imstarryeyed Posted October 6, 2015 Share Posted October 6, 2015 (edited) I would love to see if it can play.. Gauntlet (graphic corruption) Gauntlet 2 (same) Battletoads (Hover bike level) Paperboy (can you start the game and play it) Cobra triangle Rad racer 2 Dragon warrior 1 (this game often fails with corruption on some clones) At my store we buy all of the clones that come out in hopes that they will be better than the last. If this one can play some of these games I will certainly be interested in carrying this system. Edited October 6, 2015 by imstarryeyed Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaximRecoil Posted October 6, 2015 Share Posted October 6, 2015 (edited) In the side-by-side video comparison with a real NES, the NES video is obviously superior (sharper / more detail). The original front-loader NES has the best composite video output I've ever seen from a console, meaning that even consoles from big names like Sega and Sony can't match it, so it isn't surprising that a NES clone from a random Chinese factory can't match it either. Sometimes I turn on my NES just to admire the beautiful picture quality on my 32" CRT TV that I bought new in 2005 (and which is still like new because I've never used it all that much). I wish all of my consoles looked that good. The only things I have that beat it are my arcade machines with their still-like-new RGB CRT arcade monitors. Edited October 6, 2015 by MaximRecoil 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
7800fan Posted October 7, 2015 Share Posted October 7, 2015 Let's not forget the sound. Most clones have the wrong sound form which makes some game seem to sound a bit off compared to original console. Some people are touchy enough that some clone's crappy would sound as bad as nails on the chalkboard. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thegamezmaster Posted October 8, 2015 Share Posted October 8, 2015 Anyone have one? What's your opinion of it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NinjaWarrior Posted October 9, 2015 Share Posted October 9, 2015 Just buy a Retro Duo & get it Audio Modded for the NES Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KeeperofLindblum Posted October 10, 2015 Share Posted October 10, 2015 I went ahead and picked up this "8-Bit Entertainment" on eBay because it's only $10 plus shipping. (Cost me a total of $17)I figure I'll hook it up and throw it through the ringer to see if it was worth it. lolWorst case? (And the case most likely regardless) I give it to a friend as a gift or something. Not like I'm going to fret too much over the small amount. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CatPix Posted October 10, 2015 Share Posted October 10, 2015 I received a Sharp Twin Famicom. Now I just need a Fami-to-NES adapter and thats the stuff I'm going to keep. Suuure it's a bit on the expensive side, but you get a Famicom, a Dsik Drive, in a rather nice looking (if a bit "tankesque") shell, A/V out right from the board, and there is much room inside to install a RGB mod - and cherry on the cake, there is a DIN mounted on the board, meaning that you can rewire it for RGB without an case modding. Yum. Overall, I prefer this solution to any NOAC mess flaoting around, even without RGB mod. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lentzquest Posted October 12, 2015 Share Posted October 12, 2015 Really interested to know if it can play Rolling Thunder, Gauntlet, and the rest of the Tengen games. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nutsy Doodleheimer Posted October 12, 2015 Share Posted October 12, 2015 I received a Sharp Twin Famicom. Now I just need a Fami-to-NES adapter and thats the stuff I'm going to keep. Suuure it's a bit on the expensive side, but you get a Famicom, a Dsik Drive, in a rather nice looking (if a bit "tankesque") shell, A/V out right from the board, and there is much room inside to install a RGB mod - and cherry on the cake, there is a DIN mounted on the board, meaning that you can rewire it for RGB without an case modding. Yum. Overall, I prefer this solution to any NOAC mess flaoting around, even without RGB mod. Hope you like the Sharp Twin Fammy. I bought one a few years ago and it is one of the best investments that I have made. The Twin Fammy is amazing and I have been wanting one of them for a long time. I do need to get the 60 to 72 adapter though, even though I have a front and top loading NES. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
