@@DonaldPrevie well after I made my previous video sarcastically criticizing their less than optimal pre-order practices for their consoles.. (checks notes) they announced pre-orders for yet more limited edition colors which sold out instantly after a giant messy online hot dumpster fire pre-order orgy that immediately went on eBay by console flippers. Sigh
i love this thing its let me enjoy old games with my son, we beat rampage one night, and now we constantly joke about the final boss being the music loop.
Yep, You can always turn the volume down and listen to some music or something. I actually need to start playing rampage on master system because that is actually a really good version of the game.
@8bitjoystick it is we had the choice of both but went with nes cause of unlimited continue. But yeah uts exactly what we did with the music. I actually played my band that my son never heard befor and I didn't tell him who it was he ended up saying what ever this is it kicks butt compared to rampage I like this. I Still haven't told him it was my band I was in befor he was born. The mega sg is fantastic if you can get yoyr hands on one.
I ended up selling mine after I got an NT Mini, but the big feature I miss was the online high score feature when tethered to PC--I suppose that died with Nintendo Age.
Yeah I see that they had support for that. I guess it's cool but it wasn't really something that I used. I think it was already stopped by the time I got my AVS. I was just happy to get mine because of the big delay in production due to the global manufacturing delay due to the pandemic and chip shortage.
I need to track down a "Nintendo Entertainment System" sticker and put it on the front slot. Or "Nintendo Family Computer". I'm just glad that I got in mind because for a while back it seems like they were never going to ship
I just bought one of these based on this review. Really like it for playing my physical game. Normally play with an Analogue pocket docked but i like that better for other systems. For nes this is the sweet spot for me.
Thanks man. They were on back-order for YEARS since the COVID shut down hit the computer chip manufacturing industry so the folks who make it could not the get the HDMI image chips, Now they have a supplier but it took them time. It is so worth it to have an 100% accurate way to play NES, Famicom and Famicom Disk System. especially FDS. If you see an NES, FDS and FC game in this video chances are I am this to capture it. The analogue pocket dock is cool but I like the speed of this system.
Well, the way that the retroUSB AVS does scan lines is that they are razor sharp without blurring or aliasing. So It's my belief that it's an integer scale so everything comes across very crisp. It would look exactly the same if it was being rendered at 1080p or 4K instead of 720p. I think render resolutions higher than 720p would only matter if there was scaling, blurring or aliasing.
If money wasn’t an issue, would you prefer the nt noir or the avs? Heard people saying 1080p was good on the nt, but 720p on the avs scaled better. Also the whole floppy cartridge problem the nt noir had. Just wondering because I want to get into nes physical hardware, but want it on more modern screens and not crt’s. I bought the super nt and thought you could play nes games on snes
Well, I still would have probably prefer the retro USB AVS because I heard that the analog ones had issues with the NES pins connectors. The retro USB AVS works like a champ. I've never actually used an analogue NES systems but I'm pretty happy with my AVS. I would still probably choose it again. I can use it with my Famicom Disk system but 99% of the time I just play Famicom disk system games off my Everdrive. It's actually much more convenient to fake it with FPGA than it is to use the real floppy disks for most time. I both love and hate FDS. If you can enjoy the library of FDS without having to put up with the technical bullshit limitations then that's perfect.
Dude!!! Murasame Castle is one of my favorites. I found out about it way late. I bought it on a whim for my 3ds and loved it. I even bought a famicom disk system in hopes of finding a disk copy. So jealous. Super rad.
I need to actually sit down and play through it. Sadly, running a RUclips channel about retro video games cuts into my time to play retro video games. Oh well. I still love the fact that it's 2023 and I'm still discovering awesome 8-bit NES/Famicom games that I've never played.
definitely deserves more publicity than it gets I was lucky and got one before covid, definitely worth the money it's way better than all the new cheap HDMI NOACs and comparable to the ridiculously priced analogue systems
It is absolutely awesome for me who's into playing real cartridges from both famicom and NES. I also really care about the famicom being 100% accurate. I use it for as much of this video as I can
I have both. The NT still has issues. The AVS is pretty much flawless. I have thrown everything it just works. the only thing that cant be done is emulate the microphone on controller 2.
Well the hardware that I've actually seen that actually supports microphone input through controller 2. Is the actual original OG Nintendo Famicom. Even Nintendo dropped that in the AV Famicom revision. I also enjoy playing Zelda 1 on Famicom just so I can yell into the microphone and kill the pols voice.
@@8bitjoystick Polls voice will die from any sound into the microphone. Did this in a couple of retrogame stores people were stunned. They can die happy. Analogue finally fixed the expansion module for the NT which took 2 years or so. AVS worked from day one. I have a fds (modded) and fds stick both work peachy. My only issue is the 72 pin. Its tighter than an ant's butthole. There is some degree of difficulty getting carts in and out. Famicom stuff no problem. Ive asked Mr. Retrousb about maybe a custom microphone controller he said nope no can do. Got the keyboard/tape deck with 2 mono cables? its possible to load and save tracks/levels from excitebike or wrecking crew. It really works. Its easier on the fds but what fun is that? Btw sub'ed...
"My only issue is the 72 pin. Its tighter than an ant's butthole." - This is true. I end up putting my hand on the top of the cart to slide it out. But I mainly use my EverDrive or Famicom carts. Thanks for the sub! @@piratestation69
My AVS has been my default NES for years now and I'm very happy with it. It struggles with my most recent aftermarket Famicom carts. OverObj has has some extra sprite flicker, due to having its own unorthodox flicker reduction methods that the AVS can't seem to figure out. Astro Ninja Man DX throws garbage on the screen and freezes shortly after starting. But if my only complaints have to do with niche indie carts that didn't even exist when it was built, I think it's doing pretty good.
I have not played "Over Obj" and will have to throw it on my EverDrives. I have a bootleg of Astro Ninja Man, I wish I could find a legit version but they are hundreds of bucks since they had a small print run.
@@8bitjoystick Over Obj is a great game. Highly recommend giving it a play if you can find a way. I got my Astro Ninja Man from Japanzon. I believe they still have stock at a semi-normal price, though shipping it slow-boat to save cash took like 3 months to arrive.
@@ddeleckijr Lag from the console itself seems negligible. I don't have the equipment to test exact frames, but input lag generally annoys me and I haven't had any issues with it. I suck at Punch-Out, but I can't blame it on the console.
I was looking for a current review of the AVS and if it was relevant today in 2023, and your video hit the spot. Chalk up another subscriber, and keep it coming.
Thanks. I also really like the fact that they have their pre-orders open for their next batch of systems. I wish that other FPGA manufacturers did that cough, cough, Analogue.
I wish more reviewers would update their videos and talk about the new firm ware update ala' 'interpolation' feature. It seems like if you set it to max it softens(for the better imo) those nasty razor sharp HD squarey' sprites and gives it a slight CRT-look. But i could be wrong. My AVS will be here tomorrow, so I'll have to see for myself. A little late to the party, but eh. :P If Interpolation doesn't do the trick in combination with Scanlines, i'll just use the RetroTINK4K which has a wealth of options to soften the sprites correctly, and blend those funky squarey sprites together and form them into Art, and look just how they did on a CRT using composite cables all those years ago. These games were never intended to look razor sharp and squarey to begin with, they were supposed to be softer and smoother, and look more towards something you'd see in a cartoon. What's also great about TINK4K is that it can force HDR brightness into SDR to combat the scan line darkening OR if you decide to use BFI, and it will regain you the brightness you originally had without either feature, depending. It's expensive though, clocking in at just over a grand CAD. ;)
I was watching the same ship for delivery of mine from this batch. I already have an Analogue Nt Mini Noir but, I wanted a RetroAVS as well. The AVS doesn't offer the 1080p and granular control over video & audio settings as the Analogue Nt Mini Noir but, it's still very impressive at its price point and looks amazing in 720p. As you mentioned, you can actually buy this new these days. There will be a wait of a very few months, but you can still get it at retail pricing. Your chances of finding an Analogue Nt Mini Noir in new condition for less than $750 USD are very slim these days.
I actually have read that Famicom resolution scales perfectly to 720p. Since this doesn't have any kind of blurring on the scan lines, it's always going to output nice crispy pixels and 720p is good enough for that. I also really dig the aesthetics of this system.
I have both the AVS and the NT Mini Noir and prefer the AVS. Only thing I dislike about the AVS is how hard it can be to get carts out. The NT Mini Noir has it's own issue with the floppy cart slot. Overall the AVS just feels more like the NES to me.
