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Aren't people interested with that kind of retro console really more interested in scoring an Sony Trinitron and the original console in the second hand market

Aren't people interested with that kind of retro console really more interested in scoring an Sony Trinitron and the original console in the second hand market instead? I don't see the newer generation getting suddenly attracted by the primitive graphics. Only the nostalgic, hardcore retro gamers do really care about that. And these are the kind of people who want the exact real experience, which mean using a CRT TV/monitor and the real machine. Only concession they sometimes do is using a cartdridge with sdcard support. And it is not like those old Ataris are rare and difficult to find which would justify the existence of alternatives. I see a few ones available for around ~50€ in the local market, less than half the price of that thing.

vikingerik 3y ago
Some are, some aren't. I happily got the NES and SNES retro consoles when they came out and I play them on a modern TV or monitor. I don't care about the CRT scanlines and artifacting. (I do care about a CRT's lagless instant response time, which is an issue for some games. I do have HDMI monitors with as low lag time as you can get.) The old Atari consoles are common, but it's hit and miss as to whether they work well or at all, particularly the power supply and also the controllers. It's reasonable to spend a few bucks on some modern hardware if you want. I probably wouldn't play Atari games quite enough to justify it myself.
- kevstev 3y ago
  This might be very subjective, but NES games were actually enjoyable. 2600 era games, while they were enjoyable for the time, were instantly obsoleted IMHO once the NES came around and you had games with stories, no matter how thin, and endings and such. The whole "high score" era of games, I personally have no interest in going back to those at all. Maybe one or two games of Grand Prix and River Raid, but I know I would get bored really quick.
  - erickhill 3y ago
    I'd recommend some of the 2-player games, like Combat.
layer8 3y ago
CRT monitors being out of production is the single biggest impediment to authentic retro gaming. It just doesn’t look anywhere near the same on a modern display, unless maybe if you use the most advanced CRT shaders on a high-powered PC with a 4K+ display, and then you still have the higher latency.
- anonymousiam 3y ago
  I got one of these four years ago so I could use an old VCR with a modern TV. Works great! Amazon shows no longer available, but similar products can be found for about $10. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07QPS7BK8 https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07QPS7BK8
  - aidenn0 3y ago
    Nobody's having issues connecting them to modern TVs, the issue is they don't look even remotely the same.
    - anonymousiam 3y ago
      Well, maybe nobody here is having issues, but right now I own only one monitor with a composite video input. None of the other dozen TVs and monitors I own have one. Fortunately most DTVs can still display NTSC RF, so that's also an option for old equipment.
    - layer8 3y ago
      Here are some pictures that illustrate the difference: https://wackoid.com/game/10-pictures-that-show-why-crt-tvs-are-better-for-gaming/ https://wackoid.com/game/10-pictures-that-show-why-crt-tvs-a...
      - aidenn0 3y ago
        And here's some retro-arch shader comparisons: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s4QOHe4bOZc https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s4QOHe4bOZc
guiambros 3y ago
I have the original one (a heavy sixer), but connecting to a modern TV is a bit of a pain. I installed the modchip and have hi-def HDMI-to-Component adapter, and colors are still off, and overall image has some artifacts. I think the 2600+ hits a sweet spot for nostalgic GenX-ers who don't want the hassle of making a 50+ yr-old console working with modern TVs. Plus, at $129, it's actually cheaper than buying a used console + converters.
jedberg 3y ago
I have many HDMI TVs, but no CRT (nor the space). I would consider this just for the HDMI connection, since I still have my old collection of games and controllers lying around. Getting my original console connected to HDMI doesn't really work.

vikingerik 3y ago

Some are, some aren't. I happily got the NES and SNES retro consoles when they came out and I play them on a modern TV or monitor. I don't care about the CRT scanlines and artifacting. (I do care about a CRT's lagless instant response time, which is an issue for some games. I do have HDMI monitors with as low lag time as you can get.) The old Atari consoles are common, but it's hit and miss as to whether they work well or at all, particularly the power supply and also the controllers. It's reasonable to spend a few bucks on some modern hardware if you want. I probably wouldn't play Atari games quite enough to justify it myself.

kevstev 3y ago
This might be very subjective, but NES games were actually enjoyable. 2600 era games, while they were enjoyable for the time, were instantly obsoleted IMHO once the NES came around and you had games with stories, no matter how thin, and endings and such. The whole "high score" era of games, I personally have no interest in going back to those at all. Maybe one or two games of Grand Prix and River Raid, but I know I would get bored really quick.
- erickhill 3y ago
  I'd recommend some of the 2-player games, like Combat.

layer8 3y ago

CRT monitors being out of production is the single biggest impediment to authentic retro gaming. It just doesn’t look anywhere near the same on a modern display, unless maybe if you use the most advanced CRT shaders on a high-powered PC with a 4K+ display, and then you still have the higher latency.

anonymousiam 3y ago
I got one of these four years ago so I could use an old VCR with a modern TV. Works great! Amazon shows no longer available, but similar products can be found for about $10. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07QPS7BK8 https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07QPS7BK8
- aidenn0 3y ago
  Nobody's having issues connecting them to modern TVs, the issue is they don't look even remotely the same.
  - anonymousiam 3y ago
    Well, maybe nobody here is having issues, but right now I own only one monitor with a composite video input. None of the other dozen TVs and monitors I own have one. Fortunately most DTVs can still display NTSC RF, so that's also an option for old equipment.
  - layer8 3y ago
    Here are some pictures that illustrate the difference: https://wackoid.com/game/10-pictures-that-show-why-crt-tvs-are-better-for-gaming/ https://wackoid.com/game/10-pictures-that-show-why-crt-tvs-a...
    - aidenn0 3y ago
      And here's some retro-arch shader comparisons: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s4QOHe4bOZc https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s4QOHe4bOZc

guiambros 3y ago

I have the original one (a heavy sixer), but connecting to a modern TV is a bit of a pain. I installed the modchip and have hi-def HDMI-to-Component adapter, and colors are still off, and overall image has some artifacts. I think the 2600+ hits a sweet spot for nostalgic GenX-ers who don't want the hassle of making a 50+ yr-old console working with modern TVs. Plus, at $129, it's actually cheaper than buying a used console + converters.

jedberg 3y ago

I have many HDMI TVs, but no CRT (nor the space). I would consider this just for the HDMI connection, since I still have my old collection of games and controllers lying around. Getting my original console connected to HDMI doesn't really work.