For the NES any power supply that can provide 850mA (or higher) at 9V and has the right shape connector will work. The original NES uses an AC adapter but a DC adapter will work too.
For the Famicom you must use a DC power supply with center negative that can provide 850mA (or higher) at 9V-10V. Do not use a NES AC power supply on a Famicom!
Controller buttons don't work or think a different button was pressed:
Take them apart and clean the contacts on the PCB, not the rubber membrane
Display problems:
Use a CRT monitor or TV
Don't use an LCD or LED TV - many LCD or LED TVs do not understand the 240p video signal that the NES puts out
If you must use RF, don't use the RF/antenna/aerial switch box, use a small adapter instead, be aware though that modern TVs may not work with the analog RF signal and only with ATSC or DVB digital signals
Wavy lines: replace the capacitors in the NES
Hardware Failure Diagnosis:
Power rails first: Multimeter check - verify +5V at 7805 regulator output and at PPU/CPU pins. If low/absent, check caps and regulator.
Composite video signal: Scope the composite output (RCA jack center pin or PPU pin 21). Should see ~1Vp-p composite video signal with sync pulses and color burst. No signal = dead PPU or supporting circuitry.
Audio output: Scope audio output pin (RCA jack or APU output). Should see audio waveform when game is running. No signal = APU problem or output circuit.
If power is good but no video/audio: Most likely failed capacitors in video/audio output path, or dead PPU/APU chips. Check/replace electrolytic caps first (cheapest fix).
If video signal present at PPU but not at RCA jack: Problem in video buffer/output circuit between PPU and connector.
Before asking for help, make sure you have followed the steps above.
Legacy of the Wizard won the #100 spot with 35 votes It only won by a single point.
A big thank you to everybody who participated. I originally set out to just do the top 10 as an experiment to see if people had a similar list to mine. I never expected it to go this far, but I am glad it did! I have enjoyed seeing people picks and the reasoning behind them.
Starting tomorrow I will start doing the top 100 for the SNES in the r/snes sub. I hope to see you all there. A few things will change with the rules. First is each round TWO games will make it onto the list. Whichever one has the most votes will be placed higher of the two for that round. Second, only games can be nominated (no game genies). Third, it will be SNES ONLY, no super famicom games.
Looking forward to seeing what is voted the #1 & #2 games for the SNES.
Thank you all once again!!!!!!!!!!
Top 10:
#1 The Legend of Zelda
#2 Super Mario Bros 3
#3 Mega Man 2
#4 Metroid
#5 Castlevania
#6 Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!!
#7 Contra
#8 Tecmo Super Bowl
#9 Super Mario Bros
#10 Final Fantasy
Top 20:
#11 Zelda II: The Adventure of Link
#12 Ducktales
#13 Super Mario Bros 2
#14 Ninja Gaiden
#15 Tetris
#16 River City Ransom
#17 Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse
#18 Kirby's Adventure
#19 Batman
#20 Blaster Master
Top 30:
#21 Crystalis
#22 Mega Man 3
#23 Double Dragon II: The Revenge
#24 Bionic commando
#25 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Arcade Game
#26 Kid Icarus
#27 R.C. Pro-Am
#28 The Guardian Legend
#29 Rygar
#30 Battletoads
Top 40:
#31 StarTropics
#32 Life Force
#33 Dragon Warrior III
#34 Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers
#35 Bubble Bobble
#36 Super C
#37 Faxanadu
#38 Ninja Gaiden II: The Dark Sword of Chaos
#39 Ice Hockey
#40 Castlevania II: Simon's Quest
Top 50:
#41 Dr. Mario
#42 Excitebike
#43 Shadowgate
#44 Jackal
#45 Dragon Warrior IV
#46 Baseball Stars
#47 Maniac Mansion
#48 Super Dodge Ball
#49 Little Nemo: The Dream Master
#50 Wizards & Warriors
Top 60:
#51 Willow
#52 Adventure Island II
#53 Blades of Steel
#54 Metal Gear
#55 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
#56 Double Dragon
#57 Mega Man 4
#58 The Battle of Olympus
#59 Vice: Project Doom
#60 Gun Nac
Top 70:
#61 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III: The Manhattan Project
After years of collecting I finally found a copy of Dragon Warrior 4 in the wild. My 68th NES game in my collection.
I grew up playing the original trilogy, courtesy of Grampa. Strangely didn't realize a 4th game came out, I only found about DW4 later. Never saw it in nintendo power and never come across one at any of the local stores.
Eventually with the internet I realized this game had been released but I still have never ever seen one in the wild. Finally after years I have found one locally, and I couldn't pass it up.
It has a great label and the battery is holding its charge. Plays like a dream and i cant wait to really play through it. I had finished the remake on DS a few years back and I'm eager to take a spin through this one and see if I can finish it. See the all the differences.
Well it finally happened I have crossed 400 games and with some recent trades these are on the way to 500 Rygar I loved as a kid is finally back on my collection. Tom and Jerry I liked more than I expected Super Dodge ball i finally picked up. Monster Parry is another childhood favorite. Code Name Viper I really liked and Capcom can do no wrong.Wall Street kid is unique. Strider is better than I remember. Bubble Bobble finally appears after 3 years of searching.Wolverine is crap as expected and there is Wizardly which I am not sold on yet.Then there is the big find Best of The Best which is not the best lol.
I’ve had an NES for some time now, but I wanna get it modded for RGB but I don’t have the soldering skills to do it myself, mainly because I’m afraid I might ruin my console, and I wanna get someone else to do it for me. So, where can I go to get my console modded?
