Should I only consider the official NES top loader? [Archive]

TheDomesticInstitution

01-10-2010, 11:38 AM

I don't think there is one knockoff that plays 100% of NES games. Games like Castlevania 3 don't work on these consoles. Also the Official Nintendo Top Loader has to be hooked up via RF, and can't be hooked up with RCA jacks. So the picture quality won't be as good as the Standard NES console.

I love my regular NES, and wouldn't think of buying a top loader. I take apart all of my games and clean them, so I don't have much of a problem with blinking. If you take care of your NES, clean your games, and disable the lockout chip, there's absolutely nothing wrong with a good old model 1 NES.

skaar

01-10-2010, 12:05 PM

What he said.

MichaelXX2

01-10-2010, 12:35 PM

I love my top loader. The stupid knockoffs make you look like an idiot with them, and they always have stupid glitches and sound problems. If you get the official top loader, the games work every time and you can brag to your friends "I own a rare system." Yes, get the official one. You'll have less reliability issues as well.

Bandicat

01-10-2010, 01:38 PM

I'd would get an original NES and replace the 72 pin connector and clean the games. It's cheaper and will work like a charm. If you don't want to hassle with that and are willing to trade off the AV capability, I would get the original top loader.

I bought a Yobo Top Loader when they first hit the market. It's a piece of crap. Some games didn't work in it, others had the color washed out or the sound was simply screwed up. The entire thing has that cheap flimsy Chinese flea market knock-off feel to it.

mobiusclimber

01-10-2010, 02:43 PM

The official top loader is going to be a much better choice than any of the knockoffs. Most are flimsy, break easily, and don't play the games correctly. Some other good choices would be:

AV Famicom + converter - all the style of a top loader w/ the added bonus of being able to play Famicom games AND having av instead of rf.

Regular NES - It's pretty easy to open up a toaster NES and clean the pins. After you do that, make sure you always clean newly purchases games before putting them inside. This will keep everything working like a charm. I'm pretty anti-new-72-pin-connector "mods" just because I've found them to be much tighter than a normal NES and not really adding anything (because you can get the same results usually just from cleaning your NES).

Soviet Conscript

01-10-2010, 02:55 PM

AV Famicom + converter - all the style of a top loader w/ the added bonus of being able to play Famicom games AND having av instead of rf.

its a little more effort to get but there not to much more then a US toploader if you get one loose. like Mob said you get the benifits of playing fami games and a/v output as a bonus as well as the option to get a FDS system eventually.

Jehusephat

01-10-2010, 11:11 PM

I have an official top-loading NES, but I keep my front-loader hooked up to the television as my main system because the image quality from the top-loader isn't as good. There are vertical lines every 8 pixels or so that run all the way down the screen, altering the pixel colors slightly. It isn't a huge deal, but I was disappointed. I only paid $5 for mine, though, so I just put it in a box somewhere as a backup just in case my front-loader finally dies on me. I remember reading about an individual who charged a reasonable fee to add A/V out to the NES 2 and fix the vertical line problem, but that was a few years ago. If I had the technical know-how to fix it myself, I'd definitely be using my NES 2 as my primary system. I just don't really mind having to perform occasional maintenance on my front-loader if it means having better image quality.

Gameguy

01-10-2010, 11:17 PM

Also the Official Nintendo Top Loader has to be hooked up via RF, and can't be hooked up with RCA jacks. So the picture quality won't be as good as the Standard NES console.
I just posted this recently on another forum so I might as well post it here word for word.

There was an official version of the US Top Loader that had AV outputs but they're very rare. Apparently they weren't sold in stores, if someone complained to Nintendo about the RF output(or needed it to be repaired) and mailed in their unit, the system board would be replaced with one that had AV output.

http://www.atariage.com/forums/topic/152267-nes-top-loader-av/
http://techforums.nintendo.com/nins/board/message?board.id=other_older&thread.id=161

BetaWolf47

01-11-2010, 01:08 AM

I heard that the NES2 that had AV out was a French unit.

Arkhan

01-11-2010, 01:22 AM

I love my regular NES, and wouldn't think of buying a top loader. I take apart all of my games and clean them, so I don't have much of a problem with blinking. If you take care of your NES, clean your games, and disable the lockout chip, there's absolutely nothing wrong with a good old model 1 NES.

the best part about the original NES is that you can stack something else on top, like a genesis.

cant stack shit with the top loader!

especially after you put a game in it and its officially the tallest thing ever

mobiusclimber

01-11-2010, 02:19 AM

You can stack stuff on top, but I just realized (from doing this) that it's not ideal if you switch out carts a lot. Thankfully I play mostly RPGs, but that door on the cartridge slot won't open with something sitting on top of the NES.

