Anyone can go out, buy a Playstation 4 or XBox 360 and fire it up in their man cave. Sure, it will look and sound amazing – especially if you’ve acted our TV and Sound System recommendations – but, really, who cares? By all means, rock a newer console and log deep hours on your own time. For entertaining purposes, though, what’s going to impress – the brand new console that everyone knows about (and probably already has) or the vintage beauty of a console that your buddies haven’t seen in 10 years?
Now that you’ve had a second to think and, ultimately, agree, let’s look at some helpful information from lifehacker about setting up the ol’ gaming system with your hopefully much newer TV and a few of our picks for the perfect jaw-dropping memory machine…
Nintendo (NES)
Ahhh. Isn’t that beautiful? Now 30 years young, the audio alone from some of these masterpiece cartridges is enough to give you goosebumps. If you plan on buying online, I would highly suggest vetting the seller and checking out past reviews / return policy. A nice walk down memory lane would be spoiled by fresh memories of a blinking power light from a non-functional machine. Last thing you want is your guest attempting the magical NES / CPR cure-all by blowing Dorito dust into it.
To re-live your youth, try online sellers eStarland or Amazon.
Nintendo 64
Mario Kart 64… Super Smash Brothers… Goldeneye 007. Those multiplayer gems are more than enough to rekindle the fire burning in every old gamer. With 4-player functionality, the nearly 20 year old N64 is the perfect multiplayer choice for your man cave.
eStarland: $62.95
Playstation 2
Over 155 million units sold, a catalog featuring Grand Theft Auto / Metal Gear Solid / Guitar Hero / Metal Gear Solid and an extremely user friendly controller – especially when compared to some of the Nintendo greats. Not too shabby. If you’re looking to reminisce, there’s a good chance that your buddies could be counted as a few of those 155 million.
eStarland: from $67.95