With internet-capable consoles appearing in the seventh generation, purchasing games digitally online was realized, allowing for the convenience of buying and playing a game without leaving the house. Games were still produced in physical form, but availability in a store varied. The Wii storefront was the first offer licensed games in digital form. This was novel, and possibly contributed to the resurgent interest in retro gaming. All of the sudden, people had access to games that were long forgotten, at reasonable prices. While hardcore retro gamers were alway keen on the classics, casual players on modern consoles were drawn towards the nostalgia drug, increasing interest.

With advances in console technology, the level of production, complexity, and size of game files increased exponentially. This led to many physical games being released incomplete, with updates required before playing for the first time. This practice is now commonplace, and often expected. Some games have update files much larger than the initial game that was shipped, like Red Dead Redemption 2 on PS4. Take Cyperpunk as an example. The game is allegedly unplayable without the updates.

How long will modern games continue to be supported?

This begs the question, can a new game even be played today without the initial update? If you have to update up to 50% of a game in order to play, is it worth buying the physical copy of the game? It almost seems as if the games are mere license holders in order to download the game. In some cases, they literally are, as on the game box there may be a statment mentioning that no physical game is included, only a download code. The argument that was held for a long time was, if a server gets shut down, you can still play the game if you own a copy. Is this even true anymore? Let's say your PS4 or Switch dies. You have a copy of a game, but it required a large update. You buy a replacement console, and try to play that game, but the server is no longer active. Can you really play the game as intended? Maybe the game will start up, but might it be missing the second half of the game? Old game cartridges will always play all the way through, no internet connection required. The same cannot be said for modern games. 

Additionally, an interesting phenomenon is currently underway with gamers applying a collectors' mindset. People are buying new games and keeping them sealed, hoping the value will increase over time. This occurs with sealed retro games, why would it not here? The difference is that back in the 1980's and 90's, if a game was left sealed it was due to circumstance, not intent. A game may not have sold well, and thus had become overstock, for example. Kids back then did not buy two copies of a game; one to play and one to keep sealed. Games were relatively expensive then compared to today's prices, and the games were always opened and played.  There was no investor speculating. 

We have been seeing industry move at a glacial pace towards eliminating physical media. Then Microsoft initially released the XBox One not allowing for game sharing. The public backlash forced Microsoft to renege. Sony used that as a dig towards their direct competitor, by releasing a commercial that exemplified how game sharing could happen on PS4. Meanwhile, the online stores for all consoles continue to grow. In what could be considered the 9th generation of consoles, the PS5 and XBox series X both released digital-only and disc-capable consoles. This could signify the inevitable end of the collectable game. 

Some game collections include a download code as not all games are on the physical game

For those digital-only consoles, to what extent will the continue to be supported after the end of their natural life expectancy? It is not a guaranteed that all the games will be transferable to the next generation console. Even if you accept this, and try to keep the console alive, the failure rate of modern systems is higher than the legacy cartridge-based consoles of yesteryear. Will simply backing the games up on a hard drive be a sufficient safeguard to ensure that you will be able to play these games indefinitely?

I know the general sentiment of wanting physical copies of games is still strong. Companies like Limited Run Games, Strictly Limited Games, Ultra Rare Games, and others capitalize on this for their business model. I will commend those companies for ensuring that the game is complete with no more updates before pressing physical copies. Those copies will indeed be future-proofed, and that is important. But for the large, triple-A releases with lots of expectations and fanfare, who knows how that will be handled. 

This is an interesting topic to bring up as we are now at a watershed moment in video gaming. How companies handle patches and updates for games beyond the scope of their life will be interesting to watch. For me personally, I have the deepest attachment to the older games, which were shipped complete and have no reliance on downloads. While I do primarily buy physical copies of games for the current consoles, I am questioning that practice. How about you? Do you stick with collecting physical copies of games? Do you buy digital copies only? What are your thoughts on this shifting landscape of game media?

