Technabob » famicom

Nintendo’s First 3D Video Game System: No, It’s Not the Virtual Boy

Lambert Varias — Thu, 10 Mar 2011 13:06:14 +0000

Nintendo’s 3DS has attracted a lot of attention mostly because of its glasses-free 3D screen, which will no doubt be a joy to use for some people but will be disappointing or worse, harmful to others. Overall though it’s considered a step up from Nintendo’s earlier foray into 3D, the Virtual Boy. Until today I would have said that the Virtual Boy was the first 3D hardware that Nintendo made, but it turns out that the company also released a 3D peripheral 7 years before they came up with the Virtual Boy. It was an add-on for the Famicom , which was simply named the Famicom 3D System.

The goggles operated in a similar fashion to modern 3D systems – by making the eyes look at slightly different images. To do that it had two liquid crystal windows and an electronic shutter system. Nintendo was even thoughtful enough to include an adapter so that you could plug in two pairs of goggles at once. Unfortunately for the Famicom 3D System, Nintendo only released seven compatible games (most of which seemed to be poor imitations of SEGA games), plus the added hardware needed to play the games were quite expensive. At least they didn’t require a special TV. Here’s Famicom Dojo’s episode about the other doomed Nintendo 3D hardware:

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

So it turns out Nintendo’s hoping that third time’s the charm for their 3D campaign. And even if the 3DS isn’t perfect, I doubt the company would return to a goggles-based 3D system.

[via 4 color rebellion]

Protect Your iPhone By Wrapping it in a Video Game Console

Technabob — Sun, 13 Feb 2011 14:33:40 +0000

We’ve featured some cool handmade cases by rabbitrampage before, but these are definitely my favorites so far.

Each handmade felt case is a tiny little replica of a famous gaming console, precisely stitched, and filled with a little bit of padding to protect your delicate iPhone, iPod Touch or other gadget of similar size. While I do love the classic white Xbox 360 one, I have to say I have a special place in my heart for the Famicom version:

The retro PlayStation one doesn’t look too shabby either:

Please note that the miniature controllers shown in the pics are not included, but they are available separately. Prices for the cases range from $28 to $38 (USD), and the mini controllers sell for $13 bucks each. You can find them all over at rabbitrampage’s Etsy shop.

Famicom Toyota Scion: 8-bit Heir

Lambert Varias — Fri, 07 Jan 2011 12:00:07 +0000

The boxy, toy-like car you see below is the work of Giant Robot magazine publisher Eric Nakamura and Len Higa of Onimotorworks. Nakamura was asked by Toyota to come up with a design for a custom Scion, and he decided to go with a video game theme. Nakamura says he was primarily inspired by Nintendo’s Famicom console, and it definitely shows, but overall it’s a tribute to the 8-bit era of gaming.

The car’s retro video game design is apparent from it’s looks. As I mentioned, it’s boxy and toy-like, just as Nintendo’s console was. Its rims and door handles are made to look like buttons. Scratch that, the door’s handles are buttons – when they’re pushed to open the doors, they also trigger sound bytes from Super Mario Bros.

That’s just the beginning. The car has both front and rear projectors for playing video games – the front projector is used to play Return of the Quack using two controllers that also double as the seat belt clamps on the two front seats.

But by far the best feature of this car for me is that you turn it on by inserting a video game cartridge into a dock on the dash. Curiously though, turning the car on is different from actually starting the engine. The latter is done by – what else? –pressing a button.

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

The car was shown at last year at Pixel Pushers, an exhibit of 8-bit-inspired art that was curated by Giant Robot. I’m not at all fond of cars, but I hope when this car is auctioned off someday I’ll be able to get it, or at least have a replica made. More than anything else in this car, it’s the act of inserting the cartridge (and then the game won’t load, and you’ll have to struggle with the eject switch, then you’ll blow into the cartridge and put it back again) that really takes me back to my younger days.

[via Jalopnik, Kotaku & Game Set Watch]

Turn Your iPhone 4 Into a Famicom Controller

Technabob — Sat, 30 Oct 2010 03:14:58 +0000

Well, not really. But you can make your iPhone 4 look a whole lot like the classic Nintendo Famicom controller thanks to this case.

