Best way to import Famicom and FDS?

KuraudoSutoraifu · Jul 29, 2016

I've been wanting to import a Famicom and a Famicom Disk System for quite some time now.
There are many ways / setups, I was wondering what is the best way to do this?:

Original Famicom / FDS
AV Famicom / FDS
Toploader / FDS
Sharp Twin Famicom
...?

Are there third party PSUs with European plugs?
Any other things you'd recommend or that I should be aware of?

Thanks

Lumstar · Jul 30, 2016

The difficult part about original Famicom is its RF output. Only NTSC-J TV sets are supported (some other TVs may work, it's close enough to USA channel 95 or 96).

AV Famicom is the best regular setup. It uses decent video cables, and has many more controllers to choose from.
A few specialty NES controllers like Zapper or Power Pad don't officially work.

I know Sega's MK-3025 and MK-1602 have the right power for Famicom or AV Famicom, assuming they'll fit. Probably better modern alternatives.

But Twin Famicom is *not* the same. It takes more amps, as well as different polarity.

KuraudoSutoraifu · Jul 30, 2016

Thanks for the reply

As far as I know the AV Famicom doesn't have a lockout chip, so it should be able to play US (or even PAL) games, right?
Also, do you happen to know if there's any difference in terms of reliability of the Disk Drive between a regular FDS and the Twin Famicom?

Lumstar · Jul 30, 2016

Standard Famicoms never had lockout. Most US games should work.
Some converter units have problems though, failing to run Castlevania 3 in particular.

PAL games vary. These systems play them at 60hz speed.

Not sure about the disk drives. Twin Famicom is effectively a step between Nintendo's models. The controllers are still wired in, but it has AV out.

Best way to import Famicom and FDS?

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