AVS back in stock

[Deadeye | 1,596]

RetroUSB's AVS is back in stock

 

[Deadeye | 1,596]

Order page

https://www.retrousb.com/product_info.php?cPath=36&products_id=78&osCsid=bd7812ffc53936afcad4c15af9762fba

 

[OptOut | 8,889]

Hmm... I never noticed before it says it's compatible with MANY PAL games, but not all of them?

As primarily a PAL gamer for NES, would this system suit my needs?

[Tanooki | 4,936]

If you're not into scoreboard, what's the advantage of this (aside from being new) over the hi def nes kit? I've considered one of these before seeing how toxic the hdmi nes systems on the second hand market go for, but never pulled the trigger.

[a3quit4s | 4,102]

15 minutes ago, Tanooki said:

If you're not into scoreboard, what's the advantage of this (aside from being new) over the hi def nes kit? I've considered one of these before seeing how toxic the hdmi nes systems on the second hand market go for, but never pulled the trigger.

Cheats, maybe some extra video options, new hardware, and you don’t have to mod it yourself or pay to have it done. If your current setup works nothing about the AVS would draw you in really. Probably why you aren’t motivated to do your own research? If you didn’t already have the Hi-Def NES mod the AVS makes sense, probably cheaper, newer, more features, and easier to attain now that they are in stock. 
 

edit: can I just say that the AVS looks great but the wireless controller is atrocious looking 

Edited October 17, 2023 by a3quit4s

[DefaultGen | 5,412]

2 minutes ago, Tanooki said:

If you're not into scoreboard, what's the advantage of this (aside from being new) over the hi def nes kit? I've considered one of these before seeing how toxic the hdmi nes systems on the second hand market go for, but never pulled the trigger.

I have an original Analogue Nt (which is more or less a Famicom with a hi-def NES) and found some obscure games with minor graphical issues like Family Feud and Spot, although this was years ago at this point. I never had a graphic issue on the AVS.

I don't think the AVS is the end all be all but it's available, no hassle, and cheaper than Analogue, which counts for something.

[Tanooki | 4,936]

3 minutes ago, a3quit4s said:

Cheats, maybe some extra video options, new hardware, and you don’t have to mod it yourself or pay to have it done. If your current setup works nothing about the AVS would draw you in really. Probably why you aren’t motivated to do your own research?

Basically that I guess down to the question.  I did basic scanning that it had some features, but the big one was scoreboard which I have zero interest in, so I never pursued it because I have a honeybee already at that rate (still do) despite now having an AV Famicom as well.

@DefaultGen True it's there, and I'm using the hi def nes kit and the firmware is the last one released for that installed into a top loader NES and has served me well.  The only aggravation I have is it won't save the sound enables so if I play a FC game with expanded audio (notably really Castlevania 3) I have to re-enable VRC6&VRC6 sound fix or it's awful.  That aside, never had a glitch there that differed from my unmodded stuff.

[OptOut | 8,889]

Does anyone know if the Analogue NT mini is fully compatible with PAL titles?

And does anyone know which PAL games are NOT compatible with the AVS?

[a3quit4s | 4,102]

10 minutes ago, OptOut said:

Does anyone know if the Analogue NT mini is fully compatible with PAL titles?

And does anyone know which PAL games are NOT compatible with the AVS?

I tried to find a list for AVS but couldn’t find one. Same goes for Analogue. I feel like because there are so many PAL games it’d be impossible but maybe I just haven’t found it. The first comment here does a good job explaining the situation I think: 

https://www.reddit.com/r/AnalogueInc/comments/sq8d5m/pal_games_on_analog_nt_super_nt_and_mega_sg/

Personally, I think you’d be hard pressed to find one that doesn’t work on either and keep an OEM system as a backup in case that happens. Only my opinion though since I have less than 10 PAL games. But they all worked on AVS and NT Mini!

edit: NT mini has better PAL support than the NT

Edited October 17, 2023 by a3quit4s

[Gloves | 11,790]

9 minutes ago, Tanooki said:

Basically that I guess down to the question.  I did basic scanning that it had some features, but the big one was scoreboard which I have zero interest in, so I never pursued it because I have a honeybee already at that rate (still do) despite now having an AV Famicom as well.

