The comeback of retro gaming


Do you remember the very first console you ever played as a kid? Depending on your age, this could be anything from the Amiga, through to the NES, SNES, Mega Drive and PlayStation One. Perhaps even the PS2?! Either way, every gamer remembers the first controller they ever held in their hand.

The first games they ever spent hours of their lives completing. And the first games they couldn’t complete! With rapidly changing technology, consoles are becoming even more advanced and exciting. So, why are we suddenly all going back to our retro consoles?

The best retro consoles

Let’s kick off with a little look at some of the best retro consoles we ever played. The NES and SNES were certainly up there as some of the most epic – and memorable. With games like James Pond, Super Mario World, The Legend of Zelda and Secret of Mana, there are plenty of characters we still know and love today.

Then, of course, there were the SEGA offerings. The Mega Drive brought us classics such as the Sonic games, Streets of Rage, Earthworm Jim and Golden Axe. As we got older, we were introduced to handheld consoles such as the Gameboy which introduced us to games like Tetris (which we’re still useless at) and, of course, the mighty Pokemon.

Let’s not forget the incredible N64 which was built for multiplayer (and Goldeneye), the Dreamcast which created cult-classics such as Shenmue, and then the PlayStation One. A console that would change the gaming world in a big way, with better sound, graphics, and a huge catalog of games for us to sink our teeth into.

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The comeback of retro gaming

The comeback

Over the last decade or so, we’ve seen Sony, Microsoft, and (occasionally) Nintendo all fighting against each other to create the world’s best console. Bigger memories, better graphics, game exclusives, higher processing speeds, more online functions; they’ve all tried to outdo each other to create the very best console. However, for the last 5-10 years, people have been turning away from the newer consoles in favor or something else. Their retro consoles.

Just one quick look on eBay will bring up thousands of results for all of the old classic consoles, some going for a small fortune if they’re boxed and come with games. However, it’s not just collectors that are snapping these up – it’s Generation X’ers and Millennials.

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The comeback of retro gaming

Why the retro gaming revival?

Anyone born between the mid-80s and mid-90s will notice something odd happening over the last few years. We’ve all become nostalgic for the things we had when we were growing up. The 90s trends have been making a comeback in a big way, as is shown by the many band revivals we’ve seen recently – even our favorite movies and TV shows are getting reboots.

We’re the generation of nostalgia, and we are shunning newfangled consoles in favor of playing all of the old classics again. Inviting our friends round for a Mario Kart tournament, getting lost in hours of Pokemon again, and even trying (and failing) at getting to the end of Golden Axe. We are all craving the simple pleasures we had when growing up, with retro gaming being at the top of our list.

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The comeback of retro gaming

It’s time to raid your attic (or eBay) for all of those classic consoles, dust them off, and fire them up again. Get lost in hours of games that you played as a kid, invite your friends round for Goldeneye split screen, or try to beat your high score at Tetris. Not only does it remind us of better times, but it’s good for the soul too. Trust us, it’s the era of retro gaming.


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