Best Hardware for NES Games Today?

[Duke.Togo]

Toaster for sure. I don't ever use my toploader, and have never owned a clone. Once you disable the NES10 and keep the pins in good shape they are great machines.

[NayusDante]

If you have the choice, go for the original. As much as I love the convenience of my Retro Duo, it's not as accurate. I keep my CRT on my desk and only have so much space, so I'll sometimes use the RD if I'm switching between NES and SNES a lot.

As far as output goes, in the past I've used the composite out with a Y-splitter on the audio to get the signal to both speakers. Recently, however, I've been using a single RCA cable in place of an RF adapter, connected to one of those little metal coax-RCA adapters screwed onto the coax input of the TV. It only works on CH3, but the picture is darn clear and the audio is spread to both speakers. If I'm playing on a nice stereo system with an amp and speakers, I'll use the Y-splitter and crank it up, but something about the coax audio has more warmth than the crystal-clear RCA audio.

If you want an interesting color effect, play on coax, but also plug in the RCA video. The image darkens, and it actually looks pretty good, almost the antithesis of the RD's increased brightness and lack of contrast. Well, my NES does it at least...

[dchristie74]

The toaster for sure..still my favorite console and gets frequent play also.

www.thevideogamecollector.weebly.com

[Aussie2B]

I'll take a toploader over a poorly working original NES any day. It's just not worth the frustration dealing with a NES that won't play games for crap even if everything has been cleaned thoroughly.

That said, a mint original NES is bliss. I was lucky enough to land one in fantastic shape a few years ago. But it's gotta be in its original form for me. I don't trust pin replacements one bit. They're cheap crap, and you often have to use the jaws of life to get games in and out when they're new, possibly wearing out the contacts of your games in the process. Eventually, they stretch open more, but then you're facing the same problem all over again. I know a lot of collectors have had to replace their replacement pins in only a year or so.

[Icarus Moonsight]

Toasty!

FDS/exp audio mod [takes a single resistor]
Powerpak [Most, if not all games w/ no cart swapping CF card removable without even popping the cart up in the tray - w/ lockout disable buhbye blinky]
Cheap and plentiful

It's a no-brainer IMO

[Manga4life]

Wow, I remember reading about the Gen Nex when it first came out and thinking about how cool it would be to have wireless controllers. Do you have those? How well do they work?

I bought them when I was diappointed in the stock controller that came with it and I liked them quite a bit, but to keep the classic Nintendo feel I decided to go back to the old school NES controllers since the port accepted them.

[Satoshi_Matrix]

AV Famicom without question.

[Tron 2.0]

Famicom AV or the Sharp TwinFamicom both can use nes carts with a converter if need be.

[starchildskiss78]

I have only experienced the Yobo clone and the toaster, but I will always say the toaster hands down.

I do not see the point in hunting down a top-loader. I am not a modder so doing the A/V mod is out. All of my memories involve the little gray box.

I think if you keep the games and the connector clean you do not have any problems. I replaced the 72 pin connector on the NES my girlfriend's brother gave me because it was obvious he did not take care of it. I keep my games clean and I never get the blinking screen or any other trouble.

As others have stated, the clones don't work with all of the games properly. I bought the Yobo to save space and relegated the toaster to the closet. It didn't take long for me to sell the Yobo and put the toaster back in its rightful place near the television.

[Edmond Dantes]

I honestly wasn't thinking of imports when I gave my original answer, but now that I am it doesn't change much. I can't think of many import Famicom games I want to play, outside of Fire Emblem, Mother and Sweet Home (two of those can be gotten on repro carts nowadays).

I have a question though: Didn't Famicom Disk System games come on plain ol' computer floppies? Doesn't that mean most of them will be trash now? Or am I wrong, and there is actually a point to owning an FDS?

[Parodius Duh!]

I honestly wasn't thinking of imports when I gave my original answer, but now that I am it doesn't change much. I can't think of many import Famicom games I want to play, outside of Fire Emblem, Mother and Sweet Home (two of those can be gotten on repro carts nowadays).

