If You Had $200 to Spend . . .

[akator]

If I was starting from scratch with $200 and needed to stretch that money to get the most out of it for classic gaming:

1. $60-100 on a decent used Wii with a few controllers, install Wii Homebrew Channel, install dozens of emulators, plug it into the TV, and have a decent cheap emulation station for home
    
   
2. $50-80 on a decent used PSP-2000, install custom firmware, install dozens of emulators, and have a decent portable emulation solution that can also be plugged into the TV
   

The above scenario would provide you with both home and portable emulation options, along with possibilities to play more modern games from the Wii and PSP libraries.

 

If there is no way that you want to deal with emulation, I second goldenband's suggestion about a Genesis/Sega CD/32X setup and an Everdrive cart. That would give you literally thousands of games to play on original hardware.

 

For $200, you also have another interesting set of options which is a combination of original hardware/emulation:

1. buy a modded original PlayStation for $40-75
    
   
2. buy a modded Saturn for $40-100
    
   
3. buy a Dreamcast capable of playing backups for $20-30
   

The modded PSX/modded Saturn/Dreamcast setup provides some options for emulation of classic systems along with the PSX, Saturn, and Dreamcast libraries.

Edited August 9, 2012 by akator

[Reaperman]

To get the most bang for the buck, I'd probably go for:

Everdrive-md board $80

Sega Nomad, A/C, Game $80

new 3.5" screen $20

And then start watching for low-ending battery pack auctions.

 

Genesis+Master System, console or on the go.

[bomberpunk]

wood, screws, cheap/used pc (like dell optiplex) + monitor or cheap/used laptop, and arcade joystick & buttons. some cutting and elbow grease later, a $200 mame cabinet.

 

don't have $200 lying around for that though, so my desktop pc and wii will do just fine.

[HatefulGravey]

You know, have put together a few MAME machines now, and a $200 MAME machine would be pretty hard to pull off. I'm sure it could be done, but it wouldn't be fun. What would you do to interface the buttons with the PC? An iPAC is all the way out of the question.

[Rex Dart]

Button interface? $5 USB gamepad.

[HatefulGravey]

Button interface? $5 USB gamepad.

 

Oh well, yeah. I guess that would work. Not the best method, and not one I ever think about, but I guess you are correct. Now I fell silly for over looking the obvious.

[akator]

You know, have put together a few MAME machines now, and a $200 MAME machine would be pretty hard to pull off.

 

I was thinking that before as well, but I didn't want to rain on anyone's parade. Sure, you could build a cabinet for $200, but it won't be pretty (literally). Wood/mdf/plywood, screws, glue/adhesive, sandpaper/bits/blades, filler, primer, paint, T-molding, hinges, venting/fans, plexiglass, and marquee lighting will easily put you over $200 before you've even started to think about the cabinet guts. Even if you have a free PC, monitor, controls, speakers, etc. it would be very, very tough to build a decent cabinet for $200.

 

Of course, if your cabinet is made out of cardboard and paper mache, it would probably only cost about $50 (mostly for glue)...

[desiv]

Tough call..

Either a:

 

Vectrex with a Vec Multi

or

Amiga500 with HxC SD card.

 

desiv

[HatefulGravey]

You know, have put together a few MAME machines now, and a $200 MAME machine would be pretty hard to pull off.

 

I was thinking that before as well, but I didn't want to rain on anyone's parade. Sure, you could build a cabinet for $200, but it won't be pretty (literally). Wood/mdf/plywood, screws, glue/adhesive, sandpaper/bits/blades, filler, primer, paint, T-molding, hinges, venting/fans, plexiglass, and marquee lighting will easily put you over $200 before you've even started to think about the cabinet guts. Even if you have a free PC, monitor, controls, speakers, etc. it would be very, very tough to build a decent cabinet for $200.

 

Of course, if your cabinet is made out of cardboard and paper mache, it would probably only cost about $50 (mostly for glue)...

