Peripheral Vision: Super 8 by Innovation for the SNES
Is it a Famiclone? Is it a peripheral? Well, it’s actually both!
These days, it seems, at least a few times a year we read news of an upcoming video game console packing the necessary hardware, or software, to run multiple systems from a single unit. With the likes of the Retron5, among many others, gamers can now spend more time and money on video games themselves, rather than putting money into individual consoles. Though it may be a more current trend, this isn’t the first time such an idea has been marketed. I introduce to you the Super 8 by Innovation.
Innovation is, perhaps, most well known for their third party video game accessories. With products such as controllers, AV cables and many others, Innovations broke into the video game market. Where does a video game accessory company go when they are tired of only making video game accessories? To the console market, of course! Not you Mad Catz. NO! Bad Mad Catz! Bad!
With the Super 8 peripheral you can run three different consoles from the safety of your Super Nintendo, or Super Famicom. (Yes this works on the SNES-101 as well!) The Super 8 allows you to play Famicom and NES games from your SNES, which is quite odd but works very well. The Famicom and NES portions are handled by a system on a chip, but I haven’t found any incompatibility issued yet. Yes, it even plays Castlevania 3 without problems, and no I’m not kidding.
Are you someone who wants to play imported SNES/Super Famicom games without breaking the tabs in the cartridge slot? The Super 8 will facilitate that for you as well. I can’t fully test whether or not it will play PAL games for the Super Nintendo or PAL NES games, but I do know it plays Japanese NTSC games without a problem, at least the ones I have tested. I’m not completely sure, but I run on the assumption that Super Nintendo/Super Famicom games are run as pass-thru and working on the actual SNES hardware. Bone stock Super 8 units will have a rectifiable compatibility issue that I will explain later.
Simply place the Super 8 into your Super Nintendo like any other video game. Then you take the video pigtail, which looks like the normal Nintendo AV cables, and plug that into the back of your Super Nintendo console, and plug the actual AV cables into the output of the Super 8 peripheral. Be careful as the output on the Super 8 won’t fit perfectly snug, but as long as you make a good connection and don’t jostle the console or the peripheral you should be fine.
Now it’s up to you to decide which one of the systems you want to utilize. I would heavily advise against filling both the NES and Famicom slots at the same time, but putting a Super Nintendo cartridge in with either Famicom or NES catridges won’t have any affect on the Super 8. Once you’ve booted up your Super Nintendo you should be greeted by a screen showing two controllers, a Famicom for 8-bit and a Super Famicom controller for 16-bit. The on-screen instructions will guide you through the process. That’s pretty much it. Now you should be playing one of the three systems the Super 8 allows.
Now here are a few things you may need to know about the Super 8, whether you already own one or are thinking about purchasing one. The Super 8 was designed to sit atop the Super Famicom design, not the squared off Super Nintendo or even the redesigned Super Famicom/SNES-101. You may find yourself having to shim the Super 8 to keep it straight on the console.
If for any reason you are going to open your Super 8 it is highly advised not to do so in direct sunlight or under UV light as there is an exposed chip on top of the board. I carefully opened mine and covered that chip, so hopefully that’s taken care of that. Which leads us to why you may need to open your Super 8.
One thing you may notice is just how temperamental your Super 8 is. Sometimes it may work, other times it may not work at all. Mine slowly degraded into not working at all. Being familiar with Famiclones I just assumed it was rendered nothing more than a unique conversation piece. After a year or so of it not working I opened the unit and noticed some of the chips are in sockets. Ever so carefully I pressed down on each chip to see if it was well seated, which all of them seemed as if they were. However, when I checked the unit after doing so it fired right up without any glitches.
Finally the compatibility issue I spoke about earlier. The Super 8 will not natively play the Super Gameboy, and as an extension I assume it won’t play Super FX equipped games either. Someone at Innovation thought it would be a good idea to purposely cut one of the traces that is needed to play the Super Gameboy, but with a little soldering you can scrape yourself a few spots and bridge that gap. I’ve already done this on my Super 8 and can confirm it does restore the ability to use the Super Gameboy. I can not currently confirm whether it restores Super FX game compatibility though.
The Super 8 is a fun little piece to own that opens your video game library up to a few different consoles you may not have been able to play before, as well as consolidates power and AV cables. Playing Famicom and NES games with an SNES controller does feel a bit weird, but if you’re familiar with Super Mario All-Stars you should be fine. If you’re interested in owning a Super 8 they might be a bit hard to find, but if you find one in good working condition I believe it’s well worth owning.
Famiclone: MaxxPlay
Out of all the Famiclones that I own, I would have to say the MaxxPlay has the best build quality, by far. It may look like the run of the mill Famiclone packed into an N64 style controller, and it is, but there is a strange sense of quality behind it that pushes it further up the ladder than the others. I will be giving the MaxxPlay a good going over and explaining the pros and cons of this system, compared to the other plug n play Famiclones that I own.
