Hey all,

Where can I find info on the 2nd version of the 8-bit NES that was released years after the original, but with the new design. I cannot find any info for some reason..... Any places still sell used ones?


Thanks,


Matt

http://cgi.ebay.com/OFFICIAL-NES-NIN...QQcmdZViewItem

Ebay is probably your best bet. There's a ton of cheap knock-offs that were made recently but I don't if that's what you want. Note: the one I linked to above doesn't come with the dogbone controllers but it's a start.

The magic phrase when searching on eBay etc is "top loader" (Aas opposite to the original, which are "front loaders".

Top Loader. RF only. Little/No Blinking. Better Controller design.

That pretty much covers it. I'll never understand why they made it RF only, the system would be fantastic if it wasn't for that.

If you are just looking for a system to play games, and not for collector purposes, then there are several NOC (NES on a chip) alternatives available on EBay. I'm not sure how well these play games but it may be worth looking into.

It was cheaper, that's the only reason. Especially frustrating is the fact that they used a cheaper RF modulator on it than the original NES, meaning it looks even worse than an original NES using RF. The fact the the NES 2 works better than the original NES is really just a convienent side-effect of making it more cheaply (removing the bulky, internal front-loading mechanism and the 10NES authentication chip).

If I ever bought another NES it'd have to be an oldschool model.

Just too many memories of having to screw with the thing (blowing out the cart, putting two carts in, etc; ), it wouldn't be the same without it.

http://www.vidgame.net/NINTENDO/NES2.html

This is what it looks like. It's much better than the original NES by all accounts.

Or by none of the accounts in this thread. RF = teh suck.

Get a toaster with a new connector, or just buy a new connector for an old original NES.

I had a toploader but it has a very messy RF output. I ebayed it and bought a toaster-style NES with a new connector from the local mom n pop shop (well, more like grandma and grandpa shop in my case).

You can mod a top-loader with some soldering skills to output composite video. Too much effort for me.

EDIT: I went hunting because sometimes there's someone selling a modded NES toploader on ebay. Found one and he has a very reasonable BIN of $100 shipped. Last time I saw one it went for well over that...

Just search for Top Loader RCA periodically. I almost bought the one on there now. Baby keeps me too busy for gaming lately to justify buying it.

Whatever happened to that greymarket thing, I think it was called a Messiah NEX? I recall it wouldn't play several games, have they ever updated that?

Nope. Also the video quality on it is FAR worse than any game-playing problems it has. Even the poor, RF-only video of the top-loading NES in hundreds of times better than the NEX using composite video. The colors are off and bleed like hell, it's horrible. I could never recommended the NEX to anyone, just get an NES on eBay and at most, get a new 72-pin connector and you'll be set.

Even with the composite mod, the front-loader still has much better video quality.

And here I thought the toploader was all that. Good to know that my older model works better. And it is very easy to replace the pin connector. Just search on EBAY for a replacement one.

Hmm...I have a toploader, complete with the dogbone controllers in the original box sitting in my closet from my days as a video game store manager...SNES v2 as well. Wonder if I should ebay those...

As mentioned earlier, replacing the pin connector on the original NES is no big deal, but if you really want a top-loader you might want to consider the AV Famicom -- it's very similar in design to the NES 2, but with built-in composite outputs (it actually works with the SNES/N64 cables). The big drawback is the controller cable, which is way too short (about three feet) for my liking. It works with NES controllers, though. Of course you'll need a voltage converter and an NES-to-Famicom adapter. The system goes for absurd prices on eBay but they can be found fairly cheaply in Japan -- it was available in far greater quantities than the NES 2, which was only around for a year or two before Nintendo pulled the plug.

Shit, I have one at home... I need to dig it up and ebay it.

I would. A Top Loader in the box would fetch a very nice price. The SNES2 has been getting up there as well, especially with the box. Both of these system versions are inferior to the original models with the top loader's RF output and SNES2's lack of S-Video support.