Forget The NES Classic Edition Mini, Here's The Analogue Nt Mini

I'll admit that their products always look great, and from all reports perform wonderfully as well, but given the choice of a $60 original product or a $449 Analogue NT, most people will be perfectly able to figure out where my currently not really large budget will be going to...

It's also worth noting that you need the cartridges in addition to the console in order to actually play games, which will up the price further... the NES mini has them preinstalled, albeit with a more restricted selection.

Look at that price tag wooh

It's awesome, and I have plenty of NES carts to play, but it's a different breed of collector willing to plop down more money than a current gen console costs to play the classics.

Umm yeah, I can't drop or justify over 400 bucks on a system. Looks pretty sweet though.

Not for 400 bucks. Cool idea though.

400 bucks for Unofficial Nintendo product ?
No, thanks.
Temptating but no....

Wow... I wonder where they got their design inspiration from?

COUGH COUGH http://www.retrousb.com/product_info.php?cPath=36&products_id=78

COUGH COUGHwholehelluvalotcheaperCOUGH COUGH.

Why are there four jacks? Were there 4 player NES games that I've forgotten about?

I'll be buying the nes mini

I just ordered the AVS for $180. The AVS seems to do the same thing as the NT. Is the NT twice as good as the AVS?

I would pay a hundred dollars for it (the original price I paid in 1989 for my NES).

1080p is pointless for NES.

NES looks superior on old CRT TV's.

@SmaMan COUGH COUGH the Analogue NT actually has chips and a pcb based on the original hardware, so it's not emulating but actually natively working as a real NES console COUGH COUGH

I'd rather save my money for the NX. If I want to play retro games, I can just use the consoles I already have and one of my 6 tube TVs.

@Hokanchu Super Spike Volleyball and A Nightmare on Elm St are the only 2 that come to mind.

Yeah. NO.

I rather spend $449 on whatever NX Bundle Nintendo makes, with a few extra games.

Talk about a misleading title... For a second I thought that this system is competing with NES Classic Mini, but it really is not.

@Hokanchu According to wikipedia there are 24 games that were 4player compatible with the NES.

To play these games you needed an NES Four Score or an NES Satellite. Or you could be super awesome and gotten the NES Super Set which came with 4 controllers and a 4 score.

Nintendo even released a special Nintendo Power Guide for many of these 4 Player NES titles.

@ThanosReXXX COUGH COUGH The AVS isn't emulating, it's actually using an FPGA, kinda like what the Coleco Chameleon wanted to do but failed. COUGH COUGH

Ugh... can we get some lozenges up in here?

@Fiyaball the nes has a video and sound out connectors ( yellow and white i think) on the side, so i play it on my hdtv lolz. No duck hunt though you know why rigth?. But on topic $400 jeeeezzzz i got the nes i have from a friend for $12 with the box, cables, 2 controls, the zapper and like 10 games: tmnt 1 and 3, metroid, mario/duck hunt and some random stuff and a soccer game. I gess it was a steal then.

That thing is a bit ugly.

Yikes, and this is why I ordered the AVS. A hardware-based hi-def NES, without the massive price tag.

I like the idea of the Analogue Nt, but now it's been outdone.

$60 vs. $450

lol, such an easy choice for most people, wouldn't you say?

@SmaMan Aha, didn't know that. Thought it was just another Android/emulator on a chip device. FPGA is close enough. But at least you can now understand where the cost is coming from. The remade hardware plus additional audio & hdmi module and of course the brushed aluminum/aluminium casing. They could have gone for plastic, but that wouldn't have been up to their standards, if the Neo Geo re-imagining they made is any indication.

But the cost certainly is too much for the average gamer, so for me too, but the PCB has been custom made to match the original one, and they refurbished and even custom made the original chips, so hardware wise, the Analogue NT is as close as you can get, but an FPGA board is a very close second.

@ThanosReXXX Yeah, I'm not trying to shirk the craftsmanship that went into these. They're always classy, and more power to the people who are able to drop $400+ on these things.

But still, this design looks a liiiiiitttle similar, don't you think? http://www.retrousb.com/images/AVSevolution2.png

@ThanosReXXX According to the Analogue Nt mini's web site (http://www.analogue.co/pages/nt-mini), this new product is FPGA-based, like the AVS.

Anyway, the Nt mini does look nice. If cost weren't a concern for me, then I'd probably consider it.

Pretty sweet.

Just hook your computer to your TV, get a nice retro USB controller, and play some ROMS. Put a cardboard NES in front of your TV to get the full effect. Kidding of course. Just buy Virtual Console on the old Wii or Wii U you already own.

@SmaMan Yeah, they do look similar. So it's just the casing and the additional hardware then. Either way, I'll go for the NES Mini. It contains most of the games I want in one handy box, and the other ones I already have on VC or on DSi flash card...

