Top products from r/nes

You have a ton of options at varying prices. I'll try and list out some of them.

RF - Nobody should use RF, unless you have no other options.

Composite - Purchase a toaster style NES, a clone system or mod your toploader. The PQ on an HDTV will not be great and the picture will need to be upscaled on your TV, which also introduces some lag. This option is much better than RF, but much worse than RGB/HDMI. This option will cost anywhere from $20 - $80.

RGB - You can purchase Tim Worthington's RGB board and install it (or pay to have it installed). You can have this installed with a multi-out port (like an SNES) and this can be used in a variety of ways. You can attach an s-video cable to it or buy one of HD Retrovisions SNES component cables. This will give you a much better picture on your HDTV, but depending on how the handles 240p, it may still have problems. Definitely an upgrade from composite. This will all run you around $200 +/-. You can also use this mod to run through a Framemeister which will give you a very nice HDMI picture, but the Framemeister is expensive. That will run $500 +/- for everything, but you will get an HD picture on original hardware (and the mod). A great option, but expenisve.

HDMI - There are a few devises that run using HDMI. The Retron 5 is a nice, cheap option with a lot of features, including save states. This runs around $150. It can run a variety of different system cartridges and is a good option if you feel you might not be playing long term. The downside is that the cartridge slots are tight and many systems have been known to have defects. It also will not run a lot of pirate, homebrew games. Also, it technically isn't running on true hardware.

There is also an HDMI mod through Game Tech. This is the same board they use in the sold out Analog NT. This mod does everything you want, but it is frequently sold out, and with installation will run you about $200 - $300. It's probably closest to what you want done. I can't think of many downsides, besides availability and price.

The AVS is a system that has been developed by RetroUSB. It is an HDMI NES that promises to do everything that the HDMI mod does and a little bit more. It will play Famicom games as well and will run $185. It's going to have a lot of built in features and will play all NES/Famicom cartridges. Supposedly they are on a boat from China to the US right now and should be available for sale in 4-8 weeks.

Like you stated, the NES mini is being released this fall by Nintendo. No one knows how good the emulation will be, but it's a good legal way to play 30 of the best NES games. Also, the Wii eShop has pretty good NES emulation as well and the games can be purchased cheap. Used Wii consoles are all over the place for ~$40.

Emulation - I won't get too deep into what emulation is all about since it can be illegal, but it might not be a bad option if you are looking for a cheap solution at a low price point.

I hope that helps. Everybody has a different preference in how they want to play. I also think that a PVM or CRT is a great option for NES gaming, especially because it allows for light gun play and it will have no lag. And besides that, people are basically giving away CRT TVs.

Here are your options:

• Real hardware and an upscaler like the xrgb mini: Expensive, but does a much better job of upscaling than your TV will do. Basically, this means that games with tight timing will be more playable with the xrgb mini than with just a TV. For games like mega man and super ghouls 'n ghosts, I found the lag on my TV's upscaler made the games even harder than they already are.
  
• Use a clone system: The retron is probably the best in this area but I have 0 experience. The retron 5 is the latest. Make sure to check the reviews. There is also a portable super nintendo clone that can plug into a TV.
  
• Real hardware but modded with HDMI support: Also expensive and I don't think anyone has done this for the SNES yet.
  
• VirtualConsole on the Wii or Wii U: If you want to be legit you can buy some games from the eShop for about $4-10 depending on sales and title. You could also do a software mod to the Wii (or Wii portion of Wii U) and install emulators using the homebrew channel.
  
• Use emulators on a computer: Some people build a dedicated emulator machine using a raspberry pi but you could also just install an emulator on whatever computer you have. Higan is a very nice emulator if you go this route. I like the 8bitdo controllers. The USB only version is like 1/3 the price of the bluetooth version, but both versions can do USB. They are well made. I have the bluetooth version and I like it (and I'm very picky about emulation, controllers, etc. as I grew up with the original systems).
  
  I used emulators like higan until getting a CRT and rebuying real hardware (I wish I had my systems from growing up but they are lost to the ages). Now that setup is my preferred way.
  
  I hope that helps.