0078265317 Posted October 12, 2015 Share Posted October 12, 2015 Hope you like the Sharp Twin Fammy. I bought one a few years ago and it is one of the best investments that I have made. The Twin Fammy is amazing and I have been wanting one of them for a long time. I do need to get the 60 to 72 adapter though, even though I have a front and top loading NES. I bought the yobo 60 to 72 pin on ebay for 20 bucks. Or maybe its was amazon I forget. Anyhow works great. There are no notches on the nes side so tis tricky to figure out which way to insert it in. But it works great once you figure it out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CatPix Posted October 12, 2015 Share Posted October 12, 2015 I bough one on eBay with a shell. Was more expensive, but this will save some PCB wear, and reduce the risk of inverting sides. I'll comment on it once I'll have it tested a bit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KeeperofLindblum Posted October 14, 2015 Share Posted October 14, 2015 (edited) I got my 8-Bit Entertainment System (going to abbreviate as 8BES from here on) in tonight!... and these are the results. Games That Worked ==================== Dragon Warrior Earthbound 0 Kirby's Adventure The Legend of Zelda The Legend of Zelda 2 - Adventure of Link Mach Rider Mega Man 2 Metroid Pac-Man (Tengen) Punch-Out! (Mike Tyson's) Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III - The Manhattan Project StarTropics StarTropics 2 (Zoda's Revenge) Trojan Viper Games That Didn't Work* ========================= Mega Man 3 Mega Man 4 *These games worked on my regular NES (RGB-modded) but needed cleaning. They still refused to work after cleaning on the 8BES. My thoughts on it so far? I can't give a fully detailed opinion because this is my first clone system, but overall it did work. The few games I had issues with were instantly workable once I cleaned the game a bit. (My own negligence unfortunately) They looked "okay" for being what they were... NES games on a modern TV, and I had to hook the 8BES through my Framemeister because the TV (55" 4K Vizio) refused to accept the input from it. Anyways! It does for certain work as a NES replacement. I only tested the one controller but it seemed to look and work perfectly fine. It does feel weird though because the bottom has a glossy coat and feels strange compared to the normal controller. Beyond that everything else is kinda negative. The output is awful, even by composite standards. It just looks terrible. Granted, I'm used to an RGB-modded NES, but the 8BES looks even worse than a regular NES does through composite. I'd say most of the games were still pretty playable, but the yellow seemed to stick out really bad. I'll have a video up here in a bit showing off the 8BES in action. (Going to show off 5 games from the list.)Above anything else though, I have a feeling nobody here would like it for one reason... Removing a cart. The games go in pretty easy but pulling them out was almost terrifying. The death grip the system had on the games was unreal. When I was doing the final game, I was almost afraid I was going to wreck it somehow. In the end, the 8-Bit Entertainment System is what it is... A NES clone you can get for like $15-20 (including shipping). It comes with everything you need (system, cables, 2 controllers) and plugs up easy enough. It's really small too, so you could easily carry it in around. I don't know who I can really recommend it to though... Edited October 14, 2015 by KeeperofLindblum Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Austin Posted October 14, 2015 Share Posted October 14, 2015 Interesting, thanks for the review. Out of curiosity, where did you find it for $10 + shipping? I can't seem to find a price that low on eBay. Slightly off-topic, does anyone know if there are any NES clone systems that work with the PowerPak flash cart? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andromeda Stardust Posted October 14, 2015 Share Posted October 14, 2015 I received a Sharp Twin Famicom. Now I just need a Fami-to-NES adapter and thats the stuff I'm going to keep. Suuure it's a bit on the expensive side, but you get a Famicom, a Dsik Drive, in a rather nice looking (if a bit "tankesque") shell, A/V out right from the board, and there is much room inside to install a RGB mod - and cherry on the cake, there is a DIN mounted on the board, meaning that you can rewire it for RGB without an case modding. Yum. Overall, I prefer this solution to any NOAC mess flaoting around, even without RGB mod. There is no RGB out from a Twin Famicom. NES PPU only outputs composite. