How Much Would It Cost To Build A Retro Gaming Room?

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If you have spent any amount of time on YouTube, you have probably come across videos or clips from or about people like James Rolfe, aka The AVGN. He basically makes a living off reviewing retro games and has an entire gaming room dedicated to the craft, which raises the question of how much it would cost to build one of your own. Ironically, probably more than it would take to buy modern games.

Let's start with the obvious: the TV. Most modern screens don't have inputs that are compatible with retro consoles, so if you want to use your normal TV, you will need a converter. Different consoles have different formats and thus require different boxes. For instance, an RCA to HDMI converter will work with consoles that include RCA cables (the ones that split into yellow, white, and red prongs). You can buy these for as little as $15 or so through retailers such as GameStop, but even older consoles use a different connector known as a coaxial cable (a single threaded prong). Coaxial converters are generally more expensive (in the $50 ballpark on Amazon).

While converters are inexpensive in the long run, they all have one problem in common: They don't display retro games the way developers intended. That is one of the many reasons retro enthusiasts prefer CRT TVs: The low resolution blurs the pixels together to make the image look smoother than it actually is. If you want the best experience, you will need to buy a CRT. Expect to spend anywhere between a hundred and a few thousand dollars, depending on the TV and its state. You can buy CRTs at thrift stores, which can save you some money, but quality and functionality are never guaranteed.

Consoles that support your retro game collection make up the meat and potatoes of any retro gaming room. Unlike modern consoles, retro consoles are aging devices that occasionally border on geriatric, so even if you don't spend too much money buying one, you might spend even more getting it to work.

Retro console prices can vary depending on what you buy and where you purchase it from. You can find plenty of retro consoles for less than $150, such as the SNES and Sega Genesis, but what if you want a Nintendo 64? You can purchase a regular refurbished one from GameStop for $129.99, or you could spend extra to buy a conversation piece of a console. A Pikachu N64 fills that niche, but don't expect to buy one for much less than $300, assuming it works.

Arguably the biggest challenge of any retro gaming room is ensuring all the consoles work. Some retro consoles are notoriously unreliable. You might need to buy multiple copies to find a working one or pay a specialty repair shop to fix a busted device. Alternatively, you can just buy a retro-inspired console. These are almost always guaranteed to work, and some even accept multiple cartridge formats, but they come at the cost of an authentic experience — that, and they are often more expensive. Analogue's N64 alternative, the Analogue3D, starts at $269.99, while the Hyperkin RetroN5 (which plays NES, SNES, GBA, and Genesis games) costs $156.99 through Newegg. Even if two people bought the exact same retro consoles, they could end up spending wildly different amounts of money.

So far, prices haven't been too exorbitant. Probably higher than what you were expecting, but not too ridiculous. But depending on the games you want, you might have to spend more money on a game cartridge or disc than you will spend on the console that can play it.

Purchasing games for your new retro gaming room is always a roll of the dice, as no two sellers price their games the same way. However, as a general rule of thumb, the more popular and sought-after a game, the higher its price — doubly so if you can also snag the box and instruction manual. The iconic "Contra Hard Corps" for Sega Genesis starts for around $50 on eBay, and that figure jumps to $180 for the game, box, and manual. Meanwhile, one of the best RPGs of all time, "Chrono Trigger" for the SNES, fetches prices upward of $300 just for the cart alone on eBay. And like consoles, retro games degrade over time, so you might receive a worthless shell filled with corroded circuitry.

What if you want to build a retro arcade at home? Same song, different key. You can purchase bona fide cabinets, but the cost of such purchases will put the rest of your collection to shame. Stores such as M&P Amusement sell used arcade cabinets starting at over $2,000. But like retro consoles, you can purchase emulations, such as the Arcade1Up Ms. Pac-Man Class of '81 Deluxe Cabinet, which has 12 games for $499 on Amazon. It will be more stable than a hand-me-down cabinet, but again, it's not the genuine article. Ultimately, the amount you end up spending depends on your desire for authenticity and the dice you want to roll.