@StAidan Ah, so they must have ran out of PCB's and chips then. Makes sense then, how they were able to make the device cheaper and smaller: the PCB's could only be so small with the additional HDMI and sound modules connected. FPGA's can even be made to fit in a handheld device if you'd want to.

@VR32F1END Although that's a nice and convenient option for most people, it will never be an option for the retro purist, who wants to have a physical retro console, with the actual cartridges and controllers. Tangled controller cords included...

@Hokanchu Gauntlet II and Smash TV would be my picks for 4-controller games. Smash TV actually lets you dual-wield so you can get your twin-stick controls for "double-fisted action" (hey, their words, not mine http://www.gamefaqs.com/nes/587629-smash-tv/images/149876 )

I own an original NT and it rocks! I would highly recommend it. I use NES, Famicom and the Famicom disk system with mine, with both NES & Famicom joysticks & It works like a dream. Looks pretty sweet too.

I had no idea they were being resold for they much on EBay. That's kind of nuts.

I want an N64 version of this!

Given a choice between the $450 Analog NT or $180 Nintendo AVS for essentially the came functionality it's really easy to see which is the better option.
Add in a $60 NES Classic and I'm good to go.

How is Nintendo not suing these guys. Every console sold could be said to eat up sales of their current console. Just based on virtual console sales. Not even mentioning it's ridiculous price tag. I'm all for collecting old school stuff but this console is just a cash grab. Worst of all a ton of people want it. Freaking first world problems huh?

Well, if people are willing to spend 60$ on a throw-away chip emulator worth 1.50$ why not spend 450$ for this ...

Others spending 50$ on some 2.50$ worth yoshi plush toy, so come on, dont be shy, preorder it.

@whanvee Nintendo has no case if they sue. The hardware patents are expired. Clone hardware is legal. I doubt such things have a major impact on sales of modern hardware with virtual console. Using hardware with original carts has many downsides and inconveniences that typically retro enthusiasts and collectors are the ones who will deal with it. It's much easier and cheaper to stick with the virtual console. Regardless, there's nothing Nintendo can do about the market for used carts and clone systems.

As for the price, it's high and I wouldn't pay it. Compared to various other options involving real hardware like having a NES RGB modded and using an XRGB, or getting a NES with the new HDMI mod, the asking price here is not ridiculous. With that said, this NT mini is FPGA-based and not original hardware like the original NT. There are many other options for those who want a less expensive solution. The RetroUSB AVS seems to be a very good product based on what I've seen.

Nah. For $185 I can get the NES AVS. It's has way more features, and it outputs 720p, a resolution the NES can actually properly scale to. I'm not paying $400 for a system that outputs distorted video.

The NES I own is still working fine, and even if it wasn't, that price tag is outrageous.

Over $400 for a system that does no better than a Gamerz Tek 8-Bit system? For a true HD NES experience I'll probably just stick with the $185 AVS.

It is to much money you are better off getting GPD XD 5 Inch Android4.4 Gamepad 2GB/32GB RK3288 Quad Core 1.8GHz Handled Game Console H-IPS 1280*720 HDMI Game Tablet PC. You can ROM all the games, Play it on your TV and you can get NES, Genesis, GBC, GBA, N64, PS1, PSP, Dreamcast and more. This will cost you $179.00 and it is so worth it. @Damo did an article on it a while back. I have just gotten it 2 days ago and I thought it would be generic. Boy, was I wrong. This thing is awesome. It looks like a 3DS XL without the second screen. I am in NES heaven right now.

@ironside1911 Nope, I'm buying two Classic Edition minis as Christmas presents, and maybe one for myself TBD.

@ironside1911 You know exactly how much something is "worth"? Impressive, man.

@LemonSlice Of course, there needs to be some who know and some who dont, else how you want to make money? Get 3 or 4 of the Classic Editions, they are like good wine, will go up in value for sure.

@DarthNocturnal That's exactly what I was thinking.

I've literally never felt that upgrading my NES and SNES output capabilities from component was worth spending money on...

I will be buying a PSVR and an NX before this.

If someone makes a cheaper version of this that is a SNES instead? I'd be all over that. But for NES games I don't have a collection and don't intend to build one up. So the NES mini is more than enough for me.

And even with the SNES, if there was a SNES mini with a good enough library? Especially if it was bundled with a SNES CC. I'd probably be more interested in that even though I have a decent collection of SNES games.

So if they do this right it will be exactly like original nes hardware? Yeah its a bit crazy to spend that much on a console but it's supposed to sound and look better, and the NES is the most iconic console of all time. I'm a little sad I don't see any other colors, I would really like one in red.

RetroUSB has a perfectly functional way cheaper unit coming soon. Under 200 bucks, I believe, and outputs with HDMI.

http://www.retrousb.com/product_info.php?cPath=36&products_id=78

Absolutely rip off. For people with more money than sense.

