It’s a shame that two of the best retro game consoles of recent years, the NES Classic Mini and the SNES Classic Mini, have been discontinued. Both feature fantastic designs with a miniaturized look true to the originals, silky smooth performance, and a solid lineup of games from Nintendo’s greatest hits. You can still buy them online (usually from third-party resellers), but the prices are highly inflated. The SNES Classic Mini, for example, was $80 at launch, but one reseller has it for more than $300 on Amazon right now. Maybe you’ll have better luck buying one used.
Nintendo fans interested in classic gaming action might be better served by picking up a Switch and purchasing a Nintendo Switch Online Membership ($20 for one year) to access over 100 NES and SNES titles (here is the full list). Add the Expansion Pack ($50 for one year) and you can get these N64 games also. If you’re craving some old-school Nintendo pocket fun, check out the revived Game and watch ($50) line. They are limited to a couple of games each, but when those games are Super Mario either Zelda titles, which can be enough for hours of fun.
He Analog Mega SG ($200) (8/10, WIRED recommends) is expensive and doesn’t come with games or controllers (they’re $25 each). But it can play old Sega Genesis cartridges, so it’s a good option if you have a box of them in the basement. Thanks to an FPGA chip, this console runs the original games just as you remember them.
There is a lot of Classic arcade games available on PlayStation 4 or 5.. If you choose a PS Plus Premium Subscription ($18 for one month or $160 for one year)you get the Classics Catalogpacked with old PlayStation games.
The Xbox Series You can also find classic titles included in our favorite gaming subscription, the excellent Xbox Game Pass Ultimate ($17 per month).
If you have Valve’s Steam Deck, check out the full version EmuDeck to emulate a wide variety of older systems in style.
PC gamers also have a huge variety of emulators. I like RetroBow because it emulates multiple systems, but if you have a favorite old console and want to get closer to that original experience, you can probably find an emulator tailor-made to scratch that itch.
Do you miss all those Flash-based browser games you used to play in the office when you should be working? Read our guide How to play all those old flash games you remember.
He Panic Play Date ($199) (7/10, WIRED recommends) It’s not strictly a retro console, but it’s fun, creative and quirky, and has a distinctive retro feel. It even has a crank for a whole new way to interact with games!
He Analog Duo ($250) (6/10, WIRED review) makes TurboGrafx-16 and PC Engine games look amazing on any HDMI display. It features HuCARD and CD-ROM functionality, so existing games work regardless of media, region, or other requirements. Unfortunately, it’s expensive, the drivers cost more, and there’s no support for openFPGA.