The recent announcement of the NES Classic Edition (or NES Mini if you're in Europe) caused quite a stir, triggering feelings of intense nostalgia with thirtysomethings all over the globe. While we can't wait to get our hands on the unit, there's definitely room for improvement here - for starters, you can't load games onto the console so once you're totally bored of the 30 that come pre-installed (which, to be fair, will take ages) then you're unlikely to return to the machine.
Keen to improve on the concept, modder daftmike decided to craft his own take on the NES mini-console concept. Powered by a Raspberry Pi and encased in a 3D-printed shell which is around 60 percent smaller than the original machine, the unit has a functional cartridge slot and tiny carts loaded with NFC chips which tell the unit which ROM to load. It's a unique solution which is made all the more remarkable by the fact that it's home-made.
While fan-made projects like these are usually quite rough around the edges, this is amazingly slick, right down to the controller which has also been modelled at the same scale. Hopefully Nintendo will take note and release an improved version in the future.
[source gamesradar.com]
Comments 83
THIS! This is what I'm talking about when I mentioned that it is a mistake to lock down the Mini Classic to those 30 games. Why not have a 60$€ console that would allow you to pick up small storage carts for the same price as virtual console games? Not only it would induce people into collecting them all, it would expand the usage of the system itself.
No, it doesn't.
It looks goods but how does it play? I have a Raspberry Pi and emulation is far from perfect.
The NES Classic is not even out, NintendoLife should change their name to NintendoHate.
Games stored on nfc chips...hmmm. I do not know how much info can be stored on nfc chips but could that somehow be the way NX games are distributed? And would nfc chips and readers be more cost effective?
It's neat but it would cost more to make one of these than the NES Mini costs to buy. It'd also cost more for Nintendo to make one of these especially if they're charging for the ROMS. So it's not really "putting it to shame".
@InklingOrange The games are in the SD Card that he shows at the beginning of the video. The NFC cartridges just "tell" the emulator which game to select so I don't think that the NX will work like that. However is such a cool idea and I wish Nintendo had done something like that.
The difference is this is more for collectors, whereas the NES Classic Mini is just a cheap nostalgia item - a stocking filler designed to get people who want to play more than those 30 games to buy a 3DS or Wii U/NX and buy games on the Virtual Console.
@freaksloan They are not hating on Nintendo. I mean, they are just saying that they version that Nintendo is going to release seems so much worse in comparison. Anyway, the only bad thing that I can reckon of about this Raspberry Pi NES is the controller.
Pretty sure they are not hating on Nintendo. They are vocalising the opinion some people have had on the Nes mini and using that as a way to introduce this story. This is amazing, but Nintendo has no desire I imagine to be tied to the nes mini for any longer then necessary. Push it out at Christmas and then months later it is old news. They don't need the production costs of all the carts. It is just a cool thing to boost their Christmas sales and have people 'thinking about' Nintendo as we go into the NX launch period. I know it is easy to just look at the hard core gamer market but Nintendo has always focused on what mostly appeals to the mass market audience first and foremost.
This is however a great machine and they guy whom made it is a hero.
Nintendudes do what Nintendon't.
@BensonUii As long a SNES Mini is coming along, I'm good.
Now that's adorable. Definitely want one of these!
This is excellent, really love that people devote time to projects like this. Nintendo will never release something like this with it's functionality, however If they did I'd buy it. That being said, I pre-ordered the NES Mini so they've got my money anyway!
Snes and N64 next please!!
@BensonUii Lets see how this one sells. A Game Boy Mini and N64 Mini certainly seem like a excellent idea as well. It's all about the list of games bundled with the systems.
I dunno what will happen if Nintendo company see that clone...
Bravo. Love the use of NFC chips.
That is absolutely brilliant, and those NFC cartridges? Wow!
I'd pay this guy some serious cash for a SNES mini with like 50-60 carts of my choosing.
Wow! This is genius! Once again modders do a MUCH better job at what Nintendo does than Nintendo.
CEASE AND DESIST INTENSIFIES
That is a thing of beauty!
