Well, whether it was the audio lag or video it just played different. It was especially noticeable to me on Megaman 2. I visited my brother and he owns the real hardware and I played much better. Hard to describe it exactly, but something just feels off with the mini to me. Couple that with not being able to pick up a second remote in over a month and I decided to just trade it off. For a nice SNES mini and I have an Everdrive on order. My wife and I are having fun playing Tetris variants and Dr. Mario while we wait on it.

To clarify: compared to a real NES, there seemed to be lag on all games. It was just more noticeable and critical on the games like Mega Man and SMB that require quick and precise jumps/movement.

Most likely your TV settings then. My RetroPie Console had lag until I switched the display mode to the Gaming Preset. Go into your settings on your TV where you'd change brightness and contrasts and stuff, and see if your TV has a Gaming preset.

Why any one wouldnt go this direction first and foremost is beyond me.

http://www.retrousb.com/index.php?cPath=36

I played with the settings quite a bit but just could not get it to feel exactly right. Don't get me wrong, it's close. But it's not exact and for that reason I wasn't satisfied. I'm sure many people are but I wasn't. To me, real hardware can't be matched by emulation.

The Classic NES is not real hardware it's just a linux box running an emulator.

You can get a Wii cheap and add everything to it easily, why buy a $180 system and still have to find all the cartridges?

Ive got most of the cartridges I want. You could still always get an ever drive or wii as specified above. I just like the cartridge system and the hardware design. I still use a crappy all in one system at the moment for my nes games. I havent pulled the trigger on fixing or getting the upgraded system.

The gameplay and framerate isn't the issue. HDMI retro gaming CAN be relatively lag free. You get lag in retro games when you use old video connections like composite - because the TV has to process and upscale a 240p signal, and it isn't good at it. The NES Mini has gameplay lag AND audio lag. That's something inherent to it's design, and unfortunately you can't update it. So, it is what it is. I play NES games on my AVS through HDMI, and there is no noticeable lag in play or sound. I play my other old consoles through my Framemeister, and there's 1 or 2 frames at most...but it's relatively unnoticeable.

I've cued this up to lag discussion...there IS play lag, and sound lag (a different issue):

Lol!
We make all this room for pinball machines, but for classic gaming we want the smallest area possible... and then want flat square cell shaded graphics??? Go original! Get a crt! It plays perfect and looks perfect! Get an everdrive and you can have every game!

Not to mention using a real nes light gun

While I do miss light gun use, I'm more than happy playing my retro games on my 130 inch projector screen using a Framemeister for high def/low lag output with scanlines! I was playing some Sega Genesis last nite - here's an example of how it looks. Very close to CRT but pixel perfect RGB output and HUUUUGE!

image (resized).jpeg

I would have pocketed the 120 profit from selling the hatchimal and called it good.

Wow that lag is really bad.

I wouldn't say the ReteoAVS is perfect either, but I've enjoyed it thus far.

When I decided I was going back to a retro console and an Everdrive, I started researching CRTs. I found this PVM20L5 on OfferUp within a couple days for $20 because it wasn't working. Couple cracked solder joints is all that was wrong. I guess I was lucky, but Karma owed me big time because that beautiful Super Famicom I got a couple weeks ago didn't work. Anyway, the Genesis looks great even with the composite cable!IMG_0896 (resized).JPGIMG_0911 (resized).JPG

Oooph, composite on Genesis blows. You can see those rainbow bars in the white text at the bottom. I got lucky and bought a rare S-Video box for my Genesis in the late 90's, and it got rid of those bad rainbow FX...but now that I've seen what old consoles can look like with RGB output...holy moly, I can't go back!!!!

I've got the connectors ordered. Just waiting for them to make it across the pond.

This. It took me about an hour and one SD card (and an old Wii that I had).

https://www.google.com/amp/www.howtogeek.com/139638/how-to-play-retro-nes-and-snes-games-on-your-nintendo-wii/amp/?client=safari

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Thanks. I'm jonesin to get my wavebirds out and put them to use again now.

Oh....found one on my desk at work today. Nice!

Is there a hack yet to add games to the nes classic?
As for lag time, switching to gaming mode on the tv and turning off any fancy settings resolved it.

This is a perfect example of "if a company doesn't make its content easy enough to access, people will turn to piracy" (not judging I enjoy ROMs too!)

I read only 200k NES Classics made it to the States. That's just bonkers. They could have sold five times that.

Artificial scarcity kind of makes sense with pinball. They don't sell all that many in grand scheme of things, take a long time to build, are expensive.

But the Classic is just a drugstore TV games console with a Nintendo brand. At three times the cost. They're making mad profits on each one why not sell more?

The Switch is far from a sure bet (I personally think it's going to be a belly flop turd) so maybe Nintendo should collect as much money as possible just in case?

They should release a Pokemon edition of the NES Classic with collectible Amiibo cartridges next!

