This article is on my personal preference for console gaming platforms, other than current gen. I will also be listing alternative ways to play in some cases, so read on if you're interested in either ways to play old, hard to find titles OR cheap, cheap methods of gaming. (Although, at the end of the Ps4 and Xbox One's life, things are very cheap for the current generation, also).
P.s. I own most of the games I emulate (Minus retro cartridges).
Nintendo Entertainment System (July, 1983)
PC Emulation
Nearly the whole of the NES library can be perfectly emulated through any Windows machine made after 2008 and really, who wants to be charged $8-$12 by Nintendo for these old titles? Of course the Nintendo Switch now offers many NES titles for free with a subscription to the Switch's online service, which I do have... But many games aren't on there and it's just as easy to play on a good emulator such as Nestopia.
Sega Master System (Oct, 1985)
PC Emulation
Honestly, I don't think I have played more than a total of an hour in any Master System title, but once again, emulation would be how I revisit the few games I played.
Sega Mega Drive (Oct, 1988)
PC Emulation
A much more successful and advanced console from Sega. They beat Nintendo to 16-bit gaming here and only 3 years after their last console. There are good emulators for other hacked consoles like the Wii or PSP if you fancy portability.
Nintendo Game Boy (April, 1989)
PC Emulation
Ahhh, I remember when I first held this chunky thing. I was 4 years old and it had been out in Europe for nearly 7 years, so my mother was able to afford a unit finally. I took it into school and played it on breaks sometimes, or at the school fairs my parents made me go to. Good times. Oh and you can also get some of these titles officially on 3DS or Wii U.
Super Nintendo Entertainment System (Nov, 1990)
Soft modded Nintendo Wii
All titles work perfectly through emulation on the SNES emulator for Wii and this is how I play my Mario hacks (Before Mario Maker was a thing and tbh I still prefer the hacks in some cases, new tile sets, music, etc.) because there's something about using a GC controller for these that makes it feel all the better.
Sony PlayStation (Dec, 1994)
Soft Modded PlayStation Portable
Nearly every game from the PS library can be emulated perfectly and played on the go with the earlier PSP models. Of course, there's also any model of the ps3 which works great if you want to use your discs.
Nintendo 64 (June, 1996)
PC Emulation
Not many games on this platform remain exclusive but there are a few. I tried an emulator for the Wii but it just wasn't up to scratch and so I would much rather use a controller on the PC using Project64.
Nintendo Game Boy Colour (Oct, 1998)
PC Emulation
Also got one of these when I was a kid, a little sooner after release than I did the Game Boy. It was Christmas 2000 and I opened up one of the presents in my stocking to find a bright yellow GBC! This wasn't even my main present, so imagine my wonder and surprise this time! It had no games with it and so I could only play through Pokemon, Mario Land, Tetris, Game Boy Gallery and a few other titles I can't recall again. None-the-less, that day I played it and even my brother-in-law had many goes on the old copy of Tetris.
Sega DreamCast (Nov, 1998)
I Buy the Ports!
The platform has very few exclusive games, almost all of the classic exclusive games were ported and come with extra features, also. (Although a combination of ReDream and DEmul is generally the best choice for PC Emulation, between the 2 they can play almost any DC title.)
Sony PlayStation 2 (March, 2000)
Phat model Ps3 Backwards Compatibility
All discs are read and upscaled perfectly, excluding any model after CECH-D. Definitely worth a purchase of the old ps3, because of the fact it can play 3 generations of games and the ps2 and ps3 library are SO cheap now.
Nintendo Game Boy Advance (March, 2001)
PC Emulation
I recall this platform a lot less. I did buy one with my pocket money and help from my mother, but I had less games than before and less friends to temporarily trade with. I think I got it in 2003 with a copy of Ruby and some time later I bought Spyro Season of Ice and Crash Bandicoot XS. It is worth mentioning that if you plan on buying original GB, GBC and GBA cartridges then getting a Game Boy Advance (or GBA SP) console is the one for you as it can play all 3 generations.
Nintendo GameCube (Sep, 2001)
Wii Backwards Compatibility
All discs work, excluding 'slimline' Wii models. Why they released the supposed slim models of the Wii was beyond me, they weren't much cheaper, weren't much slimmer (If at all) and had NO GC support at all! Anyway, the Wii looks a bit better with a component cable that won't be too hard to find on certain auction sites. Slap that copy of Mario Sunshine in and squirt your way to the climax.
MicroSoft Xbox (Nov, 2001)
Xbox 360 Backwards Compatibility
If you update your 360 you can play a large number of the Xbox library with a bonus of upscaling. Burnout 3 is best served on the 360.
Nintendo DS (Nov, 2004)
Nintendo DS + R4i Card
The R4i card allows any game, even modded games to run off one game card using Micro SD technology. This is much easier than lugging around your 40 odd game cards and risking early pin connection damage by constantly swapping in and out those cards.
MicroSoft Xbox 360 (Nov, 2005)
Xbox 360 (Any model.)
Although any model can obviously play any 360 game, earlier models have a much lesser life expectancy as well as no HDMI output. The SlimLine models are much better built and are worth the slight price flux.
Sony PlayStation 3 (Nov, 2006)
Ps3 (Any model.)
Again, any model, however... Unlike the last console, it is best to get a Phat model (CECH-D or prior) to run Ps2 discs as well as Ps1. Stick in that copy of Haunting Ground and run like the fan on your dying original 360 model!
Nintendo Wii (Nov, 2006)
Wii U Backwards Compatibility
Goes without saying, proper HDMI upscaling on the Wii U is better than the component (or even worse, composite if you didn't invest in a 5-pin cable) capability of the Wii.
Nintendo DSi (Nov, 2008)
Nintendo DS + R4i Card with Moon Shell Soft Mod
This mod on an R4i Cart -sold separately- allows all DSi software to run on even the original DS models. Finding the game files for download on the net is currently an arduous task, though.
Nintendo Wii U (Nov, 2012)
Nintendo Wii U (Duh!)
Technically, the Wii U is current generation, but since it is now discontinued and dead in favour of the Nintendo Switch I will list it. Obviously, the only way to play is the Wii U, so that is what I use.I also use it as Netflix and YouTube player sometimes so it's still an essential for me, even though I've completed many of the decent exclusive titles.