For me if I put my hand on top of the cartridge and press down and use the little grip on the NES cartridge, it comes out on the AVS. But I mostly keep my Everdrive in there.
@@captain3186 Oh, interesting. I didn't meet bad reviews for this last model. Even on their website they say: > Nt mini v2 features a new and perfected NES cartridge slot :) Anyway, bad to hear, cause I have one. Never opened, though.
@@captain3186 I haven't had the issue with my NT noir. Maybe some were defective. My NT mini noir has about the same grip as my AVS, and I haven't had any cart booting issues with either console.
Oh I love both the Famicom and the NES, Some decades later and those are the systems that I am the most passionate about. I am working on an Essential NES Games video right now. There are so many NES games that I am breaking it into two videos, one just for Nintendo and one for third party games.
The point of these FPGA systems is that they do NOT feel like software emulation. With original carts, original controllers and a low latency display is feels very very close to an original system but with greatly improved visuals on modern displays. Unless you feel like messing with RGB mods and expensive upscalers for original systems, these FPGA systems are simply the best options for modern displays.
I was going to get a sticker that read "Nintendo Entertainment System" for it but instead got one that reads "Family Computer" and I am going to put it on the front door. www.etsy.com/listing/1282119493/family-computer-nintendo-famicom-vinyl?transaction_id=3705057867&ref=proteus_transaction_link&campaign_label=shipping_confirmation_always_have_track_package_cta_treatment&email_sent=1693834366&euid=61lSmrB7zLJdkZl7IlfVnN_APHNt&eaid=37778089963&x_eaid=9d5bcb1222
Honestly, I have no desire to ever get an Analogue NT because my AVS does everything that I want it to do when it comes to playing NES and Famicom. I also really dig it's NES aesthetics. From here on out if you see me post video of an NES or Famicom game probably going to be capturing it from my AVS. That being said, I finally bought my first analogue product. I actually got an analogue pocket and I'll be reviewing it next week.
@@8bitjoystick I can understand that. I do like the aesthetics of the AVS. Nice at getting the analogue pocket, I was never able to get one because of Analogue's artificial scarcity supply/demand tactics (hence why I don't like their business practices). I'm thinking about trying to do a handheld MiSTer build.
I made a 9 minute video about my disagreement about their pre-order practices back when they did not have pre-orders open for a regular black and white one. The pre-orders for the black and white one were open last month and I got one for the regular price directly from them. That was the gist of my video, I am OK with pre-orders for the next batch of an existing product as long as it is a calm and orderly process and does not involve eBay flippers. It is actually my most "Disliked" video since some folks didn't get my semi-sarcastic tone. ruclips.net/video/vPyY2WqB-Kk/видео.html OpenFPGA is a bit rough as of late but a lot of progress has been made in a short period of time.
I've been wanting a retro avs for awhile. After the Analogue Duo, it was the last retro console on my list that I wanted to own. Those new retrobit controllers are coming out around the right time.
Well I wanted this one to be extremely accurate in capturing video footage for famicom and NES. I pre-ordered those retro-bit controllers also. One cool thing is you can use whatever NES controller you want with it.
Well I think the last time that I used a game genie Bill Clinton was president. So I will take your word for it. I'm happy that it has a controller based reset so I can just hit start and select and hold it down and reboot without having to get up. That's pretty handy when using an EverDrive
RetroUSB should just start releasing it without the lid for crying out loud. It just feels dated at this point and uneccessary aside from staying authentic to the original NES. But at least you can take it apart and remove it which is what I'll be doing. Still, I wish they would of went for a top loading design instead, ditched the 4 controller ports and went for 2, and made it as small as the Super Nt & Mega Sg. Sure it's substantially smaller than the NES from top to bottom, but not by much in terms of width, or even from front to back. Needs a redesign. Would be cool if Analogue created an Nt Mini 2 and used the Super Nt as a template with an NES aesthetic. But back to the AVS, I'd love to see an update with a CRT depth slider to go along with the scan line depth slider. Doubt that will ever happen though. But this is where the RetroTINK 4K comes in. ;)
Honestly, I never actually used game genies but at least the menu is super peppy and every click instantly transforms to an input. Personally, I mainly keep my everdrive in it and the great thing is that the save states work. I am so much more likely to use Save-State scumming than to use the game genie or cheat codes
Aesthetically speaking, I like the fact that it has the hinge and the lid and it's pretty easy to open up and take off. I mean I've taken apart many NES systems. But I personally really like the design language. I actually showed it to someone who works at a game store and they legitimately asked if the Nintendo made it. I'm also glad that not only does it have the four controller ports, but it has the famicom accessory port in the back and you can even set it up to simulate the famicom expansion port using the additional control ports. I want to make a video about Japanese power pad games. However, I do not have a Japanese power pad, but I can use that to fake it. I wish that they used usb-c instead of USB B, but that's one of my only complaints and it's a very minor one
Looking at all these boxing unboxing videos and havent seen a video yet that will show what controllers will hook up. Got NES advantages I would like to see used on this system before I buy it. Those are energy hogs and require 1 amp. Bought a generic system and because the power supply 5v 1/2 amp the Advantage wouldnt work. I know the box says they will hookup but the generic box and machine said the same thing. Can anyone please tell me they have hooked it up with an Advantage and played it without it powering it out or shorting the system? Got someone who cannot use small controllers but can use the stick and large buttons
Well one of the problems about small batch consoles like this is when they're gone, they're gone. There is going to be a future production run after the current one and they're already taking pre-orders. I would recommend buying one this year because once they stop making them they can shoot up in price. That's what's been happening with the Analogue systems.
You know if you had to buy one FPGA console to original cartridges on a modern TV. It would be an NES/Famicom because almost all the other eight and 16-bit systems have RGB output and have affordable HDMI solutions. I know some people scoff at the HDMI Hyperkin adapters but I like them. If you want to play original 8-Bit NES cartridges on an HDMI TV, this is how to do it
Never had a NES, nor any of its clones here in Brazil, which were quite good and sold by known companies, we played the Master System a lot, still, I find the Famicom and its cartridges so appealing, much more than the westernized version of its console and cartridges.
I find Brazilian history with the Master System and Mega Drive to be amazing. Tech toy almost did more with the Sega tech than Sega did. I need to make some videos about Master System. I think it's fascinating because I know so little about it, and that's probably because the NES dominated when I was a kid.
Indeed, and while the NES wasn't officially supported by Nintendo, millions of kids had either the Phantom System or the Dynavision, decent clones by known companies at the time. I find it interesting that Americans such as Joe from Gamesack and Cory from My Life in Gaming have such strong nostalgia towards the Master System and less about the NES. The thing is, the SMS holds its own with many exclusives and unique games, and the Game Gear which is 99% a portable SMS extends it's life and library bringing the much welcomed Japanese touch the Mark III (Japanese Master System) didn't get during the 80s. This console sold way over 25 million units (specially from Tec Toy's variations) for a reason, not counting 10+ million Game Gears, so it's well worth checking them out. Tec Toy delivered quality products with decent post sales support during the 90s, but it declined just as quickly as SEGA did shortly after.
@@roberto1519 I was always a Sega kid with a master system and a Game gear growing up. I didn't get the NES until after the SNES was out. And I had the Gen 1 Gen and CD as well. Sega ruled when I was a kid!
@@SweetBlu We did enjoy the SNES quite a lot around here, it's when Nintendo started taking this market more seriously, I think many kids at school had more SNES than Mega Drives at that time, specially from '93 to '96. I remember some NES clones allowed for both Famicom and NES carts, so they actually had two cart slots, we named than by their pin numbers. A friend the other side of the street had everything SEGA, Master System, Mega Drive and Sega CD, I experienced Sonic CD at his home, and another kid on the other side of the neighborhood had Mad Doc Mcree, great times!
I own the amazing AVS, I want to buy a new physical release named "Sam's Journey". They are asking me if I need PAL or NTSC. What is the best choice and why? Does PAL or NTSC run better or is it the same when using an FPGA product like this?
