No NES Classic? RetroEngine Sigma Promises Decades of Classic Video Games

Nintendo may be causing consumer hysteria with its NES Classic Edition this holiday season, but it's not exactly a museum to retro gaming. With only 30 titles from one console to choose from, there's a lot of ground left to cover if you're really trying to scratch that classic gaming itch. Doyodo is looking to do just that with the RetroEngine Sigma, a device not unlike the NES Classic Edition in size, but one that has the potential to pack thousands more games onto it.

RetroEngine Sigma is a device designed to run games from consoles such as the Nintendo 64, PlayStation, Super Nintendo, Genesis, Atari 2600, and more than 20 other devices from years past. The device itself comes with 15 pre-installed games (they haven't revealed which ones yet), and has internet capabilities and media functionality, which allows gamers to go online and download emulators and ROMs that will play thousands of other classic titles through a smartphone app.

The Sigma comes with two USB ports used to attach retro gaming controllers or Bluetooth devices, and will feature an HDMI port that allows you to connect directly into a modern television and an A/C adapter. Gamers have been using emulators and ROMs to run classic games on their computers for years, but the Sigma looks to cut out the installation confusion, optimize the ROMs for easy playability, and be the type of all-in-one experience that the NES Classic Edition isn't. Plus, the RetroEngine's 4K media center and television hookup make it far more attractive than wrestling with ROM downloads on your computer.

This isn't necessarily the "plug in and play" model that the NES Classic Edition is, though. Outside of those 15 pre-installed games, finding the right console emulators (basically software that mimics a classic gaming system) and ROMs (the games themselves) to install on the Sigma is up to you. Also, the legal waters surrounding such emulators are confusing to navigate, and RetroEngine Sigma's Indiegogo campaign states, "If you decide to install the additional Emulator Pack to enable the system to run game backups from older systems, the legality of using such ROMs depends on your countries laws and on additional circumstances such as for example your continued possession of the original copy of the game as well as the original hardware it ran on."

The RetroEngine Sigma has already far exceeded its $20,000 Indiegogo goal and is currently sitting at more than $360,000 raised. You can still back the campaign and get various rewards, including 16GB or 32GB micro SD cards to store more games, depending on your donation size. The RetroEngine Sigma is expected to ship before the second quarter of 2017.