Octopus Overlords

Posted: **Wed Jan 04, 2017 5:17 pm**

It's available at Best Buy's website right now!

aaand it's gone

Posted: **Fri Jan 06, 2017 11:29 am**

Anyone have one yet? Is it really all that great? I've read some pretty midling reviews . . .

Posted: **Fri Jan 06, 2017 11:58 am**

Kurth wrote:Anyone have one yet? Is it really all that great? I've read some pretty midling reviews . . .

A few thousand people have them. They waited all night in line, or paid $300 for them, their kids played them for ten minutes, and they've been collecting dust ever since.

Posted: **Fri Jan 06, 2017 12:10 pm**

Kurth wrote:Anyone have one yet? Is it really all that great? I've read some pretty midling reviews . . .

Considering it plays ~30 year old games how great can it really be? I hope you have your nostalgia glasses on. I can't see how the actual gameplay (and graphics) can stand up to the memories.

Posted: **Fri Jan 06, 2017 4:37 pm**

coopasonic wrote:
Kurth wrote:Anyone have one yet? Is it really all that great? I've read some pretty midling reviews . . .
Considering it plays ~30 year old games how great can it really be? I hope you have your nostalgia glasses on. I can't see how the actual gameplay (and graphics) can stand up to the memories.

I've had one since day one (waited outside Gamestop for 30 minutes) and I think it's pretty awesome. It's by far the easiest way to play a great selection of classic NES games, the graphics are a very clean version of the original, and the controls are a spot-on replication of the originals. The only complaint I have is that they made the controller cables way too short. Other than that, I've played it a ton and think it was well worth the $60 that I paid.

I've used emulators in the past that do a good job, but they're nowhere near as easy to use as the NES Classic.

Posted: **Sat Jan 07, 2017 12:45 am**

Hacked

This week saw separate hackers in Japan and Russia figure out soft-mod solutions to adding new games to the NES Classic. This means you don't need to grab a screwdriver or a soldering iron to mod yours.

According to the whiz kids at Reddit's NESClassicMods community, the solution won't work until you've created a save file in Super Mario Bros' first slot. (Chances are, you've already done this just by playing the game, since creating game saves is so easy with this system.) Once you've done that, connect your NES Classic Edition to a computer via a micro-USB cable, then boot the NES in "FEL" mode. This is done by holding down the system's reset button while pushing down the power button from a powered-off state. While you're booting, you should also run a "sunxi-FEL" interface on your computer.
...
The rest of the steps land firmly in "operate at your own risk" territory, as they require copying your NES Classic's internal data to your computer, then modifying and adding files via an application made by hackers. Doing so, by the way, includes the dubious step of supplying your own ROM files, which you may have either dumped from your own cartridges or downloaded from other Internet users. One tool linked from that Reddit community, however, comes with two open-source NES ROMs that are in the legal free-and-clear to upload to your hardware.

Posted: **Thu Apr 13, 2017 4:27 pm**

Well, if you didn't get one already, good luck!

Nintendo discontinues production of NES Classic

Posted: **Sun Apr 16, 2017 1:41 pm**

Booooooo

Posted: **Wed Apr 19, 2017 9:23 pm**

Apparently the big N is moving on to a SNES Mini now, rather than the NES Mini.

Posted: **Thu Apr 20, 2017 12:36 am**

Which explains why they'd stop the cash printing press that was the existing product. Perhaps they plan to fix the simple issues with last year's model (eg short wires) while adding SNES games (something that the existing product was already far more powerful than it needed to be to do).

Sign me up for one.

Posted: **Sat Jul 29, 2017 11:19 am**

This is on the Amazon Treasure Truck here for $60.00. I'd have to go downtown to pick it up. Worth it spending an hour and a half on a Saturday?

Posted: **Sat Jul 29, 2017 1:46 pm**

LawBeefaroni wrote:This is on the Amazon Treasure Truck here for $60.00. I'd have to go downtown to pick it up. Worth it spending an hour and a half on a Saturday?

It would be for me. It's really easy to mod it to load additional legally obtained ROMs, so it's pretty fun to have a huge library of whatever other legally obtained NES favorites you might have.

Posted: **Mon Jul 31, 2017 12:35 pm**

If anyone is ever near a treasure truck and they offer an NES Mini again and wouldn't mind picking one up for me, I'd be a very happy man. Would pay for shipping and toss in something extra for your time, too.

Posted: **Tue Sep 12, 2017 10:07 am**

GOOD NEWS, everyone!

Nintendo is bringing back the NES Classic

Posted: **Thu Jul 12, 2018 11:16 am**

I was finally able to pick up one of these on the re-release via Gamestop's website. They are temporarily sold out, but appear to be getting a new order in to ship by next Friday.

Posted: **Fri Sep 06, 2019 6:54 am**

I've heard a rumor that they're not going to bring these back again, I guess for real this time?

Side note - it's very easy to hack it and add more ROMs. By default, the 30 games that come with the device take up approximately 1MB of space. It has an internal drive with 320MB of storage. You could probably download every ROM ever made for the NES and stuff it in there with room to spare; though I think you can only "legally" do that if you own the cartridge.

The short version of "hacking" it is easy - it's running a Linux OS with an emulator. It's not a proprietary OS or setup at all. You've basically purchased a tiny computer.

Download the Hakchi2 app from the link above (hosted on GitHub)
Connect the Mini to your computer via USB to the power outlet on it. Do not turn it on yet.
Run the Hakchi2 app.
It'll prompt you to push and hold in Reset, then push power (and let go of it), and let go of Reset a few seconds later.
It prompts you to install the drivers that let your computer "see" the Mini.
The first time you Sync the Mini to Hakchi2, it flashes the Mini with a new Linux OS that works identically to the one there.
Then you go about adding ROMs you have to the games list.
Optionally select the games you want to add and have Hakchi search Google for box art to go with them.
Re-Sync the Hakchi app to the Mini. It uploads all the new games.
Do a final Sync just to be sure.
Close the Hakchi app and power off the Mini.

