Nintendo is doing something about Famiclones.

[Dones]

I went to my local mall last night and discovered that the pirates had installed a second kiosk in addition to their first.  

.

.

.

At that I quickly ended the game and walked away, knowing of the rumored links to organized crime.  I looked over my shoulder after that while I was in the mall to ensure I wasn't being followed.

You sure are dramatic. ROFL...

[Brad2600]

I agree with joeybastard.

 

Nintendo has never done a bad thing to me. I don't see the need to buy a Famiclone because it will hurt them.

 

Unfortunately, the NES was the only Nintendo product I ever bothered with.

[Avid Fan]

I'll be buying a famiclone as soon as I take an electronics class. I wanna built a tiny NES, like a portable, but without the screen.

[ATARIeric]

does anyone here own a superjoy ver. 3.8 ? it says it has an expansion slot.

 

New 3.8 Version of Super Joy / Power Player Game System, 76,000 different ways of play. All games are built right inside the main controller, the controller is the game system. Now with new expansion game slot, new games such as Pacman, Donkey Kong 3, Burger Time, Track and Field, Dig Dug, Super Contra and many more!

 

 

 

i wonder if the expansion slot takes nes carts or famicom carts, anyone ?

[SteveW]

It takes Famicom carts. I've got a couple Famicom carts, and it works on my Super Joy III fine. It's not 3.8, though. I bought mine last year.

[ATARIeric]

i just bought it after reading this thread, i figured now was a good time, the price has dropped alil more and i wonder why 34 shipped i paid

[Cootster]

People read this thread and still want to buy the pieces of shit? I would say that unless you're lucky enough to find one at a respectable thrift that still works (which will probably be impossible), they're not worth buying at all . . .

 

Nintendo should so make a PSA about these things along the lines of the anti-drug ads. . .

[Crimefighter]

If they want to buy the units then LET THEM! They all missed the boat with emulation, now they're missing the boat on these all-in-one units!

[ATARIeric]

some folks cant use emulators when they are a passenger in the car qvc sells powerjoys, are these illegal too ? doesnt show a list of the games http://www.qvc.com/asp/frameset.asp?nest=%...oy&SearchClass=

[rockman_x_2002]

Hate to dig up old bones but I finally got one of these suckers (price dropped down to $15 so not a bad deal). Games work great and all as far as the system working. Seems to be a good deal but I was wondering if any of you who may have picked one of these guys up have had any trouble with sound clarity with the system.

 

The problem I'm having seems to be the triangle wave is not reporting sound through as it should. Is this a common problem that's unfixable or is it something that can be taken care of (given some solder and a little time)?

[Artlover]

Nintendo has never done a bad thing to me. I don't see the need to buy a Famiclone because it will hurt them.

 

Considering Nintendo doesn't make, sell or support the NES anymore, I don't see how it hurts them in the slightest. Only people I see as being effected in any negative way at this point in the game are 3rd party resellers like GameXchange.

 

Obviously, there is still a market for it. It's Nintendo's fault for denying that fact, instead choosing to deliberatly deprive the world of it all and just sit on their copyrights.

 

It's a 20 year old outdated console for christ sakes. Let people enjoy it if they want. To that end, they should produce their own. They'll get their f'in money, and the people get their classic NES games. Everyone wins.

[Room 34]

Considering Nintendo doesn't make, sell or support the NES anymore, I don't see how it hurts them in the slightest.

GBA Classic NES series...

 

The bottom line with these things is they're bootlegs, and they're poorly made. I see them at those damn kiosks at the Mall of America all the time. Right next to some asshole trying to sell you a wire head massager or a super-shammy there's a giant TV with Donkey Kong on it.

 

(Sorry for the harsh tone, but of the many things I hate about being at the mall, the obnoxious hawkers at those kiosks have to be the worst... or at least second-worst, next to the worthless crap they're peddling!)

[Artlover]

Considering Nintendo doesn't make, sell or support the NES anymore, I don't see how it hurts them in the slightest.

