Retro is big at the moment, especially if you're a gamer. Mid-2016 Nintendo announced the re-release of their classic NES console in a scaled down mini version with 30 games pre-installed. Fortunately that night on the day it was announced I pre-ordered... A huge number of frustrated Nintendo nerds missed out. Then later in the year, EB games announced another limited opening for preorders in the lead up to Christmas and that day the traffic at their website actually crashed it due to demand. Clearly there are many people out there, probably of a similar age to me, all seeking the comfort of 8-bit nostalgia and childhood/teen video game memories.
Just a few days ago, SEGA and ATARI both announced a revival of their retro consoles, and again today, Nintendo announced the revival of their much loved Super Nintendo Entertainment System in mini form with flagship titles. It seems that the days of Mario vs Sonic are here once again. I just can't wait to play Donkey Kong Country, complete with a classic SNES controller.
As a kid I never had an NES or SNES, but I have fond memories of playing Nintendo's ported versions to handheld consoles, particularly on the GameBoy handheld... Which got me thinking. Will 2018 be the year of a revived mini N64 console with titles like Super Mario 64, Goldeneye, Mario Kart and Donkey Kong 64 included? Or perhaps a re-release of the classic GameBoy complete with dot matrix display and pre-loaded games? Oh, I hope so!