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Analogue NT ($578 HDMI NES) |OT| Better than anything, and ready to ship years ago
- Thread starter Chittagong
- Start date
D.Lo
Member
I really don't understand the mindset that wants to use original carts, but not original hardware.
I especially don't understand paying more for a less genuine experience. Who is playing NES games but embarrassed about it, so they need a fancier looking case?
"Oh it looks more modern and sleek" - except it still has a 30 year old plastic cart and an NES controller attached to it.
The small advantages this thing has (both cart slots so no cart adapter needed, four players built in) are vastly overshadowed by the lost original look to me.
The aluminium shell shaving the plastic carts reminds me of that iPhone case on kickstarter that ended up blocked cell reception. Looks cool in pictures, but just doesn't work in reality.
I especially don't understand paying more for a less genuine experience. Who is playing NES games but embarrassed about it, so they need a fancier looking case?
"Oh it looks more modern and sleek" - except it still has a 30 year old plastic cart and an NES controller attached to it.
The small advantages this thing has (both cart slots so no cart adapter needed, four players built in) are vastly overshadowed by the lost original look to me.
The aluminium shell shaving the plastic carts reminds me of that iPhone case on kickstarter that ended up blocked cell reception. Looks cool in pictures, but just doesn't work in reality.
It basically is original hardware, though. The actual LOOK of the console itself doesn't determine that. It's using original components (which is one of the things people rightly take issue with). That is hugely different from, say, a clone system or emulation.
People are looking for the best possible experience for playing NES games and a slick case is icing on the cake. There's not much to get.
Whether the Analogue NT is truly that product has yet to be seen, but I understand the appeal perfectly.
Whether the Analogue NT is truly that product has yet to be seen, but I understand the appeal perfectly.
low_budget
Neo Member
I just don't understand aluminum cartridge flaps. There's good reason no console manufacturer (except Coleco) ever considered aluminum for this and cost wasn't it.
Anodizing actually increases the surface hardness of aluminum.
Heavier weight of aluminum flaps would require higher tension springs to avoid sag, and put pressure against cartridge while inserted.
Despite how simple the Super 8 bit's aluminum enclosure is, I avoided a potential "flapgate" issue easily just by utilizing adequate clearances and a powdercoat finish. Powdercoat is basically a plastic shell melted around the aluminum.
Anodizing actually increases the surface hardness of aluminum.
Heavier weight of aluminum flaps would require higher tension springs to avoid sag, and put pressure against cartridge while inserted.
Despite how simple the Super 8 bit's aluminum enclosure is, I avoided a potential "flapgate" issue easily just by utilizing adequate clearances and a powdercoat finish. Powdercoat is basically a plastic shell melted around the aluminum.
IrishNinja
Member
I don't know if anyone saw this but I just thought I'd share it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7R5PZQ78NJ0
Kevtris, the man behind the Analogue Nt's HDMI component posted a new video with updates about his HiDefNES board on July 8th.
It pretty much confirms what we suspected; the HDMI Analogue Nt's haven't not been shipped nor finished.
Analogue does not even have the boards in their hands.
Watch the video at the 12:47 mark.
Fortunately, he does say in the video that the boards have just when into production.
So this means... you guessed it, more delays!
Chittagong will be so thrilled!
It pisses me off that we haven't gotten this information from Analogue themselves.
Kevtris' videos give far more information than Analogue ever has, so I suggest watching the rest.
It definitely eases the wait time.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7R5PZQ78NJ0
Kevtris, the man behind the Analogue Nt's HDMI component posted a new video with updates about his HiDefNES board on July 8th.
It pretty much confirms what we suspected; the HDMI Analogue Nt's haven't not been shipped nor finished.
Analogue does not even have the boards in their hands.
Watch the video at the 12:47 mark.
Fortunately, he does say in the video that the boards have just when into production.
So this means... you guessed it, more delays!
Chittagong will be so thrilled!
It pisses me off that we haven't gotten this information from Analogue themselves.