Available from Tokyo’s Tanomi (JP), the Famicom iPhone 4 case is made from a clear polycarbonate, with a perfect Famicom controller replica printed onto the back using durable UV printing technology.

Now all they have to do is make one of these where the buttons actually work so you could play original 8-bit games on your iPhone, or better yet, serve as a wireless controller for your iPad.

[via Kotaku Japan (JP)]

Weird Famicom Controllers: Too Specialized for Their Own Good

Lambert Varias — Sun, 02 May 2010 12:43:56 +0000

You think the PlayStation Move controller looks weird? Well what do you make of this?

A Japanese website has a collection of crazy-ass Famicom controllers, from arcade-style fight sticks to… I don’t even know what some of them are for.

I’m really glad we don’t have a lot of these one-game controllers today. OK, maybe we do, but at least we know what the Guitar Hero / Rock Band / DJ Hero controllers are for.

[via the bbps]

Guy Turns Famicom Controller Into a Wii-Mote

Technabob — Wed, 21 Apr 2010 01:14:43 +0000

It’s anyone’s guess why you’d want to rip apart your shiny new Wii-mote controller and make it looks like something out of the 1980s, but this is the DIY-geek generation, and where there’s a will, there’s a way.

This Japanese modder took two old Famicom controllers (that’s NES to you and I), and tore them apart. Once inside, he managed to cram the guts of his recently disemboweled Wii controller. Et voilà! The Wii Famirimokon! (Don’t bother trying to pronounce that.)

Sure, it’s not nearly as svelte from the side as it looks from the top, but whaddya want for a hack-job? Damned 3-dimensional space!

In keeping with the all-Nintendo spirit of the build, he also ended up having to use parts from a Game Boy Advance to connect parts of the controller. Why? Why the heck not. I’m just disappointed that he didn’t figure out a use for parts from a Virtual Boy or 3DS in there.

[via Tiny Cartridge via Go Nintendo]

Weirdest Video Game Genre Ever: NES Pirate Originals on Ebay

Lambert Varias — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 13:48:11 +0000

Die-hard Final Fantasy VII fans may be clamoring for a current gen version of the classic RPG, but apparently in China, people are buying the remaining units of NESes in the world, and so de-makes are all the rage. Speaking of de-makes, the 8-bit Left 4 Dead‘s got nothing on the 8-bit Biohazard, aka Resident Evil.

As if things weren’t bizarre enough, someone is selling these NES – I repeat NES, Famicom, 8-bit, Final Fantasy 1 – “pirate originals” on eBay, with starting bids at $45 (USD). That someone is eBay user andrew-cole.

I must say that it’s a surprisingly faithful de-make.

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

Another classic, Chrono Trigger, also gets pirate-originaled:

I thought that since it was first released on the SNES that the NES port wouldn’t be that much of a downgrade. Unfortunately for our eyes, I was wrong:

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

Good lord. Worst choice of colors ever. But the worst of the worst has to be this godawful pretender:

This premise sets such high expectations. I was actually interested to see how an 8-bit Diablo II would look like. Would it be a side-scroller, an even more primitive version of Golden Axe? Or would it be more like Wizardry?

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

Or it could be a generic RPG with no relation to Diablo II at all, except for the probability that Diablo himself might have made the game. As I said, andrew-cole is selling these and more NES de-makes like Dragon Quest VIII and Megaman X on eBay.

If you’re feeling unusually decadent today, you might want to buy one of these just for the heck of it. But I sincerely hope that Tyrael descends from the heavens and lands at the speed of light on your heathen ass if you so much as consider buying that Diablo de-make. Andrew-cole should pay you to play that game.

[via gameSniped]

Video Game Business Card Cases for Geeky Executives

Technabob — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 02:35:03 +0000

These quirky business card holders come to us courtesy of Japan’s Banpresto. Each one features imagery from popular retro arcade or home video game systems.

While the Famicom (NES) controller and Pac-Man business card cases have been available for a little while now, but they just recently rounded out the collection, adding the awesomely awesome 16-bit Sega Mega Drive (shown above) as well as some Space Invaders bedecked designs. Check out the image gallery below to see them all in glorious detail.