Arcade sticks are plentiful for modern consoles, regardless of platform. Whether you own a Switch, Xbox, or Playstation, the popularity of established fighting games ensures that there will be new versions of arcade sticks. If you have ever searched on eBay or Amazon for one, you know what I mean. This is not the case for retro consoles though. While there might be one or two arcade sticks available for each of the consoles from the 80's and 90's, the selection is entirely lacking. The NES had the Advantage, the Super Nintendo had the Super Advantage, the Genesis had the Arcade Power Stick (in 3 and 6 button versions), and the Turbo Grafx had the Turbostick, and so on. For those sticks mentioned, the quality of them were OK for the time, as it was all we knew. However, they don't hold up too well today, especially compared to modern sticks. 

The Hori Real Arcade Pro has been given a new lease on life

Arcade sticks have come a long way as far as quality. Microswitches have replaced spongy, rubber membranes, for the better. I have a Hori Real Arcade Pro stick that I bought during the Playstation 3 era. I would classify it as mid-tier, as it's not the cheapest one around and not the most expensive either. It has a large base which rests uniformly and comfortably on my lap. The cord is ten feet long, within reach for a couch or easy chair. At 45 years old, sitting on the floor is not as fun as it once was. I have replaced the joystick and buttons with arcade-quality Sanwa parts, and it fits my needs as a non-competitive player perfectly. 

It is surreal using a modern stick on an old CRT TV

While most retro games are perfectly playable with the default pack-in controller, there are times when the experience can be taken to another level by using an arcade stick. Shooters (2D) and fighting games come to mind. These games are born of the arcade, and the arcade sticks were an integral part of the experience. Playing a port of an arcade game at home with a control pad is fine, but you can't help but feel something is missing, especially if you first experienced the game in the arcade.

The company Brook makes controller adapters that allow for modern controllers / arcade sticks to be used with retro consoles. They have an extensive product catalog, spanning nearly every configuration of console. They are branded as the Wingman series, and I have three of them: Wingman SNES, Wingman SD, and the PS3/PS4 to Mega Drive/PC Engine Super Converter. That last one is not named Wingman for some reason, but it serves the same function as the others (?). Anyway, those adapters allow for my USB arcade stick to be used on a multitude of older consoles. 

 

The Wingman SNES has has two controller plugs, allowing for NES and SNES compatibility. This is amazing value. I can effectively replace my Advantage and Super Advantage sticks for one superior stick. While most of the games on the NES were platformers, which are more suited to the original pads, being able to use my Hori stick instead of the Advantage for shooters is a huge improvement. The SNES had a decent amount of shooters, more than people think. It also had a glut of fighting games, and even though the SNES controller has six buttons, I have always thought that using shoulder buttons was awkward for the 5th and 6th buttons. The adapter allows for button remapping if so desired. 

The PS3/PS4 to Mega Drive/PC Engine Super Converter does what it's lengthy name says it does, except that I have a Genesis instead of a Mega Drive, which does not change functionality. The Genesis and PC Engine are both homes to the vast majority of shooters released during the fourth console generation. The official Sega arcade stick is OK, but definitely not up to modern standards. It's rubbery membranes do a decent job considering its era, but the responsiveness pales in comparison to the microswitches that we have become accustomed to. I have an Ascii PC Engine arcade stick in the same style as the NES Advantage, but its just OK as well. It has a small base, and is awkward to position on your lap. I need a larger base, so I used a text book to keep it from sliding around, which was not much more comfortable.  Since the Genesis and PC-Engine are my favorite consoles, this converter definitely gets the most use!

The Wingman SD allows for modern controllers on the Sega Saturn, and Sega Dreamcast. While I do have the official white Saturn Virtua Stick, but it's not holding up too well. The parts are not quite arcade quality, and while it was awesome in its time, it is not as smooth of an experience anymore. I do have the official Dreamcast Ascii arcade stick, which I modded with Sanwa parts years ago, so it is in great working order. But if I'm going to buy this for the Saturn, I may as well use it for the Dreamcast as well. The Dreamcast has an extensive library of shooters and fighting games as well. The Wingman SD has 200 blocks of VMU memory built in, so swapping VMU units is no longer necessary. 

