Generation NEX: NES micro-clone from Messiah

[Ninja Blacksox]

I hope you don't git mad about this but,I just E-Mail Nintendo about The NEX,Ther may make it Ofishel or git rid of it,Pleses don't git mad at me. :(

Look on the bright side, people.

Some Nintendo service representative probably got this kid's email and thought "What the hell is this crap? I can't decipher any of this nonsense. That the hell does 'ofishel' mean? Eh. Screw it. To the trash with you."

So I think we're still in business, ladies and gents.

-A Boy

[PC-Famicom64]

I hope you don't git mad about this but,I just E-Mail Nintendo about The NEX,Ther may make it Ofishel or git rid of it,Pleses don't git mad at me. :(

Look on the bright side, people.

Some Nintendo service representative probably got this kid's email and thought "What the hell is this crap? I can't decipher any of this nonsense. That the hell does 'ofishel' mean? Eh. Screw it. To the trash with you."

So I think we're still in business, ladies and gents.

-A Boy1.My E-Mail dose not have The Word " Ofishel " in it .

2.To Goat Dan:Pleses don't Hate me for doin The Right thing,I love your Goat Store ^_^ .

And thats all I can think of Right now.

[Push Upstairs]

While i too hope the company made sure this was legal...i have to question your line of thinking there PC-Famicom.

What exactly do you mean "the right thing"?

[Crush Crawfish]

While i too hope the company made sure this was legal...i have to question your line of thinking there PC-Famicom.

What exactly do you mean "the right thing"?

Yeah, the term "right" is very subjective here. Nintendo's not losing money as they no longer sell NES systems, and we win because we get a badass new NEX system. There was really no reason to inform nintendo.

Well, I hope A boy was right in the fact that they'll never be able to decipher his uh....mastery of the english language. Yeah, that's it. ;)

I'm still pre-ordering this as soon as I can.

[PC-Famicom64]

While i too hope the company made sure this was legal...i have to question your line of thinking there PC-Famicom.

What exactly do you mean "the right thing"?Well,You no that Nintendo hates Fake NES's,And I E-Mail Nintendo so ther can License it ( Or git rid of it if Nintendo dose not what to License it ) , And I no alot of you what this ( I what this as Well ^_^ ) ,So I just what to make it Ofishel ( O-Fish-El ) . ^_^

P.S:Please don't git mad at me.

[sisko]

If Gamestop carries the Atari Flashback, I don't see why they would not carry this system. I hope it gets good distribution.

Because the Atari Flashback includes games. For legal reasons, the NEX simply cannot. Gamestop no longer sells NES games making them an inadequate channel to sell these consoles. Besides that, the market for this is simply too niche to create a viable B&M distribution strategy. Currently, the company appears to be better off selling these through the much more cost effective internet medium.

Marketing 101 and Supply Chain Management 101....good for something :D

Are there any plans to release a "bundle pack" which would include the console and 2 wireless controllers for a discounted price?

[Push Upstairs]

I believe Nintendo had a problem with NES "systems" that included ROMS in them...which is what they stopped from being sold in the malls all across the Northwest.

I'm not trying to be mean or anything PC Famicom but....do you type like that for fun or is English not your first language?

[Ninja Blacksox]

Well,You no that Nintendo hates Fake NES's,And I E-Mail Nintendo so ther can License it ( Or git rid of it if Nintendo dose not what to License it ) , And I no alot of you what this ( I what this as Well ^_^ ) ,So I just what to make it Ofishel ( O-Fish-El ) . ^_^

P.S:Please don't git mad at me.

BRAIN ANEURYSM!

An "aneurysm" is when you have an ow-ow in your head-head.

-A Boy

[PC-Famicom64]

I believe Nintendo had a problem with NES "systems" that included ROMS in them...which is what they stopped from being sold in the malls all across the Northwest.

I'm not trying to be mean or anything PC Famicom but....do you type like that for fun or is English not your first language?No,I just can't spell good.

[Push Upstairs]

Helpful tip:

"get" instead of "git"

[PC-Famicom64]

Helpful tip:

"get" instead of "git"Thanks for that. ^_^

[YoshiM]

I believe Nintendo had a problem with NES "systems" that included ROMS in them...which is what they stopped from being sold in the malls all across the Northwest.

I'm not trying to be mean or anything PC Famicom but....do you type like that for fun or is English not your first language?No,I just can't spell good.

A word processor with spell check and the copy/paste function of any modern operating system is your friend. As for contacting Nintendo: um, why? If there was the possibility that this machine is going against patents (there isn't), what would you possibly gain? Good karma? If you know people would "git mad" at you for contacting Nintendo, why'd you even post?

------

Anyway, I think I might just have to pony up the dough for this machine. My toaster is working fine but it can be a pain to yank carts out because of the after-market connector I put in. Very, very cool.

[Gzilla23]

This is a cool looking product but since money is tight I will have to wait until september. I hope that some of you who get this very cool looking console will put up some reviews of it in action. Things like compatability with all the games and how the picture and sound are will be huge in me getting one. My toaster works great but that system is just too sleek and will hopefully have a good long shelf life.

[DeputyMoniker]

I'm not a knockoff fan but I'll tell you that this has my attention. It looks cool and it's from a reputable company. I actually like this and theres a good chance I'll be picking one up.

[Flack]

First of all ... quit feeding the troll and derailing this thread guys.