You can find all of these cases over at GeekStuff4U for about $20 to $24 (USD) each. I’m waiting for a Zaxxon or Q*Bert one before I commit.

[via Akihabara News]

Sp2 Handheld Emulator: Looks Like a Game Boy Advance, but Plays NES, SNES, Gbc, Gba and Neo-Geo Games, Videos and Music

Technabob — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 00:16:24 +0000

This odd little handheld gaming system may look a heckuva lot like a Nintendo Game Boy Advance, but it’s actually one of those multi-system emulators that can play games from a variety of retro consoles.

The mysteriously named SP2 handheld can play games from the original NES, Super Nintendo, Game Boy Color, Neo Geo and yes, the Game Boy Advance. Just load your favorite ROMs (no where ever would you have gotten those from?) onto a MicroSD card, stick ‘em into the slot, and you’re all set to play all your retro classics on the SP2′s 2.4-inch LCD screen. It also claims to come with “hundred games built in”, for what that’s worth.

As an added bonus, the SP2 can play music in MP3 or WMA formats, as well as videos in RM/RMV and AVI formats. There’s also a built in voice recorder and microphone (which I’d love to see hacked to control gameplay at some point). In addition to the silver version pictured above, it’s available in both black and gold case designs, in case you’re into that sort of thing.

Of course those of you with a keen powers of observation will notice this emulator’s relative dearth of buttons. While you should be fine playing all those NES and Game Boy games, you might have trouble with SNES and Neo Geo games because those consoles had 4 buttons on the face of their controllers. That said, there are a couple of hidden shoulder buttons, but I’m not sure that will help.

Still, if you want to give one a whirl, you can grab the SP2 over on DealExtreme for $65.90(USD) each. Me, I’ll stick to playing with my Dingoo.

Synthglove: Nintendo Power Glove as Midi Controller

Technabob — Sat, 22 Aug 2009 23:14:37 +0000

Got a spare Nintendo Power Glove sitting around? Why not do something cool with it like turning it into a modern musical instrument?

That’s what synth hacker Denkitribe did when he rewired an old Famicom/NES Power Glove to control an Arduino-based controller circuit. The Arduino translates finger movements into MIDI CC messages, which in turn control a digital synthesizer. Want to hear what it sounds like? Then check out this video clip…

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

The initial prototype still uses the old-school ultrasonic microphone sensors from the original Power Glove, but Denkitribe plans on eventually upgrading the glove to use modern accelerometer technology. But once he does that, I doubt he’ll be able to play any more Super Glove Ball or Bad Street Brawler anymore. Oh, the things we do in the name of hacking.

NES Controller Business Card Case Lets Your Business Partners Guess How Old You Are

Lambert Varias — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 13:46:44 +0000

It’s possible that I may have fiddled with an Atari 2600 but was probably too young to remember. But I remember the NES – I grew up calling it the Family Computer – and it’s games, which were loaded in those ridiculous 600-in-1 cartridges: Contra, a game that I must admit I don’t remember finishing, not even after using the Konami Code, and Double Dribble, a game that sparked an intense rivalry between my two older brothers – Frogs vs. Ox – and Crossfire, that game with the stupid cheat where the character’s sprite was stuck in a pose but kept moving forward, shooting the enemies while being invincible. Then there was Goonies, and then Battle City. Pardon my rambling, it’s this NES controller business card case’s fault.

One look at that thing and it all came flooding back. I probably shouldn’t own one of these, or else I might space out and reminisce every time I give out or receive a business card. Not that I’ve ever done either. But if you think you can withstand the torrent of the blocky and pixelated past, you can pre-order one now at Geek Stuff 4 U for ￥2,900 (approx. $30 USD). It’ll start shipping and assaulting the minds of 80s-born gamers this October.

[via Boing Boing]

Pxp-900 Retro 8/16/32-Bit Handheld Video Game System Looks an Awful Lot Like a Psp

Technabob — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 12:14:43 +0000

Does this handheld gaming system look familiar at all? When I first saw it, I had to do a double-take too.

While the PXP-900 steals more thant a few of it’s design cues from the Sony PSP, don’t expect it to play the latest PSP games – it only plays retro game ROMs. The system is the latest and greatest cheapie jack-of-all-trades media player, digicam, audio book reader, FM radio, gaming combo system fresh from the streets of China.

