madhatter667

"Well, I got myself a DS lite last weekend, and its sitting in the box until I get the game I want for it most, Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow. It sucks that DoS is virtually out of print (I assume they are coming out with a Player's Choice version.)" You should also nab Portrait of Ruin... it's awesome. For the record, I JUST got Dawn of Sorrow TODAY, new at Game Crazy... the one a couple towns over had 4 or so copies on shelf, plus the one up on the price display. Check it out, you may get lucky on it. There seems to be many good games, and plenty more projected games (that should kick ass) for the DS. I am so glad I finally got one. I will say watch out for stuck pixels... as they can locked on a colour, and that's that. I just swapped out 2 DS systems in 2 days to get one that didn't have any stuck pixels. Nintendo will fix them if you really want them too, but if you end up with any issues with screen display, it would likely be easier to swap it out at the establishment you purchased from. You won't notice any pixel problems with the screen on white... you need to pop a game in there to see... usually on a black screen or a dark backdrop is when you'll notice them, if you have any issues.

No you aren't dork and redneck, You're an enthusiast who has managed to make his hobby provide and income, which is something EVERYONE dreams about. If you are doing a ground up restoration (and not farming the work out to a bunch of shops... although I DO hope that if you are rfarming work out, that you are doing some work on it yourself), then I bow to you, as your mechanical skills are greater than mine (although I can hold my own). Mechanics is a very broad, and logical application. More or less universal: Yup, it's a car...I understand how this thing goes together, comes apart, and how to save moen yby fixing it myself. It isn't redneck, it's sensible.

It might also be worth mentioning that not everyone preorders games, or hears about a particular title in time to do so... or even gets the system while the game is experiencing it's first run, or second run, or even 5th run. I JUST got a DS not that long ago... I have already had to hunt to try and find Castlvania: Dawn of Sorrow for it. I think a few more got printed when Portrait of Ruin came out... HELL YES!! Gimme! I am having a hell of a time finding Aria of Sorrow for the GBA... and I didn't get a GBA until MUCH later in its lifespan. Should I be PENALIZED for wanting to get those games later, 'cause some douche decides he wants to flip it on ebay, and then have to compete with everyone else who also wants this copy? Everyone mentions how they more or less dislike eBay anyhow. Unless you are an unwary buyer, or a greeder reseller... this cannot hurt you much, if at all. "...really don't know why the book publishing industry originally indicated various printings..." Revisions for starters. Many books have added content between editions. This is important to make a note of, when buying, seller, citing anything. As far as book collecting goes, some people like the aesthetics of the older volume... many are hardcover (going on general literature here, not tech books), and are more elaborate in appearance. I also don't mind the smell of old books... and depending on what it is, or when it was made... can be had for a song. Some of the older volumes had hand cut pages (older books where the page edges don't line up all perfect... that's what I am talking about...small nuances that add something to the atmosphere of the hobby). So this is more or less a mix up of practical, done for the reader edition numberings, and a small bit of afficionado reasoning. This sort of thing doesn't apply as much to videogames, as content is rarely changed between press runs... and if something is changed, the game usually gets some sort of designation (ie: Ninja Gaiden Black, or Game of the Year Edition)...see where that is going? So in that essence, a revision number should only be issued when something is changed. If the content hasn't changed, and it is pressed out in a different year, it'll be noted in the copyright information (or at least it should).

As a side note, it would have been interesting if the manufacturer could have included a light gun for this clone. Other's have done it, and used proprietary (if that word can even be used in reference to anything involved a pirated console) pin outs for the connectors...so I wonder what stopped this one? Wasn't there also an SNES light gun at one point that looked like a revolver? Or was that for some other system? If there was one, wouldn't it theoretically work with this console? I have read that the Super Scope 6 will NOT work with Zapper games, as there are differences in their internal behavior (ie: hardware advances that make them incompatible). Just a few interesting side thoughts that might have some potential.