 

The more I think about it, if you have a laptop already, shop for good deals, and are ok parts that aren't the kind most people spring for with a machine like this you might be able to build a decent bar top for $200. TBH my MAME machine has been done for almost 2 years and I still don't have a custom marquee or side art. Those things are nice, but they can be skipped I guess.

[MagitekAngel]

200 bucks would get you a nice heavy sixer and about half the commons if you shop smart !

[fiddlepaddle]

Most bang for the buck? (no mention of ethics):

 

Baseball bat: $20

flashlight: $3

hired help: $50, or assorted drugs

 

Find a well stocked classic games store (or friends home far away from me) with an accessible back window. Borrow your brother-in-laws pickup truck. Break and enter and (quickly) grab desired systems and games. Skidaddle.

 

Use the leftover money to buy the extra cables and stuff you forgot so everything works.

[SlowCoder]

Most bang for the buck? (no mention of ethics):

 

Baseball bat: $20

flashlight: $3

hired help: $50, or assorted drugs

 

Find a well stocked classic games store (or friends home far away from me) with an accessible back window. Borrow your brother-in-laws pickup truck. Break and enter and (quickly) grab desired systems and games. Skidaddle.

 

Use the leftover money to buy the extra cables and stuff you forgot so everything works.

Thinking outside the box, there.

[HatefulGravey]

Most bang for the buck? (no mention of ethics):

 

Baseball bat: $20

flashlight: $3

hired help: $50, or assorted drugs

 

Find a well stocked classic games store (or friends home far away from me) with an accessible back window. Borrow your brother-in-laws pickup truck. Break and enter and (quickly) grab desired systems and games. Skidaddle.

 

Use the leftover money to buy the extra cables and stuff you forgot so everything works.

 

Might want to pay your help better than that or they will flop on you the first chance they get. You could also just scare them into thinking you are the kind of person that could break their knees and leave them bleeding in a gutter miles and miles from help. Either way, if you are going to look into this way of building a collection, you might want to make sure your bases are covered as its hard to enjoy your collection from a jail cell.

[+Gemintronic]

Most bang for the buck? (no mention of ethics):

 

Baseball bat: $20

flashlight: $3

hired help: $50, or assorted drugs

 

Find a well stocked classic games store (or friends home far away from me) with an accessible back window. Borrow your brother-in-laws pickup truck. Break and enter and (quickly) grab desired systems and games. Skidaddle.

 

Use the leftover money to buy the extra cables and stuff you forgot so everything works.

 

Might want to pay your help better than that or they will flop on you the first chance they get. You could also just scare them into thinking you are the kind of person that could break their knees and leave them bleeding in a gutter miles and miles from help. Either way, if you are going to look into this way of building a collection, you might want to make sure your bases are covered as its hard to enjoy your collection from a jail cell.

 

I wouldn't target mom and pop shops. Most actually care about their livelihood and are suspicious of everyone. Insurance only pays for the first break in. After that they raise your rates through the roof.

[HatefulGravey]

If the mom and pop shops I have seen lately are any way to judge this you might be able to take 1000 copies of Mario 1 and 3 and not much more. Maybe a few Wii games and a sports title or two for the Sega Genesis. Over all this would be a hard way to collect. The more I think about it the harder that sounds.

 

Now, someone else's credit card information, a false pay-pal account, and an address you can't be found at but can get to so you can gather your packages, and an eBay shopping spree. Spend your $200 on the things you need to get away with all this.

[Drixxel]

If I was starting from scratch with $200 and needed to stretch that money to get the most out of it for classic gaming:

1. $60-100 on a decent used Wii with a few controllers, install Wii Homebrew Channel, install dozens of emulators, plug it into the TV, and have a decent cheap emulation station for home
    
   
2. $50-80 on a decent used PSP-2000, install custom firmware, install dozens of emulators, and have a decent portable emulation solution that can also be plugged into the TV
   

The above scenario would provide you with both home and portable emulation options, along with possibilities to play more modern games from the Wii and PSP libraries.