Second of all ... WOW. This thing looks awaesome. I don't know about the cheap knock off market, but I guarantee you this'll put a dent in the top loader market and bring those prices down. This looks like it does everything those do and more!

[Kamino]

I got a reply re: S-video:


Hello,

The old software won't support S-video. We could have converted the AV outputs to S-video but it would have added a lot of cost to the retail price point and it would not look any better than the AV. We would have had the connection but no benefit.

Thanks for you interest in Messiah!
Brad

So that explains why I can't find an S-video mod for the NES, I guess. Doesn't really explain how the Titler works though.
From What I Understand, the nes video chip, domestically, does not support S Video, meaning, chroma and luma are not separate signals.
IT really does not matter if the software supports s-video or not.
I highly doubt pitfall! "supports" s video, but it still looks a hell of a lot better on the s-video heavy sixer mod job I did..
It's too damn late at night, but re: whoever said up the price and include 2 messiah wireless controls: nothxkthx. at 60 bucks, I am SERIOUSLY considering this.
One stupid question:
There are recievers for only two controllers, right? I'm sitting here, banking on a no answer...but with 2 wired and 2 wireless controls, would this thing have out of box 4 player support?
I know i'm playing armchair engineer here, but it would have been a great idea to hardwire four ports onto the system for those damn four player games like gauntlet II.
oh, another stupid question:
this thing is multiregion, does it support PAL nes?

[jajaja]

Whats so cool about this machine acctualy? Most of us already have a NES, some have a famicom too or a 72 to 60 pin converter.
Personally I dont care much about wireless. And to get the true NES feeling I must play on the original NES.

[YoshiM]

Whats so cool about this machine acctualy? Most of us already have a NES, some have a famicom too or a 72 to 60 pin converter.
Personally I dont care much about wireless. And to get the true NES feeling I must play on the original NES.


Simple:

-"Most" of us have the toaster NES and less than you think have the top load or a Famicom. With this machine we can play and not get the "blinkies".

-It's a legal system as opposed to many Famiclones out there that build games right into the system.

-It's built by a company with a passion for the classics and who is a part of the classic community.

Personally I put more trust in this company than some schmoe in Asia selling a Famicom Clone in a PSOne case. The NEX doesn't look cheap and properly pays homage to the system it's based on.

For the naysayers: if you don't want one, don't buy one.

[jajaja]

Whats so cool about this machine acctualy? Most of us already have a NES, some have a famicom too or a 72 to 60 pin converter.
Personally I dont care much about wireless. And to get the true NES feeling I must play on the original NES.


Simple:

-"Most" of us have the toaster NES and less than you think have the top load or a Famicom. With this machine we can play and not get the "blinkies".

-It's a legal system as opposed to many Famiclones out there that build games right into the system.

-It's built by a company with a passion for the classics and who is a part of the classic community.

Personally I put more trust in this company than some schmoe in Asia selling a Famicom Clone in a PSOne case. The NEX doesn't look cheap and properly pays homage to the system it's based on.

For the naysayers: if you don't want one, don't buy one.

Well.. true, but you already have a bunch of NES and Famicom clones. And blinking is very easy to fix.
So I dont see what so very good with this, except that it have both NES and FC in one, that can be nice to have hehe.
But then again, I prefer the original consoles. I dont get the true feeling when I i.g play like those things that you connect straight to the TV.

[WanganRunner]

The general public will NOT be picking this up in droves.

They aren't interested in anything that you can't just easily go to EB/Gamestop and buy. They don't use eBay a lot, they sure as hell don't go to thrift stores/pawn shops/garage sales, so they won't be able to buy games anymore.

Of course, it'd be *great* if this motivated the big chains to start carrying retrogames again, but that almost certainly won't happen.

[Flack]

I dont get the true feeling when I i.g play like those things that you connect straight to the TV.

Of course you don't, because those things are playing (sometimes poorly) emulated versions of those games. That's why people are excited about this in the first place!

[googlefest1]

yes this has wireless - RF wireless is a health hazard - if it was IR id be happier

According to reports from http://www.mcw.edu/gcrc/cop/cell-phone-health-FAQ/toc.html


A review of the epidemiology of RF energy from the International Commission for Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP) Standing Committee on Epidemiology [219] concluded that: "Results of these studies to date give no consistent or convincing evidence of a causal relation between RF exposure and any adverse health effect".


yea which is a load of crap to keep suporting the market
- they down play that issue here in the US

[googlefest1]

IR is damn near worthless for applications like this. Needing a line of sight to the console really limits the effectiveness. RF is the only way to go.

what the heck do you need to have the controler working behind a wall for - you cant see the damn screen

IR is perfectly fine in the same room -- and todays IR emmiters produce a much wider "cone" then in the past

i have never had any trouble with my IR controlers - either

i dont see a problem unless you want to keep the console in a box where ever you put it

[boatofcar]

IR is damn near worthless for applications like this. Needing a line of sight to the console really limits the effectiveness. RF is the only way to go.

what the heck do you need to have the controler working behind a wall for - you cant see the damn screen

IR is perfectly fine in the same room -- and todays IR emmiters produce a much wider "cone" then in the past

i have never had any trouble with my IR controlers - either

i dont see a problem unless you want to keep the console in a box where ever you put it

Obviously you must be correct, since Pelican and Logitech are abandoning RF wireless and releasing more and more IR controllers. :roll:

[Sniderman]

I do not, nor have I ever, collected for the NES....

