NES/Famicom Appreciation Thread

Hi,

I have a hi-def NES (NES 001) mod from Kevtris that is amazing. I'd like to get one for a Christmas present for a family member.

The Analogue NT contains his hi-def MOD, so that would work as well. First round sales went for $500, the 2nd round doesn't come out until next year. Ebay has one for $1000, but the last sale went for $800. I would consider paying $750 for that, and $350 for an NES-001 hi-def mod with Kevtris' chip.

Thanks,
ELmO
 
I think I asked a question on the last page in the wrong way. Is there any cheap adaptor I can use to hook the RF out from a Famicom to RCA inputs on a U.S. television? This is just to test the console and carts - obviously not going for PQ with this.
 
RadarScope1 said:
I think I asked a question on the last page in the wrong way. Is there any cheap adaptor I can use to hook the RF out from a Famicom to RCA inputs on a U.S. television? This is just to test the console and carts - obviously not going for PQ with this.
Click to expand...
Any RCA cable plus an adapter to whatever your aerial plug is.

RF adapters are just switch boxes, that allow you to have the aerial and the console both plugged in. If just testing, any cable that fits will do, it's literally just one signal line.

Yes an NES RF adapter would be fine too.
 
D.Lo said:
Any RCA cable plus an adapter to whatever your aerial plug is.

RF adapters are just switch boxes, that allow you to have the aerial and the console both plugged in. If just testing, any cable that fits will do, it's literally just one signal line.

Yes an NES RF adapter would be fine too.
Click to expand...

Thanks. It arrived today and it turns out the seller packed an adaptor cable.

One more question - reading around, it looks like I'm OK to use the OEM power plug in the U.S. (HVC-025)?

I have a Genesis model 1 power cord but it's not OEM. Output is 10V 600mA
 
Bruh these NECA Contra figures tho

1300x-Contra.jpg
 
Lol. I mean almost everything is Gundam or Macross in the 80s.

It was the greatest moment ever when you unlock the Probotectors in Contra 4 and they say 'Probotect and serve' in an English accent.
 
Mzo said:
Wait, aren't the colors for Bill and Lance backwards in those toys?
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It's based on the US NES version I guess, and according to the manual Lance (Rambo looking guy) is first, so he's player 1 and blue.

Japanese box shows this is wrong because they have colour coded headbands on the cover, and Lance is red.
 
More accurate than the box art though. Why are they wearing vests? Because that's what arnie was wearing when they traced him. At least the Japanese art matches the titles screen (white tshirt Bill). I guess Lance has a red headband at least.

US Konami manuals were the bet thing ever though, with all the puns and hype for the game. And they kept the awesome comic book style art from the Japanese manuals. I love them!
 
D.Lo said:
Lol you love that NT don't you haha.

This is quite relevant here as well, I've written up an article on the history and evolution of Nintendo and Sega's 8-bit controller rivalry.

Link
Click to expand...

Good stuff. I had a lot of PC gamepads back in the day that used that "screw on nub" feature Sega looks to have been fond of. Thoughts on the PCE controllers?
 
StevieWhite said:
Good stuff. I had a lot of PC gamepads back in the day that used that "screw on nub" feature Sega looks to have been fond of. Thoughts on the PCE controllers?
Click to expand...
Yeah the screw on nub thing was possibly a way around dpad copyright infringement? "See it's not a dpad it's a stick base your honour!".

They were always crap, hence them not surviving. As we all know most PC controllers were crap for a long time too.

PCE, well, they're pretty much fatter NES pads with a slightly looser dpad. The dapd is quite decent, certainly better than all Sega's 8-bit dpads. There are the 3 button variations which map start/select to button 3, and the late gen 6 button pads, and a million colour variations. Otherwise not too much of note honestly.
 
D.Lo said:
Yeah the screw on nub thing was possibly a way around dpad copyright infringement? "See it's not a dpad it's a stick base your honour!".
Click to expand...

This got me thinking, and I looked up the patent for Nintendo's "multi-directional switch." Haven't looked at it in detail yet, put here it is.

http://www.google.com/patents/US4687200

Looks like you can trace the filing date back to 1983 (see first sentence of the "Description" section). Apparently they had an old application that they abandoned.

