Readers reveal the oldest retro devices they still play games on, from old consoles to a 1978 Space Invaders coin-op.
The subject for this week’s Hot Topic was inspired by reader Rackam, who asked what’s the oldest piece of original hardware you still have in working order? How long have you had it for and is it still working as well now as it did originally?
There were a lot of interesting answers to the question, ranging from relatively recent home consoles, like the Wii, to ancient devices like the ZX Spectrum, although portable consoles proved to be the most likely retro hardware to still be in general use.
Work benefits
Well, I have lots of old gaming systems, but whether they get used or not since the arrival of mini-consoles is debatable.
However, I do still use my Nintendo DS for puzzle gaming, like Picross, and we got our Wii out recently for Super Mario Galaxy 1 and 2 and the wonderful Resident Evil 4, but also to delve back further and play GameCube titles like Skies Of Arcadia and Burnout 2.
Prior to the mini-consoles though, the SNES also got a regular airing, which still works handsomely and is a testament to the build quality of old consoles. We also have a fully working Mega Drive at work that we have matches on Mega Bomberman and Micro Machines on during break times.
Happiness all round!
ZiPPi
Portable paradise
Thanks to having a penchant for handheld consoles, I still regularly play on older hardware, made all the easier being able to buy games for them from the high street (mainly CeX) and online. The consoles I play on the most are probably the DS and 3DS, which are still so portable and easy to slip into a pocket compared to the Nintendo Switch. Just this week I was playing Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney – Justice for All and not long ago completed Super Princess Peach which, like many on the formats, is exclusive to it.
I did dabble in getting some lesser-known portable consoles from yesteryear, which I detailed here, but also have a PlayStation Vita and have played and finished some old classics on that, including Silent Hill, Patapon, and Suikoden.
The portability, great battery life, and sheer breadth of game catalogues for the aforementioned consoles means I’ll continue to play them for the foreseeable too!
Paul Conry
Full control
The oldest hardware I still use is my GameCube, which I got in summer 2002. It still works perfectly, the only problem being the analogue sticks on the controllers are starting to crack a little (although I may order new parts soon). After moving around over the last six years or so, due to work, I’ve not had much chance to play it other than at Christmas, when I was at my parent’s house where it was stored. Now I have finally settled somewhere, and I am looking forward to replaying the GameCube’s excellent library.
I also own the Classic Mini NES, SNES, and Mega Drive and while not old hardware, most of these games are still totally playable, especially the SNES with the nice big sprites.
For me the only hardware part that matters are the controllers. I’ve played Game Boy Advance games on my laptop using keyboard, but this just isn’t the same as having the original feel.
My ideal situation would be having access to all (and I mean all) of Nintendo and Sega’s back catalogue on Switch with a Game Pass model and the ability to buy retro controllers for the service. Alas, I think we will only ever get a piecemeal offering of a retro service from Nintendo and Sega.
Barry
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Yearly treat
I currently have my PlayStation 5 as my only console set-up to use at this moment in time. As the PlayStation 5 gives me digital access to some old games I have a lesser need to keep multiple consoles in my set-up. However, once a year I do go on a retro trip and set-up all my old consoles. My oldest home console? PlayStation 2. I setup my PlayStation 2 and PlayStation 3, as they still have exclusive games for those consoles only. I suppose portables are different, as I still own a Game Boy Color, PS Vita, and PSP but I no longer use them anymore, or at least not much.
With all the mini-consoles and downloadable games I don’t need to have my original NES, Mega Drive, and PS1. PlayStation 2 and 3 play PS1 games so everything is covered. Over the years I did own and then sell my GameCube, original Xbox, Xbox 360, and Dreamcast. I just found multiple consoles pricey, as you have so many games to buy. Out of them all, I do wish I still had my Dreamcast.
