Famicom FC Mobile - US NES version DP Hands-On!

[Frankie_Says_Relax]

As I said in my Retro Duo thread, I just got my hands on a FC Mobile system, the US NES version, and after using it for the better part of the day, I thought I'd make a hands-on review thread, as there is NO practical information on the unit anywhere on the web other than the same farking cut and paste DIGG blurb on a million different gaming news sites.

So, here we go, let us break it down blow by blow.

PRICE: I got mine for about $35 shipped on eBay, though the average price seems to be between $40 and $50, and I'd say that if you're a Famicom/NES clone collector like myself, you've probably paid about that much for inferior quality similar merchandise (Game Axe being a stand out older tech portable NES that wasn't worth the high price tag it carried).

AESTHETICS: It's rather small (about 1/2 the size of an NES cartridge) and relatively well designed. No sharp edges, nice contours, a decent light weight, but just enough to counter-balance the heft of an NES cartridge sticking out of the top of the unit. Good grade plastic for a Hong-Kong produced product.

Headphone jack, nice (mono) speakers and a very crisp little back-lit LCD screen, which is pretty typical of Hong Kong electronics of this era ... they've really managed to get that particular technology at high-quality and a low price. Games go in to a tight-fit pin-set with very little to no wiggle whatsoever (varies from game to game). Runs on 3 AA batteries, which have been running for me for about 5 hours with no discernable signs of crapping out. A/V composite (not component) output (not tested), and adjustable volume.

GAMEPLAY: There are some interesting things to note about this Famiclone/NOAC ... it appears to "boot" and "run" SLIGHTLY differently than other NOAC's I own ... it almost feels like the NES emulation is running from within a "shell" inside some other type of microprocessor, as games take a second to "boot" when powering on the system ... I'm thinking that this may be something OTHER than a typical NOAC running some decent NES emulation software.

In any case, it seems to handle just about everything but the typical problematic games like Castlevania III. Very good sound emulation, handling a lot (if not all) of the NES synth instrumentation like the kettle drums in Super Mario 3 really well. Responsive controls, and a very welcome "reset" button on the front of the unit. Nice.

PROBLEMS: ATTENTION HONG KONG - NES CONTROLS ARE "B" ON THE LEFT AND "A" ON THE RIGHT! PLEASE REMEMBER THAT WHEN MAKING NES CLONE HARDWARE! The saving grace of this unit is that the angle of the A/B buttons allows for the user to "palm" the B button with the tip of their thumb and press the "A" button with the base of their thumb - making running and jumping in Super Mario do-able (with a bit of practice) where other clones that have the buttons reversed AND in a flat left-right format you simply can't play Super Mario. In fact, the ONLY game that I found directly suffers on this system is Punch-Out where your punches are reversed L/R.

Color boot up glitch - this ads to my theory of this running NES emulation in some other "shell" processor other than a standard NOAC ... occassionally a game will "boot" with the color scheme completely wrong, this can be corrected by simply turning the unit on and off, on the second re-boot the colors are fixed.

No AC Adapter option. No brightness adjustment. The battery life seems pretty great for this unit so far ... but I like to have the above options on any portable system ... though, brightness adjustment wasn't there on GBA and that's a pretty great portable despite that.

Overall, this is one of the most impractical portable systems that I've ever seen, but it's novelty factor is +10 through the roof, and I'd call it pretty exceptionally well made for a Hong Kong clone system. It's the kind of thing that I bought because I collect NES clones, but instead of going deep into storage, I'll keep it close to my "out to play" NES hardware to show friends whenever they're around. It's definately a GREAT conversation piece - even if that conversation is laughing over the impracicality of it all!

When I get a chance I'll update this with my review of the A/V output quality, but I'm suspecting that it's about as good as other similar devices like the "OneStation".