@DefaultGen True it's there, and I'm using the hi def nes kit and the firmware is the last one released for that installed into a top loader NES and has served me well.  The only aggravation I have is it won't save the sound enables so if I play a FC game with expanded audio (notably really Castlevania 3) I have to re-enable VRC6&VRC6 sound fix or it's awful.  That aside, never had a glitch there that differed from my unmodded stuff.

Scoreboard being a listed feature, it should honestly be crossed out at this point - that was tied into NintendoAge which is... well, you know.

[B.A. | 1,139]

Yeah I was thinking no one is into the scoreboard.  That hasn't been a thing in years.  

[a3quit4s | 4,102]

16 minutes ago, B.A. said:

Yeah I was thinking no one is into the scoreboard.  That hasn't been a thing in years.  

I emailed bunnyboy to see if he has extra nes slip covers for sale, I’ll mention it to him if he replies!

[Tulpa | 3,510]

6 hours ago, Tanooki said:

If you're not into scoreboard, what's the advantage of this (aside from being new) over the hi def nes kit?

Does anyone even sell a Hi-Def NES kit anymore, or a modded original NES that isn't priced to high heaven?

Anyway, there's a few other advantages. It's compatible with the NES and Famicom Arkanoid Vaus controllers, and has controller emulation to let you use the NES Vaus for Famicom Arkanoid and Arkanoid II, and Taito's other Vaus game, Chase HQ. Can't do that on a regular NES unless you have a hacked ROM.

Also, the NES FourScore is incompatible with Famicom four player games (Famicom uses a different four player adapter that isn't the same circuitry as the FourScore). AVS emulates both and has four controller inputs, so both NES and Famicom four player games are covered.

If you don't need those and you're happy with your Hi-Def NES, then you're probably okay not getting an AVS unless you want a brand new backup. I'm happy with mine.

Analogue doesn't seem to be interested in producing a lower priced Nt Mini (or even restarting production on the expensive metal one they did make) despite many people online insisting one was around the corner. That was in 2018. I wouldn't hold my breath.

 

 

Scoreboard was a feature people asked for when Bunnyboy was developing it, but it never really took off. Part of it was the need to have it hooked to a computer, but I think most people who asked for it weren't actually serious about using it.

Edited October 17, 2023 by Tulpa

[Code Monkey | 2,011]

On 10/16/2023 at 8:20 PM, OptOut said:

Hmm... I never noticed before it says it's compatible with MANY PAL games, but not all of them?

As primarily a PAL gamer for NES, would this system suit my needs?

I thought youd be more concerned that it plays Famicom cartridges and is compatible with the disk system.

[OptOut | 8,889]

1 minute ago, Code Monkey said:

I thought youd be more concerned that it plays Famicom cartridges and is compatible with the disk system.

An interesting assertion. I do have a fair few Famicom games, indeed, although I don't own a disk system. However, the website for the AVS claims full compatibility with famicom carts, and only partial compatibility with PAL games.

The reason I am concerned about PAL games is because ALL my NES cartridges are PAL, I don't own any US carts. So, if I would have problems playing my games I would rather not purchase this system.

[Gloves | 11,790]

14 hours ago, Tulpa said:

Scoreboard was a feature people asked for when Bunnyboy was developing it, but it never really took off. Part of it was the need to have it hooked to a computer, but I think most people who asked for it weren't actually serious about using it.

This is the problem with working hard to build something like 10 people requested. Half of them aren't willing to put in the work to make it a success, and the other half won't use it cuz the other half don't. There's always one guy who decides to go all in and be the coolest kid at the park (ignoring that there's nobody else around). 

[Tanooki | 4,936]

On 10/17/2023 at 6:59 PM, Tulpa said:

Does anyone even sell a Hi-Def NES kit anymore, or a modded original NES that isn't priced to high heaven?

Anyway, there's a few other advantages. It's compatible with the NES and Famicom Arkanoid Vaus controllers, and has controller emulation to let you use the NES Vaus for Famicom Arkanoid and Arkanoid II, and Taito's other Vaus game, Chase HQ. Can't do that on a regular NES unless you have a hacked ROM.