As soon as I first played the MaxxPlay, I could immediately feel how different it was from the Super Joy and Power Joy systems I own. The plastic is substantially more rigid, the d-pad (and working joystick, might I add) is more accurate and the buttons have a really nice springy response. The intro screen is even a well illustrated set of instructions on how to use the system, in case for some reason you couldn’t figure it out otherwise.
The basic design is much the same as many plug n play Famiclones, N64 controller styling, adjusted to suit the needs of the system dwelling within, with a Famicom 60 pin connector attached to the bottom and using the memory card slot as the battery pack receptacle. The integrated light gun is present as well, with added LEDs on either side (for added dramatic effect?). Player 2 plugs into the handle of player one, as well as the system has hardwired AV cables, both of which are just like the Power Joy.
The main system functions well with 95 built-in games, but the 60 pin connector on the bottom is plagued by the same tight, uncomfortable placement as all other plug n play Famiclones. Although this time there isn’t enough space to make a good enough connection for most of my Famicom cartridges even work, oddly enough I’ve found by their poorly made nature pirate carts work slightly better. Even so, if you accidentally bump the cartridge you’re going to need to reset the system and try again.
The 95 built-in games are all decent enough to keep you busy for a while, comprised mostly of shameless hacks and blatant pirates. Strewn throughout are a good mix of action games and even a selection of games to test out the integrated light gun, which is as accurate as any other. Although I don’t know what every single games was originally, I’ve done my best to compile a list to the best of my knowledge:
Fun Click — Bejewled like Game — Real Name unknown
Box World — Box/Warehouse style puzzle game — Boxxle Clone?
UFO Race — Famicom F1 hack
Obstacle Race — Zippy Race pirate
Boat Race — Road Fighter Hack
Cowboy — Wild Gunman hack
Forest Guard — Hogan’s Alley hack
Space 2050 — Duck Hunt hack
UFO SHoot — Duck Hunt hack
Snowfield Shoot — Duck Hunt hack
Aether Tiger — 1942 hack
Archery — Pooyan hack
Zero Gravity — Balloon Fight
Super Elf — Circus Charlie Hack, although the main char looks familiar
Baseball — NES Baseball hack
Future Copter — Battle City Hack
Diamond — Arkanoid hack
Matching — Card matching game, unknown if original or hack
Tennis — NES Tennis Hack
Gold Digger — Main Character resymbols Kirby, otherwise unknown.
Mars Man — Binary Land hack.
Mars —
Bomb — DOS Minesweeper
Tunny —
Spar — Urban Champion hack
Strange Pop Pop — Bubble Tetris
Soccer — NES Soccer hack
Clonk — Adventure Island hack
Egg it — Pacman Hack
High Jump — Gold Medal Challenge ’92
Long Jump — Gold Medal Challenge ’92
Triple Jump — Gold Medal Challenge ’92
Shot Put — Gold Medal Challenge ’92
Discus Put — Gold Medal Challenge ’92
Javelin Throw — Gold Medal Challenge ’92
Shooting — Gold Medal Challenge ’92
Target Practice — Gold Medal Challenge ’92
100 Meter Dash — Gold Medal Challenge ’92
100 Meter Hurdles — Gold Medal Challenge ’92
Witch Run — Aladdin 3
Ballistic Mayhem — Mach Rider
Planetary Pool — Lunar Pool hack
Helicopter Harry — Raid on Bungeling Bay hack
Fly By —
Snack Attack —
Bomb Drop — Chack n Pop hack
Cloud Fire — Twinbee hack.
Dragon — Dragon
Top Shot — Galaga Hack
Warrior Chase — Ninja Jajamaru Kun hack
Defiance —
Thinker — Othello Hack
Down Deep — Dig Dug hack
Climbing Club — Ice Climber Hack
Ultimate Choice —
Bird Brain — Bird Week hack
Burger Build — Burger Time hack
Propeller —
Need for Speed — Spy Hunter hack
Zig Zag — Road Fighter hack
Bumpity Bop — Bump n Jump hack
In and Out Racer — Zippy Racing hack
Monster Dash — Brush Roller hack
Street Frenzy — City Connection hack
Neighborhood Smash — Karate hack
Extreme Racer — Excitebike hack
Hovercraft —
Enemy Assault —
Flip Out — Pinball hack
Championship Golf — NES Golf hack
Right Move — Othello style
Fish Fight — Clu Clu Land hack
What’s Up — Donkey Kong hack
Rescue — Donkey Kong hack
Frogland — Donkey Kong hack
Jump and Journey — Mario Bros. hack
Saucer Wars —
Make well — Dr. Mario hack
Depths of Space —
Convert Soldier — Formation Z hack
Seascape — Sqoon hack
Swirl — Millipede hack
Break Out — Mappyland hack
Soaring Warrior — Joust hack
Warrior Tales — Kung Fu hack
Championship wrestling — MUSCLE hack
Let Loose — Popeye hack
Jungle Trial — Spelunker hack
Arctic Hunt — Spelunker hack
Warship — Galaxian hack
Village Protector — Space Invaders hack
Abacus — Tetris style game
Underworld — Devil world hack
Championship Football — 10 Yard Fight hack
World Championship Badminton — Badminton hack
Even though the system feels good and performs solidly, with the aforementioned cartridge issue there is only one more shortcoming that drags the system down slightly. On both the Power Joy and Super Joy systems there is an option to use an AC adapter to power the system, when batteries fail and boy do batteries fail when they run low. The MaxxPlay, through its seemingly well planned design, does not afford the option to be powered by an AC adapter, strictly running on batteries.
