Like Barbie dolls, G.I. G.I. Joe figures, Star Wars toys and any number other pop culture playthings that captivated so many children in their youth, have made classic video games a very popular commodity on the collector's marketplace. Conventions like the Classic Gaming Expo have sprouted all over the globe, bringing thousands of fans to marvel at the dealer rooms filled with nostalgic goodness. The items for sale usually include older games in their original packaging, rare systems like the Adventure Vision or the RCA Studio II, boxes with common (and therefore inexpensive) Atari 2600 cartridges and new "home brew", (produced by enthusiasts), vintage handheld electronic gaming, back issues and more.
Best Starsector Mods - Ten years ago, you could find classic video games at flea markets and garage sales. But these days it is almost impossible to find them (at least not for pre-Nintendo games). This is due to the rise of online sellers, the perceived value and scarcity of older games. If you can't attend a convention but still want to enjoy the simple yet challenging joys of retro-gaming then eBay and other used game sites are the best options. To compare prices across all these used video game sites, you can use a used game search (see the resource box below). A number of offline resources can be used to give gamers an idea of what to expect when searching online for a particular title. These include Video Game Collector (a quarterly magazine that includes a price guide), Atari Age, which is a comprehensive Atari website, and various digital collector's guides from Digital Press.
The best way to enjoy any of the classic video games is to get the originals along with all the cartridges, controllers and other peripherals. Nothing beats hooking up a ColecoVision to a 19 inch television set and plugging in a Roller Controller trackball, a Centipede or Slither cartridge. You can blast away at bugs, mushrooms, snakes, and cacti for hours. You can also boot up an Atari 2600 to play Video Olympics (a collection if Pong variants), with up three other players, using Atari's amazing rotary paddle controllers.
Some gamers find it difficult to buy and install old video games. Casual gamers may also enjoy a nostalgic experience, but only want to sample the past. There are many retro collections for modern consoles and computers, including Intellivision Lives! Activision Anthology (containing more than 60 titles) and Atari Anthology (16 Atari 2600 and 18 Atari arcade titles) are some of the collections. Unfortunately, the compilation discs for most other Golden Age systems (including the Odyssey2 and the Atari 5200) are not available. However, many systems can be downloaded online and played on hundreds of classic console games.
There are many other ways to enjoy classic games. Retro-style joysticks or control pads can be connected directly to modern TV sets' audio/video ports. These handy gadgets, like the Atari Classics 10-in-1 or the Intellivision 25, allow you to enjoy old school cool without spending a lot of money or taking up too much space in your living room. Atari Flashback 2 and/or Atari Flashback 2 are great options for those who want to be more adventurous with gaming. They both have the original Atari 2600 design, but the games are built into the units. New game systems are available that can play older cartridges, like the FC Twin, compatible with NES or Super NES carts.
No matter what route nostalgic gamers choose, it's a wonderful way to travel down the memory lane. For younger gamers, classic video games offer a fascinating look into the past. These games are simple both conceptually and visually, but they have a charm and elegance all their own.