Original Nintendo, I think I'm addicted, Again.

[Gaetznes]

So anyone that knows me on here, knows I had a very sweet, Near Complete Nes Collection, upto a few years ago. Today I was feeling a little blue that I no longer had it.

More so that I never had acquired a M-82 Dept Store Display Unit. As I still have most of my Favorite Nes Games. The M-82, allowed the use of 12 standard nes Carts to be played via a menu etc etc etc. Overal, an awesome Unit, but very much impossible to acquire and well out of my price range. Kicking the Can, ever since I didn't beg for the money when there was one on ebay. Back in the late 90's. It was like $300 vs the $2000 plus they fetch now.

So I was thinking about back in the early 2000's. When I was trying to find a device that would hack the roms from my cartridges. As time passed, I realized my knowledge or drive to try this was lacking. In both cases.

I learned later, that someone had developed a Cartridge that allowed you to upload Roms from the internet. It was glitchy etc. Plus it required the use of a pci slot etc. Still needing a larger understanding of Rom's then I cared to learn.

However, its been well over 6 years since the last time I looked into this. New developments have made some great strides in bridging the gap between basic computer skills to just knowing how to read a manual. A site sells both the "USB CopyNes" and a Cartridge called "Powerpak".

The USB CopyNes, for the most part is just a cleaner version of the PCI one I knew of before. Additionally, the new developer makes frequent updates for the Bios. So thats a plus. The same goes for the Powerpak.

The powerpak is a homebrew's wetdream, as i've been told. HB is out of my league, so I will continue to discuss its over features. It has the ablity to play backups(NA/Europe/Jpn) and HB's. So my personal collection can be preserved, via copies. This is for the most part, a very exciting concept to me.

Now, others i've talked to. Have expressed that I can just get my Roms from online. Vs, using the USB Copy Nes. However, again showing my lack of Rom experince. It has been my understanding with the Roms I have played on my PC. That some, if not all, hackers twick the Rom to work with the emulator on said PC or Mac. So in other words these Roms are un-clean.

I still have access to several hundred offical and Pirated Nes Games. So getting Clean Rom Copies is not an issue.

Another feature that I have learned with my research, is no more dead batteries, lossing save files etc. With the Powerpak using CompactFlash. It allows for all saves to go directly to the CF. Basically, being a faster SS memory card then say SD or MMC. Additonally, size (capacity) factor being involved. A single 1 gig CF is more then enought to store all your NES delights.

Their are a few things I have yet to comfirm. If HB games that has a save features, that will work on PC's. Will they work on the Powerpak. Impying, that say a non HB (sratch build) game had a Save feature placed in it, like say SMB 1. Would be another curiosity.

I'm not sure about other people. But there are some Nes games I wish had a save feature back in the day. Or that some games could have been save anywhere, vs at save points. Ie: Dragon Warrior. Spend two hours playing, 30 mins walking about to a castle to save your progress.

I undestand that this Cartridge has alot more features to it and promse then I will ever utlize. For me atleast, I will enjoy the fact that I will have a semi Universal, Un-restrainned ###-1 Nes Muliti-Cartridge. With the perviously mentioned clean roms.

Which leads us to a potential of Game Play free of mass glitchs. With the exception of a few Mapper Issue that are being resolved by the developer of the Cartridge.

The only other issue, is the original Nes it self. It maybe great to use for the Mod (USB CopyNes). The Front Loading feature has always plauged us players! The design has always left us wanting more. Or at the least, leaving us wanting a little more breath in our lungs. If you don't get it, you've never owned a Cartridge based system.

They're solutions to this issue. The easiest would be to aquire a Top Loader Nes System. Know as Nes 101, if memory is right. Like all pervious cartridge system and all that have followed. The top loading Nes's feature solves alot of issues caused by the front loader. Primarly the Top Loader's design prevents dirt from getting into the pin connectors. Gravity also helps, vs pushing down on the connectors. Which eventually made them loose. Also, not to my experince, but it was suppost to limit the wear and tear on the copper pins of the cartridge.