Here are some pictures for details and size comparisons! Enjoy!

http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b328/FrankieViturello/FC%20Mobile/FCMobile_01.jpg
http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b328/FrankieViturello/FC%20Mobile/FCMobile_02.jpg
http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b328/FrankieViturello/FC%20Mobile/FCMobile_03.jpg
http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b328/FrankieViturello/FC%20Mobile/FCMobile_04.jpg
http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b328/FrankieViturello/FC%20Mobile/FCMobile_05.jpg
http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b328/FrankieViturello/FC%20Mobile/FCMobile_06.jpg
http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b328/FrankieViturello/FC%20Mobile/FCMobile_07.jpg
http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b328/FrankieViturello/FC%20Mobile/FCMobile_08.jpg
http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b328/FrankieViturello/FC%20Mobile/FCMobile_09.jpg
http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b328/FrankieViturello/FC%20Mobile/FCMobile_10.jpg

[Leo_A]

You mean composite, not component output, right?

[Frankie_Says_Relax]

You mean composite, not component output, right?

Yes yes, good call ... the OTHER C word.

LOL sorry about that.

[MrSparkle]

The batteries in that thing are more bootleg than the unit itself lol.

didn't those guys make my cheap ass grill? *looks out the window* why yes, yes they did.

[Frankie_Says_Relax]

The batteries in that thing are more bootleg than the unit itself lol.

didn't those guys make my cheap ass grill? *looks out the window* why yes, yes they did.

LOL Sunbeam batteries rock! 8 for a dollar at Dollar Tree stores, they're actually comparable to basic grade Duracell or Energizers in my experiences with them (I've been using them for 2 or 3 years now) ... and they don't (literally) explode mid-use like the REALLY ghetto-fakey "Duracell" type packs at most dollar stores.

[Viraneth]

wow. that system just looks akward. Is there a handheld NES system that isnt so flunky? XD

[Frankie_Says_Relax]

Ben Heckendorn has made a few portable NES systems, at least one of them featuring a design where the entire cartridge was obscured within the device ... but he's also made one or two that look very close if not exactly like this - with the cart sticking out of the top.

It looks awkward, but it's actually pretty balanced.

[Jimid2]

Thanks for the review, Frankie! I grabbed one of these off of Ebay, too - I'm just waiting for mine to arrive, and the preview is appreciated! :)

[remowilliams]

I took my FC Mobile apart before. Looks like a regular old cheapie NOAC setup. The difference in the 'bootup look' seems to be the way the device handles the screen as far as I can tell. There is definitely not any sort of emulation going on.

I find that the dpad though serviceable is not nearly as distinct and springy as it needs to be. The device also is picky with the 'wrong colors' problem. It seems to be related to the cart slot itself, as when it does it to me the only way to fix it is to reseat the cart a few times. The slot while relatively sturdy and having a good grasp of the carts is picky.

This thing isn't an enthusiast item, but it is a good enough cheap portable NES.

[Frankie_Says_Relax]

I took my FC Mobile apart before. Looks like a regular old cheapie NOAC setup. The difference in the 'bootup look' seems to be the way the device handles the screen as far as I can tell. There is definitely not any sort of emulation going on.

I find that the dpad though serviceable is not nearly as distinct and springy as it needs to be. The device also is picky with the 'wrong colors' problem. It seems to be related to the cart slot itself, as when it does it to me the only way to fix it is to reseat the cart a few times. The slot while relatively sturdy and having a good grasp of the carts is picky.

This thing isn't an enthusiast item, but it is a good enough cheap portable NES.

The color thing is bizarre...I've never had a NES or Fami clone do that ... when it happens there's no scrambled graphics or anything, just a completely whacked-out color palette ... blues where reds should be, purples where greens should be ... SO strange!

[c0ldb33r]

the backwards B/A just kills it for me. I couldn't imagine running then flying in Mario 3 with that setup.

[Kuros]

I'd go for it, but the bad B/A buttons turn me off to it.

[Frankie_Says_Relax]

the backwards B/A just kills it for me. I couldn't imagine running then flying in Mario 3 with that setup.

Yeah, I totally understand.

It's not a good thing ... and a really awful phenomenon with clones coming out of HK as of late, BUT, like I said, as far as reversed buttons go, the angle of these makes it the best ones I've experienced. (Which I know isn't saying much.)

[XYXZYZ]

Waitaminute... doesn't the size of NES cartridges defeat the purpose of a portable NES? Are you going to carry a stack of NES cartridges with you to the DMV?