Wow. From the replies, it seems like Mr. Brent's experience wasn't unique. I have a hard time believing that some of the reps can be such assholes on the phone... but I have heard people on the receiving end of such outsourced things get irate as hell when the language/communication/attitude barrier prevents things from happening, and it isn't pretty! Damn it...when I buy a next gen... if it craps out, it's going back to the store I bought it from (seems like Costco is a safe bet on that end). I actually recently did this w/ a couple NDS systems. Store return/exchange: No sweat... Dealing with Nintendo customer service: Play with it for a while, if you decide it really affects your game play, then we'll fix it (warranty), well, it affected my gameplay enough (and the fact that I bought them new), to want to replace it... store was closer, easier to verify info with, and didn't take 2 days to get back to me via email. It isn't that Nintendo wasn't helpful, or didn't want to do warranty repair (although they did ask me to see if I can ignore the dead pixels in a roundabout way), but doing it through the store was so much easier since I was still under the 30 day policy from Best Buy (who were rather helpful). Long story short, if you can return it to the store you bought it from for an exchange, then do it...chances are it'll be simpler in the long run.

"It would be nice to play 5 and 6 for once too..." Um... rip out the cartridge lockout tabs in your SNES, buy the Super Famicom carts... and go find a foreign language faq... at least that's what I did. All old school solutions aside... it would be cool to see some of the other releases on DS... just 'cause it's DS... I like the idea of being able to take killer games with me more or less where ever I go. I have all of the home console Dragon Warrior/Dragon Quests... I need to still grab Rocket Slime, and maybe the ones for the Game Boy (I have a Super Game Boy, access to a GBA, and the original brick... so I would have the means to play them relatively easy). "Horii is aiming for a Japanese release some time in 2007" Wow... ONLY some random time within the next YEAR??!?!?! Way to estimate there! I wonder how much longer people will have to wait for the US release?

I now have a new DS (yet again!), and 3rd time is the charm. No pixel issues this time. The downside of finding the stuck pixels is that you have to have a background other than white to see them. Black works best for finding them from my brief experience. Look for odd red, blue, or green dots. I just got my money back from Best Buy (who's customer service department was very helpful and friendly about the whole deal), and bought one from Game Crazy... a few bucks more, but it's fine. It irritates me more that I drove well out of my way to attempt to get a fully functional DS, and when I got home, BAM pixel stuck on blue. It was only mildly visually irritating, but it's new...a paid out for new, so I don't think that I should accept anything other than a fully functional unit, and that includes the display screens, not just the internal hardware. So all in all... a great runaround... but problem solved.

Ok, I am asking a bit of advice from you guys. I had a DS lite, which had some stuck pixels in the touch screen. I figured "Eh, no big deal", but the more I played it, the more they annoyed me. So I exchanged my DS Lite for another one today... I drove something like 25 miles just to get a replacement, more if you count the trip to the store I bought it from last night (Best Buy, that location was out of stock, which is why I went to a different location). The one I picked up today also has pixel issues...although this time it is a single pixel, on the top screen...stuck on blue. The question is: Should I just try and ignore it? Or do I go back to Best Buy, raise a bit of a stink, and get my money back...then go elsewhere to get another DS Lite? I don't care about "getting my money back" nearly as much as I do about getting a fully functioning DS. I mean, hell, I paid for NEW, I got "good enough for most", to mean NEW should equal untouched, pristine, as perfect as it can be. What are the chances that I get two DS units with pixel issues in a row? I am rather torqued.

90+ hours on a handheld is completely doable... it's an RPG...it is supposed to take a fair amount of time to get through. I could easily burn that much time playing. Does anyone know an estimated US launch? I got Dragon Warrior/Quest VIII for PS2 for $20 new...