Player 2’s controller is essentially the same as the main system, obviously lacking the brain and any other functions that the main system would need. The battery pack area is instead a very cleverly designed stand, for some reason. Also lacking is any sign of a connector, although Player 2 does get their own integrated gun as well.
Overall, with the 2 minor gripes that I have about the MaxxPlay, I wouldn’t suggest anyone avoiding this system. Although by definition the MaxxPlay is a Famiclone, I personally wouldn’t credit it as such since its pretty hard to get Famicom cartridges to work, more a portable system with built-in games. If you’re on the road, and have access to a TV to plug one into, I would say the MaxxPlay is a rugged enough system to play and enjoy to pass the time.
Famiclone: Dreamstation
When I came across this Famiclone for $5 in a flea market, it was as if a dream had come true. And as hard as I may be searching to make a nightmare joke here, I simply can’t bridge that gap. Sure the Dreamstation is a Famiclone, with all the cheap, half-assed Chinese goodness you would expect, but the system has only a few minor flaws.
My only real complaint is that the cables for the controllers are way too short, other than that this system is pretty great, considering it is a Chinese Famiclone. Another thing, although it isn’t really an issue other than cosmetic, is the melting styrofoam which seems to be an issue with most Chinese Famiclones that I’ve seen. Both the styrofoam from the box and the plastic in the system seem to be fusing together for some unknown reason.
Even with the cables being considerably too short, the controllers are surprisingly and extremely comfortable. They also arranged the A and B buttons more like the NES controller than most other Famiclone controller I’ve used, and included A and B shoulder buttons. The light gun included with the set feels very comfortable in my hands and is also surprisingly very accurate, but looks too real to be swung around wildly in public.
To compare the Dreamstation to my 57000 Video Game System, functionality wise I have to hand it to the Dreamstation hands down. The cartridge slot has a nice, broken in feeling where the carts pop in and come out without issue, as where the 57000 seems as if it just doesn’t want to let go of the game. Both pirated games and my Famicom games fit perfectly, with the real Famicom games fitting like a glove, I assume due to their significantly more rigid cartridge plastic.
It seems as if they used a Sega Genesis 2 for the base of the Dreamstation and just rounded it off to fit their needs. The Dreamstation comes with the standard 9 pin controller inputs for 2 players, uses the standard 9v DC power supply and much like the 57000 Video Game system, has AV and RF outs on the back. But unlike the 57000 the Dreamstation’s RF out works, and for some reason broadcasts to channel 23.
The reason I even found the system was because of the pirate cartridge sitting on top of the box, which looked like a black N64 cart, I had bent over to pick it up and read the box it was sitting on. I checked inside and found another cartridge so I figured if nothing more than for the 2 pirate games the price was well worth it, the fact that everything works is just a plus. The black cartridge boasts 9,999,999 games and the yellow cartridge claims 20 in 1, which we can already tell are both lies! Here is a list of games within both cartridges:
1)Pokemon – Hack of Nuts & Milk.
2)Super Mario Bros. – Pretty much what is stated.
3)Soccer – Normal Soccer.
4)Duck Hunt – Normal Duck Hunt.
5)Galaxian – Normal Galaxian.
6)Road Fighter – Normal Road Fighter.
7)Long Live Mario – Starts on World 2-1
8)Fancy Mario – (aka Dream Mary) Incorrectly mirrored Super Mario Bros.
9)Clay Shooting – Normal Clay Shooting.
10)Moon Mario – Starts on World 3-1
11+) Repeats of above.
Yellow 20 in 1
1)Bomber Man(2002) – Looks great, plays like Bomber Man. No clue where this came from.
2)Twinbee – Normal Twinbee.
3)Road Fighter – Normal Road Fighter.
4)Baseball – Completely messed up, as always, pirated Nintendo Baseball.
5)Circus Charlie – Normal Circus Charlie.
