Channel 3 Reviews

Very cool. As far as real hardware I do not own a Famicom, I DO have one of those adapters you can use plug plug a Famicom cart into a NES or compatible system, that said I only have a  single Famicom cart at that itself is a cheapo knockoff multicart with mostly bad titles 😆I guess another option is using my original Nintendo or my Retrobit RetroTrio clone (it plays NES / SNES / GENEIS carts) and I could use my EverDrive N8 Flashcart and load Famicom roms off it. I will likely never own an original Famicom since my collecting is highly curbed these days but I always like the looks of them compared to the North American NES and the carts, don't even get me started, from label art to the compact size I was amazed by Famicom carts and was always disappointed we didn't get that design. Nice and interesting write up, thanks for sharing. 

I own an AV Famicom, which is the Japanese equivalent to the 2nd generation NES that was released in the United States with the "dog bone" NES control pad, the exception being that the Japanese AV Famicom lacked the "hump" the US version had to support the substantially larger cartridges, and the AV Famicom had terrific AV output for a nice picture. @MaximumRD may recall a video I used to have giving an overview of this system on my old YouTube channel.

I never understood the aesthetic appeal of the original Famicom. The games are absolute classics, and the Disk System is really neat, but I've never liked the styling of the original Famicom. The red and white are very, very ugly to me, beyond unattractive. It looks like a cheap toy, and the white plastic looks cheap, gets dirty and turns yellow. I can see why Atari engineers were going to rebody the Famicom, likely in the Atari 2600 Jr. shell. I've preferred owning the original North American NES, and the 2nd generation AV Famicom from Japan.

10 hours ago, Justin said:

The red and white are very, very ugly to me, beyond unattractive. It looks like a cheap toy, and the white plastic looks cheap, gets dirty and turns yellow.

Normally, I would have to agree with you.  That was my thoughts when I first seen one.  I didn't understand the, I guess logic or theory, behind its design. But the more I looked at it the more it grew on me.  The more I've used it the more I've come to like it.  I like the NES but the games I enjoy playing most I can't find cheap.  The Famicom gave me a cheap alternative option.  I like the AV Famicom a whole lot more than the 2nd Gen NES.  I never liked that hump. I wanted the AV Fami but the price difference between it and the original Fami was $50.  I gave $20 for my Fami which I didn't think was all that bad.  But it was the games I was after that sealed the deal.