That time of year is coming up when we all need to celebrate the cool dads in our lives, and if they're into retro gaming, then I have the perfect list for you, specifically picked for dads, by a dad.
This is the list you need to send to your partner to give them the subtle nudge to buy you something from this list, "from your kids", or it could be the list you needed for your own father, perhaps one that grew up through the epic arcade era.
Every product on this list has been thoroughly tested by our team of product experts. We've had our hands on them, and some I continue to use weekly. So, without further ado, here are my personal favourite picks for that retro gaming dad in your life... or yourself, I won't judge you.
G'AIM'E Time Crisis Lightgun Console
- Price: $99/£99
- Where To Buy: mygaime.com
This is the ultimate fathers day present in my opinion. It's a super easy, plug-and-play console featuring not one, but two lightguns with four officially licensed pre-loaded games to enjoy with friends and family on your living room HD TV.
And when I say, "plug-and-play" I really mean it. There's no setup. No cameras to install. No sensors to install. It's one of the easiest lightgun consoles I have ever tested, created by a company in Japan that has official permission to use this with Time Crisis, one of the greatest lightgun games ever made.
At $99/£99 it's not going to break the bank either. I'll admit that it's on the higher end of Father's Day budgets, but it's for a good reason, as this uses a bunch of tech, including cameras in the gun chamber that detect your TV to sync accurately.
The premium and ultimate editions of the console (that cost a little more) come with a footpedal and four gams, including Time Crisis, Point Blanc, Steel Gunner and Steel Gunner 2. It's a great gift that friends and family get to experience too; it's a bunch of fun.
LEGO GAME BOY
- Price: $59.99/£49.99
- Where To Buy: LEGO.com
One of my favourite LEGO sets of the last couple of years is the LEGO GAME BOY, not only because I am a huge GAME BOY fan, but because this is a really smart, somewhat challenging build that pays huge respect to the original console.
It comes with a lenticular display featuring a couple of choices such as Super Mario, Zelda and the infamous Nintendo logo screen. It comes with the phyiscal cartridges too, for you to slot in the back as if it's a real game, with official cartridge art and all.
But the magic was in the console build. The action buttons feature rubber bands to soften the impact to make it feel like real handheld action buttons that can be pressed, and the DPAD can be pressed too, softly thank to the build and the start/select button uses small rubber tyres which can also be pressed, just like the real deal.
It comes in at 421 pieces, which took me around 3 - 4 hours to fully build, and it even comes with a display stand, which holds a spare cartridge. And for only $60/£50 it's a great gift that will undoubtedly put a smile on any dads face who has somewhat of a interest in gaming.
A Handheld History
- Price: $25/£24
- Where To Buy: Amazon
I always wanted a premium coffee table book about handhelds, but there wasn't one on the market... so I made one. Back in 2024, we collaborated with Lost In Cult to create a premium tome about the history of handheld consoles and games.
It was incredibly difficult to produce, and took almost two years of work to get it out the door, but now it's available worldwide, has sold 10,000s of units and was even one of Amazon's best-selling gaming books for a few weeks too.
It features words from a wide range of journalists, influencers and content creators in the retro gaming space, alongside work from over 15 different artists to create a wonderful walk through the history of these unique consoles. All crafted by humans.
AYANEO Pocket Air Mini
- Price: $109/£99 - $145/£120
- Where To Buy: Amazon or AYANEO.com
The AYANEO Pocket Air Mini has stayed at the top of our best retro handhelds list ever since it launched last year, and for good reason, it's the best $120 Android handheld on the market and allows you to emulate a wide range of retro games, including Gamecube, Nintendo 64, PS1 and more.
Originally, it launched for $69 for early birds, then $99 for retail, but due to increased demand for memory, it's now been bumped up to $120, which I still think is an absolute steal for this remarkable device, and they just announced a limited edition version for the same price, and less than 100 are left. So if you're thinking of getting one, now's a good time to snag this red and gold variant!
Put simply, it's a portable Android handheld with enough power to emulate Gamecube, Nintendo 64, Dreamcast and even a handful of smaller PlayStation 2 games, all on a stunning and comfortable form factor, featuring a 4.2" display, running on an Android OS paired with AYASpace, a front end designed specifically for this console.
It's very capable, designed well, and features a great screen that can be used with many different consoles using its 4:3 ratio 1280 x 960 display. I use this thing weekly, and it is one of my favourites. It's priced competitively and can do everything I need it to in terms of retro and Android gaming.
GAMENOOK Throne
- Price: £24.99/$33.99
- Where To Buy: gamenook.co.uk
This is a personal side-project of mine that I want to introduce you to. It's an eco-friendly gaming accessory brand that creates products made entirely of recycled plastic sourced from small businesses, our oceans, coastlines and forests.
I founded it to give back to the planet in a small, creative way, but also to create awesome products for retro gamers and collectors. The first product is called The Throne, a display stand that fits 100s of different handhelds, alongside custom slots for GAME BOY cartridges and AA batteries, allowing you to display your handheld and games easily, with impact.