I could likely just buy an NX and an eshop card for less than that.

$449 my ass

LOL no thanks, rather pay $60 for those 30 games and pixel perfect mode. Then actually have $390 to spend on anything else.

Why would you pay that much money for this?!

Obviously, the people that visit Nintendolife are not the target audience of this product.

I'm starting to wonder if Analogue is paying these sites off to hype this up. Even on eBay, one can buy a fully functional, original NES bundle complete with zapper, Nintendo's official top loader with a sizable bundle of cartridges, a unit of a knockoff brand's console for each month of the year, or a quality kit to build one's own, each one of these options for LESS THAN HALF the cost of this behemoth. Or one could just use the money to get one's original console serviced any time it has an issue and still have money to buy an NES classic to fulfill the need to see 8-bit in HD. And seriously, if this is the "serious" call back to nostalgia, then why the need for HD and wireless controllers with extra buttons? Also, aren't we forgetting the fact that THE NES ZAPPER WON'T EVEN WORK WITH AN LCD TV? And this won't even have any real value as a collectors item; it's a modern remake that's not even from the official brand. Plus, this comes with NO GAMES OF ITS OWN. Sure, this will play 2000 different cartridges...but just how many of those does someone even own and feel the need to play in HD that aren't already on the NES Classic's list? Three? Five, perhaps? And remember, cross off Duck Hunt, because the zapper keeps it on the glass screen. $450 is a lot of money to pay just to squeeze a couple extra steps out of trips down memory lane. I have a feeling that most people who cough up for an Nt Mini are going to find that it spends most of its time on the shelf, unplayed and unloved, neither a thing of today nor the past.

Would you say it's... 20 percent cooler?

I regret nothing.

6 please

@Loonyhed the Analogue NT systems are not intended to be value oriented and they're not intended to be mainstream. They're luxury Nintendos for those who really love the system and want a super-deluxe, custom NES/Famicom all in one. I see nothing wrong with that. I also see nothing wrong with using new technology to make old technology better. Not everyone wishes to keep CRTs around just to play their old systems. CRTs won't be easily available forever either. This isn't about a need to play in HD. It's about giving modern TVs a resolution they can display. When the Analogue NT was first announced, it was really competing against NES systems with RGB mods and maybe in tandem with XRGB Framemeisters. XRGB units are several hundred dollars. NES RGB mods have always been pricey with the necessary part being tough to get. The new HDMI-modded NES systems are $500. This thing isn't as overpriced as most think. There are other, perhaps better options for a NES or NES clone with HDMI out. The new RetroUSB AVS sounds like a winner from the review I've seen, and it's intended to be more mainstream with its lower price and plastic case. They're are many options available to people now, from emulation, to original hardware(including the original Analogue NT with Famicom chips on custom PCB) to hardware simulation via FPGA.

@sdelfin But I don't think anybody would even be getting four hundred and fifty dollars' worth from this. I mean, if nothing else, how much do you think one of these is going to sell for ten years from now, even if it is in fact in as perfect of condition as when it was bought? The "new" features it brings will probably be outdated, yet it will have neither the age, the historical impact, nor even Nintendo's branding to give it any value as a collectors item. The only person who'd want to pay anywhere near the original price for one would be a collector with an especially powerful fondness for knockoffs--because, ultimately, no matter how nice this is, no matter how much it out-NES-es the NES, that's all this will ever be. At least other knockoffs are affordable. The cost of this, however, seems to mainly come from its grooming the ego of retro gamers, and, ultimately, I think that such gamers should see this as an insult to their taste and intelligence more than anything else. In my opinion, this is the equivalent of a Model T remake being sold by Tesla motors for the price of a Porsche. It looks nice, and it might even be as hardy as they claim it is, but its cost is just too high no matter what angle you're coming from.

@Loonyhed I agree with you because I mean the console is too expensive. Plus it's 2016, those features on that console will be too outdated considering the fact that the Analogue Nt is from like the 80's/90's maybe.

@PancakeWaffle
yeah why not

Raspberry Pi will get you very accurate emulation for $40.. and do every system you could ever want, not just NES.. i really don't see the appeal of this thing.

I'll stick with what I've got.

so it has actual NES internals? ok, so someone bought old NES systems, did the old mod from back then that allowed region free and they added A/V & HDMI, but offers nothing else? NES comes with 20 games for $60 new, these guys want hundred and you still have to buy the games separately? umm...news, I've seen these same products, the non-pre loaded systems for $20-$30 at flea markets and online for decades, illegal, pre-loaded ones with a 100 games about $40-$50, and some of them actually look similar to the original and the later slimmed versions, theirs is some uber-cheap looking piece of junk, who would buy this anyway ???