Kevtris' videos give far more information than Analogue ever has, so I suggest watching the rest.
It definitely eases the wait time.
Huggers
Member
Absolutely nailed it. Ridiculous purchase imo
Dreamwriter
Member
It's a ridiculous purchase purely because they gave it a new case? Some people aren't nostalgic about the system case, but love the classic gameplay, which IS using original hardware, and this lets us get more accurate graphics than using a classic NES on modern televisions.
Sixfortyfive
He who pursues two rabbits gets two rabbits.
Dual cart slot and integrated multi-tap are pretty slick.
Not ~$600 slick, but it's something.
Not ~$600 slick, but it's something.
Huggers
Member
Why not rgb mod one and get a crt. Or a Framemeister and play it on your modern TV. This thing makes no sense to me. And at 600 dollars even less
Chittagong
Gold Member
Whoa. Thanks for posting that.
So Analogue got caught red handed with another lie, what a surprise. Why are they so dishonest? Do they really think pretending they are on plan and shipping works better than just telling the truth of the HDMI board, which is, in fact, an upgrade from the original spec?
I'd update the history in the OT, but I have to go punch a wall now.
NoFaceNico
Member
1080p shots from the Dolphin emulator look incredible. Which also leads to a good point- why do you need to play NES games in 1080p? It's just pixels. N64 games in 1080p aren't going to look much better either but something like a Gamecube can use that HD resolution to its full potential and deliver a new way to enjoy the game. It's pretty much an HD remake whereas an NES game in 1080p just has sharper pixels.
It makes me sound like an asshole but I really do enjoy watching the Analogue NT saga and trying to figure out the truth. I think the butler did it.
Sixfortyfive
He who pursues two rabbits gets two rabbits.
I feel that something like this would be much less appealing for an SNES or Gamecube. An SNES already does RGB and requires much less work to accommodate import cartridges. A Gamecube already has component video and 4 controller ports. (And Dolphin-style upscaling would be pushing things into the emulator category, which is kind of antithetical to the purpose of this kind of project.)
In contrast, a stock NES maxes out at composite video. The reason why some of the more informed posters in this thread aren't outright disgusted at the asking price is because they know that it already costs a lot of money and effort to get good quality video out of an NES in the first place. That isn't the case for the majority of systems that came later.
The need is brought by modern TVs with fixed-resolution display. If you don't feed them 1080p, they will (badly) upscale the signal. Using a dedicated upscaler like the Framemeister or the NES HD mod means bypassing the shitty TV upscaler and getting a sharper picture and better delay. In addition, dedicated upscalers have filters and options to mimic the look of a CRT TV. Given the old consoles were designed with CRT in mind, you may want that look even though you only have a modern TV.
I'm #TeamCRT and I think there is nothing better in term of picture and gameplay quality, but if you can only use a modern display then 1080p output is absolutely essential.
Chittagong
Gold Member
This, exactly.
The NESRGB mod addresses most of this, however I think the Kevtris NES HDMI stuff is pure magic. It gives NES a digital, adjustable output it never had. In fact, even Super NES and N64 would benefit of a similar mod.
Dreamwriter
Member
So why not either solder a bunch of junk into an existing NES, with my crap soldering skills, or pay people to mod them for me which in the end will cost a lot anyways, and end up with the crappy old NES case rather than a snazzy new aluminum one where it doesn't look like I hacked up an NES, and has built-in 4-controllers, dual cart slots, and support for the extra sound channels some cartridges add that the original NES can't use?
This
I have a Sony PVM for my retro gaming needs that I use constantly.
But.. it's got a 14 inch screen.
When I want to play with my friends and family they don't want to crowd around that little thing.
They want to use my 55 inch flatscreen!
That's why lately, the Wii U is used most with them.
I'm hoping that the Analogue Nt can bring the NES to be enjoyed in that way, without negatively affecting the retro experience on real hardware.