6)Lode Runner – Normal Lode Runner.
7)Duck Hunt – Actually “Snowfield Shoot”, a hacked version of Duck Hunt.
8-20) Repeats of the above.
Overall the system feels plastic and cheap, but the cartridges go in and perform solidly. The controllers are extremely comfortable, surprisingly solid and the buttons are in a more familiar layout than most Famiclones. Although I paid $5 for the two pirate cartridges I saw, I ended up with a pretty solid Famiclone to add to my ever growing collection.
Attack of the Clones: New wave!
It is no secret, especially here on TVG, that I have a certain affinity for Famiclones. I currently own six handheld Famiclones which seem to be bountiful in thrift stores, yet I had never seen a console Famiclone and I’ve been eager to own one. Luckily I managed to find one hidden within a bin at the Goodwill Outlet store, although its a pretty nasty brownish/yellow it still works! They called it the Super 57000 Video Game.
There are many variations of console Famiclones, anywhere from nearly identical to a Famicom to the anything will do, just shove the clone workings inside and get it shipped. Mine is more of the latter as the outward appearance is that of an original Sony Playstation complete with a lid, eject button for the lid, power button and light as well as a reset button, which seems to be the only thing of real quality throughout the whole system. The console housing doesn’t close flush, nor does the lid, which covers the 60 pin connector. Even though it isn’t an optical lens it should still close properly to keep dust out of the game input slot.
After doing some research I found that the system came with built in games, which the source noted theirs no longer worked, that worried me slightly as I love the built in games in my Famiclones. Using the power supply from a Super Joy I powered the system on and was presented with a white screen of emptiness, so I tried to put in a game which yielded the same results. After popping the system open and pulling out the failed game board I tried again and this time the system roared to life with the bleep of the pirate multicart I had stuffed into the slot.
Like many, if not all, other Famiclones this one has the infamous 9 pin controller inputs. Luckily I happen to find the controllers to the system in another bin, but since they’re both missing the D-pads I’ve been using one of the player 2 controllers from my handheld systems. Unlike my handhelds this one has an RF output, which didn’t work so I rely heavily on the AV outs.. pretty much like my handhelds.
Although this thing is extremely cheap in terms of build quality, almost unabashedly, it does it’s job to a great extent. I wish the system’s built in games worked so I could give more information on them, even when I put the board in a handheld Famiclone it still didn’t work, so I’m pretty sure that part of the system is beyond repair. A feature that I found amusing was the use of two 60 pin connectors inside, one is for the built in board and the other is for the game cartridges. Having spare Famicom boards from the converters I’ve been building, I decided to use Hogan’s Alley as the built in game and it works perfectly.
I’m sure if I wanted to I could modify the system to work with NES controllers, fix the RF out and generally make the system more reliable than it is currently, but I’m not looking for anything more than a Famiclone console that is just that. Given the utter lack of components to go wrong, if something were to go wrong I could replace the part and get it back up and running with minimal trouble, such as the RF output which I do plan to fix. Again, this system is without a doubt just thrown together to get yet another Famiclone out on the market, but it is a working Famiclone and in the end that was all I was looking for.
The Super 57000 Video Game has once again fueled my interest in Famiclones, much like the Power Joy sparked my interest in them to begin with. I’m naturally looking to get my hands on a few more, including one that looks identical to the Famicom, but to at least own the first Famiclone console I’ve seen out in the wild is good enough for now. I can play my Famicom/pirate games in my NES, sure, but there is just a strange, simple joy of using a system that was designed to play these games specifically and nothing more, short of owning a real Famicom.
Attack of the Clones: Send in the Clones!
I will admit that I’m pretty fond of my Super Joy 3, but lately it has been giving me problems. I think the batteries are going dead, but with anything made in China, it may also just be dying for good. Recently I found a functional Power Joy that may take it’s place, so I figured what better to do than to give the Power Joy it’s own review!
New (Left) and the old one (Right).
The Power Joy also has the N64 controller resemblance, but takes it a few steps further from the Super Joy, for the integrated light gun. The first thing you’ll notice is the toy jet design on the front, as well as the toy gun like handle, with trigger, underneath. The toy jet design may have been added to throw off the N64 controller shape, but the handle and trigger are essential and feel quite comfortable when you’re playing one of the many shooting games packed into this unit. Also, the light gun’s accuracy is surprisingly good!
Black is the new one and blue is the old one.
At the bottom of the handle is the second controller port, as well as the hardwired AV cables, with optional power input. The cables are decent in length and don’t get in the way, despite their placement. Underneath the unit you’ll also find a 60 pin connector and the battery storage, which has an extremely weak feeling cover. The Power Joy does play Famicom cartridges, but the unit isn’t quite big enough to play them comfortably, so your fingers might be cramped until you find a comfortable playing position.
