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Today, original consoles from the 70s, 80s or 90s see their prices skyrocket on the second-hand market.

Fortunately, some manufacturers offer mini versions of their period machines on the market, with a selection of flagship games to rediscover the great classics.

To help you find the console that will make your nostalgic fiber vibrate, here is a selection to guide you in your choice of gamer.

The selection of the 10 best retrogaming consoles to choose from in 2022:

  • Sony's PlayStation Classic: 20 games from the golden age of the PS1

  • Game & Watch The Legend of Zelda: a console dedicated to Link

  • A Raspberry Pi 4 kit to easily build your own retro console

  • The Neo Geo Mini and its legacy of 40 games

  • The Evercade VS for the pleasure of finding old-fashioned cartridges

  • The Atari Flashback 9: back to the roots of video games

  • The Amiga A500 Mini: rediscover the first PC games

  • The Commodore 64 Mini and its arcade sensations of the time

  • The mini Arcade Pac-Man terminal to take everywhere

  • The Switch: access NES, Super NES and Nintendo 64 games

Sony's PlayStation Classic: 20 games from the golden age of the PS1

When the first PlayStation was released in 1994, there was a graphic and technological revolution thanks to the appearance of 3D.

Real success, the console allows many titles to arrive in France.

Some have even become cult.

They are found naturally in this mini-console with the features of the period console.

Thus, among the 20 games installed in the device you can find, for example Final Fantasy VII, Metal Gear Solid, Rayman, Resident Evil Director's Cut, Grand Theft Auto or Tekken 3. All with two controllers, an HDMI cable for modern TVs and, of course, a power cable.

Most :

  • Two controllers to play with a friend

  • A very elegant mini format

  • 20 games that left their mark

The lessers :

  • Some great classics are missing

  • Frame rate stuck at 50Hz

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Game & Watch The Legend of Zelda: a console dedicated to Link

In 2021, on the occasion of the 35th anniversary of The Legend of Zelda saga, Nintendo released a mini portable console dedicated to the first games in the series.

Thus, on a small 2.36" LCD screen, you will be able to find three great classics:

  • The Legend of Zelda

  • Zelda II: The Adventure of Link

  • The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening

With, in addition, a revisited version of the Vermin game, with Link as the main character.

A little extra: the console can also act as a clock, it is also possible to change between different displays.

It charges via USB-C and can therefore be carried anywhere.

Most :

  • Three great video game classics with their original version

  • You can quickly switch between them

  • The very pleasant portable format

The lessers : 

  • The screen is still small

  • The cardboard display, not very solid

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A Raspberry Pi 4 kit to easily build your own retro console

Why not assemble your retro console yourself?

That's what it's possible to do with this all-inclusive Raspberry Pi 4b kit.

It is a mini-computer on which you can virtually install whatever you want.

There are free systems like Recalbox to install very easily on it.

Your Raspberry becomes a machine capable of emulating games from the first PCs to the Dreamcast.

Most :

  • You can put all the games you want

  • It connects to HDMI

The lessers :

  • It requires a bit of DIY (very easy by following a tutorial)

See the price on Amazon

The Neo Geo Mini and its legacy of 40 games

A console from the early 90s, the Neo Geo was a success in more than public esteem.

However, its games display very beautiful graphics and today it is one of those monuments of video game history.

The Neo Geo Mini is a compendium of 40 games in a fully functional mini arcade terminal on a 3.5" TFT screen or on a TV via a mini HDMI cable. On the menu: several games: The King of Fighters, Metal Slug, Samurai Shodown, Blazing Star and many more.

Most :

  • Only 400 grams

  • SNK character stickers and Neo Geo logo provided

The lessers :

  • AC adapter and mini HDMI not included

  • Keys and screen a bit small in Arcade mode

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The Evercade VS for the pleasure of finding old-fashioned cartridges

The Evercade VS is not a console affiliated with any particular machine.

It is a retro console on which several publishers of the time bring out their title on compatible cartridges.

For collectors and those nostalgic for the 80s, it's a pleasure to find the big game boxes with a physical cartridge to put in the console and an instruction booklet.

The Premium Pack available here is sold with two controllers and two cartridges: Data East Arcade 1 and Technos Arcade 1.