Huggers
Member
It's not a bunch of junk. It's a circuit board. You can get a modded Nes for like 140 dollars. The original Nes case is iconic as fuck and incredible. If you want the best sound just get an AV Famicom and play CV 3. Or you know. You could buy a 600 dollar hipster machine. Made by a company with a terrible reputation, who constantly delay their product which is as yet unproven and untested.
i64fanatic
Neo Member
Since this has the original CPU/PPU would it support a NES flashcart? That would sell it for me.
It supports everything the original hardware does.
Nostalgic Nightmare
Member
Where? I see 200+ in most cases.
D.Lo
Member
Haha! Co-signed.
Battlesmurf
Member
Framemeisters are $300+ish, really good RGB cables are $30 ish (per console). I feel like people gloss over this fact when they consider these NTs. (I do think the cost is high, but not really all that high considering how much one would have to spend to get the same features).
A straight HDMI plug in, skipping a lot of the tweaking and such can be a good thing. I love my frame meister- but the more consoles I can retire and bypass the thing, the better.
Anyways- I wonder how hard it will be to fashion plastic hinges/flaps for the cartridge slots- if that's actually where the scratching is occurring and it's not the case itself. If they're going to scratch, I'd rather take them off and make my own. For a $600 setup I'd rather not have to do any DIY work on it.
EDIT: let it be known that I absolutely love the toaster NES and have one connected to a CRT TV. Love the nostalgia. This doesn't mean that if cleaner/crisper options are available that I won't give them a shot. it's just a shame that the NT folk are not handling this well at all.
When I had my RGB collection (last year), each cable I bought was £3 or so maximum on ebay. The only one that cost more was a c-sync mega drive cable which cost a few quid extra.
Of course, I live in the UK where RGB SCART has been standard for decades - but the option is always there for someone on GAF to buy from the UK/EU.
D.Lo
Member
True, but it seems the one that comes with the NT is a piece of crap so you need to spend that $30 anyway.
Huggers
Member
Where? I see 200+ in most cases.
Pretty sure that's what I paid a well known Gaffer for mine. The Modded AV Famicom was a bit more. Either way I got both and a Sony BVM, all my cabling, a Scart switch and a stand for it all for less than the entry price of an Analogue NT.
Phew, this is rough...
Chittagong check this out on analogue's facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/analogueinteractive
He's right, they totally deleted his comment!
I saw it earlier and now it's gone.
More prewritten bull****
This guy is my hero.
Chittagong check this out on analogue's facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/analogueinteractive
He's right, they totally deleted his comment!
I saw it earlier and now it's gone.
More prewritten bull****
This guy is my hero.
NoFaceNico
Member
I love how whenever there's a crowdfunded project there's always that one guy who's just a complete PITA. Much of hilarity ensues.
Chittagong
Gold Member
The irony is, if Analogue NT was a crowdfunded project openly and honestly, people would take less issue. It's the fact that they pretended in March 2014 to have a product that ships 'Summer 2014', and since then they have not been open and honest of the status of the product, at all.
Read the above exchange for example. The person is asking whether Analogue has shipped any HDMI units, at all. Analogue dodges the question. They say the HDMI adapter is finished (which might very well be, even if just on paper) and that they have began shipping units last month (which can mean the non-HDMI units they have shipped). Giving how they have continuously mistepresented the status of their project, their lack of clarity and reluctance to post any pictures of the HDMI unit are a valid reason for concern.
Thanks for the catch, RetroReid!
low_budget
Neo Member
Originally Posted by Analogue
Inserting Cartridges into the Analogue Nt
"One of the most unique aspects of the Analogue Nt when compared to other video game systems, is of course that it is made from aluminum. The Analogue Nt is a high end product and it may require some reasonable extra attention when inserting cartridges. Carelessly inserting / removing cartridges into the slot or dramatically rocking them back and forth, may scuff your cartridges. Cartridges should be inserted and removed in a straight, upward and downward motion to avoid any issues. We’ve tested the cartridge mechanism with hundreds and hundreds of games, for nearly two years now and there a no known issues."