Speaking of that, did anyone here see that portable MVS that Ben Heckendorn made while back? @_@

[Frankie_Says_Relax]

Waitaminute... doesn't the size of NES cartridges defeat the purpose of a portable NES? Are you going to carry a stack of NES cartridges with you to the DMV?

Yup, it's the ultimate impracticality for a portable system! (And in turn part of this systems misplaced charm/novel appeal IMO.)

[guitargary75]

Thank God. Finally a review on this thing. So, Frankie, do you think that this system would be worth it if the a/b buttons were in the right order?

[guitargary75]

Does anybody think there is a way to go inside the guts of this thing and re-wire the a/b buttons the right way?

[c0ldb33r]

Does anybody think there is a way to go inside the guts of this thing and re-wire the a/b buttons the right way?
I was just thinking that! I wouldn't imagine that would be difficult to do.

Is there a tear-apart posted anywhere on the net?

[blue lander]

Looks tempting, but I think I'll wait for a unit that has the A/B button issue resolved. rewiring the buttons would probably be easy as splicing a couple of traces on the circuit board. Do the Famicom versions of this thing show up on ebay often? The smaller carts would make it more practicle.

[Frankie_Says_Relax]

I think it would definitely be a BETTER unit if the buttons were correct, as mostly everything else is above-average.

Of course, it would still be impractical overall, but I don't think anybody is buying these things because they're practical devices.

I tried to open mine up to see how the buttons were wired, but it wouldn't come apart after taking the screws out of the back, and I wasn't interested in trying to pry it open against it's will.

If anybody is capable and willing to re-wire one, I'd pay a reasonable price (or make a reasonable trade) to have mine done!

[XYXZYZ]

If you actually plan on playing it it shouldn't be too hard to go in there and switch the buttons around with a little wire, solder and a hobby knife.

[Kitsune Sniper]

LOL Sunbeam batteries rock! 8 for a dollar at Dollar Tree stores, they're actually comparable to basic grade Duracell or Energizers in my experiences with them (I've been using them for 2 or 3 years now) ... and they don't (literally) explode mid-use like the REALLY ghetto-fakey "Duracell" type packs at most dollar stores.

I'm sorry, but I disagree. Sunbeam batteries are total pieces of crap! I bought one of those eight packs, they couldn't even power up my digital camera! So I went back to my usual Varta batteries.

[Sweater Fish Deluxe]

The OneStation also has the A and B buttons reversed, but in that case it was *VERY* easy to clip two pieces of metal and resolder them crossed to fix it (well, fix it for NES, which broke it for Genesis, but I can put up with reversed buttons more easily in Genesis games for some reason). Might be a tiny bit more complicated with the FC Mobile's design, but should still be well possible.


...word is bondage...

[remowilliams]

Buttons fixed! :)

http://img185.imageshack.us/img185/1217/hyperkin2ew5.th.jpg (http://img185.imageshack.us/my.php?image=hyperkin2ew5.jpg)

Another shot of the Hyperkin inside

http://img521.imageshack.us/img521/9846/hyperkin1el7.th.jpg (http://img521.imageshack.us/my.php?image=hyperkin1el7.jpg)

[Frankie_Says_Relax]

I'm sorry, but I disagree. Sunbeam batteries are total pieces of crap! I bought one of those eight packs, they couldn't even power up my digital camera! So I went back to my usual Varta batteries.

Yes, you're right.

In the case of anything that will "pull" huge amounts of energy from the batteries in short bursts - like digital cameras, which need to throttle-charge flash cells, will kill these in one shot.

But anything that pulls energy at a constant, steady, low-power clip, they're pretty good for their price.

I've used them in Wiimotes, Guitar Hero and Rock Band wireless controllers, wireless PS2 controllers, TV remotes, portable MP3 players, small speakers, and the like, and I can't really discern any massive difference from standard alkalines.

But they do die in one or two shots in my digital cameras.

[Frankie_Says_Relax]

If you actually plan on playing it it shouldn't be too hard to go in there and switch the buttons around with a little wire, solder and a hobby knife.

Well, it does look fairly easy based on what people have posted, but the most I can do with a soldering iron is burn myself.

