NES PC Build Project

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What better way to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the NES than to build a NES PC that plays all your favorite old school games? Props to [H] forum member DaBuddMon on the crazy cool mod.
 
Because, the copyright for the NES system is not longer valid and as long as own the carts, you can make an all in one system like this guy did.

In fact I think even some /all of the NES games are free to use as well, free of copyright. The games, not the actually character. I.E. Mario.

Correct me if I am wrong.

At any rate. I have a full sized stand up arcade cabinet with tons of games on it. My UI is not as polished as his however.

Best emulator / pc build I've seen ever.
 
Zarathustra[H];1036310368 said:
Why not just buy an actual NES?
Click to expand...

never having to change a cartridge is a good thing and just the [H] coolness factor of saying look what I modded is awesome.

can't wait to see his SNES mod.
 
Zarathustra[H];1036310368 said:
Why not just buy an actual NES?
Click to expand...

1) It has every game ever made for the system without changing carts.
2) The contacts will never wear out
3) Don't have to go about building a collection of carts
4) It is a bad arse bod
 
That GUI was AMAZING! It wasnt clear in the video is he made that or if its available somewhere else?
 
jadams said:
That GUI was AMAZING! It wasnt clear in the video is he made that or if its available somewhere else?
Click to expand...
Pretty sure it's available elsewhere, he said a community helped make the various game "themes" (animated menu/intro screens)
 
jadams said:
That GUI was AMAZING! It wasnt clear in the video is he made that or if its available somewhere else?
Click to expand...

It's Hyperspin. Sorry, my voice is really low-key, so probably hard to hear me say it in the video. You can check it out at hyperspin-fe.com.

Thanks for the kudos all.
 
I currently have a dremmeled out NES, is going to be a NES PC or a Humidor...
 
JayteeBates said:
1) It has every game ever made for the system without changing carts.
2) The contacts will never wear out
3) Don't have to go about building a collection of carts
4) It is a bad arse bod
Click to expand...

Everything about it was just perfect. God the work that went into the menu's.
 
I've been intending on case modding an NES into a pc for some time now, and you did a great job with yours. This will probably push me into getting mine started as well.
 
SixFootDuo said:
Because, the copyright for the NES system is not longer valid and as long as own the carts, you can make an all in one system like this guy did.

In fact I think even some /all of the NES games are free to use as well, free of copyright. The games, not the actually character. I.E. Mario.

Correct me if I am wrong.

At any rate. I have a full sized stand up arcade cabinet with tons of games on it. My UI is not as polished as his however.

Best emulator / pc build I've seen ever.
Click to expand...
No, NES game copyrights haven't come close to expiring. Last I checked copyright duration for corporate-owned works first published during the NES era (which I'll loosely classify as 1985-1995) is 95 years.
 
had this guy used a 40gig ssd with a bare-bone rip of XP that was whittled down to nothing like what I have, the boot up and display has a very console like feel as everything is once again loaded from ram / rom like consoles were.

Also, you can find pristine NES's on ebay often with out the color fade to the case. They are a bit more pricey. The Amiga 500 / 1200 has the same problem with sunlight as well on it's casing.
 
Totally awesome. ;)
700 games? Wow. That's tons of gaming right there. The physical mod isn't too bad, it's the software that's the challenge. The KHAANNN! was funny...kind of made up for the deadpan narration. Sort of.
 
SixFootDuo said:
Because, the copyright for the NES system is not longer valid and as long as own the carts, you can make an all in one system like this guy did.

In fact I think even some /all of the NES games are free to use as well, free of copyright. The games, not the actually character. I.E. Mario.

Correct me if I am wrong.

At any rate. I have a full sized stand up arcade cabinet with tons of games on it. My UI is not as polished as his however.

Best emulator / pc build I've seen ever.
Click to expand...


Some patents have expired yes, but copyright is still in effect and still will be for quite some time, if not forever in the US if some people get their way. Unless the owner has released it to the public it's not in the clear.
 
