Who would spend more than the cost of a PS4 on a video game console that only plays NES games? Well, who would spend thousands of dollars on a digital camera that can’t autofocus? Leica shooters, of course, and people of similar persuasion might just be interested in the Analogue Nt for their gaming needs. The Nt is a modern Nintendo Entertainment System hewn from a solid block of aluminum, and retails for $499 (plus an extra $79 if you want HDMI output and hardware upscaling.)
Beautiful piece of hardware – and I love the fact that there might be a market for this. There are way more sensible options, of course, but none of them look this good.
This seems like a well-made console. However, it just kind of ‘irks’ me that they cannibalized NES/Famicom consoles to make this. *EDIT*!! Dang, that same company makes some pretty sexy NEO GEO MVS consoles…
http://www.analogueinteractive.com/collections/analogue-cmvs/produc…
Edited 2015-06-26 13:40 UTC
I admire their creativity, but for around $540, I could get a decent quad core SFF, an 8GB DDR3-1600 dual-channel SODIMM kit, a 1TB 2.5mm HDD, and a pair of somewhat decent DualShock 2 lookalikes. Install Debian or Ubuntu, Higan, MAME, PPSSPP, KEGA Fusion, some other emulators, and I’ll have an omnipotent EmuStation with HDMI and mini DisplayPort.
That point was raised in the article. Buying this console is the equivalent of buying an iMac for $2000 when you could build a functionally equivalent (but comparatively ugly) computer for 1/3 the price. It’s a choice between something that puts design first, or something that gets the job done for less money.
In this particular case though, I think the device will appeal to a certain segment of the classic gaming world. It’s an actual NES (well, Famicom) at its heart, it uses original carts and controllers, and it’s meant to do one thing and do it well: Play NES cartridges.
It’s not a device I’d have any use for but if I did…can’t say I’m that impressed by the box. It’s OK, but just a box not some design wonderfulness.
Or you could get a Shield TV for $200, which could emulate everything up to (and probably beyond) the PS1.
Odroid, 35 USD and can emulate PSP Tekken 6.
Or you could buy a gold bust for a million dollars and it wouldn’t play games at all. The hardware isn’t the point.
I prefer the actual NES – bonus if you use it with an old CRT TV…
Can pick one up at a garage sale for a couple dollars – CRT for free at the end of someone’s driveway.
Then you also get to experience the awesomeness of cleaning someone’s grimy controllers and NES unit, and the fun times blowing on cartridges and jamming a second card on top of the first to prevent the blinking-screen issue. *That’s* nostalgia…not some $500 device that takes away all the fun
http://mentalfloss.com/article/12589/did-blowing-nintendo-cartridge…
It’s easier to just completely disable the 10NES chip, and you won’t have that problem ever again.
http://atariage.com/forums/uploads/monthly_05_2011/post-23487-0-860…
Edited 2015-06-26 20:20 UTC
…but I still have two NES’s in working order
The Original NES, and a 2nd Generation Top-load NES.
Haven’t pulled them out in a while, but they’ll work just fine. May have to figure out something in a few years when the kids are old enough though…