This weekend I saw that Pink Godzilla Games in Seattle had a pre-production prototype of the Generation NEX game system on display. This is the new kick ass NES Famicom clone that has modern video support, wireless controllers and extra reliability. I was a bit shocked at how small and kick ass the entire thing was. I reserved one off the first shipment and can't wait to take one home.
The only thing I was not sure about was the game pad design. The start and select buttons are the same size as the A and B buttons and are right above it. There are Slow and Turbo touch buttons where the old Start and Select buttons were and there are A and B button Left and Right trigger buttons on the top of the controller. But for those purists like me you can use any old NES controller with it.
The wireless controller on switch is on the right side of it. For those of you that don't recognize a Famicom cart that is the last one sticking out of the top. The American NES games go right in the front. The AC adaptor is super super tiny and it supports dual mono sound via AV jacks right in the back of the unit. Yay no more RF- switches!
For a mere $60 this is a pretty sure gift this holiday season for just about any nerd in your life.
So until then here are the pictures I took.
On an unrelated note my girlfriend wants me to get her some Pink Godzilla Games Panties They are not on the website but they have them at the store.
Too bad you didn't have a chance to slip a copy of Castlevania III in there to test compatibility. (same with the JPN version which we're all pretty sure isn't going to be compatible) Of the prototype units that were sold at Classic Gaming Expo it seems not one person that picked one up has even attempted to do any serious compatibility testing. Messiah doesn't have a good testing database at this point either and the Digital Press members that have proto Generation Nex's have been getting questions like "does this work, does that work?" and the reply is, "duuuuurrrrrrrr....... I don't have that, these three games wouldn't even start at all.. they might be dirty, I dunno" Man is it aggrivating.
If it runs Castlevania III, Skull & Crossbones, and then non-Tengen unlicensed carts (since the Tengen carts use the 'rabbit' chip they shouldn't be a problem except for Skull & Crossbones) then this will be the greatest NES clone to ever exist, surpassing even the original.
yeah, it's pretty cool. but shipping to Europe costs 40 bucks *argagaaaahl*
and then I would need a stepdown power converter as well...
/delirium.
Actually my friend BBQ has a Japanese copy of Castlevania III and from what I have heard it does work but we have not tried it out yet. The guys at Pink Godzilla said that US Castlevania 3 did work on it.
The units at Classig Gaming Expo were not prototypes but the first batch of production units.
I don't see why shipping to Europe is so pricy. The box was quite small and it is not heavy.
The real question is... do you have to blow in the cart until your eyes pop out of your sockets still? If they fix that, they can charge me $100 for all I care.
While, if I can find it, I will be quick to test Castlevania III compatibility. I remember having it with the NES back in the day, but I haven't got a chance to dig through my boxes yet. I know I have two turbo controllers, a light gun, two normal controllers and possibly a power pad all ready and waiting on the NEX. God. Our apartment will be mass nerd-age. The only thing we need now is someone who can kick ass at chess and speak Klingon while they're at it.
‘VIDEO GAMES LIVE’ COMING TO SEATTLE ON OCTOBER 29
Concert Series Celebrating the Music of Video Games Will Rock the Seattle Paramount Theatre
Tickets on Sale Saturday, September 17
Los Angeles – September 14, 2005 – Renowned video game composers, Tommy Tallarico (Advent Rising, Tony Hawk Pro Skater, Earthworm Jim) and Jack Wall (Jade Empire, Myst III: Exile, Splinter Cell), and Clear Channel Music Group today announced that Video Games Live will hit Seattle on October 29, with tickets available on September 17. Co-executive produced by Tallarico’s and Wall’s Mystical Stone Entertainment LLC, and Clear Channel Music Group, Video Games Live features music from the world’s most popular video games performed by top orchestras and choirs across North America, combined with explosive video segments from each of the games, lasers and lights to create an exceptional, immersive entertainment experience. The national tour begins in Seattle with an additional 27 tour dates soon to be announced for cities including New York, Dallas, Boston, San Francisco, Detroit, Philadelphia and Toronto.
“The triumphant Video Games Live show in July at the Hollywood Bowl, which drew a massive crowd of over 10,000 people, established without a doubt that the demand for this tour is huge,” said Brad Wavra, Touring Vice President for Clear Channel Music Group. “Clear Channel is thrilled to bring Video Games Live to Seattle and the rest of North America.”