Until now. :D

I shall be pickin' up my pre-order at CGE. This is too cool for words.

[googlefest1]

rf will ofcourse get less complaints from people who have to take their controlers to the craper - or stick thier consoles in boxes or behind things

also once you build a RF transiver - why change it - not economical if there is nothing restricting the sales

if you set it up right - ir is fine

i personaly wish there were more IR controlers for next gen systems -- if i realy need one i build one myself i gues-- even though i almost always use a cabled controler

also im curious what nintendo will say in response to the guy that sent that email to them

also in response to the guy upset he got a neo fami -- there is a new neofami that uses US nes controler ports

also - if your worried about your controlers dying - just get some famicom contolers - they work -- xinga sells them

[Sniderman]

I hope you don't git mad about this but,I just E-Mail Nintendo about The NEX,Ther may make it Ofishel or git rid of it,Pleses don't git mad at me. :(

Translated for the gibberish-impaired:


Rather than ask if steps had been taken to license this project, I went ahead took action that might potentially squelch this project for no other reason than I'm a two-bit playground monitor. Even though I did this very asshattish thing and later bragged about it here in the very thread that initially announced this project, please don't be mad at me.

You are either a terrible troll or too fucking stupid to live. Or both. Can't make up my mind, but I'm guessing Option C.

[16-bit]

If Gamestop carries the Atari Flashback, I don't see why they would not carry this system. I hope it gets good distribution.

Because the Atari Flashback includes games. For legal reasons, the NEX simply cannot. Gamestop no longer sells NES games making them an inadequate channel to sell these consoles. Besides that, the market for this is simply too niche to create a viable B&M distribution strategy. Currently, the company appears to be better off selling these through the much more cost effective internet medium.

Marketing 101 and Supply Chain Management 101....good for something :D

Are there any plans to release a "bundle pack" which would include the console and 2 wireless controllers for a discounted price?

They could offert it soley via their websites like their NES titles. Why not? That would be great distribution for the NEX in my opinion.

[Kamino]

I hope you don't git mad about this but,I just E-Mail Nintendo about The NEX,Ther may make it Ofishel or git rid of it,Pleses don't git mad at me. :(

Translated for the gibberish-impaired:


Rather than ask if steps had been taken to license this project, I went ahead took action that might potentially squelch this project for no other reason than I'm a two-bit playground monitor. Even though I did this very asshattish thing and later bragged about it here in the very thread that initially announced this project, please don't be mad at me.

You are either a terrible troll or too fucking stupid to live. Or both. Can't make up my mind, but I'm guessing Option C.
I'll second option C. I have no clue why the hell you would email nintendo about the project. It's clear that by telling us, you are only bringing forth evidence for option C.
Now to make this post a bit less hostile...
I see no reason why we would want this product licensed. Licensing is not free; it'll jack the cost of consoles up farther. I'm going to *guess* that with nintendo wanting their slice, these would cost 100 bucks instead of 60. distributing these in stores would only fuel the idiot fire of hot-topic style retrokiddies who will only get bored and throw their nes carts in the trash when the next fad comes. Even if nintendo for some reason didn't care about the project and wouldn't make one of their whiny attempts to halt it, I doubt they would license it anyway - support would be a nightmare. "Why do these carts i got at a thrift not work?". Of course, ninty would have some lame warranty-disclaimer they'd babble on the phone, but they'd still have to pay an extra person to answer that phone.
Alright kids, I think that's enough high blood pressure for me for one day....

[jajaja]

I dont get the true feeling when I i.g play like those things that you connect straight to the TV.

Of course you don't, because those things are playing (sometimes poorly) emulated versions of those games. That's why people are excited about this in the first place!

I think its more a psychical thing acctualy. We have one of those pads you just connect to the scart or something and the games work great and look like the original.
I might buy this thing tho, if its cheap on Ebay when its out.

[Kamino]

Dammit, I'd better PM Delivermessiah. I just thought of ANOTHER question; how does this system handle the Lockout?

[WanganRunner]

I'm actually not *that* upset about the Neo Fami purchase.

I'll surely buy this thing also...

I'll have the Messiah on the big TV and then the Neo Fami on another smaller TV elsewhere in the apt, with just the Famicom games. I've been meaning to pick up a little 13" Samsung flat tube or something like that anyway....

I never should have sold my AV Famicom though....*that* was a mistake.

[zmweasel]

Dammit, I'd better PM Delivermessiah. I just thought of ANOTHER question; how does this system handle the Lockout?

I would assume it circumvents the lockout tech, as releasing a console that only plays Color Dreams and AVI carts would be a worse idea than the DS.

-- Z.

[dendawg]

yes this has wireless - RF wireless is a health hazard - if it was IR id be happier

According to reports from http://www.mcw.edu/gcrc/cop/cell-phone-health-FAQ/toc.html


A review of the epidemiology of RF energy from the International Commission for Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP) Standing Committee on Epidemiology [219] concluded that: "Results of these studies to date give no consistent or convincing evidence of a causal relation between RF exposure and any adverse health effect".


yea which is a load of crap to keep suporting the market
- they down play that issue here in the US

Tell ya what, come back with your "load of crap" comments when you have proof of people getting tumors from using their Wavebird, XBOX360, PS3 or other RF controllers. There is a reason why people have moved away from IR controllers, and that is because they suck! Argue all you want to about it, but the fact is that unless you are perfectly lined up with the sensor, they don't work.

