Clone or Real Thing (NES)

[n8littlefield]

Well, reading that the Generation NEX will have compatibility issues too has caused me to finally get off my butt and do something on my busted NES (I had been waiting for the NEX).

So - my options are:

$30 - Refurbished Toaster
$40 - NESclone (the one on estarland)
$50 - TopLoader (no dogbones included)

I just really want to play games without having to fiddle with the system for 10 minutes...what would you folks do?

[squidblatt]

Wait to learn more about the NEX. The compatibility issues may not even matter to you. The NEX may also be your best option when it comes to ease of use.

The compatibility issues have become blown out of proportion. The only reason they've become a big deal on this board is because of all the interest the system has sparked. It won't be long until we know everything.

[EricRyan34]

I'm just sticking with my Yobo FC Game Console....it works perfect

[syd]

I agree, wait for the NEX. The compatibility issues people keep talking about are probably about a few japanese games or a couple North American games that people probably won't play anyway. I think it'll definetely play all of the major games out there.

[s1lence]

I would wait on the NEX just to be for sure. If you really don't want to wait get the toploader.

[captain nintendo]

I would wait on the NEX just to be for sure. If you really don't want to wait get the toploader.


I wouldnt get a top loader if thats what you plan on gaming with. Seriously....... They suck (nice to have in your collection though)


Toasters rock and are so easy to fix , rebuild or whatever.
But if you can wait , then wait for the NEX.

[EricRyan34]

I would wait on the NEX just to be for sure. If you really don't want to wait get the toploader.


I wouldnt get a top loader if thats what you plan on gaming with. Seriously....... They suck (nice to have in your collection though)


Toasters rock and are so easy to fix , rebuild or whatever.
But if you can wait , then wait for the NEX.


Why do the top loaders suck? I have a Yobo and it works perfectly?

[n8littlefield]

I know the Toploaders are collectible (and $50 is a good price), but I really would prefer AV output which was why it's probably the last option.

I may even do a clone now, then do the NEX with tax money in the spring (after people have been using them for awhile to see how they pan out).

[s1lence]

I would wait on the NEX just to be for sure. If you really don't want to wait get the toploader.


I wouldnt get a top loader if thats what you plan on gaming with. Seriously....... They suck (nice to have in your collection though)


Toasters rock and are so easy to fix , rebuild or whatever.
But if you can wait , then wait for the NEX.

Sorry I was going with the collection niceness. The A/V on the toaster is better for gaming, why the top loaders didnt get that feature is beyond me.

[captain nintendo]

I would wait on the NEX just to be for sure. If you really don't want to wait get the toploader.


I wouldnt get a top loader if thats what you plan on gaming with. Seriously....... They suck (nice to have in your collection though)


Toasters rock and are so easy to fix , rebuild or whatever.
But if you can wait , then wait for the NEX.


Why do the top loaders suck? I have a Yobo and it works perfectly?

No A/V ...... Lines in the picture. I mean dont get me wrong , the top loader is convienant and never seems to get the flashing blue screen. But even on my 8 bit gaming , picture quality counts ;)

[The Plucky Little Ninja]

Why do the top loaders suck? I have a Yobo and it works perfectly?

He's talking about the official Nintendo toploader which doesn't have A/V outputs. The toaster ends up with better picture quality.

I'm using a "Family Boy" and my biggest problem with it is a stack of about 20 games that won't boot up. I've cleaned all of them repeatedly, so I don't know if it's a compatibility issue, or whether I just need to keep scrubbing the contacts down. I've only come across one Genesis game that I can't get working after repeated cleanings, so these NES games are starting to tick me off. [/quote]

[n8littlefield]

So, assuming the one that I keep seeing in my local store (and estarland) is a variation of the Yobo - does anyone have the list/link to games that will not work with it?

I'm almost certain that I'm buying the clone tomorrow so I have something to play this fall/winter that's reliable and then will do the NEX and a new 72pin for my toaster in the Spring. For now, I just want to play games, tired of futzing around inside the system!

If I buy a clone tomorrow, it will be a hard choice, new NES vs We <3 Katamari vs Nintendogs. Who will win the battle for my gaming time? I'm thinking NES, I just got River City Ransom last weekend!

[WanganRunner]

I'm just sticking with my Yobo FC Game Console....it works perfect

Me too.

I got mine for $30 brand new and it works fantastically....too bad it doesn't use standard NES controller ports though.

[starchildskiss78]

I'm just sticking with my Yobo FC Game Console....it works perfect

If it's the same one I own...it won't play Gauntlet (the sprites start screwing up) and it won't accept the Game Genie attachment. (Won't load up the game.) THere must be a different Yobo out there than mine b/c mine accepts all NES controllers.

[Jagasian]

Toaster / NEX:
A refurbished toaster is the best, IMO. But not all refurbished toasters are the same. Some grip the carts too tightly, others simply don't fix the flickering problem. I also think that it is premature for people to say that the NEX compatibility issues are blown out of proportion. How can they say that when the extent of the compatibility issues has yet to be determined? Also, at $60 for a NEX, you are spending far more money. It should be at least as good as a refurbed toaster if it is going to cost that much money. I predict that there are compatibility issues with many popular games and peripherials, not just a few obscure games. It will be a surprise if the NEX has better compatibility than the Neofami, which has issues with numerous games.