I would choose ntsc because it is much more common. Unless you happen to also collect original hardware and live in a pal region. What part of the world do you live in? If the answer is North America then you should probably pick NTSC. However, the Retro USB AVS can play both because it outputs at neither ntsc or pal, but rather HDMI
Nice! I ended up ordering a few of their retro controller to usb adapters on their website last night since they seem to be on sale, so I am giving them a shot to see if they work as good as Hyperkin or Mayflash stuff (which are usually quite hit or miss)@@8bitjoystick
I was able to get expanded audio playing FDS on an NES EverDrive N8 regular, so I assume that the pro can do it too. It really makes the EverDrive N8 shine
Mine arrived a couple days ago, first time in over 15 years I’ve had a NES in the house 😊 Now to get my childhood games shipped to me from my hometown…
Might I suggest getting some rubbing alcohol and cleaning the connectors on the cartridges before you stick them into your new game system. Especially if they haven't been cleaned in 35 years
It may be older now but wouldn't the Retro Freak be a better option for everything but the game cheats? I feel its recreation is perfect over hdmi as well, and then you have 11 systems compatible with real controllers and ROM saves to SD Card etc. Plus it's cheaper (at least here in Japan). That being said having 700 Famicom and Disk System games, I want to play them at their best... Do you think it's enough of an improvement over the Retro Freak to look into importing this system just for NES/FC/DS?
It is my understanding that the RetroFreak dose not work with EverDrives and multi-carts. So that does not make sense for me since I have 1 week to make a video and I want to capture footage of games quickly. I would have to count how many Famicom carts I have, Probably about 300 and 100 SFC carts, I probably have the biggest collection in Portland Oregon. The Retro Freak is a software emulator console, If I lived in Japan I would totally get one. It is only $160 to import one from Amazon.co.jp (they ship to the US, as does Suruga-ya) but the Sega GG/card adapter is being sold for $167! More than the actual system. I've seen videos of Japanese gamers using the Hyperkin Retro 5 adapter since it works and is cheaper. I've debated getting a Hyperkin Retron5, Marcy-chan (My GF) has one but if I wanted to do emulators on my HDTV I would just go back to my RetroPie. I actually had to use my RetroPie to capture footage for my MasterSystem video since my Elgato capture device did not like the MasterSystem colors coming out of my MD/Genesis systems. I like the RetroFreak and should probably get one eventually, but I wanted an FPGA based Famicom/NES system for accuracy. If you already have a RetroFreak and you like it then I don't see a real reason to get an AVS if you are happy with what you have? How does the RetroFreak do with FDS?
@@8bitjoystick That's huge help! Thanks! I had no idea it was getting so expensive for the base unit or the modules. I picked them up years ago at less than original retail but looking now it's far more than I remember... The Retron 5 is indeed good and less fussy and I find it very cheap sometimes... but I had the other first and no reason to have both maybe 😅 It plays Disk System just fine and in fact you must plug it into the Retro Freak to download the BIOS and "activate" the machine to play games either from disk or ROM on the sd card. If you don't, it won't. Not sure why. I guess I'm fine to stick with just this as I would just want to play original titles and not multicarts; if going that route I'd just put ROMs on the Retro Freak. I don't feel a difference on it over hdmi, or if on original hardware on analog displays, but I'm more of a collector than a serious gamer so maybe I'm not tuned to pick that up.
Just adding to this conversation; the Retron 5 can have the Retro Freak software installed to it, so it would run the same way. No reason to own both. I bought a Retron 5 on it's release and it just gathers dust nowadays. There's a million other (cheaper) ways to run the same emulators on your TV, using OEM controllers without an additional adapter is about the only pro I can give to it.
I actually haven't seen any games have any issues like that. But if you want I will load it up on my everdrive and see if I have any issues. Probably not. I mean like I haven't found any games that run on regular Hardware that it can't run and I have some very obscure Famicom games
I’m torn between getting this and just using a PowerPak to play all the nes games or buy a PolyMega. Between the AVS and Polymega ,how would you compare the two?
Well they don't really compare it all. The polymega is a software based emulator system and you can't use flash carts on the polymega so no everdrives or powerpak. AVS actually recreates a NES/ Famicom system using FPGA so it's more of a hardware based solution instead of a software program and the logic circuits have no problem with flashcarts and everdrives. That is the one I would choose.
Just about bought an AVS the other day but i realized something...It doesn't have a CRT Interpolation(Softness) depth slider. There's only a slider for Scan lines. Bummer. There's nothing worse than playing NES games with crystal clear razor sharp square pixeled' looking characters. They were never designed to look this way. :P This is why the '00' screen filter setting exists on all ArcadeArchives games on Switch. Meanwhile, the NT Mini cost over $3000 CAD off eBay, so that's out. And the HiDef NES is no longer available. Any other options!? :P
Well, everyone seemed to be obsessed about having everything super crisp with scan lines. However, if you're looking for the blurring and ghosting of a CRT I would recommend actually using a CRT and getting an AV famicom Famicom or NES. Even if you want to go down the RGB rabbit hole without having to modify Hardware, you can get a famicom RGB blaster board. But I agree with you that there's something to be said about playing NES on original Hardware and that includes a CRT, both RF and AV have their own merits. Heck, I've gotten better gaming experiences from a CRT that I found by the side of the road than HDMI TV options Other HDMI options include like a raspberry pi, a Mini PC, and a mister. The Trinitron setting on the analogue pocket via open fpga is pretty good, especially when you play it on a dock. But yes, I concur that the scanline options are pretty basic and CRT emulation come gone a long way in a short period of time. Heck, it's not that long ago that when people were making emulation collections, they didn't care about correct aspect ratios and they put bullshit smoothing filters over everything to make it look like smeared mayonnaise. But it comes down to our idea of "Does it look right"? And that is both personal. And also that has changed over the years. I'm glad that we are now caring about these things. But you know what I'm going to save this conversation and possibly turn it into a future video
@@8bitjoystick Thanks for the suggestions and taking the time to answer my question. lol Definitely don't want any ghosting! Then again, CRT's don't have ANY motion blur, at least based on the ones that I've used ever since the late 80's, 90's(Think JVC D-Series) & those amazing WEGA Trinitrons that graced the mid 2000's, all of which easily rival the most expensive QD-OLED's on the market specifically when it comes to blur-free motion clarity. Getting a Top Loader(Which i've never actually used before) would of been pretty neat, just to switch things up from that 1986 toaster box and it's annoying front loading cartridge door, while pairing that with a 27" WEGA 2005 CRT(With low hours) using an RF connection...But, it has that nasty jail bar screen effect unless you get it modded with Composite or RGB supposedly. I may look into Mister, Raspberry Pie and possibly a Mini PC, although, I'm just a not a huge fan of emulation to be honest. Having access to that many games would wind up making me feel like a kid in a candy store with an infinite wallet! :P And then there's flash carts which technically aren't emulation unless I'm mistaken, and don't come jam packed with any additional latency. How's the EverDrive N8 Pro BTW? Are there any hiccups with Colour accuracy and whatever else, or are they 100% faithful to the original carts? I may just cave and get the AVS after all, and remove that silly cartridge door that should never of been in there in the first place. Hmm, maybe if i bump up the Scan line depth slider to 25-50% that just may offset the crispy square-y sprites! :P
@@NeonPizza80s I actually prefer the famicom AV to the NES top loader. The famicom AV can play expanded audio, and use American carts via an adapter I don't actually have an Everdrive n8 pro, I have both the Famicom and NES versions of the N8 and I love them both. They are both at PGA solutions and the fpga cores on cartridge will configure into exactly what kind of onboard chips you need to simulate playing that game on an original cartridge. So it's one of the only ways that you can play games like gimmick on original Hardware without having to shell out and saying the amount of money or use the modified audio and NES versions. Playing famicom disk system games on the everdrive is actually a hell of a lot easier and more convenient than using a real famicom disk system. It's incredible for those who want to use original hardware.
@@8bitjoystick I think in the end i'm just trying to update, revise and modernized my favorite 8-16 bit consoles. :P Just to make them feel far more fresh, convenient and just newer instead of going back to the same old Sony WEGA CRT + official hardware and wired controller set up. And probably the best way to do so would be with a lid-less(lol) AVS, Two 2.4G 'N30' Wireless NES Controllers, a 'QD'-OLED TV(The 55" Samsung S90D from this year) and possibly an EverDrive N8 Pro just for the convenience to replicate the digital times. And i can't do the front loading NES anymore, I'd rather go with a Top Loader if i had to, as long as it's RGB modded. Then there's Super Nt, Mega Sg, Duo(which is still affordable) and the upcoming Analogue N64 4K console coming out this year. ;)
Well they manufacture them in batches. There was quite a bit of time between the current batch and the previous one which was before the pandemic. So if you pre-order one it's for the next batch. That's what I did. The global chip shortage affected their supplies of the graphics chips for the HDMI encoder. Because the chip foundries could make more money making chips for cars and stuff than they could making retro video games. But now things are right with the world. It really is a great system. I would recommend that you pre-ordered the next batch, especially if you're into playing Famicom or NES games on HDMI.