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KeeperofLindblum Posted October 14, 2015 Share Posted October 14, 2015 (edited) Interesting, thanks for the review. Out of curiosity, where did you find it for $10 + shipping? I can't seem to find a price that low on eBay. Turns out it's under a completely different name over there although it is the system in question. "Nintendo Clone Console" Even ships from the people who actually make it... or so it seems at least. If/when I have a little extra cash, I think I'll give their SNES clone a try as well. Might as well cover both bases! (That and the SNES one is the same deal... console, two controllers, and cables (including s-video adapter) for only $25) Edited October 14, 2015 by KeeperofLindblum 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaximRecoil Posted October 14, 2015 Share Posted October 14, 2015 The output is awful, even by composite standards. It just looks terrible. Granted, I'm used to an RGB-modded NES, but the 8BES looks even worse than a regular NES does through composite. The original front-loader NES has perhaps the best composite video output of any console ever made; not even consoles from big names such as Sega and Sony can match it, so it isn't surprising that a cheap clone console from some random factory in China can't match it either. The NES' composite output, as good as it is, obviously isn't going to look good on an HDTV, but on an SD CRT TV, it is beautiful. There is no RGB out from a Twin Famicom. NES PPU only outputs composite. Which is why the "RGB mod" he is talking about exists. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KeeperofLindblum Posted October 14, 2015 Share Posted October 14, 2015 (edited) The original front-loader NES has perhaps the best composite video output of any console ever made; not even consoles from big names such as Sega and Sony can match it, so it isn't surprising that a cheap clone console from some random factory in China can't match it either. The NES' composite output, as good as it is, obviously isn't going to look good on an HDTV, but on an SD CRT TV, it is beautiful. Which is why the "RGB mod" he is talking about exists. Now that you say that... I feel like I have read that somewhere on this forum before. Regardless of that though, the color was still really off in several places, but that might have been my big ol' modern TV doing that. I think we've got a working CRT upstairs, so I might try plugging the system into that today... EDIT - Okay! I had some free time earlier and decided to give the console a shot on two more TVs. First, I went to what is my old HDTV in the living room. It accepts the old 240p signal just fine and... didn't look too bad. It's still really fuzzy and the color is what it is. Although I hate to say it, but I think my new TV's color is off so that may have been part of my issues. Really need to look up some ideas of how to really configure it right. I'd still say if you are using a modern display, that the 8-Bit Entertainment System is good enough and playable. However, I remembered we had an old CRT upstairs along with an old VCR. (Symphonic CRT and Sony VCR for those who might be curious.) I went up, got it all plugged in, and... it actually looked pretty good for that. The color still felt a tad wonky, but I think I'm so used to a true RGB setup that anything off from that irks me. On the CRT (and through VCR), it looked pretty good actually. Of course, if it comes to that scenario, I have a feeling most people are going to just prefer the real NES in the long run since a purist of that level (CRT and/or VCR) is probably going to want the real deal. Edited October 14, 2015 by KeeperofLindblum Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thecrypticodor Posted October 14, 2015 Share Posted October 14, 2015 Just buy a Retro Duo & get it Audio Modded for the NES The newer 3.0 models no longer play Castlevania 3 and have the same compatibility as any other clone. Also, the cheap switch mode power supplies that the retro duo comes with have no noise suppression and create rolling interference. The only way to get rid of it is to use a unregulated linear power supply and to do that you need to install a 5V regulator. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaximRecoil Posted October 14, 2015 Share Posted October 14, 2015 I went up, got it all plugged in, and... it actually looked pretty good for that. The color still felt a tad wonky, but I think I'm so used to a true RGB setup that anything off from that irks me. On the CRT (and through VCR), it looked pretty good actually. Of course, if it comes to that scenario, I have a feeling most people are going to just prefer the real NES in the long run since a purist of that level (CRT and/or VCR) is probably going to want the real deal. When I said: "The NES' composite output, as good as it is, obviously isn't going to look good on an HDTV, but on an SD CRT TV, it is beautiful." I was referring to a real NES. As for the clone system, I would expect its composite video to look better on an SD CRT than on an HDTV, but I wouldn't expect it to look beautiful like a real NES, because not even consoles from major companies like Sony and Sega have composite as good as the NES. