no shit but many of y'all here are nostalgic for the 2000s nd want 2 experience it again. unfortunately we don't have time machines to go back but there is another much more fun way to stay in the present while escaping reality into 2006!!!! and that is...

2000s Video Game Consoles (and games)

soooo exciting, i know :3 here is a (hopefully) detailed guide on how, where, and what to buy. and dont worry, i have a solution for ppl with strict/abusive parents. im trying to include everyone in this so id appreciate if u read the whole thing

Chapter 1: 5th, 6th, and 7th generation consoles

ok so handhelds are separated into different generations. im not gonna get 2 specific, but this is self explanatory lol.

5-7th gen consoles are from 1993-2014

here is a list of the span of each era as well as the consoles that marked these generations:

• 5th generation: 1993-2006. Consoles that marked these era were: Sega Saturn, Playstation 1, Nintendo 64. GameBoy Color can be included but idk much about this generation so feel free 2 dive deeper :D
• 6th generation: 1998-2013. Consoles that marked this generation were: Sega Dreamcast, PS2, Nintendo Gamecube(I LOVE), Xbox 1
• now this one is my favorite heheh... 7TH GENERATION!!! 2004-2014. Home consoles: PS3, Nintendo Wii, Xbox 360. Handhelds/portable(I LOVE): Nintendo DS, DS Lite, and DSi. PSP 1000, 2000, 3000. Nintendo GameBoy Advance.

not part of these gens but shoutout to the 3DS!! its the successor to the DS and its alot better than the ds imo. if u really want a 2000's feel but only have enough $$$ for one, get the DSi. if ur loaded or ur freeloading off ur parents(me), try to get both if they permit. ive had a ds lite since i was 2 and im getting a 3ds for my bday :3

Chapter 2: Where to get these consoles

yey next chapter lolz

anyways there are a bunch of places to get these consoles(especially the DS and 3DS models) but i gotta tell u what to look out for. unfortunately none of these are the ultimate best(all have their pros and cons) so pls read on:

GameStop

Very devoted to retro tech. It's where my dad got my DS when i was a baby. I've done some research and heres what I can tell ya:

Pros:

• Very very secure. Never gonna get scammed form this place EVER.
• their products are refurbished very well and they r high quality asl
• huge variety of retro stuff from atari to nintendo to xbox, etc etc

Con:

• kind of overpriced but its worth it i guess. this is the only con for me btw

FaceBook Marketplace

my mom and I were thinking about buying from here but we havent yet so take what i say with a grain of salt

Pros:

• can be absolute dirt cheap. i saw a 3ds on there for 50 bucks in renewed condition
• millions of results

Cons:

• prices are misleading. always check the desc b4 u say "ooh ooh i want one!!!" i saw 5 3DSes listed for a dollar but upon closer inspection, they were $300 each so yeahhh
• kind of a hit or miss. ppl sell old and dirty ahh PSPs for $1,000
• collector's editions of certain consoles that were $300 in retail resell for $600+

WATCH OUT FOR SCRAPPERS GUYS!!

eBay

havent shopped here but my friends have told me stuff and its pretty good. pros and cons are similar to fb marketplace but less cons. happy shopping!!!

Subchapter: "Companies" to look out for

oh my fucking gosh there are so many chatgpt scammer companies that lure u in with aesthetic consoles n shit but never deliver when u actually pay.

Some symptoms are: chatgpt photo, stealing other ppls vids, ai replies, lots of aestheticness overall.

The worst one I can think of is DSVault. there r so many fucking video essays on youtube. the whole thing is actually insane.

well off to the next chapter we go :3

Chapter 3: Best Consoles - my opinion!!!

so i kinda collect 2000's video games and consoles. my collection is kinda small, but i can tell you with great confidence what you should buy for what purpose. off we go!!!

Nintendo DS Phat, DS Lite, DSi

i love this so much omg. the og ds(ds phat) is just so futuristic and screams fruitger aero. watch out for low brightnesses tho, and its kinda heavy.

the ds lite is very similar to the ds phat. however, the lite sold the most out of the three so that should tell u enough. lighter, smaller, bigger screens, better brightnesses, etc etc. the sfx on both the classic DSes makes me giggle and wave my feet in the air. 

BONUS APPLICATION: PictoChat. YOU NEED TO USE THIS WITH SOMEONE U KNOW! its essentially a messaging service for the DS. it doesnt need wifi but only operates over 65 feet, so its useful only if u have a next door neighbor, a sibling or a friend in ur class @ school. still tho, i use it as a diary and its so great!!!

The DSi is probably the best out of the three in terms of capabilities. It has 4x the RAM as the DS Lite, has a clock speed or 133 MHz compared to the Lite's 67 MHz, and most of all, it has WIFI <333 also there are ds games that r exclusive 2 the dsi. they r known as dsiware.

My opinion? get the DS Lite or DSi.

Sony PlayStation Portable 1000, 2000, 3000

im getting this one soon, but its very futuristic and theres so much more stuff u can do with it besides playing games. its a multimedia powerhouse, u can view photos, play music, and watch movies -- yes u can do that lol. it just has so much more stuff to it than the DS and it has a similar layout to a sony cybershot. 

My opinion? Get the 3000. Best specs and things run smoother on there, pls better battery life and bigger screen!

Nintendo 3DS/2DS

very very very good!!!! >v< much more capable than the ds. think of it as a big ds combined with a psp. not much to explain here, there are thousands of video essays and stuff on it. ill spend 5 hours watching them just bc theyre that entertaining. maybe i have a hyper fixation idk

Chapter 4: Video Games (sites)

ok so um yall are already spending a shit ton of $$$ on consoles. PLS DONT BUY THE PHYSICAL GAMES!!theyre like 40 dollars and ur gonna be broke if u stand against piracy. here are some sites for getting ds, 3ds, and psp games:

• ROMS Games - Nintendo DS
• Vimm’s Lair - this one has games for a bunch of stuff, feel free to look! >v< they have nintendo 64, gamecube, ds, 3ds, psp, and so much more

Chapter 4.5: Emulators

unfortunately, some of u guys have parents that are mean or strict or just straight us abusive. (also if u cant afford) if u cant ask them to buy these consoles, i am here to save the day with emulators! 

what are emulators? they are essentially virtual machines that can run any console on your computer. i unfortunately dont use emulators so take what i say with a grain of salt, but here are some top-notch emulators for things like the ds, wii, and psp:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PIOL0PfvV8c&t=168 - this video talks about the best emulators for the DS

Citra is a great 3DS emulator! Here is a video on how to set it up: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ncN58h0gCS4

Video for emulating the PSP: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xkWiUBAfwQg

Final Note

I really hope this is helpful. My fingers hurt and I've spent 90 minutes on this. I know this is long as fuck but I really dont want this is go to waste so if you were helped by this pls say so. Happy time traveling!

Signing off,

irr.