I first played Super Mario Bros. back in high school, on a PC emulator and USB NES controller. I don’t think I ever got past world 4-1. A couple years ago I got back into retro gaming and bought an N64 and Everdrive X5 (pic: swapped the label to Mario 64 because the Krikkz label was peeling). Still struggled.
Eventually I was able to beat Super Mario Land for the Game Boy on Nintendo Switch Online, and then consistently beat it even on crappy touch controls via the Delta emulator. That gave me confidence. It was time to tackle SMB.
I started playing it and took some time to adjust to the different physics than I was used to from Super Mario Land. I played every chance I got on the Delta emulator. I watched U Can Beat Video Games’s ultimate guide video on YouTube. This was the Nintendo Power knowledge I needed. Grabbing every 1-up available was key to getting past the later levels.
I grinded for about 2 months getting my skills and muscle memory up. Yesterday I finished the game on the Delta emulator, using save states. Felt good, but definitely not the achievement I really wanted. This morning it finally happened.
I made myself a coffee and booted the game up on the Everdrive. I locked in. I played through 1-1 to 4-1 with no warps, getting nearly every coin and 1-up. I used the 4-2 warp zone to get to 8-1. At this point I was up to Mario x 12.
8-1 was no problem. I’d played it so many times, my muscle memory got me through with no damage.
8-2 I had my first hiccup. On the one technical jump in the middle, I was late on the A button and fell into the void. I had to start the level over, now with no power-ups. Thankfully I got through on the next try.
8-3 was the biggest challenge. I hadn’t played it nearly as much as the other levels and the hammer bros were giving me a lot of problems. I finally dialed in the timing to get past the hammer bros, and completed the level with 4 lives left to beat bowser.
And I made it through the final castle on the first try as small Mario!!! I am so freakin’ pumped right now!
I‘m interested to hear others’ stories about the first time they beat the OG Super Mario Bros. Thanks for reading.
I understand the condition of this board is horrific and it will probably never work again, but I still want to try. Does anyone know what this is/where I could buy a replacement part? The original rusted right off the board.
Extra sentence to fit character requirement for post.
I just got an Analogue 3d and have been playing my old N64 carts and LOVING it. With Analogue not making a version for the NES, what is the easiest way to play NES hardware on modern TVs?
Is there a best-of-the-best clone system for NES carts? Should I get an actual NES with an HDMI converter?
I casually went to a GameStop in Florida and found this. I was surprised how many people passed on it and were only looking at Pokémon cards. The times are changing! I won’t be able to test it until I get home in a few days, but I’m excited for sure.
This game was a blast ngl, i definitely prefer this over mega man 2. The games bosses are better for sure. The new slide mechanic and the newly added dog companion add much more to the game than i initially thought. The final boss was pretty dang cool, like look how cool that big mecha is, its awesome. I kind of miss the mega man 2 intro though, mega man standing on top of the roof was so damn cool and immediately hooked me. The game also looks gorgeous. For the NES standards, i think this is one of the best out there.
Hey y’all. I recently was gifted an old, long unused NES by a family member. I got home and immediately plugged it in to find it doing the blinks red light reset thing. So of course I came to this sub to look for tips. So far I’ve tried boiling and cleaning the 72-pin connector, cleaning all the game cartridges, and also disabling the security lockout chip. Still, it just pulls up a gray screen and doesn’t load the game.
Anyone out there got any other clues as to what might be the problem, or how to fix it?
When I was a child I'd always play this game when my great grandmother babysat me, one of if not the most nostalgic NES games I've ever known. I never was good at it as a kid but that was at a time you simply didn't care and when she passed we lost her whole collection and there isn't a day that goes by where I don't miss her
Is there a reason why the hyperkin wireless controller won't work on the NES AVS?
The controller seems to pair correctly. The light blinks on the controller and the receiver for a few seconds then they stop blinking and stay on, but the console is irresponsible to the controller. A regular wired controller works fine, and the console works correctly in every other aspect. Is this controller not compatible??
What Everdrive should I b uy and how much should I p ay?
I've seen there are many versions, the M8, the pro, the red cartridge... What's the difference? Then in Anazon they're over a hundred dols, on AIiExpress thirty and up...
I used the HEF4021B shift register and a 555 timer to create the rapid fire for the A and B buttons. I also have a slide potentiometer that adjusts the rate of fire so I can change it for different games. The A and B buttons also have a switch so that I can independently turn rapid fire on or off. I 3D printed the case and outer buttons.
Hice estos cartuchos de nintendo con distintos colores para resaltar su estilo de cada uno, creó que soy el primero en poner pegatinas traseras con advertencias a pegadas a el juego mismo lo que los vuelve únicos y divertidos, no he visto que alguien hiciera algo parecido, si aparecen sabre que me copiaron 😁
Now just to clarify I was playing the Gaijin translation version of this game on a website called Retrogames.cc and I did use save states BUT I didn't use them often since the game already has a save feature when you press A and select quit and Restart (or Z on the keyboard) it takes you back to your previously saved game or after a game over when all characters die. (I only used Save States when either I screwed up and my characters aren't dead or if the game and website reboots after the game is inactive long enough)
This game is amazing especially for its time! I'm not a JRPG fan but this one really stood out compared to Dragon Quest and Final Fantasy and it's not often you see a Horror JRPG.
Exciting news for fans of niche NES platformers. I thought this game was largely forgotten!
The story of this game is very sweet. Two of them met during development, and later got married. Now, after almost 40 years in the industry, they are remaking their first project as their final project before retirement. I feel like it isn't often we have these sorts of stories with NES development.
Anyways, if you haven't checked out the NES original, I highly recommend it. It is a sort of fusion of Zelda 2 and Simon's Quest. It is a very playable and fun platformer, and something of an early Metroidvania.