GBA Classic NES series...

Yeah, those millions of existing NES owners would never buy that either. Just like no Atari 2600 owners would ever buy The Atari Antholigy or a Jakk's 2600 Stick. As a matter of fact, Nintendo should ban the sale of used NES's and carts as they are hurting those GBA & GC ports of NES games sales in exactly the same way.

 

Despite owning SMB, SMB2 and SMB3 for my NES, I still bought SMBAS for the SNES. Despite having all the Legend of Zelda for the NES, I still bought the Zelda collection disc for the Cube. A famiclone isn't going to stop a GBA owner from buying GBA games.

 

The bottom line with these things is they're bootlegs, and they're poorly made.

And like I said, Nintendo should make their own. Problem elminated.

[Great Hierophant]

The GBA NES Classics series has one great advantage over a regular NES, the games are now portable, (unless your name is Ben Heckendorn!) Nintendo's strategy has been somewhat hesistant, giving us fewer than half the games it released in Japan, with no exclusives. $20 per game is too steep for my blood.

 

There is not a thing wrong with a Famiclone that does not come with built-in games. Replicating obselete hardware may be in violation of soon-to-expire patents, but it has no current moral force what so ever. The console famiclones, like the "Neo-Fami" are perfectly legitimate products. Their build quality, using glop-tops and cheap plastics, may be suspect. Their compatibility rate is something less than 100% compared to real Nintendo hardware. Their controllers may be inaccurate. The consoles are hugely overpriced. Most people won't recognize any errors. I choose to stick to Nintendo's hardware, knowing what it is.

 

The illegality and immorality comes with the pirated games. When built into the console, the whole unit becomes compromised and I cannot fully enjoy it. Even though these games are old and the copyright law protects works for far too long, why should a pirate profit from the sweat of others? The multicarts also do a disservice to the consumer by falsely advertising the number of games contained within ("76,000-in-1") Not even the vendors make such outrageous statements. The multicarts, with their hacks that make the games insanely easy do the games no justice. The selection is often limited to the simple, early games or to Japanese versions. If its an authentic NES experience you are after, this is not it.

[rockman_x_2002]

It's a 20 year old outdated console for christ sakes. Let people enjoy it if they want. To that end, they should produce their own. They'll get their f'in money, and the people get their classic NES games. Everyone wins.

 

... now there's a though. "Build Your Own NES Kits." Officially licensed by Nintendo. Sold in hobby stores. Buy a kit and you can proudly say you built it on your own!

 

I'd buy one!

[Gabriel]

As a matter of fact, Nintendo should ban the sale of used NES's and carts as they are hurting those GBA & GC ports of NES games sales in exactly the same way.    

 

They've been trying to do that for ages. In fact, they buy used NES carts for the purpose of destroying them. In the past, they've tried to get legislation passed which makes sales of used videogames illegal. Company representatives have even outright said in press releases that the official Nintendo position is that 15 year old used NES game sales have crippled sales of their current offerings, and it should be illegal for people to play a legitimately owned game on an old legitimately owned NES when an updated version is available for a currently supported Nintendo system.

[Artlover]

Company representatives have even outright said in press releases that the official Nintendo position is that 15 year old used NES game sales have crippled sales of their current offerings, and it should be illegal for people to play a legitimately owned game on an old legitimately owned NES when an updated version is available for a currently supported Nintendo system.

 

With that said then, I'd like to address a comment that several people here have said....

 

Nintendo has never done a bad thing to me.

Obviously only because the legal system won't let them, not because they don't want to.

[The Eidolon]

Nintendo always seems more protective of their old properties than the

other makers. Maybe because they've discovered that the old NES

titles can be a pretty reliable revenue stream for the GBA. I think I

read that one of the Super Mario Advance titles sold ~$60 million this

year. No wonder they are worried about pirates if they can make that

kind of money licensing their more popular old NES titles.