Also, did not know google had a patents section. Infinitely easier than the USPTO website:

http://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-...&f=G&l=50&d=PALL&RefSrch=yes&Query=PN/4687200

Also: Looks like they got a German patent locked up a few years earlier.

http://www.google.com/patents/DE3328612C2
 
Finally had a chance to test my Famicom tonight. No real luck. Hooked it up to the cable coax input on my plasma TV and tried channels 94, 95 and 96. Just a black screen. Then I tried an RCA input. I got the telltale flicker when I flipped the switch but still followed by a black screen. Tried two different carts, both of which I cleaned. Also cleaned the slot on the console.

Should I try the CRT I have in storage? Would the modern TV have anything to do with it? I'm also using an AC adaptor that provides slightly less than the recommended mA, if that makes a difference. Maybe just further cleaning?
 
RadarScope1 said:
Finally had a chance to test my Famicom tonight. No real luck. Hooked it up to the cable coax input on my plasma TV and tried channels 94, 95 and 96. Just a black screen. Then I tried an RCA input. I got the telltale flicker when I flipped the switch but still followed by a black screen. Tried two different carts, both of which I cleaned. Also cleaned the slot on the console.

Should I try the CRT I have in storage? Would the modern TV have anything to do with it? I'm also using an AC adaptor that provides slightly less than the recommended mA, if that makes a difference. Maybe just further cleaning?
Click to expand...
Yeah definitely use a CRT that can go up to channel 95 and 96, modern televisions sometimes have a hard time with analog signals, especially with something like the Famicom that's on an RF frequency unless it's modded. Also try using a Sega Genesis model 1 power adapter if you have one.
 
OK, I'll try to give the CRT a shot this weekend. I am using a M1 Genesis power cord but it's a third party one. The FAQ linked above from Famicom World recommends a minimum of 800mA. My plug outputs 600. The OEM Genesis plug does 1200.
 
D.Lo said:
PCE, well, they're pretty much fatter NES pads with a slightly looser dpad. The dapd is quite decent, certainly better than all Sega's 8-bit dpads. There are the 3 button variations which map start/select to button 3, and the late gen 6 button pads, and a million colour variations. Otherwise not too much of note honestly.
Click to expand...

The Hori Fighting Commander is a really nice one.
HoriPCE6pad.jpg
Click to expand...

Dunno much about the SMS, but this is the best Genesis controller I've used: the "all new" SG Pro Pad with 4 buttons.
sgpropadclearloose.JPG
Click to expand...

SG Pro Pad 2/6 with 6 buttons is pretty good too, better to my hands than the official Sega controllers I've tried.
maxresdefault.jpg
Click to expand...
 
Mega said:
The Hori Fighting Commander is a really nice one.
Dunno much about the SMS, but this is the best Genesis controller I've used: the "all new" SG Pro Pad with 4 buttons.
SG Pro Pad 2/6 with 6 buttons is pretty good too, better to my hands than the official Sega controllers I've tried.
Click to expand...
The article was about first party controllers that shipped with the console only, if you get into 3rd party (or even 1st party controller sold separately) there are many many controllers for almost every console.

I personally use a first party wireless controller for Mega Drive. And my hybrid Famicom/NES pad for Famicom.
 
I know; just putting in my two cents regarding my favorite Gen/PC-E controllers. Shame about Sega in that article, always behind with inferior controllers even well into the 16-bit era.

On the official NES controller: as a kid, my thumb turned black-and-blue and possibly even bled after a day of World Cup Soccer. Mostly due to a D-pad direction (left or right) starting to fail after 5~ years of regular use. I had no money for replacements or repairs, so I opened it up and moved the problematic direction to the up or down position, which I thought did not see as much use as left/right in most NES games. That compromise killed my thumb in TMNT3 and Double Dragon 2 played with a friend (I always took the bad controller).
 
Mega said:
I know; just putting in my two cents regarding my favorite Gen/PC-E controllers. Shame about Sega in that article, always behind with inferior controllers even well into the 16-bit era.