Ninja Gaiden is a great game but SUPER hard to beat. It's classic NES where you memorize where each baddie comes from because it is always the same. But as you go and reach a new level, you have to begin memorizing again but die too soon. So much trial and error. Contra is super fun if you use the Konami code. Up Up Down Down Left Right Left Right B A Start during the opening screen. Then you get thirty lives and two continues which also give you 30 more lives. But playing it without the code is pretty rough. Doing the code with a friend and not having to worry about random deaths is the best. One of the best NES games ever in my opinion.

Ninja Gaiden:
https://youtu.be/6t2YvyLqw3c?t=90

Contra:
https://youtu.be/2mWZlNOzdv8

Some games that I absolutely love: Mario 3, Jaws, Life Force, Mega Man 2 (it's the best one in the series), Zelda, Metroid, Bionic Commando, and Gunsmoke.

Side bar: If your NES acts up and gets sick of playing games you can replace the 72-pin connector inside the toaster but it is a pain. Also, don't blow on your games; the moisture in your breath only aids in oxidizing the contacts. Nail polish remover/rubbing alcohol on a q-tip is the way to go. Nevertheless, I got sick of fixing my system (it is VERY rarely the cartridge that is the problem) so I bought this giant piece of shit.

http://www.amazon.com/8-Bit-Entertainment-System-Nintendo/dp/B0161N7J2G?ie=UTF8&psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o06_s00

It works perfectly. I was shocked and still am. And the controllers are actually legit.

Thats what I got for now. Love your youTube vids. Keep it up.

-reid-

Deep clean your games.

To do this I would recommend a deep clean. These games have 25+ years of dust build up and corrosion from people blowing in them. And simply dusting it out might not be enough.

To deep clean the games you will need to open them up this can be accomplished with a 3.8 security bit screwdriver. You can get those here from amazon for a few bucks. After it’s opened gently remove the chip and wipe out the inside of the cart with some isopropyl alcohol to remove any dust inside and set it aside. Then move to the game contacts these are the gold slips at the bottom of the game. Dip a q-tip in the isopropyl alcohol and firmly scrub the contacts until the q-tip stops getting a dark color. Use as many q-tips as you need.

After that there should still be some alcohol on the contacts. Use a pencil eraser on the contacts and firmly rub off any hunk that might have built up. I found the pink rectangular ones work best.
Next take a magic eraser and buff out the last of anything remaining on the contacts. Do this to both sides and then take a paper towel and some alcohol and gently rub off any dust or eraser markings left behind. Let everything dry for a minute or so and the put the game back together.

If doing that doesn’t solve the issue it’s a problem with the 72 pin connector. Turn the NES upside down and use a Phillips head screw driver to remove the 6 screws on the bottom so you can lift the top off. After that remove the silver heat shield there are 2 screws on the left 2 at the back and 3 or 4 on the right side. Once that’s off blast the insides with compressed air to get all the dust out that has built up. After a good dusting remove the tray and 72 pin connector there are 3 screws on either side with the middle screw being longer then all the other screws. Side the tray foreword and up to remove them pull the 72 pin connector off the back.

You can bend the pins back up or boil it to clean it if you don’t want to buy a new one or really care about having all Nintendo parts ( if so let me know and I’ll explain how to do that as well), but I personally usually just replace it at this point. If you don’t really plan on using your NES very often you can get a basic 72 pin connector on amazon for $10.00. If you play it often you might look into upgrading to a Blinking Light Win it’s more expensive but it’s designed so you don’t push down on the game and loosen the pins so it should last much longer and it will circumvent the region lock chip. Personally I love mine.

I think that’s everything. Let me know if you need to know anything else. Good luck with the repairs

My friend did the same thing. He was getting a divorce and clearing out his house and posted on FB free NES, few games, 2 NES advantage controllers (one in the original box never used and still in the plastic) and multiple boxes from previous games he no longer had. The only thing missing was the power supply. I was super stoked and ordered one online. Plugged that baby in and got the blinking red light. I cleaned the games, blow the fuck out of them, stuffed one on top of the other and I could only get Contra to work briefly and it was all pixelated and crappy display. My heart was broken and I sadly packed it all up and put it in my basement.

6 months go buy or so and I find a store in my mall that repairs and sales retro games. He was like here replace this connection component on the motherboard and you will have a new system, cost $15. Bought it and swapped it out and I was back to a new system!!!

