House (1977)

I haven’t personally seen it connected to Digimon World 2, though I did watch a Japanese streamer play through the game. They know about the PocketStation and Pocket Digimon World but apparently they’re rare and expensive, if they even still work. Guessing the battery will need replacing, as it’s about that age.

PocketStations aren’t actually that rare or expensive. A quick look on eBay has them going for around $30 (unless you want a black one). The battery will definitely need replacing, but it’s just a CR2032 (the same as a Dreamcast’s VMU) and a pack of 10 of those is under $10. The Pocket Digimon World games aren’t too expensive either with the original going for around $20 and the other two being around $30 each. All together that does add up to quite a bit, but it isn’t that bad when there are some games out there that go for hundreds.

If I recall correctly the PS1/PSX has a region lock chip, so to use it you’d need a Japanese PlayStation, a Japanese copy or burn of Digimon World 2 and one of these. Sounds expensive.

It is possible to bypass the region lock with a mod chip (requires soldering) or an exploit like Tonyhax International (requires a memory card, a way to install the exploit, and possibly one of several specific games).

Edit: Typo

This reminds me that I once read about a Thompson Twins game that was distributed as a flexi disc record. In order to actually play the game it had to be copied to a cassette first. Apparently it’s pretty rare, since it was only available as a bonus with a specific issue of a magazine.

This is correct, however SNES Virtual Console games were also exclusive and a number of games were enhanced on New consoles.

If you’re looking to save a bit of money, you might want to consider a Japanese console and modding it. 3DS prices are pretty crazy at the moment and no one knows if they’ll ever come down.

It’s recommended that you use a dedicated card for FreeMCBoot.

A flashcart is definitely the best option for compatibility. Just one thing you should know about playing GBA on a DS or 3DS is that it lacks an extension port, so any link cable functionality is out of the question. As for the screen, the DS(i) has a slightly higher resolution, so there’ll be a black border around the picture, but no stretching or anything. The 3DS has a much higher resolution screen and by default it scales the image up, but not to a whole number and that makes it blurry. The 3DS does that to DS games too, but can play in the original resolution by holding Start or Select when launching a game (you would need to do this every time, but I think there’s a way to make it permanent with custom firmware).

Crystal is very special to me. I always felt like I was “wrong” as a child for not liking “girl things.” It was the first game I ever played that offered a female protagonist. That was something that told me that I was okay the way I am. I know it’s kind of silly, but it really helped me become comfortable with myself.

Irisu Syndrome! is a favorite of mine. It’s only from 2008, so I personally don’t consider it retro. It’s tricky to learn at first since it doesn’t tell you anything about how to play and I don’t recall there being a manual. It’s also one of those games that you can’t really say too much about without spoiling things.

The Parallel has a number of issues and generally isn’t a cart I can recommend. Here’s a guide on what carts are and aren’t recommended.

I think the only recommended plug & play option for PS2 is the RAD2X cable. It’s basically a stripped down console specific RetroTINK. I have one for my Saturn and it looks great.

And installation requires some pretty advanced soldering, so if you can’t do that then you’re looking over another $100 for a professional to do it.

Personally, I’m just sticking with the Carby HDMI adapter that I already have.

Klonoa: Door to Phantomile is a fantastic 2.5D platformer with a great story.

An important thing to know beforehand is that there is a limited number of lives in the game and no way to replay levels until completing the game. This can be a big deal because you may find yourself unable to complete later levels on only a single life. This isn’t an issue with the later Wii (not recommended) and Phantasy Reverie (recommended) versions since they allow replaying levels.

If you really want to keep your current phone you could use a different ROM. One I know off the top of my head is /e/. I don’t believe it’s quite as hardcore about security as Graphene, but it might be your best option (or at least the cheapest one).

As for why Graphene only supports Pixels is supposedly because they’re the only phones that support relocking the bootloader.

Edit: I forgot to mention that /e/ only works on Samsung phones with certain processors, so if your device is from certain regions (such as America) it won’t be compatible.