If you were to tell me 18 years ago that someday I would be able to get a single game system that could play NES, Super NES, and Sega Genesis games all in one box, and that it would cost as much as a game cartridge, I'd have asked if you were a wizard. Yet that's the case today with cartridge game systems for classic game collectors. Two companies, Retro-Bit and Hyperkin, each offer systems that can play old cartridge-based games. The newest, Retro-Bit's Super Retro Trio, can play NES, SNES, Sega Genesis, and with an optional adapter Game Boy and GBA games (its predecessor, the Retro-Duo, could only play NES and SNES games, and Hyperkin's competing version, the Retron 3, doesn't feature a GBA adapter as an option). For $69.99, it's a retro gamer's dream that doesn't require the cash, legwork, or space that finding each individual older game console in working order does.

Yes, this is legal. These retro cartridge systems do not emulate software or claim to represent any major game company. They only offer support for a legacy media format that the original manufacturers no longer support. This of course means you'll have to get old cartridge-based games, and you can't pick those up at GameStop or Best Buy. Smaller, independent video game stores often carry old games, and you can find some real gems at thrift stores and flea markets, especially in rural areas where fewer classic game connoisseurs regularly hunt. Failing that, eBay and Craigslist are always good for finding cartridges, and you might find a treasure trove in your or your friends' basement, attic, or crawlspace. If the physical game doesn't interest you, most NES, SNES, and Genesis classics are available to download on the Nintendo Wii and Wii U Virtual Consoles (and the Wii U can access both libraries), but there's a certain appeal to having the cartridge in your hand and playing the game as it was originally made. There's also an appealing permanence to your physical game purchase, considering Nintendo's awkward (and barely existent way) of tracking the games you download from its online store.

Design

The Super Retro Trio comes in black with red accents, and at 2.4 by 8 by 9.2 inches (HWD) is necessarily bulky to accommodate the cartridge slots and controller connections. At 1.3 pounds, it looks and feels a bit cheap. It's not poorly made and the moving parts don't wiggle, but the entire body is built out of a very light plastic. The electronics are small, simple, and not particularly power-intensive, so holding it almost feels like picking up an empty shell of a device. Fortunately, it's functionally much sturdier than it initially seems, and its utilitarian design is certainly well thought-out.