I have a question though: Didn't Famicom Disk System games come on plain ol' computer floppies? Doesn't that mean most of them will be trash now? Or am I wrong, and there is actually a point to owning an FDS?

Not floppies, but a hard disk with no dust cover (although they do include a sleeve to cover the disk). Surprisingly you rarely, if ever come across a game thats deleted from the disk, usually only loose discs that have lost their sleeve may be deleted, but if thats the case there are plenty of people out there who can re-write disks and basically put any game, including cart exclusives, onto the disks. So, it is very much worth owning a FDS if you ask me!

[c0ldb33r]

I've got an AV modded toploader - I'd recommend that.

I grew up with a front loader and loved it. The problem is that I have a low tolerance for stuff not working. When I insert a cart and click power, I want it to work. I don't want it to blink, I don't want to have to install a new cart connector, etc...

If it doesn't work, I get fed up and won't use it.

You can see how this can be a problem with a front loader.

The toploader is awesome because it just works - no fuss.

[treismac]

So, it is very much worth owning a FDS if you ask me!

I've been toying with the idea of owning a Famicom Disk System for some time. With it never making it's way across the ocean to the States, it is all the more mystical and collectible as a result. I don't, however, want to own a collectible artifact that is little more than a paper weight. How common is it for a FDS's belt to give out? If you've ever replaced the belt, how hard was it, and how long did it take?

Also, other than the real Super Mario Bros. 2( Edit: AND Kiki KaiKai), what games are exclusive to the FDS that didn't get ported to North America (like Metroid) that justify purchasing one? I understand the appeal of being able to put any game on a disk, but with the existence of the Power Pak flash cart it might be easier to just go with that.

[timewarpgamer]

With the presented options I'd say the good old front loading toaster. If you'd like to expand into the Famicom and all things related, then I'd go with a Twin Famicom AN-505 model (either color). If you want one of those, I'm parting with mine.

Ohhh, so tempting. I've been wanting to own one of these for a while.

In terms of recommending hardware, though, I didn't include it in my top three list because it's so expensive (I think about $100 to $200 on eBay), and the only real added benefit is you can play FDS titles, but I've heard many a horror story about FDS belts needing replacement and the FDS games not being very durable. Of course, I've never owned any version of the FDS, so all of the above is just stuff I've only heard second-hand.

[treismac]

AV Famicom without question.

Here's a pretty kick ass video of the AV Famicom.

[timewarpgamer]

An AV Famicom or Twin Famicom with a pin converter would be an awesome machine.

Doesn't the Famicom Titler have S-Video? That's so rare that it's probably out of the question, though.

Haha, yeah the titler does support S-Video. And yeah, since it's hella rare and expensive I didn't bother mentioning it. Out of curiosity, has anyone actually ever seen it's S-video feed in action? How good does it look?

Seem like 72 to 60 pin adapters are readily available (some early NES games even contain them), but how hard is it to find an adapter that goes the other way? No luck on my initial eBay searches...

[ccovell]

Haha, yeah the titler does support S-Video. And yeah, since it's hella rare and expensive I didn't bother mentioning it. Out of curiosity, has anyone actually ever seen it's S-video feed in action? How good does it look?

A Titler is basically the best hardware if you want clarity. RGB and S-Video are super crisp, but the colours in S-Video are a bit different from a composite NES, which might turn people off.

Here's a comparison I made to give people a meaningful reference for the Titler palette:

[treismac]

Doesn't the Famicom Titler have S-Video? That's so rare that it's probably out of the question, though.

I've never heard of the Titler before now. A Famicom with superior video quality that also allows you to add subtitles to VHS. Alright... Slim chance of me ever running across one in the wild down here in the South of the US.

[Collector_Gaming]

i like my FC Twin i recently picked up. so i choose other

[PC-ENGINE HELL]

I'll stick with the original Nes decks. I have 4 set aside as backups as is, with their pin sets redone by hand. I am fine with the composite video and audio quality they present. I only have a tad over a hundred Nes games, with no real intention of collecting Famicom stuff, so not much point in buying any Famicom deck type. I didn't enjoy modding my friends toploader deck as it was either, so I def wont be buying one for myself anytime soon.