Universal Videogame List - www.uvlist.net

Called the "ファミリーコンピュータ (Famirī Konpyūta, Family Computer) in Japan, "ファミコン" (Famicom) for short, where it was originally released.

CPU: Ricoh 2A03 @ 1.79 MHz (or Ricoh 2A07 @ 1.66 MHz)
Graphics: 256x240x53 (48 colors + 5 grays)‡
Sound: 5 channels, PCM capable
RAM: 2 KB + OnCartridge
ROM: 48 KB Cartridges (with bankswitching†)
PPU: Ricoh RP2C02 @ 5.37 MHz (Ricoh RP2C07 @ 5.32 MHz)
Sprites size: 8x8 or 8x16 (not both at once)
Max Sprites: 64 sprites (without flicker*)
Sprites per line: 8**

†Bank Switching is extremely common for NES games allowing for very large games. The largest known game cart is 4096 KB.
‡Only 2 shades of 25 colors per scanline, 1 background, 4 sets of 3 tile colors, and 4 sets of 3 sprite colors.
*Using venition blinds effect or tolerating flicker allows considerable more.
**A system to drop a sprite and draw a different one per frame is built-in. But this causes flicker.

Nintendo reports selling 61910000 NES/Famicom units from 1983 to 2007 (±499 units, all regions counted, disk systems not counted)
MSRP:

• Famicom: ¥14,800
  
• NES (Super Mario Bros. bundle): $199.99 (included two controllers, RF modulator, AV cable)
  
• NES Deluxe Set: $249.99 (two controllers, RF modulator, AV cable, R.O.B., Zapper, Duck Hunt, and Gyromite.)
  
• NES Action Set: $149.99 (included two controllers, RF modulator, AV cable, Zapper, and "Super Mario Bros/Duck Hunt"). This was the best selling set.
  
• NES Power Set: $? (two controllers, Power Pad, Zapper, "Super Mario Bros./Duck Hunt/World Class Track Meet."
  
• NES Sports Set: $? (four game controllers, Satellite IR-or-wired multitap, "Super Spike V'Ball/Nintendo World Cup"
  
• NES Challenge Set: $? (two controllers, and Super Mario Bros. 3)
  
• NES Basic Set: $? (two controllers, and The Official Nintendo Player's Guide listed details of every licensed game)
  
• AV Famicom: ¥?
  
• NES 2: $49.99 (two dogbone controllers, RF modulator)
  

Many clones of this console exist :

• Akor SuperMega III in Hong-Kong
  
• Денди (Dendy)
  
• 小天才 (The Micro Genius)
  
• NES-on-a-chip
  
• Pegasus
  
• ポケファミ (Pokefami)
  
• Samurai
  
• Selection SZ-100
  
• Super 8 (Tri-Star)
  

The Famicom was designed by Masayuki Uemura. It used a Ricoh 2A03 CPU which a slightly customized MOS Technology 6502. It had a top loading 60-pin cartridge port and non-detachable controllers with only the first controller having start and select buttons. The second controller contained a microphone which few games ever made use of. Cartridges were rectangular and flat. It had a forward facing recessed DA-15 expansion port on the bottom-front edge. The port was used for the ファミリーコンピュータ ディスクシステム (Famirī Konpyūta Disuku Shisutemu, Family Computer Disk System) add-on unit as well special controllers like the Zapper, Power Pad, Power Glove, and other accessories. The Famicom outputs a Japanese NTSC signal through an RF modulator only on channel 92 (usually works on North American TVs also, channel 92). A redesigned Famicom featured detachable controllers using the same ports as the NES, no microphone function, and was not renamed. However, it was nicknamed "AV Famicom" and "New Famicom" by fans to differentiate it. The "AV" denoted that it had a composite video output and mono audio output rather then an RF out. Unlicensed and pirated games were very commonly used on the Famicom as piracy is rampant in Asia (and the unit had no features to discourage it). The Famicom was released to Japan, the Philippines, Taiwan, Vietnam, and Singapore starting in 1983. Due to a bad chipset, many early units would crash and were recalled to have their motherboards replaced. The Famicom was slow to catch on, but near the end of 1984, it became the most popular game system in Japan. The market was reduced from a mass market in the early 90s and remained officially supported (as a niche market) by Nintendo with consoles and accessories until 2003-10. Adventure Island IV, published 1994-06-24, was the last official game for the Famicom in Japan. Nintendo reports approximately 3000 of their Famicom compatible systems sold in 2004, and less than 500 per year until 2007 when no more stock existed to sell the following year. Without advertising the service, they continued to repair all their Famicom models until 2007-10-31 when they expressly announced they would no longer repair Famicoms due to increasing difficulty of obtaining parts coupled with high demand on their technicians for Wii repairs.