On top of the Power Joy are the controls, which are setup much like the Super Joy’s, but with a few exceptions. Here the D pad is still inaccurate, the reset button is much smaller but still too easy to hit in a hurry, the power switch is right above the reset button and start and select are the same. One feature the Super Joy lacks, but I enjoy on the Power Joy, is a fully functional joystick, which is more accurate (just slightly) than the D pad. A minor drawback is that the A and B buttons (including their turbo counterparts) are backwards, which takes a little time to adjust to.
My new Power Joy came with the cartridge, so I had a chance to see what it could offer. I honestly think the cartridge alone was worth the $3 I paid for the whole unit! The PJ-008 is packed with playable games, and it even works on the NES, with a Famicom to NES converter. Out of the 84 games on the cartridge, there are only a handful of failures. That isn’t to say they’re not functional, they’re just not games I enjoyed. It is noteworthy to say that most of the games packed on the PJ-008 are simply pirated, very few are hacks.
I like it, just not that label!
Overall, again, I am impressed with this cheap, Chinese toy. I enjoy sitting in front of my TV and having many choices right at my finger tips, which the Super Joy and Power Joy units provide in abundance. The controls are whacky, the games are mostly pirates or hacks of games we already know and love, but this system is a pretty cool little device. Thanks to my new Power Joy, I now know that my other Power Joy works as well, it just needed the battery cover to power up properly. I don’t expect them to live long, but for what they are, I will enjoy them as long as I can.
Here is the list of games that the Power Joy offers, as well as the PJ-008 cartridge. I know they released a few different versions, so I would imagine the games differ from cartridge to cartridge, so this is a list of what I’ve got on my system.
Games in the Power Joy
| Power Joy Title | Extra Info |
| Shoot Copter | Hacked Duck Hunt |
| Falling Bricks | Fairly decent Tengen Tetris Hack |
| Shoot Copters | Hacked Duck Hunt |
| Panzer Fly Car | Road Fighter Hack |
| Debar Bomb 1 | Hogan’s Alley Hack |
| Shooting | Hacked Hogan’s Alley – Can shoot |
| Debar Bomb 2 | Hogan’s Alley Hack |
| Future Tank | Battle City Hack |
| Space War | Exerion Hack |
| Shoot Glass | Hacked Duck Hunt – Clay Shooting |
Games in the Cartridge
| Power Joy Title | Extra Info |
| 80 Days | Puss ‘n Boots: Around the World in 80 Days |
| 1942 | 1942 |
| Arkanoid | Arkanoid |
| Aladdin III | Magic Carpet 1001 (Infamous Pirate) |
| Argus | Famicom Argus |
| Adisland | Famicom Adventure Island |
| ASCII | Famicom Penguin-Kun Wars |
| Arabian | Famicom Super Arabian |
| Badminton | Famicom Super Dynamix Badminton |
| Baltron | Famicom Baltron |
| B-Wings | Battle Wings/Famicom B-Wings |
| Bird Week | Famicom Bird Week |
| Boat Race | Seizure inducing F1 Race Hack |
| Boom Man | Bomber Man |
| Brush Roller | Hack of a Pirate called Bookyman |
| Clay Shoot | Hacked Duck Hunt |
| Chack and Pop | Famicom Chack’n Pop |
| Circus Chablie | Circus Charlie – Menu is spelled wrong |
| City Connection | City Connection |
| Challenger | Famicom Challenger |
| Dig Dug | Dig Dug |
| Dough Boy | Famicom Dough Boy |
| Druaga | Famicom Tower of Druaga |
| Devil World | Famicom Devil World |
| Ding Dong | Famicom Binary Land |
| Door Door | Famicom Door Door |
| Dynamite Bowl | Famicom Dynamite Bowl |
| Elevator Action | Elevator Action |
| Exerion | Famicom Exerion |
| Formation Z | Famicom Formation Z |
| Front Line | Famicom Front Line |
| Fire Dragon | Interesting clone of the Atari game Surround |
| Flappy | Famicom Flappy |
| Flipull | Famicom Flipull |
| Filed Combat | Field Combat – Menu is spelled wrong |
| Galaga | Galaga |
| Galg | Famicom Zunou Senkan Galg |
| Geimos | Famicom Geimos |
| Gyrodine | Famicom Gyrodine |
| Goonies | Famicom Goonies |
| Gotcha | LJN’s Gotcha! I like this one, since the Power Joy is also the light zapper! |
| Galaxians | Galaxian |
| Gradius | Gradius |
| Hyper Olympic | Track and Field |
| Joust | Joust |
| Karateka | Famicom Karateka |
| Kage | The Legend of Kage |
| Lode Runner 1 | Lode Runner |
| Lode Runner 2 | Championship Lode Runner |
| Lunar Ball | Lunar Pool |
| Macross | Choujikuu Yousai Macross |
| Magic Jewellery | Pirate of Magic Jewelry |
| MagMax | MagMax |
| Mappy | Mappy |
| Millipede | Millipede |
| Othello | Pirate of HES’s Othello |
| Pooyan | Famicom Pooyan |
| Pac Land | Famicom Pac-Land |
| Paper Boy | Paperboy |
| Pandamar | Hacked Super Mario with a Panda |