I know that most people who are interested in these Brook convertors are primarily using the modern PS4, PS5, Xbox, and Switch controllers for their bluetooth functionality. More options are great and I'm glad that the functionality is there, but I specifically bought these for use with my arcade stick. To me, the original controllers are not improved upon by using modern bluetooth controllers, the original pads were mostly fine. The arcade stick is a different animal, and provides a vastly different experience, filling a need that was until now unmet. I highly recommend any of these Brook convertors for your retro consoles.

There are a lot of retro gaming podcasts out there. I have dabbled in and out of many over the years, and I find myself liking the following podcasts, for different reasons. Some are primarily informational, like review podcasts and collecting podcasts. Some are lighter on the details but more about community and entertainment. Depending on my mood, the amount of time I have, and who else may be listening, there are a lot of options to choose from. These are in no particular order.

Worth It or Worthless

This is a fairly standard retro game review podcast with a slight twist. After thorough discussion a game's merits and demerits, they pit is against its current market value and make the call as to whether they would pay the asking price (worth it) or not (worthless). It's a slant that may date itself as time goes on, due to to astronomical increases in retro game prices, but nonetheless a very thorough and informative review show. 

Retro Warriors

When I first saw the original Retro Warriors logo, which consisted of the NES Ikari Warriors cover art, I knew I had to give it a listen. It has been six years, and I am listening still. Justin and Chris cover the wide gamut of retro gaming news, analysis, discussion, and all related talk to those following the retro gaming scene. They have an easy going, discussion format that is easy to listen to and often highly informative. Chris Saturn is the veteran gamer of the pair, and he base of knowledge is deep and accurate. The show format opens with news in the retro gaming scene, followed by the weekly topic at hand. Shows average a little over an hour, and is released weekly. Time flies, and the language is mostly decent with occasional swearing. 

Retro Game Squad

Alex, John, and Jeff create a themed list of several games to play and digest, and reconvene to review them together in these long form episodes. Alex is the primary host, John is the resident "genius", and Jeff is up for anything. They are united by a passion of retro games, and it shows.  There is a balanced chemistry here, in which each person brings a different background and perspective. Alex is the seasoned veteran gamer, John is down with new and old tech as it pertains to gaming, and Jeff is a wildcard of sorts, with less experience but having the most enthusiasm. Since each episode is themed, and often includes a long list of games to explore over the course of a month or two, they tend to run between 2-3 hours each. The time will fly by as each personality offers different perspectives on each of the games, leaving no stone unturned. The overall tone is polite and cordial, and unoffensive (but not in a lame way). 

RetroRGB

Bob Neal's website, www.retrorgb.com, was a strong influence on me to get my gear operating to its full potential. It was here where I learned about RGB video signals, scart connections, console mods, and all of the bits of knowledge on hardware that can be known. A pioneer in the retro gaming scene, Bob's credibility is as good as it gets, and the information is vetted and highly accurate. In recent years a YouTube channel is born from the website, as well as a simul-cast podcast. A plethora of information is provided weekly, on the happenings in retro gaming. Content such as interviews, reviews, news updates, editorials, how-to's, and much more. If you can, watch the videos on YouTube as many topics benefit from the visual aides, but Bob's narration makes the information listenable as well. Language is news-styled and appropriate.