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For as well in advance that they announced the NES Classic, they should have had boat loads already over to cover all sales. But they just won't give up their marketing plan. Didn't they do that with the Wii U, and no one really cared? They didn't sell as hot as they were. I agree with Ben, the switch looks nice, but I bet it will be like Snakes on the Plane. Everyone loves it now, but won't support it when it's actually out.

I received the famicom mini that I ordered from a japanese ebay seller and overall I'm impressed with the build quality of the system

the famicom mini has 8 games which are unique to it vs. the nes classic
the 8 titles found on the famicom mini:
atlantis no nazo, downtown street challenge, final fantasy III, mario club golf, river city ransom, solomon’s key, tsuppari sumo, and yie ar kung-fu

replace these 8 on the nes classic:
bubble bobble, castlevania II: simon’s quest, donkey kong jr., final fantasy, kid icarus, punch-out, startropics, and tecmo bowl

additionally, the famicom mini comes with 2 [hardwired] controllers which [are 40% smaller than the original famicom controllers and] fit into the sides of the system, just like the original. however, the microphone and volume adjustment slider on controller two are just a sticker and part of the molded plastic (instead of being an actual functional feature (the japanese version of zelda took advantage of the microphone and player's could defeat the pols voice (the large eared mouse looking enemies) by shouting into the microphone

finally, unlike the us nes classic, the famicom mini does not come with the usb to ac convertor. that is sold separately

All this talk of converting Wiis is as humorous as buying the NES Classic. If you have a PC, you can emulate right now. I've got emulators for Atari, Mame, MS, Gen, GG, Sega CD, GB, NES, SNES, N64, TGX-16, GCN, Wii, PS1, PS2, DS, GBA, PSP for my laptop. If I want to play on a big screen, I just plug in the HDMI from my laptop and use the spare 360 controller. Plus with my steam account with games from the PS3/X360 to PS4/XBONE generations there's very few games I can't play anywhere.

I bought this Alienware 14 almost 3 years ago. It's been a very good and capable machine and has successfully converted me to a PC gamer.

It's not the emulation that people shy away from as most of us can get this done....it's the quality of how these games are emulated that gamers want. The NES classic does this perfectly.....albeit with a bunch of short comings. Some people are super picky...some aren't.

That's not perfectly.

PC emulation of NES games is better quality than the NES Classic. You can take screenshots, video, rewind. You have wireless controllers or use NES controllers. There are an unlimited number of save states plus every game available and some with translated scripts to play in English or Spanish or other languages. All of this at no cost.

I'll buy a NES Classic eventually as a novelty for the shelf but not right away and not to play games.

The quality is not what makes people buy it but the instant gratification of an impulse buy coupled with the ease of use.

I don't think the target market is the people who can find ways to emulate.

Sure emulation has all the bells and whistles but we aren't talking about that.....it's graphics and how it's played in which "perfection" plays its part. We all want to remember it as we originally played it (most of us do anyway). I'm not defending the NES classic over emulation as I'm ok with what both offer. But if you want that nostalgic feeling....the NES classic delivers or any of those retro systems can for the most part as well. It's not the same on a PC with a 360 controller.

One of the exciting things for me was the ability to legitimately get some retro games without cluttering up my house with a bunch of 30 year old "junk" ( ).

But count me in the likely vast majority of people who are just perplexed by just how much in short supply this toy was. Echoing the point above, this was not some last minute spur of the moment release. They had months of lead time knowing what the demand was.

If I see one of these used someday for 20 bucks I will probably pick it up. But I have now scratched my retro game bug by buying a used 3ds for my kids and I to share... I am pretty sure Nintendo would have made a lot more money off me by buying the classic?

The NES Classic is still emulation just worse than PC emulation.

If you want to use a NES controller on a PC, here's a converter...

https://www.amazon.com/Tomee-NES-Retro-Controller-Adapter-Converter/dp/B00HM3QCN2

or a USB look alike...

https://www.walmart.com/ip/NES-Controller/174024060?wmlspartner=wlpa&selectedSellerId=403&adid=22222222227039723617&wl0=&wl1=g&wl2=c&wl3=97804105474&wl4=pla-222355625794&wl5=1016367&wl6=&wl7=&wl8=&wl9=pla&wl10=111838604&wl11=online&wl12=174024060&wl13=&veh=sem

Playing an NES Classic isn't any more nostalgic than playing on a PC. An NES Classic is still not an NES. It's just a plastic trinket people will eventually toss in a closet or on a shelf. No one's gonna put any serious gaming time on one. IF you want nostalgia, buy an NES, blow on the cartridges and play on a CRT. The NES Classic is just a toy.

Again, it's...

I totally agree. It doesn't appeal to me at all, but who knows.

nothing is more nostalgic than the flashing grey screen

lol. had to rip apart a system just last night and clean up all of the cartridge connectors to rid myself of that

I've got a Facebook friend who's made several angry posts about not being able to get an NES Classic. I've told him twice that I would build him a Raspberry Pi RetroPie for the same price. He's said "maybe" twice. I'm not going to push it. But even with me explaining that there'd be no discernable difference between it and the NES Classic, plus all access to the games, I think some people just don't like the idea of a home built system. Not that they are against "borrowing" games, but because just the idea intimidates them. It took me a while to finally build one because no matter how many times people said to do it, I just didn't figure I'd be happy with the outcome. Figured there had to be something wrong with it.

