NES clones - why no Famicom support?

[Akito01]

I was looking online at the most recent NES clone, the RetroN1. Since I still have my original NES, and a RetroN3, there is no reason for me to get such an NES-dedicated clone, so I'm clearly not the intended audience for this thing.

 

I have wonder, perhaps as a way of expanding their appeal, why such NES-specific clones don't include a slot for Famicom games as well. I've been tempted and curious to buy some Famicom games, but at the moment I have no way to play them.

 

The Generation-Nex, for all its faults, did include this as a feature. If the RetroN1 had the same thing, I'd definitely get one, even if it meant adding another five bucks to the already pretty cheap cost.

[MagitekAngel]

Perhaps it's a perception of demographic? The typical consumer who gets a clone in lieu of the original hardware is perhaps not going to go to the trouble of importing games?

[StoneAgeGamer]

The Generation-Nex, for all its faults, did include this as a feature. If the RetroN1 had the same thing, I'd definitely get one, even if it meant adding another five bucks to the already pretty cheap cost.

 

Yes it would be cool, however it all comes down to money. Most people who buy these do not care one bit about Famicom games and aren't willing to pay the extra cost. Also the Generation NEX is a good example of why they don't. The Generation NEX was way too expensive for what it was and in the end lead to Messiah's demise.

[StoneAgeGamer]

P.S. There maybe finally a new 60-pin to 72-pin (Famicom to NES) converter coming out soon that should be quite affordable. We will obviously post about this when we get 100% confirmation. We have been pressuring a few of these clone companies to make one and it seems one finally may be doing it. I know they have already done some prototyping on it.

[Reaperman]

I think the short answer is that everybody who wants to play 60-pin games in 72-pin areas already owns the $10-15 converter to do so on *any* 72-pin hardware, and doesn't want to be locked into playing imports on a specific cheapo clone. It'd be a neat feature I suppose, but it's just one more gaping hole on the top of clones which are already regularly sporting 2-3 ugly cart sockets.

[Akito01]

P.S. There maybe finally a new 60-pin to 72-pin (Famicom to NES) converter coming out soon that should be quite affordable. We will obviously post about this when we get 100% confirmation. We have been pressuring a few of these clone companies to make one and it seems one finally may be doing it. I know they have already done some prototyping on it.

 

That's good to hear. In deference to the other reply, I have not found such converters to be either cheap or easy to find. On the other hand, Famicom games themselves are not difficult to find online at all.

[mechanicoid]

I got away from Famicom clones because none of them supported the Disk Drive, and really, I haven't spent that much more on a real Famicom than i would on a clone machine.

[Video]

I believe because all the old NES clones used to be famicom exclusive. And you could play NES on it, but you had to buy an adapter to do so. That just really wasn't going to cut it in the US...since most of the audience that would be buying the thing, would be buying it for Nintendo games, rather than famicom games. It wasn't until they started supporting NES stock without an adapter that the things really started to take off here. Of course, there are also the famicom to nes adapters, if you want to do it that way And the adapter is cheaper than buying the system, even a cheap one.

[gamer2]

I got away from Famicom clones because none of them supported the Disk Drive, and really, I haven't spent that much more on a real Famicom than i would on a clone machine.

 

Generation Nex works with the Disk Drive

 

[PsychoKittyNet]

I have an RES as a backup and it runs famicom and even disk system games with and aadapter but I only did that to see if I could. Most people would who would get imports would probably want the real hardware anyways.

[+wood_jl]

I gave up on NES clones. You'd think they could come up with a decent one in 2010, but evidently there is no such desire; it's just too cheap (profitable) to crank out the same incompatible NES-on-a-chip junk. Ditto for cheap-ass controllers. Frequently, the button mapping is wrong, even if they include a "standard" controller port. $50-ish plus shipping....no thanks.

 

Went back to a $20 Craigslist original, plus a $6.50 (shipped, mind you) Ebay 72-pin connector and I'm golden. Scored a couple of dirt-cheap SNES also that need nothing. Frankly, I don't blame people for wanting a mythical quality clone, but I don't understand why they keep trying when you can use the real thing that works as it should, cheaply.

[mechanicoid]

I got away from Famicom clones because none of them supported the Disk Drive, and really, I haven't spent that much more on a real Famicom than i would on a clone machine.

 

Generation Nex works with the Disk Drive

 

 

I didn't see him use one in the video (but i had the volume down so perhaps he mentioned it), and when i had one, like other chip clones, it didn't even respond to the drive. Famicom carts worked fine all day long on Gen Nex machine though.

 

The only successful clone that's worked with the disk drives, that i've owned, is a hardware Chinese clone. It plays everything right, plus it has a composite out, so i don't have to deal with an RF connection.

 

I also have a Super 8 adaptor for the SNES, and it too doesn't work, plus it's 8-bit output is horrible. By far it's the worst i've seen on the clones i've had. It looks cool sitting on the SNES, but that's about it.

Edited September 29, 2010 by mechanicoid

[Kitsune Sniper]

Most of the clones sold around here have 60 pin connectors... if any. No NES games for us.

 

(Well, I have two adaptors, yay!)

[godslabrat]

Yes it would be cool, however it all comes down to money. Most people who buy these do not care one bit about Famicom games and aren't willing to pay the extra cost. Also the Generation NEX is a good example of why they don't. The Generation NEX was way too expensive for what it was and in the end lead to Messiah's demise.