Matt Riddle
Preferred peripherals
Oh wow, what a great topic. Well, I guess it depends how you look at it, whether I still have it and it works, or whether it still gets used…
The oldest piece of gaming in my house that still works and is occasionally used is my wife’s ZX Spectrum 48K that we get out of the loft every few years to try. Complete with old tape deck and games on cassette, and Kempston joystick. It’s not used regularly, as emulation is so easy, but it does get used occasionally. The Spectrum was released in ‘82, I would guess this particular one is mid 80s? So approaching 40 years old!
The Wii is still set up under the TV ready to go, but to be honest it doesn’t really get used anymore.
As for peripherals, I retired my old Logitech Driving Force GT wheel about three months ago, after probably 13 years good service. It still works fine, but I wanted a clutch pedal and H-pattern shifter. It will probably be on eBay soon. I’ve also got my first ever force feedback wheel: a Logitech Wingman Formula Force GP. That’s got to be at least 20 years old!
My mouse I use for first person shooter gaming and the like, a Logitech Performance MX, was released in 2009 and I got it shortly after that – so that’s probably 12 years old. Still a great mouse, so why replace it?
I still have an Xbox 360 wired controller that will come out if needed for a four-player Overcooked session.
My Nvidia Shield K1 tablet from 2015 still gets regularly used thanks to its fantastic Gamestream facility, meaning I can stream PC games to my TV in the living room – so no console needed for living room gaming. It’s also my main emulation machine. The battery is on its last legs, but for now it’s still going!
Then we have stuff that I still have, that should work but never gets used:
My old Amiga 500. Bought in 1990 when I got my first proper job at 16 years old. I loved that machine, but it probably doesn’t count here as I haven’t used it for years.
A Game Boy Advance (alas, not my original 1990 Game Boy – no idea what happened to that). So when was that? I reckon I got it about 2004, so that’s 18 years old.
The PlayStation 2 is in the loft, but still works as far as I am aware. I did get that quite late though, probably 2004-ish. That’s along with multitap and four controllers, although most of the controllers are rubbish third party ones. I may get it down and fire up Burnout split-screen action!
I’ve got a 3DS knocking about somewhere too.
I do try and squeeze as much out of hardware as possible.
Wow… so many devices, and that doesn’t include the ones that have vanished over the years!
Great memories… It’s a bit scary how much I’ve spent on gaming in my lifetime. That doesn’t even cover GPUs, monitors, etc.
As you can tell I’ve been gaming a looong time!
The Dude Abides
No space
I’ve got two but simply because I don’t know the dates I have to include both. I still use my PlayStation 2 and Wii consoles. The Wii is the most used as me and the kids play Mario Party and Wii Sports on it fairly regularly.
The PlayStation 2 comes out when I feel like God Of War pre-emotional breakthrough. I’ve also modded it so I can play PS1 games on it via the hard drive and Free McBoot. I’d love to have it out all the time but until I can consolidate my Xboxes I don’t have the space to leave it out. Until such time it has to sit under my bed with its younger brother, the PlayStation 3.
The modded PlayStation 2 can also now output to HD quality but, again, I don’t have the HDMI space for it and haven’t bought the required cable adapter.
Bobwallett
Nostalgic hording
I have a fair amount of older hardware in my house; however, I’ve got to be honest I don’t exactly use them too often. I’ve still got my Game Boy Advance and DS, but these being small pieces of kit it’s easy enough to stick them in a cupboard and bring them out on a few occasions throughout the year. It’s the original PlayStation, and by extension the CRT, that’s the harder piece(s) to justify keeping around, since while the console is small (I have the slim version) the TV is large, and I have to admit spends more time collecting dust than it does showing images of Lara Croft and Sir Daniel Fortesque.
It probably doesn’t help that the cables the console originally came with are on their last legs, there’s a lot of wiggling involved to get the power supply in the right position so it doesn’t turn off mid-game. I should probably look into getting a replacement. Even so I’m not sure how much this would encourage me to play with the console more often, but nostalgia is a strong force preventing me from getting rid of both the console and the TV.
