Should I only consider the official NES top loader?

[jdc]

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]

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!

[Leo_A]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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.

A good A/V mod solves the picture problem.

[Bugbear]

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.

[shopkins]

A good A/V mod solves the picture problem.

Kind of expensive compared to getting a toaster deck for $10 or so and cleaning it, though, isn't it?

[jperryss]

Kind of expensive compared to getting a toaster deck for $10 or so and cleaning it, though, isn't it?

But can you really put a price on the toploader's 'charm'?

[Ed Oscuro]

But can you really put a price on the toploader's 'charm'?

Exactly what it costs to buy an A/V Famicom in addition to the toaster.