The handheld runs an emulator that can play NES, Famicom, Gameboy, Gameboy Color, Super Famicom, SEGA MegaDrive and some sort of 32-bit ROM games too (although the product description doesn’t elaborate). And while most retro games are built for a 4:3 screen ratio, it looks like the console works some sort of stretchy magic to make games play on its 4.3″ widescreen 16:9 LCD.

So if you’re willing to take a gamble on one of these questionable mutant consoles, you can find the PXP-900 over at Chinagrabber for $89.99 (USD).

Modder Squeezes Famicom Into Famicom Cart (Sort of)

Alisha K. — Sat, 07 Mar 2009 13:00:11 +0000

Here’s what this looks like: a workable, playable Famicom cartridge modded to contain an entire Famicom. But oh how deceiving looks can be. Really, this is a Yinlips media player with a Famicom emulator stuffed into a business card holder shaped like a Famicom cart.

But the result looks great and it gets the job done–the job, in this case, being playing Famicom games, which is pretty important–so who am I to quibble over details about appearances?

Modder goteking seems to have a fascination with Famicom cartridges; he’s been in this space before for his excellent Famicam, a camera inside a cartridge. What will he stick in a cart next?

[via BenHeck.com forums]

Ditch Your Psps: Complete Famicom Collection for Sale

Lambert Varias — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 12:56:41 +0000

I’m starting to think that the only reason the PSP exists is because some Sony executive’s kid nagged him for a portable version of Monster Hunter. Where the games at Sony? Even Famicom owners have it better than us! There are a busload of games for their console still for sale! Akihabara-based Mandarake are selling a complete retail set of all Famicom games sold from 1983 until 1984 1994. That’s a lot of ugly cover art.

The FAMIKONFURUKONPURITOSETTO (Thanks a lot Google Translate) can be yours for the low, low price of ¥650,000 ($7,300 USD). If you’re thinking, “Who the hell’s going to buy that btw my PC costs twice that lolz”, think again. The comments at gameSniped go like this: “You have no idea how tempted I am to use my tax return to buy that. Who needs a new roof anyway?” Another commenter: “Roof’s are for p***ies! Do it!”

Here are some of the gems in this insane offering:

Judging from these shots, we can classify Famicom cartridge art like so: a. Made by Toriyama, b. Ugly crap. Seriously though, if I had the money I would have my brother buy the set for me just so I can look at them on rough days. That’s a whole set of childhood memories right there.

[pics courtesy of Akiba Blog]

Famicom Cart + Camera = Famicam

Alisha K. — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 12:50:47 +0000

Famicom cartridges, and their NES counterparts, have been turned into a great many things by the DIY community–including the consoles themselves–but this particular mod wins major cool points simply for design. Turns out a Sony point-and-shoot camera is just the right size to fit inside a hollowed out cartridge.

I’m not sure I could bring myself to gut a copy of Final Fantasy III, but goteking, the modder behind this project, never played the game, and so felt no connection to the beloved RPG. He can be forgiven, however, because the game makes a pretty good-looking camera.

The BenHeck.com forums are jammed with people fascinated by the idea of turning things into other things, but goteking is apparently an old pro. He posted pictures of and links to a number of projects, including a DS Lite redone with Sony Vaio branding,

Apparently, he has a knack for taking good-looking items and making them even more interesting.

[goteking's blog via BenHeck.com forums]

Famicard NES on a Cartridge Gets Zelda-Fied

Technabob — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 11:40:07 +0000

Remember the awesome Fami-Card – the casemod which managed to cram a fully-functional 8-bit Nintendo console into an old NES cartridge? Well the Fami-Card is back, and this time the circuit has made its way into a classic Zelda cartridge.

While the original NES on a cartridge began life as an old Super Mario Bros. game, this one is all Zelda, all the time. And just like the original, this one includes a full NES cartridge slot, joystick ports and audio/video outputs.

And while the shiny gold cartridge says Zelda on the outside, it can play pretty much any NES or Famicom game you can throw at it.

I wonder what would happen if you tried to plug this cartridge into the other Fami-Card, and then plug the whole contraption into an old NES… Would the universe implode?

