Jagasian

Lets keep this thread from degenerating into a flamewar, please. We need people with a real toaster NES, a TV capture card, and at least one NOAC based NES or Fami clone. There are a few different NOACs floating around, and each systems wires it up slightly differently than the rest, so a comparison of clones versus the toaster would be nice. I don't think that a digital camera will work for this, but I think Lacan is on the right track. Sure he said he liked the NEX at first, but I think the when the hype dies away, many people realize the truth: the NEX isn't what it was hyped up to be. Anyway, a side-by-side comparison of screen captures would be a nice objective way to demonstrate the differences between NES and clone. Of course, video capture will be necessary for demonstrating differences that can't be captured in still screenshots. But lets take this a step at a time. Screen caps first, using a TV capture card. Who wants to be the first? n8littlefield, can you screen cap some comparisons? What kind of capture card do you have? On the topic of the NEX's strange warning stickers, they really smack of crappy pirate Chinese electronics, which are notorious for such things. Maybe they wanted to scare people to keep them from opening up the system to see that the emperor has no cloths: there is just a NOAC inside?

Actually there are NES carts that fill up the entire inside of the plastic shell, so there is a reason for that size: Famicom carts varied in size and Nintendo decided to have the same cart size no matter what the game was. Not that bad of an idea actually. I am also aware of pocketnes, and I have two GBASPs (one frontlit and the other backlit) and a flash cart. A NOAC based clone would have better game compatibility and accuracy than PocketNES. TV-out on portable Famiclones has pretty much always been there. It is just another perk. Play on the go, and when you are at home you can play on a big screen. I wish the GBA had that feature by default, as I don't care to buy a Gamecube and a GB Player. Then again, I can emulate the GBA on my Xbox, but the emulation isn't as accurate as I would like. Accuracy is extremely important, and if accuracy is worse than a NOAC, I'd rather not even bother.

I just wish there was a NES version of the Pocket Fami, that is, a Pocket NES. It would be like the Pocket Fami except that it would have a NES cart port and two NES controller ports. The great thing is that it would double as a portable and a TV console gaming system. Currently the Pocket Fami sucks for NES games because with an adapter, the NES cart sticks really far out and is easily knocked, causing the game to reset/crash. In fact, there has yet to be a mass produced portable NES. If such a thing was sold for $60 and had the compatibility of a Yobo, it would be a very popular item. Sure when playing on a TV, a toaster would be better, but when playing on the go, it would be the best option.

NESWorld has an update claiming that the NEX is a "huge flop", and then they go on to describe a new NES clone that costs $15 new. It is also the smallest NES clone to date: http://www.nesworld.com/ That beats the typical price of around $30 for a complete refurbished toaster NES and it also beats the average price for a Yobo/Neofami which is also roughly $30. The NEX is $60. Of course, all except the toaster use the a crappy NES-on-a-chip (NOAC) inside, so you'll never want to pay very much for a clone. A refurbished toaster is still the ideal choice for playing NES games. This Retrocon has one obvious disadvantage compared to the Yobo, NEX, and NES: it uses Famiclone pirate controller ports, as opposed to NES controller ports. Hence you will have to make an adapter to use original NES peripherials with the Retrocon. However, if you want want a system for playing the Mario Bros games, the Retrocon is an option. The cheapest option, if you are willing to get your hands dirty, is to buy a $10 used toaster NES off of Ebay and refurbish it yourself with supplies you already have lying around your home.

Good point. So a toaster might actually cost less space. Though the fact that its AV cables plug into the side is really annoying.

The disadvantages to the AV-v2 modded top loader are very few, considering USA games and peripherials. It is incompatible with the NWC cart, the Game Genie requires an adaptor, and the Game Action Replay won't fit at all. Audio and video quality are supposed to be very close to that of a toaster, though a critical comparison would be useful. It has the advantage that it is more reliable than a toaster, all things being equal, and it is smaller than a toaster. Though a refurbished toaster can be made quite reliable, it will need to be refurbished every 5 to 10 years to stay reliable, while the top loader needs less love.

I've been following this game for a while now. The Super Fighter Team is a USA company that licensed a Taiwanese RPG from the original company, so that they could obtain the original source code and create a professional translation, with bug fixes. AFAIK, they intend to release the game just as 16-bit era Genesis games were released, that is, on a cart with a plastic clam shell case. If you are a Genesis collector, this will be a must have, in my opinion. Also, as many game collectors know, the rarity of a game alone makes it a high demand item in the long run. Take all of the crappy unlicensed NES games for example, some of which are very rare and much desired collector's items. Honestly, Beggar Prince looks like it will not just be rare, but it will also be a great game. I seriously think that Genesis collectors will be kicking themselves a couple years from now, if they avoid buying a copy, and then have to resort to bidding on expensive Ebay auctions.

In conclusion, the NEX sucks.