When you're using it, the games list only shows 30 at a time, but there are "Up" and "Down" folders that let you load the next list of 30 games in the console.

The Hakchi app also looks like it supports the SNES Mini as well.

Posted: **Fri Sep 06, 2019 10:48 am**

In the end you are still playing NES games.

Posted: **Fri Sep 06, 2019 11:11 am**

coopasonic wrote: ↑Fri Sep 06, 2019 10:48 am In the end you are still playing NES games.

At least they're not playing Roblox games.

Posted: **Fri Sep 06, 2019 11:52 am**

coopasonic wrote: ↑Fri Sep 06, 2019 10:48 amIn the end you are still playing NES games.

Yeah, well, I forgot how much I enjoyed Little Nemo and Legacy of the Wizard until I had them back on a console! It's kind of cool to have my own young kids get excited by old NES games I loved when I was their age.

Those and many more just aren't in this little package. Nintendo should have gone out of their way to make it a more robust platform instead of a tiny sliver of a selection from the first console that hit the world big time. I spent a lot of time with my NES as a kid, and that was represented by maybe 4 games in the 30 they included.

Posted: **Fri Sep 06, 2019 5:13 pm**

coopasonic wrote: ↑Fri Sep 06, 2019 10:48 am In the end you are still playing NES games.

as of the past few years, i'm actually playing old Nintendo (and Sega and NEC and Atari and Intellivision and Coleco...) games more than current ones.

currently doing a run-through of Ninja Gaiden on the NES Classic Mini - it's a completely ludicrous game (i far prefer the coin-op original) but the skill test is fun, even if it just boils down to eventually memorizing the movements needed for each level allll the way through.

Posted: **Fri Sep 06, 2019 5:29 pm**

I know it's a thing, but retro just doesn't work me and it makes it hard for me to understand why people enjoy it. You are free to enjoy it of course, but I will feel obliged to get my digs in every once in a while.

I got the SNES Mini and played a bit of whatever Metroid game was on that and after about 15 minutes I turned it off and never used it again. I can say I tried at least.

Posted: **Fri Sep 06, 2019 6:43 pm**

recently purchased a pile of Famicom cartridges from a Japanese reseller on eBay. i've pretty much got everything i want now. (Famicom versions of games are waaaaay cheaper than the US NES versions, i've mentioned before)

at this point i'm missing

Super Mario Bros. 2 (never saw US release [this is not "Super Mario Bros. USA", as the US version is called in Japan.] pricey.)
Rockman 1 and 6 (have 2, 3, 4 and 5, but these two are quite expensive)
Contra (expensive)
The Legend of Zelda (have a US version with working battery, but the contacts are in rough shape. JP version is on disk - i don't trust 35 year old floppies...)
Kid Icarus (JP version is on disk, will have to get the US version)
Metroid (JP version is on disk, US version is expensive)
Castlevania (JP version is on disk, US version is expensive)

and some others, like Akumajou Special: Boku Dracula-kun (the Castlevania parody from Konami that never saw a US release)

the Famicom cartridges are nicer to have anyways - better label artwork and come in multiple colors. a Famicom-to-NES adapter is about $10 and works perfectly - it's just a matter of reversing the pins and cartridge form factor.

Posted: **Fri Sep 06, 2019 7:30 pm**

coopasonic wrote: ↑Fri Sep 06, 2019 5:29 pm I know it's a thing, but retro just doesn't work me and it makes it hard for me to understand why people enjoy it.

The same reasons people watch old black-and-white TV shows and movies despite technically 'superior' shows being available.

Posted: **Fri Sep 06, 2019 7:41 pm**

Blackhawk wrote: ↑Fri Sep 06, 2019 7:30 pm
coopasonic wrote: ↑Fri Sep 06, 2019 5:29 pm I know it's a thing, but retro just doesn't work me and it makes it hard for me to understand why people enjoy it.
The same reasons people watch old black-and-white TV shows and movies despite technically 'superior' shows being available.

...and same lack of understanding on my end there, except even more because I didn't really watch black and white TV or movies because they were well before my time.

Posted: **Fri Sep 06, 2019 7:56 pm**

Um, maybe 'read Shakespeare?' 'Enjoy historical photography?' 'drive classic cars?' I dunno. The point was that the technical medium isn't the only measure of quality. Sometimes those older products were of phenomenal quality, and those elements hold up today.

Posted: **Sat Sep 07, 2019 4:11 pm**

Paingod wrote: ↑Fri Sep 06, 2019 6:54 am It has an internal drive with 320MB of storage. You could probably download every ROM ever made for the NES and stuff it in there with room to spare

The No-Intro 2018 romset for NES is 278 megs and contains 2,748 roms.

Posted: **Wed Jan 11, 2023 9:11 pm**

i just acquired the Amiga A500 Mini, the Sega Genesis 2 Mini and the PC-Engine Mini. these are in addition to the NES Mini, SNES Mini, Sega Genesis 1 Mini, NEO GEO Mini, PlayStation 1 Mini... i have a few Atari Flashbacks (two 2s, a 7 and an 8) but should get one that looks more like the actual Atari 2600 (or at least should have gotten the 10, which has an actual SD card slot). also have a fakey-cheap Intellivision-in-a-controller and two Atari ones.

wouldn't mind getting a Commodore 64 one, but i think i'm good for now... well, except for this one coming out soon: https://www.zuiki.co.jp/x68000z/ (English info: https://www.timeextension.com/news/2022 ... ni-console )

Octopus Overlords

NES Mini

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