You know, Nintendo is Japanese company. For some reason, some Japanese people still hard to accept the difference or changes. They still insist to use their old fashioned way because they will feel insecure or afraid if the changes will affect their image or something. Basically, some of Japanese fear of some changes and i understand why Nintendo still insist with their vision no matter how many efforts from Nintendo fan for Nintendo to make better video game with Nintendo fan ideas. Just keep praying for Nintendo for able to embrace some changes.
Definately? Come on guys.... 🤔
I mean.... It's cute and all.... But I can't imagine people would be jazzed about needing to tap a different cart every time they want to play a different game. I don't recall people being at the height of whimsy when Nintendo forced people to use amiibo to roll dice in party games, and this is the same. Especially since the NFC chips definitely don't hold enough data to hold entire games, so it would just be a more annoying way to change games that are preloaded onto the system when you can have the same effect by moving your thumb a fraction of a centimeter a couple times on a controller.
Again, cute and nostalgic, but somehow better? Not so much.
@InklingOrange The games aren't on the carts, the NFC chip simply tells the console which game to load up from its internal memory.
@CyberJaviCD I appreciate you responding but there's no point - some people clearly get out of the wrong side of bed every single morning.
@Damo
I understand that from the video. I was just looking at it from the perspective of if games could be stored on nfc chips. The idea never crossed my mind before and I do not know how nfc technology works as far as storage capacity or how cost prohibitive it would be if possible. Seems like an interesting concept for portable games.
This with a larger controller please!
@InklingOrange I think you probably could store NES games on a chip but I guess this method was easier for him to do. I've not used NFC chips for more than writing simple config instructions to change settings on my phone (like silencing the ringer, etc) but the fact that amiibo have data storage would suggest it's possible.
Now this is just very cool indeed.
In all honesty, it's actually closer to what I imagined when I often talked about Nintendo re-releasing its old and classic consoles but with a few small tweaks here and there to make sense in modern times (like making the actual consoles and games smaller, adding display connections for modern TVs, and that kind of stuff). And, having the cartridge slot also makes sense on this model, because it actually works, unlike the faux cartridge slot on Nintendo's NES Classic Edition.
It all makes great sense to me, other than scaling the controller. Just go with a normal-sized controller, because you actually have to use that thing to play the games, and you'd obviously want it to be comfortable and practical.
Aside from that one niggle with the overall idea, it's pretty frikin' awesome.
Still, I think what Nintendo is doing is generally pretty great too, but I still wish it had saw fit to include far more games in the bundle, like the Top 100 NES games I mentioned in other articles, and maybe also included some of the other stuff I mentioned too, like making the controllers dual-wired/wireless (you'd just unplug the cord/charge-cable), and actually including a power supply in the UK.
@BensonUii re: comment #10 though it wouldn't be a terrible idea to load VC on a NES mini. For those who only care about retro gaming, downloading and paying from eShop would be great for them. If NX is "platform" and Nintendo actually does something like crossbuy, then your purchases would simply carry over to the other platforms. That's great for those retro gamers that finally decide to buy a Nintendo platform, and for those of us who already own one.
One could theoretically have a retro gaming night and I have to bring are there mini consoles. 😊
@JaxonH I wouldn't be surprised if you already contacted the developer asking how much it would cost to make you one.
@Damo You could def store NES games on something that's at least something like NFC, and almost certainly actual NFC, seeing as that's what Nintendo did with those old scannable game cards for the GBA eReader:
In fact, putting the games on simple cards like the ones used in the PC-Engine is how I'd go about something like this personally:
I think a modern and similarly tiny console box much like the PC-Engine, using roughly the same type of game cards, would be pretty awesome. It's sort of how I ideally imagined the "NES Classic Edition" being in my head before it was ever announced.
But, I do actually like what Nintendo's done with the NES Classic Edition, in terms of everything being pre-loaded on the console from the get-go. Although, I just wish there were maybe the Top 100 NES games on there rather than only 30—along with dual-wired/wireless controllers, and an actual power adapter in the UK. And then it would be a system that would just blow me away. Then I wouldn't have to worry about the likelihood of a NES Classic Edition 2 coming out in X months time with 20 of the same games as seen on the NES Classic Edition 1 and 10 new games.
