Nick Fernandez / Android Authority
Gaming has always been expensive, but in the past six months, it’s started to feel downright unaffordable. From consoles and controllers to games and subscriptions, prices are climbing across the board.
As someone without an unlimited gaming budget, that means I’m effectively priced out of most new games. I’ve mostly made up for this by revisiting my favorite retro games or snagging PC games on Steam with deep discounts, but recent developments in the Android world have given me new hope.
I’m referring to Android-based emulation handhelds from companies such as AYANEO, AYN, ANBERNIC, Retroid, and others. These have been growing in popularity for years, but now they have the potential to cover my entire gaming needs, from retro classics to modern PC titles.
The end of bargain bin gaming
Oliver Cragg / Android Authority
Before getting to why these handhelds matter, I want to run through the changes in the mainstream gaming landscape that have paved the way for these kinds of alternatives. Price hikes are certainly not a new phenomenon, but what’s happened in the past six months has been unlike anything we’ve seen before.
Let’s start with the Nintendo Switch 2. I was a late adopter of the original Switch, buying it while on paternity leave after my daughter was born in 2019. I have very fond memories of playing Breath of the Wild while my infant daughter slept on my chest, so when rumors about the Switch 2 started to circulate, I was curious to see what Nintendo would come up with, nearly a decade after its groundbreaking handheld was released.
While the Switch 2 was certainly an upgrade, it didn’t even come close to justifying its $450 starting price. That’s nearly twice what I paid for the first console just over five years ago. Later, the first console would also increase in price by $40, something that never occurred with any of the consoles from my youth.
Today's consoles are historically overpriced and out of reach.
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