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Nintendo re-releases NES as mini console

nintendolife.com

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Re: Nintendo re-releases NES as mini console

#191

Post by msbarnett »

fzzzy wrote: post #155
spydum wrote: post #27

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Don't you recall how unreliable that media/interface was? I don't think most carts aged well.

The ZIF connector on the original NES was unreliable. The carts are perfectly reliable. The NES 2 does not have the ZIF connector and doesn't have issues.

> The carts are perfectly reliable

Depends on the cartridge. Any of the ones with a battery save (like Zelda or Final Fantasy) need to be opened up, have the welded in battery clipped off the board, have a CR2032 socket soldered on instead, and then put a new battery in and reassemble.

It's a LOT of pain to get a NES cart with a dead battery working again. That's probably why they opted not to put a slot in this thing -- many people's dusty old carts are dead, and not knowing any better, they'd blame the new console.

Re: Nintendo re-releases NES as mini console

#192

Post by dpcan »

rasz_pl wrote: post #164
joeblau wrote: post #114

It seems to be missing some critical features of the original. - Can't start a game and have the game loading screen distorted until the 7-8th attempt. - Can't blow in the cartridge until it whistles before playing - Can't stick 2 games in on top of each other Getting the game to work was half of the fun.

you do realize blowing on the cartridge works just as good as not walking under the ladder and avoiding black cats? As a matter of a fact it contributes to connector oxidation (moisture in your breath).

The blowing on the cartridge myth was always funny. People still think they have to do it.

The actual trick is to stick the game in, and after you push it down, you then slide it with your finger to the left or right about a half-centimeter to align the pins correctly, hit reset, and it's good.

Re: Nintendo re-releases NES as mini console

#193

Post by dpcan »

kriro wrote: post #13

I own an NES and quite a few games but this seems like an instabuy for me. Solid list of games. Metroid, Castlevania 1+2 and both Zeldas. Tecomo, the Mario games, and Ghost 'n' Goblins to keep you frustrated. Pretty cool actually that they chose to go with the small form factor.

I own about half of these too. Been on a little collecting spree lately. But this is a definite buy. Can keep my other Nintendo hooked up to the projector, and put this one in the arcade cabinet.

Re: Nintendo re-releases NES as mini console

#194

Post by wingerlang »

rasz_pl wrote: post #164
joeblau wrote: post #114

It seems to be missing some critical features of the original. - Can't start a game and have the game loading screen distorted until the 7-8th attempt. - Can't blow in the cartridge until it whistles before playing - Can't stick 2 games in on top of each other Getting the game to work was half of the fun.

you do realize blowing on the cartridge works just as good as not walking under the ladder and avoiding black cats? As a matter of a fact it contributes to connector oxidation (moisture in your breath).

I was under the impression that blowing into it caused some moisture to get there and improve the .. conduction?

Re: Nintendo re-releases NES as mini console

#195

Post by saranagati »

rasz_pl wrote: post #164
joeblau wrote: post #114

It seems to be missing some critical features of the original. - Can't start a game and have the game loading screen distorted until the 7-8th attempt. - Can't blow in the cartridge until it whistles before playing - Can't stick 2 games in on top of each other Getting the game to work was half of the fun.

you do realize blowing on the cartridge works just as good as not walking under the ladder and avoiding black cats? As a matter of a fact it contributes to connector oxidation (moisture in your breath).

the ironic thing is that tidbits like this are a great way to teach young kids about science. instead we just had to hear about how video games made you stupid and ruin our cartridges by blowing into them or snapping them into place.

Re: Nintendo re-releases NES as mini console

#196

Post by heegemcgee »

peatmoss wrote: post #82
davb wrote: post #49

I'm really interested in the architecture of this thing. I'm guessing ARM running a NES emulator (rather than ports of the games), since they've got such great experience doing that on the 3DS. If it's hackable, this would be a fantastic gadget. As a project box alone, it looks really pretty. HDMI out, USB power, and controller inputs make it really appealing. Depending on headers and connectivity inside, hacking a U…

15 years ago at a dodgy trade show booth in Vegas, I bought a $25 Nintendo clone controller that had been retrofitted to contain the guts needed to play a few dozen classic NES games that were pre-loaded. I'm pretty sure it wasn't emulation, but actual miniaturized Nintendo-clone hardware running the original (pirated) ROMs. I have a hunch this isn't emulating, but is instead playing "on the metal." The hardware (as…

Eh, these things are hit and miss. I have one of those $20 clones that accepts the original cartridges. Performance is pretty bad; the sound is miserable.

Re: Nintendo re-releases NES as mini console

#197

Post by [deleted] »

disease wrote: post #29
Haul4ss wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I played a bunch of old NES games on an emulator in the early '00s. Two things stood out: (1) the graphics really were pretty lame, and (2) games I was addicted to as a kid seemed a lot more tedious as an adult. Not saying the classics don't stand the test of time, but some of those old games are better as a memory.

I did the same thing when a bunch of emulators were coming out in the late 90's and early 00's and my big takeaway was that the majority of games from my childhood were not very good, but a few games such as Galaga and Ms Pacman and a handful of other arcade games have stood the test of time very well.

[deleted]

Re: Nintendo re-releases NES as mini console

#198

Post by djsumdog »

CaptSpify wrote: post #121
danso wrote: post #37

I'm amazed at the ridiculous pricing for these games. On Wii U, all of these classic games would cost $5 each . $60 for a physical device and 30 games is extremely generous by Nintendo standards. Edit: if only it had River City Ransom...

Weird. I thought it was ridiculously high. But I also think $5 per game is crazy high. Especially considering how easy/cheap it is to make something like a retro-pi

That was my first thought too. They're trying to get the long tail on these games that have essentially made back their cost over the past few decades. If it wasn't for this effort, they'd all be abandonware. I wonder if Nintendo will try to pull off the same crap Disney does when copyright expires on their games and iconic characters.

Re: Nintendo re-releases NES as mini console

#199

Post by ZeroGravitas »

davb wrote: post #49

I'm really interested in the architecture of this thing. I'm guessing ARM running a NES emulator (rather than ports of the games), since they've got such great experience doing that on the 3DS. If it's hackable, this would be a fantastic gadget. As a project box alone, it looks really pretty. HDMI out, USB power, and controller inputs make it really appealing. Depending on headers and connectivity inside, hacking a U…

Informed speculation seems to suggest that this is a 3DS (or at least the bits of a 3DS required to emulate an NES).

All the games listed with it are available to buy for the 3DS, and the 3DS already supports the "save state" feature.

One notable missing game is Castlevania III which apparently gives emulators trouble.

Re: Nintendo re-releases NES as mini console

#200

Post by mathgeek »

apozem wrote: post #187
Tiktaalik wrote: post #180

This is a bit of a desperation move from Nintendo as they have pretty much nothing for the holidays for the Wii U with the NX still in development on the horizon. That said, at that impulse buy price point, I'll definitely pick it up and I'm sure it'll be incredibly popular with those that grew up with the system. This isn't the sort of product that really grows Nintendo's market with a new generation. I wouldn't be…

This is what worries me about Nintendo. With the possible exception of Pokemon Go, they aren't capturing new users. They make money off of loyal fans who grew up with Mario and Zelda. Do kids today care about Nintendo?

The fact that they even released Pokemon Go to such rabid fanfare is more than I expected from Nintendo this year.
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