| Penguin | Famicom Obake no Q Tarou: Wan Wan Panic/ NES Chubby Cherub (w/ drastic changes!) |
| Route 16 | Famicom Route 16 Turbo |
| Raid on Bay | Raid on Bungeling Bay |
| Road Fighter | Famicom Road Fighter |
| Sky Destroyer | Sky Destroyer |
| Space ET | Space Invaders |
| Star Gate | Famicom Stargate/Defender II |
| Star Force | Star Force |
| Son Son | Famicom Son Son |
| Spartan | Famicom Spartan X/NES Kung Fu |
| Spelunker | Spelunker |
| Spy vs Spy | Spy vs Spy |
| Squoon | Famicom Squoon |
| Starslider | Star Soldier |
| Star Luster | Famicom Star Luster |
| Tag Team | Tag Team [Pro] Wrestling |
| Tank | Battle City |
| Twin Bee | Famicom Twin Bee |
| Wrestling | M.U.S.C.L.E. |
| Wisdom | Wisdom Boy – Puzzle game of unknown Origins |
| Warp Man | Famicom Warpman |
| World Cup | World Cup 2002 Chinese hack of Soccer |
| Xevious | Xevious |
| Zippy Race | MotoRace USA/Zippy Race |
Famicom to NES Converters
The Japanese Famicom had a much larger gaming library than the NES did (approximately 20% bigger), but sadly a lot of good titles never made it to the NES library for one reason or another. If you don’t own a Famicom and want to play these games in your NES, you’ll need to hunt down a commercially available 60 to 72 pin converter and they can be expensive! I did some research online and I’ve found a more interesting solution to this issue, and I’m here to help you out through my experience!
A fact most people may not know is that some of the early NES games were no more than Famicom ROM boards with a converter, stuffed into an NES cartridge. I’m not sure why they did this, so I won’t bother to speculate. Among the list of potential converter carrying games is Gyromite, an extremely easy to find cartridge, but it doesn’t always yield a converter. I happen to own 3 copies of Gyromite, all of which showed supposed signs of having the converter inside, only 1 of which did. Here I will be explaining which games possibly have the converter, how to detect without a doubt whether or not your game will have one as well as what you need to do once you’ve found one.
Now, which one of these holds the converter?
Not all NES games have the converter inside. Most of the games that do are the early black labelled games released by Nintendo. These games were only released in this form for a short period of time, so these games can be pretty hard to find, but you may already have one in your collection. Here is a list I found online of games that potentially hold the converter:
Clu Clu Land
Donkey Kong Jr.
Duck Hunt
Elevator Action
Excitebike
Golf
Gumshoe
Gyromite
Hogan’s Alley
Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out!!
Pinball
Raid on Bungeling Bay
Rygar
Soccer
Stack Up
Tennis
Urban Champion
Wizards and Warriors
Wrecking Crew
Now, I’ve read many different methods on how to detect whether your game has a converter or not, but the truth is only 3 simple factors matter: A) It should be a game from the list above. B) The cartridge MUST have 5 screws. and C) The connection tabs on the board are off to the side instead of centered like most NES games. If your cartridge fits the required criteria, its a safe bet you can open it and find a shiny converter inside. There are normal NES games that don’t have the converter inside but do have the offset connection tabs, so if you’re looking through your collection to see if you may already have one, stick with the listed games above.
Left: Off center tabs = Converter
Right: Centered tabs = Standard NES board
There can be only one!
Once you’ve opened the game (which should only require a small flat head screw driver) and found the converter, you can’t use it just yet. First you have to take the ROM board out and flip the black part over so that the longest side is now facing upwards. Also you are going to need to shave down the sides to allow the Famicom games to fit on top of it, don’t shave too much just enough for the cartridge to be seated solidly into the converter.
So close!
Next you will need to make a case so that everything stays together and you can easily remove it from your NES, you can use it naked but removing it from an old box NES will be a problem, especially if you have a new 72 pin connector installed. Most people just cut the (now empty) cartridge straight across leaving just enough room at the top to exposed the connector. Case design is all up to your personal tastes, but remember the Famicom cartridge must have enough room to be seated securely and you will need something attached to remove the unit, such as a string or fabric strip.
All it needs now is a home!