Nice Video I've had this system since it first came out, however after a nasty divorce once the smoke cleared i found that the guts of that mini usb power port had been ripped off the board and still with the cord. Thanks to a good friend i have this unit back and in working order. He has pretty good soldering skills. If anybody should have this issue i do have 4 more mini usb ports for this system feel free to get intouch with me if your in need. We could work out some kind of a trade in software im sure no $. Anyway yeah enjoy nice knowing im not the only one who Love's the AVS. Can u recommend any good Famicom 62 pin chip carts to have and play on this system? I have a 852 in 1 but no Famicom carts.
Check out Parodius Da! & Yume Penguin Monogatari. More people need to play those awesome games. ruclips.net/video/WSQ5ufEkB10/видео.htmlsi=VNlST0FuBLjUN9r_&t=2
Thanks Ben just what i was lookin for. I wanted to ask you about the controllers on the tv in that video the one on the right looks thicker and a bit different than an original NES Advantage. Is that something different?
If you have to choose between both, the NT Mini Noir is better in every aspect. It’s 1080p where the AVS is only 720p. It has far more customization options, and if you jailbreak, you can play ROMs off the SD slot instead of needing an everdrive.
All you need is a Phillips screwdriver to open up the unit and it would be pretty easy to remove the lid. I haven't done it, but it would be super easy to do based on the teardown videos videos that I've seen.
@@8bitjoystick Thanks! I think that's exactly what the AVS is lacking from a design stand point. You can't see the Cart artwork, like you can with the Top loader and every other Cart based console that came out after the original front loading NES. But popping off the lid should do the trick.
@@8bitjoystick haha, ya I saw that in the video. People are also buying or printing their own Nintendo Entertainment System decals and sticking them on the front lid.
For me it’s the 5th best option. 1st would be NES to Sony PVM, 2nd NES to TV, 3rd MiSTer FPGA, 4th Analogue NT Mini Noir v2 (handles interpolation better on non-720p native tvs than the AVS and has a lot of scaling options, has analog output options so I can connect it to a CRT and use lightguns, can use custom firmware for loading roms from an SD without requiring an Everdrive, has a lot more color and scanline options, the list goes on), then 5th AVS.
Unfortunately Analogue is not making the NT mini. The AVS is actually still being made and you can buy one without markup. 720p HDMI output scales to 1080p and 4k displays because it's all integer scaling. For me I really like the AVS because of its Nintendo styling, and the fact that you can still get one new and they're still making them. I think it's a good option for people who are curious about playing and collecting real cartridges and it's a little weird that Analogue is constantly changing their focus instead of the 8-bit and 16-bit eras
@@8bitjoystick I do wish the AVS had a means to play lightgun games on CRT, as I do play a lot of NES Zapper games. Also wish they would do a firmware update to support other native resolutions. My 4k TV has slow internal scaler that seems to be even slower at resolutions below 900p, and I back when I had my AVS, I tested latency on both it and the NT Mini Noir set to 1080p out, and I had several frame more input latency on the AVS due to the TV having to scale the 720p signal up to 1080p. I tried setting the NT Mini Noir to 720p to see if it was the console or the TV, and it did indeed give me the same input latency reading as the AVS then.
I have an Roku TV with Game Mode and I keep it on on every HDMI input. Lag bugs the crap out of me and my TV has no issues with it. Honestly I have an OG NES, two Hyperkin clone consoles, a bootleg clone of a Famiclone, two Famicoms and my AVS. I have 6 other systems to play light gun games on my 5 CRTs. @@Goomba_Smash
That would be awesome. I want to review more indie modern made NES games. I have everdrives so a digital copy works great. I did a review of Project Blue recently. 8bitjoystick@gmail.com
I'm just glad that I was able to get one because it was uncertain if they would be able to continue production. Well I'm okay with them using USB-B because all it has to do is power the console for me. I can easily unplug it from my TV and then go plug it into my desktop to capture footage. It's the same connection as the PlayStation 3 controller and the Wii U Pro controller.
Well, I will definitely lower the music. Unfortunately, RUclips doesn't let you edit a video once you've uploaded it, so I can't change this existing one. Sorry about that
Well they're taking pre-orders for the next batch. It's only $209. Considering the Analogue systems are going from between $800 to $1,000. Used than that. 209 is pretty good deal
I don't think I've seen any shimmering but this was an HDMI capture that I then shrunk down as an overlay. But if you want later on today, I'll do a play and talk video of Super Mario Bros 2 for FDS and will post the unedited footage. One thing of note is that the AVS has an option to increase the sprite limit so that can reduce flickering when there is too many sprites on a single line, as is the case with the second and third Ninja turtles games Another possibility is for many of my videos I unintentionally was capturing at 30 frames per second instead of 60 frames per second and then mastering my videos at 60 frames per second in Final Cut Pro. So hopefully that wasn't an issue
oh boy begging for review unit only thing wrong with AVS i can say is no built in native support for CRT, no matter how good the FPGA is with modern JUNK smart tvs its a nightmare to play on them and sometimes depending on your model tv theres no options to fix lag/colors/dimming aka "SMART FEATURES"
Oh I wouldn't say I was begging for a review unit. Just saying that I would be open and honest. My first video about them. I got accused of being a "hater". You know actually I'm okay without having analog output on it because I have two Famicoms, one NES, two Hyperkin clones and three Chinese made Famiclones that can handle CRT analog AV. output But yes I agree that game mode is the only way to go. I have a TCL Roku TV and the lag is it's nothing on it.
IDK man theres a couple people that swear by old systems + Crts, and I swear with component to a CRT..but i even hooked up my famicom (see my video) to my modern CRT (flat screen variant after they stopped curving the tubes) and just over RF switch it looks way better than hooking to a HDTV as is (no upscalers)@@8bitjoystick
I have an axe to grind with Analogue and their terrible business model of discontinuing all their hardware to force scarcity.
Well do I have a video for you. ruclips.net/video/vPyY2WqB-Kk/видео.htmlsi=F3CLaWZRRusp8V82
I’m right there with you. They are great products, but the whole thing is a scalper’s haven. Over $1,000 for the nt minis now is insane.
@@DonaldPrevie well after I made my previous video sarcastically criticizing their less than optimal pre-order practices for their consoles.. (checks notes) they announced pre-orders for yet more limited edition colors which sold out instantly after a giant messy online hot dumpster fire pre-order orgy that immediately went on eBay by console flippers. Sigh
@@8bitjoystick oh I know, I was in that mess and didn’t end up with one despite setting an alarm for that day. Nuts!
i love this thing its let me enjoy old games with my son, we beat rampage one night, and now we constantly joke about the final boss being the music loop.
Yep, You can always turn the volume down and listen to some music or something. I actually need to start playing rampage on master system because that is actually a really good version of the game.
@8bitjoystick it is we had the choice of both but went with nes cause of unlimited continue. But yeah uts exactly what we did with the music. I actually played my band that my son never heard befor and I didn't tell him who it was he ended up saying what ever this is it kicks butt compared to rampage I like this.
I Still haven't told him it was my band I was in befor he was born.
The mega sg is fantastic if you can get yoyr hands on one.
I would if I could get a Mega SG for the regular price. I don't want to pay $500 for one. I could get a MiSTer for that much.@@willeysingleton3057
@@8bitjoystick yeah I luckily boughtvminevthe week it was released.
I ended up selling mine after I got an NT Mini, but the big feature I miss was the online high score feature when tethered to PC--I suppose that died with Nintendo Age.
Yeah I see that they had support for that. I guess it's cool but it wasn't really something that I used. I think it was already stopped by the time I got my AVS. I was just happy to get mine because of the big delay in production due to the global manufacturing delay due to the pandemic and chip shortage.
Enjoyed the video thanks. Mine should be arriving this week.
I need to track down a "Nintendo Entertainment System" sticker and put it on the front slot. Or "Nintendo Family Computer". I'm just glad that I got in mind because for a while back it seems like they were never going to ship
@@8bitjoystick I ordered one on ebay. Last week you should have no problem finding one.
