Warrior 64 Clone Console Is The Ultimate N64 Remake

[Warrior 64 Clone Console Is The Ultimate N64 Remake]

8 hours ago, Mikebloke said:

No PAL support, so it's basically completely useless to me. It seems to be cheaper than what hyperkin was planning on selling theirs for, if you aren't bothered about buying controllers so there is that. I imagine the pal issue isn't a bother for most people though, but its always been ironic that European n64s couldn't output anything better than composite. (though there is modified s video cables available). 

FYI, the French (FRA) N64 had the PCB drawn to output RGB, but for some reason, Nintendo didn't included the required transistors and resistors on the boards.

Thus the console doesn't output RGB but you can easily mod it to do so if you have the knowledge (or not, it's really basic soldering).

A former employee of Nintendo Europe released, a few years ago, the components that Nintendo would have used so it's possible to see what a real original RGB N64 would have looked like.

I precisely did it the last week-end.

 

The result isn't as mindblowing as I expected - probably because people that record N64 gameplay using emulators instead of a console use or remove filtering on textures which make them looks less smudged, but the improvement is really apparent on text, untextured 3D models and whenever things move (so it doesn't really show well on pictures.)

On LCD :

(Composite then RGB)

 

 

And on CRT (doesn't really looks that good on picture, looks better in reality )

 

 

 

 

 

 

For the article, thanks you for it's an interesting warning. Although, if that console was a recreation, I would have had HIGH doubt.

Why would you change the shell, but keep the same switch spacing and more importantly, the RAM expansion slot??? I know one game doesn't work with the RAMpack on (if I recall) but shouldn't that be something you disable in software? In manufacturing, extra doors, slots, contacts add up to the cost.

 

There is no reason to include the RAM expansion port on a recreated machine... unless that machine is really just a N64 in disguise and that the people selling it are such cheapstakes they don't even have the courtesy of getting RAM modules and provide them with the system.

 

 

[What dumb little tech repair have you done recently that felt good anyways?]

I had attented a RGB mod on my N64 FRA.

For those not in the know, the N64 FRA model has a RGB output all drawns on the PCB. But for some reason, Nintendo decided not to add the 3 transistors and 6 resistors (about that number yes) required to enable the RGB output. So it's only a matter of basic soldering and minute work, nothing outstanding like installing a NES RGB chip in a NES)

But apparently, due to lack of experience, I cooked the transistor. Given I hadn't recovered the few games I had at th time, I shelved it, until recently where I found my games back.

So I ordered a new kit (ordering the transistors alone was about the same price, and other parts may have been fried as well.

I went with the transistors only and...

 

It not as dramatically good as emulators with better texture filtering make it appears, but it's already a nice improvement. Also, this very TV is only SECAM compatible, and contrary to popular belief, the N64 FRA doesn't output SECAM composite - in fact, no video game system since the 2nd gen ever output SECAM composite signal, they either output PAL or nothing (in addition to RGB, except for the N64 which only output PAL) - so I can no use this console on any TV I own.

[Sega games on non-sega systems. Why?]

If we're talking about computers, remember they were different markets. Also, having several machines in a house was uncommon at best. If the father had shelved the money to get a brand new PC, then he wouldn't be getting a Master System or Megadrive soon.

Usually (and still to this day) getting a computer mean you're looking for different game styles, so a gamer choosing specifically to get a PC in 1995 wouldn't really be the prime target for a Megadrive or a Saturn.

As such, offering your main games to a different platform (especially one that isn't really competing with you) seems like a clever move. Maybe you'll attract the person to your ecosystem; maybe you'll get the computer's onwer kids to ask and get a Sega machine for Christmas.

Or maybe you don't, but you still got the money from the sales.

As for offering their games on Nintendo systems, it's akin to Nintendo publishing games on Atari (although to be fair those deals were mostly made prior to them releasing the Famicom) : it mean your name get well-know.

I'm not sure it was a thing in Europe but it probably was made in that fashion in the USA and Japan when Sega struggled to sell the SMS.

[Remember that Game Boy Camera thing?]

2 hours ago, Leeroy ST said:

N64DD

 

You are forgetting about all those low-end digital cameras you could buy at Rite aid or CVS, some as low as $199 or cheaper with sales.

Remember Game Boy camera was released in 1998 close to 2000. Not in 89 or early 90's.

 

Also don't forget the size and quality of the printer, which in many cases was sold separately but they wanted a good charge for.

 

Well here those low end camera didn't came till 97/98 indeed. I though the GB cam was 1995/96.

