Originals and Modern Alternatives
Console gaming as we know it was built across roughly two decades — from the NES in 1983 to the PlayStation 2 in 2000. Those years produced some of the best games ever made, on hardware that was endlessly creative precisely because its limitations demanded it.
In 2026, you have more ways to revisit that era than ever before. Original hardware is widely available and still works. Mini consoles from Nintendo and Sega captured entire libraries in plug-and-play form. Evercade built a new cartridge ecosystem around officially licensed retro collections. And Analogue produces FPGA-based hardware that plays original cartridges with pixel-perfect accuracy that no software emulator quite matches.
Here’s how to approach each major console — original and modern alternative alike.
The NES
The machine that revived the games industry after the crash of 1983. Super Mario Bros, Mega Man, Castlevania, Metroid, Contra, Zelda — the NES library reads like a hall of fame, and for good reason. An enormous amount of what modern gaming takes for granted was invented here.
The Original
Original NES consoles appear regularly on eBay for £40–80 for tested working units. The main reliability issue is the 72-pin cartridge connector, which degrades over time and causes the notorious blinking screen. Replacement connectors are cheap and easy to fit. PAL NES games run slightly slower than their Japanese and US counterparts — worth knowing if you’re after the authentic experience rather than the authentic hardware.
Modern Alternatives
The NES Classic Mini was discontinued by Nintendo but still surfaces secondhand for around £50–80. It comes with 30 built-in games and HDMI output — a clean, simple option if you find one at a fair price. Search secondhand NES Classic Mini on Amazon UK.
For something premium, Nintendo Switch Online includes a growing NES library with the basic subscription (around £17.99/year). Most of the essentials are there, and it’s by far the most affordable route to the NES back catalogue.
The SNES
The high point of 2D gaming. The SNES library is extraordinary — Super Mario World, A Link to the Past, Super Metroid, Donkey Kong Country, Street Fighter II Turbo, Chrono Trigger, Final Fantasy VI. Console gaming doesn’t get much better than this generation, and these games hold up completely.
The Original
Working SNES consoles sell for £40–80 on eBay. Hardware is generally reliable — the SNES is one of the sturdier consoles of its era. Cartridge connectors can occasionally need cleaning but rarely fail outright. Complete-in-box games carry a significant price premium; loose cartridges are affordable for most titles.
Modern Alternatives
The SNES Classic Mini is discontinued but widely available secondhand for £60–100. Its 21-game library is excellent — both Donkey Kong Country games, Super Metroid, A Link to the Past — and HDMI output makes it immediately usable on any modern TV. Search secondhand SNES Classic Mini on Amazon UK.
Nintendo Switch Online with the Expansion Pack (around £34.99/year) includes a solid SNES library alongside NES and N64. For most people this is the easiest and most practical option.
For the premium approach: Analogue’s Super Nt is an FPGA-based SNES that plays original cartridges with complete accuracy, zero input lag, and modern HDMI output. Around £180 — expensive, but it’s the best way to play SNES games short of the original hardware on a CRT. Super Nt at analogue.co.
The Sega Mega Drive
Sega’s answer to the SNES and, for several years, a genuine rival. Sonic the Hedgehog, Streets of Rage 2, Gunstar Heroes, Castlevania: Bloodlines, Comix Zone — the Mega Drive had a distinct identity and a library that holds up far better than its reputation sometimes suggests. The six-button controller for fighting games remains one of the best D-pad controllers ever made.
The Original
The Mega Drive is one of the best value buys in retro gaming. Working consoles sell for £25–50 on eBay, cartridges are cheap and plentiful, and the hardware is extremely reliable. The Model 1 is considered to have slightly better audio; the Model 2 is more common and works just as well. A Mega Drive and a copy of Streets of Rage 2 can be yours for under £30 combined.
Modern Alternatives
The Mega Drive Mini 2 (around £79.99) improved on the original Mini with a better game selection, including Sonic CD and several Mega CD titles. Worth picking up if you find it at a fair price. Search Mega Drive Mini 2 on Amazon UK.