[goatdan]

yea which is a load of crap to keep suporting the market
- they down play that issue here in the US

Yes. It is such a big conspiracy that the rest of the world knows about it, but somehow they have kept the information from getting to us online! I guess it's true that there isn't any way for me to talk with anyone from another country online, so it would be pretty easy for them to hide that from us...

Seriously, RF signal is much more safe than sitting in front of a CRT monitor or your TV.


I see no reason why we would want this product licensed. Licensing is not free; it'll jack the cost of consoles up farther. I'm going to *guess* that with nintendo wanting their slice, these would cost 100 bucks instead of 60. [snip...] Even if nintendo for some reason didn't care about the project and wouldn't make one of their whiny attempts to halt it, I doubt they would license it anyway - support would be a nightmare. "Why do these carts i got at a thrift not work?". Of course, ninty would have some lame warranty-disclaimer they'd babble on the phone, but they'd still have to pay an extra person to answer that phone.

As I said before, while the way of going about it was pretty shady, I seriously hope (and expect) that Messiah already figured that out before starting to even think about production. If they spend a ton of money in production and Nintendo pops up and puts an end to it, that is a TON of money.

If they haven't thought about this, at least they are going to. If they have, it doesn't matter as Nintendo won't be getting back to them.

But the problem above is _exactly_ the reason why Nintendo may be interested in hearing more about it beforehand. Even if it isn't officially licensed, if people are calling Nintendo to ask about support, that is more people that Nintendo has to employ for a product that they aren't making. I can assure you that Nintendo doesn't want to do that.

And the big thing here is that regardless of the legality of doing something, the Digital Millenium Copyright Act that was signed into law most recently gives large companies the right to essentially do whatever they please. And assuming that Messiah will be producing the boards at a plant, the DMCA allows Nintendo to sue not just Messiah but the plant that things are being produced at. Chances are very good that Nintendo wouldn't bother suing a smaller company like Messiah, but if the plant they are having things produced at has millions in assets (as most production plants do), then they could be really screwed.

And the amazing part about it all is that with the DMCA, Nintendo doesn't even have to prove that it isn't illegal. They basically just have to prove that they are doing something that has some sort of association that would be negative.

I have *a lot* of experience in this, and I'm pretty sure that Messiah has probably already had that fun run around so they are ready for something like this to happen. You don't need to have licensing, but you need to make sure that you and your production plant won't get your pants sued off.

By the way, if anyone from Messiah reads this and wants to hear some tips from what I've been through, please feel free to email me :)


Tell ya what, come back with your "load of crap" comments when you have proof of people getting tumors from using their Wavebird, XBOX360, PS3 or other RF controllers. There is a reason why people have moved away from IR controllers, and that is because they suck! Argue all you want to about it, but the fact is that unless you are perfectly lined up with the sensor, they don't work.

And this is the exact reason I love my RF controllers and haven't ever really used my IR controllers. I can sit on the couch not even facing my GameCube, and it picks up the signal. If I get the Messiah NES controllers, I can sit in bed with my arms under the covers playing my NES TV from across the room. If I had an IR controller in either case, it wouldn't work.

[TheRedEye]

The entire contents of the previous two pages could have been instantly nulled if anyone would bother realizing that THE FAMICOM/NES HARDWARE PATENT IS EXPIRED. Nintendo has no legal ground to take any action here, unless they want to pull some nonsense about the design similarity and how it fools consumers into thinking it's a Nintendo product. And since it says "Nintendo" nowhere on the thing, there's no way in hell that would ever hold up in court.

[googlefest1]

I knew someone here would bring up the dumb conspiracy angle on my comments

I never said it was a conspiracy - nor did I say the information is hidden -- it’s out there for everyone to see-- but on the US side they always follow the information with - oh there hasn’t been enough time to see the effects - or that studies are inconclusive

now in Europe they follow that more closely and do more research into that very subject -- there are even companies that have started up doing research into developing antennas (for wireless devices) -- primarily the new style embedded antennas that have a wave pattern where the bulk of the radiation is away from the body (when a device is properly used)

Now I work in the medical device industry - and this issue comes up extremely often - especially when dealing with European customers -- always as a concern

But don’t tell me that the new face in industry (in antenna design) came out just for the hell of it -- they wouldn’t be here for no reason

Use what you want - just educate yourself instead of blindly using something

For the IR vs RF argument – of course you need line of sight - all I was saying is that the emitters nowadays can produce a wider dispersion angle (a wider cone) which also make them more effective – I’ve never had a problem with them – BECAUSE I used them correctly – of course you cant stick them in your underwear and expect them to work. – everything has a right and wrong way to use it – that’s what the manuals are for

[goatdan]

The entire contents of the previous two pages could have been instantly nulled if anyone would bother realizing that THE FAMICOM/NES HARDWARE PATENT IS EXPIRED. Nintendo has no legal ground to take any action here, unless they want to pull some nonsense about the design similarity and how it fools consumers into thinking it's a Nintendo product. And since it says "Nintendo" nowhere on the thing, there's no way in hell that would ever hold up in court.

I hate to tell you this, but thanks to the DMCA, being legal has nothing to do with it anymore.

And yes, I have firsthand knowledge.