[Remember that Game Boy Camera thing?]

What was the "core reason for it's creation" not existing outside of Japan?

 

Also, it's easy to dismiss it as a fad, but remember that back in the day (1996?) digital cameras were military tech, satellite tech, or professionnal tech costing a grand.

Here was a low grade tech but cheap, allowing peopel to take, heh. selfies...

And print them!

Not many devices back then offered such a novelty.

[Famicom on PAL TV problem]

If your apdater is a cable, and get the RGB and audio in, we're good on that end. One quick thing you could try is trying to link the RGB green pin and the composite video pin (N°20). You can even to it on the fly to see if it works (I don't remember if RGsB use an analog signal or a different one).

 

If it doesn't, then yeah, you'll have to splice your cable in one way or another, and wire it to the SCART connector.

 

I don't have a particular brand or model of NTSC to PAL converters, as if I have a NTSC system without RGB I use a NTSC-able TV, but try to take a cheap model, ironically. They will not include fancy options such as deinterlacing, 60 to 50hte conversion, etc... They'll take the NTSC signal and convert it to "PAL-60".

 

[Famicom on PAL TV problem]

Your "problem" here is that this converter outputs RGsB, when SCART only accept RGB with separate sync. Also what do you use for the RGB connector? I see a lot of "RGB converters" that suspiciously looks like regular composite to SCART adapters.

First we need to make sure you're using the correct cable

In your case the LM 1881 could help you getting a clean picture, but in the meantime, what you could do is use the composite signal as a sync signal (it's what SCART does natively so there is no problem doing it).

There are NTSC to PAL converters and yes, do not worry, in fact the vast majority of those converters will output in 60 htz.

Another solution would be to use a television that accept NTSC (most SCART TV made from the mid-90s onward should do, older high end ones may do) or one that accept YUV/component (the RCA red, green and blue connectors) but this connector will mostly be found on very late CRT TVs and LCD panels.

[Retrousb AVS vs RGB modded Nes]

For the NESRGB, it depends of the modder... etim sells the NESRGB for 125 Australian Dollars, so about 88 US$. Add up 20$ for shipping (didn't actually checked, but I'm sure it's less than that) and you come up to 108$. Modders I asked would do the job for between 30 to 60$. you end up with 168$ at worst. I suppose, if you also have to get the NES, it adds up, but overall it's a cheaper way unless you find a modder charging alot AND shipping (if the modder doesn't live nearby) is expensive for you.

Also if I remember, the AVS wasn't a perfectly 100% accurate emulation machine, but it might have improved since I last heard of it.

I think it depends on what you want. For someone who have a RGB-ready setup -either converters or living in Europe - the TimRGB chip is cheaper and more handy. For a less tech-inclined gamer that don't wanna bother with converters, compatibility, etc... the AVS is probably better.

Also, the TimRGB board also output S-video, which may be a good compatibility point for people that have S-video setups.

 

 

 

 

[Astrocade S-VIDEO Adapter available again]

I already ahve it, but it's good news. Especially with how "drop-in" of a replacement it is.

I soldered the yellow cable for better contact (I showcase my Astraocade at some event, and it's enough moving that I often had to open it and reclip it for better contact), but it's a solderless, no-brainer replacement. I also ran a S-video+ audio cable in place of the antenna cable and avoided making ugly drilling in the shell.

[Super Famicom owner for the first time]

12 hours ago, DragonGrafx-16 said:

Not in the US... Nintendo used the same ones as everyone else here with the bricks right on the outlet...

I always wondered why. Maybe they were adviced that many European houses of the time were lacking in outlets (unlike the US, double-gang plug plates are uncommon) and they added cords. Or maybe some countries banned wall hogs, or limited their weight. Maybe regulations on wall hogs were different between countries (early wall hogs I see here were more "centred" as if they wanted to balance the weight), where the flat plug here is universal all over Europe (except for the UK).

Maybe it's a mix of those reasons. On the same vein, the French model come with an unique pseudo-RGB out and cord, and it's ridiculously long (over 2 metres).

 

[Super Famicom owner for the first time]

The SuFami is more fragile on the "whale fins" and around the edges of the half shelves, especially when getting brittle, that's true. I was talking about the general feeling.

 

For the PSU, it is odd, but maybe it's a cost-cutting decision from NOA.

The European SNin simply did away and use the same power supply than the NES, down to even have the label written as "for use with (Super)NES".

I should try to know if then even packed late NES with SNES PSU....

