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Why didnt they make the snes backwards compatible?


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Speaking of the slimmed down top loading NES, does it load cartridges any better than the original NES? The loading issues I remember from the NES is a top reason I have little interest in collecting for the system today. I could only imagine now with the carts and systems being 20 years older. I remember Pro Wrestling the most. That cart had problems brand new and all my friends who had it said the same thing.

Yes. The top loader does load carts better. If the connector gets dirty it starts getting a bit finicky though. Same like with SNES or N64. However the top loader has a weaker RF signal so there is a tradeoff. In a related thread some forumners said something about the japanese top loader not having this problem.

Japanese unit has no RF out at all. Composite video only.

US unit has no AV out at all. RF only(like the original Famicoms).

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Top-Loader RF output will improve by cleaning the connection surfaces on the NES itself, then using a short male/female gold connector to connect to the RF box, and then to the television.

 

As for Backwards Compatibility, that was one of the big selling points for the PS2 for me. First, the convenience and space-saving of only having to have one system out. Then, various improvements in processing and display (which largely didn't happen, but there are a few here and there) were attractive. Finally, a PS2 has two libraries of games to play, the PSX system's entire library and then everything that comes along for the PS2. My only want now is for reliable PSX "mega" memory cards.

 

It's similarly the reason I actually bought a GameBoy Advance, and then a GBA Player for the GameCube. I don't play games on the go that much, so I certainly didn't "need" a GameBoy these days, but a GameBoy Advance can play all the old GameBoy Games I enjoyed when I was young, all the GameBoy Color games I mostly missed on, and all the GBA library of games that are essentially the next generation of the Super Nintendo in a handheld (which.. I don't really want to play on a small screen, so I got the GameBoy Player, heh {It's the only way to play Castlevania and Metroid!}). If the GBA didn't play the earlier GameBoys' games, it's very doubtful I would have ever touched it or the GameBoy Player, no matter how bad I wanted to play Metroid: Fusion or MegaMan Battle Network 2. It just would not have been worth the money to this consumer (well, pair of consumers, since my girlfriend was mostly interested...heh).

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I did some searching and can confirm that MSM Electronics still sell 62-pin connector replacements for the Super Nintendo. This part is hard to find and not as common as the NES connector. If you are interested, just call MCM at 1-800-543-4330 and ask for part #83-3150.

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You forget how streamlined NES production was at the end.

Besides, it let them keep sales numbers up. If they sold SNESes AND NESes, they sold more systems than either one by itself.

NES would be particularly appealing to people on a limited budget.

Sorry to jump in late on this...

 

You make an interesting point, but keep in mind that the PS2 is backwards compatible, and the PSone is still on the market today!

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You forget how streamlined NES production was at the end.

Besides, it let them keep sales numbers up. If they sold SNESes AND NESes, they sold more systems than either one by itself.

NES would be particularly appealing to people on a limited budget.

Sorry to jump in late on this...

 

You make an interesting point, but keep in mind that the PS2 is backwards compatible, and the PSone is still on the market today!

I thought they killed production recently. I haven't seen one in a while.

 

It could just be a diffrence in approach.

Nintendo likely figured anyone with an interest in SNES and NES games would have to buy both decks, bargin-bin gamers would buy just an NES, and the cutting-edge graphics whores would buy just an SNES.

 

Sony, on the other hand, probably guessed that PS1 compatibility would give the PS2 a launch library of several hundred games, including many big-name titles(like FF7).

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What does it say that not only has Sony committed to making the PS3 backwards compatible, but Nintendo has stated their next console will also be backwards compatible with the GC?

 

It's all about goodwill with your customers. Even though few actually played PS1 games anymore, they liked the idea that Sony wasn't suggesting they throw out the old games. Microsoft is making a huge error.

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What does it say that not only has Sony committed to making the PS3 backwards compatible, but Nintendo has stated their next console will also be backwards compatible with the GC?

 

It's all about goodwill with your customers. Even though few actually played PS1 games anymore, they liked the idea that Sony wasn't suggesting they throw out the old games. Microsoft is making a huge error.

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What is this "throwing out" of which you speak?

...

I've never understood the mindset that says you have to get rid of the old system when you get a new one.

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Why didnt they make the N64 backwards compatible? Why didn't they make the gamecube backwards compatible?

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N64 = no desire to deal with the 2 degrees of legacy incurred by supporting an SNES that looks like it was designed to support the NES.

 

GameCube = boneheaded decision to not support disks last generation left Nintendo playing catch-up.

A Saturn-style dual-media setup would've been more costly, as well as looking strange and alien to a generation that defines "video game" as "Playstation."

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The fact that the SNES wasn't backwards compatible just shows how unimportant a feature it really is. The NES pretty much single handedly brought console gaming back from the dead, Nintendo cut it dead with the SNES and still sold enormous amounts of consoles and games.