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CatPix Posted October 14, 2015 Share Posted October 14, 2015 I'm not sure about the NES output being the best ever. but heh. Obviously with a low resolution, there is less color mixing than with a higher resolution system that will display smaller pixels on the same surface. But that's another thing. Looking good or bad on a HDTV is really dependant on a lot of points. Display lag, quality of the DAC chips, scaling technique and quality... I have a Sony Bravia 720p and a Samsung TV. The Sony Bravia is really excellent and does a great job. The Samsung is inferior, not so much on he color, but even with "game mode" actived, there is a strange "blinking" effect on moving pixels, which come I suppose from the scaling. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thecrypticodor Posted October 16, 2015 Share Posted October 16, 2015 (edited) Just got mine in the mail earlier and tested a slew of carts on it. Caslevania 3 and Paperboy work. However I tried both the Tengen and official versions of Gauntlet as well as Rad Racer 2 and they don't work. With the official Gauntlet and RR2 carts inserted into the system it won't even power on. With the Tengen version it displays the same graphic corruption as any other clone. Quite a few of games that I have tried have problems even starting like Mega Man 3 and 4 that KeeperofLindblum mentioned if you keep hammering the power and reset buttons it will occasionally load or if you play it threw a game genie. So there's something wrong with the design of this system. You can see in the picture underneath the cartridge slot there is a 7404 hex inverter which is why Castlevania 3 now works. You can also see that there is some missing components on the daughter board in the back which is I think is the reason for the jailbars. I have a Retro Entertainment System clone from Retro-bit and those components are there and that version doesn't have jailbars. Edited October 16, 2015 by thecrypticodor Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KeeperofLindblum Posted October 17, 2015 Share Posted October 17, 2015 IMG_1693.JPG You can see in the picture underneath the cartridge slot there is a 7404 hex inverter which is why Castlevania 3 now works. You can also see that there is some missing components on the daughter board in the back which is I think is the reason for the jailbars. I have a Retro Entertainment System clone from Retro-bit and those components are there and that version doesn't have jailbars. Holy crap I didn't realize there was so little to the inside of the system... XD I went ahead and ordered their 16-Bit Entertainment System as well, so I'll have something up on it as well. According to their ebay auction on that one, it has a "97 percent" compatibility. It's only $25 plus shipping with two controllers... Figured it is worth a shot as well! I'll let you guys know how that one goes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CatPix Posted October 17, 2015 Share Posted October 17, 2015 (edited) I received the 60 to 72 pins converter, so : I shouldn't have picked up a PalCom game, as they were PAL versions of Konami's games, with slightly sped up gameplay and music, so it was probably faster than it should on the 60 htz system Here is a link to the converter : http://www.ebay.fr/itm/121769635036?_trksid=p2060353.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT There are cheaper ones, but this is the cheapest I found with a plastic shell so you don't plug is reversed in the system. Edited October 17, 2015 by CatPix Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thecrypticodor Posted October 17, 2015 Share Posted October 17, 2015 (edited) I've been trying some more games on the Gamerz Tek clone, and I gotta say even though it can play Castlevania 3 and Paperboy this is actually one of the worst NOAC's I've ever owned in terms of compatibility. I'm getting graphical glitches in games that normally don't have problems with clone systems like Super Mario 3, Excitebike and Bubble Bobble. Even a crappy Super Joy III doesn't have a problem playing these games. XD Retro bit's version IMO is the best out of all these $20 NOAC's. Even though it won't play Castlevania 3 and Paperboy it's the best compatibility and video output that I have tested. It's sound is garbage out of the box but that can be fixed by soldering a 1k resistor from the audio out to ground. Edited October 17, 2015 by thecrypticodor Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ataridave Posted October 17, 2015 Author Share Posted October 17, 2015 All I can say is, forget about the Top Loader NES. I'm glad that someone got me one as a birthday gift back in May, because it has the worst RF output that I've ever seen, aside from the Jaguar. It works as well as everyone says it does, but the lines look awfull, and they are very visible, other then the parts of NES games where the screen is black. I honestly would have felt ripped off if I had spent $50.00 on a Top-Loader back when they were being sold new in game stores. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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