Anyone want a new and improved NES?

Another Hackaday link...

Only the CPU and PPU are used from the original NES. Compatible with the PC10 PPU for RGB out.

 

Sure. Let's see what's improved...

Price? No.
General features? No.
Technical features? No.
Video? No.
Case? No.
Form factor? Arguably, but irrespective it has nothing on tiny clones.
Amateur factor? Big yes. Oh right, that's not an improvement...

The sad part of this pointless vanity project is that it sacrifices original parts to not exceed its "predecessor", so on second thought no thanks.

 

Not seeing whats improved besides size. I'll pass.

 

I was thinking something along the same lines when I first read about it the other day. I have two toaster consoles and neither is going to win a beauty contest and damned if either is functionally worth a damn. Pulling the CPU from either to use in such a project is something I'd have little issue with because of both items.

If I was going to go about doing this:

1)New PPU design so that PC-10 PPUs are no longer necessary
2)Full support for Famicom and NES peripherals (FDS included)
3)Famicom and NES cart support without the need for adapters

Would be nices:
A)High quality upscaling with future expansion above 1080p
B)Some sort of removable flash storage to supplement cartridges but not replace it
C)Stereo with configurability as to what channels go where, etc (for fun more than anything)
D)Price under $100

Not sure how possible it would be to break even at $99.95 or if there would even be a market. People seem happy enough buying crappy famiclones that sport inaccurate sound/picture so long as they can get their SMB fix.

 

AV famicom?

 

AV Famicom requires Famicom to NES adapter if you want to play NES games.

Beside smaller footprint, it seems the hack project also nets better power usage so a portable NES would last longer than if you hacked regular NES. And still more compatible than those tiny clones, almost none of them works with PowerPak and none of them has 100% working rate with all licensed NES games.

It's still a bit iffy but I might pick up one only because it's small and could fit in those mini arcade cab that was originally made for iPad.

 

AV Famicom on its own cannot 100% play every NES game. Zapper doesn't work, I think Power Pad also.

But same goes for NES with Famicom games. No official support for expansion audio or the front expansion port.

 

Well, an NES-to-famicom adapter seems like a small hurdle to overcome.

Why wouldn't a Zapper work?

 

The AV Famicom lacks the video wires NES controller port 2 has for the gun to work. Simple 2 wire mod fixes that.

 

I would do all of this but C).

The NES has 0 business trying to do Stereo Audio. Especially the music, it's all kinds of wrong in Stereo. Most music was explicitly made to take advantage of mono. When you pan the wrong channels to the wrong places shit doesn't sound right. Especially for music that relies on doubled lines for delay type effects.

 

Agreed. This is utterly pointless. I don't know why people keep trying to improve on the toaster model NES, very few things exist to be improved. There is that project to recreate digital video, which this doesn't have. The connector people bitch about constantly but it actually works pretty good if you clean your damned cartridges. "Stereo" sound? This always bothers me. NES doesn't and won't ever have stereo sound. The mods that suggest that it can be done are stupid.

So what's left that you could improve? Well I suppose if you cloned the system you could make some neat super set features but then you might as well just use the SNES. I think the only thing anyone should do in the area of NES consoles is someone finally clone it correctly, no messed up duty cycles or other flakey parts. No messed up cartridge port wiring. Then integrate the idea of PPU spying to reconstruct a better than composite video signal for any of S-Video, RGB, Component, or HDMI. Not *stereo sound* but have two audio jacks carrying the same sound channel so you can get sound out of both your speakers. That's all that is needed, a quality clone with a video improvement. Oh and I do like the idea of having both 60pin and 72pin connectors.

 

It's like I was saying, you're in the opposite camp of people like me. Futile to try and convince the other side about their stance on toaster NES.

 

Short of having some clever gizmo or switch, there's inherent incompatibility with four player games. Again though, these clone systems don't even get basic support right.
Have to agree though, I'm very pleased with my toaster-box. Wouldn't mind FDS support, but it isn't like you can't import a Famicom with one.

 

I think we should just mold a new toaster top cover, to make sticking in a vertical cart slot look less silly.

 

Also something to consider is that this thing couldn't possibly have the right non-standard pin spacing of the real NES connector. Correctly spaced 2.50mm edge connectors just aren't available so people make due with standard 0.01"/2.54mm. This usually works anyway because of spacious pin gaps that must just barely absorb the 1.44mm offset which accumulates over 36 pins; but it means the connection is finicky and might take several insertions to work--definitely not as reliable as a real top loader.

 

^^What this chap has said, I attempted to make a rock solid non-zif cartridge connector. Worked great on some games, others refused to boot. So now I have 4 of these "left-over" (as I bought 5 = cheaper) 72 pin standard(?) connector's with nothing to do.

 

Why ? I like my nes in orignal condition.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6-Jbp9CiDbI Ben Heck finished his auto loading NES. It works, I don't like how he put the controller ports on the side. I'm mixed on the plain minimalistic white case...and the case is easily more than twice the size of the original NES. :/

 

So what NES/Famicom IS the most compatible, also with the best video? An AV Model 1 famicom? The Original NES?
ARGH This is what's making getting an NES such a difficult decision, Compatability.

 

AV Famicom, get an adapter to run NES games on it.

You still have the FDS, you still have the expansion port for those odd japanese accessories, you have composite out, top loading with no jail bars or other odd veritcle lines.