On the official NES controller: as a kid, my thumb turned black-and-blue and possibly even bled after a day of World Cup Soccer. Mostly due to a D-pad direction (left or right) starting to fail after 5~ years of regular use. I had no money for replacements or repairs, so I opened it up and moved the problematic direction to the up or down position, which I thought did not see as much use as left/right in most NES games. That compromise killed my thumb in TMNT3 and Double Dragon 2 played with a friend (I always took the bad controller).
Click to expand...
Fair enough.

Yeah abuse of controllers varies, though NES is pretty tough. Five years of hard labor is a lot though.

I remember my N64 pads all worked perfectly after years of use. My brother lent two of them to of one of the kids in his class for a weekend. And it came back with the loosest stick possible. Hard to believe it was achieved in a day or two. In that case I think it plays into the varied responses to controllers - it really seems some people hit buttons and sticks incredibly hard! I have never broken any controller for any system from my own use.
 
D.Lo said:
Yeah abuse of controllers varies, though NES is pretty tough.
Click to expand...

That's putting it lightly! The controllers I got way back in 1988 still work like a charm. I watched my brother throw those things into a concrete floor in a blind rage more times than I can count.

The NES Advantage, though, now does this weird thing where it occasionally registers the A button as the Start button. Can't figure it out. Built for show, not for go, I suppose.
 
Yeah I have a 1990 Game Boy that has flawless button performance.

NES Advantage is made by ASCII, not Nintendo though.

That sounds like a screwed up IC, or possibly a short circuit though, the latter easily fixed.
 
I didn't throw a controller until Castlevania 3 in '97? and I'm 99% sure it was on my bed. I wasn't one of those crazy kids, they're the worst. One controller still works flawlessly. The one with a bad D-pad direction saw a lot of use from me, siblings, friends and is otherwise in great working condition.

I could see someone whose a novice at a game putting too much pressure on a controller. I am abysmal at twin stick shooters and almost never play them. I was involuntarily pressing really hard on the right stick in Splatoon and only trained myself to stop because of so many deaths from the right click triggering my special at the worst times. I must've put weeks of stress on that stick in just a couple of days. :(
 
D.Lo said:
I remember my N64 pads all worked perfectly after years of use. My brother lent two of them to of one of the kids in his class for a weekend. And it came back with the loosest stick possible. Hard to believe it was achieved in a day or two.
Click to expand...

He was probably playing Mario Party 1. Honestly, I will never forgive Nintendo for the N64 controllers. I've got, like, 5 of them and not a single one has a functioning control stick. They were terribly made and couldn't put up with even regular wear and tear, let alone being constantly used by an avid gamer who plays a lot of games.

The SNES controller is probably my favorite controller of all time. Super-comfortable, durable, not overly complicated... Everything about it just feels right.
 
D.Lo said:
NES Advantage is made by ASCII, not Nintendo though.
Click to expand...

I had no idea. I mean, I knew Super Advantage for Super NES was by ASCII, but I always thought NES Advantage was Nintendo only. Anyway, the real deal for Super NES was the Super NES ScoreMaster
 
Personally my favorite 2D controller is the Japanese (or Western Model 2) Saturn controller. Love the D-Pad on that thing, and I really like having six face buttons.
 
Shadow Hog said:
Personally my favorite 2D controller is the Japanese (or Western Model 2) Saturn controller. Love the D-Pad on that thing, and I really like having six face buttons.
Click to expand...

I like this controller a lot, but it really needed a 2nd tertiary function button (i.e. select or back) to be perfect. As a result I think the PS2 version is the best iteration of this tech.

1772732-segasat.jpg
 
My only annoyance with trying to map the six-button layout to an existing four-button layout is that when I'm holding a three-or-six button controller, my thumb tends to want to hit the button on the (bottom-)right, whereas with a four-button controller I tend to want to hit the bottom-center. The mappings tend to prioritize keeping the layout of the four-button controller diamond - which makes sense, really - but then put the bottom-center of that diamond on the bottom-left of the six-button, which is likely to make my muscle memory go berserk.
 
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