 

Personally I wish that they would have more NES compilations for

the Cube (like the Mega Man Anniversary collection), but since collections

seem to need several titles and about a $20 price point, I can see why

Nintendo holds on to its own games. After all, why sell a collection on

a console if you can make better money selling individual titles on a

handheld...

 

--The Eidolon

[Great Hierophant]

In the past, they've tried to get legislation passed which makes sales of used videogames illegal. Company representatives have even outright said in press releases that the official Nintendo position is that 15 year old used NES game sales have crippled sales of their current offerings,

 

It is true that Nintendo discouraged sales of used games in the past as it discouraged their rental. But they eventually found out that this is not Japan and they weren't the kings they once were anymore, so they eventually shut up about it. Considering the current state of the used gaming market (see Gamestop selling many used NES games recently), the problem is beneath their notice. Getting laws passed in 50 states is a very lengthy and expensive business. Nintendo could no more do that than movie companies could ban the sale of used VHS tapes in these days of DVDs.

 

Their current offerings are limited to GBA ports of 12 games. Animal Crossing's sales were hardly crippled by the sale of used NES games, nor was that the main selling point of the game. Nintendo released a disk containing 4 old Zelda titles in a bundle with its Gamecube. The sale of NES games hardly crippled that. The Mega Man Anniversary Collection was released by Capcom for both the Gamecube and the Playstation 2. It is far more expensive to collect all those games used than it is to buy the Collection.

 

and it should be illegal for people to play a legitimately owned game on an old legitimately owned NES when an updated version is available for a currently supported Nintendo system.

 

I know they say something similar about illegitimate products, but could you point me to a press release where they make take this position?

 

Considering that Nintendo supported the NES and SNES for years after its official discontinuance with repairs, tech support, replacement parts, manuals, etc. I doubt that is their position.

[sega saturn x]

This is good news since those things were pure trash anyway.

[jsoper]

I agree with joeybastard.

 

Nintendo has never done a bad thing to me.

I'm guessing you guys weren't third party NES programmers who also wanted to make SMS games,

or part of the Portable Monopoly crowd who invested time and money inventing a backlit GBA because Nintendo stated they had no plans for one.

 

Me, I love sticking it to Nintendo, in the NES years they were bending laws to the breaking point. Play those pirated ROMS proudly

[Reid Fleming]

There are TWO major issues it seems that hasn't been grasped. Intellectual Property and Branding. Which is nothing new in that section of the world, but has become more widespread in the last 5 - 10 years.

30 - 40 years ago the problem was ' black market' and 'grey' market with the latter flourishing through e commerce and both through e bay. Import tarriffs, taxes, duties, alone can double the price of a given product. However these products are genuine, 100% produced at the companies plant. These items can be legally obtained through proper channels, sometimes they are stolen, or even the contractor will produce more than what the contract states.

Black market is illegal here but not necessarilly over there. Because it could be purchased out right in that country - on the up and up. Then it enters this country without the proper duties, taxes. (If you ever bought a new car especially an import it's that cost they throw on top. Listen to the commercial it's the last thing they say and what the fine print in white says.) So the consumer pays as well as the importer. Now the Fed Gov't doesn't get its share, domestic corporations are pissed b/c these tariffs are in place to discourage buying imports, not to mention their gov't subsidies sre cut into,finally the state losess out on their duties as well as sales taxes. It is well organized and has to be to actually work, If you ever watch Apacolypse Now, the place they stop for supply is a good example of one part of the black market.

 

Now grey market is exactly what it entails - it's borederline, specific law will have to be written, they operate in looholes. In the end it's the consumer that usually gets it. Electronics has been the king, look around there are plenty of sites selling cameras, mp3 players always cheaper than any US authorized dealer. The product they are hawking was not meant for this market, theredore all warants and guarantees are not valid here. That is why they don't have boxes or sealed manuals, b/c it is in a different lamguage and probably says 'ONLY FOR USE IN ...' It's really done kinda on the sly not really out in the open. You have to watch out and read the disclaimers at sites b/c in the end your screwed

That's why these guys selling obvious illegal bootlegged material in malls was just audacity or stupidity - but reflects the attitude toward Intellectual property rights.