Emulate This

Ryan, Rory, Eric, and Mike are four dudes who somehow manage to make a retro gaming themed podcast. It's a little hard to describe, actually. I think it goes like this. Early on, Rory built Raspberry Pi gaming consoles for the four of them, and they would pick a couple of games, play them, and discuss. As the years progressed, the show has evolved to include some of the strangest non-scripted content ever heard on a podcast. Much alcohol is involved with every episode and you can tell. Stories start leaking out that one cause one to look sideways at them. Themed games are often included, like guess what game this music is from while listening to bathroom noises at full blast, what happened here, and others that are NSFW. Actually, it's all NSFW. They all have very unique personalities, in that you can probably related to one of the four, and you definitely know someone like the other three. My only gripe is that they do mix in a lot of discussion of modern games, which I'm not there for, but to be fair, "retro" is not in their title. Episodes range from 1-2 hours, and are currently released monthly. 

The Collectors Quest Podcast

If you think you are a hardcore collector, you don't know anything. These guys have multiple complete collections of the popular consoles, and they have the experience and knowledge to fill books. There are details about games, and then there are DETAILS. These guys know it all. Things like extra contents of complete games besides the manuals, variants of covers and boxes, etc. The passion is clearly evident, and debates about minutia are daily fodder. When I initially started listening to them, I thought they were collecting elitists. As time has passed, I realize that they are so immersed in what they do, that things that may be obvious to them are esoteric to most, there is no intent of being condescending. You may end up feeling that your game collection is small potatoes after listening to these guys, but that passes. Whats more, their rants and diatribes are commonplace and amazing to take in. Language is unfiltered and not safe for little ears. Episodes are on the long side, averaging about 2+ hours, and are released biweekly. 

So, those are some of the podcasts that I find myself listening to lately. There are others, but these are the ones that I felt compelled to include. 

When I first got back into retrogaming, my first goal was to reacquire the games I had as a kid. That didn't take long, as I just didn't own that many games. My strongest gaming memories were with the NES and the Genesis. I started buying these up by the bucketful, as they were abundant in the early 2000's. My collection grew rapidly, but soon I was buying games because I didn't have them, not because I wanted them. Collecting started to loose meaning, and it was burning me out. One can get lost in this hobby, just trying to collect for every console is in my opinion a lost cause. Rather than have a collection that is spread out, a smaller set you passionate about is much more appealing. Time has matured my preferences for games and consoles, and I realized the kinds of games that I actually enjoy. I made a decision to thin out the herd, and only collect subsets. Having collection goals was a way to refocus, and bring back the fun in collecting. 

The first generation of black grid (1989) is my favorite style

I made a goal to complete the original Sega Genesis "black grid" box style games. For those who don't know, the games that were published by Sega had a very sleek and characteristic style: Black background with a gray grid pattern, and unique marquee art for the title. The front cover would have artwork framed in a consistent manner. This was the signature look for Genesis games. This style did not extend to third-party publishers, those games designed their covers any which way, but there are some companies that did make some attempt to resemble Sega's in-house brand, like Razor Soft did with Technocop, Jerry Glanville's Pigskin Footbrawl, and others. 

Note the enlarged logo (1990), now with "16-Bit Cartridge" subtitle

This box style is very striking, and personally nostalgic to me, as it was the primary style used when I first bought my Genesis. I vividly remember walking through the aisles of Toys 'R Us and seeing that sheen black grid on the Sega game purchase cards. It kinda makes sense, as the predecessor to the Genesis, the Master System, had a white grid style on their game boxes, although with overly rudimentary art. This was an evolution of their brand.

in 1991, the logo size was reduced

Depending on your need for order and organization, this can be taken further. I have reorganized my Genesis games shelf to reflect the changes to the box art style over the years of the Genesis releases. It may not be obvious to some, but to Genesis collectors it is an oddity that subtle changes were made to the Genesis logo size, placement, and UPC placement on the boxes. This change seems to have occurred at the start of each new fiscal year, but that's just a guess. In 1993, the black grid was eschewed for a glaring red box color. I'll never understood why Sega made this change, to me it ruins the iconic look. In addition to the color change, both first and third-party publishers were now uniformly boxed in one color and style, which is nice for organization, but a bit too late in my opinion.  

