I didn't start to play authentic games until I have an NDS, before that I play lo fan on PS2. (partially because of the region code that I cannot play SRW on a US PS2)
Well, personally I absolutely support playing authentic games because (esp. the recent years) because it's a way to appreciate the game designers. Also, it's a way to keep myself not to have too many games because I don't have that much time to play that many games.