Gameguy

01-11-2010, 02:32 AM

I heard that the NES2 that had AV out was a French unit.
The thing is I also heard that the French unit rumour was started from a comment on Assembler and people just spread it. I've also heard that it was an Australian unit instead of French, but I've looked up Australian units and they appear to use RF cables, the cables look slightly different than US RF switches but the connection is still the same from what plugs into the system. There were also people saying that they were store demo units.

Several different people claim that they got their personal systems like that directly from Nintendo so I tend to believe them more, rather than people guessing where it "probably" came from(France, Australia, store demo unit, etc).

Can anyone verify what units were available in France? Was the top loader even released in France? I've found pictures of a standard NES from France, the label on the bottom is labeled clearly for France unlike the label on that top loader, also the output is labeled RGB on the France unit and not AV like the top loader. If the AV top loader was specifically made only for France why would they not make it look specific like they did with the standard NES? Shouldn't it have different, more region specific labels?

http://blog.hardcoregaming101.net/2009/12/french-nes-with-rgb-output.html

Arkhan

01-11-2010, 04:01 AM

tubeway

01-11-2010, 04:29 AM

so slide the thing on top back enough that the door can open...

Remove the door, and beef min is calmed.

Arkhan

01-11-2010, 05:01 AM

but then it looks ghetto!

and dust gets in there.

maybe remove it and put a cloth over it, preferably like, a mario handkerchief.

TheDomesticInstitution

01-11-2010, 08:45 AM

There was an official version of the US Top Loader that had AV outputs but they're very rare. Apparently they weren't sold in stores, if someone complained to Nintendo about the RF output(or needed it to be repaired) and mailed in their unit, the system board would be replaced with one that had AV output.

While it's a cool bit of history, it's probably not a practical alternative to the OP. Of course time and money are no object to some on here, and if that's the case well... go for it. I would assume that these are nearly impossible to find.

Robocop2

01-11-2010, 11:30 AM

I personally prefer the front loader if for no other reason than nostalgia factor. Not mention I think the top loader is ugly but that's not really your question so I'll stop that right there.

I would say that I wouldn't waste time with a famiclone when you can get an authentic NES for a similar price, have a much more reliable system (remember most if not all clones are not built as sturdily as an official unit), and be relatively assured it won't have issues with playing games.

Zoltor

01-11-2010, 02:42 PM

I'm looking into getting a top loading NES, but there seems to be a ton of different models out there. So, should I only consider the official Nintendo model? Thanks!

Omg yes, what ever you do, never buy the ripoffs(cheap ripoffs at that), they don't work in the slightest for the most part(although the ripoff controllers oddly enough work fine on a original NES system), and like has been mentioned, providing you can even get one to work, they tend to not plat 100% of the games.

PS. the original top loaders may be a bit pricey(possibly the only marketed "system" that actually has collectible value, without it still being factory sealed), but It's very reliable, and about as durables as the SNES system(aka so it will last atlest 20 years of "use", and most likely alot longer providing you don't abuse it ofcourse).

mobiusclimber

01-12-2010, 12:57 AM

but then it looks ghetto!

and dust gets in there.

maybe remove it and put a cloth over it, preferably like, a mario handkerchief.

I'm definitely not removing the door. I'm just going to have to live with it, and anyway, like I said, I don't need to change out carts too often unless I'm testing the carts. I think it's probably more of a problem for me b/c of what's on top: a Japanese Saturn. So just pushing it back doesn't work because of the position of the controller (right over the NES door).

Can you tell I just rearranged my living room with a new shelf and have all my consoles in a new place now? I don't like it, but it's better than having cord strewn all over the floor I guess.

lazyhoboguy

01-12-2010, 02:23 AM

Why doesn't that toploader have av outputs like the toaster model? I was thinking about getting a toploader eventually, but forgot about this.

mobiusclimber

01-12-2010, 02:57 AM

To give people a reason to learn how to solder.

TheChristoph

01-12-2010, 05:06 PM

To give people a reason to learn how to solder.

I thought it was to give people a reason to go on message boards to ask people if they could recommend a specific person or website to have their NES2s modded.

...anyone?

jperryss

01-12-2010, 05:33 PM

I thought it was to give people a reason to go on message boards to ask people if they could recommend a specific person or website to have their NES2s modded.

...anyone?

http://www.digitpress.com/forum/showthread.php?t=135258

This guy did a professional AV and LED mod on my NES2, completely eliminating the white vertical lines in the process.

Gameguy

01-12-2010, 05:44 PM

While it's a cool bit of history, it's probably not a practical alternative to the OP. Of course time and money are no object to some on here, and if that's the case well... go for it. I would assume that these are nearly impossible to find.
I'll still keep an eye out for one, or any top loader. All I have is a regular NES system, that seems to suit my needs for the moment as I don't have games from other regions. I've been lucky in the past with some finds so I hope I'll be lucky again. I won't bother with a clone system, at least not to use as my main unit.