"I have mine paid for." I mention this. "I'll come get it after work because I already paid for mine." That's when he proceeded to tell me that it didn't matter if I paid for it or not. He said they will be selling them on a first come first serve basis, and that if they run out of copies by the time I get there, then I'm SOL!" If you have preordered it, and have paid for it already, that copy IS sold... what part of that do they not fucking understand?!?! I mean, it isn't a hard correlation to make: Customer comes in, wants a copy of game X, pays for it in full before delivery... that is one copy SOLD. I don't know how many people preorder their games, let alone pay in full... if I preorder, I usually throw down what is necessary to hold a copy, and pay the balance on pick up.

I did some more NES testing. So far it is pretty good, but still has a couple of the quirks. Castlevania III title screen displays, the intro has some glitches, and then blank black screen afterwards. It DOES play Legend of Zelda fine though.... I tried to make the map scatter any debris across the map or screen anywhere. I tried pausing and repausing, and it wouldn't do it. The colours seemed a little on the "rich" side, but everything seemed alright besides some mild colour inaccuracy. If I were just wanting to play the game, that would = good enough. It might not even be that far off on the colour, it could just be me, I'd have to drag an NES in to do a side by side. The colour in the last ROM I played last was a Zelda hack, and the colours weren't that deep, but it seems like little consequence. It played the Dragon Warrior games, and the other 2 Castlevania titles. Also played Final Fantasy as well. Just gotta watch out for the turbo buttons! So far, it has shown fewer problems than other NES clones. All my Tengen carts are out in my garage, so I'd have to make the trip out there, which I should be doing sometime this week. (my garage isn't as close to my apartment as it should be, go fucking figure... it causes me all kinds of paranoia).

"I mean, you lose HP for every step you take. At normal status. For the entire game." Awww... balls. As a side note, the publisher for Dragon Song is Ubisoft...so I don't know how much WD had to do with this one, or if they got bought out etc. I have a couple other WD titles, and really like them.

I think there are a few different makers or at least a few revisions of the NOAC over the years. With all the different clones out there and all... they can't all contain the same guts. I haven't opened any of them to see... but I am sure that my Micro Genius has a different interior than my Super Joy controller.

Hey! I mentionewd Lunar! SAD emoticon!!! I haven't gotten around to playing it yet, and no I haven't bothered with reviews. The Lunar games for the PSX were fun, and the one released for GBA was pretty fun too...dunno, it just hasn't let me down yet. Although I will admit that there is a first for everything. If you haven't popped in Portrait of Ruin, do so... NOW! I beat it last night (or at least got one ending), and it is insanely fun. I would almost say in the running for best Castlevania title. I had a lot of fun with it... and I am still doing extra stuff (didn't overwrite the file so I could go back to it). Absolutely love this one...Konami did a great job on the development. I want to get FFIII for it... seems like it should be a good port. Anyone have feedback on it, that isn't slanted by the publisher/developer name?

I've heard of it, but haven't bought anything there.

Some of those disks are pirates. From what I recall reading, Nintendo only made their disks on blue and yellow floppies. Not really too big of a deal... eventually the only disks left working will be pirated versions. The Nintendo floppies were notoriously fragile. I wish I could find an inexpensive lot of disks... rumour is that they can still be had over there. All in all, it should be a damn fun acquisition. I have a Sharp Twin Famicom (officially licensed), and love the thing.

I'd just replace it. Cheap insurance, and relatively easy to do. The connector slides off the board (it can be on there stiff, so use caution). Just remember where everything goes while disassembling.

