NintendoAge http://nintendoage.com/forum/ -Sqooner Star Keeper http://nintendoage.com/forum/messageview.cfm?catid=22&threadid=125036 2019-04-01T14:07:12 -05.00 zxdplay 1262 Originally posted by: WaverBoy

I don't suppose there's a chance in hell of scoring a copy of this game now...?
A copy of this recently appeared on the FS forum if you’re still interested.
  ]]> Star Keeper http://nintendoage.com/forum/messageview.cfm?catid=22&threadid=125036 2019-02-14T14:15:32 -05.00 zxdplay 1262 Originally posted by: toma

[Less than Jake's first album vid]
Fuck. Yeah. Bro. ]]> Star Keeper http://nintendoage.com/forum/messageview.cfm?catid=22&threadid=125036 2019-02-14T11:13:04 -05.00 zxdplay 1262
Yeah clone systems wouldn't be a problem. Having a 5v-tolerant game shouldn't be a compatibility issue for a 3.3v clone though - think it's just that 5v devices are slowly being phased out. I'm sure they'll stick around for some time, but there are many more 3.3v chips on the market than 5v ones these days. ]]> Star Keeper http://nintendoage.com/forum/messageview.cfm?catid=22&threadid=125036 2019-02-14T11:00:28 -05.00 zxdplay 1262
On another note, the Columbus circle "professional" releases used the 3v. Then again, they also made their own (presumably 3v) clones for the Japanese market, so I think they just made the game for their machines compatibility ]]> Star Keeper http://nintendoage.com/forum/messageview.cfm?catid=22&threadid=125036 2019-02-14T10:20:02 -05.00 zxdplay 1262 Originally posted by: fcgamer
 
With all due respect, this is a more modern issue. The old carts and machines were all essentially 1:1 copies, as I also said earlier, even companies as konami surely had their hands in the business.
That's good to know. So it could be technically viable as long as someone in the chain has the means to UV expose and rewrite old ROMs. - or design a new pcb to fit the shells, though that'd increase the total cost of production.

The outlook for Project Blue to be released on famicom seems to be pretty doomed at the moment, though. It is designed to use either GTROM or BNROM (depending on logistics); 512kB:s of ROM (most of it level data) with 32k banking. GTROM is an aftermarket design and BNROM was only used for one fc game, with a 128kB chip. One would need to desolder every ROM and replace it even if a stache of machou games could be acquired. And i wouldn't want to use a modern bootleg-type cart for the above reason. 
  ]]> Star Keeper http://nintendoage.com/forum/messageview.cfm?catid=22&threadid=125036 2019-02-14T10:08:49 -05.00 zxdplay 1262 Star Keeper http://nintendoage.com/forum/messageview.cfm?catid=22&threadid=125036 2019-02-14T10:05:21 -05.00 zxdplay 1262 Originally posted by: arch_8ngel

Originally posted by: fcgamer
 
Originally posted by: arch_8ngel
 
Originally posted by: fcgamer

On another note, not producing Famicom versions just leads to things such as this:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Lan-Mast...

Years back someone had made and was selling unofficial Famicom Battle Kid carts as well, I remember, weeeey back.

I also know some people who have been putting homebrew / indie games onto repro carts, some folks from South America and also in Asia.

I'd rather see creators getting funds for it, than people just making repros.

Not sure that's a great example to make a case with, since the guy has it listed at $10 BIN with free shipping and it is sitting there and readily available.

After fees and shipping costs, that guy is getting about $5 in his pocket, that doesn't include the cost of the cartridge materials.


I don't see that as a very interesting business case for NES homebrewers.
 



That cart was obviously gotten from AliExpress or the like. You are missing my point here, which is as follows: there have been numerous examples of people abroad making bootleg "repro" carts of homebrew games, since they dont want or have the hardware to play nes versions. While it's rarer than the situation of people reproing Famicom exclusive for the nes, it still does happen.

I think you completely missed my counterpoint.

I understand what you were trying to say -- that there may be SOME demand for these that spawns Famicom pirates of western NES homebrew.

But my point (which is probably the one that actually matters to homebrewers) was that the guy has it listed at $10 BIN w/ free shipping and it is just sitting there.
Even if he ordered it from Ali Express (so he didn't commit any of his own labor to it), he is AT BEST making $2 on the transaction.

That is not an interesting business case to encourage homebrewers to seek out Famicom buyers, especially when the hassles of international shipping come into play.



