Hey, just joined because it seems this forum may be able to help me.(I have never owned a famicom or a famiclone before)
Okay so i have been wanting to buy a pocket famiclone and was basically wondering if the one i have seen is any good i have some photos of the box.
http://s264.photobucket.com/albums/ii176/bigpinkpanda/?action=view¤t=ConsE061a.jpg (http://s264.photobucket.com/albums/ii176/bigpinkpanda/?action=view¤t=ConsE061a.jpg)
http://s264.photobucket.com/albums/ii176/bigpinkpanda/?action=view¤t=ConsE061b.jpg (http://s264.photobucket.com/albums/ii176/bigpinkpanda/?action=view¤t=ConsE061b.jpg)
http://s264.photobucket.com/albums/ii176/bigpinkpanda/?action=view¤t=ConsE061c.jpg (http://s264.photobucket.com/albums/ii176/bigpinkpanda/?action=view¤t=ConsE061c.jpg)
So i just want to know if this is a good one to get. If its rubbish then maybe you could suggest one even if it is not a handheld, although i would prefer a handheld so i can play it on the car/train/bus journeys (i live and UK and so my TV is PAL just in case that helps), also it may seem silly but do i do not really want one with a ps1 style controller i would rather it was shaped like the original famicom controller.
I know you won't like this answer, but you could try getting a DS or PSP. You don't have to worry about interchanging cartridges. Also higher quality screen. Portable famiclone units are pretty iffy IMO.
Thanks for answering to be honest i am glad i found out that portable units are not to good before i purchased it lol.If anyone has one and its any good please tell me, If not can anyone tell me a good famiclone that does not have PS1 shaped controllers because they really put me off to be honest ): or should i get a famicom with AV?
Or go a lower route, GBA. I haven't tried a GBA flash cart yet, though. :-\
I used to be interested in portable FC/NES systems.
In the end, the only thing I considered buying was a custom made hack like Ben Heck's:
http://benheck.com/Games/Book_projects/Book_projects.htm
But they were relatively expensive & hard to come by (I don't think Ben Heck sold his).
Luckily i have a gba and ds :D i think i may get some of the famicom mini series. However i still really want a famicom or a clone because i really want to play on one because i prefer to play on an actual console with cartridges rather than an emulator.
You could get a GBA cart, but do GBA nes emulators support smooth scaling? I bought a GBA multicart with NES roms and they were scaled in nearest neighbor.
only thing is are gba flash carts legal i have a guilty consience :-[.even if i get one i would still like a famicom/clone
Most anything involving roms isn't legal.
The problem with clones is finding one that does what you need. I haven't read a perfect review yet, but here are some that I looked into:
Game Theory Admiral (http://www.disgruntleddesigner.com/chrisc/gta.html)
Game Axe (of course) (http://members.fortunecity.com/davidlevine/ga.htm)
Those NES-on-a-chip N64 Controllers (http://benheck.com/nes-on-a-chip-portable)
& one I just found:
FC Mobile (2) (http://technabob.com/blog/2009/04/24/fc-mobile-2-portable-nes-emulator/)
But who says that a GBA flash cart has forcibly to involve copyrighted ROM images? I recall that you could use them to listen to MP3s, watch videos, read ebooks, run homebrew software and a bunch of other neat stuff.
^That's exactly how I view flashcarts and jailbreaks. They're only illegal if you want them to be.
Okay, wiseguy! Emulators & torrents aren't illegal either but we all know what we do with them. (http://i498.photobucket.com/albums/rr343/JediQuestMaster/steamed.gif)
Also I really wouldn't worry about the FBI busting down your door for some roms. ::) ::) ::)
meh im just going to get some of the famicom mini series for long journeys.
However i have decided that i am going to buy a twin famicom, Is there anything i have to do to set it up on my pal tv i am pretty sure it has NTSC Playback, but will i need anything else to set up a famicom in the UK?
Do the Famicom Mini Series fix the aspect ratio, or is it typically squished, like with the NES Series?
well you'll need a power converter and plug for your European outlets, and I think that the Gba Famicom is exactly the same as the NES series. I don't see why it wouldn't be.
Honestly, all clone systems that I've tried are rubbish. The Game Theory Admiral is a horrid piece of junk. Games crash constantly, or have glitched graphics.... And I mean common titles, such as MMC1 mappers.
The original PocketFami is the highest quality handheld clone, but it is out of production now. The system in your photos is often sold as a PocketFami (or Pocket Famicom), but I don't know if it is made tot he same standards of quality.
Here (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PocketFami) is the Wikipedia page for the original PocketFami unit by Gametech and here (http://wiki.portablegaming.de/PF) is a page (en Deutsch) with photos of it.
All clones suffer from graphics issues of some kind, and none of them will run either MMC5 games or produce extra sound from games so enabled (VRC6, for example), thus your only sure bet is some form of original hardware. Further, no clone is compatible with the PowerPak.
If your intention is purely to own a system for recreational use and you don't require portable hardware, it's not too difficult to buy and modify an original FC for A/V, assuming that you have decent technical skills, else pick up a Twin Famicom or New Famicom ('A/V'), as both have A/V out. If you want an original FC, then I strongly suggest locating a Hong Kong Edition Famicom (these are a legitimate Nintendo product), as they are PAL and you should be able to use it out of the box.
-Xious
Thanks for answering i think i will just get the hong kong famicom.Will probably be a twin or AV modded one though as it seems the hong kong one is popular and sold out on the site i found ):
would the JP version be okay to have though as long as i get a power converter and plug so it works in the UK? i was looking at this one here
http://gamedoctorhk.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=72_1_17_82&products_id=1074
Assuming your TV/Monitor can decode NTSC-J A/V signals, then yes. You may want to note that the A'V modded Hong Kong Famicom is putting out NTSC-J A/V signals as well.
I suggested the HK FC (unmodified) as it has PAL RF out, but if you can use NTSC-J A/V, it doesn't matter which model you select. All A/V mods are NTSC-J, but if you are using a modern TV, then this shouldn't be a problem. You could also do a SCART mod, which will require replacing the PPU, if you fancy going that route in the future. I think that the HK version is also a slightly rarer system, if you are a collector.
(If you order a boxed unit and later want to sell the box and packaging/manual, please let me know. I'm seeking for a box and the appropriate inserts for my HKE Famicom.)
HKGamedoctor is an excellent company, in case you were curious, and they include 220VAC adapters with their systems, as I recall, so you'll be able to use it immediately. I recall HK using exactly the same power plug pin configuration as the UK, but at the most you may need a pin adapter, but not a voltage converter.
-Xious