Best way to get NES

[Trinity]

I'm craving one of these consoles. What is the best source?

[Rick Dangerous]

NES's were not produced in high numbers so you may have trouble tracking one of these down. I would recommend looking just about anywhere that sells used games, or on the interweb. I would venture a guess that there's even one for sale of the AA marketplace right now:

 

http://atariage.com/forums/topic/238860-fs-nes-with-controllers-games/?hl=%2Bnes&do=findComment&comment=3247475

[Nutsy Doodleheimer]

Just check ebay or craigslist in your area. Lots of them are for sale there. The front load models are the lesser priced ones and more common as they were manufactured from 1985-1993. As you know the 72 pin connectors wear out over time and usage. And costs $6 for a new one. The highly coveted top load models were made from 1993-1994 and never have problems, but you are going to have to pay more for them as they are rare and in high demand.

[Rick Dangerous]

top load models were made from 1993-1994 and never have problems

 

They often have cheap video boards and have visible "jailbars" on the screen. They are also RF out only.

 

A well sorted AV modded top loader is the way to go, you will just have to put a little work into it to get it to top playable condition.

[+save2600]

I had a top loader once and hated it. Besides the crappy video, inserting/removing cartridges vertically like that was a pain and looked silly too. Like the dog bone controller though!

[Nutsy Doodleheimer]

They often have cheap video boards and have visible "jailbars" on the screen. They are also RF out only.

 

A well sorted AV modded top loader is the way to go, you will just have to put a little work into it to get it to top playable condition.

 

Definetley true. I do have one and the vertical lined don't necessarily bother me. I hardly notice it all that much. I also have a Sharp Twin Famicom with av cables and the 60 to 72 pin converter to play NES games as well.

[Trinity]

Thanks for the advice!

[Trinity]

What about these things? Retron NES.

 

http://www.amazon.com/Retron-NES-System-Black-Nintendo-Entertainment/dp/B003YDH4PO/ref=pd_sim_63_1?ie=UTF8&refRID=1T15K2C0KS2P7G6G9MXG

[Nutsy Doodleheimer]

I am personally not a fan of the Retron systems. They are made from cheap off the shelf parts and pulling out a cart is like pulling teeth. It can rip the cart slot out. And I believe a very few games are not compatible with it. Go with an authentic genuine NES.

[Rick Dangerous]

Go with an authentic genuine NES.

 

I have never been a fan of clone systems. They just look tacky..

[7800fan]

The only NES clone I actually bought is the portable one with LCD. It doesn't work with some games naturally but playing Legend of Zelda that is not emulated was still worth it.

[Armonigann]

If you decide to go with a retron..stick with the retro trio, granted a few games wont boot..but from my experience it's the best clone on the market, excluding the retron 5, which I am not a fan of emulation based consoles.

[CatPix]

The only clones I'd seek for myself are the early 90's ones, because they aren't made around a NEs on a Chip, but they use genuine CPU, RAM, and copied PPU. The most comon ones were made for the ex-USSR market and therefore have SECAM and PAL video output at 50 htz, and it appears that they run the games at 60Htz and "hash" the video down to 50 htz. I have no first hand testimonies of theis, neither found video on how it appears on screen however, so I'll believe it when I'll see it.

[82-T/A]

Best way to get NES

 

 

You have to instane babby.

 

Sorry... haha, your subject reminded me of that old Yahoo Ask post.

 

How hard can it be to get an NES? Aren't there 100s of them for sale on eBay?

 

Just looked, there are a lot on there, surprised at some of the prices, but generally, as long as it works, it shouldn't be difficult. They sell rebuilt or new cartridge connectors for only a few dollars. I would just go buy one, swap that out, and put the case (after removing the board and electronics) in the dishwasher... it'll come out looking brand new.

[Austin]

I haven't used the more recent Retron 1 systems so I can't vouch for them. Maybe go with a Retro Duo or Super Retro Trio instead? They aren't very expensive and you will get SNES (or SNES plus Genesis) on top.