So I would suggest doing the same and always clean the cartridges with a q-tip and rubbing alcohol to remove any oxidation.

This one will fix the actual design issue and you may never have to swap out the 72 pin connector again.

https://www.arcadeworks.net/blw

This is the original replacement, it is cheaper, but over time you could experience the same issue where the pins stretch and don’t make contact.

https://www.amazon.com/Connector-Nintendo-System-Bulk-Packaging-entertainment/dp/B002DLOM6C/ref=mp_s_a_1_4?crid=OHU19SUAITHR&keywords=nes+72+pin+connector+replacement&qid=1551190926&s=gateway&sprefix=nes+72+&sr=8-4

And here’s a cleaning kit that does well.

https://www.amazon.com/1UPcard-Video-Cartridge-Cleaning-Nintendo-NES/dp/B00S7HYEKK/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?crid=ET82QFTGL1X4&keywords=1up+card&qid=1551191045&s=gateway&sprefix=1up+&sr=8-1

Oh and retro gaming can and will become an addiction. I now own Atari 2600, NES, SNES, N64, Gameboy (orig) a ton of games and peripherals for the systems. And wait when you find home brew games and there is a company that made a brand new game and I sponsored on Kickstarter and will get the game this year.

https://youtu.be/3qgjKb0ecBs


Good luck! And have fun!

I mean, I basically outlined it in a previous post here. Take a clean cloth and some isopropyl and work it in to the connector.

Some people use an old credit card or something like it and wrap the cloth around it and work it down in to the connector where games get inserted. You could also use an old toothbrush instead of a card and cloth. You could also use something like this.

Then take a small regular screwdriver (like for eyeglasses) and gently lift the pins uniformly across the whole connector. Also clean the contacts where the lower pins sit on the motherboard with isopropyl and a few q-tips to make sure you lift any other nasty bits off the board.

The single best thing you can do once you get the connector cleaned is to clean ALL of your games with isopropyl and q-tips. Try not to put dirty games in clean connectors.

Ok, the absolute cheapest way to record gameplay is probably buying a used DVD recorder from a thrift shop. You can get them nowadays for $5-$10 (especially look for DVD recorders that also have a VCR built in, they often get priced even lower for some reason). Then you'll need some blank DVD-Rs, which are like 10 cents a piece in a spindle. Basically, what you do is take your output from your AV switch into the DVD recorder, then the recorder outputs to TV. Record to discs then rip the discs on a computer when you have the footage you want. This ripped DVD video can then be used in most video editing programs, or just straight put online, etc. That's actually how the large majority of AVGN episodes got gameplay footage, incidentally.

The downside is having to deal with discs and the extra time involved in ripping, you also can't livestream with this setup. It can be nice to have the burned DVD as a backup though.

Second cheapish option, use a USB capture card to your PC and composite splitters. Basically, you buy a good USB capture card for about $30: I-o DATA USB connection video capture GV-USB2 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00428BF1Y/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_WycSzb8SNAZ9C

There is a cheaper device, like $10 to $15, called EZ Cap, but the more expensive one has much better quality.

Then you buy AV splitters for under $10 like these: Cable Matters 5-Pack, Gold Plated RCA Split Adapter https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0141KPHR0/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_ECcSzbXKPBG3B

Though annoyingly you'll need 6 of those little things, not 5. You'll also need two extra sets of those red/yellow RCA cables, possibly one very long one depending on where your computer is located.

Essentially, you plug the output from your switch into those little splitters, then run one RCA cord out of them to the TV, and the other to the capture device plugged into your computer. Then while you play on the TV, you can record on your computer.

Downside of this method, splitting the cable can result in a bit dimmer video signal, depending on how your TV handles it. Also, extra cable has to be dealt with, and if you don't have a computer nearby may be impossible.

Hope that makes sense. It's a bit of a pain, but not crazy expensive at least.

I don't know enough about it to say, but I do know that a lot of the third party replacement adaptors aren't the same voltage/amperage. They will sometimes work "ok" but there's going to be less of a tolerance.