In 1992, UPC codes were placed on the spine of the box

Because I organized my Genesis games by spine theme (inspiration from Chris at Classic Gaming Quarterly), there is no unifying alphabetical order to my collection, except within the variations of subsets. This might be crazy to some, and people ask me how I find a game that I'm looking for, amidst the chaos. I just know where it is. I know the relative year, and recall what the box looked like, so it takes me no time at all to find it. 

1993 saw the emergence of the red box color

I am not interested in collecting the full Genesis set. The black grid subset is a perfect set for me that his the nostalgia nerve, as well as boasting unrivaled style. Here are the games' covers.

CRT setup

When I got back into gaming in 2002, I didn't have my original consoles from my childhood. I went to the local Gamestop and picked up an NES, Genesis, and a box of games. This was right around the launch of the Gamecube/Xbox, and so these were dirt cheap. I had a Sony Trinitron Wega TV, to which I hooked the consoles up to using composite inputs. I played this way for years. Time flew by, and HD televisions were eventually available and affordable. While improvements in technology are normally lauded, this transition was not friendly to retro composite video signals. Thus, the NES and Genesis and the rest of the retro consoles remained hooked up to the CRT. Later I stumbled upon Retrorgb.com, a website dedicated to getting the best video quality from legacy gaming consoles. It was here where I learned about RGB signals and scart connectors. I purchased some cheap scart cables and a scart to component convertor and hooked up the Genesis and SNES to theCRT, and I was blown away. The increase in clarity was something that you never knew you wanted until you experienced it. Eventually, I bought an RGB-modded NES, as the NES does not natively support the RGB signal.

The RetroUSB AVS is a modern clone console of a Nintendo Entertainment System, featuring an FPGA (field programmable gate array) chip that could simulate console hardware in real time with no lag. My RGB-modded NES top loader was OK for use on CRTs, but it displayed all sorts of jailbars and artifacts on screen when piped through my OSSC onto my HDTV. I was looking for a cleaner solution, so I decided to pick one up. 

The AVS (an acronym for  Advanced Video System, the rejected name for what is known as the Nintendo Entertainment System) is a fantastic modern clone console. It has slots for both North American NES cartridges, as well as the Japanese Famicom carts. It also has an expansion port for use with the Japanese Famicom Disk System, if you have one. Video output is 720p, via HDMI. The picture is sharp and clean, and with the recent firmware update, now includes interpolation as an option to smooth out the image further and remove pixel shimmering when the screen scrolls. The proper aspect ratio is subject to interpretation, and can be adjusted to your liking. Four controller ports are built in, and the power and reset buttons are identical to those on an original NES. The cartridge slot does have a firm grip, and it takes much shimmying to wiggle a cart out - this would be referred to as a death grip but I think thats exaggerating a bit. It does read carts reliably, not really requiring much reseating or scrubbing of contact pins. 

The snug fit of the carts is a bit tight

Famicom carts stand upright, preventing the lid from closing completely

I was very happy with my AVS for years. Then, Analogue announced that they would be releasing another batch of their premium NT Mini consoles, in a limited number. The NT Mini was the first FPGA NES clone, engineered by the legendary programmer known as Kevtris. This would be the be-all end-all of NES clones, sparing no expense and costing a whopping $500. The body of the console is machined aluminum, which is where most of the cost comes from. Functionally, it outputs 720p and 1080p, and has an onboard digitial-audio converter (DAC) that enables analog output to CRTs as well in the form of composite, RGB, S-video, and component. Essentially, every kind of output signal is provided. Four controller ports are built in as well. This is the Cadillac of NES clones, and a limited number of people would have the privilege of paying that much for it. I placed my preorder, and waited. 

