The help a retro newbie buy a NES thread

Roar

So anyway.. I read this forum all the time, but don't really post too much. So hi!

I've always wanted a NES. It was my favourite console as a kid, even though I never had one. My cousin did. And I spent all my time in his gaff playing mario. I had an amstrad 464. Which was fine and all (not to mention I learned how to touch type at the age of seven!).. but it was no NES.

Anyway, I've decided to take the plunge and actually buy myself one as a treat.. I've saved up a bit and now I'm looking around. The only thing is.. I have no idea what's good value, and what's not.

A quick trawl through ebay came up with this

http://cgi.ebay.ie/Boxed-Nintendo-NES-Console-Plays-Both-PAL-NTSC-games-/170553471487?pt=UK_VideoGames_VideoGameConsoles_VideoGameConsoles&hash=item27b5c771ff

That seems a good deal? As I said, I've no idea..

I bow to you guys's superior knowledge

Thanks guys..

Roar

Myrddin

It's on the dear side, & the delivery is a killer. But on the other hand, it looks mint & complete, and from the description sounds like its had its CIC chip disabled, meaning its multi-region & can play any region NES game. Have you had a look on adverts?

Roar

thanks enternow.

had a look on adverts, not much there. I'll still keep looking, not going to be buying until friday anyway...

o1s1n

Ouch, that is pricey alright.

Here's one boxed and ending in just under 5 hours. Might be worth your while sending him an email and asking if he'll deliver to Ireland -

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Nintendo-NES-Game-Console-Action-Set-/230539148624?pt=UK_VideoGames_VideoGameConsoles_VideoGameConsoles&hash=item35ad343d50

fat__tony

That does seem expensive tbh, I bought a boxed NES complete with Mario 3 and all paperwork etc for around £35 around five years ago from Ebay.

Obviously prices have risen since but keep searching.

o1s1n

Here's a cool one, doesn't have the box but it's had the 72 pin connector changed so it won't have that horrible blinking red light/no game on screen problem..also has a blue LED installed -

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Nintendo-NES-Console-4-Games-2-Controllers-MUST-LOOK-/170547616221?pt=UK_VideoGames_VideoGameConsoles_VideoGameConsoles&hash=item27b56e19dd

Boxed for 40 pounds, buy it now -

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Boxed-Nintendo-NES-Console-2-Controllers-/120638882907?pt=UK_VideoGames_VideoGameConsoles_VideoGameConsoles&hash=item1c16a3445b

35 pounds -

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Nintendo-NES-console-games-PAL-/380277962871?pt=UK_VideoGames_VideoGameConsoles_VideoGameConsoles&hash=item588a553877

Unit only, 35 pounds -

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/NES-ORIGINAL-NINTENDO-CONSOLE-OFFICIAL-LEADS-PAD-/320590942467?pt=UK_VideoGames_VideoGameConsoles_VideoGameConsoles&hash=item4aa4b59103

Boxed for 40 pounds -

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Nintendo-NES-Console-Controllers-Leads-Games-Boxed-/230539109233?pt=UK_VideoGames_VideoGameConsoles_VideoGameConsoles&hash=item35ad33a371

Boxed and two games, 42 pounds -

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/boxed-nintendo-nes-games-console-mario-3-games-/120635110393?pt=UK_VideoGames_VideoGameConsoles_VideoGameConsoles&hash=item1c1669b3f9

Here's a great deal! 21 games, a zapper light gun -

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/NES-CONSOLE-21-GAMES-ZAPPER-ALL-LEADS-PAL-VERSION-/260680846991?pt=UK_VideoGames_VideoGameConsoles_VideoGameConsoles&hash=item3cb1ca0e8f

Retr0gamer

Megaman 2 is pretty much essential. Not worth owning a NES without it

Roar

cheers guys, nice one!

CiDeRmAn

Get Mario Bros and DuckHunt and Wild Gunman, three of my favorite games on the NES.
And if you pick one up, I have a spare Zapper gun I can fix you up with!
Oh, and get Mario 3 somewhere, it's awesome!

CathalDublin

Super off road racer is good too

thewheel2.0

Ive been looking into getting one too. Theres a lot of hype about PAL running slower than NTSC. Id love to get you guys opinions on that as I'm a total noob to retro gaming? Go with a PAL NES, get a PAL NES to mod it for NTSC games or buy a NTSC NES what are the options?

Retr0gamer

thewheel2.0 wrote: »

Ive been looking into getting one too. Theres a lot of hype about PAL running slower than NTSC. Id love to get you guys opinions on that as I'm a total noob to retro gaming? Go with a PAL NES, get a PAL NES to mod it for NTSC games or buy a NTSC NES what are the options?

Yeah the PAL NES is pretty bad for slowdown. I'm pretty sure no games were optimised for PAL screens and everything runs in a letterbox. If there's away to mod a NES for NTSC and PAL then that's the way to go. The best thing will be if you switch to 60Hz mode you'll get full screen even when playing PAL games. It's pretty much essential to do this mod since PAL really ruins a lot of games.