[digitalpress]

The entire contents of the previous two pages could have been instantly nulled if anyone would bother realizing that THE FAMICOM/NES HARDWARE PATENT IS EXPIRED. Nintendo has no legal ground to take any action here, unless they want to pull some nonsense about the design similarity and how it fools consumers into thinking it's a Nintendo product. And since it says "Nintendo" nowhere on the thing, there's no way in hell that would ever hold up in court.

I hate to tell you this, but thanks to the DMCA, being legal has nothing to do with it anymore.

And yes, I have firsthand knowledge.

Would it help if I told you that Messiah originally contacted Nintendo to partner on this unit? They were not interested but gave Messiah the go-ahead to produce.

The way this thread is going I don't think that's even enough, but rest assured Messiah has done the pre-work. This is a business looking to stick around and produce quality merchandise. They're not some fly-by-night import outfit who doesn't understand the rules.

[Kamino]

The entire contents of the previous two pages could have been instantly nulled if anyone would bother realizing that THE FAMICOM/NES HARDWARE PATENT IS EXPIRED. Nintendo has no legal ground to take any action here, unless they want to pull some nonsense about the design similarity and how it fools consumers into thinking it's a Nintendo product. And since it says "Nintendo" nowhere on the thing, there's no way in hell that would ever hold up in court.

I hate to tell you this, but thanks to the DMCA, being legal has nothing to do with it anymore.

And yes, I have firsthand knowledge.

Would it help if I told you that Messiah originally contacted Nintendo to partner on this unit? They were not interested but gave Messiah the go-ahead to produce.

The way this thread is going I don't think that's even enough, but rest assured Messiah has done the pre-work. This is a business looking to stick around and produce quality merchandise. They're not some fly-by-night import outfit who doesn't understand the rules.

:hail: and the great one speaks :hail:
That's certainly enough for me. And certainly enough that I can now go ahead and preorder a unit in a few weeks when I have some money to pay for it.

[Jagasian]

You guys think that the Neofami has accurate sound and video? You must have never played a real NES or Famicom then. Hell, some games don't even work correctly on a Neofami, let alone have correct audio and video. Hopefully the NEX has accurate audio and video. Personally as far as NES clones go, my money is on the more expensive, still under R&D, FPGA NES:
http://tripoint.org/kevtris/Projects/console/

It can play ROMs off of small SD flash cards:
http://www.shopnbc.com/product/?familyid=V30270&storeid=1&track=123&taxid=123&propid=434

Furthermore, because its main chip is an FPGA, it can make use of circuit designs for other classic consoles such as the Atari 2600. Hence it is the ultimate clone of classic console gaming systems. The only catch is that it will cost about $300. However, it will have s-video, support for multiple game systems, and each system cloned will be 100% perfectly accurate, unlike crappy clones such as the Neofami.

So again, is the NEX going to use the crappy, yet common NES-on-a-chip found in other Famiclones and NES-clones, or is it going to use a more accurate recreation of the NES's audio and video chips? If it is a perfectly accurate recreation, then I will definitely buy one. Furthermore, will it support all NES and Famicom peripherials such as the Game Genie, Family Basic Keyboard, Famicom Disk System, etc?

Also, with regards to Messiah's controllers, will they ever consider making a controller with a traditional "plus" style directional pad as opposed to their semi-joystick directional pad that they currently use on their wireless controllers? For NES games, the traditional Nintendo "plus" d-pad is far superior.

[goatdan]

Would it help if I told you that Messiah originally contacted Nintendo to partner on this unit? They were not interested but gave Messiah the go-ahead to produce.

The way this thread is going I don't think that's even enough, but rest assured Messiah has done the pre-work. This is a business looking to stick around and produce quality merchandise. They're not some fly-by-night import outfit who doesn't understand the rules.

If that's true, than that's enough. But even if you aren't a fly-by-night import outfit (are you referring to the Treamcast, BTW?) there is a lot of really crappy stuff the DMCA does.

Like I said, I fully expect that Messiah has done all of their homework with this beforehand, and there won't be a problem. I just worry because I sure as hell did a lot of homework with our Dreamcast games that included contacting Sega and still had over six months of dealing with lawyers and paying up the ying-yang to actually get the production moving again.

The DMCA is bad news. It can really screw up a lot of good stuff, but there are ways around it if you search hard enough. I trust that Messiah has already done this, but my whole point in this is that if they haven't, it is better that this be brought up now before they are thousands of dollars into production, as happened to me personally. And it had nothing to do with the pressing of our Dreamcast games being legal or not, because everyone said that they were... but that it had nothing to do with it because the DMCA would've _still_ allowed people to sue us and the manufacturers of the games.

Again, I'm not saying that enough wasn't done -- I don't know what was or wasn't -- but that if they had not thought about this before, it was good to think about this now. And if they have like you stated Joe (and I fully expect), then they don't have to be worried about some email to Nintendo anyway.

[Qixmaster]

Don't have much to say that hasn't already been said. I'm just about to go pre-order so i can pick up at CGE. Looks incredibly sweet and i cannot wait to kick back and try it out.

I wish i would have pre-ordered my Play Messiah wireless nes controllers last year. I would have loved to have gotten the special edition box set. Oh well... I know i am not missing out here and will be among the first through the door at CGE to grab my brand new nes :D

-Josh

[rbudrick]

I've got my pre-order in. :-) It's too bad about the s-video...the FPGA NES mentioned above has found a great work-around for this (and for VGA too)...too bad this couldn't be implemented.

