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Forums - Gaming - Have you ever owned a console that wasn't from Nintendo/Sega/Sony/MS (and if so, what was it and how was it?)

 

Have you ever owned a console not made by the Big 4?

Yes (Tell us about it!) 20 86.96%
 
No 3 13.04%
 
Total:23
JimmyFantasy on 05 July 2026

Yes, the Atari Lynx from the early '90s with a nice collection of games (Ms. Pac-Man, Slime World, California Games, Lemmings, Toki, Shadow of the Beast and several others).
It was a fantastic piece of technology at the time, and often took away playtime from my "little" Game Boy, but it slowly but surely fell into disuse as the Nintendo handheld began churning out an endless stream of great titles.

It still works today (I played it again recently), although it required some minor internal repairs. As for the cartridges, they're all still in perfect working order, despite those who think 'physical games are outdated'! :D

Last edited by JimmyFantasy - on 05 July 2026

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curl-6 6 days ago
firebush03 said:

I have my dad’s Atari 2600 from the 70s. Not sure if it still works but I own it still.

Definitely recommend giving it a go, it has some real gems of elegantly simple pick-up-and-play fun.



VAMatt 6 days ago

Atari 2600, Coleco Vision, and Atari 5200. Enough has already been said about each of them. I have nothing to add.



VAMatt 6 days ago
Mummelmann said:

I had an Atari Lynx, to this day it's the only handheld I ever owned. It was an okay machine at best, I didn't use it much, and I got mine for free (another kid gave it to me). If I recall correctly, I had about 3-4 games on it, the Lynx was the first machine I tried that showed that handhelds aren't for me, which holds true today as well.

When did you last try a handheld?



Pajderman 6 days ago

No. And thinking of it I haven't even played anything on a console from any other manufacturer.

My brother collects some retro games and he have a Phillips CD-i, got it to play the unholy trinity of Zelda games. But I have never seen it in action.
My uncle had an Atari 2600. Only ever seen it when I helped him move.



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TruckOSaurus 6 days ago

I have a Steam Deck, does that count? If so, I'd say that although I don't use it as often as my Switch 2 or PS5, I rather enjoy it. Right now, it's allowing me to play Slay the Spire 2 on the go and since my PC is getting old, it runs games better too.



Signature goes here!

Cyran 6 days ago

As a child I played a lot of games on my father Intellivision that was made by Mattel Electronics. My granddad owned a atari so I would also play on that when I visited. I enjoyed both as a child but when my family bought a Nintendo I basically stop playing any of the older console available to me other than an occasional baseball match with my father since that was his favorite game.



Tober 6 days ago

Atari 2600



Cerebralbore101 6 days ago
PC Engine otherwise known as Turbografx in the USA. It was an 8 bit console but the games definitely looked 16 bit. They kept upgrading it with a CD expansion and RAM cards to keep it relevant until 1995. A lot of PCE games look and sound amazing even compared to SNES! 



R-Type looks nearly arcade perfect on it! Blows the NES version out of the water!



Here's a super late gen release from 1995 or so. Looks like an arcade title huh? 
Veknoid_Outcast said:
Leynos said:

My TurboGrafx-16 is in the other room.

Oh man, I'm envious. I would love one of those. The closest I have is the Mini.

@OP: I still own a 3DO and a Jaguar. They don't come out very often, except for maybe a little Tempest 2000 and Alien vs Predator.

I also have one of those Evercade Super Pockets. And an Atari 2600+ reproduction, if that counts.

My buddy and I just upgraded to the PCE Duo. So we both will have PC Engines (Japanese Turbo Grafx) for sale. Both are S-Video modded and recapped. 

Last edited by Cerebralbore101 - 6 days ago

VGChartz has a Retro Sub-Forum! Put your Retro-Related Threads Here! Plz?

Mummelmann 6 days ago
VAMatt said:
Mummelmann said:

I had an Atari Lynx, to this day it's the only handheld I ever owned. It was an okay machine at best, I didn't use it much, and I got mine for free (another kid gave it to me). If I recall correctly, I had about 3-4 games on it, the Lynx was the first machine I tried that showed that handhelds aren't for me, which holds true today as well.

When did you last try a handheld?

I've tried a Steam Deck (OLED model), Switch 1 and 2 in handheld mode, and a short while with an ROG Ally. As far as hardware goes, they've become impressive, and they have great software libraries, but I can't click with the format; sound, controller options and small screens. It just doesn't feel good, Zelda: Breath of the Wild felt like a completely different game in handheld mode, and a much poorer one (in my opinion). I also never play games on my phone, it's just worse in every single aspect except logistics and mobility.