Pixel of the Past: Famicon/NES Clone

Driving down the highway in Maple Ridge, rain drops hammer the windshield, visibility is poor, yet I am driving at 102 km/hr with a black plastic bag in the passenger seat. As I hear it rattling around, the pure excitement and nostalgia come to me as I drive, making me forget turning signals and ripping 20 km above the labeled speed limit.

Childhood and gaming

There is a few things that excite me as much as going back in time to visit your childhood past times. For me, video gaming was a direct link to my childhood. I remembered such “ancient game systems” like the SNES and Sega Genesis (also known as Sega Megadrive), but the console that got me hooked to this past time was the Nintendo Entertainment system (NES). 8-bit graphics, amazing audio, Duck Hunt and a silly orange gun was enough to convince me to throw down my LEGO and pick up a D-pad controller.

“F*** LEGO, check out this, I can shoot clouds and sh*t” – the thought that goes through the mind of an  7 year old immature brat (of course I didn’t know what “F***” meant until like grade 6 or 7)

The Fami-“Con”

As I park the car and rush into my residence, I quickly empty out the contents of the black plastic bag onto my couch. A Famicom…. the pinnacle of the gaming revolution…..the first ever “Nintendo” console.  To me the NES was the most amazing piece of hardware that I ever laid hands on, but a Famicom…the first and original “NES” which was released only in Japan + Asia is like owning a piece of video game history (2 years before the NES was released in 1985).  

But after careful inspection and comparing it with online pictures from google images, I realize it is a fake !!!  As I check over the contents to my dismay …. I also realize I need a power converter to play this 220v clone. Son of a ***** !!!   My heart sinks as I blow some steam  and quickly regain composure “f*** it. I’ll play this bastard anyways”

The Hitec HT-8000

The Hitec HT-8000 was one of many clones that were released in Asia around 1989, which mimiced the famicons design and play the same games. It came with similar accesories and add ons. Here are some pictures and comparisons between the two consoles (On the Left is the Hitec HT-800 and on the right is the Famicom)

Both have similar reset buttons and power switches. Also have a small controller port for an nintendo zapper (it is on the very front of the consoles. In the Hitec picture, it is the white port on the front of the system). Also they have a similar design with the control pads fit in an organized manner on the side of the system.

Unlike the Famicom controller, the hitec controller came with turbo buttons (sorta like the NES advantage controllers), which was very advantageous for gaming. Nevertheless, the Famicom controller were still much more advanced because of a built in microphone and volume control. Both controllers suffered for not having a start and select button for the second controller.

The "famiclone zapper" and the nintendo zapper are identical design, but you can feel the difference between the two. The "zing" noise each time i press the trigger of the zapper and the stronger trigger spring is the difference between good and mediocre. The clone zapper suffers from a cheap plasticy feel and the lack of a strong spring makes it feel dull.

The famicom game and the clone (the bottom protector lid isn't taken off so it looks curved at the botton. Actually it is squared), seem generally the same.  I haven't tried the games yet because i need to go buy a power converter tomorrow, but i will post another review when i get it. Cheers until then !