Topic: Solutions For Playing Classic Nintendo Games On PS4?

Hello!
Lately I've had a real craving for all those classic Nintendo games I played when I was a child. NES, SNES, N64 etc. However, I don't own any of those consoles anymore, some of them I actually never owned myself. And since modern TV's don't allow me to hook up any of those old consoles anyway I guess it wouldn't matter, unless I actually bought a really old TV, which I honestly don't have room for.

So, what are my options? I do have a PS4 and I've read about some emulators that I can download but I'm worried it won't really be the same, especially since the PS4 controllers aren't the same. I've also seen that there's some kind of mini NES and SNES that Nintendo released a few years ago but I assume those would be specific for just the games that came with those particular consoles and getting both would be quite costly. Besides, from what I know they are only available for specifically NES and SNES?

From what I've also understood you are able to play these games on some kind of subscription based deal online through the Nintendo Switch? But having to continuously pay for a subscription seems a bit much to be honest. I'd like to play Mario 1 and 2 just as I'd like to play Super Mario World AND Zelda Ocarina Of Time etc. Is there any solution for PS4 where I can have all of those classics and just buy some different controllers (preferably wireless) so that I can get the right "feel" when playing those games, no matter if I want to play the first Mario games (NES), Super Mario World (SNES) or Super Mario Sunshine (Game Cube)? They all had different controllers.

I know I'm asking for a lot here but I just want to know what my options are.

Thanks in advance!

The NES and SNES Minis went out of stock a long time ago, and trying to find either online at a decent price is mostly going to a pain, so I wouldn't recommend it. The base Nintendo Switch Online service(for about $20) offers a decent selection of NES, SNES and Game Boy titles(along with a few obscure Famicom and Super Famicom games), with the $50 expansion pack offering N64, Genesis and GBA games. If you're curious, you can do a free trial for the base subscription, see if that works for you, and if it does, maybe dip for the expansion pack.

But otherwise, if you're just gonna stick with trying to play those types of games on a PS4, I'm afraid you're out of luck asking here. There's no legitimate way to do so.

The PS4 does have some collections that can be purchased like

Contra Anniversary Collection
Disney Afternnon Collection
Mega Man Legacy Collection 1 and 2
Mega Man X Collection
TMNT Coawabunga Collection

And many others. If you came here asking how to hack a PS4 so you can use emulators and where to get ROMs I suggest reading the community rules before posting again.

@DarthTangYang For the switch gen, classic games are subscription only. It's unfortunate, but that's Nintendo's model now.

Virtual Console on eshop is what let you buy classic games to own, and it was available for Wii, Wii U, and 3DS consoles. Eshops for each of those consoles are shut down and Virtual Console, currently is essentially dead.

The only official option and way to legally access these games currently is via Nintendo Switch Online. But if you're wanting to emulate old games and have the ROMs then there are plenty of options out there. If you're after NES/SNES/N64 then something like a raspberry pi will do the trick. Just be aware that N64 emulation is often temperamental and may require some tinkering

I'm also quite fond of Anbernics devices. Even if they often ship with questionably sourced ROMs and software. But they're fairly well supported portable devices that can do everything up to N64 and Dreamcast fairly well

@DarthTangYang Hi there, this might not be the answer you want to hear.... but IMO it might be worth looking into a Steamdeck.
Lowest tier/price-point is the 256GB LCD model (I have this also) @ circa 350 £GBP. I essentially use this as an emulation machine, and once you get all the emulation software installed it is actually super easy to obtain ROMs and such.

Of course rules here forbid the sharing of exact info on how to do this (and rightly so) but there are plenty of online guides. With a bit of groundwork and some tinkering, the Steamdeck would fulfill every need in this respect.

Additionally - some of the classic N64 titles (OoT, MM, Mario 64, Starfox) have native PC ports with updated visuals and QoL features. The Ocarina port (Ship of Harkinian?) is excellent.