Most :

  • Can display 1080p

  • Receives updates over Wi-Fi

The lessers :

  • HDMI cable and transformer not included

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The Atari Flashback 9: back to the roots of video games

The Atari is surely the console recognized as being the first to settle massively in living rooms at the end of the 70s. It makes a resounding comeback in mini version with the Atari Flashback 9 containing no less than 110 games in its memory internal.

It comes with two wired sticks to recapture the vintage feel of titles like Space Invaders, Frogger, Indy 500 and more.

Most :

  • Huge amount of games included

  • The ability to play two

  • Save anytime and rewind when in trouble

The lessers :

  • HDMI cable is not included

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The Amiga A500 Mini: rediscover the first PC games

The Amiga was a computer which, too, was a great success and quickly settled in many homes.

It didn't take long to see games land on this machine and that's what this Mini version of the brand's A500 offers you to relive.

True reproduction with all the keys of the time, but supplied with a joystick to facilitate gaming, the Amiga computer allows you to find 25 games of the time.

Another World, Worms, Simon The Sorcerer, Alien Breed, California Games, Battle Chess and many more are waiting for you.

In addition to Amiga 500 games, the machine can also emulate A600 and A1200 titles.

And thanks to a USB key (not supplied) and the WHDLoad system, you will be able to download hundreds of Amiga games and demos from a PC in order to install them directly on your console.

Most :

  • Comes with gamepad and mouse

  • 3 USB ports

  • Tiny dimensions (25 x 7.8 x 17.7 cm)

The lessers :

  • A joystick would be more comfortable to play

  • Some lag on games emulated by WHDLoad

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The Commodore 64 Mini and its arcade sensations of the time

Many of today's developers learned to code on the Commodore computer in the early 80s. Many have played on it today.

And, to find timeless titles like the two Speedball, Cybernoid, Deflektor, the great classic California Games or Temple of Apshai Trilogy: nothing beats the C64 Mini.

You will find a faithful reproduction of the PC of the time with some modern adjustments.

In game, it is possible to apply a CRT filter to find the grain of old TVs on modern models.

Just like the possibility of playing in 4:3 or 16:9 format.

There are a total of 64 pre-installed games and a joystick comes with it for fun.

Most :

  • Possibility to program in BASIC on it

  • Installation and easy handling

  • Faithful reproduction

The lessers :

  • Joystick lacks flexibility

  • Some essential titles are missing

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The mini Arcade Pac-Man terminal to take everywhere

Pac-Man is undoubtedly THE symbol of 80s gaming. With its simple and addictive gameplay, it has won over entire generations of players.

Present both among players and in arcades, it is in this last format that you can find it, in miniature version of course.

This 17 cm high arcade terminal has a 2.75" LCD screen for a total weight of 430g. The buttons are, of course, perfectly functional and you will be able to play quietly with headphones on thanks to to the dedicated socket on the device.It works with 4 AAA batteries or a micro-USB cable on the mains.

Most :

  • The pocket size of the arcade cabinet

  • Seduces young and old

The lessers :

  • Batteries and cable are not included

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The Switch: access NES, Super NES and Nintendo 64 games

The Nintendo Switch is certainly a modern console, but it allows access to a vast catalog of NES, Super NES and Nintendo 64 games directly through its interface.

To do this, you must subscribe to the Nintendo Switch Online service (for the NES and Super NES) or to this same service and the additional pack (for the Nintendo 64.

Thus, you will have, directly on your main menu of the console, tabs for these three consoles.

You benefit from it with possibilities of saving at any time and of course you can play it both in portable mode and on the TV.

See the price on Amazon

How to choose the right retro console?

Quite simply depending on your affinity with a particular machine or games.

In order to rediscover the sensations of your childhood, or to discover titles that you have heard of without ever having been able to play them: you will naturally go to one or more consoles in particular.

Because in addition to being real gaming machines, they are also very beautiful collector's items to display on a shelf or TV stand.

When is a console considered retro?

Retrogaming is the practice of playing and/or collecting games from yesteryear.

Generally these are on machines which are no longer produced and which have gradually disappeared from merchants.

Thus, we could consider that more recent consoles, such as the PlayStation 3, the Wii or the Xbox 360 are part of retrogaming.

And that surely, in several years, the PlayStation 5 and the Xbox Series X will also be retro consoles.

Whether for their nostalgic aspect or for the collection, retrogaming consoles allow old games to find a second youth.

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