If international buyers what their games, they can already get them in NES format and just plug them into a converter.

The people that want to play the homebrew games ALREADY CAN. 
Nobody is genuinely prevented from playing western NES homebrew simply because it isn't on a Famicom cartridge.

 


The same situation holds true in reverse too though; nes gamers and collectors could just import Famicom versions and use a converter, yet everyone mostly just buys repros. It never ceases to amaze me how this whole converter issue always comes up, despite it not being what many folks want. About that linked cart, no one is buying it because it's an AliExpress modern fake. But Mr Splash homebrew always sells for big bucks on the market, Famicom version.   Famicom collecting is quite big, and it's getting even more popular year by year. But the folks here on NA aren't Famicom gamers or collectors, mostly, so they don't know much about this area of gaming and collecting. ]]> Star Keeper http://nintendoage.com/forum/messageview.cfm?catid=22&threadid=125036 2019-02-14T09:58:10 -05.00 zxdplay 1262 Star Keeper http://nintendoage.com/forum/messageview.cfm?catid=22&threadid=125036 2019-02-14T09:56:40 -05.00 zxdplay 1262 Originally posted by: fcgamer
 
Originally posted by: arch_8ngel
 
Originally posted by: fcgamer

On another note, not producing Famicom versions just leads to things such as this:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Lan-Mast...

Years back someone had made and was selling unofficial Famicom Battle Kid carts as well, I remember, weeeey back.

I also know some people who have been putting homebrew / indie games onto repro carts, some folks from South America and also in Asia.

I'd rather see creators getting funds for it, than people just making repros.

Not sure that's a great example to make a case with, since the guy has it listed at $10 BIN with free shipping and it is sitting there and readily available.

After fees and shipping costs, that guy is getting about $5 in his pocket, that doesn't include the cost of the cartridge materials.


I don't see that as a very interesting business case for NES homebrewers.
 



That cart was obviously gotten from AliExpress or the like. You are missing my point here, which is as follows: there have been numerous examples of people abroad making bootleg "repro" carts of homebrew games, since they dont want or have the hardware to play nes versions. While it's rarer than the situation of people reproing Famicom exclusive for the nes, it still does happen.
I think you completely missed my counterpoint.

I understand what you were trying to say -- that there may be SOME demand for these that spawns Famicom pirates of western NES homebrew.

But my point (which is probably the one that actually matters to homebrewers) was that the guy has it listed at $10 BIN w/ free shipping and it is just sitting there.
Even if he ordered it from Ali Express (so he didn't commit any of his own labor to it), he is AT BEST making $2 on the transaction.

That is not an interesting business case to encourage homebrewers to seek out Famicom buyers, especially when the hassles of international shipping come into play.



If international buyers what their games, they can already get them in NES format and just plug them into a converter.

The people that want to play the homebrew games ALREADY CAN. 
Nobody is genuinely prevented from playing western NES homebrew simply because it isn't on a Famicom cartridge.

  ]]> Star Keeper http://nintendoage.com/forum/messageview.cfm?catid=22&threadid=125036 2019-02-14T09:54:40 -05.00 zxdplay 1262 Originally posted by: FrankenGraphics

Not sure when the switch was made (i don't have an EE background), but another thing to take into consideration is that lots of bootleg nes/fc cartridge pcb:s are badly engineered to the detriment of your consoles' lifespan. I don't know exactly what year they shifted towards using 3.3v devices consistently but the result is usually unhealthy for your console. And simply clamping the voltage with a diode isn't a solution (even if it's pretty much a standard occurence in modern bootleg multicarts, also including those used by columbus circle according to some nesdev thread) - it just asks the output transistors in the nes/fc to provide more current than they were designed for as the excess voltage in the faux conversion is sunk straight to ground. Pirates don't care and bootleg consumers don't know, but it's basically like your console has picked up a smoking habit and it probably won't end well in the long run. Knowing that, i'd first and foremost make sure that every cartridge version is properly engineered. So sourcing appropriate bootlegs to recondition into new original games might be a bit iffy. 

(edited for the inclusion of a hyperlink)
Devices on cartridges need to be either:
-5v tolerant.
-3.3v/5v tolerant. 
-completely protected on all relevant lines by a proper logic level translator device or a discrete counterpart.

Or at least speaking for me, i wouldn't want to sell it. 
 


With all due respect, this is a more modern issue. The old carts and machines were all essentially 1:1 copies, as I also said earlier, even companies as konami surely had their hands in the business. ]]>