I just bought one of these based on this review. Really like it for playing my physical game. Normally play with an Analogue pocket docked but i like that better for other systems. For nes this is the sweet spot for me.
Thanks man. They were on back-order for YEARS since the COVID shut down hit the computer chip manufacturing industry so the folks who make it could not the get the HDMI image chips, Now they have a supplier but it took them time. It is so worth it to have an 100% accurate way to play NES, Famicom and Famicom Disk System. especially FDS. If you see an NES, FDS and FC game in this video chances are I am this to capture it. The analogue pocket dock is cool but I like the speed of this system.
I kinda hope RetroUSB refreshes the AVS to support native 1080p or better video signals.
Well, the way that the retroUSB AVS does scan lines is that they are razor sharp without blurring or aliasing. So It's my belief that it's an integer scale so everything comes across very crisp. It would look exactly the same if it was being rendered at 1080p or 4K instead of 720p. I think render resolutions higher than 720p would only matter if there was scaling, blurring or aliasing.
If money wasn’t an issue, would you prefer the nt noir or the avs? Heard people saying 1080p was good on the nt, but 720p on the avs scaled better. Also the whole floppy cartridge problem the nt noir had. Just wondering because I want to get into nes physical hardware, but want it on more modern screens and not crt’s. I bought the super nt and thought you could play nes games on snes
Well, I still would have probably prefer the retro USB AVS because I heard that the analog ones had issues with the NES pins connectors. The retro USB AVS works like a champ. I've never actually used an analogue NES systems but I'm pretty happy with my AVS. I would still probably choose it again.
I can use it with my Famicom Disk system but 99% of the time I just play Famicom disk system games off my Everdrive. It's actually much more convenient to fake it with FPGA than it is to use the real floppy disks for most time. I both love and hate FDS. If you can enjoy the library of FDS without having to put up with the technical bullshit limitations then that's perfect.
Dude!!! Murasame Castle is one of my favorites. I found out about it way late. I bought it on a whim for my 3ds and loved it. I even bought a famicom disk system in hopes of finding a disk copy. So jealous. Super rad.
I need to actually sit down and play through it. Sadly, running a RUclips channel about retro video games cuts into my time to play retro video games. Oh well. I still love the fact that it's 2023 and I'm still discovering awesome 8-bit NES/Famicom games that I've never played.
definitely deserves more publicity than it gets I was lucky and got one before covid, definitely worth the money it's way better than all the new cheap HDMI NOACs and comparable to the ridiculously priced analogue systems
It is absolutely awesome for me who's into playing real cartridges from both famicom and NES. I also really care about the famicom being 100% accurate. I use it for as much of this video as I can
I have both. The NT still has issues. The AVS is pretty much flawless. I have thrown everything it just works. the only thing that cant be done is emulate the microphone on controller 2.
Well the hardware that I've actually seen that actually supports microphone input through controller 2. Is the actual original OG Nintendo Famicom. Even Nintendo dropped that in the AV Famicom revision.
I also enjoy playing Zelda 1 on Famicom just so I can yell into the microphone and kill the pols voice.
@@8bitjoystick Polls voice will die from any sound into the microphone. Did this in a couple of retrogame stores people were stunned. They can die happy. Analogue finally fixed the expansion module for the NT which took 2 years or so. AVS worked from day one. I have a fds (modded) and fds stick both work peachy. My only issue is the 72 pin. Its tighter than an ant's butthole. There is some degree of difficulty getting carts in and out. Famicom stuff no problem. Ive asked Mr. Retrousb about maybe a custom microphone controller he said nope no can do. Got the keyboard/tape deck with 2 mono cables? its possible to load and save tracks/levels from excitebike or wrecking crew. It really works. Its easier on the fds but what fun is that? Btw sub'ed...
"My only issue is the 72 pin. Its tighter than an ant's butthole."
- This is true. I end up putting my hand on the top of the cart to slide it out. But I mainly use my EverDrive or Famicom carts.
Thanks for the sub!
@@piratestation69
My AVS has been my default NES for years now and I'm very happy with it. It struggles with my most recent aftermarket Famicom carts. OverObj has has some extra sprite flicker, due to having its own unorthodox flicker reduction methods that the AVS can't seem to figure out. Astro Ninja Man DX throws garbage on the screen and freezes shortly after starting. But if my only complaints have to do with niche indie carts that didn't even exist when it was built, I think it's doing pretty good.
I have not played "Over Obj" and will have to throw it on my EverDrives. I have a bootleg of Astro Ninja Man, I wish I could find a legit version but they are hundreds of bucks since they had a small print run.
how is the input lag with thjngs like punch out?
@@8bitjoystick Over Obj is a great game. Highly recommend giving it a play if you can find a way. I got my Astro Ninja Man from Japanzon. I believe they still have stock at a semi-normal price, though shipping it slow-boat to save cash took like 3 months to arrive.
@@ddeleckijr Lag from the console itself seems negligible. I don't have the equipment to test exact frames, but input lag generally annoys me and I haven't had any issues with it. I suck at Punch-Out, but I can't blame it on the console.
I was looking for a current review of the AVS and if it was relevant today in 2023, and your video hit the spot. Chalk up another subscriber, and keep it coming.
Thanks. I also really like the fact that they have their pre-orders open for their next batch of systems. I wish that other FPGA manufacturers did that cough, cough, Analogue.
Thanks! Since getting my AVS I am using it to make these videos as often as I can.@drezial
I wish more reviewers would update their videos and talk about the new firm ware update ala' 'interpolation' feature. It seems like if you set it to max it softens(for the better imo) those nasty razor sharp HD squarey' sprites and gives it a slight CRT-look. But i could be wrong. My AVS will be here tomorrow, so I'll have to see for myself. A little late to the party, but eh. :P
If Interpolation doesn't do the trick in combination with Scanlines, i'll just use the RetroTINK4K which has a wealth of options to soften the sprites correctly, and blend those funky squarey sprites together and form them into Art, and look just how they did on a CRT using composite cables all those years ago. These games were never intended to look razor sharp and squarey to begin with, they were supposed to be softer and smoother, and look more towards something you'd see in a cartoon.
What's also great about TINK4K is that it can force HDR brightness into SDR to combat the scan line darkening OR if you decide to use BFI, and it will regain you the brightness you originally had without either feature, depending. It's expensive though, clocking in at just over a grand CAD. ;)
I was watching the same ship for delivery of mine from this batch. I already have an Analogue Nt Mini Noir but, I wanted a RetroAVS as well. The AVS doesn't offer the 1080p and granular control over video & audio settings as the Analogue Nt Mini Noir but, it's still very impressive at its price point and looks amazing in 720p. As you mentioned, you can actually buy this new these days. There will be a wait of a very few months, but you can still get it at retail pricing. Your chances of finding an Analogue Nt Mini Noir in new condition for less than $750 USD are very slim these days.
I actually have read that Famicom resolution scales perfectly to 720p. Since this doesn't have any kind of blurring on the scan lines, it's always going to output nice crispy pixels and 720p is good enough for that. I also really dig the aesthetics of this system.
Even on my Analogue, I set it to 720p because it integer scales from 240p.
I have both the AVS and the NT Mini Noir and prefer the AVS. Only thing I dislike about the AVS is how hard it can be to get carts out. The NT Mini Noir has it's own issue with the floppy cart slot. Overall the AVS just feels more like the NES to me.
For me if I put my hand on top of the cartridge and press down and use the little grip on the NES cartridge, it comes out on the AVS. But I mostly keep my Everdrive in there.
The NT V2 version doesn't have such issue, though.
@@AlexanderShelestov I have the last run of the NT Mini Noir and it very much has that issue
@@captain3186 Oh, interesting. I didn't meet bad reviews for this last model. Even on their website they say:
> Nt mini v2 features a new and perfected NES cartridge slot
:)
Anyway, bad to hear, cause I have one. Never opened, though.
@@captain3186 I haven't had the issue with my NT noir. Maybe some were defective. My NT mini noir has about the same grip as my AVS, and I haven't had any cart booting issues with either console.
Nothing compares to original famicom or NES. 😅 this is just an emulate feeling system.
Oh I love both the Famicom and the NES, Some decades later and those are the systems that I am the most passionate about. I am working on an Essential NES Games video right now. There are so many NES games that I am breaking it into two videos, one just for Nintendo and one for third party games.
The point of these FPGA systems is that they do NOT feel like software emulation. With original carts, original controllers and a low latency display is feels very very close to an original system but with greatly improved visuals on modern displays.
