I'm looking into getting a Disk System and I already know that the RAM cartridge does not have a long enough connector to get to the pins on the NES. What would I need to do this? I know a 60-72 pin converter, but what else? Could I daisy chain Game Genies to get to the back?
There is no easy way to use it with the toaster NES. The "best" solution really is to take a spare NES and take it apart either to fit an adapter or solder a 60 pin famicom connector. Soldering something makes more sense anyway since an adapter will not enable the FDS sound expansion which some games use. Before buying the FDS, you should consider the possible troubles you will have with it. You may have to repair the drive at some point. Also, be sure you actually are interested in more than the obvious games which are available for NES like Castlevania, Zelda, etc. If you are just going to play the FDS versions of games you could already play for much cheaper and easier that's a waste. In my opinion the only reason to get the FDS is if you are a collector or interested in the hardware for some project. If you just want to play games and you have a NES, buy the PowerPAK. It's cheaper, you can play all the games, no loading times for disk access and no chance of drive failure that requires tricky repair. Now if you are a hardcore collector I understand if you want an actual FDS with legitimate Disk games. Nothing wrong with that. However if that is the case, you might want to invest the money in a AV Famicom or standard Famicom that has been AV modded. But if you are handy with a soldering iron you could save some money by picking up a junk NES with a bad connector and soldering a 60 pin connector to it.
Alright, I think a PowerPak is probably the way to go then. While I would enjoy using actual disks and hardware, the PowerPak would probably be the better investment.
Mottzilla - Is the Powerpak pretty straight forward to use? Do you just add the ROM images to the CF and play, or do you have to set up each game you intend to play on it?
After formatting your CF card you extract the PowerPAK system folder to the root of the CF card. You download the PowerPAK system files from the website. After that you just make folders and throw your NES files on there. When you power up you have a file browser to go and select whatever you want to run. So it's very easy to use. You can throw large amounts of games into a folder, no need to specifically setup each game. The only exception is that games which support battery backed RAM for saving will need you to create a save file if you plan to save. This is pretty simple though. The primary limitations to be aware of with the PowerPAK is it does not currently support MMC5 or pirate mapper 90. Those would be the only "major" mappers I would say that aren't supported. MMC5's most notable game is Castlevania 3 but there are others. The japanese version of CV3 is supported though. Mapper 90 is used in various pirate games like Final Fight 3. But for the vast majority of the official NES and Famicom library you can expect the games to work just fine. But as I noted there are a few exceptions here and there.