The North American NES, used a VCR style front loading mechanism for 72-pin cartridges that were nearly square in shape, a little wider and just as flat as Famicom carts. It is of course is standard NTSC. It used a Ricoh 2A03 CPU which a slightly customized MOS Technology 6502. It included a chip called the 10NES reportedly designed to prevent pirated and unlicensed games from playing. This was important because console videogame piracy in the US was almost non-existent and unlicensed American developers seemed incapable of producing competitive games؟¡ Additionally, the 10NES allowed Nintendo to forced publishers to buy all materials, chips and cartridges from them (added about $10 per unit) and in the amounts that Nintendo decided, get all games approved (censored) by Nintendo, limit companies (except themselves) to only 5 new games per year, prevent companies from publishing their games on competing computers or consoles, and it allowed Nintendo leverage over the publishers even when they sold games in other regions. These business tactics eventually got Nintendo sued many times, they usually lost, and they cried, since these cases never caused a dent in their profits, all the way to the bank. Four extra pins were required for the 10NES chip. 10 new pins connected directly to the NES' bottom expansion port. 2 Pins that allowed games to have their own sound chips were removed, or rather remapped to the bottom port rather that into the NES' sound system (60+4+10-2=72). No add-on hardware was ever created to replaced the in-cart sound chip function. Famicom cartridges are are easily converted to work on the NES with an adapter. In fact, many early NES games published by Nintendo were Famicom game circuit boards plugged into an adapter and housed inside an NES cartridge (Gyromite and Stack-Up usually). It had both RF and Composite Video+Mono Audio outputs. It can be modified for stereo output and a switch added to turn the 10NES chip off; both mods improve the function of legitimate games, games from other sales regions, homebrew development, and of course pirated games. When the NES outputs a flashing screen without starting the game (as opposed to graphic gibberish or a frozen solid color), this is due to a timing error in the 10NES chip which is aggravated by dirty or bent connection pins. Games will often function normally as soon as the 10NES chip is switched off. In 1993, North America also saw a version of the AV Famicom that was nicknamed "NES 2" after it's product number (NES-002). The NES 2 has RF output only, but can be modded for composite output. The NES 2 also has no lockout chip, which causes some games that were dependent on it to not function and certain Camerica games only work in the opposite mode (A mode or B mode) than when on previous consoles. Also some old non-working licensed games that people had lying around were found to work fine on the NES 2 (because of its lack of a 10NES). Some specialty cartridges, like the Game Genie are problematic due to being slightly larger than the NES 2 port but otherwise function normally. There is currently no published mods to add 10NES function to the NES 2. Nintendo originally negotiated with Atari to manufacture and distribute the the 'North American Famicom' but negotiations broke down. Nintendo released the NES themselves on 1985-10-18 to limited markets and the full North American market in 1986-02-01 with 18 launch titles. Nintendo published, Wario's Woods, the last game in North America, 1994-12 and Nintendo of American officially discontinued the North American NES in 1995.

The European Region A NES was released in United Kingdom, Ireland, Italy, Australia and New Zealand.
The European Region B NES was mainland Europe, except for Italy (which was Region A), Including France, the Netherlands, West Germany, Norway, Denmark, and Sweden.
Both European NESes used a Ricoh 2A07 CPU which a slightly customized MOS Technology 6502 and differes from the 2A07 only by running slightly slower at 1.66 MHz. Both European NESes contained lockout functions to limit consumers' choices for which games they could play. Region B games and systems were initially distributed by many companies. Region A games and systems were initially distributed by Mattel. In 1990, Nintendo created a European division and began distributing them own products. THese systems had composite video and RF modulator like the North American NES.
The NES was not considered that successful, but was still the best selling game system in these regions.


Clones:
Akor SuperMega III in Hong-Kong
?

Денди (English: Dendy)
Dendy was the most popular USSR game console in its day. The Dendy played famicom carts and originally output PAL and SECAM (later models are PAL only). It was an unlicensed clone and used primarily for pirated games as official Famicom systems and official games were denied to Soviet gamers. It was first released in the early 90s by Steepler company. A few unlicensed (by Nintendo) original games in Russian and Chinese were created especially for the Dendy. Several models were made, Dendy Classic, Dendy Junior, Dendy Junior II, and Dendy Junior IIP. It was sold primarily in Russian but made its way to most Soviet Union republics, especially Ukraine. The classic model came with 1 controller and the later models included 2. Additional controllers could be purchased separately. The Dendy junior and it controllers were restyled. The Dendy junior II had two of the restyled controllers permanently attached. The Dendy junior IIP came packaged with a light gun.

小天才 (The Micro Genius)
?

NES-on-a-chip
The NES-on-a-chip is prettymuch that. The pins correspond to the cartridge connector pins, the game port pins, the picture output, reset, power, and all the other externally accessible connectors of the original NES/Famicom. The chip duplicates the function of the NES' motherboard. A variety of clones have been designed around it.

Pegasus
In Poland

ポケファミ (Pokefami)
AKA:Pocket Fami. AKA:Pocket Famicom (unoffical nickname). Manufactured by GameTech in 2004. Has the distinction of actually being sued by Nintendo. The court ruled that Nintendo's patents on the Famicom had long since expired. So Nintendo basically publicized the fact that Famicom clones were now legal. Its a portable system with a 2.5 inch LCD screen that accepts 60-pin Famicom carts, outputs composite video, PAL or NTSC, and stereo audio. 72-pin NTSC or PAL games can be played with an adapter. It has ports to accept external NES controllers in addition to the built-in buttons.

Samurai
?

Selection SZ-100
?

Super 8 (Tri-Star)
The Super 8 adapter, AKA: Tri-star, is a NES and Super Nintendo converter for the Super Nintendo. It allows NES, Famicom, Super Nintendo, and Super Famicom games from any region to play on a Super Nintendo from any region. The NES games are not actually running on the Super Nintendo, rather there is an NES-on-a-chip inside that the NES games run on. The Super Nintendo only supplies the electric power. In fact, the Super 8 has its own RF out. So its an NES clone.

Question: Why was the NES 2 kicked out of the Secret IC Code Club?


2007-07-05 22:07:16

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