right so I’m pretty new to retro gaming, I’ve got some basic stuff like an original Xbox/ GameCube, but nothing like a ps1 or an NES, I’m working on a bit of a budget I was wondering what’s a cheap console with good games that pre 1999 I could get into any help is more then apricated
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Can’t go wrong with 16-bit era. SNES or Mega Drive/Genesis (hey, don’t sleep on the PCE/TG16 either)
SNES Drunk is a good channel to check out for lots of recommendations for games that often slip between the cracks.
Jeremy Parish’s channel is another good one for this time period.
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Thank you, the 16bit era has always been applying to mean, the height of 2d games
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Instead of collecting games, you can always buy an everdrive for the systems that you choose. It’s a little high on the initial investment, but it’s much cheaper than buying a bunch of retro cartridges for the consoles.
Best bang for your buck on consoles would probably be Genesis, SNES and NES. They have large libraries, and are relatively cheap to buy.
If you’re feeling a little more exotic, then the next ones I would recommend would be Master System, TG16/PC Engine, or Saturn. They all have amazing libraries of games and often get overlooked.
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Hey there.
Welcome to the site.
I will also recommend the 8 and 16-bit era consoles: NES, SNES, and Mega Drive.
If you are interested, the Japanese versions of the NES and SNES hardware are compatible with North American releases with a cartridge adapter. Many of the most popular games are also much cheaper in Japanese, and have few language barriers for play. RPGs and other text heavy games would be the exception.
An AV Famicom will play all Japanese games, many of which are cheaper than Euro or NA releases. Has composite out as standard, and needs modifying for other output.
Super Famicom looks like a European SNES, and is therefore “better” 
, but will need an adapter, or the cartridge slot to be modified to play NA games. Can output composite, S-video, and RGB through the Multi AV out without modification.
Hope that helps.
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Agree, AV Famicom is the best gateway to Japanese vintage gaming.
It got me started 20+ years ago!
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I will second the recommendation to go with an Everdrive. At this point when they are almost universally compatible and game prices are climbing every year, they make a lot of sense. The SNES and NES versions can easily pay for themselves with one hypothetical game purchase.
Otherwise a MiSTer is another great option to get your fix of pre-1999 systems in a very accurate way. It is an all-in-one solution covering dozens of systems, including SNES, Genesis, NES, Turbografx, and dozens more. Check out the MiSTer OT here which has helped me a lot.
Speaking to original carts and discs though, I think the PS1 is a great entry point. The console itself is very cheap, and loose discs can be found at fairly low cost in most cases. Some games are shooting up in price but the library is so large you can still find great titles at lower prices.