Topic: where do i start

Hey guys! Pretty new here.
So ive been playing on nintendo consoles since i was 9 and i really want to start an old nintendo console collection but i dont know where to start.i have a switch and a3ds at the moment.and no im not going to emulate them.
I was thinking about a ds or a gameboy but i really dont know.also since i still live with my parents they cant be that expensive.thanks

@HDPD Well, seeing as you can play practically all DS games on the 3DS, I'd say go for a Game Boy, and to be more precise, the Game Boy Advance SP. If you're still able to get a hold of one, look for the one with the better back light, the one that has model nr AGS-101. But even if you can't get that model, it's still a worthwhile handheld to have, even the original model.

And seeing as the Game Boy Advance, like the 3DS, is also backward compatible, you will also have immediate access to the entire Game Boy and Game Boy Color library of games.

Here's some more info on the console and the two models:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Game_Boy_Advance_SP

P.S.
No offense, but when I still lived with my parents, I actually had more money to spend on consoles and games, since I didn't have to pay for the rent and all that, so that reason for you mentioning that it can't be too expensive, seems kind of contradictory to me, but maybe things are different in your country or in recent times, I don't know...

Nosy parents will start asking question if you buy anything too expensive.

They may even, <gasp>, ask for money since you obviously have no problems getting rid of it.

@Yosheel Never had that problem, as long as I paid for it with my own money, earned with paper routes, weekend work and what not.

It's just a stereotype.

Definetely Gameboy advance sp. ags101 is quite expensive and rare in today’s market. The original is good and alit cheaper

They aren’t hard to find on eBay. I got a decent one a few months ago.

@DTMOF84 yes you can find it on eBay but it’s 3 tines more expensive.

@HDPD okay.so a gameboy advance sp ags101.i was thinking about an original nes too but i saw that most games from it are on the gameboy so idk

@HDPD Next month, the NES Mini Classic will be re-released, so you could always buy that as well. It isn't going to be that expensive, plus if you wish, you could add all the games you want to it.

And even though you could get some of these NES games on the Game Boy, it's not really the same as playing on the TV. But that of course also depends on personal choice/preference. Me, I like both.

The good GBA NES classics are probably more expensive than the original NES cartridges (Maybe?)

@1UP_MARIO that’s a bit of a stretch. I recently bought one that was fair priced. I saw several others that would be decent buys too. Just have to watch who you buy from. Individual sellers that aren’t running a store will be good.

@DTMOF84 yeah maybe I’ve been unlucky. I’ll find one one day

@HDPD It really depends where your interest lies and how much you have in terms of money. To start small, I would suggest a GBA SP or a Gamecube with a Game Boy player. The latter gives you access to all GB GBA and Gamecube games. The former being cheaper but forcing you to play only GB or GBA games on a tiny, very outdated screen. (don't get me wrong, I dumped thousands of hours into GB and GBA games. But it is hard, even with nostalgia, to go back to that screen quality)

@Heavyarms55 GBA games look worse on a big screen, because they're so pixelated, and the GameCube obviously isn't really portable. And like most of us pointed out, if he can get the AGS-101, then he'll have the improved screen, which is far better than most of us had, and comes pretty darn close to playing GBA games on a DS.

@ThanosReXXX I totally agree on the portable lack. But I still think GBA games look fine on the big screens. Yes they are pixelly but when does that stop anyone? There are new indie games that look much worse in the Switch eshop like every week and THAT pixeling is intentional.

@Heavyarms55 Oh, don't get me wrong: it doesn't deter me from playing either, and I also happen to have the Game Boy Player, but seeing as you mentioned not being able to go back to that screen quality of the portable, I made that comparison. And obviously, the pixels will look less defined, and as such less noticeable, on the smaller screen.

Personally, I always see everything in its own time frame, which prevents me from comparing older consoles and/or handhelds to more modern devices and enables me to just enjoy them for what they are, so it having an "inferior" screen, or whatever else, is never going to bother me.

And besides: I still have my Game Boy Color, and my original GBA, which didn't even have a lit screen...

Agreed on some of these Switch "retro-look" games. Talk about taking it to the next level...

@ThanosReXXX Don't misunderstand. I grew up on the Game Boy Color. But that doesn't mean I want to go back to that tiny, unlit screen. When I was talking about screen quality I was more refering to the tiny screen size and dim back light. I have never owned one of the newer model GBA SPs but if your comparison is to the DS, as in the original DS, that still isn't much better in my opinion. Perhaps I am just spoiled at this point by my ASUS tablet and Switch. Or though I hate to admit it, my eyes weren't even great as a kid...

@Heavyarms55 No, the AGS-101 is closer to the DS Lite. Don't know how they went back from that to the DS Phat, but it is somewhere in between. If you've ever actually held or seen a GBA Micro, that should give you some idea of the clarity and sharpness of the screen.

EDIT:
And you're doing the EXACT thing that I'm not doing: you're comparing, and that's only your own loss. You can't compare, because the tech just wasn't there yet to make the experience, or the screen better. Or in some cases: not for an affordable, customer-friendly price...

It's like I said before: to REALLY enjoy these old consoles and handhelds, you NEED to see them in their own time frame, and not compare them to the PS4 Pro or the Switch. It makes absolutely no sense and it''s a decidedly unfair comparison, and the gamer himself loses out as well, because it prevents one from fully enjoying the games and/or the experience, so it's actually rather short-sighted, no offense.

@ThanosReXXX Huh, that does sound like probably the best way to play legit GB or GBA cartridges. Portably at any rate.