The official ones output 1.3A 9V vs (for example) this random replacement https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001S2VT6I that provides 350mA. Supposedly, according to internet posts here and elsewhere, the NES draws 800-900mA max.

I don't know specifically about the NES, but I think it's entirely possible that in some cases a game could play fine but when there were a lot of sprites/CPU calculations then games could glitch or even shut the system down. Likewise some games might do processing at the title screen that causes it.

The NES Retro Entertainent System will only set you back $15 if you have Amazon Prime. The controllers are shitty, but it should be good enough to test the games.
Edit that price just skyrocketed

Here's a link to the same item in a different color that is now around $17.

Retro Bit Nintendo NES Entertainment System (Silver/Black) by Retro Bit http://www.amazon.com/dp/B003VH5Z2C/ref=cm_sw_r_udp_awd_rSBKub113NV4G

I was wrong! Apparently there is one that's within your price range, manufactured by Gamerz Tek. Thanks to /u/accaris for their comment in /r/retrogaming for the heads up/correction!

With that said, it really looks like a direct copy of the Retron 1/Retro-Bit RES, so I have to wonder if it is a direct clone of those systems, but with the appropriate mod pre-applied during the manufacturing stage to ensure compatibility right out of the box.

The Cheap 3 in 1 power supplies are bad and can damage you systems. Just look at the comments on this one.

So my best suggestion would be that you go to your local thrift-store and go through their bin of cords and find a Power adapter that outputs 9V @ 1000Ma or (1 Amp) and go from there. I have found so many power adapters this way, its ridiculously easy to do. Many old phones used the same voltage as the NES and the same plug. I wish you luck and remember, be careful.

Get one of these: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00428BF1Y/

Then look up some tutorials on YouTube for setting up OBS Studio.

If you want to play on a separate TV while you record (which I'd probably recommend), get one of these as well: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B010EIK6K6/

You'll also need some male-to-male RCA cables: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07846GW8H/

If you want to split the NES' mono audio to both channels: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000068O4Y/

While not just Nintendo, The Ultimate History of Video Games by Steven L. Kent is a must for video game history buffs.

I recently got one called Good Nintentions which is quite good.

So I am doing this to for Christmas. Here is what I am using. Obviously your results will depend on your printer/paper. I am not fully done, I had to order new tape this weekend.

1. http://wiki.nesdev.com/w/images/d/dc/NES_Game_Pak_label_template.png. YOU NEED TO SET YOUR DPI AND RESCALE. If you have a 600dpi printer, this image should be 1392x2400
   
   
2. I used these on my laser printer: https://www.amazon.com/Avery-Shipping-Printers-TrueBlock-Technology/dp/B00008XPE9/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1481505784&sr=8-4&keywords=avery+laser+8.5x11 -- If you have an inkjet, you will have to research this better, this paper looks like it will bleed really bad.
   
   
3. Laminate with clear tape. Standard tape is too narrow (1.88"), you need 3" wide. https://www.amazon.com/Duck-Performance-Packaging-54-6-Yard-307352/dp/B001PMHZVO/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1481505842&sr=8-1&keywords=Duck+tape+wide
   
   Save yourself money and do not use the gorilla glue wide tape, it is cloudy with weird dots.
   
   Print, seal with tape, cut out, apply. Add extra glue as need.
   

I got a convertor that lets you use NES controllers on your Famicom on Amazon. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00NHATUTW?ref_=pe_1196280_123950170

But in reading your message you're looking for the other way around.

I got them from amazon but the appear to be unavailable now.

did you try replacing the connector?

http://www.amazon.com/Connector-Nintendo-System-Bulk-Packaging-Entertainment/dp/B002DLOM6C

ok how about one of these many great choices that I was able to find?

You can get a new copy for just $49,999.99!

I found this on amazon. I'm not sure if it would work or not, but for $30 I'm tempted to buy it.
https://www.amazon.com/Converter-Nintendo-Accesories-Famicom-Sharp-AV/dp/B00NHATUTW?tag=incepin-20#customerReviews

You could just build a little display case for it and restrict him from ever using it ...

Or get him this too:

http://www.amazon.com/Retro-Nintendo-Entertainment-System-Silver-Black/dp/B003VH5Z2C/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1415654636&sr=8-1&keywords=retro-bit+nes