 

 

 

(Also, just for using power bricks with cords, Nintendo automatically wins points compared to Sega and their wall hogs)

[That NES emulator you’ve been using to play Super Mario on Android may well be a fraud]

Same. I re-read it several times, and I don't get it. From what I understand, an advert (fraudulent software) runs an emulator with NES games to trick you in downloading it.

I assumed I missed the meaning of it because English isn't my native language but I also suspect whoever wrote this article only half-understood what they wrote about.

 

My best guess is they try to say that there are fraudulent apps out there, made to either suck up your data or hog your smartphone's processing power, disguising as ready-made emulator with loaded NES games. Thus you willingly download it when you see an ad for them, thinking they are legit or at least, non-harmful app, and get infected.

[Super Famicom owner for the first time]

You didn't noticed another difference that shocked me when I first got my hands on an US Super Nintendo (I grew up with the PAL version which is a Super Famicom with different labels).

The plastic quality.

The SuFami is molded with thick (at least 1.2mm) ABS plastic all over.Especially the top; for people that never saw a PAL SNEs or a SuFami, the gray insert atop of a SuFami is not paint, it's a physically different plastic cover that is inserted atop of the outer shell (there is plastic under it as well, it's not a hole) :

 

This give the PAL SNES/SuFami a very robust feel; the added thickness and the general slimness provide a more "filled" feel. By comparison the US SNES feel more fragile, and hollow. (which is it, after all).

 

I also have to afree on your feeling about the switches. Now I think the issue is that the US SNES buttons are molded in thinner plastic, and are much larger, yet they still press on the same SuFami inner switches (the motherboard is pretty much identical).

It feels like the US version was designed in the same idea than the NES Zero Insertion Force connector : making it effortless. Yes, the US SNES power switch and rest buttons feel more light to press due to their larger surface to push on them, the cart ejection button is larger and has more leverage... But it come at the cost of feeling less robust overall, for a minor difference in required strength.

Except maybe the eject button. I haven't tried alot with the mushy US SNES button, but the SuFami eject button can really make cartridges pop out of the cart slot toaster-like

It was even a game when I was young, to find the sweet spot where the cart would leave the cart slot, but fall down and stay upright on the console. Try it, it's fun !

[Better SCART conversion in US: to YCbCr or VGA?]

Only on color televisions. The Commodore 64 monitor and Amstrad CPC monitors didn't had SCART for example. My guess is that Commodore decided that selling Amigas with SCART leads would allow them to sell a few more units to people equipped with SCART televisions, and also offer a branded useable monitor to people wanting to use any computer with SCART out.

[Better SCART conversion in US: to YCbCr or VGA?]

For the Amiga monitors, I always find it amusing that at least for the French market (maybe European) they removed the DE9 and used SCART instead. In fact on non/SCART models you can see the cut for the SCART on the back.

 

 

 

[OG Gameboy Restoration]

Minimal one. Some people advice to use a cloth iron.

[OG Gameboy Restoration]

That is impressive. I once ordered a remade shell from China, because the GB I got had been smashed and hacked (screw wells melted to allow a too large screwdriver to fit in).

I kept the original D pad and buttons (the fake were much lighter in colors).

I was quite impressed by the quality of the shell; without telling, most people would be fooled.

[Better SCART conversion in US: to YCbCr or VGA?]

There is no color conversion between SCART and VGA because both use analog signals for colors. the difference is that with SCART, the synchronisation signal is analog, where VGA use two digital signals.

 

You can consider that SCART is a low-def VGA signal. So the video signal need no conversion if your VGA display accept interlaced signals; what need conversion is the sync signal, which many chips out there does.

If your VGA input doesn't accept interlaced signals, you'll need a line doubler liek the OSCC to get at least a 640*480 signal with a progressive image.

 

SCART RGB to YUV need conversion because, unlike what the YUV cable color suggest, YUV isn't using Red Green and Blue, but use Luma + Chroma spread between the two cables (it's much closer to S-video in the basic working); also, YUV use digital sync signal which neither SCART or VGA system will understand natively.

 

I never looked into it, but from what I get, YUV is more common in video signal edition and capture than VGA; also, if you stick to consoles, YUV mods are sometime the only option avaiable with little modification (Colecovision) or they are the ones developped because the US market stuck to RF longer than most and have more YUV able TVs than Europe.

 

For the "extra colors/resolution" you don't really gain any. The difference is that RF, composite and even S-video "blend" the video signal, which cause fuziness. RF and composite require filters, one for RF, and a comb filter for composite (RF signal is composite over a radio signal) which depending on your television, may vary in quality from excellent to crap.

