Analogue Interactive's Analog NT - $500 NES/Famicom Console

[kamiboy]

Haters gonna hate.gif

[d0s]

I've hesitated to bring the word "art" into this discussion because I think most people have a really distorted idea of what art is or should be....

Are we seriously calling a video game console art? Why not just call everything art! I like the way the monitor I'm looking at now is designed, so let's call that art. My car? Art. My toilet? Art. Monster cables? ART! Let's build museums for everything people think is pretty.

It's totally cool to buy this if you like the looks, but aesthetically appealing (to you) != art.

[ms06fz]

I've hesitated to bring the word "art" into this discussion because I think most people have a really distorted idea of what art is or should be....

Are we seriously calling a video game console art? Why not just call everything art! I like the way the monitor I'm looking at now is designed, so let's call that art.

This is exactly what I meant when I said people have really distorted ideas about what art is... Calling something "art" doesn't imbue it with a magical status, and it's not a word that must be reserved for "proper" art institutions and people who know how to write pretentious artist statements. Art is a creative endeavour, that's all.

I mean, people have beaten to death the point that $500 is too much for an RGB-modded NES. Thank you captains Obvious and Dur. You don't buy this machine just for its tech specs, it's built to be a distinctive, aesthetically attractive piece of gear. So yeah, "art", why the hell not?

[d0s]

Art is a creative endeavour, that's all.

Words don't mean whatever you want them to mean. Specific words have specific meanings, there's nothing magical about it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GlKL_EpnSp8

[panzeroceania]

Does anyone have a solution for famicom player 2's microphone. It's useful in the legend of zelda.

[Ed Oscuro]

Words don't mean whatever you want them to mean.

That goes for you too, then. There's no universally accepted ideal of art.

I wouldn't call what is being done here exactly art, but I don't think that one has to buy the argument that art = anything goes, either. Really, nobody has to care about any of that stuff. Analogue Interactive included.

[d0s]

Really, nobody has to care about any of that stuff. Analogue Interactive included.

Agreed. I think if your personal reason to buy an NT is purely aesthetic, and not considering it's qualities as a game machine at all, then thinking of it as art is justifiable. If something about it strikes you as having artistic value beyond it's function and that's worth $500 to you then by all means buy it and call it art. Don't ask everyone else to see it the same way, or impose that on it's creators. It's a consumer product designed to play video games, created by businesspeople whose primary goal is to make money. Perhaps if you feel that one consumer product is significant enough to be thought of as a work of art, then you might understand why some people are upset over the destruction of the consumer product which is necessary to create it. After all, the Famicom has actually been featured in fine art museums.

My own understanding of art includes neither, unless they have been re-purpoused as art by a third party. I do think the original Famicom's design is the more appealing one for a video game system, it looks like a friendly and accessible toy rather than a brooding block of metal. If I had to analyze the Analogue's design from an art criticsm standpoint I'd say it conveys a sense of insecurity about the basically childish hobby of playing video games and betrays it's designer's need to legitimize his/her hobby to "outsiders". Aren't we glad all game consoles aren't reviewed like this!

[robivy64]

Does anyone have a solution for famicom player 2's microphone. It's useful in the legend of zelda.

That will be included in the new version: The Analogue Nt Mc. The controllers will also be shaped out of African ivory by artisan pygmies.

$799.99

[ms06fz]

Art is a creative endeavour, that's all.

Words don't mean whatever you want them to mean. Specific words have specific meanings, there's nothing magical about it.

Do you really want to go down this path? I mean, what do you think a dictionary would say about the definition of "art"?

Spoiler

"something that is created with imagination and skill and that is beautiful or that expresses important ideas or feelings" - Merriam Webster
"The expression or application of human creative skill and imagination, typically in a visual form such as painting or sculpture, producing works to be appreciated primarily for their beauty or emotional power:" Oxford Dictionary
"the quality, production, expression, or realm, according to aesthetic principles, of what is beautiful, appealing, or of more than ordinary significance." Dictionary.com

The Free Dictionary bucks the trend by leading with "Human effort to imitate, supplement, alter, or counteract the work of nature." - which seems so broad it could cover anything. "Counteract the work of nature?" Does that mean an umbrella is "art" because it counteracts the raindrops "nature" is dropping on my head? But their second definition is more in line with my idea of art: "The conscious production or arrangement of sounds, colors, forms, movements, or other elements in a manner that affects the sense of beauty, specifically the production of the beautiful in a graphic or plastic medium."