As some of us know or have heard. Some nes Cartridges have begin to fail. Not just from bad batteries. But from the wearing out of the connector pins on the Cartridges. This to the best of my knowledge is un-repariable. Vs repacing the Connector pins of a front loading Nes system. Which is a 20-40 Min process.

This being just One more reason, why I have expressed an intrest in this project.

So has anyone done or express intrest in doing this similar project? If so, any tips, advice or suggestions? Anyone have a CIB Nes Toploader they might be willing to sell?

[Protoman]

I am in the same boat. I do livestreams once and awhile of me beating NES/Famicom games (Namely "Nintendo Hard" stuff).

As for your little USB project, there is other ways..... but I can't really talk about it legally on the boards sorry.

[Gaetznes]

Originally Posted by Protoman

As for your little USB project, there is other ways..... but I can't really talk about it legally on the boards sorry.

No worries. This already has its own legality issues. Yeah for Canadian copy right laws allowing for back ups of items you already own.

You may get a kick out of this, I own a UFO for the SNES. With a working floppy port. SMW may take more then one floppy but it still works like the cart. Plus it allows me to play my Superfam Games Cleanly.

Inregards to the USB route, there is enought meat on the bones for the method to work.

I'm sorta looking at it as a perpetual project. Just as I did before. Collecting all the Offical Roms as possible. Vs the pervious goal of all the Carts.

Untill all are one, on one cartridge that is.

[Nomad]

Thanks for making me miss my SNES even more than I already did. I appreciate it to no end.

[Summit]

I have an arcade machine I built that has every game on it from every console.....ever. From Atari 2600 to Nintendo Wii, I just pick a game from the menu and play.

Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lEgaqXsavYA

[Gaetznes]

Originally Posted by Summit

I have an arcade machine I built that has every game on it from every console.....ever. From Atari 2600 to Nintendo Wii, I just pick a game from the menu and play.

Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lEgaqXsavYA

Thats prity creative. It looks like a pre constructed piece of software, that allows you to plug in your roms. Which then allowed you to put into a Arcade style Unit. It would be intresting to see the controller set up. Since the consoles range in a varity of differnt requirements to play. Primarily the wii.

[Summit]

Originally Posted by gaetz

Thats prity creative. It looks like a pre constructed piece of software, that allows you to plug in your roms. Which then allowed you to put into a Arcade style Unit. It would be intresting to see the controller set up. Since the consoles range in a varity of differnt requirements to play. Primarily the wii.

Ya, it's a front end called Hyperspin, you can download it at www.hypserpin-fe.com, there's a whole forum for it over there. You just plug in your ROM and emulators and good to go. For the Wii I just use a Wiimote paired via bluetooth but for any of the arcade style games I use this:

[Gaetznes]

So from start to finish, how much money, time and tears did it take you to complete that?

[CobraCommander]

I've always had an interest in building my own arcade cabinet of my favortie game "Ghouls n' Ghosts", either that or a MAME cabinet with a "backup". So far I have a nice large CRT monitor and few repro side decals and header. My next step will be to either build a cabinet from scratch or buy a old one and refurbish, it's a side project so it could take a few years to complete.

As far as NES is concerned I have the original console complete with box and even R.O.B. and a slew of the great classic games. However for regular play, I have "backups" on my DSi XL and a few on the 3DS. Can't beat portable play especially with save states

[Akroyer]

Originally Posted by CobraCommander

I've always had an interest in building my own arcade cabinet of my favortie game "Ghouls n' Ghosts", either that or a MAME cabinet with a "backup".

I've wanted to build one for me to play Exciting Hour and Wrestlefest. I put out some feelers locally to try and get an old cabinet to fix up. But came up dry.

I'm not in any hurry at all, but someday it would be nice to have one in the corner all lit up.