-Rob

[TheRedEye]

The only catch is that it will cost about $300.

$300 is the price to build a working prototype from off-the-shelf parts, which would drop exponentially if the unit was mass-produced. I actually woke up at about 3 this morning with some weird form of indigestion, and as I was violently showering feces into the toilet, I suddenly found myself wondering if Messiah looked into producing this unit instead.

[googlefest1]

im not trying to sell the neofami - i would if i was making money off it - but as far as the sound and video go

ive used other nes clones and the neo fami gave out the best results -- for example - dough boy played like crap on the super joy III but played perfectly fine on the neofami -- -- i havent tried a nes next to a neo fami - but from what i remember - all the games ive played sounded the same and looked the same on the neo fami - ganted it wasnt that many -- mabey someone can give me an example of i game i can try thats different

[Jagasian]

im not trying to sell the neofami - i would if i was making money off it - but as far as the sound and video go

ive used other nes clones and the neo fami gave out the best results -- for example - dough boy played like crap on the super joy III but played perfectly fine on the neofami -- -- i havent tried a nes next to a neo fami - but from what i remember - all the games ive played sounded the same and looked the same on the neo fami - ganted it wasnt that many -- mabey someone can give me an example of i game i can try thats different

Try Micro Machines in a real NES and a Neofami.

While the Super Joy is utter garbage, the Neofami is still no replacement for a real NES. The Neofami has audio and video inaccuracies and some games don't even work with the Neofami! Read a review here:
http://www.atariage.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=67476

More discussion threads on the problems with the Neofami clones (free registration needed):
http://www.nesworld.com/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.pl?board=nes-general;action=display;num=1112883753;start=6#6
http://www.nesworld.com/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.pl?board=nes-general;action=display;num=1113930797;start=13#13
http://www.nesworld.com/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.pl?board=nes-general;action=display;num=1116771115;start=24#24


Rumor has it that the NEX uses the same NES-on-a-chip found in the Neofami. Hence, while the case is great with two cart slots, and the builtin wireless is also nice... the fact that it is based on the crappy Neofami NES-on-a-chip implies that you are better off with a refurbished toaster-style NES. There are software emulators with more accurate video and sound and more game support than the Neofami. Of course, maybe the NEX will included an updated version of the Neofami's NES-on-a-chip, which fixes the audio and video inaccuracies as well as fixing support for games such as Micro Machines.

Even if the NEX uses the Neofami chip, I might still buy one, just to hack out its insides and replace it with an official toaster NES's circuit board. That way I can avoid the unreliability of the 72-pin connector, yet have a nice front loading NES with a built-in top loading famicom cart slot. This brings up a good idea for a new Messiah product. How about a kit for converting a toaster NES into a top-loader? It would include a new top-loader style case and cart connector. It could be produced for a low, low cost, and it would satisfy those who want perfect accuracy and game compatibility for a low price. Just get yourself a toaster NES off of ebay and also buy the kit. Wammo! A perfect top-loader.

On the other front, I am keeping my fingers crossed that Messiah Ent. and kevtris hook up to mass produce the FPGA NES along with a nice case like the NEX but even smaller. Mass produced, it could sell for allot less than $300.

[googlefest1]

thats a great review - thanks for that

i havent tried any of those games on his like but i recently got afterburner - i have to check out the problems

only other problem i had was with legend of zelda - it dosent work well with the contolers it comes with - i have famicom playstation style controlers and that fixes the problem

i was actualy thinking that nex used the neofami chip - they keep mentioning it on thier website

either way ill still probbaly get the nex - like all the other clones i find

[Jagasian]

either way ill still probbaly get the nex - like all the other clones i find

Even if the NEX uses the Neofami chip, it still looks like it will be the best clone yet. Not as good as the original NES, but far better than all of those other clones. Messiah, can you guys sell a toaster-to-toploader conversion kit? It would cost little to produce, as the parts would all be plastic, except the toploader connector.

[PC-Famicom64]

The entire contents of the previous two pages could have been instantly nulled if anyone would bother realizing that THE FAMICOM/NES HARDWARE PATENT IS EXPIRED. Nintendo has no legal ground to take any action here, unless they want to pull some nonsense about the design similarity and how it fools consumers into thinking it's a Nintendo product. And since it says "Nintendo" nowhere on the thing, there's no way in hell that would ever hold up in court.

I hate to tell you this, but thanks to the DMCA, being legal has nothing to do with it anymore.

And yes, I have firsthand knowledge.

Would it help if I told you that Messiah originally contacted Nintendo to partner on this unit? They were not interested but gave Messiah the go-ahead to produce.

The way this thread is going I don't think that's even enough, but rest assured Messiah has done the pre-work. This is a business looking to stick around and produce quality merchandise. They're not some fly-by-night import outfit who doesn't understand the rules.Thanks for that,I never do something that Dumb for a whatever Time. <)

[Cmosfm]

The entire contents of the previous two pages could have been instantly nulled if anyone would bother realizing that THE FAMICOM/NES HARDWARE PATENT IS EXPIRED. Nintendo has no legal ground to take any action here, unless they want to pull some nonsense about the design similarity and how it fools consumers into thinking it's a Nintendo product. And since it says "Nintendo" nowhere on the thing, there's no way in hell that would ever hold up in court.

