Retro Gaming Collections

The nostalgia for ‘old school’ gaming grows ever stronger.

Wired controllers and having to blow into the console or into the cartridge are but distant memories in the age of the disc and the digital download. As time passes, more and more gamers are seeking to find those games and consoles which take them back to their youth. Having been hidden away in the attic for decades or shoved in a cupboard never to be seen again, the retro market is having a resurgence. As the digital age reigns supreme, it means that games on these consoles are readily available to download and play from the ‘cloud’; or for those inclined to visit games from yester-year, ‘refreshed’ versions of the consoles with built in games are becoming ever popular on the market. But it doesn’t quite beat dusting off the cartridge and hearing that satisfying click as you prepare for the inevitable 8 or 16 bit phenomena you are about to feast your eyes upon.

Whether you are interested in starting your own retro gaming collection or are just curious to see what your box of retro-goodness is worth out on the ‘open market’, Mete-Critic looks at 7 Retro gaming consoles that could take you back to your childhood, or just give you more bang for your buck:

(All console prices are approximate costs for boxed, PAL consoles)

Originally released in 1992 in Europe, the SNES was Nintendo’s second soiree into the home console market following the NES. The ‘Super Famicom’ as it was known on its debut launch in Japan, this gaming masterpiece was revolutionary for it’s time by introducing both graphical and sound advances that left its competitors in the dust; becoming the most successful selling console of the ’16 bit era’.

• Units Sold: 49 Million
• Value on Ebay: £70.00-£80.00
• Most Memorable Game: Legend of Zelda: Link to the Past

The Sega Master System series can be broken down into its three iterations of Mark I, Mark II and Mark II which were released across Europe, North America and Japan respectively. The Sega Master System was released in 1987 following a redesign of its original release in Japan in 1985. Set up to be direct competiton for Nintendo’s SNES, the Master System suffered with the sheer lack of licenses it held.

• Units Sold: 12 Million
• Value on Ebay: £60.00-£70.00
• Most Memorable Game: Alex The Kidd

The Mega Drive / Genesis was Sega’s next soiree into the home gaming console market following the Master System Series. Its release to the European market in 1990 was where the Mega Drive had most of its success although surrounded by controversy. Following release of more violent titles, it was the Mega Drive era that prompted Sega to create the Videogame Rating Council.

• Units Sold: 40 Million
• Value on Ebay: £40.00-£50.00
• Most Memorable Game: Sonic the Hedgehog

The original ‘grey brick of joy‘ was Nintendo’s 8-bit handheld released at the end of the 1980’s to take gaming on the move. Originally boxed with Tetris, the Game Boy saw a number of re-releases (Colour, Pocket, etc) whilst it went toe-to-toe with Sega’s Gamegear and Atari Lynx.

• Units Sold: 119 Million
• Value on Ebay: £40.00-£50.00
• Most Memorable Game: Tetris

Named after the 64-bit CPU housed inside, its European release in 1997 marked the last major console to use cartridges as its main storage format (even though 3DS is still churning them out). The N64 was Nintendo’s challenge to the PlayStation and Sega Saturn respectively and performed strongly with its Super Mario 64 launch title; although we can’t forget Goldeneye!

• Units Sold: 33 Million
• Value on Ebay: £60.00-£80.00
• Most Memorable Game: Super Mario 64 / Goldeneye

Launched in 1994, Sony Computer Entertainment gave birth to arguably the most successful video games console series ever. Having pushed the 3D graphics market to the next level, it actually wasn’t the first console to work with CD-Roms. PlayStation however was the first console to truly take advantage of the demise of cartridge based consoles and bring never before seen graphical design into the living room.

• Units Sold: 120 Million
• Value on Ebay: £20-£30
• Most Memorable Game: Metal Gear Solid

The oldest console on the list, the Atari 2600 was released in 1977 with two joystick controllers, paddle controllers and its launch game of Combat and then later Pac-Man. It is widely accepted as being the platform which championed the use of ROM-based cartridges. It had a “revamp” when it was re-released in 1986 and was affectionately known as Atari 2600 Jr.

• Units Sold: 30 Million
• Value on Ebay: £60.00-£80.00
• Most Memorable Game: Pac Man

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