[Rhomaios]

 

 

You have to instane babby.

 

Sorry... haha, your subject reminded me of that old Yahoo Ask post.

 

How hard can it be to get an NES? Aren't there 100s of them for sale on eBay?

 

Just looked, there are a lot on there, surprised at some of the prices, but generally, as long as it works, it shouldn't be difficult. They sell rebuilt or new cartridge connectors for only a few dollars. I would just go buy one, swap that out, and put the case (after removing the board and electronics) in the dishwasher... it'll come out looking brand new.

 

They need to do way instain mother! Get it right!

[Nutsy Doodleheimer]

According to Mark Balelo. They are very expensive and cost $13,000.

 

[82-T/A]

According to Mark Balelo. They are very expensive and cost $13,000.

 

My wife and I used to watch that show religiously a few years ago, and I definitely remember that episode... it was awkward to say the least. I knew there was no way it would be worth that, and was quite honestly... very embarrassed for the guy.

 

That guy ended up killing himself unfortunately... don't know why.

[Nutsy Doodleheimer]

My wife and I used to watch that show religiously a few years ago, and I definitely remember that episode... it was awkward to say the least. I knew there was no way it would be worth that, and was quite honestly... very embarrassed for the guy.

 

That guy ended up killing himself unfortunately... don't know why.

Looks like I found the cold hard facts that led to Mark Balelo's suicide.

 

http://heavy.com/news/2013/02/mark-balelo-storage-wars-star-dead-suicide-facts/

[gamecat80]

Since my top-loader NES is aging (the original front-loader is long gone), I recently bought a Retron 3 and like it quite a bit. Some of the colors and sounds are a little "off" from the original but overall, pretty good. The picture is very clear -- much better than the original. The main thing about the sound is that it still sounds like an NES, but some of the duty cycles in the pulse wave channels are "mixed up", so some sounds that are 50% duty cycle (full square wave) on the original are 25% duty cycle on the Retron 3, and vise-versa. You can hear this in SMB with the coin sounds, jumping sounds, and main theme music. Doesn't bother me at all though; actually I kinda like the slight changes in sounds/colors on the Retron 3.

 

 

Explanation of how NES audio works:

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=la3coK5pq5w

[AlexKIDD]

I've got the Nes top loader in one room and a Yobo Nes clone in another. The lines in the screen do bother me a bit with the top loader, especially when lighter colors are on the screen. The clones have better video output but are made from cheaper plastic and they can't play a few games including Castlevania 3(a favorite).

 

I have a few of the front loading ones at my mom's house but haven't seen one work well since the '90's. I tried to replace the pin on one once (and perhaps I did it wrong) but it still didn't work.

 

I would say if you can find/ afford it the best option would be an av modded top loader. If you're not trying to spend a lot of money the clones are okay. They appear cheaply made but I've owned a couple and had no problems with them yet.

[flashbackmatt]

What about these things? Retron NES.

 

http://www.amazon.com/Retron-NES-System-Black-Nintendo-Entertainment/dp/B003YDH4PO/ref=pd_sim_63_1?ie=UTF8&refRID=1T15K2C0KS2P7G6G9MXG

 

I just bought that exact one, to play Zapper games. The first cart I put in, I thought was not going to come out. Very snug. The compatibility has been poor, at least for the Zapper games. The first-party ones work fine: Duck Hunt, Hogan's Alley, Gumshoe, To The Earth. Gotcha! works, but Laser Invasion, Operation Wolf, and Mechanized Attack don't work.

 

EDIT: quote

Edited August 8, 2015 by flashbackmatt

[lushgirl_80]

Sold one of my NES consoles along with 2 games last month. If I knew you wanted one I would have sold it to you instead, drats.Now I'm down to only 2. One I keep out mostly to play and the other is still inside the box.

 

My Action Set!!!!

 

 

 

 

 

I would look on eBay. Good luck!