One of the questions I get most often is “how much money does it take to get started in retro gaming?” Or “can I get starting in retro gaming for X amount of money?” Well people I’ve got some good news for you, this post is going to all about how much money I think you’ll need to get started in the old school gaming collecting and enjoying hobby. First off there’s some assumptions I’m going to be making.
I’m assuming you’ve already got a television set you can use and all the comfortable seating and safe storage you’ll need to properly tend the equipment. Also things like electricity are kind of necessary and I’m assuming you’ve got them. Also we’re going to be working with just a one controller setup and only one game to start. You can build your collection of games up later and if you need an extra controller you can pick one up on the cheap, it’s not something you need to start with though so to keep costs down we’ll work with a one controller setup. We won’t be covering every game setup but let’s hit some of the favorites.
The classic 8-bit Nintendo entertainment system is highly coveted but also highly available due to high volume and durability. These systems typically can be had for less than fifty dollars with a control and either the Super Mario Brothers / Duck Hunt combo cartridge or if you’re lucky Super Mario Three. If it does come with the Duck Hunt game though you’ll probably have to pay another twenty bucks for the Nintendo Gun, just to warn ya. For fifty bucks though you can probably get your hands on a great 8-bit classic console and game. That’s cheap entertainment! What if you want to step up to the premium world of 16-bit Super Nintendo you’re asking?
That can cost you. In a second hand store I’d expect to see these go for around seventy
You can get top quality games like Donkey Kong Country on a budget!
five bucks with a game like Super Mario World. Sometimes they’ll let you pick your own game from the rack though and that can be your chance to get a real deal. If they’ve got something like Secret of Mana or Chrono Trigger, even something like Donkey Kong Country you can end up getting a SNES for about twenty five bucks, assuming the game is gratis of course. Either way you can get a decent game, system, and controller for under a hundred bucks and probably only seventy five. Super Nintendo is getting more popular with the old school gaming crowd though so these prices could be on their way up. The caddy of retro gaming though comes with a steep price.
From Golden Eye to Mario Kart the Nintendo 64 has something for everyone. This system works with up to four controllers right out of the box, but it only comes with one. So will out test system but to be honest you’re still likely to pay almost a hundred dollars or more for this system. That includes a game but these games can be expensive, especially the popular big name affairs. There are some other great games though that not everyone knows about yet. I’d recommend the new N64 buyer go with the Monkey Ball game. If you’ve never played it you’re in for a treat and if you have you’ll love the experience all over again. I don’t think you’ll have any problem finding this game and the system for under a hundred bucks and you won’t regret adding that to your collection. At least I wouldn’t