 

Of the proposed solutions to the $200 problem, this console-and-portable setup with a focus on emulation is the most appealing, in my opinion. Any extra scratch could reasonably be put towards component hookups for the two, assuming the TV we're starting with here isn't some junker. For the sake of true thrift, one might opt for a soft modded Xbox over a Wii.

[the.golden.ax]

If I had a nose full of nickles...

 

 

 

.... I'd sneeze them all at-chyou

[HatefulGravey]

The Wii is cheap as hell right now and every where. I haven't seen a working xbox in the wild in forever and a day. Not to mention getting everything together to soft mod one right now might be no fun. It isn't something I have done since the xbox was new, but it would seem that finding the right game and the right memory card might be something of a challenge right now. I could be completely wrong, like I said I haven't done it in forever. I also seem to remeber mine being a bit of a pain in the butt to move around in. A little less user friendly then I understand the Wii to be.

 

Also... just what the hell are you talking up there Ax? Are you ok, should I call someone for you? Do you need prfessional help? Maybe that is just another joke I don't get...

[Reaperman]

I smell a lot of cheater in this thread.

 

How about:

wireless snes controller $19.25

SNES Powerpak 148.50

SNES W/ Hookups/controllers $22

$189.75

[the.golden.ax]

 

Also... just what the hell are you talking up there Ax? Are you ok, should I call someone for you? Do you need prfessional help? Maybe that is just another joke I don't get...

 

Yep a joke.

 

In all seriousness though. If I had $200 to spend I'd probably try to get $400 worth of stuff, sell off $200 of it to cover the investment and keep the rest for my collection/profit. You can see how I waste all my time and money and never have anything to show for it

[akator]

Also... just what the hell are you talking up there Ax? Are you ok, should I call someone for you? Do you need prfessional help? Maybe that is just another joke I don't get...

 

Yep a joke.

 

In all seriousness though. If I had $200 to spend I'd probably try to get $400 worth of stuff, sell off $200 of it to cover the investment and keep the rest for my collection/profit. You can see how I waste all my time and money and never have anything to show for it

 

Geez... you're such a damn capitalist

[HatefulGravey]

I smell a lot of cheater in this thread.

 

How about:

wireless snes controller $19.25

SNES Powerpak 148.50

SNES W/ Hookups/controllers $22

$189.75

 

See, I would say buying a flash cart is cheating. Not many even know about flash carts when they first start a collection, and even fewer would understand exactly how to use one to get the most out of it. In the beginning of the hobby most people are going to buy whatever they can get their hands on at a price they think is ok, and then find out a month later they got completely ripped off.

[Austin]

TBH, I'd buy a project pinball machine or something for that price.

 

In all seriousness though, I'd probably shoot for an Amiga CD32, an arcade SuperGun, a Vectrex, a CIB Heavy Sixer, or a nice, CIB Colecovision lot. At the moment I've got most of the other systems I want. Ones that aren't ridiculously expensive, anyway (I'm looking at you, N64 DD!).

[CorTat-G]

A Nintendo 3DS($160) and Super Mario 3D Land ($40)

[desiv]

See, I would say buying a flash cart is cheating. Not many even know about flash carts when they first start a collection, and even fewer would understand exactly how to use one to get the most out of it. In the beginning of the hobby most people are going to buy whatever they can get their hands on at a price they think is ok, and then find out a month later they got completely ripped off.

I'm weird that way..

My first foray into collecting for consoles (I was already doing old computers) was the CC2.

I was thinking about getting into collecting, possibly with a 2600.. Just then, the CC2 was released, so I ordered that, and then went shopping for a 7800.

Instant collection.

 

Since then, I got a Vec and a SK multicart (and eventually a VecFlash) and then a O2 and a JD multicart.

Now, for the O2, I started with multiple games. A lot of them. I only got it's multicart recently.

 

So, although it's cheating, it's been my path into retro...

Of course, I have since bought a lot of individual games for some of these systems, which is kind of weird.. Messes up my theory a bit.

But I really like the complete packages on some of the games...

 

desiv