The gun metal gray is impressive and a bit decadent

When the NT Mini Noir arrived, first impressions matched expectations. The build quality is unlike anything the video game market has ever seen. The weight, build, and packaging all exude quality. The clear bottom proudly exposes the clean circuitry of the motherboard, and the gun metal aluminum screams exclusivity. The cartridge flaps make a satisfying "clink" when released, and they are present on both the NES and Famicom slots. The operating system presents a much more robust set of options when compared to the AVS. Not only are there more video output options, but the customizability for each characteristic of the video and audio signals is dazzling. Youtube videos have been made just to explain how to dial in the various ideal settings that are possible. 

The NT Mini can do it all, as evidence by the multitude of output options

It sounds like a perfect console so far, but there are a few drawbacks to mention. The design of the NT Mini is such that is has a low profile, so that means the cartridge slots have almost no depth. From afar this doesn't seem like a problem, and whether it is one is debatable. Because the slots are so shallow, there is a certain amount of wobble once carts are inserted. This amount of play in the seated position potentially leads to games glitching or resetting if the console or table is bumped. In practice, this is overstated, and how many people are bumping their entertainment centers while playing? For me, the biggest drawback is something else. The games need to be pristinely clean in order to play correctly. I mean, clean with a mirror shine. I understand that as adults we are taking care of our games better now that we did as kids, and I generally clean my games when I think that there's a chance of introducing dirt or grime into my console. But the NT Mini has next-level pickiness about how clean the cart should be in order to run. I keep my NES carts in air tight Bit-Boxes (from Stoneagegamer.com), and I still have to scrub each one no less than two times, sometimes more. It was adding more frustration to the process of playing games than I was willing to tolerate. So I decided to unhook my NT Mini and reinstate the AVS. 

It is true that the NT Mini outputs 1080p, a higher resolution than the AVS at 720p. This is a difference that can be noticed if you scrutinize for it. However, fans of scanlines like myself will tell you that scanlines do not present well in 1080p, and become uneven. In 720p, which is a multiple of the NES native 240p resolution, the scanlines are very regular with even width, presenting very naturally. When people want to set scanlines on HD systems, a common fix is to reduce the resolution to 720p. It's a personal preference.

I think a lot of the appeal and value of the Analogue systems comes in the ability to jailbreak them with unofficial firmware, and side load the roms so cartridges aren't needed at all. In the case of the Mini, the jailbreak firmware includes a dozen or so cores that allow for access to entire libraries, like Gameboy, Gameboy Color, Coleco, Atari, and many others. The fact that all of the games from all of these systems can be played on one console, with FPGA quality is a major selling point. I do believe that many people buy the NT Mini for this very reason, which is fair. I gave the jailbreak firmware a test drive, and it was fine, but I didn't buy the console with those systems in mind, so personally for me it was a wash. If one is  buying consoles just for the ability to play a multitude of roms for a multitude of systems, then I think the MISTer FPGA project is a better/cheaper option. I reviewed the MISTer here. 

While the NT Mini is all about the premium aesthetic, the AVS channels the NES, from its coloration to its identical buttons. The simplicity of it is unassuming. It is also only $185, compared to the $500 for the Mini. The Mini is very chic, with its aluminum housing feeling like an unnecessary premium. It is little over the top with the amount options. Added features aside, the cost difference is not to be ignored. Yes you are getting every feature that is currently possible, but will you use every feature? Do you need the extra four types of analog video output? Will you play all of the other cores once jailbroken? It is easy to be seduced by the accoutrements. What I hear is many people clamoring for is an Analogue NES console more in line with the Super NT (FPGA Super Nintendo) or Mega SG (FPGA Genesis), which are perfectly functional HDMI clones that are priced just under $200. These would fit the market space better, make a killing, and would probably sell more that all the others combined. Maybe Analogue does have that planned, and are first milking the people willing to shell out half a G for the NT Mini first, before releasing a mass produced $200 model eventually. If they do, great, but so far I'm super happy with my AVS. 

What are your thoughts? Do you have one or both? Do you feel the premium price for the NT Mini is worth it? I am curious to hear other opinions. 

