Zahlen, bitte! - New record: 444 games consoles on one TV set

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Ibrahim Al-Nasser has created a very special gaming room: the retro collector from Saudi Arabia not only has an impressive collection of retro hardware, but also connected 444 of his devices to a TV at the same time.

From the Magnavox Odyssey - the first ever console from 1972 - to the Playstation 5 Slim from 2023, over 50 years of console history are represented and can be played in just a few steps. The passionate gamer has now had his attempt recognized as a world record by Guinnes World Records.

In addition to various generations of the Sony console, the corresponding variants of the X-Box competition are of course also connected. In addition to the Switch, Nintendo's predecessors WII, GameCube, Nintendo 64 and the Super NES and NES are also included. Retro connoisseurs will also discover a few unusual accessories such as the Japanese SNES expansion Satellaview (BS-X) or the console in the hotel version: Super Famicon Box. In any case, the pining gamer will quickly find their way around: in the nerd room, all the consoles are neatly stacked on small shelves.

Zahlen, bitte!

In this section, we present amazing, impressive, informative and funny figures ("Zahlen") from the fields of IT, science, art, business, politics and, of course, mathematics every Tuesday. The wordplay "Zahlen, bitte!" for a section about numbers is based on the ambiguity of the German word "Zahlen." On one hand, "Zahlen" can be understood as a noun in the sense of digits and numerical values, which fits the theme of the section. On the other hand, the phrase "Zahlen, bitte!" is reminiscent of a waiter's request in a restaurant or bar when they are asked to bring the bill. Through this association, the section acquires a playful and slightly humorous undertone that catches the readers' attention and makes them curious about the presented numbers and facts.

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Home computers can also be found alongside console exotics

The collection also includes the once almost priceless Neo Geo console, which brought the titles of the arcade machines home, as well as curiosities such as the Super Acan, which was once only sold in China. The term "games consoles" was obviously defined very broadly in the world record: In the accompanying video, home computer systems such as the Atari ST and Commodore Amiga 500 can be seen alongside consoles as well as exotics such as the Panasonic FS-A1GT MSX system.

Anyone who has ever tried to connect several systems from different eras to one TV set as a retronerd will know the problem: the connections are quickly occupied and you need adapters, switches or converters. In addition to hundreds of power connections from different regions of the world, cabling had to be laid and 444 connections provided, not to mention the individual settings of the sometimes completely different devices.

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Few visible cables thanks to technical tricks

In the video, he explains that he used all the solutions available on the market to organize the cables. According to Guinness World Records, in addition to 30 RCA switches for classic consoles, 12 different HDMI switches were required for the more modern devices. And the result is impressive: the cabling is so well hidden that you can hardly see any of it despite the many connected consoles. To keep an overview, he has recorded all the switch configurations in an Excel spreadsheet so that he can switch the hardware depending on the desired console.

However, in addition to various console classics, there is also some filler material: plug-and-play consoles, Android and mini consoles as well as game sticks are also included in the record. In any case, he says he has put a lot of effort into the record's construction so that it looks like a museum as well as being playable.

But which console does the retro gamer, who owns almost all of them, prefer? Al-Nasser has a clear all-time favorite: The Sega Genesis - launched in this country under the name Sega Mega Drive as the answer to Nintendo's Super Nintendo and best known for its Sonic The Hedgehog series.

More records with a retro connection

His collection is impressive, but the Guinness World Records also have other records. The US American Linda Guillory holds the record for the most gaming systems: 2430 devices, mostly handheld consoles. Even a game like Lemmings has its entries: It is considered the first game to allow control via two mice in two-player mode in the Amiga version. The records also include a few curiosities. For example, with 72,633 views, the video about Karateka is the most viewed Ataris ST walkthrough video, the counting of which does not make much sense on a dynamic media platform like YouTube.

With emulation, you can combine all the generations of devices into one: in c't 3003, colleague Jan-Keno Janssen has packed 25 years of console history into a Raspberry installation – unfortunately not entirely legally. Emulation doesn't give you the original feeling as with a real console, but on the other hand you don't get what you get with at least 444 consoles: The search for the right diskette, CD or module: Where was the game you were looking for again? - Even a dream bedroom can't protect you from everything.

(mawi)