I don't think it's possible that Analogue could have tested cartridge insertion in their aluminum enclosure beginning two years ago (July 2013.) They only posted a image of the case (that may not have been real) in March 2014. The circuit board would not be shown until December of 2014.
Saying there are "no known issues" with game scratching when retrogamingnr (possibly the second guy to ever get and test one) finds a problem after inserting 2 different games. All I can say is he must really be carelessly inserting and removing those games!
Fun Fact:
In Analogue's own circuit board promo pics, the CPU and PPU are in the wrong sockets. I'm probably the only person on earth that would have caught that error, LOL.
Inserting Cartridges into the Analogue Nt
"One of the most unique aspects of the Analogue Nt when compared to other video game systems, is of course that it is made from aluminum. The Analogue Nt is a high end product and it may require some reasonable extra attention when inserting cartridges. Carelessly inserting / removing cartridges into the slot or dramatically rocking them back and forth, may scuff your cartridges. Cartridges should be inserted and removed in a straight, upward and downward motion to avoid any issues. We’ve tested the cartridge mechanism with hundreds and hundreds of games, for nearly two years now and there a no known issues."
I don't think it's possible that Analogue could have tested cartridge insertion in their aluminum enclosure beginning two years ago (July 2013.) They only posted a image of the case (that may not have been real) in March 2014. The circuit board would not be shown until December of 2014.
Saying there are "no known issues" with game scratching when retrogamingnr (possibly the second guy to ever get and test one) finds a problem after inserting 2 different games. All I can say is he must really be carelessly inserting and removing those games!
Fun Fact:
In Analogue's own circuit board promo pics, the CPU and PPU are in the wrong sockets. I'm probably the only person on earth that would have caught that error, LOL.
tyronerodriguez
Member
At the end of summer in 2013 I read about a company involved in remaking old consoles, Analogue Interactive. It was re-manufacturing "new" Neo Geo CMVS consoles in real wood. After some consideration I went ahead and ordered the console along with two controllers, a dust cover and a component cable.
The unit was not cheap, coming in at $1,105.00 USD plus another $100+ for shipping and tax. After going through the order system online, I had an order number (#1395) and about three months later it arrives at my home.
Fast forward to April of 2014. I hear that the same company is making an NES clone, the Analogue nt. With two small children in the house, I want them to play classic games before they move onto newer, more modern games. However, modern tvs don't make it very easy to properly display the games. The idea of this new NES clone is pretty good for me. (also, I know about the RGB mini etc)
I email Christopher Taber, the owner of Analogue Interactive, and he replies fairly quickly. We exchange some emails at the end of April and continue to do so into the first week of May. And on Monday, May 5, 2014 at 12:46 PM, I place an order (#1539) for two units. Like my previous order with Analogue Interactive, the order is NOT cheap, coming in at just under $1,200 for two Analogue nt units. By the way, my credit card is charged immediately vs at ship, but given that it's supposed to ship in a few months--before the end of summer, I'm fine with this.
Summer comes to an end and there is no Analogue nt. Instead the company quietly delays the units until Christmas. Again, this is still okay for me as December is only a few months from the end of summer.
Analogue Interactive is not able to ship the product for Christmas so it's delayed again until February. This is a bit frustrating as I don't feel the company is being as upfront as it should be about its delays--especially when anyone who has ordered an Analogue nt has already paid them $500.
In February Analogue again delays its console to April. The reason has to do with customs or some kind of importation delay. At this point I tweet at Analogue and ask if a refund is an option. However, I never hear back and that's the end of it. I assume that the lack of communication is just an ongoing issue with such a tiny company; there's probably a lot going on for a few of guys to handle. I sort of give up and just assume it'll eventually arrive.
One more delay later, from April until late June and the Analogue nt is finally shipping. I see a few media outlets do "un-boxings" and videos on the unit. I assume that my units should be on their way soon so I ask the person who manages one of our email boxes to get in contact with Analogue Interactive and ask the status of the order.
