In our digital age, I think the physicality of units like this are a big part of the appeal. It's like when people buy vinyl records instead of just purchasing digital tracks. The physical element has meaning and value to people.
Speaking from an engineering point of view, I simply can't see Nintendo using any method except emulation for this. Sure, it would be theoretically possible to dig out some IC designs from 30+ years ago and recreate them in a manner that's compatible with current process technologies and then put them on a chip along with RAM, a HDMI engine and some subsystem to handle the I2C for the controller ports - but this would require some high-level engineering talent, quite a bit of time and substantial risk of unforeseen problems. All of which adds up to more money. Or they could take an off-the-shelf SoC and the emulator they have already written for the Virtual Console and use that. The second approach has almost no development risk associated with it, and can be implemented in a much shorter timeframe - hence Nintendo (or anyone else in the same situation) will choose it approximately 100% of the time.
i agree, but as with all things, in house emulators are probably going to be a very different quality than homebrew... and nintendo is one for playing up the gaming "experience" so will probably strive for good accuracy, the real interesting part is going to be getting the console to accept more games... which i have no doubt people here and other places will be working on asap, i know i will, im buying one launch day and tearing it apart as soon as i get home to start working on it... i personally want to see if we can backtrace the controller connections, insert a salvaged BT setup from a wii since itll be the same type of data, and put a wiimote inside the controllers it comes with to provide wireless gaming, im honestly a bit sad they didnt go that route out of the box, but i also really like the price point, which im sure the wireless+bt modules would have inflated.
Yeah, I think the emulation will almost certainly be at least adequate - especially since they have a defined list of games they are running on it. I personally have some doubts that it will use the same internal protocol as the Wiimote - the expansion connector is simply I2C, which the processor they are using will almost certainly have native support for, so implementing the Wiimote's "Nintendo HID" protocol and then ignoring 95% of it and using only the side channel for the expansion port just seems an unlikely approach.
i still see it as being doable, no matter which way you cut it you still have data>transmission>data and we know the data format will be compatible with wii stuff as the controllers will be, im talking actually taking the entire section of board responsible for handling this, cutting it out of the wii, providing it with power/ground as per any data sheets we can find, and correctly patching in the data lines, if you take the entire circuit you shouldnt even need much in the way of setting up syncing, as the controllers do the syncing for the most part, but if we can use the data sheet on the bluetooth module used, we can probably also set up a sync button as well if it is required, once this is accomplished inside the system, it simply becomes fitting both the base wiimotes minimum board, and the controller board, inside the controller... with the sync button exposed in some way and probably also with a small lipo to replace the 2aa setup.... definitely not the most complicated thing someone as assmblergames has pulled off... edit: after thinking about this for a moment, i think this might be even easier than current original nes to wiimote bluetooth mods since we do not need to maintain functionality of the original wiimote board, just trim it without killing it to as small a size as possible, then wiring the nes controllers output directly into the bottom plug connections of the wiimote....we really just need it for syncing/handling bluetooth/having voltage/ground
but in all honesty, my first project will be getting it accepting some sort of input for other games....
I dread the scalpers buying every last one of these. preorders for it aren't up yet. GET OUT OF MY HEAD
Nintendo needed to do things like this a long time ago. They have more brand recognition than any of the current console manufacturers. Is Microsoft's Master Chief memorable? Is, Sony's uh, Spyr- nah, Crash Bandi- nah, (Kratos? Is it Kratos now?) Kratos a household name? They just don't have a consistent platform. What good is a household name that's never in a household? But unlike Sony, MS, and even Sega, their in-house IP is killer - it's the selling point. They can move and sell millions where their competition cannot. They were living in a box for years, too afraid to change. I think part of what Nintendo has come to realize is that they can be a software company as well as a toy company. And that their fate doesn't have to be tied to single consoles or handhelds. They can produce software independent of consoles and they can produce products that are strictly toys, but not full consoles. Pokemon Go and the NES Mini represents these new visions. Keeping up the quality is definitely a concern, but we'll see how that pans out sooner or later. I just wonder which box the NX fits in. Software or toy? Console or something new? And hey, I don't mind Disney most of the time. Tend to adhere to *some* quality standards at least.
That case makes 3d printers look bad. Surely 3d printers can do better than that. Otherwise who would buy them?
Build Your Own Mini NES With a Raspberry Pi and This 3D Printed Case..... But first let's practice using this bar of soap.
Preorders have been up for a few days in Aus, got mine preordered... just waiting to be able to preorder a second pad!
I have a hunch that these are going to be made sparingly and the demand will be quite high. These will be $150 units at Christmas.
lol, the millions of people Nintendo are targeting with this have no idea what the hell a "raspberry pi" or an "emulator frontend" is. you know, those not in the niche retro gaming hobby. Normal people. I really hope they get the supply down. They would only be shooting themselves in the foot by creating a false demand for these. I would expect to walk into any retailer on Black Friday and see mountains of these things piled up in high traffic areas of the store.
Speaking of supply, I'm still pissed at Nintendo for not ensuring an adequate supply of official component cables during Holiday '06 or Gamecube Controller Adapters during Holiday '14 GRRRRRRRRRRRRR
Am I the only one that totally hear the sonic adventure character selection screen music in that youtube video?
They will sell a million of these. Problem is they will eventually join the wii in countless second hand shops and closets. Once nostalgia is satisfied, that's it. it doesn't transfer generation to generation. This device is for 40 year old people imho. That said, they will sell probably 3 million of these.
