The Old Skool Classiq 3 HD has quickly become my preferred way to play my retro game collection, alongside my budding homebrew collection.

Retro gaming is one of my favorite things to take part in. I’ve been captivated by these older titles, even since I was much younger. Sure, I may have had a fancy new PlayStation 2 and Jak and Daxter waiting for me, but that Jakks Pacific Atari Plug & Play console commanded more of my time. And my neighbor down the road, with an ancient NES, always captured my attention. As I get older, I’ve found myself craving these older titles, maybe to escape the money-hungry reality of newer games. Or, maybe I just want to escape into something that feels like comfort food. Either way, buying older consoles is expensive, and I’ve found that the Old Skool Classiq 3 HD is officially my new favorite way to play these games, at a fraction of the cost of buying a pre-owned console.

One thing I’ve learned in my journey collecting retro games: you can typically buy EU or JPN copies of the same game for much cheaper. Super Mario All-Stars, for example, can run for $20 or more. Not terrible, but when I can buy a Japanese copy for half the price? I’m going to jump on that. That’s where I was first impressed by the Old Skool Classiq 3 HD. Without missing a beat, I slammed my JPN Super Mario All-Stars cartridge in the console, and it worked without a hitch. The same applies to my copy of Battle Soccer: Field no Hasha, and my EU copies of Goof Troop and F-Zero.