"Can you please tell me what is the status of this order?"
Christopher Taber replies,
"Hi Tyrone, This order was canceled on Feb 2nd per your request. - Analogue"
At this point you might be in as much shock as I was. The order was
cancelled? Again, the order was CANCELLED. Keep in mind that I NEVER once received an email, or more importantly sent an official email canceling the order. I also never received a refund from Analogue nt from February 2nd until this posting of July 19th. So five months went by, Chris cancelled my order over a tweet and kept my money?
I replied,
"As a previous customer, I'm pretty surprised that you'd cancel an order without any formal email communication. I've never heard of Amazon, Target or even a smaller company such as yourself doing this.
If this order was indeed cancelled, I should have received a refund, which I never did.
Let me know when I should expect my purchased items.
Thank you,
ty"
His customer service response went as follows,
"We have on record 'customer cancellation due to delays' - did you receive the cancellation email? It has been resent just now."
Chris has continued to reply with his dismissive emails, his last reply,
"Ty - you canceled your order via Twitter, we do not hold peoples money when they do not want us to: we accept order cancellations at any time. An order cancelation email was sent to you on 2/2/15 - and I've sent it to you a couple other times now. I've sent it over one more time to make sure you have received it. The order cancellation email was sent to the email you originally placed the order with: [EMAIL address here]
Actually, Chris has held my money UNTIL I contacted him this month and made no effort to return it (and has yet to do so). At this point, I've waited long enough, what I want are the products I ordered. However, until now I have received nothing from Analogue nt.
If you've purchased from Chris in the past or plan to do so in the future, I hope you have better luck than I have.
Buyer Beware?
The unit was not cheap, coming in at $1,105.00 USD plus another $100+ for shipping and tax. After going through the order system online, I had an order number (#1395) and about three months later it arrives at my home.
Fast forward to April of 2014. I hear that the same company is making an NES clone, the Analogue nt. With two small children in the house, I want them to play classic games before they move onto newer, more modern games. However, modern tvs don't make it very easy to properly display the games. The idea of this new NES clone is pretty good for me. (also, I know about the RGB mini etc)
I email Christopher Taber, the owner of Analogue Interactive, and he replies fairly quickly. We exchange some emails at the end of April and continue to do so into the first week of May. And on Monday, May 5, 2014 at 12:46 PM, I place an order (#1539) for two units. Like my previous order with Analogue Interactive, the order is NOT cheap, coming in at just under $1,200 for two Analogue nt units. By the way, my credit card is charged immediately vs at ship, but given that it's supposed to ship in a few months--before the end of summer, I'm fine with this.
Summer comes to an end and there is no Analogue nt. Instead the company quietly delays the units until Christmas. Again, this is still okay for me as December is only a few months from the end of summer.
Analogue Interactive is not able to ship the product for Christmas so it's delayed again until February. This is a bit frustrating as I don't feel the company is being as upfront as it should be about its delays--especially when anyone who has ordered an Analogue nt has already paid them $500.
In February Analogue again delays its console to April. The reason has to do with customs or some kind of importation delay. At this point I tweet at Analogue and ask if a refund is an option. However, I never hear back and that's the end of it. I assume that the lack of communication is just an ongoing issue with such a tiny company; there's probably a lot going on for a few of guys to handle. I sort of give up and just assume it'll eventually arrive.
One more delay later, from April until late June and the Analogue nt is finally shipping. I see a few media outlets do "un-boxings" and videos on the unit. I assume that my units should be on their way soon so I ask the person who manages one of our email boxes to get in contact with Analogue Interactive and ask the status of the order.
"Can you please tell me what is the status of this order?"