Actually, after reading a bit about Hyperspin, it seems pretty doable. Even the emulators aren't too bad to learn. Some clues about how windows was "trimmed" might be nice though.
 
Great mod and great vid...ahhhh i remember Christmas morning 1985...i played rad racer till i was blue in the face! thanks for the trip down memory lane :)
 
I so fucking want one of these. and an SNES variety too! Too bad i am short on the skills to do it myself :( May have to give it a try anyway.


HAving grown up in the 80's with an NES & SNES I have a serious soft spot in my heart for them. I've still got an old NES and a Super Famicom in the closet. I just can't bring myself to part with them.

Shane

P.S. BudMon,, Thank you for showing us that it can be done.
 
You said any NES controller works? So you have a controller board wired between the controller ports and the motherboard?
 
DaBuddMon said:
It's Hyperspin. Sorry, my voice is really low-key, so probably hard to hear me say it in the video. You can check it out at hyperspin-fe.com.

Thanks for the kudos all.
Click to expand...
Great work! I loved your custom intro screen.
 
@ SonicTron

Yes any NES controller will work. I modded the controller ports to be an actual USB device, instead of the controller itself being the device. The way that is accomplished is, yes, via a controller board (or a chip really) in between the mobo and NES controller port. That's why I can swap controllers on the fly - because the actual USB device is never disconnected.

@ Piotrsama

I could pull out the cartridge...but it would probably disconnect the SATA cable to the HD. ;)
 
DaBuddMon said:
@ SonicTron

Yes any NES controller will work. I modded the controller ports to be an actual USB device, instead of the controller itself being the device. The way that is accomplished is, yes, via a controller board (or a chip really) in between the mobo and NES controller port. That's why I can swap controllers on the fly - because the actual USB device is never disconnected.

@ Piotrsama

I could pull out the cartridge...but it would probably disconnect the SATA cable to the HD. ;)
Click to expand...

Man, just kuddos to a tear-dropping mod, the urge to GET one now!
This is one of those times i just remember i'm getting old, and the old consoles were "da xit"!

One question: building the controllers basing on a parallel or serial port, would it eliminate the input lag USB has?
 
No tutorial? Cmon, you've got a fanbase growing here! We're feeling the fever!
 
K10 said:
with the fans running, how loud is the NES PC?
Click to expand...

It's very quiet. There is only one fan, the CPU fan, and I have it running at about 40% speed at all times. My fiancée and I were playing the box on Saturday at her place, and even in total silence you can't hear the box at all, even when sitting right next to it. So...about as loud as a...NES, hehe.

That being said, I did test the box extensively with Prime95 on full loads to figure out the cooling needs. The nylon spacers on the feet dropped my temps by 10 degrees C alone due to the surface distance from the fan, even though it didn't raise the overall height much at all. With normal operation, the CPU temps are around 35-45 degrees C - on Prime95 full load, it doesn't go above 55 degrees C (let it run all night to test a slight overclock I have on it).

@Monkey34

Well, there were already so many videos and websites that are out there that detail how their builds were done, I figured I'd do something a bit different. If you want to know any specifics, just PM me and I'll be happy to share.
 
I should add that the Part 2 video, while it doesn't go into specifics, it does talk about the innards of the system.
 
Amazing work! Megaman 2 fans automatically get two thumbs up no matter what they do.
 
I enjoyed the video a lot. My original NES bit the dust this past Spring. I replaced the 72 pin connector but the console wasn't holding the games down since I must of tightened the screws down too tight. When I went back in to fix it I closed it all up and now I get no picture and the audio buzzes. I've been hunting for an NES since but all that is out there are the replicas. I really wish I could find a way to fix my NES or replace the motherboard. I've had my NES since I was 5 and I'll never forget the first night I watch my brother play it but the day I finally got the NES in my room was what started it all for me. Great times back.
 
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