Famicom Data Recorder and saving game progress on the original hardware.

[treismac]

I've been doing a little bit of Google research into seeing if there is any hardware out there made for saving the progress of NES games like you're able to do on emulator save states. So far, this is what I have discovered:

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/79/NintendoDataRecorderContents.png

It is the Famicom Data Recorder. Apparently, it worked in tandem with the Family BASIC keyboard. I don't think this worked with anything other than games like Excitebike and Wrecking Crew, where you'd save your designed boards. Plus, the interface to work this looks thoroughly non-English (go figure) so I couldn't work it anyway.

Does anyone know of any non-Japanese means of saving game progress for the NES? This is one of the reasons that I enjoy the Wii's Virtual Console, as it affords me the luxury of playing for a while and putting the game down to pick it up at a later date.

[wingzrow]

I own a retrode and it lets me backup SNES and GENESIS save files, but to my knowledge they haven't released an NES adapter yet for dumping rom images and your saves yet.

Such a shame too.

very weird considering there's an N64 attachment for the thing.

[Duke.Togo]

I don't know of any ways to do save state dumping on the NES (I'm not terribly familiar with Chinese backup units for the Famicom, and I'm guessing that this would be your best bet if one exists.) I have the Nakitek Game Saver+ for SNES that let's you do this, but I've never seen one for NES.

[Kiddo]

It is the Famicom Data Recorder. Apparently, it worked in tandem with the Family BASIC keyboard. I don't think this worked with anything other than games like Excitebike and Wrecking Crew, where you'd save your designed boards. Plus, the interface to work this looks thoroughly non-English (go figure) so I couldn't work it anyway..

Actually, IIRC, you could also use that to store actual Famicom BASIC code, even programmed games, akin to early Famicom homebrew.

It makes me -really- wish someone has a ton of cassettes with saved Famicom BASIC code stored in a (presumably lossess) digital audio format for loading onto an emulator and checking out actual FamiBASIC games.

As for your savestate thing - There was recently some fanmade mapper modifications for the Powerpak that added savestate functions. Needless to say, they make a game like Super Mario Forever a lot easier.

[todesengel]

I vaguely remember there being a cartridge for the NES that worked as a save state device. I think it was called Action Replay but isn't the same as the Action Replay cheat device. Could definitely be wrong about the name of it though since it was like 20 years ago that I saw the thing.

[Parodius Duh!]

There is nothing that will alllow you to save states at your leisure..... Only this data recorder which only works with family basic compatible titles and a few other titles.

[buzz_n64]

Found this back-up unit / Famiclone, think it saves too.

http://mypage.direct.ca/c/ccovell/nesdev.html

[A Black Falcon]

Actually, IIRC, you could also use that to store actual Famicom BASIC code, even programmed games, akin to early Famicom homebrew.

It makes me -really- wish someone has a ton of cassettes with saved Famicom BASIC code stored in a (presumably lossess) digital audio format for loading onto an emulator and checking out actual FamiBASIC games.
Yeah, I've heard of a few Famicom Basic Keyboard+Recorder tapes, but not many, and i don't know if any are available online... it does seem to be an obviously missing piece of NES software history. I think there was at least one or two Nintendo-made demo-ish tapes, apart from stuff made by fans.

Of course, given that I've always heard the Basic Keyboard wasn't exactly a huge success I don't know how much fan software was actually made for it, but still, it does seem like it's something that should be looked into more. I know that there is a barrier to use because you can't use the Famicom Basic stuff with a NES -- you need a Famicom, for that Famicom expansion port it connects to (Oh, and the Data Recorder is pretty much just a tape player, and connects to the Basic Keyboard via a standard cable I believe.) -- but still...

As for it as a save backup device, indeed, what it can do is save your custom Excitebike, Mach Rider, and Wrecking Crew levels, from the level creation modes in those games, to tape. On US NESes of course you can't save those levels because no way to save them was released, though emulated versions of those games add in level saving, in stuff like the VC releases of the games, Excitebike in Excitebike 64, etc.

[ccovell]

Get ready to save up your money and scour eBay, because there is such a device for the NES, and anyone worth their salt should know it's the Game Action Replay: http://www.atarihq.com/tsr/odd/scans/gar.html

[todesengel]

Get ready to save up your money and scour eBay, because there is such a device for the NES, and anyone worth their salt should know it's the Game Action Replay: http://www.atarihq.com/tsr/odd/scans/gar.html
That's what I was thinking of! It was bugging the hell out of me all day trying to remember the name of it.

[Satoshi_Matrix]

The HVC-008, The Nintendo Family Computer Data Recorder, was just a Nintendo branded tape deck that attached to the Family BASIC Keyboard for saving programs written in HUSHARP BASIC. Family BASIC also allowed users to save one piece of code to SRAM stored by a single AA battery.

The Family BASIC keyboard is rare, but nothing special. Even knowing this, I got into a heated bidding war for one a few years ago on ebay. I saw one for $50, so I decided to bid with one minute remaining in the auction.

I bid $52, was outbid.
I bid $55, was outbid.
I bid $70, was outbid.
I bid $100, was outbid.

At this point I was very frustrated and decided to hell with it and bid $250 thinking it was insane.

I was outbid and it sold for $251.00 USD.

I was pretty pissed off for a while since I REALLY wanted a Famicom Data Recorder, then I realized that I was the only person bidding with the other guy. So even though I lost, I still had the satisfaction that he had to pay an extra $201 more than he would have otherwise. Karma's a bitch.

[Kitsune Sniper]

Get ready to save up your money and scour eBay, because there is such a device for the NES, and anyone worth their salt should know it's the Game Action Replay: http://www.atarihq.com/tsr/odd/scans/gar.htmlI sold one of these! It was neat, but it was also pretty buggy. I remember making a video years ago... but I never uploaded it to Youtube because I sounded like more of a dork than usual. I should try to dig it up.

[Videojuegos Horacio]

Hi, my name is Jose from Spain and I am new here. I had (I am sure I still have it somewhere) one of those Game Action Replay. I bought it in a Kay Bee store in NY City many years ago. It worked like the save states of a Nes emulator. You could save the game wherever you wanted. I also remember that it was necessary to remove a part of the Nes in order to use it. I have been looking for it yesterday but since I have tons of Nes stuff I have not been able to find it. I am going to continue to look for it and If I find it I will post some pictured and more information here. The good thing about all is that while I was looking for it I found a Die Hard proto that I did not remember I had:)

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