without even thinking about it.Edge Master wrote:Are there any big pro/cons about gaming/collecting for the following systems I should be aware of?
- Master System - Not a lot of good games.
- SNES - Best retro gaming experience, also currently the most expensive. Loads of amazing titles in every genre.
- Mega Drive/Genesis - 1/2 the cost of the SNES, and 1/2 the amount of great games.
- Saturn - More good games than Master System, but with absurd SNES prices.
- N64 - Amazing library, but weak with RPGs. Early 3D graphics haven't aged well, but this console holds several universal "all time greatest" games (Ocarina of Time, GoldenEye, Super Mario 64, etc). Game prices aren't as bad as SNES, but first party titles and gems aren't cheap anymore. Controller is love it or hate it.
- Dreamcast - Better library than the Saturn, and less expensive. Stock console can boot "backups" (games you download without paying for). Controller is love it or hate it. Community is die hard, still very active: Multiple ways to still play online, homebrew releases.
- Gamecube - Weakest first party library of all the Nintendo consoles, but some real gems that shouldn't be passed up. Controller is love it or hate it.
My first choice would be the SNES. The only problem is that the games are so expensive now that it might be a problem. If you're only interested in playing the games, I say get a SNES along with a flash cart.
I recommend getting a flash cart for any cart based system you end up going with.
My second choice would be a Genesis. A Genesis flash cart or Power Base converter will also allow you to play Master System games, so that's kind of a 2-in-1. I wouldn't recommend starting off with a Master System, I feel like you'd get a better bang for your buck with a Genesis.
The Saturn and Dreamcast both have great games, but I feel like the N64 has a larger amount of gems that appeal to a wider audience. The N64 also uses carts instead of discs, so you don't have to worry about busted discs drives and scratched CDs when buying stuff used (which is gonna be 99.99% of your purchases).
I would only recommend getting a Gamecube if you want to take advantage of the GameBoy Player. You mentioned being into handhelds, so I'm assuming you have at least some GB/GBC/GBA games. Well, the GB Player for the GCN can allow you to play those GB carts on your TV.
The downside to the GCN is the AV output. The PAL version of the console can output RGB over SCART, which is nice, but the rest of the world has composite and S-Video only. The GCN originally had a digital video output, but it was removed from later revisions of the console. You can get component cables for the digital output, but they are very expensive. There are now mods available, but it's still kinda expensive.
An alternative is getting a Wii instead of a GCN. Later models of the Wii removed GCN support, but aside from those, the Wii is near 100% backwards compatible with the GCN. And Wii component cables are cheap. The downside is you cannot use the GB Player. The upside is that the Wii is very easy to softmod, and there's a ton of emulators available (including ones for GB) if you're into that sort of thing.
The Wii will also allow you to play... Wii games. I know that seems obvious, but the Wii wasn't on your list (probably because it's not old enough to be a "retro" console yet). But the Wii's library can appeal to retro gamers. There's some GCN games that got enhanced ports on the Wii, and well as a a bunch of great 2D platformers that feel like retro games. If it weren't for the GB player, I would recommend getting a Wii over a GCN every time.
Re: Which consoles to start with?
Are you not interested in the NES at all? I know you said 16bit and all, but yeah. NES rules.
Like everyone else is saying the Genesis / Mega Drive is going to be the easiest route.
Like everyone else is saying the Genesis / Mega Drive is going to be the easiest route.
Re: Which consoles to start with?
What? Claiming the Genesis has only half the good titles the SNES has? Nonsense. The Genesis is not an also-ran console. It is a strong pick for a beginning classic gamer.