I was just thinking about how there’s so many ways to play our old favorite games these days: Collecting for original hardware, playing ports and remasters on modern consoles, throwback consoles like the SNES Classic, having a dedicated emulation machine or handheld, etc.
What method works best for you? Has it changed over time?
I used to pick up remasters of games on Steam, but now I’m almost 30 and find original hardware and non-remastered games really nostalgic.
The PS3 and Wii are such an all-star combo for playing Sony and Nintendo’s huge back catalogs. Hacking them gives me access to nearly everything up to the seventh generation. I also play a lot of fan translations and mods on the original hardware, and it’s a treat to the ears to play MSU-1 SNES games using SNES9x on Wii. Both consoles’ retro games look amazing on CRT TVs too. The Wii and especially the PS3’s UIs are really special to me, and hearken back to an era where users were allowed to heavily customize the vibes of their devices. I have a DS and PSP for handhelds, too.
I also have the Sega Genesis Model 1 with an Everdrive, since that’s the best way to experience those games’ music, with the Genesis soundchip not emulating well on modern consoles. Plus I love the headphone jack. More consoles should have that!
I used to have a bunch of old consoles hooked up, but I sold them because the Genesis, Wii and PS3 work together to create my ultimate minimalist retro setup.
I do still buy remasters and emulate games on PC occasionally, but it’s on a case-by-case basis. I use my PC to A) fill in gaps in my retro library, B) play a rare remaster that’s actually the definitive version of the game (which doesn’t cut content or downgrade the experience in any way), and C) if a game really benefits from upscaling options only found on PC emulators.