Before putting everything together you may want to clean the contacts so that you don’t end up with glitchy graphics. Once you’re ready to put everything together, you will need something to hold the black connector in place as you will find it moves quite a bit in both inserting and removing the Famicom cartridges. I’ve seen people use hot glue and others use double sided tape, I had to use a combination of both as the gap between the converter and the side of the casing was bigger than I originally thought. Finally, take the two remaining screws and put the case together, now you can play Famicom games on your NES!
Not the best, but it was my first try.
Famicom cartridges must be installed with the front label facing down. If you look at the converter and the Famicom cartridge, the bevels will be on the same side, so you know you’ve installed it correctly. The great part about this converter project is that (pending you can find one) they’re fairly inexpensive as well as having an official NES10 chip to avoid your system trying to lockout the Famicom game. I’ve tested mine and everything works great, its a fun little project and the converter is a great piece of hardware for NES fans wanting to expand their game library to games that weren’t available for the NES, until now!
Game installed correctly!
Attack of the Clones: Updates and testing!
Since the last Famiclone article, I’ve spent more time testing my handheld units and sadly I can confirm my Power Joy isn’t working, but its possibly an easy fix. I’ve also painstakingly compiled a list of what games are in my Super Joy III (I say my Super Joy because it seems the games vary from unit to unit), although it says 12000 it only has 120 difference choices and only 45 of those are unique games. Below is the list I have compiled, please note that I have been as careful as possible to spell everything according to the Super Joy, if anything is misspelled that is how it appears within the unit.
| Super Joy Title | Original Title | Extra Info |
| Super Mario | Super Mario Bros. | Sped up a little bit, but essentially normal. |
| Paper Boy | Paper Boy | Normal |
| Defender | Defender II | Normal |
| Space Invaders | Space Invaders | Normal |
| Donkey Kong 3 | Donkey Kong 3 | Normal |
| Gradius | Gradius | Normal |
| Galaga | Galaga | Normal |
| Arkanoid | Arkanoid | Normal |
| 1942 | 1942 | Normal |
| Super Contra | Super C | Famicom version |
| Duck Hunt | Duck Hunt | Game A offers 1 “DWCK” |
| Sky Destroyer | Sky Destroyer | Normal |
| Pacman | Pacman | Normal NES port |
| Bomberman | Bomberman | Normal |
| Hyper Olympics | Track and Field | Normal |
| Tetris | Tetris | Famicom version |
| Millipede | Millipede | Normal |
| Pinball | Pinball | Normal |
| Kung Fu | Kung Fu | Normal |
| Dig Dug | Dig Dug | Normal |
| Wild Gun Man | Wild Gunman | Normal |
| Warpman | Warpman | Only released for the Famicom |
| Lunar Ball | Lunar Ball | Famicom version of Lunar Pool |
| Golf | Golf | Normal |
| Excitebike | Excitebike | Normal |
| Road Fighter | Road Fighter | Glitchy version of the Famicom verion |
| F1 Race | F1 Race | Slightly altered Famicom version |
| Lode Runner | Lode Runner | Normal |
| Tank | Battle City | Only released for the Famicom |
| Raid on Bay | Raid on Bungeling Bay | Normal |
| Mappy | Mappy | Only released for the Famicom |
| Pooyan | Pooyan | Only released for the Famicom |
| Tennis | Tennis | Normal |
| Base Ball | Base Ball | Graphically broken, otherwise working |
| Clu Clu Land | Clu Clu Land | Normal |
| Balloon Fighter | Balloon Fighter | Normal |
| Ice Climber | Ice Climber | Normal |
| Macross | Macross | Only released for the Famicom |
| Mario Bros | Afro Mario | Yes, this is Afro Mario instead of Mario Bros. |
| Chess | Gomoku Narabe Renju | Only released for the Famicom |
| Hogan Alley | Hogan’s Alley | Normal |
| Ball and Steel | Arkanoid | Round 7 |
| Burger Time | Burger Time | Normal |
| Popeye | Popeye | Normal |
| Star Force | Star Force | Normal |
| Circus Charlie | Circus Charlie | Normal |
| Fight Abysm | Super C | Area 2 |
| Light of Devildom | Super Mario | 8-1 |
| Disloyalty Money | Paper Boy | Tuesday |
| Engle Forest | Super C | Area 3 |
| Magic Power | Super Mario | 7-1 |
| Thieft of Justice | Paper Boy | Wednesday |
| Time Tube | Super C | Area 4 |
| Sky Dever | Super Mario | 6-1 |
| Road Fatter | Paper Boy | Thursday |
| Water Dragon | Super C | Area 5 |
