The ‘80s was considered a golden era of marketing to kids, and several decades later, those kids who spent their childhoods with Saturday morning cartoons and 8-bit consoles are fully-grown adults with jobs and responsibilities, maybe looking to recapture some of the joy of their youth. Nostalgia is now a big business, and retro gaming is more popular than ever.
Sticking a Game Boy in the hands of a 10-year-old raised on modern consoles will probably end in disappointment and confusion, but there’s undoubtedly some grownups on your holiday shopping list that are eager to take a walk down memory lane, especially if that lane is full of Goombas, Piranha Plants, and Koopa Troopas. Here are the best consoles, accessories, and novelty gadgets for gamers who want to go retro.
Analogue Pocket
Know someone with a stack of original Nintendo Game Boy, GBA, and Sega Game Gear cartridges they’re still hoarding, but with a decades-old handheld that’s dying a long, drawn-out death? Using special programmable chips that function exactly like the hardware inside those original handhelds did, the $US219 ($304) Analogue Pocket plays retro handheld games perfectly, with an LCD screen that emulates the appearance of older hardware, and a slot on the back that’s compatible with original game cartridges (so saved games from decades ago can be continued today).
Buy: Analogue Pocket
Miyoo Mini
For years, there’s been a steady of stream of handheld emulators pouring out of China: devices that look and feel like the original Nintendo Game Boy, but packed with software capable of playing thousands of retro games from countless systems. The $US64 ($89) Miyoo Mini was a surprise hit this year, perfectly balancing a small footprint with playable controls and a well-sized screen. It can play classic games from systems all the way back to the Atari and right up to the PS1, and while it’s better suited for retro gamers who are more technically proficient, it’s still very easy to use and enjoy.
Buy: Miyoo Mini
FunKey S
The original Nintendo Game Boy changed portable gaming forever, but it was kind of a beast, and just barely pocketable. The ~$US68 ($94) FunKey S is actually smaller than a Game Boy game cartridge, but through emulation, is capable of playing thousands of retro titles, including 3D games designed for the original PlayStation. It’s about as portable as a portable gaming machine can get while still actually being playable without leaving your hands painfully cramped.
Buy: FunKey S
Blaze Evercade EXP
We loved the original Evercade, because it made retro gaming incredibly easy for nostalgic gamers lacking a back catalogue of old game cartridges. Instead of having to source copies of games using potentially sketchy methods, the Evercade used its own cartridges, each featuring a collection of officially licensed classic retro titles. The $US150 ($208) Evercade EXP is the next generation of the handheld, which takes the same approach, but includes a better screen, bigger battery, faster processor, extra shoulder buttons, wifi for over-the-air software updates, and two additional action buttons, allowing the EXP to be used sideways for playing portrait oriented games in TATE mode.
Buy: Blaze Evercade EXP
Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch Lite
Both the Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch Lite can play the latest and greatest games from decades-old Nintendo franchises like The Legend of Zelda and Super Mario, but they both also have access to a sizeable collection of retro Nintendo titles from the NES, Super Nintendo, and now the N64 — including GoldenEye 007 — through the Switch Online service. The $US200 ($278) Switch Lite is the best option if you’re looking to be a generous gifter this holiday season, and you can guarantee that no one will be disappointed finding the $US350 ($486) Switch OLED, with its upgraded screen, under the tree.
Buy: Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch Lite, Nintendo Switch OLED.
Backbone One Controller for iPhone and Android
Modern smartphones are essentially pocket-friendly gaming systems with the big drawback of requiring players to rely on touchscreen controls. That’s far from ideal for retro games originally developed for gamepads, but you can easily turn a smartphone into a super-sized and super-powered Game Boy with the $US100 ($139) Backbone One controller, designed for most iPhones and Android smartphones. It uses an adjustable clamping mechanism that can expand to accommodate even larger devices, adding physical action buttons, analogue joysticks, a directional pad, and shoulder buttons to a touchscreen only device, with connectivity provided through the smartphone’s charging port.
Buy: Backbone One
8BitDo SN30 Pro
There are lots of wireless controllers out there now, including those shipped with the latest and greatest consoles, that can be also connected to smartphones for playing retro games through emulation. But if you’re looking for an authentic retro feel without the hassle of a cord, the $US45 ($62) 8Bitdo SN30 Pro looks and feels like the Super Nintendo’s excellent game pads, but with the modern convenience of wireless Bluetooth, and a pair of analogue sticks for playing modern games, too.
Buy: 8BitDo SN30 Pro
8BitDo Zero 2
Is there such thing as a gaming emergency? Of course there is! Think weddings, lectures, or disciplinary hearings. You don’t want someone to be caught unprepared and forced to while away the hours playing retro games on their smartphone using touch controls, do you? The $US20 ($28) 8BitDo Zero 2 shrinks and reduces a wireless Bluetooth gamepad to its bare minimum, while still providing properly sized controls so it’s comfortable to play with. The Zero 2 is even compatible with the Switch as a motion controller, while being as sleek and pocketable as a Zippo lighter.
Buy: 8BitDo Zero 2
Super Impulse Micro Arcades
Compared to the processors in today’s gaming machines, classic consoles were so underpowered that they can be recreated on credit card-sized handhelds thin enough to slip into a wallet, and that’s exactly what Super Impulse has done with its Micro Arcade lineup. Priced at around $US20 ($28) each, the handhelds feature classic games like Pac-Man, DigDug, Galaga, and even The Oregon Trail, playable on tiny full colour screens with all the sounds of the original games. These are the definition of stocking stuffers.
Buy: Super Impulse Micro Arcades
Nintendo Game & Watch: The Legend of Zelda and Super Mario Bros.
Longstanding video game companies like Nintendo are more than happy to sell you the same game again and again and again if it scratches a nostalgic. Classic titles like Super Mario Bros. and The Legend of Zelda have been reissued for countless platforms, but they’re somehow even more enjoyable on Nintendo’s $US50 ($69) handheld Game & Watch revivals, which now feature colour screens, rechargeable batteries, and a handful of retro Nintendo titles on each. If you can’t decide between the two, the Legend of Zelda version would be our pick, as it features Link’s Game Boy outing, one of the best in the series.
Buy: Nintendo Game & Watch: The Legend of Zelda and Super Mario Bros.
Nintendo Game Boy Digital Watch
Smartwatches are cool, but can the Apple Watch wake you up from a nap with an alarm that plays the Game Boy’s Super Mario Land theme? Spoiler alert: it can’t, so if you’ve got someone on your shopping list who devoted a good portion of their youth to the Game Boy, this $US26 ($36) retro digital watch from Paladone oozes with charm and limps along with functionality. It can tell the time, show you the day of the week, and reveal the date at the push of a button — that’s about it, but do you really need more with a tiny Game Boy replica strapped to your wrist?
Buy: Nintendo Game Boy Digital Watch
8BitDo N30 Wireless Charger for Mobile
Know someone who grew up obsessed with the NES but as an adult doesn’t have the time to revisit the favourite games of their youth? If work consumes most of their free time, they probably have a smartphone, and if they have a smartphone, they’ll appreciate this wireless charger that looks like a classic NES gamepad, but can instead be used to bring a dead phone back to life without a cable. The $US27 ($37) 8BitDo N30 Wireless Charger for Mobile doesn’t have real buttons and can’t be used to play games, but it does have a fun retro gaming Easter Egg adorning its charging pad: the classic Konami cheat code that every ‘80s kid still has memorized.