By Zhengfei Wang

Retro gaming shop “Warez” opened in Winton last week and brings customers back to the 8-bit era, the age of Mario.

The shop offers a wide variety of retro games, consoles and computer accessories. According to the manager Bradley Scobie, 33, the main business of Warez is selling and repairing the PCs, which are used to support the retro games.

Gaming enthusiasts can find classic games like Mario brothers, Sonic, Double Dragon and many more. Consoles include the Mega Drive, SNES, and even as far back as NES, Master Systems & ZX Spectrum as well as those discovering 8 bit for the first time. Bradley said: “I have played games since I was 9. I love retro games and I really want to make 8-bit fashionable and trendy again.”

Bradley is a game collector as well. His personal collection includes Binatone TV Master, which was invented in 1975, and Vectrex, which was first released in 1982. “These are part of my private collection. I will not sell them. However, I will put them on the shelves and share them with other amateurs.”

Customer Alex Kyriakides, 20, of Winton, said: “I am a life-long gamer. I am really happy to have such a shop around. They have many classic games and consoles and are very cheap. I have found my first game – Sonic. Really excited.”

Bradley is confident in his business: “We have been running for one week and the interest has been really positive.”