Tagged editorial

Analogue Anxieties - How Nostalgia Motivates the Return to Dedicated Devices

Lately, there has been an uptick of people returning to physical media. You see a lot of things being discussed as motivating factors dopamine detox here and return to physical media there. I'd love to be super supportive of this idea but part of me thinks this may just be a trend.

I can assume that a lot of people gave up, lost, or sold a lot of their pre-smartphone era devices like Game Boys, Tamogatchis, and iPods. I'm lucky enough to still have basically all of my devices but for anyone getting into retro gaming or technology now, finances are going to be a huge barrier.

In the retro gaming scene, a lot of people are currently reporting on how insane it is that 3DSes are rising in price despite some units going for as low as 70 USD when they were being released. Brands and nostalgia are two huge factors of this, of course, but I also admit... I do start to bemoan the idea that these devices are magical solutions to feeling detached from the media you consume, or a dwindling attention span.

Accessibility from a financial standpoint has already been an issue, it didn't need to get worse! Like, come on.

I get that a lot of people still have hangups regarding emulation, but I think charging upwards of even 200 dollars in 2025 for a 3DS that is unboxed, missing a stylus, has a cracked screen, or can't charge is highway robbery. If people want to revisit their childhood the "legitimate" way, why are they the ones getting suckered way more than someone who's just going to pirate games, especially when that money isn't going back to people who made the product?

I'd love to recommend some of those Android gaming handhelds (if you keep up with Wulff Den on YouTube, you know the ones), but even those are getting more expensive. I'm impressed, but it gets to a point where they aren't practical whatsoever, like with the ONEXSUGAR SUGAR 1, or ONEXSUGAR Wallet.

Screenshot from Retro Game Corps holding a ONEXSUGAR 1, playing Contra via RetroArch.

I may be showing my age, but I remember seeing videos about GP2X Win, GP2X Wiz, PopStations, and GBA clones over the years and many of them were just cheap garbage that were fun to laugh at, but some were legitimate devices that people could play games on... if they already knew about emulation or operating Linux. It's still not a simple "pick up and play" device unless you ignore the legally dubious nature of ROMs included on many of these handhelds. Even some of these were purchased in bulk by Soulja Boy and it made for some funny videos taking the crap out of them...

Oh wait, he's back at it again.

The point is, the more attention that has been paid to these "bootleg cheap handhelds from China", the more they evolve and the more the price increases. Nowadays these android handhelds can flat out run some (lightweight) Steam games on them, so they're consoles in their own right now. Pile on economic turmoil and tariffs on top of that, and it's not financially viable for people to get one of these either. On top of that, PC handhelds aren't "pocketable", and can tip toe into being more than 1000 dollars if you're not careful.

That "pocketable" concern is exactly why you're seeing a return to 3DSes, GBAs, and PSPs in the first place, but a big chunk of that is nostalgia that I can't really relate to. I always had one of these (sans a 3DS) with me, yknow?

Other forms of physical media are being used as accessories as well. While I think that having CDs is a win for owning what you buy, you don't need a portable CD player. My primary music player has been a PSP with a 128 GB microSD card, and that's okay. (I can't comment on vinyls other than being annoyed that it's the only way to buy an album physical in many instances, as either the CD version is kept to regions like Japan or it doesn't exist at all.)

There's absolutely an argument to be said about not doom scrolling and using multiple sources of entertainment to stimulate yourself, but I don't think there's one device that will magically fix that, and buying everything you want on CD, Blu-Ray, or even VHS won't fix that.

I'm largely immune to this because there's not much of a nostalgic slant, I was always around people who had VHSes, CDs, and DVDs. A big chunk of my collection is just things that I already had in my grandma's apartment, and everything else is stuff that I'm glad I can buy now thanks to me having a job, but it's nothing huge.

Video games were similar for me; I didn't have an Nintendo 64 or GameCube, but I tried them often enough at my cousin's house to really get familiar with the games there. Also, I've accepted that while the present isn't rosy, childhood wasn't exactly always better either, so escapism isn't sinking its teeth into me but I understand how and why it's appealing to others... especially anyone who came into early adulthood during a socially isolating time when you're trying to find your identity. It just makes sense to define it based on what you buy.

So what do we do to not make this a trend?

I've spent way too much time on the internet as a child, but the benefit is that I've been able to be really tech savvy. I was in 4th grade reading PC World issues, so I wasn't exactly ever cool, but I do know how to rip CDs and emulate games. These are skills from a different era that aren't actively being taught because society thought that tossing iPads and walled gardens would be good for children. I really think instead of embracing the idea that "zoomers are braindead" and laughing at the idea that they think EXEs are viruses due to creepypastas, that we actually pass on this knowledge so everyone is informed. Don't scoff at people making this knowledge more digestible for younger people today either, we were all clueless at some point.

I don't think we're going to be in a financially sound place for a while. You do not NEED to get a sealed limited edition CD of your favorite band right now. You're not less of a gamer for NOT having a GBA right now, dust off an old phone and play your games on there for now. I encourage people to get used to shopping on eBay and discogs and not immediately look for NEW CIB material. It's OK to get something used, it's OK to get something old.

The DSVault situation is a shame on all fronts, intentionally overselling pre-modded 3DSes to cater to female/femme gamers who have no desire to modify devices on their own is a recipe for disaster. We're all far more capable with tech than we think, so I implore people to try to get more familiar with modding. Again, learn how to refurbish and take care of your devices to fix them yourself, or find a service in your area that can repair them for a fee. Avoid ludicrous resellers and try to purchase from smaller stores or individuals. The labor that goes into getting all these games on one device is how people can overcharge, but not only is hacking and downloading games on a 3DS or Vita easy, you do not need every single game ever on one device either.

Cultivate your attention span so you can watch movies and television in one sitting, even if it's not on a disc. Try to engage in tasks that are boring just for the sake of it, or even get back into reading (however you can, this includes ebooks and audiobooks). The reality is that you are in control with how you interact with the devices around you, even if you don't feel like you are at the moment.

Also, while I am not judging, this goes without saying that rejecting AI however you can is a net positive as well. Delete character.ai and get back into talking with people. Doubly so in the case of Twitter.

I'd love for something that's always been a bit of an obsession for me to get more social acceptance, but I want it to happen because there's a genuine love for art and the mediums that it can be pressed on. You don't need to buy anything to keep this flame lit either, just practice computer awareness. A USB hard drive and an external CD/DVD drive can take you pretty far.