Simple rombox, be it ouya whatever you can condense like 10 systems into one device that will look better than your stock systems on a HDTV unless you've got them all RGB modded running through a xrgb or something.
I just can't see the point of owning so much crap. I don't see how you would be using any of those on a regular enough basis to justify keeping them around. Just start unloading some of that stuff and you might be clear of a headache.
The only systems hooked up to the plasma are modern ones. Everything else is on CRT and it all looks great. All of the systems that support component use that, all the ones that have S-Video as their best available option use that, and so on for composite and down to the dreaded RF.
I understand that for some people the conveniences of emulation are worth the compromises inherent to it. For me, they aren't. I like to play games with their original controllers, on their original systems, on TVs that make them look the way they were meant to. I like to have a physical copy of my game. Even the best emulators out there make one compromise or another, even if they do also have some advantages. Sound in particular is very hard to nail in the vast majority of emulators out there.
There are some systems out there where the emulation is good enough that most people don't notice the difference (even if the differences are there), but some systems are just a royal pain in the ass. Try finding a good (my criteria: full speed, decent sound, high compatibility, decent accuracy, user-friendly) emulator for a Wonderswan, Saturn, Xbox, PSP, Jaguar, Jaguar CD, 3DO, CD-i, N-Gage, 5200, etc. And then there are systems where their displays are inherent to their functionality, like the 3D screen on the Virtual Boy or the vector display of the Vectrex.
Like I said, if/when I settle for emulation it will be on my PC or it will be portable.
As for how much I use a given system, it depends. I haven't played the CD-i in a few years, but that's because I haven't bought a CD-i game in a few years. I play my systems in spurts, generally. I might play just one handheld and one console exclusively for a month straight, then switch to something else. Or I might have four or five different games going on just as many different consoles. Whatever I have the itch to play, I play. Whatever people who come over are interested in, we play. Some systems get used often, some don't. But if I don't feel a system is worth playing I don't hook it up, and generally try to get rid of it (see: Hyperscan, Ouya). All my games are shelved and ready to go, and all of my controllers are in a set of drawers. Specialty controllers like racing wheels, arcade sticks, trackballs, flight sticks, etc are in a closet.
I like video games. The only thing that is higher on my priority list than video games are family, womenz, friends, pets, and financial security. I'd give up drinking, weed, the internet, reading, music, my phone, whatever. I'd give up pretty much anything before I gave up video games. The only thing that would make me think hard would be my favorite sports teams, as I am a bit of an irrational diehard.
Space is becoming a concern but it really isn't as much of an issue as a lot of people might think, because I don't actually collect games for the sake of having them. There are some systems I own you could say that for, but just about every game I own, I bought because I intended to play it. And I get rid of every game I don't like, so it's not like I have hundreds of games for every system. A lot of collectors go for large quantities of games, and others insist on always having the packaging and what not. Me, as long as I can keep the game safe and accessible for the long term I'm happy. Most of my home system carts are indeed loose. I consider the box/manual a nice bonus but I don't pay extra for them.
I find that I am buying fewer and fewer games for modern systems as we go along, mostly as a result of the changing tastes and the trend towards digital distribution. I understand fully that we're probably headed to a fully DD world, and I plan to continue my hobby on my classic systems. I have enough games to keep me occupied for a long time, and I have lists of games I'm interested in on my systems that I don't yet own.
