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8bitforever
Account closed
Registered: Oct 2009
Posts: 48 |
New 8-bit TV-computer
A Commodore 64 competitor has arrived again. :-)
Has anyone some experience with the "Educational computer" or "8-bit TV-computer" or "Victor-70" or Famicom ?
All names above are names for the same computer.
It´s based on the 6502 processor.
It can play NES cartridges.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fjSLZ-x-GxM
http://www.itexaminer.com/12-indian-computers-tip-up-in-silicon..
http://www.makershed.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=MKPP1
http://playpower.org
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Mace
Registered: May 2002
Posts: 1799 |
Ok, brown wasn't too fashionable as a colour, but blue?! |
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taper
Registered: Dec 2001
Posts: 119 |
Nothing new about this... Famicom clones have been around for ages. I own atleast 16 different flavours of those consoles myself. A few comes with keyboard, others are modelled after other consoles and some are built into joypads. They are all based on the same pirate-manifactured Famicom chip. A one-chip Famicom/NES if you'd like. Only the plastic housing and perhipals differ them really.
Some take NES carts, most take Famicom carts and a few takes both.
For those not familiar with Nintendo history, Famicom is the japanese "NES". Released before the NES, utilizing another form factor on the cartridges and perhipals such as a keyboard and diskdrive available as add-ons. The NES was derived from the Famicom and contains (essentially) the same hardware, aimed for release on the western market. No keyboard or diskdrive was available for the NES, as opposed to the Famicom.
Famicom games can thus be played on a NES with a converter inbetween to make the carts fit, and the other way around.
When it comes to Famicom clones I'm mostly fascinated by the different plastic casings available. I have clones shaped like a playstation but with a cartslot beneath the lid where the CD should be. Others are shaped like an original Famicom (red & white with non-removable joypads), SNES-lookalikes, Megadrive lookalikes, built into N64 joypad lookalikes... I could go on for ages.
Most of thse clones also comes with X built in games. Both old pirated rom's and newly coded games (I can see a chinese sweatshop, lines of people forced to code new games for Famicom clones, oh the horror!), and also some old games reworked into new ones (sprites exchanged and so on).
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8bitforever
Account closed
Registered: Oct 2009
Posts: 48 |
Taper,
Do you know where to buy them in Sweden ?
Have you done some assembler coding on them ?
Do you know any links to forums about them ? |
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chatGPZ
Registered: Dec 2001
Posts: 11350 |
http://nesdev.parodius.com/ |
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taper
Registered: Dec 2001
Posts: 119 |
No, I don't know where to currently pick one up. However, it shouldn't be too difficult. Make a habit of visiting smaller stores which stock import goods (asian stores, middle east stores and the likes), I've bought a couple of mine in such places. Also, keep an eye out when on city fairs, I've found a few there too. And, at times you can even buy Famicom clones at swedish mailorder gigants like Ellos, Josefsson and so on. Not that long ago one of them stocked a Famicom clone built into a driverswheel.
No, I have never tried to program the Famicom/NES. Doing it on the actual machine is probably not an option. I have some Famicom clones with keyboard and a cart containing Famicom Basic, but you can't save, and who want to play around with basic for more than 10 minutes anyway... So, you need to crossdevelope. And you need one of them nifty flash carts to run what you've created on the real thing (unless you come by a Pc Jr ofcourse...).
I recommend that you check www.nesworld.com from time to time. Beside a lot of NES/Famicom information, new homebrewed stuff is often featured, aswell as reviews on Famicom clones (and in some cases links to places online that sell them!). |
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taper
Registered: Dec 2001
Posts: 119 |
This might or might not contain a Famicom clone, I have one dancing mat with a built in Famicom clone myself:
http://www.halens.se/ProductPage.aspx?pid=028103&mid=508&sort=0..
This also looks suspicious:
http://www.halens.se/ProductPage.aspx?pid=028407&mid=508&sort=0..
´
By the way, check out http://ultimateconsoledatabase.com/famiclones.htm to see what a vast djungle of Famicom clones that exists... |
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8bitforever
Account closed
Registered: Oct 2009
Posts: 48 |
Thanks taper,
You broden my perspective on where the famicoms can be found. :-) |
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Black Belt Jones
Account closed
Registered: Apr 2002
Posts: 57 |
i bought one 2 months ago in indonesia for a friend, called 'fleco', made to look just like a slimline ps2, came with 2 controllers, and a gun. cart slot under the cd door. looks like its not mentioned on the clone websites as yet. build quality was unbelievably cheap, but it worked :) i think they were trying to save money on cable too, cos the bloody controller cables were not longer than the length of your arm - literally! not sure what they were thinkin there.. nevertheless, nice little kit. |
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Lax
Account closed
Registered: Jun 2002
Posts: 5 |
I checked the site mentioned in YouTube -http://playpower.org/
They are talking on a project of $10 computer. They claim that for the 3rd world, even $100 is too expensive.
I think it's a missed opportunity. Why not make a real commodore clone for a similar price (or just a bit more). If it will have to have a nearly full backward computability for the C=64, Then it will gain a huge collection of software and games, many of them may be donated for such a project by the copyright owners. I can imagine a huge Rom that contain tons of stuff, and the possibility to add much more.
Can you imagine a mass production of a C=64 clone? Most units will be sent to Africa, it can accumulate to bigger amounts than all the C=64 that was sold 20 years ago.
Anyway, it's nice to imagine such a thing :-)
Is it practical ? ;-)
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chatGPZ
Registered: Dec 2001
Posts: 11350 |
nes-on-chip solutions are readily available, and cost almost nothing. thats why. |
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