The Nintendo Classic Mini has landed in Amsterdam!
I received my text from Game Mania confirming it was ready for collection and headed out, expecting bedlam at the shop. Besides someone buying a PS4 and someone else buying some games, the shop was empty. I waited my turn, hearing one of the staff on the phone to a customer, telling them they would order them one, but that they may never receive it! Apparently I was one of only 17 in that shop to receive theirs today. The joy of an early pre-order.
So, the packaging... I was expecting (because I hadn't really thought of it) to receive a box similar in size to that which any modern console comes in. No... it was more like the size of a 3DS XL box. Designed after the NES box of old, and proudly declaring its use of HDMI, the back of the box shows 12 screenshots and a list of the remaining 18 games built into the system.
Yes, 30 built in games. As far as value goes, this is something special for Nintendo. Most NES titles available on their Wii, Wii U or 3DS Virtual Console service cost around €5, and we all know they sell for many times that in physical format - and that's assuming you have a working NES to play them on. €59,99 for 30 great games (and boy is the selection good) is a great price, especially given what we're going to discuss in this article. The selection is also very strong indeed with some of Nintendo's most famous and enduring series catered to. The inclusion of both Zelda games, and all three Super Mario Bros is welcome.
The unit itself is, as you've probably guessed, designed around Nintendo's first console in the West. It is almost exactly as wide as the NES controller and weighs considerably less than my 3DS XL. Like its grandaddy, it keeps input and output options simple. On the back a micro USB port to supply power, and a HDMI port for connection to your TV. On the front two Wii ports to connect either the enclosed NES controller, or a Wii classic controller. A power and a rest button complete the machine.
The box contains the mini NES unit, a replica NES controller with Wii Classic Controller connection, and USB and HDMI cables (no USB power supply). The power requirement is 5 volt, 1 amp power supply - so your iPhone USB adapter will work just fine, as will most smart phone or tablet power supplies - but not a laptop or PC USB port, which will only supply 500mA. The controller is a perfect replica (or reissue?) of the original controllers. They look the same, feel the same in your hand, and in use they feel much the same. If you want to play two player games, you can purchase a second controller for a very cheap €9,99, or use any Wii Classic Controllers you have lying around. The NES mini controller will also work for NES Virtual Console games on Wii and Wii U. I have not been able to test a Wii to something-else adapter to see if other console's controllers work, but I can only assume they would not.
Setup is simple - plug and play. Connect to your TV and a power supply, plug in a controller, and press the dinky little power button. A familiar red LED lights up, and a language selection screen appears in 720p. Language choice has no bearing on the games themselves, only on the system's menu. You will notice that the cables provided with the system are very short. This is fine for me - my gaming TV sits on a stand next to my desk, and I have simply used a longer HDMI cable than the one Nintendo provided so that the unit is on my desk next to me. This is basically a requirement - you will want access to the reset button to access the menu and change games. If you want the authentic experience - getting out of your seat to change games, you could place the NES mini under your TV and use Wii controller extension cables, or Classic Controllers with longer cables.
The menu is clear enough, with the games' box art presented on a horizontal plane. Move left and right to select the game you want to pay and hit A or start. Pressing Select will change the sorting of the titles between various standard options - defaulting to alphabetical. Press up on the menu to access some rudimentary options (no option for 1080p though). You can select the display mode between the default 4:3, Pixel Perfect which allegedly presents the image the developers intended, but looks weird to anyone who's been enjoying the games as they were enjoyed back in the day, and finally a CRT Filter which quite effectively recreates the fuzzy look of a CRT television. I tend towards the 4:3 option with its crisp look. You can also turn on or off a demo mode that will play as a screensaver over the menu, Auto-shutdown (after an hour it will turn off and save your position) and Screen Burn-In Reduction which, like the Wii, dims the screen if you don't press any buttons for a while. Finally you can read relevant legal notices, or see a link (and QR code) to take you to the game manuals online. It's a shame they couldn't include the manuals on the ROM chip, given that the game list is fixed.
Emulation is solid. Nintendo haven't tried to do anything too fancy with it, and there is slow-down and flickery sprites just as there were with the original hardware. The visuals are beautiful, just as you'd expect from a PC-based emulator, and Nintendo have thankfully fixed the strange issue where Virtual Console games on Wii and Wii U look too dark. If only they would also update those systems for those who still want to play retro on them. Sound is good too, though it is in mono as NES didn't support stereo output and the games weren't made for it, but you won't even notice as you enjoy the delights of the 8-bit music library.
The nature of emulation enables save states. Hit reset on the console, and you return to the menu. Hit down and you can save state in one of four slots, allowing you to return to the exact moment you left the game. The method is a little clunky, and it's easy to lose all progress when you accidentally hit A or Start over the game instead of pressing down to access the save menu.
All in all this is a fantastic machine, built with typical Nintendo quality. The controllers are a fantastic recreation of the originals, and to play the games within feels just like using a real NES, without the problem of hideous graphics using an RF lead into a modern, HD TV. The only downside I can think of, and it's not really valid, is the limit of 30 games. This is around the same that Sega tend to put on their various plug n play systems, and more than many others have. If it had a cartridge slot to accept NES cartridges would be a tremendous thing, but we can all dream.
Now, if only someone would take the license from Blaze/@t Games and make a Sega machine to the same standard.
Further reading (open in a new window):
NES Classic Mini Game Manuals
No comments:
Post a Comment