Its been about six weeks since the NES Classic Edition and its Japanese counterpart - the Classic Mini Family Computer - were released. While there have been a few complaints, mostly about the lack of expandability, short cables and especially the short supply, those who did manage to get one - or both - have been fairly pleased. Along the way there have been a few peripherals announced for the NES Classic Edition that have caused some excitement. There have also been several in Japan that have recently seen release that may be of interest to those with a penchant for importing.
There have been several guidebooks, most notably from Famitsu, the most popular gaming mag in Japan. Of course there are in-depth reviews and memories of the 30 games included in the Mini Famicom, but there's more. The magazine includes scale sized cut-outs to make your own cartridges to "play" on the Mini Famicom. There's also a Family Basic keyboard, Disk System and disks as well. Its a fun little way to get over the fact that you'll never be able to use any original carts on the machine.
If that isn't enough to satisfy your retro needs, an actual Famicom Disk System Mini was released by accessory maker Columbus Circle on 1st January, 2017! Now, don't get too excited, it will never play games on your Mini Famicom, but is a simple and convenient storage box for your HDMI and power cables when you're not playing. It fits perfectly under the Mini Famicom, and for many fans it just feels right this way.
Last but not least, a portable monitor has been released by GeChic, which if you have a portable battery means you can take your Mini Famicom (or any HDMI machine) with you on the go. Its also coloured red and white to match the colour scheme of the Mini Famicom. The monitor is 11.6 inches in size and weighs about 500 grams, so it's pretty easy to take with you.
The monitor costs 37,000 yen and the Disk System Box costs 980 yen. If you are in Japan, or like to import, these items can make your Mini Famicom experience complete. To see these items in action, take a look at the video below.
If you liked this video be sure to check out Gaijillionaire's Club for more things retro, Nintendo and Japan.
Comments 10
Japan gets the best, the West on the other hand...
I have to say as much as I love mine, even with a controller extender I'm using it less than I thought. I'll play it for about 5 minutes, think; "That's nice" and then go back to Twilight Princess HD or something....
I'm loving my NES mini. Got the controller extension cables, though I find I still sit close to the unit/TV because I need to reset so often for the save states! Man, NES games are hard. I've completed Castlevania, close to completing Zelda 2 (what a horrible game!) and will play Metroid next.
I really do think getting a longer HDMI cable and USB cable is a better idea than getting longer controller cables, for access to that much needed reset button. Or they could have hidden a reset button on the underside of the controllers. I still love it though. It's just presented so well and the games look top notch on a HD TV.
It's made me want to go full on retro and source an original NES for my CRT. I'll try and get an RGB modded one and go for the NES Everdrive cart. That will be the full on NES retro experience, minus a horrible RF picture!
Great little system. I must admit that my avs coming in the mail the day after i bought my mini has stolen all the mini's thunder but still glad to have one. My sisters kids came by and i let them try the mini. I truly thought they would be bored in 2 min but to my surprise they loved it. My sister had to force them to put the controller down. The oldest was loving galaga. I don't even like that game. lol
@kingc8 They'll get on it eventually, much like Amiibo. Think the number 1 priority right now for them is to ensure there are enough Switch consoles at launch....
@GravyThief No, not horrible! Zelda 2 was an experimental game, and it's cool that they were willing to try so many different things 👍🏼
Neat. With the advent of Virtual Console, I don't even need it, though.
I still haven't seen a single NES Classic Mini anywhere except eBay and at Players Choice Games, but even that game store charges $249.99 for the console.
That FDS storage box is adorable, but I think I'll try to import that Complete Guide. It's useful to me, who is playing on a modded AV Famicom rather than the more limited NES/Famicom mini.
I have both the NES & Famicom mini and I think they're great! I play the NES mini the most since you can use the great wireless 8 bitdo replicas nes joystick with it, but I even use an adapter to play with the original NES joysticks like the Max & Advantage. Both the NES Mini & Famicom Mini are very high quality and great fun to have around.
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