Classic Consoles buying guide

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Classic Consoles

Video games are well into their fourth decade of existence, and as we enter a new generation of consoles, there's no better time to take a look back and pay tribute to those systems that blazed the trail for the current market. You'll find systems have come a long way since their 1970s infancy. For shoppers, retro gaming is the way to go to get your hands on cheap, nostalgic consoles and games. Shopwiki offers links to sellers that sell old-school game systems. After you buy your classic console, you'll need games to play. Check out the Shopwiki guide to Classic Console Games.

Most Popular

Nintendo Entertainment System : Bursting on the scene in 1985, the NES revolutionized home gaming and set the stage for the renaissance to come. It seemed as though virtually every home in America had an NES in the 1980s. The original model was subject to breaking, and Nintendo released a tough-to-find top-loading version in the early 1990s.

Super Nintendo : In 1991 Nintendo released a system that made nearly as big a splash as its predecessor. With double the power of the NES, the Super Nintendo waged war against the Sega Genesis and ushered in a parade of more mature and complex titles, including the legendary launch game, Super Mario World.

Sega Genesis : Sega's vicious battle for the hearts and minds of young gamers escalated in 1989, when its sleek, black system threw down the gauntlet against the much weaker NES. Franchise such as Altered Beast and Sonic the Hedgehog made waves, and the rounded controller design was a true advancement.

Commodore 64 : Computer gaming began in earnest in 1983, when the Commodore 64 was released, providing fairly cheap, unique games for home play. Boulderdash and Ghosts and Goblins were among the many influential titles released for the system.

Handhelds

GameBoy : Four years after establishing dominance in the home console market, Nintendo seized control of the handheld realm with this device. Released in 1989, the GameBoy was practically a portable NES, only without colorful pictures. The GameBoy hues ranged only from light green to dark green.

Virtual Boy : For the Nintendo behemoth, the next logical step was to conquer the realm of 3-D technology, but the company went about it in the wrong way, rushing the Virtual Boy out in 1995 before it was market-ready. You played by looking through a visor that rendered 3-D images in a manner similar to 3-D movies. The system lasted only a year before Nintendo mercifully pulled the plug.

Lynx : Atari's stab at taking on the GameBoy came in the Lynx, which featured stronger graphics than the GameBoy and a color screen. The Lynx collapsed shortly after is 1989 release because so few games were released for it. Nintendo threw its weight around, urging publishers to shun the Lynx.

Game Gear : Sega entered the handheld fray in 1991, stomping out the Lynx but falling far behind the dominant GameBoy. The Game Gear benefitted from Sega's respectable stable of franchises, as well as stunning (for the era) graphics and sound. The Game Gear stuck it out for a long battle before Sega stopped production in 1997.

The Originals

Pong : Atari pioneered home video gaming with a simple yet brilliant concept in 1972: players controlled small stick-shaped avatars to simulate rackets knocking an electronic ball back and forth across a court. Pong was also a success in the arcades.

Atari 2600 : Riding its momentum from Pong and its several sequels and expansions, Atari launched the 2600 in 1977, offering a lineup of games that blew Pong away in terms of graphics and complexity. Players could now compete in other sports, as well as puzzle, adventure and strategy games

ColecoVision : Electronics company Coleco pushed the envelope in 1982, seeking to bring home the arcade experience and leave Atari's weaker lineup in the dust. The ColecoVision was riddled with bugs and hiccups, but in its day it was the hottest system going.

Intellivision : Toymaker Mattel jumped into the early console wars in 1980, competing head-on with Atari by making games with more elaborate looks and controls. The system also pushed the boundaries of what was possible at the time, attempting a save-cartridge system as well as voice recognition.

Obscure Systems

Jaguar : This was the system that drove Atari out of the console-making business for good. Released in 1993 with hopes of burying the Super Nintendo and Sega Genesis, the Jaguar claimed to boast four times the graphical definition and processing power of either of its rival systems. Players shied away from the $250 price point and struggled to sell. It was buried -- along with the SNES and Genesis -- by Sony's PlayStation in 1995.

Sega Saturn : With the Sony juggernaut about to change the balance of power in 1995, Sega rushed out its follow-up to the successful Genesis. Although the Saturn beat the PlayStation out of the gate by a couple months, and started strongly in sales thanks to the Sega buyer base, developers found the system too inconvenient to program for, and the system fizzled out by 1998.

TurboGrafX 16 : NEC released the system in 1989, boasting 16-bit graphics to trump the 8-bit NES and match the Genesis. The TurboGrafX 16 led the way into the CD era, becoming the first system to use the new system instead of cartridges. Clunky overall design and high prices led to the system's demise in the early 1990s.

3DO : A powerful but ill-conceived addition to the flooded console market of the 1990s, the 3DO came out in 1993 and boasted games on CD. Priced at some stores between $700 and $800, the system strived to be an audio-visual dynamo, but its games were too weak to drive sales. This was another PlayStation casualty.

