Misplaced Pages

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by 24.31.28.216 (talk) at 09:46, 6 August 2004. The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Famiclone refers to any non-licensed or "Pirate" piece of electronic hardware designed to play Nintendo Famicon (or, as it is called in America, the Nintendo Entertainment System/NES) games. Famiclones have been around in dozens of forms for almost as long as the real console upon which they're based; most originate from Asian countries other than Japan, especially China.

Note: due to their unlicensed status, all Famiclones are illegal most everywhere (including the USA and UK), and all information provided herein is strictly for informational use only.

Because Famiclones are not officially licensed, they vary extremely in areas such as build/hardware quality, available games and overall performance. Most Famiclones are made extremely cheaply and show it, while a few are comperable to first-party hardware in their manufacture. In terms of appearance and basic build, there are three general types of Famiclones:

1. Console type: This type of Famiclone is designed to look just like a real video game console. Most often this type resembles the original Famicon, but others can look like the NES, SNES, Sega Master System, or even the PSX/PSOne. Usually it is easy to tell a Famiclone from the real hardware by the presence of either alternate coloring or brand names which do not match the real console's. Console type Famiclones almost always utilize cartridges, and they are usually compatible with either real Famicon games or custom-made pirate carts (especially multi-carts, pirate game cartridges which hold a large number of games as opposed to just one) Console Famiclones are most popular in Asia and Europe, with few actively sold in America due to their obbviously pirated origin.

2. Controller type: This genre of Famiclone, popular in America, is designed to hold all the console's hardware in a look-alike of a regular game console controller, usually the N64's. Also known as "NES-on-a-chip"s due to their extremely miniaturized hardware (relative to the original NES), these controllers usually eschew or at least downplay a game cartridge in favor of storing emulated games directly in internal memory chips. These Famiclones can often run off battery as well as AC power, making them popular for portable usage. These clones have become especially popular in the USA thanks to the new "TV-Games" fad of selling legitimately emulated classic arcade games in a traditional-looking controller. Controller clones can usually be found in places like flea markets, mall kiosks or independent toy stores, and most people who sell and buy them in the US are unaware that they are in fact illegal.

3. Computer type: These Famiclones are designed to resemble either 80's-style computers or the Famicon BASIC kit. Usually, these clones consist of the same hardware as the Console type, but put inside a keyboard instead of a console look-a-like. Besides the added keys (which are not always functional) and different shape, however, this type is more or less identical to the console type.

Besides these characteristics, there are many hallmarks of the Famiclone: cheap build, extremely garbled English speech on the packaging (if bought in an English-speaking country), and, of course, games which are extremely unlikely to have been used legally (such as Mario Bros., Donkey Kong, etc). Basically, if it looks like a NES, plays like an NES, but isn't an NES, it's a Famiclone.

Famiclone prices vary wildly, not only because there are so many, but because their pirated nature makes it all but impossible to impose an MSRP. The same Famiclone can be bought in one place for $70 or more, and in another $20 or less. Price mostly depends on A) who the reseller's source is and what they charge, and B) How much profit the store wishes to make. Price varies mostly depending on clone type (Console, Controller, Computer), size, number of games included (usually wildly misrepresented, with some clones claiming millions of games as opposed to the usual several dozen), and whether second controllers or light gun peripherals are included. Things like build quality vary wildly as well, with price rarely reflecting how solid a particular clone is. Also, many clones are designed to resemble each other, creating a "clone-of-a-clone" market of Famiclones attempting to undercut each other.