PlayMessiah’s Generation NEX

($59.99; playmessiah.com)

(five stars)

The patent for the original Nintendo Entertainment System has expired.

(For all of you that don’t know, the NES was the system that put gaming back on the map and gave students every excuse in the world for never turning in homework on time. )

I know some of you remember the good old days when graphics were in only two dimensions, to go along with only two buttons on the controller. Youngsters today have no appreciation of finding the “Minus World” in “Super Mario Bros.” or seeing if they can beat “Contra” in under 15 minutes.

All that is about to change. Now that the patent is up, everybody in their mother wants to make a system capable of playing games that are twenty years old. But I’m here to tell you that PlayMessiah’s Generation NEX is the only one you will want to take a look at.

Not only does the NEX manage to play almost all old NES cartridges exactly as old fogies, like myself, remember them, but they managed to shrink the console down to just a tad larger than an NES game. Even cooler: the NEX bears a striking resemblance the counsel of yore, but also has the ability to play Japanese-only Famicom titles (the NES is what the Famicom became when it hit state-side in ’85).

Though the NEX comes with its own controller that is modeled after the original NES gamepad, the controller inputs accept all old-school NES controllers including the NES Advantage and Zapper. So, if you’ve got the NES PowerGlove sitting in the back of your closet somewhere- break it out, you’re cool again.

Wait… strike that, no you’re not. You never were.

Additionally awesome is that the NEX pipes previously monaural sound into stereo for modern receivers, and is wireless ready. Additional wireless controllers, that can be purchased through PlayMessiah.com, mean you can rock “Kid Icarus” from across the room without tripping up the dog, kid, or spouse.