You guys still with me?? That is all legitimate product. Now this next subject is NOT - it is made by an entity not in way legally associated with what they are producing. Infringing on Copyrights. It's really simple. Say you made something - anything spent a lot of time effort and money - just you no outside help. Now say this shmuck comes along and sees what you made buys or steals a copy and starts selling this product you worked on spent lots of money developing. Not only is he a leech, feeding off your means and giving nothing in return, he is selling a cheaper version that breaks, falls apart, and so on.

Now this is where Branding comes in. It's bad enough this guy is feeding off you, he is also making your product look bad. See it doesn't have to be your exact logo, or design INTENT is the key b/c ppl will make the associatation. The law used to 20% differential in design. And you can't gut a branded name product and call it your own. Completely different from modifying a fuckin X box. Let's say I bought 1 million broken x boxes I could repair them AND RESELL them as refurbished NOT as new - the Vendor (Manufact.) could even ebdorse me as an authorized RESELLER - but not a RETAILER they sell first rate goods from a Ditributor or Wholesaler who is either buys in bulk or is contracred to distribute the product to Retail stores where they sold to Consumers.

Within a year if unsold the product is liquidated and to discount outlets - destroyed - or sent to third world counties. Why in the hell are the Chinese bootlegging NES because they have our old 486 and pentium Is, All these exchange progtams make millions selling our old tech to third world nations.

So I could resell them - even modified - and here is the difference-I could not take protected software and preload the machines then put my label on it and market them under another name. That in NO imaginable way is Legal let alone ethical.

 

If you sold your comp none of the software is transferable, when you 'I Agree' before installing windows thats what you agree on. You do not own the program you are licensed to use it and you alone,

 

This is the garment industry major problem. Swap meets, flea markets, the guy in the alley selling out his trunk was a billions of dollars in lost revenue. Companies like Gucci, Prada, Nike and now Mitchell & Ness not only are losing revenue in their markets, but their reputation they spent a long time and capital is now going down the toilet. It is all about image. Even though I hate corporations like Nike, it still doesn't make it right for some offshore company usually in S Korea to make an inferior product and selling it here as Nike or Adidas, now Mitchell & Ness.

Those jerseys retail for 300 - $400 and are being sold on ebay for about a hundred? Way below wholesale, by sellers on US bases in S Korea. When ALL Mitchell & Ness products are made here. And Ebay is well aware this is going on Nitchell % Ness does not sell to anyone on Ebay despite all the claims otherwise. I have a authentic M&H and a 'knockoff' there is a noticeable difference in quality but they look identical, even their labels. That is why Branding is important, these companies could make something similiar with their own labels and in most cases is legal. Virtually all garment co knock eaxh other off, but under their own label. You think Nike pays tiger woods 50,000,000 just so every tom dick and harry has an easier time leeching off them.

There is billions and billions of dollars it;s a larger issue than the so called terror watch, the money being spent on security is for this issue, because millions of dollars are being lost every day. And in the end whi take it? We do the average American not just in faulty product -but in higher taxes, money spent combating this problem that can go into say like health care, education. Now that money that bought the bootleg stuff leaves and is gone, it is not put back into our economy it's gone for ever. Duties were not imposed, and do you think these guys plan on paying any kind od taxes like legit businesses, let alone sales tax?? This operation as small as it was still generated millions at $10 - 100,000 pcs = 1 million multiply that by 1000s and you get the picture.And that was a small time operation too, but it was on a national level probably moved 500,000 pcs, most likely more. No such thing as an islolated incident everything has to do with the other.