I hate to tell you this, but thanks to the DMCA, being legal has nothing to do with it anymore.

And yes, I have firsthand knowledge.

Would it help if I told you that Messiah originally contacted Nintendo to partner on this unit? They were not interested but gave Messiah the go-ahead to produce.

The way this thread is going I don't think that's even enough, but rest assured Messiah has done the pre-work. This is a business looking to stick around and produce quality merchandise. They're not some fly-by-night import outfit who doesn't understand the rules.Thanks for that,I never do something that Dumb for a whatever Time. <)

Cmos. No. Understand. Baby. Talk.

[Ed Oscuro]

Thanks for that,I never do something that Dumb for a whatever Time. <)
Please, enough with the trolling. Nobody here cares about your antics.

[digitalpress]

Also, with regards to Messiah's controllers, will they ever consider making a controller with a traditional "plus" style directional pad as opposed to their semi-joystick directional pad that they currently use on their wireless controllers? For NES games, the traditional Nintendo "plus" d-pad is far superior.

The controller that's packaged with the NEX has a D-style "plus" pad.

[Jagasian]

Also, with regards to Messiah's controllers, will they ever consider making a controller with a traditional "plus" style directional pad as opposed to their semi-joystick directional pad that they currently use on their wireless controllers? For NES games, the traditional Nintendo "plus" d-pad is far superior.

The controller that's packaged with the NEX has a D-style "plus" pad.

Is the controller that comes with the NEX wired or wireless? I would love to see their wireless controllers released with a plus style d-pad, for NES and SNES. I got the SNES wireless gamepad with the joystick-style d-pad, and I absolutely love everything about the controller, except the d-pad.

[Jive3D]

It's a wired controller.

Excellent looking product. I'm getting this for sure!

Now if they only could make a miniature slick looking updated R.O.B. we would REALLY be in business!!

[Anexanhume]

Well, as a computer engineer, being able to reap about the FPGA and half-way comprehend what it is is interesting. I hope something like that would provide 100% accurate emulation like suggested.

If Messiah enjoys success with the NEX, I hope they would consider clones of other consoles such as SNES or Genesis, or possibly even including multiple systems in one box. That would definitely eliminate the clutter one can incur by having mutliple consoles hooked up at once.

[Kamino]

Well, as a computer engineer, being able to reap about the FPGA and half-way comprehend what it is is interesting. I hope something like that would provide 100% accurate emulation like suggested.

If Messiah enjoys success with the NEX, I hope they would consider clones of other consoles such as SNES or Genesis, or possibly even including multiple systems in one box. That would definitely eliminate the clutter one can incur by having mutliple consoles hooked up at once.
A production model of the...was it neptune? or Jupiter? WTF was sega's code name for that cd/genesis/32x all in one?
Otherwise, some new genesis systems with s video and region switches on em, or an autodetect bios, would be great .Spoken by a man who just killed a whole weekend s-video and all-region modding 2 genesis systems...yeah.
I really don't see a need for a new snes, unless it would be a global(us/jp/PAL DAMMIT!!!!) console.
New 2600s might be kinda cool tho....new six switchers in s video...mm. Though, I already bothered with s video on my heavy sixer(yeah, i'm a nut.)

[Jive3D]

Well, as a computer engineer, being able to reap about the FPGA and half-way comprehend what it is is interesting. I hope something like that would provide 100% accurate emulation like suggested.

If Messiah enjoys success with the NEX, I hope they would consider clones of other consoles such as SNES or Genesis, or possibly even including multiple systems in one box. That would definitely eliminate the clutter one can incur by having mutliple consoles hooked up at once.

...Especially a system devoted to Sega. Being able to play Genesis, 32X, Sega CD, Saturn & Dremcast all on one system would truly be a dream (nintendo obviously wised up with their retor content announcement for the Revolution) But there's something to be said for being about to get all those cartrdiges and disks out of the closet rather than just downloading them. I know this sort of combo system would never happen though.

I'm going to pre-order my NEX very soon!

[TheRedEye]

Well, as a computer engineer, being able to reap about the FPGA and half-way comprehend what it is is interesting. I hope something like that would provide 100% accurate emulation like suggested.

If Messiah enjoys success with the NEX, I hope they would consider clones of other consoles such as SNES or Genesis, or possibly even including multiple systems in one box. That would definitely eliminate the clutter one can incur by having mutliple consoles hooked up at once.

...Especially a system devoted to Sega. Being able to play Genesis, 32X, Sega CD, Saturn & Dremcast all on one system would truly be a dream (nintendo obviously wised up with their retor content announcement for the Revolution) But there's something to be said for being about to get all those cartrdiges and disks out of the closet rather than just downloading them. I know this sort of combo system would never happen though.

I'm going to pre-order my NEX very soon!

I think patents are like twenty years? So you still have a good five or six until even the Genesis patent is public domain, and I predict the retro gaming fad will be over by then.

[leonk]

fad? what fad?

some people were here before it was a fad, and I'm sure they'll be around a lot longer. :cheers:

[boozi2]

Damn, it looks pretty damn sweet... Wish I had some games for it so I could have a good reason to buy it.

[TheRedEye]

fad? what fad?

some people were here before it was a fad, and I'm sure they'll be around a lot longer. :cheers:

Oh, sorry, I thought holiday shoppers at Wal Mart were the ones spending the money, I had no idea it was the retrogaming collectors who wait for the clearance sales.