Why doesn't that toploader have av outputs like the toaster model? I was thinking about getting a toploader eventually, but forgot about this.
They did away with the outputs to cut costs, the redesign was meant to be a cheaper version that came out near the end of the system's life. Back then most people hooked up their systems with standard RF, the 13" TV that's still being used in my living room was bought new in 1997 and doesn't even have AV inputs.

jperryss

01-12-2010, 07:48 PM

They did away with the outputs to cut costs, the redesign was meant to be a cheaper version that came out near the end of the system's life.

Incidentally enough, the Famicom version of the NES2 was only composite out. (compared to the original Famicom which was RF only).

http://www.atarihq.com/tsr/fc/avfami.html

Ed Oscuro

01-12-2010, 08:17 PM

the 13" TV that's still being used in my living room was bought new in 1997 and doesn't even have AV inputs.
Most of the TVs I see at the thrift are much bigger than 13" but aren't guaranteed to have RF. I'd say a significant number of them are RF-only (possibly more than the number I've seen that have S-Video or better, although to be fair better models probably get taken quick - though it seems that few TVs stick around long).

ssjlance

01-16-2010, 06:39 PM

I recommend the front loader console. Don't buy a new pin connector, just get in there with a safety pin and tighten the pins up a bit. Works better than new. The top loader just has ugly video output. I don't mind using RF too bad, but the vertical lines running down the screen just make it eh to me.

If you really want a top loader, I'm looking to get rid of mine after fixing up my old front loader. PM me if you're interested.

DefaultGen

01-16-2010, 07:07 PM

.....

Thrillo

01-16-2010, 10:34 PM

I'd spend the extra money and go with an A/V Famicom. Not only do you get A/V straight out of the box without having to mod, but you avoid the whole frustrating "vertical lines" issue of the top-loading NES. You also get all the advantages of a Famicom, such as easy FDS compatibility, the ability to use games that have sound chips in them, and the 15-pin expansion port (useful for 3rd party controllers). And since it has NES-style controller ports, you can use any controller you want on it (except for 9-pin pirate ones). And to top it all off, A/V Famicoms were manufactured until 2003, so it's not too hard to get a brand new one. The one I use was manufactured in '03 according to the copyright dates in the manual. It's in damned fine condition and will be for quite a while :) .
The only drawback is that to use NES games, you need a converter. It's not as bad as it sounds though, and I'm using one of the cheap uncased bare ones!

jperryss

01-17-2010, 01:37 PM

I didn't see it mentioned but doesn't the toploader have these faint vertical bars on the screen? Is that just due to the RF? Those drive me up the wall.

Yep and I think it was mentioned earlier in this thread.

I think the cause is interference on the video circuit caused by the power circuit, since they are both very close to each other on the board.

Some people don't mind them, and others (me) hate them. They can be eliminated with a composite A/V mod if the video circuit is rebuilt in a specific way (sorry, don't know much about it, I had it done 'professionally', PM me if you want more info) but an A/V mod doesn't automatically eliminate the white lines.

Drejjmit

01-17-2010, 05:16 PM

Did a quick mod on mine to get RCA out.
http://i48.tinypic.com/348p006.jpg

MarioMania

01-17-2010, 05:41 PM

Get the NES2 the Nintendo one..

Malon_Forever

01-18-2010, 10:02 PM

Thanks for all the input.

Mason P.

01-19-2010, 09:05 AM

Yep and I think it was mentioned earlier in this thread.

I think the cause is interference on the video circuit caused by the power circuit, since they are both very close to each other on the board.

Some people don't mind them, and others (me) hate them. They can be eliminated with a composite A/V mod if the video circuit is rebuilt in a specific way (sorry, don't know much about it, I had it done 'professionally', PM me if you want more info) but an A/V mod doesn't automatically eliminate the white lines.

So this guy eliminated the bars completely?? It is only worth it if it was reasonably priced.

jperryss

01-19-2010, 06:00 PM

So this guy eliminated the bars completely?? It is only worth it if it was reasonably priced.

http://www.digitpress.com/forum/showthread.php?t=135258

Mine was actually the first one he did. And yep, the vertical lines are completely gone.

xmetalmetx

05-22-2010, 03:58 PM

http://www.digitpress.com/forum/showthread.php?t=135258

Mine was actually the first one he did. And yep, the vertical lines are completely gone.

Does the thread linked here still exist? Or is there a post count limit I must reach before I have access? I'm curious about this mod as I picked up a top loader. Even though I do have a now self-restored toaster. I'd be curious to look into this mod however, but I don't have experience doing any soldering myself.

jperryss

05-22-2010, 04:18 PM

Does the thread linked here still exist? Or is there a post count limit I must reach before I have access? I'm curious about this mod as I picked up a top loader. Even though I do have a now self-restored toaster. I'd be curious to look into this mod however, but I don't have experience doing any soldering myself.

