My daughter is 2 years old and I'm thinking about getting her a retro system for Christmas. As she is young I'm thinking a NES or SNES as they are not as complicated. I started on an Atari and got a NES when they came out. Has anyone tried gaming with a small child? Also, which one will have games that are more age appropriate? I know that a 64 would be good with Mario party and Mario kart, but the controller was silly and too big. I'm looking at the NES and SNES clone. retro mini FC clone with 500 games (HDMI/AV) retro mini SFC clone with 621 games (HDMI/AV) Has anyone tried these, they seem like a cheap and easy solution? I can't tell if the HDMI version is a new model or if it just includes an HDMI cable. Do all new TVs support AV or should I pay more for the HDMI? When she gets older I can think about a modded Wii or maybe a switch. I've been waiting for her to get old enough to play games with but I don't think she is ready for a wireless xbox one controller for another couple of years.
Just bear in mind that while NES and SNES games are by-and-large less complicated than more modern games, that doesn't necessarily mean they're suitable for kiddies: Nintendo Hard is a phrase for a reason. At two, she'll just love pressing the buttons and seeing the colours, but once she gets a bit older the frustration will set in. I've never seen a TV that doesn't have composite video (the yellow, red, and white RCA jacks), but that doesn't mean they don't exist.
My 65" has no composite. Just HDMI, no scart either. Then again it is strictly a monitor, not a TV (because it has no tuner etc).
Well, yes, monitors don't usually have composite inputs (any more, anyway.) Like I say, I've never seen a TV that doesn't have composite video - though they are out there, like this 8K monstrosity, which only has four HDMIs and that's yer lot. Easily remedied, if you really wanted to hook a 480i/576i composite source to an HDMI-only device, though: this little box converts composite to HDMI, £11. (I have the exact opposite, which converts HDMI to composite so I can easily hook a Raspberry Pi Zero or similar no-native-composite-and-analogue-audio SBC up to old CRTs, and it works a treat.)
I'm not a huge fan of retro, with the exception of Super Mario World. I tried playing some N64 games with a usb N64 controller but they did not age well as they look and play terribly. I did enjoy playing games on Dolphin and will give Cemu a try after I submit my dissertation (after I get through a backlog of PC games). I've recommended RetroPie with wireless controllers to a few friends that don't have gaming rigs and if I end up moving to Beijing do plan to order a custom arcade cabinet fully loaded with MAME and RetroArch. Anyways, I want a simple system so that we can play together and that she can learn to play on her own. The nice thing is that they are cheap enough that I won't be too upset if she yanks the thing off the table or spills a drink on it. It seems like a good solution to keep her away from my computer.
I'm watching my daughter while my wife is out so I decided to see if she has the ability or interest to play a game. I decided to start with Unravel Two, as it is bright and colourful with no violence or death. Does anyone have any suggests for a 2 1/2-year-old?
For that age I'd go with something fun but educational. Maybe something that builds hand-eye coordination?
If you want retro, but don't want to be stuck with one platform, try retropie on a raspberry pi. You can load thousands of games and have a lovely front end interface. Pi is cheap too...
First thing my kid started on, around that age, was GCompris on an old EeePC 701. Absolutely loved it. Hell, she's six now - seven in December - and she still plays it.
Retro games? Get yourself a CRT from Freecycle or something. They look appalling on LCDs IMHO* *not a sensible suggestion for a 2yo, I understand. Better still, get a PVM, and make sure all your old consoles are RGB-modded if necessary. I'm just rambling now, aren't I. Serious suggestion: get a Pi, a USB controller, and install Mickey's Magical Adventure for SFC
I don't know about US pricing, but they are £90 in the UK. A Retro Pi is a bit cheaper at £70 The Chinese models are £15-25 SUPER mini HDMI Built-in 621 Retro TV Game Console 8 Bit Classic + 2 Controller - £23.99 (shipping from UK) HOT Entertainment Console Edition Classic AV/HDMI Classic Retro Game+2Controller from £15.79 I can run emulation from my PC with a Xbox One controller so this isn't' for me. I don't want to go over £30. I'm wondering if the NES/FC controller will be much easier and whether NES/FC or SNES/SFC has more children's games. They do charge more for the HDMI version but they are advertised as offering a noticeably better picture so I don't mind paying a bit more for the upgrade. Mickey's Magical Adventure (Disney's Magical Quest) looks like a good suggestion. I will install the latest version of higan and let her try it tomorrow after daycare.
I still play it from time to time - it's a Super Famicom classic! I think in the NTSC-U/PAL regions it was indeed known as 'Disney's Magical Quest'. I've only ever played it as "ミッキーのマジカルアドベンチャー (Mikī no Majikaru Adobenchā)" I think. It always gives me an extra smile when it plays the CAPCOM jingle at the start, the same as on Street Fighter 2' Turbo. Maximum nostalgia!
