At only three episodes into the DF Retro Super Show, we wanted to pull back to a more holistic view of the hobby and get to a question that we sometimes hear from brand-new listeners and viewers. As in, why do we get excited about retro gaming?

Our panel digs into many dimensions of how our own retro gaming hobbies took shape over the years. When in our own lives did the concept of "retro" gaming grab ahold? Why do we prefer older game, systems and controllers? And which older games are newly exciting us in 2025?

We hope this conversation is a kicking-off point for rediscovering the joy of classic gaming however many years or decades you might want to rewind - whether because you are eager to rediscover single-button arcade simplicity, build the ultimate couch multiplayer party setup or punt all online-connected annoyances and content carrot-dangles in favour of games that simply plug in, turn on and function.

Before that chat begins, we run through the retro gaming news of the past few weeks, and we begin with the upcoming Vectrex Mini plug-and-play console, available now for preorder via Kickstarter's "Late Pledge" interface with an advertised September 2026 release date. This €149 base system includes 12 built-in games and SD card support for additional software, along with a 5" AMOLED screen and one Bluetooth gamepad. Tests of its prototype hardware at this year's Gamescom and Portland Retro Game Expo confirm that the AMOLED panel balances affordability and visual fidelity in mostly recreating the classic console's signature vector-monitor effect.

For more remade-console news, we discuss the full-sized A1200, an HDMI-out emulation box that recreates the Amiga 1200 PC experience that originally launched in 1992. A "mini" version of the A1200 would simply not cut it, owing to the console's chassis revolving around a full-sized keyboard, so we're excited to see this - and it's from the same Retro Games team that previously released TheC64, a full-sized Commodore 64 emulation box, so we're optimistic about this new system's performance and build quality. As paired with a mouse, a gamepad, 25 pre-installed games and expansion options to install additional titles, the new A1200 bundle is slated to ship June 2026 with preorders starting at €189.

We also explore "newly arranged" piano renditions of classic Square-Enix RPG soundtracks, as released in two officially licensed and recently released albums. The first, Piano Fantasies, collects songs from four Square-Enix classics as a single, concert-like musical experience, as performed by renowned video game adaptation pianist Mischa Cheung. The second, Chrono Trigger Piano Soundscape Arrangement, is formally published and sold by Square-Enix. Both come highly recommended.

Other recent and upcoming retro releases mentioned in the episode:

And while our episode this week clocks in at nearly two hours, we strongly recommend carving out an additional whopping three hours in the near future to watch the latest PlayStation 1-obsessive Sean Seanson video. This time, Sean spends his lengthy runtime working through the full Taito chronology on Sony's first home console, which turns up more than a few Taito gems even we'd lost track of over the years.