If you are on this blog, it is very likely that you are a Recalbox user. Many of us want to remember our childhood memories and share them with friends and family.

Emulation has never been more accessible than today. Nevertheless, some players continue to play on the original consoles, and we understand them (we are part of it). Our old machines have a design rooted in pop culture, and nothing replaces their original sounds, controllers and sensations.

A poll published in the United States on February 8 (and therefore only relevant to that country) highlights the players' attachment to the original material. Conducted in May 2024 on a panel of 2,022 adult North American residents, this survey provides some interesting and rare enough numbers to be shared.

Let’s get to the point: of these 2,022 people, 14% used an original retro console at home in 2023 (year 2000 being the limit for retrogaming for this survey).

It is important to put this figure in perspective: these are consoles that are more than 25 years old (at best), no longer on the market, difficult to repair and sometimes requiring specific screens (CRT).

We should also note that many retro games are accessible via the online shops of different manufacturers (classics stores), or through emulation, which avoids clutter and multiplication of cables. So you might think that comfort is more important than authenticity. Yet it seems – and we hope so – that our good old consoles still have some guardian angels.

Some Recalbox users are also included. On our dedicated Discord channel real-hardware, many of you share your treasures or ask for help with the restoration of old consoles and even ordinosaures.

If you are wondering if you are a one-off by watching your VHS tapes or using other systems from another time, you can visit the survey page to be reassured.

Source: Time Extension