Buying my first NES

[MaliceValentine]

Never played the console, Never seen one in real life decided i should finally buy one i enjoy the games on emulation i always had a Master System seeing as i was born in Australia.

So i need to know should i bother getting a Australian NES or a Famicom?
I was thinking famicom because it would run in 60hz and have better selection of games, Nintendo didnt release most games in Australia.

But wasnt sure if i could use AV cabels for the Famicom seeing as everythings wired into it.
Also anyone know if AU NES are easily modded with the 50hz/60hz switch?
Thanks!

[Ziggy]

I don't know any thing about dealing with NTSC systems in PAL regions, but I've been suggesting to people to get a Famicom over a NES lately for better compatibility. The Famicom can do a lot of things that the NES can't.

The original Famicom system (with the hardwired controllers) is RF only, though you can mod it for composite out. The attached controllers are the worst part about the system, but you can make an adapter to use NES controllers easily. Then there's the AV Famicom which already has composite out, and in addition to that, it has the same controller ports found on the NES (so you can use NES controllers with it).

If you get a Famicom, you could get an adapter that will allow you to play NES games on it. However, I don't know about PAL compatibility with the Famicom. But you could always import NTSC NES games if it isn't too expensive.

[Breetai]

That is the best one to get.

In all honesty, I would get an NES. A lot of classics like Metroid, Zelda II, Kid Icarus, Castlevania I and II and other games are only available on the Disk System (or horribly expensive on cart, in the case of Castlevania). Plus, a lot of the games lose a lot when you can't read the language. I don't know about PAL systems, but the NTSC NES is great. You can always be an NES-Famicom adapter and play Famicom games on the NES. There is also an adapter to play NES games on the Famicom, so there is always that option.

[Gnashvar]

In addition to what ziggy mentioned. The Famicom has better sound and one of the controllers comes with a microphone. I do hate those short cables though.

The slot version of the NES is also great if you can get one with composite video.

[MaliceValentine]

Hmmmm well theres this store near my place, the guy does japanese imports cause he has a friend who lives there the famicom does sound tempting, but i already have a PAL to NTSC power converter for my NTSC SNES so the American NES might be the way to go, just worried about postage is all.

Does the Normal NTSC Nes support AV?

[Betamax001]

The standard NES toaster DOES support standard a/v. It uses a regular cable that you should be able to get for a few dollars. It's only in mono though.

[Breetai]

Hmmmm well theres this store near my place, the guy does japanese imports cause he has a friend who lives there the famicom does sound tempting, but i already have a PAL to NTSC power converter for my NTSC SNES so the American NES might be the way to go, just worried about postage is all.

Just so you know, you can run a Famicom on American power (120v (technically between 110-120volts)).

Also, there is no such thing as a PAL to NTSC power converter. Australia runs on 240 (actually, between 220-240 I believe) volts, as does Europe, but a lot of countries using the NTSC standard also use 240 volts (Korea, China, etc.). What you have is a 240volt to 120volt step-down power converter. Japanese electronics, which run at 100volts, will work with 120volt plugs. You can plug a Famicom into an American outlet without concern.

Buy an American NES and then buy a converter to play Famicom games on if you wish. This is the most straight-forward option to play the greatest library of games in a language that you understand.

[ChuChu Flamingo]

To me there are two options.

NES Front Loader

Pro

-Composite out
-Accessories are relatively cheap (light gun etc)
-Cord length on standard controllers is long
-Cheaper than AV Famicom

Con

72 pin connector becomes corroded/bent making games not work.
Lock out chip (can be cut/modded to disable.)

AV Famicom

Pro

-Composite out
-Can play FDS games
-Can use all NES accessories except light gun (with mod you can)
-With a converter to play NES games, this would be the most reliable way to play games. No crappy 72 pin connector.

Con

-Included dog bone controllers cord length is short.
-Some people say the sound mixing is off compared to RF famicom. Can be fixed with modding.
-Light gun is expensive (but you can mod to us US ones)
-More expensive than NES



Both these models offer about the same things. The nice thing about these models is that they don't suffer from vertical jail bars (although some NES can have it, it is not as pronounced). The Twin Famicom/RF Famicom have the jail bars and need traces lifted to remedy. Also keep in mind it depends on the TV you are playing on to see the effect.

In any case who doesn't want this light gun? I know I do.

[ujnhunter]

I've been rockin' a RetroDuo lately to play my NES games! It accepts SNES controller inputs and plays both NES & SNES games with great compatibility and it's cheap... (at least in the U.S.)

[darthmunky]

I've been rockin' a RetroDuo lately to play my NES games! It accepts SNES controller inputs and plays both NES & SNES games with great compatibility and it's cheap... (at least in the U.S.)

My RetroDuo sucks, the video quality is messed up.