Another NES Clone To Compete with Generation NEX
There is now another NES Clone machine that is competing with Messiah’s Generation NEX system. The Neo-Fami hasn’t gotten nearly as much press as the NEX, so I thought I would bring it up.
The system is remarkable small, much like the Generation NEX, and can fit in any entertainment system. This is a big plus for people who hook-up multiple systems and other electronic appliances. The system is supposedly quite reliable. It also has composite video output, but no other video options.
This system runs on a Nintendo On a Chip like a lot of pirate consoles you see in the mall. The Generation NEX, on the other hand, has its own custom processor. From Messiah’s site:
“Our IC is a custom designed IC that is built on the NES algorithm. Every attention to detail has been spent on compatibility.”
Overall, the features look similar to the Generation NEX, but I would still lean toward the NEX for now for a few reasons:
- While not every review for the NEX has been positive so far, there are enough reviews out there to at least know it is a decent product.
- Messiah seems to me a high quality company that stands behind their products, so the support will probably be better.
- The custom Messiah processor should produce better results
- Messiah also sells wireless controllers for their systems (which also work with regular NES consoles)
The one thing that the NeoFami has going for it is that it is available in three different color combinations: White/Red, Silver/Black, and Indigo/White.
It’s nice to see a little competition in a small market like this. I look forward to more consoles being reproduced and the years roll by.
I mentioned above that Messiah’s console has gotten some mixed reviews because of some game compatibility issues. Messiah is aware of the issue, is working on them, and it talking about releasing a new, improved version of the Generation NEX in the future. I’ll be sure to keep you posted.
Thanks to RetroThing for reminding me of the NeoFami.
Related Posts:
Messiah’s Generation NEX Disappoints
Will Our Old Consoles Die Soon?
Classic Consoles Re-Release Ideas
5 Comments:
This nes clone isn’t new. Its been around for a long time. When I was waiting for the NEX to come out about a year ago, I found this one online. The Rhino game store near me even sells these now! But you’re right, the NEX does look much nicer!
I know — I actually brought it up originally back in June of ‘05
http://www.racketboy.com/retro/2005/06/buy-new-re-issued-nes-system.html
But I was reminded of it and wanted to compare the two
The Generation NEX is built around a single chip emulator, too. Don’t forget that a NOAC is simply a “custom designed IC built on the NES algorithm.” The circuit board has two chips covered in globs of black epoxy, and the largest appears to be a bog-standard NOAC (impossible to tell which brand because of the top secret goo).
The thing which annoys me most is that the FAQ on the Messiah site refuses to give a direct answer to simple questions like “Is the Generation NEX a clone (NOAC?” You’d expect a yes/no response, but instead they give a really awkward “NEX is a clone and cannot use the actual NES IC because it is not licensed by Nintendo.”
I haven’t had much problem with the neofami and infact i have grown fond of its controllers. Nothing like playing classic Super Mario Bros again. I have only found one game that doesn’t work so far and that’s Tag Team wrestling by Data East. (I honestly believe the cart needs clean i’ve been to lazy to buy alcohol to do this). Otherwise the Neo Fami is fairly compatable. It plays Zelda, perfectly (even after I read somewhere it wasn’t 100% compatable.) It has some graphics problems with some of the later NES games. But all pre 1991 games i’ve tried play perfectly with the exception of Tag Team Wrestling. Yobo did a good job porting the Neo Fami to the US. (I believe Yobo improved the compatibility of the US version over the Japanese version.) I’d give this clone a 4.5/5 and from what I’ve read so far it seems to be better than the NEX but I’ll have to get one of those and compare.
I just want to comment on this.
I just don’t get it.
Why would anybody want to screw around with a device, when there are about a million emulators out there? I had the original system, once, 20 years ago. I don’t see why people want a device specialized to do one thing, rather than a general device that does several things.
I just don’t get it. Why would anybody want to buy a system that is basically 30 years old, when the machine right in front of you does exactly the same thing, on a superior quality monitor and can take any sort of joystick you want? What is the obsession of having a device that is limited to doing one thing?
When a software emulator is discovered to not work on a particular title, it’s fixed. That’s the whole point of a software simulation, to entirely duplicate the underlying device - and they just continually improve. What’s the point of some hardware that will inevitably be buggy, instead of using software that will also be buggy, but can be continually upgraded and fixed?
And the limitations of hardware too. No save states, you have to have a case for all your games whereas mine live in a box in the closet unused, and you have to fool around with a bunch of cables to get it connected to your television. I just have a big ass TFT monitor, and every conceivable device on my computer, from a TV tuner, to a DVD player. To duplicate what I have with distinct devices, I’d have to have a CD player, a DVD player, I few ancient game machines, a television, AND several computers, since I’m also using VMWare.
How come people insist on having all this crap in bits and pieces? Why is this a good thing? The experience to me has always been the interactivity, the end product, playing the game. I couldn’t care less what the actual physical system looked like, all I care about is the playability. This NOACs all have problems, I don’t see this happening with emulators. Why are insisting on a hardware solution which is invariably inferior?
It absolutely baffles me.
If you really need the “full experience”, just buy an old dead box, place it next to your computer, insert the cartridge, then CLOSE YOUR EYES, and click the emulator icon - be sure to setup the emulator to throw in those scan lines and not to use any sort of interpolation so the screen looks just like it did when you were 7 years old - you know, crappy.
What’s the difference then? You can even put your high quality 28 inch monitor into an ugly old box television chassis from 1981. You’ll never see the difference, except it’s using 1/5th the power and you’re not getting any radiation beamed into your head from the cathode ray tube. If that’s not good enough for you, put a hotplate into the chassis as well.
There - you basically have your dream system of the crappy ancient technology when 3.2 Ghz was just a madman’s dream.
Well, I hope you all enjoyed the rant.
P.S. to all you audiophiles that insist that LPs produce better quality sound than CDs? Talk to an engineer that actually made those devices. LPs have to distort the music through an attenuator in order to keep the needle in the groove. That “deep rich sound” that people blather on about - it’s called distortion, and it’s different depending on how close the needle is to the center. That horrible sound you’re hearing from a CD? That’s what the music sounds like when there isn’t NOISE in the signal.
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[...] be an decent alternative to the dying population of original NES consoles (see Generation NEX and NeoFami). This past November, a new NES clone upped the offerings by adding SNES support in tandem with NES [...]