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If you have spent any amount of time on YouTube, you have probably come across videos or clips from or about people like James Rolfe, aka The AVGN . He basically makes a living off reviewing retro games and has an entire gaming room dedicated to the craft, which raises the question of how much it would cost to build one of your own. Ironically, probably more than it would take to buy modern games.

Let's start with the obvious: the TV. Most modern screens don't have inputs that are compatible with retro consoles, so if you want to use your normal TV, you will need a converter. Different consoles have different formats and thus require different boxes. For instance, an RCA to HDMI converter will work with consoles that include RCA cables (the ones that split into yellow, white, and red prongs).…