The world of video games is not very different from that of cinema and that of music, even the games of the past in fact still have a lot of attraction, despite 20 years of technological progress having passed. The main difference between today's modern games and those of 15 or 20 years is, apart from the graphics, in their simplicity . While today's games require a certain amount of time and concentration, they are all online multiplayer and always require you to download new packages and new content, the games of yesteryear were perfect for playing fast games, they had no particular complexities, it was only to move a character and then lead, shoot and jump all the enemies they met. In fact, old games were, in some ways, more fun than today.
For this reason, all the manufacturers have tried to bring the simplicity of old historical games back to life, with new versions of the old and historical consoles that were sold 20 years ago, redone to be compatible with modern TVs and with the best games inside.
In the new versions of the old consoles, which are small compact boxes to be connected to the TV, they are already ready with dozens of games to choose from. There are no cartridges to insert and games to buy (which by the way those for the consoles of the past are almost nowhere to be found).
Below we see the best "retro" consoles, Mini or Classic, which can be bought today (or given away at Christmas) to play the games of the past, the great classics of 15 or twenty years ago, absolutely perfect for playing children and fun for adults who want an undemanding pastime.
READ ALSO: Free old PC games: DOS, 80s / 90s, arcade games and consoles
After the huge success of the NES Classic Mini, Nintendo returned to the 90s with a compact version of the SNES, one of the first 16-bit consoles with many games that later became cult. The Box connects to the TV via HDMI and includes 21 preloaded games and two mini controllers that will allow you to play in two. Among the best games we have Mario World, Ghouls'n Ghosts, The Legend of Zelda, Final Fantasy III.
The disadvantage of Nintendo's retro consoles like the SNES is that once all the games have been played, it will not be possible to add more because the console does not accept the original cartridges and does not allow you to download new games.
You can buy the SNES Classic Mini on Amazon for 130 Euros.
This console costs little, 50 Euros on Amazon, but it is a purchase that I would not make since today you can take the best and most fun SNES.
The Sega Mega Drive, which was a direct competitor of the SNES twenty years ago, is however better for the quantity and quality of the games it includes inside. The Sega Mega Drive mini can be bought for 80 Euros on Amazon and comes with 40 games ready to play inside including the historians Sonic The Hedgehog, Shinobi III, Mega Man, Street Fighter II, Ghouls'n Ghosts, Golden Ax, Wonder Boy, Tetris, Virtua Fighter 2 and many others. No other games can be added in this console which is produced directly by SEGA.
This console, produced by the Chinese company AtGames (not therefore by SEGA), can be bought on Amazon for 70 Euros. Unlike the original Mega Drive, the new console supports wireless controllers.
The console, inclusive with two Joypads, can be bought on Amazon at a price between 40 and 50 Euros.
The Commodore 64 can be purchased in a new Console Mini version that works exactly like its original version released thirty years ago. The C64 Mini therefore includes two USB ports (you can connect an external keyboard to program in basic because the keyboard of the C64 Mini is fake) and joystick to play the 64 pre-installed and immediately available games . Through some hack it is also possible to load the roms by loading them from a USB stick.
The C64 Mini can be bought, at the moment, at a price ranging from 50 to 70 Euros on Amazon .
This is the most beautiful classic mini console ever, both for the quality of the games (for those who like fighting games) and for how it was designed. The NeoGeo Mini, in fact, is a mini cabinet with joystick and screen, which reproduces the games in the arcades (once the NeoGeo games were the best in the arcades). The console is not portable because it requires to be connected to the mains, but it is possible to connect it to the TV via a mini-HDMI port. The games included are memorable and we have, for example: King Of fighters, Fatal Fury, Samurai Shodown, Metal Slug and many others. The only flaw is that JoyPads must be bought separately.
The Neo Geo Mini can be bought on Amazon at a price between 80 and 100 Euros.
READ ALSO: Emulators to play with the Playstation, XBox, Nintendo and Sega consoles on PC
For this reason, all the manufacturers have tried to bring the simplicity of old historical games back to life, with new versions of the old and historical consoles that were sold 20 years ago, redone to be compatible with modern TVs and with the best games inside.
In the new versions of the old consoles, which are small compact boxes to be connected to the TV, they are already ready with dozens of games to choose from. There are no cartridges to insert and games to buy (which by the way those for the consoles of the past are almost nowhere to be found).