Now Bush has cut taxes, espexially for the very rich benefitted the most the middle class kind of - the rest (75%)(10 % of this country's population controls 80-90% of the wealth) He hasn't cut spending he has spent more than Clinton has. Now since less money is generated from taxes, public institutions and services has the burden of generating capital. For instance college tuitiuon is increased at state and community colleges because of a 'cut in spending' Now you have to more than last year. Thats a tax, you are having to pay more for the same thing because Bush cut corporate and income taxes. Public transit is increased, county hospitals are forced to do with less. Do the very rich use public transit go to state colleges or xounty hispitals? Now insurance premiums are going through thr roof, can you understand why? Ya think an 'across the board tax cut has anything to do with it. Globalization and Free Market theory has made Intellectual Property and Branding the issue. It goes way beyond some company pisssed off b/c of some leeches. And was it Isreali gangsters?? look it uo at the southern poverty law center, which organization is among the most active hate group/terrorists in the US?? The JDL here in Los Angeles.

 

So don't be suprised when Ebay gets shut down, it's no secret M&H is building a case w/the Feds to go after these ppl and to get them they have to go after the facility. Overstock.com they see it coming they are positioning themselves for it.

The funniest thing conncted with is I personally have 4 different famiclones. Where did I get purchase them?? Fuckin Annual Police Auction where I live..Swear No shit...Unclaimed evidence....I saved the receipts.

[Artlover]

All very interesting, but I see very little of it having anything to do with this particular case.

 

Say you made something - anything spent a lot of time effort and money - just you no outside help. Now say this shmuck comes along and sees what you made buys or steals a copy and starts selling this product you worked on spent lots of money developing. Not only is he a leech, feeding off your means and giving nothing in return, he is selling a cheaper version that breaks, falls apart, and so on.

Would be a valid point if the original item in question was still being produced and sold. In this case, it's not. The copyright holding company abandonded their customer base towards that line of technology years ago, despite there still being interest in it. See below for further explaniation.

 

Now that money that bought the bootleg stuff leaves and is gone, it is not put back into our economy it's gone for ever.

First: This is flawed because it assumes that the money isn't going into our economy, which is partialy false. It's going to the store selling it, which I'm sure bought them at a lower price then they are selling them for. If the store isn't going to make any profit, they arn't going to sell it. Obviously, since they are selling it, they are making a profit, and that profit isn't going to the bootleggers, it's going into our economy. The only monies "lost forever" is the initial investment the stores made to buy imported bootlegs. And should the bootlegs happened to be produced localy within our borders, 100% of the money invovled stays in the economy, regardless if taxes were paid or not, because the monies are still in circulation within our economy. (Granted, pretty much all bootlegs are made overseas, however.)

 

Second: Kindly suggest a legimiate source, and I'm quite sure everyone will happily buy from there. There in lies the rub.... Can't buy a legimiate product if it doesn't exist. Again, the copyright holding company isn't producing the products anymore, and aside from an ever shrinking used market (in which the copyright holding company also doesn't see a profit from), the bootlegs are the only only ones avaialble. There IS a market for these retro tv joysticks. Instead of being bent on denying the world their products, they should produce a legimiate product themselves, give the people what they obviously want, and make some money.

 

Third: "Most" of these clones are not being made/sold with the official copyright holding company's branding. It's not a case of them trying to make a "look-a-like" product to steal sales. You know before you buy it that you're not buying an offical product. Thus it does not impact the copyright holding company's reputation.

 

With that said, I'd like to suggest a bigger loss to our economy: International travel. By the standards proposed here, simply spending money outside our borders is in essence, money gone forever. Only money that would be paid back into our economy would be in the form of duty tax on items you're bringing back, which is only a small portion of the value of said items. You're not paying any duty tax on the food you bought & ate, or the hotel room you stayed in when you come back and so fourth. Just think of all the money we could keep in our economy by banning international travel. In the interest of fairness, should also ban outside travlers from visiting our country too. Wouldn't want to ruin their economy's by letting them loose forever their money in our economy, now would we? (Remember, it DOES work both ways. Monies we spend outsite of our economy eventualy come back in some shape or form.)

 

The whole international economy bit, while technicaly valid, is a relatively small aspect that is far superceeded by other legimiate problems in the world of international trade & travel. Because even legimiate international commerce, where taxes are paid, a majority of the funds involved are being removed from our economy.