Sunny
The classic
I own an original 1978 Taito Space Invaders arcade machine, which I still play fairly regularly. I bought it on eBay, with no idea how to get it home! I asked on Facebook if anyone with a van could help me fetch it from its previous owner 10 miles away. A guy with a hatchback said he’d do it for £25. It turned out that only the top half of the machine would fit in his car, so we had to drive back with half a Space Invaders machine sticking out the back of his car!
It only cost me £260, which was a bargain, however it didn’t work. I contacted someone online who repairs printed circuit boards, and I sent it off to him. A few weeks later he returned it to me and I put it back in the machine and it worked. It hasn’t let me down since, although the picture on the monitor rolls for a few minutes until it has warmed up.
I’m pretty good on it, and can ‘clock’ the score, which means that the score only goes up to 9,999 then returns to zero. I have since bought another 10 arcade machines, but Invaders is the oldest at 44 years.
Tim Keeling
Never again
My oldest hardware would be a Mega Drive (1). But it isn’t my original as I foolishly traded that and all my games in for an N64 back in the day. I then foolishly traded my N64 and all my games in for an Xbox at launch.
I never got a fortune for either console, yet it cost me more than any money I could have made. As such, I’ve not traded in a console since. I could probably do away with the old Xbox at this point, to be fair, although it still works. I stupidly traded in the likes of Project Gotham Racing 2 a long time ago, however. Some people never learn…
But I digress. The replacement Mega Drive that I bought from GameStation 15-odd years ago does indeed still work, and I’ve bought a handful of the games again, over the years, off eBay, including my absolute favourite on the system: Micro Machines Turbo Tournament ’96! I can confirm it remains a cracker.
The Mega Drive Minis have given me access to enough of the games that I’ve not felt the need to look for original copies for a while.
Other than that, I still dip into my Nintendo DS, 3DS, and, less often, Game Boy Advance. Yep, I had traded in a bunch of the Game Boy Advance games. Plus, we even gave my wife’s old SNES away to a friend!
Young me really hated the idea of future me enjoying life, what with all the trading in, poor diet, and lack of exercise.
I don’t play any of these old machines as often as I’d like though. Unfortunately, life insists on getting in the way.
FoximusPrime81 (gamertag/NN ID/Twitter)
Sentimental value
I still own a working PlayStation 2 Slim, despite the fact that most of the games I enjoy on it, e.g. Devil May Cry and Resident Evil 4, are available on more up-to-date hardware. It’s for purely sentimental reasons that I haven’t got rid of my PlayStation 2, as after becoming disabled, it was on this console that gaming became a very special pastime for me.
I also own and regularly play on a Game Boy Advance SP, as some of the games I enjoy on it, e.g. 2003’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles by Konami, are not available on the more current formats I own. I still have a lot of love for the little guy – such a great little handheld!
LastYearsModel
In storage
I know around my house I have kept all of my previous consoles and computers but whether all will work now – who knows! But they are covered up and keeping dust free. But would I set them up again? Probably not for the foreseeable future.
I last played the Super Nintendo a few years ago on an old television, to play Terranigma due to the accessibility of this game which is hard to come by and no modern updates or ported versions exist. So the old SNES cartridge will have to do for now. Also, Illusion Of Gaia, the first of the games, was played around the same time.
As with a lot of gamers nowadays, with access to retro games on modern consoles and PC ported versions, that is how I will do it for now. Though my old Game Boy, Game Boy Advance, and DS still charge up and are much easier to have for a pickup and play session. And if it wasn’t for all of the indie games available on laptop or iOS then I’d pick up my handhelds more often.
It’s good to know I have the option of setting up a retro console to an old school television with not too much hassle. And in all honesty, the older the console the more likely it is to work due to the solid mechanical makeup and simplicity of the internal processors, which continue to work despite their age. Quite something really, the simpler it is the longer it lasts.
Alucard
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