Yep, there's a time limit before you can view the classifieds (I think it's 7 days, can't remember, it's in the FAQs). Anyway, that thread is not about how to do the mod, it's about a member here that will perform the mod. Here's his site:

http://gametz.com/?user=platinumfungi

xmetalmetx

05-22-2010, 04:31 PM

Yep, there's a time limit before you can view the classifieds (I think it's 7 days, can't remember, it's in the FAQs). Anyway, that thread is not about how to do the mod, it's about a member here that will perform the mod. Here's his site:

http://gametz.com/?user=platinumfungi

Ah thanks! Precisely what I wanted to know because I wouldn't trust myself to attempt such a thing.

I'll save that link, perhaps after I recover from all the money I've spent building a modest library of the classics plus aquiring a few different systems, I'll look into having that AV mod done.

Eyedunno

05-22-2010, 06:05 PM

I for one am fairly committed at this point to getting the Retron 3 clone console when it comes out (mid-to-late-June). I was under the impression that these clones are "emulators in a box", but this post (http://www.digitpress.com/forum/showpost.php?p=1719953&postcount=52) set me straight on that. Here's hoping the video output and the sound circuits on both the NES and Genesis sides are all right on this one (I'm optimistic though, given the respectable reviews of this console's immediate predecessors such as the FC Mobile 2).

Also, Battletoads still freezes on level 2 and later revisions of Super Mario RPG have a lockout "feature" that will prevent it from working. Otherwise, compatibility (even with Castlevania 3) is supposed to be basically perfect.

jdc

05-23-2010, 11:17 PM

My seldom-used, very clean front loader just decided to do the flashing blue screen dance. Am I correct in assuming that this is fixed with some simple cleaning as I would with my N64?

JimmyDean

05-23-2010, 11:20 PM

My seldom-used, very clean front loader just decided to do the flashing blue screen dance. Am I correct in assuming that this is fixed with some simple cleaning as I would with my N64?

There's this thing called a 72 pin connector. Its what makes contact with the games, and eventually they get worn out. You can find em' on FeePay pretty easy. Hope I helped! :D

Leo_A

05-24-2010, 05:35 AM

Most of the TVs I see at the thrift are much bigger than 13" but aren't guaranteed to have RF.

CRT's without a coaxial jack? Most any tv since the birth of cable will have one. Even the vast majority of HDTV's do too.

dreamcaster

05-24-2010, 08:16 AM

I would say I have not encountered a single CRT, Plasma or LCD television that doesn't have an RF input, and pretty much anything made in the last 20 years will definitely have a coaxial 75ohm socket.

Slate

05-24-2010, 09:53 AM

I'm not sure if this has been mentioned yet but I think the official top loader can play NES games released in the UK (PAL Games) Without a hitch. Is it worth buying a top loader just for that? That depends. I already have a pretty beat up top loader, To me its worth keeping for the PAL compatibility.

Austin

BetaWolf47

05-24-2010, 10:30 AM

Some of the 3rd-party NES consoles are pretty decent nowadays. None reach full compatibility, but they are starting to get close. Unfortunately, controllers on them still suck and they will sometimes crap out for no reason.

Astrocade

05-24-2010, 11:02 AM

FC clones are much better than they used to be. I have an FC Twin that plays pretty much all NES games except Castlevania III pretty damned good actually. RCA out plus the ability to use regular SNES controllers means you get a pretty good set up.

Having said that, I also own three or four toasters and two toploaders. In my bedroom (where I do the majority of my NES gaming) I have a toploader on top of the toaster. Why? I try the toaster first due to its RCA out and Game Genie capability. If it absolutely won't play on the toaster (about a one out of three likelihood) it will play on the toploader. I use the FC Twin in my living room simply because it eliminates so much wasted space.

shopkins

05-24-2010, 11:12 AM

In my opinion from a pure gameplay perspective that ignores status and collectability a toploader isn't nearly as good as a working toaster. You have to mod it for RCA and there are picture problems. That's a dealbreaker to me because I want the best picture and don't want to have to do extra work on the console. A toaster in good shape with clean games shouldn't give you that much trouble.

jperryss

05-24-2010, 03:39 PM

Bugbear

05-24-2010, 03:56 PM

I'd have to recommend the original front-loader NES. Its case is more sturdy, and it obviously protects the games, which means the most to me. As many precautions as I take to take care of my beloved game collection, accidents still happen.

I understand there's cables to connect old systems to the new-tvs, but I don't know if any are official. I've had a third-party brand cable from GameStop, and it didn't work at all. I thought it was my 64, but it was just the brand new cable. Go GS.