This Old Neon Forum

The Analogue NT is a third-party NES & Famicom combo-console set for release later this year. It's a native hardware remake, meaning it doesn't rely on emulation to run the games and thus doesn't suffer from compatibility issues. It uses the original controller ports (4 of them), but otherwise it's a beautiful aluminum one-piece body with top-loading slots for NES and Famicom games (region-free).

It'll cost around $500.

Kong Wen wrote:
It'll cost around $500.

Not including the cables to hook it up which seemingly have to be purchased separately.Then you'll likely need to purchase the HDMI upscaler to make it not like ass on a modern television. So probably closer to $600 in total.

It also says in the FAQ that it may have compatibility issues with PAL games due to the 50/60hz issue. For $600 I would want them to be a bit less vague about this.

So it just plays all NES games? Cool if you really want a new NES or want to play really obscure Famicom titles. For that amount of money I'd probably just pick up a Wii U and look at the Wii VC selection of Famicom games.

Though it is more for those retro enthusiast than those who just want to play the games.

The Shoemaker wrote:So it just plays all NES games? Cool if you really want a new NES or want to play really obscure Famicom titles. For that amount of money I'd probably just pick up a Wii U and look at the Wii VC selection of Famicom games.

Though it is more for those retro enthusiast than those who just want to play the games.

There's also the fact that this thing plays about 1000x more NES & FC games than the Wii U does.

For this money, most people would be better off just buying a legit NES and Famicom, but they can be tricky to acquire in good working condition.

This also has some art-piece appeal, for whoever the video game equivalent of videophile/audiophile aesthetic fanatics would be.

Kong Wen wrote:This also has some art-piece appeal, for whoever the video game equivalent of videophile/audiophile aesthetic fanatics would be.

That's what it looks like to me. I wonder if there's enough of a market for it.

The website isn't overly forthcoming about company information, but I'd be very surprised if these machines are assembly-line units. I'd hesitate to say they're handcrafted, but I think that's closer to the truth than calling them a production model. At $500 (starting!) a piece, this isn't a volume product. Even with the aluminum case and the high quality components (of which I'm dubious - the clarity of digital output or even just analogue RGB would be an improvement over the stock R/F whether you use $30 terminations or plugs that run a buck a pound), there's a significant markup on that price point. Whether it's three guys with a C&C machine and a soldering station happy to sell 500 units or a proper business and a 10K+ unit forecast is what I'm curious about.

In any event, it's pretty cool to see the high end DIY and mod community grabbing a hold in the gaming market. This kind of stuff is huge in the audiophile communities and elsewhere, and I applaud any attempts to preserve the integrity of the original hardware (as in this case), while adding quality, desirability, exclusivity, etc. into the mix.

Now that we have new image functionality, just posting to add a pic for those who may have been too lazy to look at the product's page:

Although I myself wouldn't spend this type of money on prettier looking native hardware it is interesting to see this emerging as a trend in gaming.

I follow another site http://www.rosecoloredgaming.com/ on facebook. They produce similarly aesthetically pleasing remodels of existing hardware (and in some cases ROM hacks) and sell them at exorbitant prices to flush retro gamers. Their stocks are constantly sold out or sell out within seconds despite them having a rather mixed reputation online.



I wonder if a situation will ever arise where one of the big names in the business decides to get in on this itself. I guess we'll need a lot more rich retro gamers for it to be worth their while...although even as a marketing tool like the Wu Tang Clan's recent one copy album (http://www.forbes.com/sites/zackomalley ... ret-album/ it might be a something for them to think about.

$5 million for the only copy of Super Mario World 3 Nintendo? Might make you more than the Wii U.

A Beta Fu7ure wrote:Although I myself wouldn't spend this type of money on prettier looking native hardware it is interesting to see this emerging as a trend in gaming.

I follow another site http://www.rosecoloredgaming.com/ on facebook. They produce similarly aesthetically pleasing remodels of existing hardware (and in some cases ROM hacks) and sell them at exorbitant prices to flush retro gamers. Their stocks are constantly sold out or sell out within seconds despite them having a rather mixed reputation online.



I wonder if a situation will ever arise where one of the big names in the business decides to get in on this itself. I guess we'll need a lot more rich retro gamers for it to be worth their while...although even as a marketing tool like the Wu Tang Clan's recent one copy album (http://www.forbes.com/sites/zackomalley ... ret-album/ it might be a something for them to think about.

$5 million for the only copy of Super Mario World 3 Nintendo? Might make you more than the Wii U.

That gameboy advance looks incredible. Shame I have no real reason for one as I much prefer the GBASP because of charging and backlight.

Slurmee wrote:That gameboy advance looks incredible. Shame I have no real reason for one as I much prefer the GBASP because of charging and backlight.

Those custom GBAs also have backlights. I think they use actual backlit SP screens. They released a SNES/Super Famicom model (with buttons and casing colours to match those classics systems) a month or so ago for $200, and I think it sold out in the first night.