The NEX is the result of out sourcing R&D to China, plain and simple. But don't complain unless you yourself manufacture unlicensed NES clones, or at least own a NEX, right? That kind of reasoning would imply that people can't complain that Vioxx causes heart attacks because they themselves don't make and sell prescription drugs. Or is it OK as long as the critics buy Vioxx? Omne, there is nothing wrong with pointing out the flaws in a consumer product. As long as such criticism is based on facts, then it doesn't matter if the ctitic owns a NEX or produces unlicensed NES clones. Messiah is getting burned because they tried to pull a bait-n-switch on the classic gaming community.

Don't expect the price for this game to drop. It will be made in small quantities and therefore it will be very rare. Genesis collectors will want to pick it up before supplies run out.

The SGB is great. I got one when it was released, solely for playing Link's Awakening on my big screen. There is a SGB2 for the Super Famicom, and there is supposedly a SGB2 for the SNES, though I have never seen one. Has anybody seen a USA SGB2 for the SNES? It must be quite rare. It was supposedly sold by QVC around 1996-1998. In my opinion, a SGB2 is a must own for Game Boy fans, as no other Game Boy system can play SGB-enhanced games with all of their enhanced features such as enhanced graphics, enhanced sound, borders, and even multiplayer on the same screen.

Great Hierophant, That would be a great idea for permenantly fixing the toaster's issues, and I am sure that the new NES motherboard could be made much smaller than the original. If you were going to make such a thing, you might as well add all of the necessary circuitry to allow for a proper Famicom cart slot, Famicom extension port, as well as the NES cart slot and NES controller ports. It would be easy to get perfect reliability and compatibility with all NES and Famicom games and peripherials. RF could be dropped to save money, and simply include RCA composite AV. It should cost little to produce, and if the manufacturer obtained a few thousand used toasters and Famicoms, the cost of installing the CPU and PPU chips would be minimal.

Why compare the NEX's compatibility with the NES against the 360's compatibility with the original Xbox? The NEX's sole purpose is to play NES games, while the 360's sole purpose is to play 360 games. It is comparing apples and oranges. A better comparison, as given many times before, is to compare the NEX against other unlicensed NES clones, emulation, and official licensed NES systems. The IGN review is only great if "great" is equivalent to being loaded with incorrect facts and poor testing of a product that is supposed to be critically reviewed.

It wasn't just me pointing out the flaws in the NEX. So I give credit to everybody else that also helped point out flaws. Also, be careful when you get a refurbished NES. Not all vendors do a good job. Some even sell un-refurbished systems and claim that they fixed it when they didn't. Others use cheap replacement 72-pin connectors, which means your system might work at first, but will quickly have problems. As much as Omne and I disagree about the NEX, I think that you can trust his OSG shop to do a professional job at refurbishing toasters as well as selling fully working refurbished toasters. The original NES, SNES, and many other systems used a metal shell inside the system that shields the entire system. Maybe the NEX doesn't include enough shielding. Considering that it is designed and built in China by the same people that make other pirate hardware, I wouldn't be surprised if that is the problem. Eventually, everybody will realize the truth, just as they are finally starting to do with the Nintendo top loader, which at one point in time was claimed to be the best NES system bar none. Then people apparently got new corrective lenses, contacts or glasses... maybe even lasik... and they noticed that the video quality sucks on the toploader. I had high hopes too. I was following each and every development of the NEX from the beginning. Check out my very old posts to NEX threads on DigitPress. I was also an early adopter of Messiah's wireless SNES controllers, which I also had high hopes for. I still hope they come out with a second revision of the wireless controllers that uses a traditional plus-style D-pad, as the current D-pad is terrible, but everything else about the controller is great. I turned against the NEX when I realized that everybody was being lied to and that the system was going to be nothing more than another NOAC based clone, re-packaged in a new plastic shell. I wouldn't be surprised if they sold a SNES clone, as there are already pirate SNES systems out there. All they would have to do is create a new plastic shell, card board box, and hype campaign claiming that their re-packing of old pirate hardware is the next best thing since sliced bread. Some of the pirate SNES systems are not that bad, but others have inaccurate audio. The SNES has some great audio, so the bad audio sticks out even worse than bad NOAC audio.

It isn't possible to mod the NEX with S-video, as the NEX's NES-on-a-chip (NOAC) directly spits out composite video as opposed to RGB, which is exactly why the NEX is not a modern retake on the NES. The NEX is an early to mid 1990s retake on the NES, which is when the first NOACs started to appear. A modern retake on the NES would have created a new custom NOAC that directly spit out RGB video.

For not caring, you sure do post allot in NEX threads

As the IGN "review" and the Slashdot article demonstrate, the information vs misinformation war is not over, no matter how many times people like you claim it is.

JB, There was a mini-NES clone on Ebay a few months ago. It looked nicer than the one you linked, but it had built-in games. I am not sure if they were violating copyright law or not, but chances are it was most likely illegal. As many people have said many times before, if there is a specific design for a NES clone case that you can think of, there is already a NES clone that uses that design. The PS2 shaped NES clones were popular a year or two ago. That is the thing, these clones are always the same, but the plastic shell is changed. It is the only way you can keep selling the same crap for 10 years without people getting wise to the trick.