There's a saying that your life changes when you have kids, and that's no lie. All for the better of course,  and one side effect of that is you truly become a home-body. After the kids go to bed in the early evening, you're homebound looking for something to do. My wife reads a lot, and that's a great for her, but it's not the first thing I chose to do with free time. 

When you only have enough free time for Contra, but not Breath of the Wild, you tend to prefer pick-up-and-play games.  I realized that I favored pick-up-and-play action games, as they are engaging throughout the usual 60 minutes and have a short learning curve. Shoot 'em ups, or shooters (not to be confused with first person shooters like Call of Duty, etc) emerged to the front of my mind when selecting games to play, followed by beat 'em ups (like Streets of Rage, Final Fight), and run 'n guns (Contra, Metal Slug). 

The gold standard of retro

So I started actively seeking out old cartridges at garage sales, flea markets, thrift stores, and eBay. Having a goal made garage sale hunting an adventure. Having lived through the 16 bit console wars, the memories were still palpable. My first task was to reacquire the games I had when I was growing up. This meant Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) and Sega Genesis games. This didn't take long, as I only had about twenty games total. Games from garage sales were dirt cheap, and so I was buying up games that I never heard of. As a kid I never would have dreamed of owning as many games as I have today. Back in the 80's, games were too expensive to be everyday purchase, they were primarily birthday and Christmas gifts due to their cost. $50 in 1988 is like a $150 today. There was lots of trading and borrowing between friends. I remember picking up odd jobs around the house and neighborhood, mowing lawns, shoveling snow, and so on. Two months of summer work could net one expensive game or two cheaper games. I remember Contra was $50, and it was a proud day when I took my lawn money to the Toys 'R Us and received that silver box from "the cage". I have several memories like this, and it goes to show the lengths kids would go to get more games. We treasured each one, and played the hell out of each one. Even bad games weren't "bad", because we had such a smaller range of experiences to compare, and if it was one of the ten games you owned, you still played it out of principle. 

Space Megaforce was $20 in 2010

Recollecting my old NES and Genesis games were a gateway to the other consoles that I didn't have but always wanted. The Super Nintendo was next on my list, and not having any specific games in mind, I sought advice from YouTube. Acquiring common games in the wild wasn't too difficult, and I was able to buy the rest of what I wanted from eBay relatively cheaply. I must have been on the forefront of the retro gaming resurgence, because I noticed that game prices started creeping up; slowly at first, then faster. The popular games were the easiest to find, like Super Mario World and Donkey Kong Country. Those usually sold for a few bucks a piece. When games fell in that $10 range, I had to stop and think about it. I remember the most I paid for a SNES game: I was debating on whether $20 was too much to pay for the superb Space Megaforce, which now sells for hundreds of dollars. I'm glad I went for it.

Next I discovered the Sega Saturn, and the 2D treasure trove that it hosted. This console was a different animal altogether. The domestic Saturn library, while revered with role playing games and 3D platformers, had a very paltry shmup library, consisting of the excellent Darius Gaiden and Gallactic Attack. It turns out that there was an enormous glut of shooters available only in Japan. Even though the Saturn is region locked, that is very easy to overcome with an Action Replay card that you slide into the cartridge slot (which teases Genesis backwards compatibility). With eBay and the online international marketplace circa 2009, games were easily imported, the only caveat being the lengthy shipping time. At the time, prices were a fraction of what they are now, but still a level up from collecting loose carts from thrift stores. This was my next collection goal: Sega Saturn shooters. While over a decade I was unable to get all of them, I can say that I have nearly all of the ones that I want. As of today, there is one title that I'm OK not seeking out, based on its inflated price: Image Fight/X-Multiply. 

Playing shooters on the 32-bit Saturn led to interest in the Playstation. Despite it being wildly successful with its mass appeal, due to 3D hit games like Crash Bandicoot, Tomb Raider, Gran Turismo, and others, it still had a formidable collection of shooters. As with the Saturn, the best games were imports. 