So it's a copycat of the NES mini but with a less comfortable controller and it still doesn't read original carts.
Clearly, Nintendo should be ashamed...
@Kroko Except, he's been working on this since before the NES Classic Edition was even announced*. So, don't act like what he's done isn't extremely cool, or even that Nintendo couldn't take a few pages out of his book.
*"I started work on this a couple of weeks before Nintendo announced their NES Classic system." – from the description in the YouTube video.
It's cute, but if I wanted to buy actual NES carts...I would just go out and buy actual NES carts...which I do quite often...
Don't know why everyone is making such a fuss.
Nintendo couldn't do it this way, anyway. I'm sure someone would find a way to circumvent the chip reader and get it to unlock every game.
@Shiryu most retailers wouldn't put that on a shelf.
@faint Most retailers will be fighting for stock this November to have the Mini NES on stock for the holidays. Of course Internet buzz doesn't equal sales, but form the fact that everyone I know wants one, even people who stopped playign video games years ago is a telling sign that there is indeed a place in the main market for retro gaming.
You lost me at "scaled down controllers"
@skywake You are the guy that said that NX being a hybrid console made no sense every time I said it, finally found you.
@Kirk What you said about Nintendo's mini NES looking cheap and tacky makes even more sense now.
@TeeJay Well, no. He's not going to sell these and build something capable of going mass market with them like Nintendo is which is an entirely different target. With his skills that may be impossible and definitely very expensive, but it is a fantastic project done exceptionally well. Very cool.
I don't mean this maliciously, but I think most of you who are commenting about the shortcomings of the NES mini are not considering who their target audience is. I think they nailed it as a product that will have extremely wide appeal outside of the hardcore community. This system is not for you if you are already emulating NES, this system is for everyone who will be willing to impulse buy a $60 machine around the holidays that they have intense nostalgia for, to share it with their friends and family and relieve their childhood.
The NES sold 62 million units worldwide, and a lot of the people who picked one up back then will probably consider this.
Anyone naysaying this guy better watch that video. It's a beautiful piece of work! The mini-cartridges aren't very practical, but it's incredibly awesome. When he actually pressed the little spring loading mechanism down I did little inner geek scream. He really knocked this out of the park. He also needs a mini TV to go with it. At first I was bummed about the boot time, but the way he implemented it, it can be on the whole time and then it acts like it should with the power button. It's all a tight fit inside too. He really knocked this out of the park.
Wouldn't make sense for Nintendo to make it this way
@Thermoclorn Yep but you can do that much better (not exactly like this guy, but better than Mini NES), people now are more demanding. NES was a great machine back then, so Nintendo's "remake" should be a better effort: more games built-in or cartridge support at the very least. AND, if you are going to make a dedicated hardware for NES games, it should be hardware emulation. Software emulation is available everywhere: PC, 3DS, Wii, Wii U, mobile phones, tablets... If you are making a NES, make a d**n NES!
Very stunning for sure! Although this method allows Nintendo's games to be free through emulation so that's probably why they wouldn't encourage it
@VanillaLake I really think that the simplicity and price are going to be the major selling point for the majority of their sales. If they added a cartridge slot and bumped the price up I really think this would flop pretty hard. If you are interested in collecting NES cartridges, original NESs are very affordable online. You could even get the top loader of you are worried about it breaking
@Thermoclorn I'm not a NES fan since I never had it, but I'm a SNES fan. I'm not thinking of myself, just trying to make some sense here and express how I see things. €60 for a cheap machine that is not hardware but cheap software emulation is not a great selling point when you can play emulated NES games everywhere. The NES pad is a selling point, but just it. I don't like it, though. The SNES pad is much better, probably the best 2D pad ever made. I have got the SNES controller that is attached to the Wiimote and it works better than the GamePad and Wii U pro controller for 2D games.
This thing looks slick. Emulation is probably a little spotty, considering the hardware, but a step up in terms of functionality from the official Mini.
Personally, I have my dollars at the ready for the AVS! That thing will play all my carts natively, no software emulation required. A big step up from a Retron or one of these "mini" emulation boxes.
