[EXPIRED] Neo Fami (NES) @ eStarland - $18 until 7/11

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the "Deal of the Weekend" at eStarland (http://www.estarland.com/) is the top loading Neo Fami system. i guess it plays US NES games and accepts NES gamepads (it comes with two of its own style pads). the systems come in three different colors and cost $17.95 ($18.95 for the silver/black version). 2-7 day shipping is 8 bucks. deal ends 7/11 at 6 p.m. EST.

there's this thread:
http://www.cheapassgamer.com/forums/showthread.php?t=34421&highlight=estarland
that talks about a different version, but some might find it useful.

i want to get one, but can't decide on the color. :wall:

EDIT: there is also 3-12 day Economy Delivery for $6...which i completely missed when i ordered. :dunce:
 
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also got mine today (well, 7/18). only tried Punch-Out so far, but it works. the controllers aren't too bad and have a decent feel to them. the system itself is incredibly small and light though - weighs maybe a few ounces? feels like a hollow plastic shell and not very durable, which is understanble i guess since there's not much to it. it's probably as big as it is only so the thing doesn't tip over when you have a game in it....speaking of which, for me there wasn't a satisfying "click" when i put the game in, and i wasn't sure if i had it in all the way.

in all, not a bad piece of kit for 20 bucks. i've still got to try out more games and the original NES controllers/light gun though, and i'll report back (if i remember ;-)). i'll also still probably get one of those Messiah Generation NEX systems after they come out...and when there's a deal of course. :D
 
My carts are hard to get in and remove. Could this be because the bottom left pin on the inside is bent out? I think that pin could be the problem, some games have been putting up a real fight to get in or out. Some of my games are also acting strange, like Rad Racer 2 where pars of the sky is on the bottom of the track and Lifeforce where parts flicker and random numbers/letters show up.
 
Got mine, didnt get my NES carts yet though so its gonna be a day or 2 before I can test them.

Im gonna be mad if it doesnt play right, I got all the classics on the way (Mario 1,3 Zelda and Mike Tyson's Punchout) and looking forward to playing them.
 
Now 2 more pins are bent... I played A Boy and His Blob and when I went to take it out it was practically stuck. So I eventually got it out and 2 more pins were bent. Is anyone else having a similar problem?
 
Ok, so far ive tried Zelda and Punch out. Zelda had a little weird coloring on the screen on my big TV but when I moved it onto the smaller TV in the bedroom they both look fine.

The carts come in and out easy and you can tell when they are locked in place pretty easily.

Only issue is there is a color trail on zelda in certain screens. You will have to move a couple more screens before the color stamps dissapears.

All in all though for the cheap price im happy.
 
Is there an eject button or something? The carts are very hard to take out of mine, I have to pick the console up and with one hand pull the cart and the other. I have to pull the game with a great amount of force, and even then it is hard to take the cart out.
 
Well I've been using mine for a week or so... the carts are indeed hard as hell to get in and out of the console. It seems to be getting easier as time goes on, so maybe it just has to wear in.

The only game I've found that doesnt work is Castlevania 3. (havent tested that many games... 10 or 15 common games) The title screen comes on and you hear sound, but it crashes when you try to start a game.
 
I think mine is broken, it refuses to play any game I put in it, it would only play a few games two days ago, but now it doesn't play any. How is estarland with returning stuff?
 
here are the games that i've tried so far with the Neo Fami (mind you, i pretty much just plopped them in and played for only a few minutes):
> Super Contra
> Super Mario
> Duck Hunt
> Centipede (or Millipede, i can't remember what the fuck it's called right now)
> Punch-Out
> Tecmo Bowl
> Ninja Gaiden

i did have an issue getting the Tecmo games (Ninja Gaiden and Tecmo Bowl) to work at first, and thought it might be an issue with all of their games. however, i gave them a cleanin' (i think those kits just use rubbing alcohol?:?) and they worked fine.

i also gave the original NES controllers and the light gun a whirl, and no issues there. it's not an exacting fit, but as people pointed out, some of the game cartridges are also a tight squeeze.

i'll probably sell my original NES now, but haven't decided yet for sure....
 
Well I didnt expect a top notch system replica when I got this, not to mention I KNEW there was no way Nintendo licensed these. The price was right and I needed something to play some NES carts, it seems to be doing the job ok so far.

I would definately like to get a real NES though soon and compare the video quality side by side.
 
i have not had any trouble with mine, it isn't bad for the price. I actually got my old nintendo working, so I have an extra one for sale (bought one for a friend) I'll sell it a little cheaper than it was for this deal, completely brand new (i didn't open one of them) $26 shipped if anyone wants it. it is the silver/black one.

PM me or email [email protected] if interested
 
The fact of the matter is that these systems are plagued by EXTREMELY Low Quality components, QUIRKY Game Compatibility, and tend to "Die" all of the sudden
Click to expand...
Heh, he could have been talking about the original NES - if those things weren't manufactured so poorly, no one would care about clones. I have an NES - like most of them it barely works any more, yet working 2600s and Master Systems are the norm.

Anyway, I got my Neo-Fami today and put it through the paces - with a bunch of known good games it worked well:

Super Mario Bros 3
Life Force
Batman
Dragon Warrior 2
Alien Syndrome (Tengen - unlicensed I believe)
Bee 52 - this never worked on my NES
Mega Man 2
Rad Racer

Oddly, it didn't work with Final Fantasy. I might have just not pushed it in all the way or something, but I really didn't want to lose the game saved on it, so I didn't try it more than once.

Just for fun, I also checked it with a couple of unopened used games I bought from EB recently. I think the fact that so many games didn't work is a reflection of EB, not the Yobo unit:
Worked: Dragon Warrior 4, Dragon Warrior 3, Dragon Spirit
Didn't work: Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Pinbot, Batman: Revenge of the Joker, Wizards and Warriors 3, Castlevania III.
The non-working games probably just need to be cleaned, but so much for the "guarenteed to work" claim.

In the end, quicky analysis of the Neo:
Pluses:
+ Good compatability with games
+ Compatible with original NES controllers (at least the pads, haven't checked anything else)
+ AV out
+ Tiny - maybe 5x5 inches, and about 1.5 in tall
+ Blue LEDs! (there are LEDs behind the power and reset buttons that light up when the power is on)

Minuses:
- Sound is a little off. The Music in Mega Man 2 and SMB 3 was slightly off in a way I can't describe. It's probably off in the other games too, but those (along with FF and Zelda) are the ones whose tunes are permanently burned in my brain.
- Feels cheap. The system and controllers are made of cheap plastic and lack any sort of heft to them
- Reset button didn't work at all for me. This might have ramifications for RPGs and other games with save features, which usually want you to hold down Reset when you turn the power off.

Meh:
o The cartridge slot has a freaking death-grip on the game - it can be a pain to get it out, especially since it seems like if you pull too hard, the system could break. On the plus side, the 72 pin contacts should last a while.
o Looks kind of silly, with these huge Nintendo carts sticking out of this tiny system.

Overall, its probably worth what I paid for it. This was not a bad deal, and you can probably find them on ebay for about the same price. If you've never owned an NES, you'll probably find them to be more reliable than an NES you'd get off of eBay.
 
can someone who has the neo fami do me a favor and look at the power supply, how many volts is it? i had it in a box with a bunch of other junk and don't know which power supply goes with it. please PM me if you know.
 
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