Nintendo Switch Online Expansion Pack includes a growing Mega Drive library — Sonic, Streets of Rage, Gunstar Heroes, and more. Good for dipping in; less satisfying than owning the hardware.
Analogue’s Mega Sg plays original Mega Drive cartridges via FPGA with HDMI output and zero lag. Around £180 — the premium option for Mega Drive purists who want modern display compatibility without compromise. Mega Sg at analogue.co.
The Sega Master System
Sega’s 8-bit console, which preceded the Mega Drive and competed with the NES. It outsold the NES significantly in Europe and Brazil, giving it a stronger legacy here than in the US. Alex Kidd in Miracle World, Sonic the Hedgehog (Master System), Phantasy Star, Wonder Boy — the Master System library has real gems, often overlooked because the NES dominates the conversation.
The Original
Working Master Systems are inexpensive — £20–40 on eBay is typical. Cartridges are affordable. It’s one of the most accessible entry points into retro gaming. Worth considering if the NES or Mega Drive feels too familiar.
Modern Alternatives
No dedicated modern Mini exists for the Master System. The Evercade ecosystem includes some Master System-adjacent Sega titles across its cartridge collections, but this is one where original hardware remains the clearest option.
The Nintendo 64
The N64 is genuinely divisive in retro gaming circles, and the arguments are fair in both directions. Its analogue stick has degraded badly on almost every surviving controller. Some of its biggest titles — Ocarina of Time, Mario 64, GoldenEye — remain landmark games. Others haven’t aged as well as the nostalgia suggests. It’s also one of the few consoles where a modern alternative has genuinely improved on the original.
The Original
Working N64 consoles sell for £40–70 on eBay. The most important thing to address is the controller — the original joystick degrades and develops significant stick drift. Hyperkin makes a well-regarded Hall Effect joystick replacement (around £20) that fixes this permanently and is one of the easiest controller mods available. Highly recommended before anything else. Hyperkin N64 joystick on Amazon UK.
Modern Alternatives
Nintendo Switch Online Expansion Pack includes a solid N64 library — Ocarina of Time, Mario 64, GoldenEye, F-Zero X, Majora’s Mask. Nintendo even released a wireless N64 controller for Switch (around £49.99) that replicates the original form factor. Nintendo N64 Switch controller on Amazon UK.
For the premium option, Analogue’s 3D console plays original N64 cartridges via FPGA, outputs 4K, and is widely regarded as the most accurate N64 experience available on a modern TV. Around £199. Expensive — but if N64 is your era, it’s the definitive hardware. Analogue 3D at analogue.co.
The PlayStation
The console that changed everything. Sony’s PlayStation made gaming mainstream in a way nothing had before — CD-ROM, third-party developer support, mature content, and a library that covered every genre at a level the cartridge-era consoles couldn’t match. Final Fantasy VII, Metal Gear Solid, Resident Evil, Tekken 3, Gran Turismo, Silent Hill — this is one of the greatest software libraries ever assembled.
The Original
Original PS1 consoles are widely available for £20–50. The main reliability concern is the disc drive — laser units degrade over time and can struggle to read discs. A working PS1 is still easy to find, but worth testing thoroughly before buying. Component-to-HDMI converters make connecting to a modern TV straightforward.
Modern Alternatives
The PlayStation Classic launched in 2018 with a limited 20-game library and underwhelming emulation quality. Sony discontinued it and it’s now only available secondhand for around £20–30. The retro homebrew community significantly improved it via custom firmware — if you find one cheaply and don’t mind a small amount of setup, it becomes a more capable machine than Sony shipped.
PlayStation Plus Premium includes a growing PS1 Classics catalogue covering Ape Escape, Wild Arms, Tekken 2, and others. The selection is more limited than Switch Online’s retro offering, but it’s improving. For the PS1 library specifically, original hardware remains the strongest option in 2026.