Unless you feel like messing with RGB mods and expensive upscalers for original systems, these FPGA systems are simply the best options for modern displays.
I love my AVS! I love the look of the system!
I was going to get a sticker that read "Nintendo Entertainment System" for it but instead got one that reads "Family Computer" and I am going to put it on the front door.
www.etsy.com/listing/1282119493/family-computer-nintendo-famicom-vinyl?transaction_id=3705057867&ref=proteus_transaction_link&campaign_label=shipping_confirmation_always_have_track_package_cta_treatment&email_sent=1693834366&euid=61lSmrB7zLJdkZl7IlfVnN_APHNt&eaid=37778089963&x_eaid=9d5bcb1222
Ugly design 😅
As much as I loved my AVS and hate Analogue's business practices, it's hard for me to go back to my AVS after getting the Analogue NT.
Honestly, I have no desire to ever get an Analogue NT because my AVS does everything that I want it to do when it comes to playing NES and Famicom. I also really dig it's NES aesthetics. From here on out if you see me post video of an NES or Famicom game probably going to be capturing it from my AVS. That being said, I finally bought my first analogue product. I actually got an analogue pocket and I'll be reviewing it next week.
@@8bitjoystick I can understand that. I do like the aesthetics of the AVS. Nice at getting the analogue pocket, I was never able to get one because of Analogue's artificial scarcity supply/demand tactics (hence why I don't like their business practices). I'm thinking about trying to do a handheld MiSTer build.
I made a 9 minute video about my disagreement about their pre-order practices back when they did not have pre-orders open for a regular black and white one. The pre-orders for the black and white one were open last month and I got one for the regular price directly from them. That was the gist of my video, I am OK with pre-orders for the next batch of an existing product as long as it is a calm and orderly process and does not involve eBay flippers.
It is actually my most "Disliked" video since some folks didn't get my semi-sarcastic tone.
ruclips.net/video/vPyY2WqB-Kk/видео.html
OpenFPGA is a bit rough as of late but a lot of progress has been made in a short period of time.
I've been wanting a retro avs for awhile. After the Analogue Duo, it was the last retro console on my list that I wanted to own. Those new retrobit controllers are coming out around the right time.
Well I wanted this one to be extremely accurate in capturing video footage for famicom and NES. I pre-ordered those retro-bit controllers also. One cool thing is you can use whatever NES controller you want with it.
I got my AVS Tuesday and it’s fantastic. I wish it could save custom game genie codes. It couldn’t be any better other than that.
Well I think the last time that I used a game genie Bill Clinton was president. So I will take your word for it. I'm happy that it has a controller based reset so I can just hit start and select and hold it down and reboot without having to get up. That's pretty handy when using an EverDrive
RetroUSB should just start releasing it without the lid for crying out loud. It just feels dated at this point and uneccessary aside from staying authentic to the original NES. But at least you can take it apart and remove it which is what I'll be doing. Still, I wish they would of went for a top loading design instead, ditched the 4 controller ports and went for 2, and made it as small as the Super Nt & Mega Sg.
Sure it's substantially smaller than the NES from top to bottom, but not by much in terms of width, or even from front to back. Needs a redesign. Would be cool if Analogue created an Nt Mini 2 and used the Super Nt as a template with an NES aesthetic. But back to the AVS, I'd love to see an update with a CRT depth slider to go along with the scan line depth slider. Doubt that will ever happen though. But this is where the RetroTINK 4K comes in. ;)
Honestly, I never actually used game genies but at least the menu is super peppy and every click instantly transforms to an input. Personally, I mainly keep my everdrive in it and the great thing is that the save states work. I am so much more likely to use Save-State scumming than to use the game genie or cheat codes
Aesthetically speaking, I like the fact that it has the hinge and the lid and it's pretty easy to open up and take off. I mean I've taken apart many NES systems. But I personally really like the design language. I actually showed it to someone who works at a game store and they legitimately asked if the Nintendo made it. I'm also glad that not only does it have the four controller ports, but it has the famicom accessory port in the back and you can even set it up to simulate the famicom expansion port using the additional control ports. I want to make a video about Japanese power pad games. However, I do not have a Japanese power pad, but I can use that to fake it. I wish that they used usb-c instead of USB B, but that's one of my only complaints and it's a very minor one
Looking at all these boxing unboxing videos and havent seen a video yet that will show what controllers will hook up. Got NES advantages I would like to see used on this system before I buy it. Those are energy hogs and require 1 amp. Bought a generic system and because the power supply 5v 1/2 amp the Advantage wouldnt work. I know the box says they will hookup but the generic box and machine said the same thing. Can anyone please tell me they have hooked it up with an Advantage and played it without it powering it out or shorting the system? Got someone who cannot use small controllers but can use the stick and large buttons
Let me test all of my nes controllers for it. I'll make a video soon testing them
It looks great! If my toploader ever goes, I know what I need to try and get if they're available!
Well one of the problems about small batch consoles like this is when they're gone, they're gone. There is going to be a future production run after the current one and they're already taking pre-orders. I would recommend buying one this year because once they stop making them they can shoot up in price. That's what's been happening with the Analogue systems.
You know if you had to buy one FPGA console to original cartridges on a modern TV. It would be an NES/Famicom because almost all the other eight and 16-bit systems have RGB output and have affordable HDMI solutions. I know some people scoff at the HDMI Hyperkin adapters but I like them. If you want to play original 8-Bit NES cartridges on an HDMI TV, this is how to do it
Never had a NES, nor any of its clones here in Brazil, which were quite good and sold by known companies, we played the Master System a lot, still, I find the Famicom and its cartridges so appealing, much more than the westernized version of its console and cartridges.
I find Brazilian history with the Master System and Mega Drive to be amazing. Tech toy almost did more with the Sega tech than Sega did. I need to make some videos about Master System. I think it's fascinating because I know so little about it, and that's probably because the NES dominated when I was a kid.
Indeed, and while the NES wasn't officially supported by Nintendo, millions of kids had either the Phantom System or the Dynavision, decent clones by known companies at the time.
I find it interesting that Americans such as Joe from Gamesack and Cory from My Life in Gaming have such strong nostalgia towards the Master System and less about the NES.
The thing is, the SMS holds its own with many exclusives and unique games, and the Game Gear which is 99% a portable SMS extends it's life and library bringing the much welcomed Japanese touch the Mark III (Japanese Master System) didn't get during the 80s. This console sold way over 25 million units (specially from Tec Toy's variations) for a reason, not counting 10+ million Game Gears, so it's well worth checking them out.
Tec Toy delivered quality products with decent post sales support during the 90s, but it declined just as quickly as SEGA did shortly after.
@@roberto1519 I was always a Sega kid with a master system and a Game gear growing up. I didn't get the NES until after the SNES was out. And I had the Gen 1 Gen and CD as well. Sega ruled when I was a kid!
@@SweetBlu We did enjoy the SNES quite a lot around here, it's when Nintendo started taking this market more seriously, I think many kids at school had more SNES than Mega Drives at that time, specially from '93 to '96.
I remember some NES clones allowed for both Famicom and NES carts, so they actually had two cart slots, we named than by their pin numbers.
A friend the other side of the street had everything SEGA, Master System, Mega Drive and Sega CD, I experienced Sonic CD at his home, and another kid on the other side of the neighborhood had Mad Doc Mcree, great times!
I own the amazing AVS, I want to buy a new physical release named "Sam's Journey". They are asking me if I need PAL or NTSC. What is the best choice and why? Does PAL or NTSC run better or is it the same when using an FPGA product like this?
I would choose ntsc because it is much more common. Unless you happen to also collect original hardware and live in a pal region. What part of the world do you live in? If the answer is North America then you should probably pick NTSC. However, the Retro USB AVS can play both because it outputs at neither ntsc or pal, but rather HDMI
I might have to buy one of these, for about $200 its not bad.
I actually like it a lot. It is actually the best way to play Famicom and NES cartridges on a modern TV. I am glad I got one.
Nice! I ended up ordering a few of their retro controller to usb adapters on their website last night since they seem to be on sale, so I am giving them a shot to see if they work as good as Hyperkin or Mayflash stuff (which are usually quite hit or miss)@@8bitjoystick
Can you get enhancement audio and play FDS roms through the NES cartridge port with an everdrive pro?