When I have some more spare cash and time maybe I can send my OneStation and FC Mobile to one of the batch of accomplished button reverse'ers in this thread and commission some fixes.

[MarioMania]

Can it play Castlevania 3

[Leo_A]

Read the first post MarioMania. :)

He posted the answer there along with a lot of other great feedback on this.

[Viraneth]

I want one XD

[Jimid2]

Well, I received mine in the mail this afternoon, and immediately spent two hours playing Batman on it (does anyone besides me think that Batman is a bit of a forgotten classic on the NES? I love this game!!)... Anyway, I didn't find the reversed A/B buttons to be too difficult to get used to - I don't think I'll bother cross-wiring them - and the D-pad seemed really nice - not too spongy, solid and accurate. The weight and balance are great, and for less than the price of a new game, I think it's a worthy investment. Cool toy!

[MrSparkle]

i wonder how hard it would be to reverse those two buttons, i imagine given the relatively tight space in a unit like this that it might be a bitch but should be doable. anyone with electronics insight (mine is limited to middle school shop class which consisted of following really basic schematics and doing some sloppy ass solder work) think this could be pulled off?

[Frankie_Says_Relax]

i wonder how hard it would be to reverse those two buttons, i imagine given the relatively tight space in a unit like this that it might be a bitch but should be doable. anyone with electronics insight (mine is limited to middle school shop class which consisted of following really basic schematics and doing some sloppy ass solder work) think this could be pulled off?

Apparently it is pretty easy to cross-wire them ... though my soldering experience is even worse than a sloppy shop class.

There are more than a few DP members that have the skills to pay the bills on the job ... but honestly, I own the thing as a novelty and I don't need to have it done at this point in time.

[ooXxXoo]

Cross-wire them and reversing the two buttons in a FC mobile shouldn't be that complicated.....I just finished reversing the buttons in the "SUPER 57000 VIDEO GAME" FC clone controllers....These ones, are a bit more challenging because the controller pads have 6 buttons and have different funtions for them such as turbo.etc......

Also,I re-did and built a new Video and Audio output circuitry for this particular clone system, because the native picture/audio were plain nasty.....

And Finally,since this clone was suppossed to look like a Playstation system, I pimp it out with a PS Logo and buttons..

BTW,I wonder if the "CLONE MASTER" aka Frankiesaysrelax has done a review on this "SUPER 57000 VIDEO GAME" clone

http://usera.imagecave.com/capcom2000/HPIM6343-copy.jpg
http://usera.imagecave.com/capcom2000/HPIM6490-copy.jpg
http://usera.imagecave.com/capcom2000/HPIM6325-copy.jpg

[Frankie_Says_Relax]

Cross-wire them and reversing the two buttons in a FC mobile shouldn't be that complicated.....I just finished reversing the buttons in the "SUPER 57000 VIDEO GAME" FC clone controllers....These ones, are a bit more challenging because the controller pads have 6 buttons and have different funtions for them such as turbo.etc......

Also,I re-did and built a new Video and Audio output circuitry for this particular clone system, because the native picture/audio were plain nasty.....

And Finally,since this clone was suppossed to look like a Playstation system, I pimp it out with a PS Logo and buttons..

BTW,I wonder if the "CLONE MASTER" aka Frankiesaysrelax has done a review on this "SUPER 57000 VIDEO GAME" clone

http://usera.imagecave.com/capcom2000/HPIM6343-copy.jpg
http://usera.imagecave.com/capcom2000/HPIM6490-copy.jpg
http://usera.imagecave.com/capcom2000/HPIM6325-copy.jpg

I do have one of those.

In a box, sitting in my closet.

It's the epitome of a HK NES Clone at it's worst (ie cheapest build) ... plastic that reeks of the slow lung death of underpaid Hong Kong factory workers, short controller cords, sub-par button quality (passable, but not something I enjoy playing with) as stated, low quality video output, and super super flimsy overall build.

From what I can recall, it had a decent list of games on it ... but I'm sure you had the issue I had when trying to put NES games in it - you had to push the PS "lid" open past it's maximum open position, no?