 

Well, that and the fact that the compatibility wasn't even in the ballpark of what was originally promised, and they buried their one decent product (the wireless controllers).

 

 

That's good to hear. In deference to the other reply, I have not found such converters to be either cheap or easy to find. On the other hand, Famicom games themselves are not difficult to find online at all.

 

It was much easier before eBay went all fascist and decided that import games = piracy, and banned the sale of adapters.

 

I gave up on NES clones. You'd think they could come up with a decent one in 2010, but evidently there is no such desire; it's just too cheap (profitable) to crank out the same incompatible NES-on-a-chip junk. Ditto for cheap-ass controllers. Frequently, the button mapping is wrong, even if they include a "standard" controller port. $50-ish plus shipping....no thanks.

 

Yeah, it seems like that whole industry is going for the mass market crowd, who just wants to play SMB and Contra with half-off sound. It's looking like any chance of a clone being designed with enthusiasts in mind is long gone.

[gamer2]

I got away from Famicom clones because none of them supported the Disk Drive, and really, I haven't spent that much more on a real Famicom than i would on a clone machine.

 

Generation Nex works with the Disk Drive

 

 

I didn't see him use one in the video (but i had the volume down so perhaps he mentioned it), and when i had one, like other chip clones, it didn't even respond to the drive. Famicom carts worked fine all day long on Gen Nex machine though.

 

The only successful clone that's worked with the disk drives, that i've owned, is a hardware Chinese clone. It plays everything right, plus it has a composite out, so i don't have to deal with an RF connection.

 

I also have a Super 8 adaptor for the SNES, and it too doesn't work, plus it's 8-bit output is horrible. By far it's the worst i've seen on the clones i've had. It looks cool sitting on the SNES, but that's about it.

 

I have been itching to get a GenNEX and a FDS just to try it out. If anything, I know where I can get a toploading NES.

[MN12BIRD]

I think the original Japanese Yobo FC clones came with the adapters to play NES games. Too bad the US/NES version didn't also come with the FC adapter. I'm surprised to see how many people want the adapter, how hard they are to find today and yet how cheap and simple it would be to make. It's about time one of these Chinese factories started to spit out some!

[Austin]

Well, you guys could always go the old-fashioned route. You know, cracking open a Gyromite cart and making your own shell for the converter.

[godslabrat]

Well, you guys could always go the old-fashioned route. You know, cracking open a Gyromite cart and making your own shell for the converter.

 

Ew, why ruin a perfectly good game? I never understood this concept.

[Austin]

Well, you guys could always go the old-fashioned route. You know, cracking open a Gyromite cart and making your own shell for the converter.

 

Ew, why ruin a perfectly good game? I never understood this concept.

 

Sacrificing one cart (that's not particularly rare to begin with) for the ability to play hundreds of other games doesn't seem like such a bad tradeoff. And it's much more cost-effective than buying a Japanese system.

[godslabrat]

Well, you guys could always go the old-fashioned route. You know, cracking open a Gyromite cart and making your own shell for the converter.

 

Ew, why ruin a perfectly good game? I never understood this concept.

 

Sacrificing one cart (that's not particularly rare to begin with) for the ability to play hundreds of other games doesn't seem like such a bad tradeoff. And it's much more cost-effective than buying a Japanese system.

 

I can kind of see your point with Gyromite, but a lot of people have recommended using Stack-Up, and that blows my mind. That game is a bit toward the rare side, especially when you add in all the accessories.

 

Things may have changed a bit since I started collecting, but I've found it to be way simpler to just get a ready-made adapter and be done with it.

[MN12BIRD]

Yeah well it's not as easy as everyone thinks. I went into a pawn shop that I know the owner of and they had like 10 copies of Gyromite. Out of these 10 copies 4 of them were the older 5 screw carts. So I asked if I could open the 4 there and if one was what I wanted I would pay a little extra for it. I opened all 4 and none of them had the adapter inside. I know there are other ways to tell including weighing them but it's really hard to tell esp if none of them have it! You start thinking "hrm this one might weight a tiny bit more than the last one" but it's all in your head!

 

There are a handfull of other games that could have the adapter in them but they are much less likley as I think Gyromite is the most common. I have a 5 screw copy of Excitebike witch doesn't have it either and I think that's one of the other possible games.

Edited September 30, 2010 by MN12BIRD

[StoneAgeGamer]

Yeah well it's not as easy as everyone thinks. I went into a pawn shop that I know the owner of and they had like 10 copies of Gyromite. Out of these 10 copies 4 of them were the older 5 screw carts. So I asked if I could open the 4 there and if one was what I wanted I would pay a little extra for it. I opened all 4 and none of them had the adapter inside. I know there are other ways to tell including weighing them but it's really hard to tell esp if none of them have it! You start thinking "hrm this one might weight a tiny bit more than the last one" but it's all in your head!

 

There are a handfull of other games that could have the adapter in them but they are much less likley as I think Gyromite is the most common. I have a 5 screw copy of Excitebike witch doesn't have it either and I think that's one of the other possible games.

 

I had a similar experience. Bought a huge lot of NES games, had quite a 5 screw carts that are suppose to possibly have the adapters in them, not a single one had one in it.

[PsychoKittyNet]

I got my adapter from a gyromite cart and it took months to find one that had it. On the plus side I got a converter for two bucks but it was an effort. I can say that they are noticeably heavier, I noticed it even through the heavy plastic security case.