I write about retro gaming for a living and these are my 5 essential picks in the Amazon spring sale

R36T Retro TV Handheld on a shelf in front of 2000AD books and flanked by Funko Pops — (Image credit: Rik Henderson / Future)

I've been writing about video games for almost four decades and have owned or played on just about every games console and computer released in that time – from the Sharp MZ-80K and ZX Spectrum up to my most recent purchase, the Lenovo Legion Go S (SteamOS).

I'm also a habitual collector of retro gaming handhelds, whether they run on Android or Linux, and have built my own bartop arcade machines and retro consoles from Raspberry Pi boards and mini PCs.

That includes the current Amazon Spring Deal Days sale, which is running in the UK now (until the end of play Monday 16 March), and I've found five great deals to recommend – some of which I've already added to my basket myself.

These are all deals I've found on Amazon UK. There are plenty of others too, but these are my choice picks.

They are all products that require very little extra work to get up and running – working straight from the box – apart from the Lego Game Boy, which you have to build yourself, of course.

However, if you do fancy taking on a project, I also recommend buying a mini PC and turning it into a retro games console. I recently did this myself with the Geekom A5, which comes with Windows 11 Pro but I now run on the dedicated retro gaming system Batocera.

That's also a great deal on that particular mini PC as part of Spring Deal Days too. You can find the model I used for just £335.75, which is capable of emulating up to PS3 and Nintendo Switch at native resolutions and frame rates. Older systems can be upscaled 3x at the very least.

Whatever your choice, retro gaming is a rapidly growing pastime and you'll be able to find all manner of devices and projects available online – often with excellent discounts.

I've also written about my favourite retro gaming handhelds in the past, so you can check that out too if you want.

Just don't get too hooked or you'll also find yourself with 20+ handhelds before you know it.

Rik is T3’s news editor, which means he looks after the news team and the up-to-the-minute coverage of all the hottest gadgets and products you’ll definitely want to read about. And, with more than 35 years of experience in tech and entertainment journalism, including editing and writing for numerous websites, magazines, and newspapers, he’s always got an eye on the next big thing.

Rik also has extensive knowledge of AV, TV streaming and smart home kit, plus just about everything to do with games since the late 80s. Prior to T3, he spent 13 years at Pocket-lint heading up its news team, and was a TV producer and presenter on such shows as Channel 4's GamesMaster, plus Sky's Games World, Game Over, and Virtual World of Sport.

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