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The answer to why so many gamers are interested in older titles from bygone eras is multi-layered. One of the biggest drivers, at least for my own retro gaming ambition, is nostalgia. The games I grew up on helped form the preferences I still carry today, and there's nothing quite like going back to a game I used to love, even if it's not perfect. There are plenty of games being developed today that resemble older titles, using pixel art and time-tested mechanics. Although older more experienced gamers can often point out a newer game's influential origins, younger gamers are increasingly sear

RetroArch is one of the most popular emulators because it supports a wide variety of console generations. It has a bit of a learning curve, but once you get the hang of it, you probably won't want to try anything else. For older arcade titles, MAME is the go-to program for many golden age classics. If you're more interested in GameCube and Wii emulation, Dolphin is a solid choice. Many gamers have success emulating OG Xbox titles with Xemu, and for PlayStation, I recommend DuckStation. Using more than one emulator is common practice, and something like EmulationStation is designed to pull ever

I mostly use my Steam Deck as a platform for retro game emulation, but I've been toying with the idea of building a cheap little PC to keep connected to my living room PC. Once again, RetroTechLab comes in clutch. One of the most practical routes is with a single-board PC. A Raspberry Pi 4 Model B with 4GB of RAM is available for about $110 at Amazon, and it can run the specialized RetroPie OS made for emulation right out of the box. Add a controller and an HDMI cable, and you're ready to go. If you're targeting some of the more demanding emulators, a new or used mini PC with more powerful har