External Links

GameSpot -- One of the top gaming resources on the net.
IGN -- Covers video games as well as the rest of the entertainment world.
Game Informer -- An excellent video game magazine's home page.
Classic Gaming Museum -- Browse through the video game systems of the past.

Most Popular

Nintendo Entertainment System : Bursting on the scene in 1985, the NES revolutionized home gaming and set the stage for the renaissance to come. It seemed as though virtually every home in America had an NES in the 1980s. The original model was subject to breaking, and Nintendo released a tough-to-find top-loading version in the early 1990s.	Super Nintendo : In 1991 Nintendo released a system that made nearly as big a splash as its predecessor. With double the power of the NES, the Super Nintendo waged war against the Sega Genesis and ushered in a parade of more mature and complex titles, including the legendary launch game, Super Mario World.	Sega Genesis : Sega's vicious battle for the hearts and minds of young gamers escalated in 1989, when its sleek, black system threw down the gauntlet against the much weaker NES. Franchise such as Altered Beast and Sonic the Hedgehog made waves, and the rounded controller design was a true advancement.	Commodore 64 : Computer gaming began in earnest in 1983, when the Commodore 64 was released, providing fairly cheap, unique games for home play. Boulderdash and Ghosts and Goblins were among the many influential titles released for the system.

Handhelds

GameBoy : Four years after establishing dominance in the home console market, Nintendo seized control of the handheld realm with this device. Released in 1989, the GameBoy was practically a portable NES, only without colorful pictures. The GameBoy hues ranged only from light green to dark green.	Virtual Boy : For the Nintendo behemoth, the next logical step was to conquer the realm of 3-D technology, but the company went about it in the wrong way, rushing the Virtual Boy out in 1995 before it was market-ready. You played by looking through a visor that rendered 3-D images in a manner similar to 3-D movies. The system lasted only a year before Nintendo mercifully pulled the plug.	Lynx : Atari's stab at taking on the GameBoy came in the Lynx, which featured stronger graphics than the GameBoy and a color screen. The Lynx collapsed shortly after is 1989 release because so few games were released for it. Nintendo threw its weight around, urging publishers to shun the Lynx.	Game Gear : Sega entered the handheld fray in 1991, stomping out the Lynx but falling far behind the dominant GameBoy. The Game Gear benefitted from Sega's respectable stable of franchises, as well as stunning (for the era) graphics and sound. The Game Gear stuck it out for a long battle before Sega stopped production in 1997.

The Originals

Pong : Atari pioneered home video gaming with a simple yet brilliant concept in 1972: players controlled small stick-shaped avatars to simulate rackets knocking an electronic ball back and forth across a court. Pong was also a success in the arcades.	Atari 2600 : Riding its momentum from Pong and its several sequels and expansions, Atari launched the 2600 in 1977, offering a lineup of games that blew Pong away in terms of graphics and complexity. Players could now compete in other sports, as well as puzzle, adventure and strategy games	ColecoVision : Electronics company Coleco pushed the envelope in 1982, seeking to bring home the arcade experience and leave Atari's weaker lineup in the dust. The ColecoVision was riddled with bugs and hiccups, but in its day it was the hottest system going.	Intellivision : Toymaker Mattel jumped into the early console wars in 1980, competing head-on with Atari by making games with more elaborate looks and controls. The system also pushed the boundaries of what was possible at the time, attempting a save-cartridge system as well as voice recognition.

Obscure Systems

Jaguar : This was the system that drove Atari out of the console-making business for good. Released in 1993 with hopes of burying the Super Nintendo and Sega Genesis, the Jaguar claimed to boast four times the graphical definition and processing power of either of its rival systems. Players shied away from the $250 price point and struggled to sell. It was buried -- along with the SNES and Genesis -- by Sony's PlayStation in 1995.	Sega Saturn : With the Sony juggernaut about to change the balance of power in 1995, Sega rushed out its follow-up to the successful Genesis. Although the Saturn beat the PlayStation out of the gate by a couple months, and started strongly in sales thanks to the Sega buyer base, developers found the system too inconvenient to program for, and the system fizzled out by 1998.	TurboGrafX 16 : NEC released the system in 1989, boasting 16-bit graphics to trump the 8-bit NES and match the Genesis. The TurboGrafX 16 led the way into the CD era, becoming the first system to use the new system instead of cartridges. Clunky overall design and high prices led to the system's demise in the early 1990s.	3DO : A powerful but ill-conceived addition to the flooded console market of the 1990s, the 3DO came out in 1993 and boasted games on CD. Priced at some stores between $700 and $800, the system strived to be an audio-visual dynamo, but its games were too weak to drive sales. This was another PlayStation casualty.