The "USA Neo Fami" aka "Yobo" aka "FC Game Console" aka a few other names, is a poorly marketed NES clone with better game compatibility than the NEX. It too uses a run of the mill NES-on-a-chip, but its cart slot is built a bit better resulting in slightly better compatibility. It is also easy to find for $30, and in fact you can even get one new in box for less than that, if you look around. They are all over the place. The same company even makes a portable version called the "Pocket Fami", which sells for $70. Again, I do see the utility of a new NES clone, but I think that it is lame to market something as new when it is the same old crap repackaged. NOAC based clones have been around for years now in Famicom and NES form. The question is, what does the NEX do that these other clones do not? These other clones cost far less than the NEX. My recommendation is for those with a non-working NES to get their system repaired. It will cost no more than the cost of an inexpensive clone, and the end result is much nicer. Imagine how well your car would run if it never got serviced for 20 years. This is why so many people have a non-functioning NES. They've never had their system serviced.

I still prefer the iPod and iTunes model. Let people control their songs and use songs they obtained elsewhere, but provide a really nice online store and acceptable prices for buying songs. It seems to make Apple boat loads of money. Nintendo should take note. Over controlling things can turn people away, as well as diminish the capability of their product/service.

Again, I am sure the casual gamer will be OK with the level of retro support. But hardcore NES and SNES fans also want to play fan translations, hacks, prototypes, and many other games that are fun to play but will most likely not be on the Revolution... unless Nintendo allows people to play their own ROM images, which is unlikely. It is only logical to compare the Revolution's emulation to the top of the line emulators for the PC and other consoles such as the Xbox. Nintendo really does have the chance to do something better than what the PC and Xbox can already do: cycle accurate SNES, N64, and Gamecube emulation. It will be hard if not impossible to do better than PC NES emulators like Nestopia and Nintendulator, but there is plenty of room for improvement in SNES, N64, and Gamecube emulation. However, if the Revolution does not allow people to load their own ROM images, off of memory cards for example, then that alone will be one huge disadvantage compared to PC emulation. There are many great hacks, translations, and prototypes out there for the NES and SNES. These are so good that many people go through great efforts to put these ROM images on real carts. I am hoping, though not holding my breath, for the Revolution to be able to run standard ROM images. Think about it. iTunes and the iPod can run people's own mp3s, but Apple still makes tons of money selling digital music via their online music store. If Nintendo is smart, they will go after a similar model. People will pay for the legality, convenience, and quality of official ROM images from a Nintendo iGames online store. It would also be a nice change to see games move from fads that die out after a generation, to become truely timeless creations that can be enjoyed forever.

There is a really good chance that the Revolution's NES support will not let you play every NES game, as a real NES can. I bet only first and second party games are re-released for the Revolution, as well as a few third party games. However, for hardcore NES fans, you can bet that a complete set of NES games will not be made available. Also, there are controller issues. Will the Revolution have a NES shaped controller, lightgun, power glove, ROB, Family Basic Keyboard, U-force, etc? I doubt it. If you just want to play first and second party games (Mario, Zelda, Metroid, etc), then the Revolution will be an expensive solution for that. If you want a complete NES gaming experience... don't hold your breath, and get a refurbished toaster NES and start collecting.

Well, there is also a wired Saturn controller for the PS2, so maybe Sega will also make wireless controller for the PS2. When it comes to D-pad only games, the Saturn controller is supposed to be the best of the best, and hence it is being re-released for the PS2. Somebody needs to close the gap and release a wireless version... and hell, they need to do so for every gaming system, including the PC. D-pad only games are still fun, they are still made, and so somebody should make the ideal controller for them. This controller's design already exists, and only needs to be modernized via wireless.

Do all NEX's have problems working with non-Messiah AV cables? What exactly is the problem with the NEX? That sounds like a serious defect. You'd figure implementing NTSC RCA composite AV would be something that any electrical engineer could do in his/her sleep. Even the Neo Fami (aka Yobo) clone doesn't have that problem. Also, as Great Hierophant mentioned, the Neo Fami is also compatible with more games than the NEX. Considering that the Neo Fami costs roughly $30 and the NEX costs $60, yet the NEX is less compatible game-wise than the Neo Fami and is also less compatible AV-wise than the Neo Fami... well, that really does mean that the NEX is a flop.

I've found a possible solution: http://www.lik-sang.com/info.php?category=...oducts_id=3463& It is a PS2 to Saturn adapter. If it is compatible with wireless PS2 controllers, then it should be possible to use high-quality RF controllers with the Saturn. Of course, there is no telling how many controllers can be used at one time. The Logitech controllers, however, support automatic frequency hopping, so there is a chance that more than 4 controllers can be used at one time. Though 10 will be pushing it.