I was able to get expanded audio playing FDS on an NES EverDrive N8 regular, so I assume that the pro can do it too. It really makes the EverDrive N8 shine
Mine arrived a couple days ago, first time in over 15 years I’ve had a NES in the house 😊 Now to get my childhood games shipped to me from my hometown…
Might I suggest getting some rubbing alcohol and cleaning the connectors on the cartridges before you stick them into your new game system. Especially if they haven't been cleaned in 35 years
It may be older now but wouldn't the Retro Freak be a better option for everything but the game cheats? I feel its recreation is perfect over hdmi as well, and then you have 11 systems compatible with real controllers and ROM saves to SD Card etc. Plus it's cheaper (at least here in Japan).
That being said having 700 Famicom and Disk System games, I want to play them at their best...
Do you think it's enough of an improvement over the Retro Freak to look into importing this system just for NES/FC/DS?
It is my understanding that the RetroFreak dose not work with EverDrives and multi-carts. So that does not make sense for me since I have 1 week to make a video and I want to capture footage of games quickly. I would have to count how many Famicom carts I have, Probably about 300 and 100 SFC carts, I probably have the biggest collection in Portland Oregon.
The Retro Freak is a software emulator console, If I lived in Japan I would totally get one. It is only $160 to import one from Amazon.co.jp (they ship to the US, as does Suruga-ya) but the Sega GG/card adapter is being sold for $167! More than the actual system. I've seen videos of Japanese gamers using the Hyperkin Retro 5 adapter since it works and is cheaper. I've debated getting a Hyperkin Retron5, Marcy-chan (My GF) has one but if I wanted to do emulators on my HDTV I would just go back to my RetroPie. I actually had to use my RetroPie to capture footage for my MasterSystem video since my Elgato capture device did not like the MasterSystem colors coming out of my MD/Genesis systems.
I like the RetroFreak and should probably get one eventually, but I wanted an FPGA based Famicom/NES system for accuracy.
If you already have a RetroFreak and you like it then I don't see a real reason to get an AVS if you are happy with what you have? How does the RetroFreak do with FDS?
also I just subscribed! Ganbatte!!!!
@@8bitjoystick thaaaaanx! あざあああす!
@@8bitjoystick That's huge help! Thanks! I had no idea it was getting so expensive for the base unit or the modules. I picked them up years ago at less than original retail but looking now it's far more than I remember... The Retron 5 is indeed good and less fussy and I find it very cheap sometimes... but I had the other first and no reason to have both maybe 😅
It plays Disk System just fine and in fact you must plug it into the Retro Freak to download the BIOS and "activate" the machine to play games either from disk or ROM on the sd card. If you don't, it won't. Not sure why.
I guess I'm fine to stick with just this as I would just want to play original titles and not multicarts; if going that route I'd just put ROMs on the Retro Freak. I don't feel a difference on it over hdmi, or if on original hardware on analog displays, but I'm more of a collector than a serious gamer so maybe I'm not tuned to pick that up.
Just adding to this conversation; the Retron 5 can have the Retro Freak software installed to it, so it would run the same way. No reason to own both.
I bought a Retron 5 on it's release and it just gathers dust nowadays. There's a million other (cheaper) ways to run the same emulators on your TV, using OEM controllers without an additional adapter is about the only pro I can give to it.
The liquid terminator wasn't trying to kill Sar, she was trying to kill John ;) lol
Aw crap. Now I need to watch those again. I am old and loved the original Terminator and watched it a million times as a kid before T2 came out.
How does it handle Dragon Warrior I and II? Any graphics or sound issues?
I actually haven't seen any games have any issues like that. But if you want I will load it up on my everdrive and see if I have any issues. Probably not. I mean like I haven't found any games that run on regular Hardware that it can't run and I have some very obscure Famicom games
Here you go! Here's a secret video test just for you ruclips.net/video/-jWijke7jVI/видео.htmlsi=kDYr34WX7saesZnq
I’m torn between getting this and just using a PowerPak to play all the nes games or buy a PolyMega. Between the AVS and Polymega ,how would you compare the two?
Well they don't really compare it all. The polymega is a software based emulator system and you can't use flash carts on the polymega so no everdrives or powerpak. AVS actually recreates a NES/ Famicom system using FPGA so it's more of a hardware based solution instead of a software program and the logic circuits have no problem with flashcarts and everdrives. That is the one I would choose.
What is that weird looking racoon sticker on the inside of the console?
That is the logo and mascot of TOTL Games in Portland Oregon. I am friends with the folks that run the shop. That is the TOTL Tanuki totlgames.com/
Just about bought an AVS the other day but i realized something...It doesn't have a CRT Interpolation(Softness) depth slider. There's only a slider for Scan lines. Bummer. There's nothing worse than playing NES games with crystal clear razor sharp square pixeled' looking characters. They were never designed to look this way. :P This is why the '00' screen filter setting exists on all ArcadeArchives games on Switch.
Meanwhile, the NT Mini cost over $3000 CAD off eBay, so that's out. And the HiDef NES is no longer available. Any other options!? :P
Well, everyone seemed to be obsessed about having everything super crisp with scan lines. However, if you're looking for the blurring and ghosting of a CRT I would recommend actually using a CRT and getting an AV famicom Famicom or NES.
Even if you want to go down the RGB rabbit hole without having to modify Hardware, you can get a famicom RGB blaster board. But I agree with you that there's something to be said about playing NES on original Hardware and that includes a CRT, both RF and AV have their own merits. Heck, I've gotten better gaming experiences from a CRT that I found by the side of the road than HDMI TV options
Other HDMI options include like a raspberry pi, a Mini PC, and a mister. The Trinitron setting on the analogue pocket via open fpga is pretty good, especially when you play it on a dock.
But yes, I concur that the scanline options are pretty basic and CRT emulation come gone a long way in a short period of time. Heck, it's not that long ago that when people were making emulation collections, they didn't care about correct aspect ratios and they put bullshit smoothing filters over everything to make it look like smeared mayonnaise.
But it comes down to our idea of "Does it look right"? And that is both personal. And also that has changed over the years. I'm glad that we are now caring about these things.
But you know what I'm going to save this conversation and possibly turn it into a future video
@@8bitjoystick
Thanks for the suggestions and taking the time to answer my question.
lol Definitely don't want any ghosting! Then again, CRT's don't have ANY motion blur, at least based on the ones that I've used ever since the late 80's, 90's(Think JVC D-Series) & those amazing WEGA Trinitrons that graced the mid 2000's, all of which easily rival the most expensive QD-OLED's on the market specifically when it comes to blur-free motion clarity.
Getting a Top Loader(Which i've never actually used before) would of been pretty neat, just to switch things up from that 1986 toaster box and it's annoying front loading cartridge door, while pairing that with a 27" WEGA 2005 CRT(With low hours) using an RF connection...But, it has that nasty jail bar screen effect unless you get it modded with Composite or RGB supposedly. I may look into Mister, Raspberry Pie and possibly a Mini PC, although, I'm just a not a huge fan of emulation to be honest. Having access to that many games would wind up making me feel like a kid in a candy store with an infinite wallet! :P
And then there's flash carts which technically aren't emulation unless I'm mistaken, and don't come jam packed with any additional latency. How's the EverDrive N8 Pro BTW? Are there any hiccups with Colour accuracy and whatever else, or are they 100% faithful to the original carts? I may just cave and get the AVS after all, and remove that silly cartridge door that should never of been in there in the first place. Hmm, maybe if i bump up the Scan line depth slider to 25-50% that just may offset the crispy square-y sprites! :P
@@NeonPizza80s I actually prefer the famicom AV to the NES top loader. The famicom AV can play expanded audio, and use American carts via an adapter
I don't actually have an Everdrive n8 pro, I have both the Famicom and NES versions of the N8 and I love them both. They are both at PGA solutions and the fpga cores on cartridge will configure into exactly what kind of onboard chips you need to simulate playing that game on an original cartridge. So it's one of the only ways that you can play games like gimmick on original Hardware without having to shell out and saying the amount of money or use the modified audio and NES versions. Playing famicom disk system games on the everdrive is actually a hell of a lot easier and more convenient than using a real famicom disk system. It's incredible for those who want to use original hardware.
@@8bitjoystick
I think in the end i'm just trying to update, revise and modernized my favorite 8-16 bit consoles. :P Just to make them feel far more fresh, convenient and just newer instead of going back to the same old Sony WEGA CRT + official hardware and wired controller set up.