| Road by Magic | Super Mario | 5-1 |
| Perpetrate a Trand | Paper Boy | Monday |
| Danger Zone | Super C | Area 6 |
| Sun Fun | Super Mario | 4-1 |
| Thief Golden | Paper Boy | Friday |
| Top Perilous Peak | Super C | Area 7 |
| Darks Sprite | Super Mario | 3-1 |
| Policeman and Thief | Paper Boy | Saturday |
| Kill Pioneer | Super C | Area 8 |
| Devildom in Water | Super Mario | 2-1 |
| Paper Boy Sunday | Paper Boy | Sunday |
| Long Jump | Track and Field | Long Jump |
| Hrdles Meee | Track and Field | Hurdles |
| Javelin Throw | Track and Field | Javelin Throw |
| Skeet Shooting | Track and Field | Skeet Shooting |
| Triple Jump | Track and Field | Triple Jump |
| Archery | Track and Field | Archery |
| High Jump | Track and Field | High Jump |
| 100M Dash | Track and Field | 100M Dash |
| Jump Fire | Circus Charlie | Stage 1 |
| Popendancer | Circus Charlie | Stage 2 |
| Roll Ball | Circus Charlie | Stage 3 |
| Filer | Circus Charlie | Stage 4 |
| Jump Bed | Circus Charlie | Stage 5 |
| Driver Side by Side | Balloon Fight | Phase 5 |
| Forword Power | Balloon Fight | Phase 9 |
| Super Man Bomb1 | Super C | Area 1, A0 Lives — which is actually 100 |
| Super Man Bomb2 | Super C | Area 1, 6 Lives |
| Super Man Bomb3 | Super C | Area 1, 6 Lives |
| Super Man Bomb4 | Super C | Area 5, 6 Lives |
| Fight in Battle | Battle City | Stage 36 |
| Fe Protect | Battle City | Stage 43 |
| Kill in Battle | Battle City | Stage 50 |
| King of the Fe | Battle City | Stage 57 |
| In No Time | Battle City | Stage 64 |
| Battle Start | Battle City | Stage 71 |
| Break The Earth | Battle City | Stage 78 |
| Protect Home | Battle City | Stage 85 |
| Die Tomorrow | Battle City | Stage 92 |
| Race No Enger | F1 Race | Circuit 2 |
| Hold Time | F1 Race | Circuit 3 |
| No Time and Enger | F1 Race | Circuit 4 |
| Brick Figheter | Balloon Fight | Phase 13 |
| Super Brick | Balloon Fight | Phase 15 |
| Impregnable Forest | Arkanoid | Round 5 |
| Steel Door | Arkanoid | Round 9 |
| Crush Cage | Arkanoid | Round D |
| Steel Ball | Arkanoid | Round H |
| Brick Wall | Arkanoid | Round L |
| Iron Blast | Arkanoid | Round O |
| Greatwall Brick | Arkanoid | Round R |
| Metal Pail | Arkanoid | Round U |
| Super Shell | Arkanoid | Round W |
| Steel Stick | Arkanoid | Round Z |
| Mario Fly | Super Mario | 1-1 |
| Paper Boy New | Paper Boy | Monday |
| Defender UK | Defender II | ? |
| Space Invaders KI | Space Invaders | ? |
| Donkey Kong Go | Donkey Kong 3 | ? |
| Gradius Bee | Gradius | ? |
| Galaga Tea | Galaga | ? |
| Arkanoid Run | Arkanoid | ? |
| 1942 Gold | 1942 | ? |
| Contra Sun | Super C | ? |
Whether they added all individual ROMs or they just used coding to achieve this many choices I’m not sure, but I would assume it would be easier to just use code. After the first 120 the list starts all over and continues to do so until you have the illusion of 12000 choices. While making the list I broke up the time by playing Super Man Bomb1 (aka Super C w/100 Lives), the game was still challenging but with 100 lives beating the game was extremely easy!
Since I don’t own a Famicom (yet!) I didn’t have any games to test in my Super Joy, but I was still pretty certain it would work if a real Famicom game were attached, being the unit is blank until you insert the ROM board into the slot. This lead me to checking around online for a Famicom game that wouldn’t require me to translate dialog and was something I knew I already enjoyed. So I ended up buying a Soccer Famicom cartridge, its a game I know I already like and there isn’t anything in Japanese, oddly enough.
After almost a whole agonizing day waiting for the game to arrive it finally did, but I was upset to find the Famicom cartridge was too big to fit within the unit, so I took my Super Joy apart. After attaching the Famicom game and powering up the unit, SOCCER flashed on the screen and the game music began! I played the game for a little bit to see if it would glitch out and everything seemed to work perfectly.
Knowing that my Super Joy can play Famicom cartridges gives me pretty good idea of what to do if I happen to find another one. Since I want to keep my current Super Joy complete, I need to find another Super Joy 3 or I might be able to use the Power Joy and transform it from a handheld into something more like a console with real NES controller ports. I’m thinking this might make a decent and cheap Famiclone system given the right parts and attention.