[via Kotomi]

Solar Media Player Emulates NES, Genesis, Gameboy

Technabob — Sat, 23 Aug 2008 17:32:50 +0000

Not only can this portable media player crank out movies and music, but it can play games from classic consoles from Nintendo and SEGA too. It can even charge itself or other devices with its built-in solar panels.

In addition to playing your MP3s and MP4s, the Media Street eMotion EM-SOL2GIG media player offers compatibility with NES/Famicom, GameBoy, GameBoy Color and SEGA Mega Drive (aka the Genesis stateside). Of course, that assumes you’ve got an idea of where to find some ROM files (hmm, ever heard of Google?) And when you’re done playing games, you can get some culture thanks to a text-to-speech E-book reader capability that can read any TXT file in either Chinese or English. It offers 2GB of on-board storage, plus an SD slot for memory expansion.

The portable console offers a 320×240 color display, and measures in at 5.5″ wide x 3″ high x 1″ thick – with most of the heft coming from the fold-out solar panels. The large solar panel not only charges the player’s internal battery, it can provide emergency juice to other portable gadgets such as mobile phones and digital cameras.

You can find the EM-SOL2GIG over on Amazon for $169.99 USD.

(BTW, this player looks awfully similar to this other solar game system, but that one makes no claims of SEGA emulation).

Famicase: Artists Make Up New NES Game Cartridges

Technabob — Sun, 20 Jul 2008 13:27:54 +0000

What better canvas for your creative expression than an old 8-bit NES cartridge? That’s what the recent Famicase art exhibition in Japan was all about.

Satoshi Sagagami, who runs retro game shop Super Meteor, organizes the annual event which asks over 50 designers, illustrators, authors and game creators to create their own imaginary games and artwork using old NES carts.

My personal favorite has to be the Blowing out Dust from the Cartridge game — an experience I remember all too well whenever my console would freak out.

The AC Adapter Game looks like lots of fun, but might pose a strangulation hazard for the young-uns. I’m pretty sure this was played in at least one household out there at some point.

Other designs range from the entertaining – like this Roland TB-303 synthesizer inspired game…

…to the surreal. Anyone want to tell me what the heck is going on in this one?

..or this one?

Agriculture insists that you get off your lazy ass, get outside and grow some crops instead of sitting on the couch playing games all day.

So maybe I wouldn’t have bought that game, but I definitely would have purchased Vector Planet, which envisions what would have happened if the NES and the Vectrex had an illegitimate child. This is the stuff that dreams are made of.

Check out the entire collection over on the Famicase exhibition website.

[via Chip Chick]

8-Bit Nintendo Does Music Videos

Technabob — Fri, 30 May 2008 11:30:43 +0000

While these brief musical interludes won’t win any prizes for their sweeping cinematography, they do win a place in my heart for being put together using some good old fashioned 8-bit gaming technology.

Created using a combination of retro console art (inspired by, but probably not actually created on an NES) and blips and beeps courtesy of the 8-bit Nintendo-powered FamiTracker, these mini videos do a great job embodying the spirit of these musicians, even if they are just represented as chunky blocks of pixels.

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

Animated by 72RK, these clever clips feature short and sweet music videos of classic acts like New Order, Michael Jackson, the Ramones and even Portishead. There are a bunch of other lesser known Japanese acts in the complete collection, but they’re all worth a watch.

Fc Mobile Game Console Plays Original NES Carts

Technabob — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 02:05:51 +0000

I’ve seen plenty of Nintendo NES clone systems in my travels, but this is the first time I’ve seen a mass-produced portable that can play the actual cartridges from the classic 8-bit gaming system.

The FC Mobile portable console plays original game carts from the NES wherever you go. The compact console lets you play on either the built-in 2.4-inch LCD screen, or on your television via an included AV cable. The system runs on three AA batteries, and can play audio through its internal stereo speakers, or via a headphone jack.

Despite the Famicom reference in its name (FC Mobile – get it?), from everything I can find out, the console plays North American NES games, not Japanese Famicom cartridges.

Ready to get your retro game on? Two versions of the system (one in black/silver and another in red/white) have recently started to pop up over on eBay for around $40 to $50 bucks (games sold separately).