Official Toploader:
The official toploader is great, except for the picture quality, which is bad because it is RF only. Even after modding it to add AV, the picture quality sucks compared to a toaster.

Neofami (USA Version):
Also, EricRyan34 is wrong about the "Yobo FC Game Console" aka the Neofami (sold at estarland). Like the NEX and other clones, it is based on a NES-on-a-chip. It has numerous problems. Numerous games are incompatible, and the audio and video are inaccurate. Also, its controller ports are positioned in a way that makes it incompatible with some peripherials. The toaster, toploader, and NEX do not have this problem. It should be noted that the Neofami comes in two version: NES and Famicom. The Famicom version has different controller ports and a Famicom cart port. Otherwise they are the say. You can play NES games on the Famicom version via an adapter.

Conclusion:
If you look around, you can find many people who refurbish toaster NES systems. Some do a better job than others. Also make sure to get the lockout chip snipped, as that is one reason the toploader doesn't have a flickering issue... it has no lockoutchip. The end result of a professionally refurbished toaster is good as new, has perfect game compatibility, the best A/V... and lets face it, the case of the original toaster looks sexy. New clones are released all of the time (just not in the West). There are literally hundreds of them. It is up to you if you want to wait for the NEX or not. I will admit that the NEX does look like it is the best clone so far, but if you know anything about NES/Fami clones, that isn't saying very much.

[n8littlefield]

Does anyone have a list of games that aren't compatible with the clone system? I keep hearing that games won't work, but the only one that keeps coming up seems to be Castlevania 3 Japanese version and some Tengen games.

I understand you're pretty negative on the whole clone system thing - but I've already refurbished my toaster only to have the 72 pin adaptor be so cheap it was back to being loose in a few months. I already snipped my security chip too. I will likely do another connector in the Spring, but for now I want something I can actually stop opening up over and over again.

[GrandAmChandler]

Go toploader. Have Kamino AV mod it for you if you wish for better graphics. Plays games every time. Hardly any compatibility issues!

[Jagasian]

Does anyone have a list of games that aren't compatible with the clone system? I keep hearing that games won't work, but the only one that keeps coming up seems to be Castlevania 3 Japanese version and some Tengen games.

I understand you're pretty negative on the whole clone system thing - but I've already refurbished my toaster only to have the 72 pin adaptor be so cheap it was back to being loose in a few months. I already snipped my security chip too. I will likely do another connector in the Spring, but for now I want something I can actually stop opening up over and over again.

Most games run, but with inaccurate audio and video. Others have compatibility problems. Here is a review of the Neofami:
http://www.atariage.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=67476

That list of games is by no means comprehensive. It is just a sample of games that have compatibility problems. In fact, these clones are incompatible with far more games than emulators such as FCE Ultra and Nintendulator. With regards to your refurb job, sorry to hear that. I have an original toaster NES that has never been refurbished, yet is played regularly. My secret: I keep my carts really clean using 99.99% pure isopropyl alcohol and I use Stabilant 22a on the cart contacts. No problems ever.

[swlovinist]

Here is my opinion. I own both a Yobo(US version) and a modded Top Loader Nes Modded with AV out. If you can forgive some of the sound glitches of the Yobo, then hands down its picture is 10 times better. I have to agree that the lines in the screen of the Top loader now bother me...after seeing something else display it so much better.


The yobo is not perfect, but overall is a good pick

I also reserved the NEX...I hope is comes out still :(

[roushimsx]

Alternate solution: Get a second revision Famicom (the one with the detachable controllers and the SFami-like shell). It uses the same A/V plug as your SNES/N64/Gamecube, so all you really need to worry about then is grabbing a converter to play your NES games on it and then grab some NES controllers (or some controller extensions... fami controller cords are half the length of NES controller cords :( ).

You just can't beat it.

[Jagasian]

Alternate solution: Get a second revision Famicom (the one with the detachable controllers and the SFami-like shell). It uses the same A/V plug as your SNES/N64/Gamecube, so all you really need to worry about then is grabbing a converter to play your NES games on it and then grab some NES controllers (or some controller extensions... fami controller cords are half the length of NES controller cords :( ).

You just can't beat it.

Yeah, the AV Famicom is what it is called. I have one new mint in box. Since my toaster still works perfectly, I am keeping my AV Famicom virgin. BTW, there is also the Famicom Titler, which supports S-video out. It has the best video quality out of all Famicom/NES systems, and it has perfect game compatibility because it is an official Famicom.

BTW, if you want to know about Famicom/NES semi-compatible systems, here is a non-comprehensive lists of many of them:
http://hawanja.com/famiclones.htm

Read about each one, then realize that there are even more clones than listed there... then understand why I say that Famicom/NES clones are a dime a dozen.

[n8littlefield]

Well, we decided that for now, to get a working system into the house we did the Yobo. The wife agreed that with tax refund $$ next year we'll either refurb my toaster or get a NEX (depending on compatibility of course) to have something with better accuracy.

I absolutely love my blue & white Yobo. It's played everything I've thrown at it first try. It's a bit silly looking, the system being almost the same size as the games, but it's great for my needs. Sound is definately a touch wonky, but not terrible - and since I play after my son is asleep I usually have to lower the volume anyways.

Thanks for the advise folks.