[Darth Vader]

Let me just say that I'm not a fan of buying "knock off" systems that replicate the old ones, but this system is so much more than just that. A very sleek design, built in wireless capability and a chance to play all NES games on one system, plus Messiah really stands behind their products. (Check their warranty everyone, its pretty obvious they built a quality product)

I'll be buying a couple of these and picking up some of their controllers for NES and SNES as well. Glad to see they are coming back to CGE and I'm looking forward to this system being my first purchase from CGE.

Can't wait to try it out!

Danny

[TeddyRuxpin]

Ooo....nice! Great for FDS owners. I will have to try to get one of those some time if possible. I'm attempting to save up to move right now. :(

[VACRMH]

I got to see their prototype in action at E3. The thing is REALLY slick. It looks like a next-gen NES, that is, same colors but like a slimline version, all thin and polished. front slot takes NES, top slot takes Famicom. The rumble feature works for ALL games - it's a neat trick where they split the sound signal from the game and send a portion of it to the controller. The wireless option is the icing on the cake. You can play with virtually no sign that you even have a game console around. Slide all the parts into a drawer to stash them away if you must, but DAMN if you won't look cool with this sleek NES update on your TV.

Messiah does quality work and this product is no exception. I've already got my pre-order in!

So when the NES games go in the front, how far in do they go?

[Flack]

If Messiah enjoys success with the NEX, I hope they would consider clones of other consoles such as SNES or Genesis

That might be a tough sell. I can't swing a joystick without finding a $5 Genesis unit around here. Original NES units are a bit more expensive and a bit more unstable.

[TheSmirk]

I'm looking forward to this, in fact I haven't looked forward to any game related thing this much in a long time, a great idea thats time has come :)

:rocker:

[TeddyRuxpin]

Original NES units are a bit more expensive and a bit more unstable.

Unstable? Only in the sense of getting dusty. A good cleaning makes them work like new.

[Bratwurst]

Unstable? Only in the sense of getting dusty. A good cleaning makes them work like new.

Those original pin connectors eventually bend out of shape and lose their firmness, between the unorthodox method of loading a cart and the fact that different games use varying circuit board thicknesses, dust isn't half of the problem here.

I've personally gone through about five 72-pin toaster connectors since 1987, and lately they just seem to wear out quicker. It's as if the production quality went down the toilet since the demand and market for them exploded on ebay.

On Play Messiah's website they now list 'Neo-Fami' in the specs for this console, and while it is a great design (Famicom AND NES consolidated, wireless, superb aesthetics) I have decided it is not for me. I've already hardwired a Game Genie in a toaster and it works like a charm.

[Jagasian]

Original NES units are a bit more expensive and a bit more unstable.

Unstable? Only in the sense of getting dusty. A good cleaning makes them work like new.

So true. I pulled one of my toaster NES's out of the closet to play some games, and I was all worried that I would have to replace the 72-pin connector. Before even trying to play the game I wanted to play, I use rubbing alcohol and a q-tip and brushed the "teeth" on the game cart until they were golden. Then I put the game in the NES and it worked on the first try, no blinking and no corrupted graphics.

Solution, never even try to put cart in your console without brushing its teeth first.

[rbudrick]

I managed to rig a 72 pin connector in backwards so the more snug end that attaches to the motherboard is the end the cart goes in. System works almost every single time and I haven't cleaned it in years. And I don't even have a door on the NES anymore!

-Rob

[Anexanhume]

If Messiah enjoys success with the NEX, I hope they would consider clones of other consoles such as SNES or Genesis

That might be a tough sell. I can't swing a joystick without finding a $5 Genesis unit around here. Original NES units are a bit more expensive and a bit more unstable.

When I said that I was leaning towards the combined units. I wouldn't see any need for stand alone SNES either. When I was a kid, I chucked it at the wall when I lost on rainbow road, plugged it back in, and played some more.

[Jagasian]

On Play Messiah's website they now list 'Neo-Fami' in the specs for this console, and while it is a great design (Famicom AND NES consolidated, wireless, superb aesthetics) I have decided it is not for me. I've already hardwired a Game Genie in a toaster and it works like a charm.

Well, maybe the NEX 2.0 will be a NES combined with a Famicom, expansion port and all, and not a NES combined with a Neofami, inaccurate audio, video, and game compatibility.

With regards to the toaster, the only cart that I know of which uses a different board thickness, it is the Game Genie. So, using a Game Genie can bend your 72-pin connector out of shape and make it hard to get official carts to work without the Game Genie because the Game Genie is thicker than the NES standard. Also, some games can't be played through the Game Genie, last time I checked. So using the permenant Game Genie idea isn't all that great.

My NES is still on its original connector, which has not yet needed to be bent back into shape. I just clean my carts regularly and I also clean the connector. Oh and I avoid using a Game Genie.

[chadtower]

With regards to the toaster, the only cart that I know of which uses a different board thickness, it is the Game Genie.

I've opened up hundreds of carts for cleaning. There are some pretty large variations in PCB thickness, sometimes even among late and early instances of the same title. It is very common.

[Bratwurst]

So using the permenant Game Genie idea isn't all that great.

Yes, it is.

http://www.angelfire.com/apes/madmeat/toaster1.html