One of my top 3 consoles: The PC Engine Duo R (Turbo Grafx)

The other console that I took a deep dive into was the PC Engine, AKA Turbo Grafx-16 in North America. It was primarily known for its expansive shooter library, and similar to the Saturn, most of the offerings were Japanese exclusives. It is a near consensus that the PC Engine reigns as THE system for shooters, and its hard to argue against that. Just do a little digging, and it will become apparent.

Trying to figure out which version of the console to buy was a confusing experience. There are too many variants, add-ons, RAM cards, and such that you need to commit to how it all works or you will end up making multiple purchases. I'm not going to explain this all here, but I will say that the easiest way to start playing the PC-Engine is with the Duo console, which can play CD-rom games as well as the standard Hu card games, which are about the same size as a credit card. Because most of the shooters were imports, I went with the Japanese version of the Duo. The PC Engine was very popular in Japan, so there was a much larger supply of games in circulation, lowering the game prices. Playing imports was no issue when you have a Japanese console. Of course, shooters have little to no language barrier. This was my last and current collection goal, to get all of the shooters for the system. Sadly, as with the Saturn and retro games in general, the hobby has caught fire and the demand for games has driven game prices into the stratosphere.  To anyone interested getting started in the hobby today, I think a flashcart like the Everdrive, which allows games to be played from an SD card, is a must. The high game prices in today's market make starting a collection prohitive. The issue of piracy is a touchy one, and people have as many opinions on it as there are wrestling games on the N64. Some abhor piracy outright, some have no qualms about downloading roms, and most are in the middle. My feeling is that if a game is unavailable to purchase through licensed channels, and it is ridiculously expensive, I have no problem downloading it. If a game is made available, I will purchase it to support the developers and increase the likelihood of more games being produced.  If I own a physical copy of the game, I don't have a problem with having the rom on a flashcart. Legal grey area aside, flash carts are in my opinion, the crowning achievement in retro gaming tech today. 

Modern collections of older titles help keep classics alive

I have dabbled in other consoles, but the bulk of my attention goes towards the aforementioned consoles. With all of the advances in graphics and gameplay, I still prefer the simplistic, 2D action games. There has been a resurgence of shmups on modern consoles lately, like the Psikyo Shooting collection, Darius Collection, Ikaruga, and others. These are great for introducing younger generations to the genre, and for older gamers to play these affordably. More options is always a good thing. I know that nearly everything can be emulated these days, but to me its not the same. Emulation is useful at times, but it's not how I prefer to play, the experience is just different when not using original hardware. The emergence of third party console manufacturers has been a boon to the interest in the hobby. Newer tech like field programmable gate arrays (FPGA) combine the lagless experience of hardware with the modern amenities like high definition video output. As much as I love my original model 1 Genesis, the jail bars and finicky cartridge slot have relegated it to the storage bin in favor of Analogue's Mega SG; it's that good.

So today I find myself more focused than ever as a gamer, I just know what I like now. I have taken a hard look at all of the games I have amassed over the last 10 years, and have started purging the games that I know I'll never play. For example, I know that I'm not into RPGs, so those can go. With the advent of GC Loader, I can let go of Gamecube games that I have lukewarm feelings for. I'm recycling the sales into the last few remaining shooters on my list that I still want. The collection has never felt tighter, more curated, with less filler. I feel a renewed vigor, knowing that each game that I kept I have done so for a reason. A recurring question that I periodically ask myself is, "will I really play that?". If I answer no, and have another way to play that game, I'm for purging it. There is the added beauty of an organized, presentable collection that is always present in the back of my mind that acts as a check against hoarding.

How do even move through this space?

For those of you who have been in the hobby for years, have you changed your collecting habits? Has your collection expanded only to contract again? It is always so interesting to me to see what others value in their collections.