I also haven't done PC emulation just because I'm afraid of the emulation software. Again, just that stereotypical feeling that the software is shady, and that I'll get a virus. I feel safer with a RPi.

So in NES Classic news, and I'm sure this will rub some people the wrong way. I saw last Friday Amazon made a tweet about the NES being available on Prime Now in the Indy Area. I was quick enough to get one. As soon as I got it, I took photos of it, and posted it to ebay. After my initial purchase and after ebay, paypal, and shipping fees, I made $78 from it.

I've got no problem with it. I told my cousin he was an idiot for not selling the two he bought day one. After the new year when people don't have a reason to buy them, they're going to be plentiful and normal price. You might as well cash in now.

That's kind of funny because the RPi kind of intimidates me. I assume you already have the ROMs. I've been using Nestopia but FCEUX is supposed to be the best. Download 2.2.3 Win32. Open the file and pick a ROM and you're playing. It's pretty painless.

http://www.fceux.com/web/download.html

The NES emulator for DS was something I always thought was cool because you could play wireless two player with two flash cards and two DSes. I did a few times with my brother with Double Dragon II.

Oy vey... what a mess this is. Not only are these Classic edition consoles impossible to find, but it's looking like the 3DS is experiencing a shortage too.

I love Nintendo, and I've been collecting games for years, but this is super lame.

You think so? I kinda think you're right, but I'm trying to be optimistic after the trash fire they called the Wii U. (Don't get me wrong, I love the Wii U, but between it's questionable naming, marketing, and design choices, it left a lot to be desired).

I dont know how yall can think this. I have been wanting a console I can take with me for a long time. I bought a NVIDIA shield tablet thinking that was the deal, when that just turned out to be a proxy PC portal situation. You still had to have a full on gaming PC at home to run the shield as a proxy for steam. Stupid. This thing looks SWEET. Yall may be showing your age. Im 32, so no spring chicken, but from what I have heard from college age and lower kids, they all want one.

Emulation isn't as fun as the real thing. Save states, rewind, etc. is for chumps. I tried the NES classic and have all the computer emulators. Nothing is as much fun as playing the original hardware.15665667_10154192201606814_1688185779506001877_n (resized).jpg

You mean like this Gameboy Zero I built? Love this thing. Really wish I had this when I was 12. Road trips would have been much better.
http://consolebuilders.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=3&p=4&sid=cc0573a094bf7f91d17d149d27d57c15#p4

Wish I had time to do this sort of thing, but its just not feasible with my schedule. I just need something that works and isnt a home made modded item.

You're right. It is a pretty big project to tackle. Took me maybe 16 hours to build, and wasn't necessarily super cheap either. But the thing is pretty awesome.

nes classic is tiny as hell. the save state is awesome as I forgot how hard these games are!

A console to take with you sounds like a great idea on paper but it just doesn't work like that in real life. I had a PSP and a Vita. They have great games for sure but they were just trying to emulate the longform gameplay that home consoles can do. Nintendo really nailed the portable gameplay concept with the DS. Games that load quickly for a quick 5-10 minute fix and then put it away. Pokemon, Advance Wars, Picross, Alphabounce, Starship Defense, Puzzle Quest, Professor Layton and many more. Also the design of the DS was pretty awesome. Unfold for two screens of gameplay and fold to protect the screens and to fit in the pocket. Battery life that lasted for ages.

I just don't see the Switch really doing anything mind blowing. It looks like a tablet which everyone has and if they don't, they have it's more portable cousin, the smart phone. I don't know anyone who's excited for it or even knows it exists.

They really need to focus on making great games for it it they want it to succeed. Despite the lower sales than the competition, N64 and GCN were still profitable and a success mainly because they made some great games for those systems. That was my biggest complaint about Wii U and to a lesser extent the 3DS. They lacked the great games covering a variety of genres.

I like the design but it doesn't seem different from what Nintendo has done in the past and if they choose to have the Switch replace their portable platform, it will be the end for Nintendo.

smart phone/tablet gaming is a joke. The switch looks like it takes what the wiiu did well on the gamepad but made it the focus/console. I see no issue with nintendo selling out of the switch...

wiiu had issues the second they named it wiiu..... At E3 when I played it before release, I literally thought it was a wii with a new controller...

I'll stick with my Raspberry Pi 2 running Retropie and my USB NES/SNES controllers.

Only to hardcore or old school gamers. To the majority of the population it's the standard. The culture of gaming has changed. It's tough to give people a reason to want to buy a dedicated game console and then to pay 30 to 60 bucks per game.

I texted my nephew the other day to see what he was doing and he was at home playing an endless runner on his ipad. My nephew and niece play the majority of their games on their ipads and iphones and if you look at sales figures everyone else does too.

I don't play any games on my phone but you can't dismiss it because it has taken a big chunk of developers and players away from traditional machines.