Tag Archives: NES

NES Classic Mini : Off with exorbitant prices

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The Nintendo company launched the Nintendo Classic Mini game console and put it on sale in 2016. It is a revival of the original 8-bit game console Nintendo Entertainment System from 1983 (release in Japan) and 1986 (release in Europe). The original NES console has sold around 61 million times and was replaced in 1992 by the SNES (Super Nintendo Entertainment System) a 16-bit console. The popularity of the Nintendo consoles is apparently so great that the new edition was sold out shortly after its release with a retail price of around 60 euros. Here traders sensed the big deal and offered the devices on Amazon, ebay and the like at sometimes horrendous prices. Even now, almost a year later, they are still not available for less than 100 euros. And Nintendo doesn’t produce any other units either. Instead, the same game began with the revival of the SNES series in miniature.

The NESPI in its packaging

But there are other ways you can get a miniaturized version of this console for a lot less money. For a few euros you get a case called NESPI CASE, which corresponds to the NES CLASSIC MINI, but with one big difference: you can install the computer yourself in the form of a Raspberry PI. This opens up countless possibilities to use emulator software to recreate your own consoles using software. The NESPI case has an integrated 4 port USB hub and a LAN Ethernet connector that leads the connections of the Raspberry PI to the outside. Two USB ports are arranged in such a way that they serve as controller connections. The other two USB ports and the Ethernet connection are located under the device flap, where the game modules were once inserted. The device is equipped with a power switch with a power LED and a reset button.

NESPI Case unpacked
Controls and connections

The housing is supplied with pre-assembled adapter boards. The screws for mounting the Raspberry Pi and the housing shells are also included in the scope of delivery. A small included Phillips screwdriver and a piece of paper with assembly instructions make things even easier.

Raspberry PI in NESPI-Case

The LAN and USB ports of the RaspberryPi are routed to the outside via the cables and plugs on the adapter boards. Once the plug connections have been made, the RapsberryPI board can be screwed into the housing. Optionally, a 5VDC fan with the dimensions 30x30x10mm can also be attached to the housing cover using locking lugs. A two-pole pin header is available on the circuit board for the power supply of the fan. Once everything has been installed and connected, the upper part of the housing can be screwed on.

Raspberry Pi eingebaut

The software can now be set up. I prefer the images from retropie or recalbox. More information can be found on the relevant websites. Once the desired emulators have been set up, you only have to transfer the game files, the so-called “Roms”, that is, binary copies of the game modules of the original hardware in a .bin or .rom or .iso file etc. to the SD card or USB Copy the stick and integrate it into the “EmulationStation”. And you’re ready to go. The USB controllers in the NES look are also available for just a few euros from China …

NESPIE with NES-Nachbau “ChinaController” attached

 

an old NES classic

 

brand new retro game controller

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NES – Nintendo Entertainment System is certainly still a household name. It was the 8-bit game console from Nintendo, which was also sold in Europe in the mid-80s and had influenced the youth of the time. It is now a museum piece that already deserves the title “Retro”. Maybe for this reason, she begins to revive in the Retrogamergemeinde. For example, this year a remake of the NES in miniaturized form with modern technology and pre-installed games on the market.

dsc_2760Also via emulators for all kinds of platforms you can bring the old NES game titles back to life. In order to be able to serve these games “in the right way” (of course, it is also possible with the PC keyboard or via the touch screen on the mobile phone), the company 8Bitdo Tech has launched the NES30 GamePad Controller. It is a wireless bluetooth controller which was modeled on the original NES controller. It is equipped with an integrated rechargeable battery that can be charged via a MicroUSB cable connection. The controller is designed to be configured as a PC game controller, as a joystick, as a Bluetooth keyboard, and as a USB joystick. This can be realized via five different modes. These modes can be selected by keyboard shortcuts during power up. The table below shows the different modes:

  Mode1 Mode2 Mode3 Mode4 Mode5
  Joystick BT-Keyboard iCade Emu-Touch USB-Joystick
Power ON START START+B START+A START+X Kabelverbindung
Blue LEDs are flashing 1x 2x 3x 4x
OS WIN Android WIN/Apple Android Android Apple Android Apple WIN
           

dsc_2759The picture shows the USB charging socket, to the right of which are two status LEDs.

dsc_2816The battery is located on the back of the board

dsc_2817die Platine des Controllers; der die Firmware des Mikrocontrollers kann aktualisiert werden

dsc_2818Contact mats represent the buttons. Under the two shoulder buttons are real micro buttons …

dscn0763Here is the emulator “NES Emu” served on an Android phone with the NES30;)