We handmake them too, they're not mass-produced in China, we don't use low-quality 3D printing techniques, instead we handmake them with premium-quality aluminium moulds and mix plastics in a way that gives it that unique, clustered look.
They're the perfect, affordable gift for dads who want to show off their handhelds and with each sell the planet is slightly cleaner, plus we plant a tree for every single unit sold! Pretty cool, hey? I'll admit it's niche, but it's something I am proud of, it took a lot of money and time to get this brand off the ground!
Trozk Floppy Disk MagSafe Battery Bank
- Price: $69/£52
- Where To Buy: AliExpress.com
A great EDC accessory that comes with me on many weekend trips away is this adorable Floppy Disk mag-safe battery pack made by a company called Trozk.
It comes with a 10,000mAh capacity, features a small LCD display to keep you informed about charging data, features a USB-C port and attaches to the back of Magsafe phones to charge without the cable.
There's even a slightly more expensive version that comes with some internal storage so you can store photos and other media on it, alongside the ability to charge your device, turning it into a very cool accessory that not only looks cool but does more than just charge your device.
Console Heroes SEGA Genesis/Mega Drive Playset
- Price: $11.99/£9.99
- Where To Buy: Amazon
These are the most affordable gifts for dads on the list, and one aimed at collectors of SEGA stuff. These are simply playsets featuring figurines inside of SEGA Genesis & SEGA Mega Drive cartridges, like the Polly Pockets of the 90s.
Packaged inside of boxes inspired by the SEGA Genesis & Mega Drive, focused on franchises from that era, such as Sonic The Hedgehog, Streets of Rage and Altered Beast. The best aprt is that the cartridge opens up to a playset, and can be stored inside of it too, featuring a wide range of popular SEGA characters from those games.
They're incredibly affordable, can be found in most large retail stores throughout America, such as Walmart, and they've even gone as far as creating European versions for the SEGA Mega Drive, too!
This is by a new company on the block called Console Heroes, who have a history in the toy space but now wants to create something cool for retro gamers and collectors. We had the opportunity to talk with Andrew, the Founder, on our podcast last year, too!
ANBERNIC RG Rotate
- Pricing: $88 - $108
- Where To Buy: ANBERNIC.com
One of the coolest retro handhelds to release this year is the ANBERNIC RG Rotate, a portable Android handheld with a flip-out display that reveals a gamepad in order for you to emulate retro games on the go in a way that is inspired by mobile phones of the 2000s era.
It has an $88 plastic version and a $108 metal version, which I recommend. It features a 3.5" IPS display, enough power to emulate Nintendo 64 and Dreamcast games, but the lack of an analogue stick forces you to stick to PS1 and lower, which isn't a problem because larger consoles require a screen bigger than 3.5" in my opinion.
So I found myself falling in love with emulation GAME BOY games, NEO Geo games and GAME GEAR games in a way to please my fidgeting. It's an incredibly affordable, unique retro handheld with enough power to scratch your itch, and you look cool doing it.
The metal touch is nice, adds some good weight, and the replaceable shoulder buttons are a nice touch. It's one of ANBERNIC's most unique handhelds yet, and it's selling well because of them taking a chance on doing something different in the space.
Kraisvoe 32Bit Nintendo Switch 1/2 Dock
- Pricing: $69/£55
- Where To Buy: Etsy.com
A cool British creative company in the retro gaming space are making waves recently, all thanks to their unique designs for Nintendo Switch docks, and lucky for me, I had my hands on three of them.
My favourite is their "32Bit Dock", designed to look like the iconic PlayStation 1, and even comes with a cartridge storage box in the shape of a PS1 Memory Card. Krasivoe create 3D printed products that nod to retro consoles of the past.
The 32-bit dock stands up and places down, depending on how you want to store your Nintendo Switch. The front circle, where the disc tray would be, can spin to match your stance too. The memory card storage system is my favourite part, and it holds 4 different game cartridges that pair with the dock neatly.
Though they are not cheap, starting at around £55/$70 just for the dock, and extra if you want the accessories. But that said, it does make your gaming setup look incredibly unique and spices up the dull black or white Nintendo Switch dock nicely.
8BITDO Retro Cube 2 Speaker
- Pricing: $49/£39
- Where To Buy: Amazon
Every dad loves a Bluetooth speaker, even more so if it looks like something designed in the 80s and has subtle nods to the classic Nintendo Entertainment System.
8BITDO released a portable wireless speaker with dual speakers designed to be paired with music and games consoles, and can be switched between 3 different connection modes with the press of a button. The speaker quality is pretty good for a device of this size.
It will certainly fill a room and more when on max volume, and even comes with a wireless charging pad that it sits on throughout the day, and then when you want to take it out of the house, you simply take it off the dock, and it's ready to go, fully charged. A neat feature I didn't know I needed for a portable speaker until now.