 

Backwards compatibility is just something to make the parents feel better about paying out for another console at Xmas. Most people never use it. Imagine what the situation might be like 10 or so years from now, you'll have systems trying to maintain backwards compatibility with 3 or 4 previous system OS's, the same problem that makes Windows the bloated mess that it is today.

 

I'm all for a games machine being a straight thoroughbred device that just plays its own games.

If you have good games and strong 3rd party support, people will buy the new console and the new games.

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Backwards compatibility is just something to make the parents feel better about paying out for another console at Xmas.  Most people never use it.  Imagine what the situation might be like 10 or so years from now, you'll have systems trying to maintain backwards compatibility with 3 or 4 previous system OS's, the same problem that makes Windows the bloated mess that it is today.

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It also keeps the hardware bogged down with legacy.

 

That's why the modern x86 processors are so complex. They have literally thousnads of transistors that are USELESS except for legacy usage. But they have to be there, because someone MIGHT use the old features. So they sit there eating power, generating heat, and restricting how much improvement you can make to the architecture.

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These are valid points, but another factoid is that the current bestselling home console (PS2) and portable (GBA) are bc.

You could say that the PS2 is backwards compatible with both a PS1 and a dvd player. And that (it's a stretch but stick with me here) the GBA is backwards compatible with an SNES in a sense.

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That's quite a stretch there jsoper. While both the PS2 and GBA/DS are bc the real question is how many people actually use this feature. It's a strong selling point no doubt but personally I think few people use the feature (just an opinion of course). Even people who traded their old PS1's to buy a PS2 will have probably traded most of their games with it (even more if their collection was backup based). I am not against backwards compatibility but I do think that companies shouldn't focus too much on it.

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I can tell you i think having backwards compatible systems is much more useful in the handheld world. Most people never get rid of handheld games so being able to play them on a new system could justify the purchase. What i never got is most people do sell there old consoel games so why care if it can play old games? I cant think of any one who has more the 10 ps1 games and i can think of even less people who play them.

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I like backwards compatibility, especially in modern systems. I will agree that it shouldn't be an absolute requirement, but it's a nice thing to have. I still have plenty of PS1 games that I play on my PS2. Since I'm not nostalgic for the PS1, I was happy to only keep one console instead of two.

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Yeah, I just finished replaying Spyro: Year of the Dragon on my PS2, still a fun game. And a lot of people were playing PS1 games when the PS2 launched with such a mediocre game library. Here are four game systems that supported backwards compatiblity:

Atari: 7800

Sega: Genesis (PBC)

Nintendo: GBA

Sony: PS2

If four independent console companies make an effort to do something, there must be something to it.

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No one is arguing that backwards compatibility is a bad thing, but rather that is a nice, but not necessary feature to have. Also B.C. doesn't guarantee success. The 7800 didn't stood a chance against the NES. Normal Genesis models were not backwards compatible with the SMS.

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No one is arguing that backwards compatibility is a bad thing, but rather that is a nice, but not necessary feature to have.

 

I thought we were discussing more than arguing. Some of us like the advantage backwards compatibility gives. Others are indifferent. Can we talk? :)

 

Of course, if you want to argue, we could point out that the 5200's sales were arguably hurt by a lack of backwards compatibility. Obviously, that was before the sheep population was trained to lust for a new console every three or four years, but still...

 

Also B.C. doesn't guarantee success. The 7800 didn't stood a chance against the NES.

 

I doubt this is the best example. The 7800 offered backwards compatibility for a machine that, by then, not many people were interested in anyway. The 2600 was nearly a decade old by the time the 7800 was offered, and Atari was about the only company trying to keep the 2600 alive. Comparatively, the PS1 was five years old when the PS2 was released, and still had heavy third-party support at the time.

 

Normal Genesis models were not backwards compatible with the SMS.

 

Not out of the box, no, but they did offer the Powerbase Converter.

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Not out of the box, no, but they did offer the Powerbase Converter.

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The PBC is interesting because of how little circuitry is has in it. My understanding is that it tells the Z80 audio processor "Hey wakeup, you just got promoted to be the main CPU" Then the Z80 does all the SMS stuff while waiting for a pay raise.

:D

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I like backwards compatibility, especially in modern systems.  I will agree that it shouldn't be an absolute requirement, but it's a nice thing to have.  I still have plenty of PS1 games that I play on my PS2.  Since I'm not nostalgic for the PS1, I was happy to only keep one console instead of two.

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I'll have to keep a PS1 around when I eventually get a PS2. One of my favorite games is on the "doesn't work right in PS2" list.

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Not out of the box, no, but they did offer the Powerbase Converter.

835921[/snapback]

The PBC is interesting because of how little circuitry is has in it. My understanding is that it tells the Z80 audio processor "Hey wakeup, you just got promoted to be the main CPU" Then the Z80 does all the SMS stuff while waiting for a pay raise.

:D

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Yah. I KNOW it does that on the Game Gear. Short one pin, it changes modes.

 

I don't know where to get full Genesis specs(gamesx.comis sadly missing a few pins, and doesn't have full definitions for the pin names), but I think it's similar.

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