Video Games Live features music from some of the world’s most popular games, including Mario™, Zelda®, Halo®, Metal Gear Solid®, Warcraft®, Myst®, Castlevania®, Medal of Honor™, Sonic™, Tron©, Tomb Raider®, Advent Rising, Headhunter, Beyond Good & Evil™, Splinter Cell®, Ghost Recon™, Rainbow Six®, EverQuest® II, Kingdom Hearts, God of War™ and a classic arcade game medley featuring games from Pong® to Donkey Kong®.
“Concertgoers are going to be blown away by Video Games Live. We've created a show that the entire family will enjoy," said Tommy Tallarico, co-creator of Video Games Live and one of the top game music composers. "Video games have become one of the most popular forms of entertainment in the 21st century and Video Games Live is a celebration of the incredible music, art, storylines and characters our industry has to offer."
“Video game music is not bleeps and bloops anymore. People are absolutely shocked when they hear this music,” stated Jack Wall, co-creator of Video Games Live and leading game music composer. “This music represents a true art form. The success of this tour will demonstrate to the world that video game music can command the attention of gamers and non-gamers alike.”
Tickets for the Paramount Theatre performance will be available beginning at 10:00 AM on Saturday, September 17th. Tickets will be available via Ticketmaster.com, all Ticketmaster outlets or charge by phone at 206-628-0888, 509-735-0500, 509-453-7139 or 503-224-4400. Tickets are also available online through the Video Games Live website at www.videogameslive.com. Advance tickets are $55.00, $45.00, $35.00 and $20.00 plus applicable service charges.
A trailer previewing the Video Games Live experience is available here:
http://www2.fanscape.com/videogameslive/redirects/vgl_trailer-wm.aspx
http://www2.fanscape.com/videogameslive/redirects/vgl_trailer-qt.aspx
Actually Jake, the "NO MORE RF SWITCH" was not nessicarry, the NES was always AV Ready. However, the famicom was not (which is why the remodeled famicom released in 93 was released).
Yeah but the top loading redesigned NES that I use does not have AV cables. It is a shame because the Japanese version of that unit DID have AV cables and was called the "AV Famicom". Also the contacts are sketchy on my origional NES.
I was fully aware of it being called the AV Famicom, which is why i mentioned it considering I have it in my collection (specifially because the original famicom only accepts RF, and Japanese RF doesn't work well in america. you'll get picture on one channel and sound on another) also, the redesigned NES loses pixel's every few lines or so.
I think I'll just stick with my $1.00 yard-sale NES. ;)
I just got my Generation NEX today via FexEx, part of the first shipment. First off, the included controller is terrible. The buttons are slanted and mushy, the controller itself is tiny, and it's an awkward button layout to begin with. The sound on _all_ the games I've tested (incl. SMB1, 2, 3) is off and not accurate (compared to being played on an original NES). Huge bummer. Also, games like River City Ransom do weird stuff when you play them, including garbleing up the menus, changing colors, and generally not working properly. Castlevania III doesn't even work at all for me either (just a blank green screen). Did they even test this thing? How hard could it be to make a 100% compatible NES clone in 2005? And how could they possibly say it's compatible with anything? Damn marketing lies.
I highly recommend staying far away from this me-too capitalize-on-retro-craze rip-off. (It has game compatibility akin to a $5 Chinese famicom clone.) For $60 You could get an original NES with a new 72-pin connector in it, some REAL NES controllers, and 10 decent games. Heck, you could probably even get the top-loading NES for less than this. Avoid the NEX and get the real thing.
Messiah makes me sick. Avoid like the plague.
This is one of the best products for Nintendo in a long time. Always hated the low quality of the original NES 72 pin connectors - well, this machine managed to improved on the connectors. Plus, playing Japanese games without the adaptor is a big plus. There's a compatibilty list on the old school gaming website.
Highly recommended.
i want to buy one
Kyle screw YOU!
This is an awesome conversion of the old NES in our days.
It not also plays around 97% of the NES games as also plays all the famicom games, AND you can't compare the Original NES to the Generation NEX because it would be like comparing a cow to a horse, also in my oppinion i think that NEX is a very capable clone compared to the other clones (i bet you don't even know one), well the yobo fc twin is in 2nd place.
And finally i think that this is a very great oppurtunity to relive those good old nintendo days, cuz now all you can get is playstation and xbox and i hate those and i'm only 18 years old, i just wonder where has that golden videogame era gone to? everybody is playing crappy games like need for speed carbon and 25 to life just because it's gangsta and everything well i HATE IT, they don't do games like they used to anymore :(
But ofcourse that's just my oppinion about all this.
ps:i'm sorry about my bad spelling, i'm from europe as well ;)