SCART, YUV and VGA are compatarively much simpler and get rid of color shifting, signal blending, etc. So which they do'nt offer "extra colors" or "higher resolution" they do offer a much clearer image in general.

 

If you're thinking "higher resolution" with upscalers, it's mostly done because more modern display don't know what to do with a 640*480 signal (for VGA) or a 320p/625i signal from our old systems. Some may ignore them, many will upscale them but poorly, and many TV lack an option to resize the display to 4/3, so many upscalers, well, upscale the resolution to a more standard 720/1080 signal that most current display perfectly undertand.

[Why do Sega SG1000 Mark 1 games look worse than ColecoVision games when they are same system?]

There was apparently an industry of grey import. While the Atari 2600 was only officially commercialized in Japan in 1983, Epoch released the Atari 2600 beforehand, with knowledge of the fact by Atari but no endorsement (sorta like the deal between NEC-Hudson and Sodipeng, French importer of the PC-Engine in France).

 

It's not impossible that the Colecovision could have been imported in such a fashion, so, in more numbers than a few personnal imports, but probably nowhere near enough numbers to make an impression on the Japanese market.

 

 

[Why do Sega SG1000 Mark 1 games look worse than ColecoVision games when they are same system?]

Good observation. Hardware sprites on the TMS chip can only be monochrome (I remember that from the MSX). Tho there always are workarounds, surch as using several sprites and software sprites....

[EPOCH/YENO SUPER CASSETTE VISION]

Sadly the history of video gaming in Japan prior to the Famicom and also on all the computer side is heavily ignored in the West. I didn't knew Epoch was involved in, but I knew a few Atari 2600 were gray-imported before Atari officiall stepped in.

 

Interestingly, so far the only Cassette vision gameplay picture were in black and white, so I assumed it was a black and white console. It appears to be in colors!

I still can't help thinking the Hanimex HMG 7800 is related to the Cassette Vision, but the games aren't exactly the same. Still, it is said that the Cassette Vision use a NEC D777C CPU, and the HMG seems to be using a NEC D779C.

Graphisms looks very close, but it's probably a byproduct of the limited resolution and colors.

The game does looks different tho :

 

 

 

Maybe the game were altered to avoid Epoch sueing Hanimex/Soundic. I wonder if Epoch could have done something through ITMC/Yeno, their French partner that ended up distributing the Super Cassette Vision.

[Why Didn't Nintendo Release The FDS Overseas?]

Yes. It remained very popular for rewriting games, even if new releases on it shrunk rapidly after 1988 or so. There were still new games available up to 1993 I think?

And when you see that the Famicom was "supported" by Nintendo up to 2003, it's in fact counting the fact that Nintendo maintained a Disk Writer Kiosk in working state in their offices and people could (and would) come to get games rewritten (otherwise, support for anything Famicom was halted around 1996). So yeah, it was popular, far from being "short-lived" or a "stop-gap".

[Why Didn't Nintendo Release The FDS Overseas?]

"Short-lived" is quite the overstatement, but yeah, his primes years were short. But for example, FDS exclusive games like Metroid or both Zelda wouldn't see a Famicom cart release until 1994.

 

And as already stated, by the time the NES was released and they tinkered about a NES FDS, their were selling consoles like hot cakes, they had found a way to put battery-backed RAM into carts, making the FDS a less desirable option.

Also, the FDS shortcomings were appearent, and while servicing it in Japan was not an issue, for the system was cheap, in the US and Europe where it was sold at a premium price, the unreliability of the FDS would have been potentially very damaging, especially on the US market that would still remember short-lived expensive add-ons.

So in all those regards, it was a better bet for Nintendo to go all carts for outside Japan.

[This NES-Based Take On Smash Bros. Has A Wi-Fi Chip In The Cart For Online Play]

Cease and Desist. That is, Nintendo coming to them and saying "this is illegal".

As they did with Princess Rescue on Atari 2600 (although to be fair to them, they only asked AtariAge to stop selling the cart, they didn't asked for the ROM to be pulled out... If I'm not mistaking)

[BurgerTime AVP]

Can I say, as a Frenchman, that I love your T-shirt?

Nice review of all the ports. Really complete. I'm surprised to see no ZX Spectrum port, when the CPC version suspiciously looks like a ZX Spectrum port.

It would be interesting to see remakes made with the passion of modern programmers, the thigns you cna pull out of a CPC or a MSX1 when you know the hardware...