Two generations, so the 360, Wii, and PS3 are currently the cutting edge of retro.

I am reminded of the huge arguments on RGVC on Usenet when people started discussing NES games in the mid-90s. Since they were two generations old at that point (PS1 and Saturn having just launched), they were grudgingly allowed. I think that remains a good barometer.

A lot of systems have gone from "nobody wants this" to "precious treasure" in the last decade.

That said, if you want a reasonably-priced Saturn, I recommend looking at Yahoo Japn Auctions. Japanese Saturns are still extremely common so if you put together a large YAJ order using a proxy service like Zenmarket or Dejapan, you can still get one (and an assortment of games and accessories) for a good price.

One of the major problems is that the disc drives have been failing. If you want to go the ODE route (Fenrir/MODE/etc), it's pretty easy to get your hands on a Saturn (from any region) that can't read discs but otherwise powers on and lets you access the internal menu system.

I don't think a merger of this scale should occur. It reduces competition in the marketplace and is unlikely to provide any benefits to consumers.

However, that said, I'm not sure blocking a merger like this makes sense in a world where Disney was allowed to acquire a significant percentage of pop culture, or Warner Bros. Discovery can own DC Comics, CNN, HBO, and of course the titular movie studio and television networks. The mega-merger barn door isn't just open, it got ripped off of its hinges.

I find it absolutely ridiculous that the availability of fucking Call of Duty, specifically, has been the subject of top level scrutiny by regulators in multiple nations when there was nary a peep when Disney acquired Lucasfilm.