Jagasian, why don't you actually contribute? You're talking about a clone SEVEN years ago...then say you have experience with this clone (being the FC Twin), which you don't (or at least, haven't actually expressed), but are basing that assumption on the notion that you have experience with one or two other SNES clones. Then turn around and ask whether the FC Twin is using a newer revision of the XGA chipset, showing that you have no experience with the 'Twin. AUDIO SOUNDED FINE. My TV is also mono, so I used 2 out of 3 jacks on both ends (system and input). IS there ANY way that could make a difference in audio output on more modern TVs? If so, I could understand how others might hear some horrid noises, if htey plug in all 3 jacks on the system side, and two on the TV, or something. Would that matter? I am not a hookups expert. One must also bear in mind that there ARE people who just care about being able to play a game. If it looks fine, sounds fine, and doesn't display any graphical errors, and the system doesn't fall apart, expolde, or become a dangerous item in any way... many would call that good enough. Yes, we KNOW it isn't Nintendo goods, we UNDERSTAND that replicated hardware may have issues. It is a CLONED piece of hardware. But for a clone, it seems to be a damned good one so far. I have many NES games, including the infamous 3 of Castlvania 3, Gauntlet, and Legend of Zelda. I am going to try them out later, and see what happens. I'll report back on findings.

Aww... Kepone makes sad emoticon.

First off, I am not sure what Jagasian is prattling on about in regards to the clones. The guy obviosuly has an opinion, and he is entitled to it. But as far as the FC Twin is concerned, I am inclined to disagree, and heartily so. I busted out the FC Twin earlier this night when I returned home from a brief visit to my parents, and a couple friends. I was rather eager to check it out. The packaging isn't horrible for what it is. I mean, it is a clone, made in China I am sure...but everything was arranged neatly, and covered with plastic and twist ties. So getting dust in the system was pretty much not happening during transit, which is fine in my book. I ordered the system from www.baysoftgames.com for around $58 or so after shipping was said and done. Once I got the shipment notification, it took 2 days for the system to hit my doorstep...shipped prioroty mail. Couldn't ask for more from their end. If anyone is looking to nab one of these, I recommend baysoft, my experience was exceptional. As a side note to anyone wanting to play import video games: the FC Twin does have the cartridge lockout tabs... so if you want to play Super Famicom games on this thing, you better have your needlenose pliers ready, or if you are fortunate enough, your Gamebit. This is a small time mod that I want to make to the console, but just don't feel like doing so at the moment. I have done this to an SNES, and for anyone who is new to this sort of thing: Yes, you can play Super Famicom games in an SNES, there are merely two tabs keeping you from inserting the cart. It DOES work, and it is really easy to do. The same is true of the N64 (although you DO need the Gamebit for that one, since the tabs are located on the bottom side of the slot frame thingy, and can't be accessed from the top). Most of the tests were done using the handful of SNES titles that I have kept inside with me. These are the ones that were a pain for me to acquire, as in I had to hunt them down, pay out a fair chunk to acquire, and in short were just a pain to get. As general rule the audio sounded fine to me on every game I tested. The only sound that didn't sound quite like I remembered it was the sea gull sound in the opening of Chrono Trigger... they sounded just oh so slightly mechanical. On the same hand, it has been a long time since I played Chrono on the real console (space limitations, and all that Jazz... 2 jobs, and school... eats up time like mad), so they may even sound the same, I don't honestly recall. In short, sounded fine, and nothing horrid to the ears. The FC Twin played my coveted collection of SNES titles, which are as follows: Castlvania Dracula X Drakken Illusion of Gaia Secret of Mana Chrono Trigger Final Fantasy II Final Fantasy III FF Mystic Quest Castlvania IV Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past Paladin's Quest Equinox All of these played fine, sounded fine, and did not display any graphical errors. My other SNES titles are chilling out in my garage...so maybe I will drag them in for further tests. So far compatability has been surprisingly good. As those listed games are the bulk of my SNES collection, and are the ones that cost me the most to acquire. I didn't extensively test the NES side, as I am a little on the tired side, but it did play SMB3 just fine, and it also played Shadowgate as well. No odd ball glitches or anything there either... they popped right up on screen. I will have to try more NES titles with this console. Just not tonight. I do have a handful of unlicensed carts are well, like Tengen, Color Dreams, American Video, and Wisdom Tree (in a few days some Camerica ones as well)...so I will definitely have to give them a run through the machine to see how they do. I am rather impressed with it so far. This little machine seems to have a lot of promise in it. This could be a space saver for those who own many consoles, a novelty or intrigue for those who collect, and a platform for the unitiated to cut their teeth on. Not everyone can find an NES/SNES cheaply anymore. SNES runs something between $35 and $40 when you do find them in game shops, the NES I have seen from something around $40 to as high as $100 for a top loader. Someone without the resources could save some money with this thing... provided that further testing shows it to be a solid piece of work. If anyone else wants to add their tests to this thread, by all means do. Cheese007, I know you mentioned that you were pretty impressed with the clone's performance. What titles have you tested out on it, and how well did it perform? Were there any titles you tried that did not work?