And probably the best way to do so would be with a lid-less(lol) AVS, Two 2.4G 'N30' Wireless NES Controllers, a 'QD'-OLED TV(The 55" Samsung S90D from this year) and possibly an EverDrive N8 Pro just for the convenience to replicate the digital times. And i can't do the front loading NES anymore, I'd rather go with a Top Loader if i had to, as long as it's RGB modded.
Then there's Super Nt, Mega Sg, Duo(which is still affordable) and the upcoming Analogue N64 4K console coming out this year. ;)
Is that why they are $500 on ebay even though they are $200 on the website?
Well they manufacture them in batches. There was quite a bit of time between the current batch and the previous one which was before the pandemic. So if you pre-order one it's for the next batch. That's what I did. The global chip shortage affected their supplies of the graphics chips for the HDMI encoder. Because the chip foundries could make more money making chips for cars and stuff than they could making retro video games. But now things are right with the world. It really is a great system. I would recommend that you pre-ordered the next batch, especially if you're into playing Famicom or NES games on HDMI.
Nice Video I've had this system since it first came out, however after a nasty divorce once the smoke cleared i found that the guts of that mini usb power port had been ripped off the board and still with the cord. Thanks to a good friend i have this unit back and in working order. He has pretty good soldering skills. If anybody should have this issue i do have 4 more mini usb ports for this system feel free to get intouch with me if your in need. We could work out some kind of a trade in software im sure no $. Anyway yeah enjoy nice knowing im not the only one who Love's the AVS. Can u recommend any good Famicom 62 pin chip carts to have and play on this system? I have a 852 in 1 but no Famicom carts.
I am glad you got it working. Well... I have an entire play list of videos I've made on Japanese games. ruclips.net/video/k3RA1aBrnoo/видео.html
Check out Parodius Da! & Yume Penguin Monogatari. More people need to play those awesome games.
ruclips.net/video/WSQ5ufEkB10/видео.htmlsi=VNlST0FuBLjUN9r_&t=2
Thanks Ben just what i was lookin for. I wanted to ask you about the controllers on the tv in that video the one on the right looks thicker and a bit different than an original NES Advantage. Is that something different?
Should I buy this or Analogue NT mini noir V2? Money is not an issue and I know where to buy the second one brand new. Which one would you choose?
Well if I had to do it all over again I would still choose the AVS. I'm very pleased with it
@@8bitjoystick Thanks! I just ordered it. Them. Both :) I like the mini specs, but the AVS looks authentic and more robust to me.
Would you be willing to share where I can get a new mini NT? Thanks so much either way!
If you have to choose between both, the NT Mini Noir is better in every aspect. It’s 1080p where the AVS is only 720p. It has far more customization options, and if you jailbreak, you can play ROMs off the SD slot instead of needing an everdrive.
Can you actually take off the front door lid-flap thing, and just have the actual Cart exposed instead?
All you need is a Phillips screwdriver to open up the unit and it would be pretty easy to remove the lid. I haven't done it, but it would be super easy to do based on the teardown videos videos that I've seen.
@@8bitjoystick
Thanks! I think that's exactly what the AVS is lacking from a design stand point. You can't see the Cart artwork, like you can with the Top loader and every other Cart based console that came out after the original front loading NES. But popping off the lid should do the trick.
Well, I put a pretty cool looking sticker on the inside of the cartridge port, and it looks pretty good playing famicom carts.
@@8bitjoystick
haha, ya I saw that in the video. People are also buying or printing their own Nintendo Entertainment System decals and sticking them on the front lid.
@@NeonPizza80s I ended up getting one that says family computer. Japanese famicom related stickers on Etsy for it
For me it’s the 5th best option. 1st would be NES to Sony PVM, 2nd NES to TV, 3rd MiSTer FPGA, 4th Analogue NT Mini Noir v2 (handles interpolation better on non-720p native tvs than the AVS and has a lot of scaling options, has analog output options so I can connect it to a CRT and use lightguns, can use custom firmware for loading roms from an SD without requiring an Everdrive, has a lot more color and scanline options, the list goes on), then 5th AVS.
Unfortunately Analogue is not making the NT mini. The AVS is actually still being made and you can buy one without markup. 720p HDMI output scales to 1080p and 4k displays because it's all integer scaling.
For me I really like the AVS because of its Nintendo styling, and the fact that you can still get one new and they're still making them. I think it's a good option for people who are curious about playing and collecting real cartridges and it's a little weird that Analogue is constantly changing their focus instead of the 8-bit and 16-bit eras
@@8bitjoystick I do wish the AVS had a means to play lightgun games on CRT, as I do play a lot of NES Zapper games. Also wish they would do a firmware update to support other native resolutions. My 4k TV has slow internal scaler that seems to be even slower at resolutions below 900p, and I back when I had my AVS, I tested latency on both it and the NT Mini Noir set to 1080p out, and I had several frame more input latency on the AVS due to the TV having to scale the 720p signal up to 1080p. I tried setting the NT Mini Noir to 720p to see if it was the console or the TV, and it did indeed give me the same input latency reading as the AVS then.
I have an Roku TV with Game Mode and I keep it on on every HDMI input. Lag bugs the crap out of me and my TV has no issues with it.
Honestly I have an OG NES, two Hyperkin clone consoles, a bootleg clone of a Famiclone, two Famicoms and my AVS. I have 6 other systems to play light gun games on my 5 CRTs. @@Goomba_Smash
I am the creator of Force Bot NES. If you want to make a video of it, I can send you a free digital copy.
That would be awesome. I want to review more indie modern made NES games. I have everdrives so a digital copy works great. I did a review of Project Blue recently.
8bitjoystick@gmail.com
I wish they upgrade to usb C.
I'm just glad that I was able to get one because it was uncertain if they would be able to continue production.
Well I'm okay with them using USB-B because all it has to do is power the console for me. I can easily unplug it from my TV and then go plug it into my desktop to capture footage. It's the same connection as the PlayStation 3 controller and the Wii U Pro controller.
loose the music next time, its annoying trying to hear you
Well, I will definitely lower the music. Unfortunately, RUclips doesn't let you edit a video once you've uploaded it, so I can't change this existing one. Sorry about that
I forgot about this thing. I wanted one but never got it.
Well they're taking pre-orders for the next batch. It's only $209. Considering the Analogue systems are going from between $800 to $1,000. Used than that. 209 is pretty good deal
My primary nes console on my hdtv. No complaints and feels like playing on an original system
7:52 shimmering
I don't think I've seen any shimmering but this was an HDMI capture that I then shrunk down as an overlay. But if you want later on today, I'll do a play and talk video of Super Mario Bros 2 for FDS and will post the unedited footage.
One thing of note is that the AVS has an option to increase the sprite limit so that can reduce flickering when there is too many sprites on a single line, as is the case with the second and third Ninja turtles games
Another possibility is for many of my videos I unintentionally was capturing at 30 frames per second instead of 60 frames per second and then mastering my videos at 60 frames per second in Final Cut Pro. So hopefully that wasn't an issue
you can clearly see that pixels are uneven (pause and check the trees' eyes), so obviously there is shimmering when scrolling.@@8bitjoystick
@@starfy1289 It could be an artifact to me. Unevenly scaling from the footage. I will post a new video later on today
Does the RetroUSB AVS Shimmer? Play & Talk: Super Mario Bros 2.
ruclips.net/video/p5uiKinUuDI/видео.html
16:20 He is not turning on interpolation. You will always get some degree of shimmer when not using an integer scale (which he isn’t).
Can barely hear your voice over the music.
Sorry. youtube won't let me update the video. There are always the optional subtitles.
oh boy begging for review unit
only thing wrong with AVS i can say is no built in native support for CRT, no matter how good the FPGA is with modern JUNK smart tvs its a nightmare to play on them and sometimes depending on your model tv theres no options to fix lag/colors/dimming aka "SMART FEATURES"
Oh I wouldn't say I was begging for a review unit. Just saying that I would be open and honest. My first video about them. I got accused of being a "hater".
You know actually I'm okay without having analog output on it because I have two Famicoms, one NES, two Hyperkin clones and three Chinese made Famiclones that can handle CRT analog AV. output
But yes I agree that game mode is the only way to go. I have a TCL Roku TV and the lag is it's nothing on it.
IDK man theres a couple people that swear by old systems + Crts, and I swear with component to a CRT..but i even hooked up my famicom (see my video) to my modern CRT (flat screen variant after they stopped curving the tubes) and just over RF switch it looks way better than hooking to a HDTV as is (no upscalers)@@8bitjoystick