It was a bargain brandy-new at the $20 I paid for it, but it'll stay MIB in my clone collection.

[ooXxXoo]

Yes,this is definately one the worst clones quality that I've seen (the FC N64 style clone controller with built in games its about the same,JOYPAD III)....The plastic shell itself feel like is going to break in your hands while holding it....I did have the OPEN/CLOSE door problem at one point, but I managed to re-do and fix the whole mechanism......My now new re-designed Video/Audio output amps mods helped a lot,but still not 100% + I find out that the internal built-in games board was making some FAMICOM and NES games incompatible,so I removed completely.....

I paid $25 for it a few years ago...

[MrSparkle]

Yup, it's the ultimate impracticality for a portable system! (And in turn part of this systems misplaced charm/novel appeal IMO.)

not so much worse than a sega nomad imo.

[retro junkie]

The unit, itself, is great for anyone who might be cramed for space in a small apartment or dorm room and like 8-bit gaming, easy to store. Storing the games might be a problem if you have a bad addiction. Maybe a few games and a road trip, it would be OK. I find it great fun just sitting around the house and kicking back. I really like this thing.

My only irritation has been the button configuration only on certain games. Most games play great with no problem. When it comes to SHMUPs, like Gyruss, I tend to release my bomb with the first button push. I do this everytime! I can't seem to tell my thumb the buttons are reversed! And I have a very hard time with defeating the bosses in SMB 3. Again, I catch myself pushing the wrong button. It is a very bad habit. O_O

[Frankie_Says_Relax]

not so much worse than a sega nomad imo.

Very true. Nomad also had similar appeal.

The smaller size of Genesis carts helped in making that one slightly less ridiculous.

[rbudrick]

Sunbeam batteries aren't nearly as delicious as their bread. However, they're aight with some butta.

-Rob

[Frankie_Says_Relax]

Sunbeam batteries aren't nearly as delicious as their bread. However, they're aight with some butta.

-Rob

Though I wouldn't advise putting them in the toaster.

Speaking of cheap ass batteries ...

... I was in the DP store and RyanMurf showed me some "Duracell" batteries that looked like the real deal ... until he peeled back the "Duracell" label to reveal a very similar label that just said "Battery".

[remowilliams]

Cross-wire them and reversing the two buttons in a FC mobile shouldn't be that complicated.....
It's not, I did it on page one of this thread. :)

[digitalpress]

I've got these at the store now, and busted one open for people to try, since it's much more impressive in action than it is just sitting in a box. Personally I think it's awesome, and other than a few games (Punch-Out being the most important to me), the swapped button config doesn't pose a problem.

I love it. The screen is great, the controller is much more responsive than I expected it to be, and clean carts boot with no issues, though I have experienced that weird color issue, it's just a matter of resetting the unit and it never happens in the middle of a game. The unit may be impractical, but being able to drag River City Ransom out on a road trip definitely "clicks" with me.

[Atari 5200]

Well, since I finally got my hands on one of these I thought I would put my thoughts up on here.

The screen on this thing is pretty awesome. It's nice and bright, but like someone said before, the resolution is a little squashed. (megaman looks like a simpson)

The buttons are very responsive. And playing megaman with the buttons reversed REALLY isn't that bad. I beat Megaman 2 twice and working on 4 with hardly any probs with the buttons. Even with that said, I do plan to fix the buttons soon. The directional pad is ok. Sometimes pressing the left button activates the up button. But that might just be mine, IDK.

Oh, and sunbeam batteries ROCK in this thing. They do last for about five hours and you can get the things cheap as dirt.

BTW, to anyone who has fixed the butttons on the FC Mobile, what do you need to do? De-solder the wires and resolder them back?

Thanks!!!

[SegaAges]

reversed a and b means I can get the cube version of megaman anniversary, and then when I get the nes versions, I will be right as rain when I play them, hehehe

[Richter Belmount]

The question is , is it compatible with star fox?!

[saferkefka]

The question is , is it compatible with star fox?!

uhh no. this is the nes version.

[retro junkie]

He must be thinking about the FC16 Go. It plays Star Fox.

[Richter Belmount]

my retro gen is compatible with star fox