Christopher Taber replies,
"Hi Tyrone, This order was canceled on Feb 2nd per your request. - Analogue"
At this point you might be in as much shock as I was. The order was
cancelled? Again, the order was CANCELLED. Keep in mind that I NEVER once received an email, or more importantly sent an official email canceling the order. I also never received a refund from Analogue nt from February 2nd until this posting of July 19th. So five months went by, Chris cancelled my order over a tweet and kept my money?
I replied,
"As a previous customer, I'm pretty surprised that you'd cancel an order without any formal email communication. I've never heard of Amazon, Target or even a smaller company such as yourself doing this.
If this order was indeed cancelled, I should have received a refund, which I never did.
Let me know when I should expect my purchased items.
Thank you,
ty"
His customer service response went as follows,
"We have on record 'customer cancellation due to delays' - did you receive the cancellation email? It has been resent just now."
Chris has continued to reply with his dismissive emails, his last reply,
"Ty - you canceled your order via Twitter, we do not hold peoples money when they do not want us to: we accept order cancellations at any time. An order cancelation email was sent to you on 2/2/15 - and I've sent it to you a couple other times now. I've sent it over one more time to make sure you have received it. The order cancellation email was sent to the email you originally placed the order with: [EMAIL address here]
Actually, Chris has held my money UNTIL I contacted him this month and made no effort to return it (and has yet to do so). At this point, I've waited long enough, what I want are the products I ordered. However, until now I have received nothing from Analogue nt.
If you've purchased from Chris in the past or plan to do so in the future, I hope you have better luck than I have.
Buyer Beware?
NoFaceNico
Member
Holy shit. That's pretty rough and even more so given that you're a returning customer and that the order was so expensive it made me wince just reading it. You sure they didn't send an email? Not in your spam folder? No returned funds? I know if I got $1000+ back in my account I'd easily notice it, but then again, I don't make the money to buy two Analogue NTs.
Damn. That's just bad business on more than one level. When a company has faith in their product, you would hope they would try to encourage customers to keep your order instead of just finding any out to cancel it (and cancel via Twitter message? Really??). Plus, as someone else mentioned, they answer inquiries about the delays with a form response that reminds customers that they can refund your money. That's just a nice way of saying- put up with us, or else...
Damn. That's just bad business on more than one level. When a company has faith in their product, you would hope they would try to encourage customers to keep your order instead of just finding any out to cancel it (and cancel via Twitter message? Really??). Plus, as someone else mentioned, they answer inquiries about the delays with a form response that reminds customers that they can refund your money. That's just a nice way of saying- put up with us, or else...
This is heartbreaking man
BocoDragon
or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Realize This Assgrab is Delicious
It would have been an uphill battle to market this product even if the PR were merely competent. Look how resistant a lot of us hardware purists are towards this project (myself certainly included)
That they have had rather opaque and unsatisfactory messaging makes it a debacle...
That they have had rather opaque and unsatisfactory messaging makes it a debacle...
So when Kevtris's HDMI board is release it will more or less make this Nt Analogue device pointless no???. I mean the thing looks like sin and only thing it has going for it is dual carts and a built in multi-tap, great I suppose if you really REALLY like playing Gauntlet 2 and Super Off Road.
Who is actually buying these things at $600??, I had about 5 front loader nes systems that I bought cleaned up and installed the NESEGB kits in and was selling them for approx £200.....surely that is a cheaper and more appealing option to people who proclaim to want 'real hardware' solution rather than this Analogue over priced sandwich maker??
Or am I missing something?
Who is actually buying these things at $600??, I had about 5 front loader nes systems that I bought cleaned up and installed the NESEGB kits in and was selling them for approx £200.....surely that is a cheaper and more appealing option to people who proclaim to want 'real hardware' solution rather than this Analogue over priced sandwich maker??
Or am I missing something?
Chittagong
Gold Member
You are right, once Kevtris HDMI kit is out it's more or less exactly the same thing, the ultimate way to play NES.
The only differences in addition to the FourScore are the slick shell and having both NES and Famicom cartridge slots, so you don't need an unsightly adapter. Whether that's worth the cost depends on your preferences.