The Sega Saturn
Sega’s 32-bit console had a disastrous launch and was quickly overshadowed by the PlayStation, but its library contains some remarkable games — Panzer Dragoon Saga, Guardian Heroes, Radiant Silvergun, Virtua Fighter 2, and an exceptional 2D fighting game catalogue. It’s a collector’s console: hardware and games are more expensive than most, but the community around it is passionate and knowledgeable.
The Original
Working Saturns sell for £60–120 on eBay. Games can be expensive — especially RPGs and shooters, where prices have risen sharply. A region-free mod or an ODE (Optical Drive Emulator) like the MODE is commonly used by enthusiasts to expand the accessible library and sidestep disc drive reliability issues. Not a beginner console — but if you know what you’re after, it rewards the effort.
Modern Alternatives
There is no modern Mini Saturn and no official digital route to the Saturn library outside Japan. Emulation via PC is the most practical modern alternative, though Saturn emulation has historically been complex. Recent progress has improved accuracy significantly — Mednafen and Beetle Saturn are the emulators most worth looking at.
The Game Boy Family
The original Game Boy, Game Boy Color, and Game Boy Advance represent three generations of handheld gaming and collectively one of the greatest game libraries ever produced. Tetris, Link’s Awakening, Pokémon Red and Blue, Metroid Fusion, Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow — the handheld Nintendo output from 1989 to 2003 was extraordinary.
The Original
The Game Boy Advance SP is the most practical original hardware — backlit screen (look specifically for the AGS-101 model, which has a brighter screen than the original SP), plays original Game Boy and Game Boy Color cartridges, compact and robust. Sell for £40–80 depending on condition and model. One of the best buys in retro gaming full stop.
Modern Alternatives
The Analogue Pocket (around £219) is the gold standard — a premium FPGA handheld that plays original Game Boy, GBC, and GBA cartridges with pixel-perfect accuracy, a stunning 3.5-inch 1600×1440 display, and compatibility with cartridges from other handheld platforms via adapters. Widely considered the best handheld in the retro gaming market. Stock availability has improved but it’s worth checking before assuming you can order immediately. Analogue Pocket at analogue.co.
The Evercade EXP-R (around £99.99) takes a different approach — officially licensed physical cartridge collections covering Atari, Capcom, Namco, Codemasters, and many others. Over 600 games across 60+ cartridge packs. No ROM hunting, no setup, just insert and play. A TATE mode rotates the screen 90 degrees for vertical arcade shooters. Not a Game Boy replacement, but the best legal cartridge-based handheld available at this price. Evercade EXP-R on Amazon UK | Evercade at Funstock.
The Sega Dreamcast
Sega’s final console, and one of the most beloved. The Dreamcast was ahead of its time — online gaming via dial-up, a VMU memory card with its own screen, and a library that included Shenmue, Jet Set Radio, Phantasy Star Online, Soul Calibur, and Crazy Taxi. It was discontinued in 2001, but its reputation has only grown since. Sega never made a better console.
The Original
Dreamcast hardware is widely available for £30–70. GD-ROM drives can struggle with age, but the console is generally well-built and still widely supported by the homebrew community. Notably, the Dreamcast can run burned GD-ROMs without any hardware modification — which makes the full library more accessible than most consoles of its era. There is no modern Mini Dreamcast and no official digital Dreamcast library, making original hardware the primary route.
The Best Multi-Platform Option — Evercade
If you want a single modern system that covers the widest range of retro gaming legally and without a ROM collection to manage, Evercade is the answer. The ecosystem spans a handheld (EXP-R, around £99.99), a home console (VS-R, around £79.99), and a range of mini bartop arcade cabinets — all sharing the same cartridge library. For limited editions and exclusive bundles, Funstock is the place to go.
Over 600 games across publishers including Atari, Capcom, Namco, Codemasters, Bitmap Brothers, and Toaplan. Physical cartridges with printed manuals in proper boxes. No grey areas, no setup headaches. It won’t replace your Mega Drive or your SNES — but as a companion system for everything the official routes don’t cover, it’s genuinely excellent.
Already sorted your console? Check our Best Retro Console Games 2026 guide for what to play first, or our Retro Controllers guide for the best gamepads for classic gaming.