That's really cool. Now, please find a way to mass-produce it and sell for £50.
This guy made an awesome effort but yes, the controller should be real size. Just look at the guy with it in his fingers.
Excellent job, @daftmike!
This is more like what I think a lot of people where hoping for when Nintendo first showed the NES classic edition. Other than the controller, I definitely prefer this over Nintendo's effort.
Looks pretty neat but how much will it cost tho.
That's great, but unless this guy has a factory in his garage, it's a very neat product none of us will ever see. And before ragging on Nintendo's decision on the mini NES, how about you put this demo through its paces to see IF IT ACTUALLY WORKS PROPERLY!
And how much would this cost to reproduce? Probably more than most of us would want to pay. If you want the cartridges, here's a tip: BUY AN ORIGINAL NES! You can collect all the cartridges your heart desires!
"Puts Nintendo's Effort to Shame"? This isn't even a product. Put a price tag on it and let me buy it and then we'll see if it puts it to shame. While you're at it, give me a legal means to play games on the system. I've got no problem with emulating games, but stealing games and then saying it puts nintendo to shame is a bit much...
Don't get me wrong, I think this is really cool, (especially how he uses NFC on the carts to access and boot games directly) I've just got a problem with the authors headline for the article, especially when the creator himself admits to being usurped by Nintendo.
Its cool but cmon, u think that nintendo wants to have more manufacturings costs for a machine that is just purely playing on peoples nostalgia? I dont thinks so and i personally dont want them to. Its a nice thing to have as an nintendo fan/liker or something but me for me its just a way to market there brand. If i have some extra money i will buy one for my little nephews and niece so that they can play together but also to experience the "essence of gaming". When they visit they really enjoy playing on my 3ds instead of playing on there tablet(which did suprise me, fortunately) so this a good why to have them grow with gaming as we did. I wont buy it for myself though, like i said i have a 3ds and i hardly have to play all the games i have. But i like that ninty is putting more effort in brand awareness and definitly have there momentum now thanks E3 and also PokemonGo. Its there Job to keep this momentum going and finally make a new entrance within the mainstream market.
@VanillaLake And it's really only because the function does not properly inform the form. It has what looks like a cartridge slot but it doesn't work. So it ends up looking a bit like giant and cheap keyring toy; although I'm obviously exaggerating a bit because it's ultimately not that too bad. But, this is why I'd rather Nintendo went with a box that was reminiscent of the NES look and style but still its own thing that actually made sense with what Nintendo is going for here. It could still look similar to the original NES, much like the Genesis Model 2, SNES Jr., NES 2, etc. all capture the general look and feel of the originals, to a degree, but are mostly smaller and slicker. Still, it's basically fine. I do, however, still want more games, ideally the dual wired/wireless controllers, and def a bundled power adapter in the UK version.
This was started before the NES Mini was announced, so the NES Mini really had no effect on this project at all, aside from maybe the guy's choice in whether or not to male extras to sell.
@BensonUii The 30 included games basically sums up most of the current VC anyway.. Nintendo isn't utilizing their VC enough if you ask me. Typical Nintendo to sit on a goldmine, that they won't mine.
Does the guy make deals with the game creators and gives them some of the profits?
@VanillaLake I agree with what you are saying, especially about the SNES controller . I don't think it's perfect, but I hope it does well (with SNES mini in mind). I appreciate the discussion.
Everyone keeps complaining about the small controller, but he clearly stated its just a novelty
If the games were remade into smaller carts, the original games would lose value. I think the reason why they pre load the system with 30 games is because they want to boost the value of those original games, cause a stock increase, gain attention then reveal the nx. I'm hoping the rumors of the tablet is false.
@Thermoclorn Good, I'm happy to have good discussions like this.
Much better than the one nintendo are bringing out.
So much detail nintendo take note.
Oh geez that is so awesome! I absolutely NEED to build one of these 3D printed retro console emulators, if Adafruit would just get more RPi's in stock...
@BensonUii
Any person wanting to hack it can already try to do that tho. Having eShop access doesn't change anything. In fact, it would allow them to actually patch exploits discovered which isn't possible now.
