Remember that old, 2008 Nintendo Wii console that has been rotting in your basement for the past several years, slowly collecting dust and not doing anything? Or maybe that Nintendo Entertainment System and PS1 that your dad kept in a box, expecting it to never be used again? Well, there’s a way you can make them cool again in 2024.
Through a process called “modding,” you can modify, customize, and renovate your old, useless hunks of electronic plastic into a safe of all the retro games you’ve ever wanted to play, but could never access. As a part of the modding community, I can say that it is one of the most fun communities to join. I enjoy spending my time customizing my Nintendo Wii and New 3DS XL, which are incredible consoles now, despite the obvious graphics and processing difference. The nice thing about these types of consoles is that there are no ads, pay-to-win games, and there are way more original games than there are in modern video game consoles.
Some games I enjoy playing on the Wii would have to be Mario Kart (obviously), Rhythm Heaven Fever, and Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney. Because all of those games aren’t being produced on discs anymore, the modding community has preserved these games on accessible websites that are monitored by a group of moderators. All sorts of games, going as far back as the very first 1972 Magnavox Odyssey to PSVITA games have been preserved for use by anyone who wants to experience nostalgia through retro games.
If you know you have a retro console somewhere, the first thing you should check is if it has all the wires it needs, and if the wires are damaged. For more fragile systems like the PS1, having a broken wire could completely short out your system, before it’s even turned on. If you’re planning on modding it, make sure to research extensively, as some guides are outdated and may break your console. Also, check if you have any disc games; a lot of these can be sold online for big bucks.
If instead you just want to get rid of it, I suggest either selling it on Ebay or to me. Collecting these are a really fun hobby and I recommend joining the modding community, if you’re interested. It’s time consuming, trial-and-error, needs some brainpower, but is also fun to troubleshoot. Just sitting down for a while and working on something little by little is a great activity for anyone looking for a new, unique hobby.