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LeshLush
Joined: Oct 19 2009
Location: Nashville, TN
Posts: 1479
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My NES has been dead for several years now, and I'm thinking about buying a new one, because sometimes emulation just doesn't cut it. My question is, what should I buy?
I had the classic NES, which I loved, but I'm afraid to pay for a new (used) one only to have it die on me shortly after.
The toploader seems like a great machine, but they're pretty expensive. The cheapest one I can find with all the necessary parts is about $80.
And then there are the reverse engineered knock-offs, like the RetroDuo and the RetroN. Does anybody here have any first-hand experience with any of these? How well did they work? Would I be unhappy with my purchase? Part of why I don't like emulating as much is that it feels fairly ersatz, although maybe that has more to do with playing on a laptop instead of a TV.
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JoshWoodzy
Joined: May 22 2008
Location: Goshen, VA
Posts: 6544
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Just go for the Top Loader. Will treat you well for many a year. The regular grey box is great for nostalgia and looks good on a shelf, but the Top Loader actually, you know, plays games and isn't a pain in the ass.
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Syd Lexia
Site Admin
Title: Pop Culture Junkie
Joined: Jul 30 2005
Location: Wakefield, MA
Posts: 24883
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The Top Loader plays great out of the box and lasts. If you're into fixing stuff up, you can get replace connectors for the NES which will far outlast the original ones. It's a bit of DIY though.
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@om*d
Title: Dorakyura
Joined: Jul 10 2010
Location: Castlevania
Posts: 4226
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Top Loader all the way. 80 bucks is a good price and is about the same as the original price is went for adjusted for inflation. If you keep an eye out you can find them for as cheap as 45 bucks. It just depends on how patient you are. 80 bucks isn't too bad of an investment when you consider how long it will last for.
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username
Title: owner of a lonely heart
Joined: Jul 06 2007
Location: phoenix, az usa
Posts: 16134
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my buddy has the retro duo & its been working fine for the last 2-3 years. the controllers kind of suck though.
apparently the retron 3 is not too bad a system & lets you use the original controllers http://x.co/3bqem
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| Klimbatize wrote: |
| I'll eat a turkey sandwich while blowing my load |
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UsaSatsui
Title: The White Rabbit
Joined: May 25 2008
Location: Hiding
Posts: 7565
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If you can get a toploader for $80, jump on that bitch. That's the one you want.
The clone systems will play most, but not all, the NES games. So be careful about that. Search Ye Olde Internete for compatibility lists.
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@om*d
Title: Dorakyura
Joined: Jul 10 2010
Location: Castlevania
Posts: 4226
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Even with games that do work on the clone systems you can have framerate issues, glitches and the audio is usually below the quality of the real deal. They are best for if you have limited space or you are lazy and you want one console to play games for multiple other consoles. Their controllers are generally sub-par as well, but with most of the clones I know of you can use original controllers.
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Etch
Title: Intermittent Scribbler
Joined: Mar 15 2011
Location: Texas
Posts: 588
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I've got a Retro Duo. I think it has the best compatibility of the clone systems.
But it's better as an SNES replacement (although it won't run Stunt Race FX  ). The NES video looks terrible through the S-Video cable; looks fine through composite, though. The sounds are 'off' in a noticeable, but not horrible way. And you can only use SNES controllers, so no Zapper games. 
That doesn't bug me terribly because the Duo was an SNES replacement and I still have my top-loader. My experience hasn't been as rock-solid as everyone elses, it seems. A lot of my games won't run unless I wedge something behind the cart to press it forward. Works fine after that, though. 
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It is a waste of politeness to be courteous to the devil ~ William L. Garrison
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LeshLush
Joined: Oct 19 2009
Location: Nashville, TN
Posts: 1479
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That's too bad about the clones, but in the long run I'd probably be happier with the real thing anyway, so maybe it's for the best.
I do enjoy fixing things up, so I may look into that pin connector replacement that Syd mentioned.
Thanks for the responses, all.
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slapolakinkaido
Title: Illegitimate Son of God
Joined: Jul 14 2009
Posts: 1565
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I still have my original front loader NES after 24 years. I just replaced the 72-pin connector once a couple years ago and it works fine again. That's what I would recommend unless your issue with your NES is different than mine. You can probably get one on ebay for like 7 bucks or something. But like Syd says it's a little bit DIY.
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Methid Man
Title: Spawn of Billy Mays
Joined: Nov 23 2010
Location: Hackensack, NJ
Posts: 544
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I have a replacement connector and a couple of front-loader NES's. Still haven't gotten around to replacing it yet though.
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Cameron
Title: :O � O:
Joined: Feb 01 2008
Location: St. Louis, MO
Posts: 4637
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| username wrote: |
| my buddy has the retro duo & its been working fine for the last 2-3 years. the controllers kind of suck though. |
I have a retro duo, and while it's way way easier to plug into a TV than the old NES, a lot of the music is choppy and muted and some games don't work on it, so it's a mixed bag.
I say get a top loader. My dad got ours back in 1995 and it still works fine.
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The Opponent
Title: Forum Battle WINNER
Joined: Feb 24 2010
Location: The Danger Zone
Posts: 3495
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Just be aware that none of the clones play Castlevania III.
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I'm not a bad enough dude, but I am an edgy little shit. I'll do what I can. |
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Etch
Title: Intermittent Scribbler
Joined: Mar 15 2011
Location: Texas
Posts: 588
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| The-Excel wrote: |
| Just be aware that none of the clones play Castlevania III. |
The Retro Duo plays it just fine, although it has some of the worst sound distortions in the music. The sound effects seem okay. Which is weird because I just tested a handful of my games and some of the music plays fine, but then the sound effects are off. Seems odd that it can play music and effects correctly, but not both in the same game...
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It is a waste of politeness to be courteous to the devil ~ William L. Garrison
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Cameron
Title: :O � O:
Joined: Feb 01 2008
Location: St. Louis, MO
Posts: 4637
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| Etch wrote: |
| The-Excel wrote: |
| Just be aware that none of the clones play Castlevania III. |
The Retro Duo plays it just fine |
Mine plays it as well.
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The Opponent
Title: Forum Battle WINNER
Joined: Feb 24 2010
Location: The Danger Zone
Posts: 3495
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Did a new model come out since 2011 or something? When I last heard about the status of the clone hardware, Castlevania III was the one big hurdle none of them could get across.
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I'm not a bad enough dude, but I am an edgy little shit. I'll do what I can. |
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Etch
Title: Intermittent Scribbler
Joined: Mar 15 2011
Location: Texas
Posts: 588
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Wikipedia says Castlevania III works since version 3. Don't know when it was released, though. I got mine Oct 2012, so...probably?
...and looking at the list of compatible SNES games it looks like only the PAL version of Stunt Race FX doesn't work. And, yet, my NTSC copy didn't work. So I tried tilting my copy in the slot...and after some finagling, it worked! Hooray! I just spent an hour playing it 
( I thought it was odd that StarFox worked fine but not Stunt Race  )
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It is a waste of politeness to be courteous to the devil ~ William L. Garrison
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