Also, the NES FourScore is incompatible with Famicom four player games (Famicom uses a different four player adapter that isn't the same circuitry as the FourScore). AVS emulates both and has four controller inputs, so both NES and Famicom four player games are covered.

If you don't need those and you're happy with your Hi-Def NES, then you're probably okay not getting an AVS unless you want a brand new backup. I'm happy with mine.

Analogue doesn't seem to be interested in producing a lower priced Nt Mini (or even restarting production on the expensive metal one they did make) despite many people online insisting one was around the corner. That was in 2018. I wouldn't hold my breath.

Great breakdown.  Thanks.

Currently I'm using both on the 2023 TV my US top loader with that kit, and yeah it's no longer made from my understanding so if an unused kit comes up it's a feeding frenzy, and a HDMI modded system will hit Analogue HDMI values which is nuts but I guess the math is there.

About the advantages, I get that, the ports on the front by default do not have that 2 sets of lines that the NES has active because of the expansion port on the right for the added third party control devices (their light gun, Vaus1+2(JP style), etc.  And also as such US devices like the zapper, US vaus, pad, etc won't work either.

I knew of this, after getting my AV Famicom about a month ago I pulled it open and gave it a good deep cleaning as you never know, and when I was in there I soldered in a pair of thin insulated wires between the contact points of the expansion to the front ports so I could use my Zapper on the 9" Panasonic color monitor I was using for my US action set.  Right now I can use both US and Japanese accessories just fine.

So unless I'm missing something, the best use of an AVS is new hardware.  And you're right, as nuts as it is, given the garbage peddlers who put out wonky clones and stuff still do it seemingly every year, and they don't want to take advantage of that still.  I feel it would have been far more lucrative than the N64 (or Duo.)

[T-Pac | 7,560]

On 10/18/2023 at 6:07 AM, Gloves said:

This is the problem with working hard to build something like 10 people requested. Half of them aren't willing to put in the work to make it a success, and the other half won't use it cuz the other half don't. There's always one guy who decides to go all in and be the coolest kid at the park (ignoring that there's nobody else around). 

I thought this was the AVS thread, not Charms and Forum Rankings haha.

(Bless your soul for catering to the 10 of us that care about dumb forum stuff).

[T-Pac]

[Gloves | 11,790]

2 minutes ago, T-Pac said:

I thought this was the AVS thread, not Charms and Forum Rankings haha.

(Bless your soul for catering to the 10 of us that care about dumb forum stuff).

[T-Pac]

I care deeply about dumb forum stuff lol. 

[RegularGuyGamer | 2,013]

On 10/17/2023 at 12:25 PM, Tanooki said:

True it's there, and I'm using the hi def nes kit and the firmware is the last one released for that installed into a top loader NES and has served me well.  The only aggravation I have is it won't save the sound enables so if I play a FC game with expanded audio (notably really Castlevania 3) I have to re-enable VRC6&VRC6 sound fix or it's awful.  That aside, never had a glitch there that differed from my unmodded stuff.

If I was in your situation, I think the main advantage would be to sell the HDMI mod kit and buy a AVS and pocket $200. Other than that, I'd keep the HDMI NES if only for the novelty.

[Tulpa | 3,510]

11 hours ago, Tanooki said:

And you're right, as nuts as it is, given the garbage peddlers who put out wonky clones and stuff still do it seemingly every year, and they don't want to take advantage of that still.  I feel it would have been far more lucrative than the N64 (or Duo.)

If I was to hazard a guess, I'm thinking Analogue wants to cater to an age progressing market. I think they may feel that they got all they could out of the NES market, hence moving on to SNES/Genesis (which I think they're dropping, too) and now to N64. And whatever market the Pocket picks up.

I know it sounds nuts, but I think that's their business model now. Go for whatever gaming generation is aging into disposable income and milk that. Generation that had the N64 as their first console is now late 20s, have stable jobs, etc, and a hankering to fire up Ocarina on their HDTV.