Of course, with no SD slot it's impossible either way.
And I don't think it'll cost a cent of R&D. An Internet connection and button/app to connect to the eShop is pretty basic stuff. I mean, any device with an Ethernet/wireless card can connect.
@InklingOrange The game isn't stored on the NFC chip, just the filename of the ROM that is pre-loaded into the hardware. All the NFC is doing is telling it which ROM to load.
Wow. I have a Raspberry Pi I should make a mini TG16. That would be a fun little project.
@BensonUii
The little cost it would add, people would probably pay if it meant online eShop access. I don't think its some huge ordeal to make a device connect to dedicated section of an eShop that already exists.
But, it would limit appeal, yes. And you would hear the crap about getting it free, those are both points I agree with. I'm not saying it's a good idea to do it or a good idea not to do it, I just don't think it's an expensive ordeal or a big hassle for them.
@SanderEvers Hating? It's simply called Not Burying Your Head In The Sand To Nintendo's Mistakes.
@strongest_link
Please read comment #32
@TeeJay But unlike Nintendo they cannot sell these, so the point is moot
Looks like a cool custom system, only thing that kinda hampers it down a bit was the tiny controller. Those tiny cartridges are awesome though, now if only them are legit.
@Shiryu this article is about a 3D printed uber mini raspberry pie version with ity bity games and how that's better than the regular mini. My post is talking about the idea of retailers carrying this.
@InklingOrange Do you know how much storage is on an nfc device?
amiibo(to my knowledge) have no more than 12-20kb on them. can't see breath of the wild being stored on one.
Does it really matter that its smaller compared to the official one? Its not like the real one's huge to begin with. How small do things need to be nowadays?
This thing is neat and all (I'm a sucker for miniature anything), but why would I "get bored" of the games on the official NES Mini at this point just because they happen to be permanently grouped together on one device? The whole point is that those 30 games are classics, so if people aren't bored of them after like 30 years of being on the market and have enough interest in them to buy them in spite of their age, then I doubt they'll get bored of those games to the point that they'll never "return to the machine" they happen to be stored on. Just my take on it, though.
Also, people can't be serious in thinking that Nintendo should have done something like this for the NES Classic. It's one thing to say how cool this thing is, but that doesn't mean that it's "better" than Nintendo's product. The two things are different and would appeal to different types of people, and Nintendo's system is clearly likely to sell more units just based on its ease of use. If this were a purchasable product it would mainly appeal to an enthusiast market, which isn't at all what Nintendo are aiming for. They're going after a market of people who are mostly what we think of as "casuals" who want to relive the good old days in a cheap and highly convenient way that's as easy to use as the games folder on their iPhones, which a miniature NES with pre-installed games is perfect for. It doesn't take any setting up, no messing with swapping media, and it doesn't take up a ton of space with its 30 cartridges, which will eat into shelf space on an entertainment center even if they are small. I mean no offense to the guy that made this, because it's awesome, but it defeats the whole point of Nintendo's philosophy behind selling a miniature plug-and-play NES, which boils down to little commitment of space in the living room, and little hassle to use it.
Pirates are funny people that do funny things to feel special, good for this guy. That's right, everybody, illegally downloading roms instead of working out the licensing really puts official efforts to shame! Can't wait for Nintendo to just go out of business and let the pirates make all these great games and give them away for free, too. Future's so bright, I gotta wear shades.
(don't let the sarcasm hit you on the way out)
@faint Ah, very well. I believed you were dismissing the fact that locking the Mini to 30 games was the systems glaring weakness. i wastalkign about retail to have a NES mini and Nintendo releasing small cards that the machine would read with new games every few months.
@Pac-Fan
I stated 2 times that I did not know the storage capacity of NFC chips. I would not expect amiibo to store too much based on what they do. Thanks for sharing that info.
This looks great and I want to buy or make one. Also people complaining about the tiny controller should know that it can be used with normal usb or bluetooth controllers. He only made the small controller to match the scale of the small console.
Cool stuff!
I wonder how much Nintendo spent on designing theirs, while some guy who loves his hobby did a much better job?
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