 

Lets face it Nintendo isn't trying to stop pirates because they care about the international trade deficit or our economy, they are doing it because they preceive it as a threat against their profit margin, which at best is still relatively bogus since they themselves chose to stop making profits from said technology & most of the games years ago.

[Great Hierophant]

Unfortnately, the average person on the street neither knows nor cares that he is not purchasing a "real" Nike. He sees that it looks like the original and he appreciates the low price. The obvious poorer quality compared to the real McCoy is a sticking point, but his budget is limited and from a difference who can tell? Then he gets upset when the product falls apart on him. His anger is not helped when he discovers that the person who sold him the item won't return it or packed up his goods and went elsewhere because the local heat finally began stirring itself into action.

 

With these Famiclones, the situation is largely inverted. They are not especially cheap, going for $90 in my mall this Christmas season. The real thing does cost more though. Having nothing available to compare it to, he assumes this is just as good as all the carts and the front loader he had when he was younger. (The pirates technical sophistication in making clone systems stopped with the Sega Genesis.) Those Super Joys have been known to fail and the buyer is lucky if he can secure a replacement. I would suspect that he goes back to the mall six weeks later and finds either a deserted kiosk or "new" sellers claiming no affiliation with their seller. In this case, outside of the Seattle, Washington area, no action has yet been taken against the sellers of Famiclones and pirate cartridges. The local authority probably will not be made to care unless the company involved has signficant operations in the state. The pirating of ancient and obselete games, compared to music and movie piracy, probably receives scant resources from law enforcement.

[GrandviewCoin]

Was just in Brookfield Sqaure here in WI. on saturday and noticed that there are now 2 kiosks selling these wretched things..

 

I did pretend to know nothing about these and started to play with my kids watching me.. There's also another group playing on the other side.. a Mom & Son..

 

He comes over and tells me there are so many games, including ATARI. This of course prompts me to ask "What Atari? Show me!".

 

So he grabs the controller from me, and shows me the list of on screen games..

 

"Eh eh!" He says as if the screen was proving himself right. Now let me say right now I have 2 daughters, 13 & 15, both of whom I am raising as nerds/girlfriends for nerds.. They laughed to themselves cause they KNEW that "Mr. Pac-Man & King Kong" was not made by Atari..

 

"Where's the Atari? That's not Atari!"

 

"Sure it is! Here look!" He says as he continues to scroll down on the screen menu..

 

And then the kids bust my cover.. sigh..

 

"Thats not Atari! Our Daddy knows ALL about video games.. Thats not Atari.."

 

So then the sales guy looks at me, and I look at him.

 

"How much?" I ask with an eyebrow raised..

 

"69.99"

 

"69.99? Yer kidding me! I can get these at 7 mile fair for 29.99.."

 

" Ok ok, for you 49.99.."

 

In the end I told him I was just pricing these here at the mall and wanted to try one first hand.. My kids got a good laugh, and I found out how much these guys are really ripping people off.

 

I continued to 'test' with a game of Pooyan, which my daughters knew from watching Starcade.. The other people finished up testing as well as just walked away.. The sales guy chased after them!

 

"Say thanks!" He said..

 

The Mom & Son looked at him confused..

 

"Say thanks!" He said again.. yelling louder again..

 

Mom & Son looked completely lost..

 

" Say thanks! This isn't an ARCADE! You should say thanks for the arcade!!" He goes mental.. and the people just walked away..

 

So over priced, and abusive sales guys.. neat way to sell these things..

 

I should say that this guy was obviously NOT from this country, there seems to be alot of Bosnian/Serb sales people here at all of the kiosks. I was told by some other mall employee's that they get sent here on work visas and are pretty much slaves to the job. Then when the holiday is over they get sent home with whatever money they earned..

 

The whole situation seems to suck on multiple levels..

 

Daniel

 

And in case ANYONE get the idea that I'm racist or whatever, I do have Bosnian friends.. so