Comments on: Nintendo Entertainment System Hacks.

Nintendo Entertainment System Hacks.

Effigy2000 — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 03:17:16 -0800

The Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) was the most popular console of the 80s but the unstoppable march of time and the introduction of more advanced 16 bit consoles inevitably ensured its demise. But you can't keep a good console down and now it's back, thanks to the work of some dedicated mods out there. But it's not quite how you remembered it. I mean, I don't remember the NES ever coming in the form of a belt, do you? Or a coffee table, for that matter. Those insane NES hackers have even gone and put an NES in an NES cartridge. There's also an NES in an NES controller, an NES in a lightgun, a wooden NES, an NES alarm clock, an NES wallet or finally, an NES guitar. Want to see more? Check this out.

By: Blazecock Pileon

Blazecock Pileon — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 03:29:38 -0800

I had a G4 Cube that I planned to put a Mac Mini into, but I had to leave it in Philadelphia. Still, the NES Mac Mini looks like a fun replacement.

By: e-state 4.0

e-state 4.0 — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 03:39:45 -0800

I was a Sega Mega Drive kid myself. Go Sonic! (That link brings back some memories of primary school sleepovers...)

By: [NOT HERMITOSIS-IST]

[NOT HERMITOSIS-IST] — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 05:10:06 -0800

On piratebowling's PixelStitchery site, she has an excellent embroidery of an NES controller.

By: twirlypen

twirlypen — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 05:28:37 -0800

Oh man. I'm gonna need to find my old system. It's time to get a-moddin'.

By: TikiGiki

TikiGiki — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 05:50:00 -0800

There HAS to be something on Think Geek!

By: Baby_Balrog

Baby_Balrog — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 06:41:03 -0800

Joy!

By: Bathtub Bobsled

Bathtub Bobsled — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 06:43:37 -0800

Blazecock, if I told you I still use a powermac G4 cube, would you be jealous or would you shudder and bury your face in your hands?

By: aftermarketradio

aftermarketradio — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 06:57:44 -0800

Just give me a working NES, and I'll be happy.

By: fiercecupcake

fiercecupcake — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 07:02:51 -0800

The coffee table is the best thing ever. Want!

By: p3t3

p3t3 — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 07:05:37 -0800

Up, Up, Down, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right, B, A, Start !

By: samsara

samsara — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 07:22:57 -0800

Hah it was "select, start" I think for 2 player games...been so long but that stuff sticks with ya for life.

By: porn in the woods

porn in the woods — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 07:23:55 -0800

Dudes, c'mon - Genesis does what Nintendon't

By: zap rowsdower

zap rowsdower — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 07:39:17 -0800

You can also use them to make 8-bit music and become popular enough to play at the Kennedy Center. ( YMCK kicks arse )

By: Blazecock Pileon

Blazecock Pileon — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 08:29:18 -0800

if I told you I still use a powermac G4 cube, would you be jealous or would you shudder and bury your face in your hands? I'd be jealous! Those old cubes are beautiful...

By: TechnoLustLuddite

TechnoLustLuddite — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 08:35:54 -0800

YMCK's music is indeed cool. But they use VST Plugins, not actual NES hardware. If you're an 8-bit purist, you'll need one of these. Then you may also want to get into some hardcore hardware mods like modding the NES for stereo sound.

By: daHIFI

daHIFI — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 08:45:48 -0800

There's also a plugin for Firefox called FireNES that allows you to play NES roms right in your browser window.

By: lekvar

lekvar — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 09:35:08 -0800

TechnoLustLuddite, I just got my midiNES last week. It's every bit as awesome as it should be. I'll be checking out your mods links later, thanks for those. /glows with pride of ownership

By: sjuhawk31

sjuhawk31 — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 10:45:31 -0800

@aftermarketradio: It's apparently ridiculously easy to fix your old NES.

By: Joakim Ziegler

Joakim Ziegler — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 10:52:57 -0800

First I thought it was just weirdness in the FPP, but then I saw it in people's comments to, so I have to ask: "an NES"?

By: owtytrof

owtytrof — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 12:06:10 -0800

Watching the video for the NES belt buckle link, I noticed two things that make me suspicious. First, there's a big jump cut from the guy walking up to the television, and actually playing SMB. Second, there is some sprite flicker going on with some of the goombas. While I can never ever remember seeing sprite flicker when playing SMB on my childhood NES, I distinctly recall downloading SMB for the Wii and wondering why random sprites would flicker. Granted, I've never played an original NES on an LCD tv, but I can't think of anything about that combination that would cause random sprite flicker. I'm not saying that the NES belt buckle couldn't work, but that video looks faked to me. Also, there was something fishy about the JFK assassination. Jokim Ziegler "an NES"? Yes, an en-ee-ess.

By: Otis

Otis — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 12:57:47 -0800

Cool post. And yeah, replacing the 72 pin connector in a flaky NES is really easy and will revitalize your system. Just make sure you clean your carts too, otherwise you'll ruin your nice new connector. You can buy a kit off Ebay that has a new 72-pin connector, the security bit to open carts and cleaning ointments and unguents. Just try cleaning a cart with the old Q-tip and alcohol method, then open it up and see what a crappy job that actually does. The "NES on a chip" has enabled some very cool hacks. Like this "Portendo." And did you know that a lot of the el-cheapo NES ripoff games that you can still find at flea markets (and you used to find at malls before Nintendo cracked down on them) use Famicom 60 pin connectors in their cart slot? That means that for about 5 bucks you can buy a 60-72 pin converter and plug original NES carts into the cheapo knockoffs. (Like this for example). And then maybe hook it up to one of these. Endless possibilities!

By: lekvar

lekvar — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 13:08:19 -0800

Yeah, thirding the new 72-pin connector. $10 + 5 minutes with a screwdriver = brand new NES. If the problem is a lack of any NES whatsoever, I see them selling, reconditioned and guaranteed, for $50 all the time. A good deal for your entertainment dollar.