26 Best Retro Gaming Gifts: Mini Consoles, Arcade Cabinets, And More Gift Ideas
Though this holiday season will be led by the PS5 and Xbox Series X, there are plenty of gamers who also like to look backwards. Nostalgia for classic consoles and arcade hits has grown in recent years with the popularity of official mini consoles and affordable home arcade cabinets. There’s also a growing number of accessories that make gaming on retro consoles better than ever before. If you have a longtime gamer on your shopping list who loves retro games and arcades, we’ve rounded up all of the best gifts you can buy them this holiday season.
From retro consoles like the Sega Genesis Mini and the TurboGrafx-16 Mini to cool Arcade1Up cabinets and classic Nintendo merch, our gift guide for retro gamers has it all. Plus, see our complete guide to retro gaming in 2020 for more gift ideas and inspiration.
Keep in mind prices listed below indicate the products’ regular prices and don’t reflect any discounts you may find when you click through. With Black Friday coming up and retailers like Amazon and Best Buy discounting products regularly, it’s quite possible you can snag a great gift for a loved one for even cheaper.
For more gaming gift ideas, make sure to take a peek at our gift guides for Nintendo, PlayStation, Xbox, and PC. And don’t forget to visit our gift guides hub for even more ideas this holiday season.
$80
The Sega Genesis Mini captures the iconic essence of the original console in miniature form with 40 pre-installed games from Sega’s 16-bit past–and two bonus ones. It comes with two wired controllers, an HDMI cable, and a power cable and USB adapter as well as games like Sonic the Hedgehog, Streets of Rage 2, and Earthworm Jim.
$100
The TurboGrafx-16 wasn’t as beloved in America as the Sega Genesis and SNES were, but its library of games are well worth revisiting. The TurboGrafx-16 Mini includes 57 pre-installed games from both the English TurboGrafx-16 library and the Japanese PC Engine library. This means you get Japan-only games like Castlevania: Rondo of Blood and Seirei Senshi Spriggan. There are even some great flourishes depending on the type of game format the original used: HuCard or CD. The TurboGrafx-16 Mini comes with the miniature console, a controller, an HDMI cable, and a power cable–you’ll need a USB adapter to plug it into a wall outlet.
$150
If you know someone who still loves playing their GameCube, then Eon Gaming’s GCHD Mk II is the perfect device for connecting it to a modern TV with HDMI. It plugs into DOL-001 model GameCube consoles, which feature both the digital and analog video outputs on the back. Once plugged in, they can use an HDMI cable to connect it to their TV. The Mk II model of the GCHD also includes analog output, which can be utilized with compatible component cables.
$150
Like the GCHD Mk II with the GameCube, Eon’s Super 64 lets users connect the Nintendo 64 to a modern