I too am very surprised with this clone. I expected much less performance. I think that if Yobo keeps up the distribution, they might actually have a little something on their hands here.

Alright, Jagasian. I publicly refute your claim on the compatibility issues for the SNES board. The audio sounded fine to me on every game I tested. The only sound that didn't sound quite like I remembered it was the seagull sound in the opening of Chrono Trigger... they sounded just oh so slightly mechanical. On the same hand, it has been a long time since I played Chrono on the real console (space limitations, and all that Jazz... 2 jobs, and school... eats up time like mad), so they may even sound the same. In short, sounded fine, and nothing horrid to the ears. The FC Twin played my coveted collection of SNES titles, which are as follows: Castlvania Dracula X Drakken Illusion of Gaia Secret of Mana Chrono Trigger Final Fantasy II Final Fantasy III FF Mystic Quest Castlvania IV Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past Paladin's Quest Equinox All of these played fine, sounded fine, and did not display any graphical errors. My other SNES titles are chilling out in my garage...so maybe I will drag them in for further tests. So far compatability has been surprisingly good. As those listed games are the bulk of my SNES collection, and are the ones that cost me the most to acquire. I didn't extensively test the NES side, as I am a little on the tired side, but it did play SMB3 just fine, and it also played Shadowgate as well. No odd ball glitches or anything there either... they popped right up on screen. I am rather impressed with it so far. BTW: "I bet they also trusted President George W Bush" Is one hell of a Red Herring, and has absolutely nothing to do with the argument at hand... save for a convenient distraction, and a horrible analogy.

I draw a fine line between "the customer is always right" and "the customer is a damned asswipe." While I do believe that while one is shopping at your establishment, and likely to spend money there, there has to be mutual courtesy. If you are a customer, and you are polite to the sales clerks, refuse the offers politely, or at least in a nonconfrontational manner, and they give you attitude, then it's on. If you're a sales clerk, and you're being a nice person, and trying to be helpful (not badgering, pushy, or arrogant), and the customer gives you shit, or tries to take out his/her bad day on you, then you have every right to either get a manager who is paid to hear that kind of crap, or if you ARE the manager, have every right to show them to the door, promptly, and with no apology. Just sort of the way I see it.

It'd be ineteresting to know, if I ever come across one in time, what I can expect to lay out to get my hands on one.

I've read that the board in the FC Twin is a reverse engineered piece, not a rehash of old pirate hardware. I have heard of the Tristar, and have heard that the adapter was pretty horrid. Then again, there have also been a few years advancement in technology on that end (I hope). The NOAC part, if true, doesn't bother me, as I know that there is compatibility issues there, but for the most part work well enough. Having two separate consoles may or may not be a waste of space Uzamaki: It depends on your living quarters. Right now, my apartment is hard up on space. So, it may indeed be an alright thing to have the two meshed together. I got it mostly for novelty, and that's OK in my book. IF I had a larger space, I would have both NES, and SNES hooked up, and call it sweet...and I would have still picked up a clone just cause. There are some odd people, who collect pirate stuff as well as legit stuff... some people collect pirate goods for the sake of collecting something a little silly (as many old pirate carts ARE goofy). I collect for the fun of collecting, and that includes the odd bit of hardware along with everything else. It's good times.