Below we see the best "retro" consoles, Mini or Classic, which can be bought today (or given away at Christmas) to play the games of the past, the great classics of 15 or twenty years ago, absolutely perfect for playing children and fun for adults who want an undemanding pastime.
READ ALSO: Free old PC games: DOS, 80s / 90s, arcade games and consoles
1) SNES Classic Mini
After the huge success of the NES Classic Mini, Nintendo returned to the 90s with a compact version of the SNES, one of the first 16-bit consoles with many games that later became cult. The Box connects to the TV via HDMI and includes 21 preloaded games and two mini controllers that will allow you to play in two. Among the best games we have Mario World, Ghouls'n Ghosts, The Legend of Zelda, Final Fantasy III.
The disadvantage of Nintendo's retro consoles like the SNES is that once all the games have been played, it will not be possible to add more because the console does not accept the original cartridges and does not allow you to download new games.
You can buy the SNES Classic Mini on Amazon for 130 Euros.
2) Nintendo Classic Mini
This is the mini version of the first Nintendo console, the 8-bit one released in the 80s. The box connects to the TV via HDMI, contains 30 integrated games and a NES mini controller. Among the most famous games to play with the Nintendo Classic we have Bubble Bobble, Donkey Kong, Dr. Mario, Ghosts'n Goblins, the first Mario Bros, Super Mario Bros 2 and 3, The Legend of Zelda and several others. Even in this retro console it will not be possible to add other games to the ready-made list.This console costs little, 50 Euros on Amazon, but it is a purchase that I would not make since today you can take the best and most fun SNES.
3) Sega Megadrive Mini
The Sega Mega Drive, which was a direct competitor of the SNES twenty years ago, is however better for the quantity and quality of the games it includes inside. The Sega Mega Drive mini can be bought for 80 Euros on Amazon and comes with 40 games ready to play inside including the historians Sonic The Hedgehog, Shinobi III, Mega Man, Street Fighter II, Ghouls'n Ghosts, Golden Ax, Wonder Boy, Tetris, Virtua Fighter 2 and many others. No other games can be added in this console which is produced directly by SEGA.
4) Sega Genesis Flashback
Unlike the Megadrive Mini, this console not only includes 80 games inside, but also allows you to insert the original cartridges of the Mega Drive and, therefore, to play other games in addition to those included. In this console there are two JoyPad WirelessThis console, produced by the Chinese company AtGames (not therefore by SEGA), can be bought on Amazon for 70 Euros. Unlike the original Mega Drive, the new console supports wireless controllers.
5) Sony Playstation Classic
This console is exactly the first Playstation, relaunched this year in its original version with many games included. Unfortunately, for this reason, the feeling is more that of having an old PlayStation, rather than a new retro version. Discs from old Playstation 1 games cannot be loaded in this console. There are 20 preloaded games, including Final Fantasy VII, Grand Theft Auto, Metal Gear Solid, Resident Evil, Tekken 3, Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six.The console, inclusive with two Joypads, can be bought on Amazon at a price between 40 and 50 Euros.
6) C64 Mini
The Commodore 64 can be purchased in a new Console Mini version that works exactly like its original version released thirty years ago. The C64 Mini therefore includes two USB ports (you can connect an external keyboard to program in basic because the keyboard of the C64 Mini is fake) and joystick to play the 64 pre-installed and immediately available games . Through some hack it is also possible to load the roms by loading them from a USB stick.
The C64 Mini can be bought, at the moment, at a price ranging from 50 to 70 Euros on Amazon .
7) Neo Geo Mini
This is the most beautiful classic mini console ever, both for the quality of the games (for those who like fighting games) and for how it was designed. The NeoGeo Mini, in fact, is a mini cabinet with joystick and screen, which reproduces the games in the arcades (once the NeoGeo games were the best in the arcades). The console is not portable because it requires to be connected to the mains, but it is possible to connect it to the TV via a mini-HDMI port. The games included are memorable and we have, for example: King Of fighters, Fatal Fury, Samurai Shodown, Metal Slug and many others. The only flaw is that JoyPads must be bought separately.
The Neo Geo Mini can be bought on Amazon at a price between 80 and 100 Euros.
READ ALSO: Emulators to play with the Playstation, XBox, Nintendo and Sega consoles on PC