There's another thing though. The japanese NES, the famicom, is a completely different machine. The Western NES games all had an extra anti piracy chip in them but the famicom didn't have this in it which meant companies could put their own custom chips into the games. Stuff like the famicom version of Castlevania 3 has far superior music and graphics as an example due to the extra chip in it. You can't play japanese games on a western system no matter how much madding you do.

Roar

thanks for all the help guys.

Retrogamer will be happy to hear I'm currently bidding on megaman 2.. :P

Retr0gamer

Good man

djimi

CiDeRmAn wrote: »

Get Mario Bros and DuckHunt and Wild Gunman, three of my favorite games on the NES.
And if you pick one up, I have a spare Zapper gun I can fix you up with!
Oh, and get Mario 3 somewhere, it's awesome!

Would I be right in saying that a NES zapper wont work on an LCD tv? The thought of playing Duck Hunt on a 40" sounds really appealling so its a shame if it wouldnt work!

o1s1n

Nope, it won't

djimi

Oh well...

Maybe theyll release it for the Wii!

o1s1n

(Or you could trade me something for my spare 22 inch CRT)

>_>

<_<

djimi

Haha tempting! Ill make do for the moment with my parents old CRT TV that I ressurected from their attic...

o1s1n

Well this is annoying.

I dug my NES out last night and it seems its PSU is dead. The only other similar PSU I sold as part of a Snes lot. My Super Famicom runs off a Megadrive psu.

So off to ebay I went to get a NES PSU. I then remembered I also need a new 72 pin connector.

Was going to buy one of them and then realized my unit is PAL. So looked up a 50/60hz mod. - it doesn't exist for the NES as the NTSC and PAL units have chip differences.

I then decided I'd have to buy an NTSC NES instead. Oh no, I'm probably going to need a new 72 pin connector for that too.

I came up with a solution - buy a NTSC top loading NES.

But ah, now I've come across another problem - the NES doesn't support RGB. Therefore my TV won't be able to display the 60hz in colour.

I have two solutions - fix my PAL NES and just stick with that (that idea makes me sad)

Figure out if there's an RGB mod for the NTSC NES. Haven't come across one yet though

thewheel2.0

o1s1n wrote: »

Well this is annoying.

I dug my NES out last night and it seems its PSU is dead. The only other similar PSU I sold as part of a Snes lot. My Super Famicom runs off a Megadrive psu.

So off to ebay I went to get a NES PSU. I then remembered I also need a new 72 pin connector.

Was going to buy one of them and then realized my unit is PAL. So looked up a 50/60hz mod. - it doesn't exist for the NES as the NTSC and PAL units have chip differences.

I then decided I'd have to buy an NTSC NES instead. Oh no, I'm probably going to need a new 72 pin connector for that too.

I came up with a solution - buy a NTSC top loading NES.

But ah, now I've come across another problem - the NES doesn't support RGB. Therefore my TV won't be able to display the 60hz in colour.

I have two solutions - fix my PAL NES and just stick with that (that idea makes me sad)

Figure out if there's an RGB mod for the NTSC NES. Haven't come across one yet though

Yeah its really annoying that there is no definitive NES to buy some argue for PAL and others for NTSC. I wish so one would just say go buy that one:D Ive been watching the one the OP listed for ages and someone finally bought it

Stoner

you will pick one up on ebay if you give it time, a lovely one went the week before last, fully boxed c/w the scope for 26 pounds plus 12 pounds delivery,

my problem is i end up watching too much, have to get an iphone the ebay ap on my nokia is muck.

o1s1n

There really is no NTSC versus PAL debate/arguement.

• NTSC is as the games were intended to be played by the people who made the game. Full speed, full screen.

• PAL is 17.5% slower and has a bar on the top and the bottom, squishing the image and taking up valuable screen space.

Or in much simpler terms

NTSC is perfection

PAL is **** and should be avoided like a dirty old leper.

I don't see any debate there :pac:

CathalDublin

The power supply is a common problem and can be fixed with a soldering iron in a couple of minutes, the wire rots beside the psu end of the cable, cut and resolder
I've actually never owned a nes or snes without needing to do this at some stage

o1s1n

Well that's really good to know, Cheers!

Myrddin

Retr0gamer wrote: »

You can't play japanese games on a western system no matter how much madding you do.

Yeah but there are Famicom/NES adapters so there's no need to mod. I don't know how available they are these days, but there most definitely is a way to play them.

Retr0gamer

Do they work if there's extra hardware in the cartridges? Most of the famicom games that are worth playing had extra chips were the nes 10 lock out chip pins are.

Myrddin

Retr0gamer wrote: »

Do they work if there's extra hardware in the cartridges? Most of the famicom games that are worth playing had extra chips were the nes 10 lock out chip pins are.

I can't personally say for sure, but I've seen on forums that they all work. Whether that means all the games that had no special chips work, or all the game work full stop, I'm not sure.