Edited October 19, 2023 by Tulpa

[OptOut | 8,889]

26 minutes ago, Tulpa said:

If I was to hazard a guess, I'm thinking Analogue wants to cater to an age progressing market. I think they may feel that they got all they could out of the NES market, hence moving on to SNES/Genesis (which I think they're dropping, too) and now to N64. And whatever market the Pocket picks up.

I know it sounds nuts, but I think that's their business model now. Go for whatever gaming generation is aging into disposable income and milk that. Generation that had the N64 as their first console is now late 20s, have stable jobs, etc, and a hankering to fire up Ocarina on their HDTV.

True enough, there's also the technical aspect to consider, as these FPGA systems are very complex and so it must have taken many years to develop each of these cores in turn.

Obviously, as the systems they emulate get more powerful and complex, they also get more difficult to develop, and thus take longer to produce.

However, as someone who chose not to buy an NT mini due to the expense, I would definitely be in the market for a cheaper, slimmed down offering of the same system. Make it out of plastic and take out the DAC, and shave a hundred or so bucks off the price, I am sure they would find a hungry new market for that product.

[Tanooki | 4,936]

@RegularGuyGamer That possible, I mean I could put the top loader up for sale.  I can't remember how many controllers it came with but I've got more than a few dogbones around (US and +2 AV Famicom too.)  I wouldn't mind the trade out, I don't have any nostalgia for it, mine is the classic and I've got a pretty pristine one as it is in an Action Set box.  If someone ever wants to swap or figure it out since I can't do digital payment I'm all in.   I'd rather have the ease of the AVS with the 2 slots.

@Tulpa You know that does make some amount of sense, I would say a LOT of sense 16bit and later.  Something about that NES seems to capture even kids and teens still when it comes to that old retro vibe people seem get all pumped over it for whatever reason.  I have no idea if they do a lot of research and marketing or just jump onto whatever they see people begging for the most who already buy their stuff.  The SNES and Gen is dropped that was the last cycle so that's out unless they refresh the hardware later for their newer OS and stuff, which may happen if they run out of consoles to fiddle with worth making an unit over.  I think there would be a dimishing return on what they can do with FPGA for the time being on capturing the next group to take advantage of.  I mean how heavy of a chip/set of chips will a PS2 Gamecube/Wii, or the PS3 WiiU era.  I think that's well out of their grasp, even the chinese are struggling on some newer systems from 20 years back on cost effective android emulation catch-alls.

 

Like Optout, as much as I have a growing distaste for them largely over their handling of the pocket(primarily the dock and adapters) and duo, if they redid the NES in a $199 thick plastic form factor 16bit got, I'd have bought it.  If my N64 wasn't already rigged up where now the only bait is speed boosting fluff etc, I'd probably deal too.  But if they came back next year with a PS1 which is possible, or something else of that generation into the next I could not care less.

[Tulpa | 3,510]

2 hours ago, OptOut said:

However, as someone who chose not to buy an NT mini due to the expense, I would definitely be in the market for a cheaper, slimmed down offering of the same system. Make it out of plastic and take out the DAC, and shave a hundred or so bucks off the price, I am sure they would find a hungry new market for that product.

30 minutes ago, Tanooki said:

if they redid the NES in a $199 thick plastic form factor 16bit got, I'd have bought it. 

Which makes me wonder WHY they haven't done that since the original Nt dropped. 

It's just really curious that they didn't. Either they're nuts, which I guess is possible, or they know something about the market we don't.

 

 

[TDIRunner | 2,742]

7 minutes ago, Tulpa said:

Which makes me wonder WHY they haven't done that since the original Nt dropped. 

It's just really curious that they didn't. Either they're nuts, which I guess is possible, or they know something about the market we don't.

 

 

I'm definitely in agreement that Analogue could offer a budget Nt Mini if they dropped the aluminum case, the internal DAC, the Famicom cart slot (replace with separately sold adapter), and the extra 2 controller ports.  I'm not sure why they haven't gone that route, but they might believe they've saturated the NES market.  They might believe that most people interested in such a product have either already bought an Nt or bought one of their competing products (AVS, HDMI mod, etc.).