The reason I said that calling something "art" doesn't make it "magical" is because that, to me, is one of the common misconceptions about art. That which is labeled "Art" can essentially do no wrong - and as a result people get picky about what really counts as "Art". And that's why I was hesitant to use the word in the first place - misconceptions about what the word implies, resistance to the (mistaken) idea that the term elevates the system to "holy" status, or just plain old (almost always misguided) hatred of "art". But I chose to refer to the system as "art" anyway because to me, that best illustrates why someone would pay $500 for a system like this.

Art plays a very straightforward role in my life. Now and then I buy something, not because of its material or practical value, but because someone took the time to craft something really interesting or beautiful. I don't always like paying for such items but I recognize what it takes to create them, so if I like such a thing enough (and if I can't or don't want to make it myself), I'll pony up and buy it. The NT design isn't too appealing to me, though I like the idea of the aluminium case at least... But I really feel like people who are looking at the system purely in terms of its practical performance are missing the point.

[kamiboy]

This thread has gone super meta.

[d0s]

EDIT: There was a big dumb reply to this big dumb conversation here but I deleted it because this is not the place to argue about what is and isn't art. I am sorry for perpetuating this dumb derail. I think the Analogue NT is shit as a consumer product but perfectly valid if re-purpoused as art. Personally, I think it makes shit art as well. Since this is a video game forum and not an art forum I think it's OK to discuss it's merits or shortcomings as a tool without even considering it's value as art. That includes it's price.

[Chacranajxy]

The more I think about it, the more I actually do want that aforementioned controller crafted by artisan pygmies.

[Ed Oscuro]

Rob is just mad ever since the feds raided his underground pygmy circus. I know who the informant was, but I"m not telling

[BitFaced]

Play NES in glorious 1080p. The HDMI Adapter is an external RGB to HDMI upscaler designed exclusively for the Analogue Nt. It is a true upscaler (no stretching) and outputs 1080p or 720p perserving the original aspect ratio. It even has a built in scanline generator for that retro CRT feel.

A custom GBS-8220? I am skeptical.

Pfft. It if wasn't, then I'd pick one up for £30 in a heartbeat.

[Pasky]

Well, there's always this:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/AV-Famicom-HVC- ... 233af2ada6

[bobrocks95]

Well, there's always this:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/AV-Famicom-HVC- ... 233af2ada6

Can't top the top loader (heh) that some guy on Craigslist told me he had already sold for $4,500. And it wasn't even RGB modded! I think maybe the PCB was made out of Miyamoto's blood.

[spaceape]

Did Analogue Interactive stop making the consolized Neo-Geo MVS?

[RaidenViper]

49$ extra if you want a different color. 29$ for a cable...

And no controllers included...

[RGB32E]

Well, there's always this:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/AV-Famicom-HVC- ... 233af2ada6

Jason trying to compete with the nt, huh?! Where's the aluminum case, dual cart slots, and videophile/audiophile performance?

[panzeroceania]

the site still says "preorder" has the system not launched? Has anyone gotten their order yet? Are there any written or video reviews? I wanted to see how it was received and see that it actually made it to launch before investing in it.

Has anyone gotten the chance to use one to offer any feedback?

It says shipping summer 2014, summer is almost gone...

EDIT:

also, from a purely RGB image quality perspective, wouldn't a Famicom Titler produce a better, cleaner image, as it has an actual RGB PPU, rather than being modded in, or run through a converter.

[ApolloBoy]

also, from a purely RGB image quality perspective, wouldn't a Famicom Titler produce a better, cleaner image, as it has an actual RGB PPU, rather than being modded in, or run through a converter.

Not really, the NESRGB craps all over a modded Titler or any system with the old RGB PPU mod.

[panzeroceania]

oh ok, how so, just out of curiosity.

[darcagn]

oh ok, how so, just out of curiosity.

The RGB PPU has a different color palette than the composite NES PPU, so the colors are incorrect.
The RGB PPU doesn't support color emphasis bits, so a handful of games look messed up or are completely unplayable.
The RGB PPU has an issue with faint vertical lines ("jailbars") appearing on the screen.

The composite PPU has the ability to communicate with a second PPU for a dual PPU mode. This was never used. But the NESRGB takes advantage of this special mode and uses it to force the PPU to give up video data which it can use to recreate a perfect RGB image. It supports the color emphasis bits, it doesn't have jailbars, and you can choose from three palettes (the original, the RGB PPU palette, or a special new enhanced palette).

I've done an RGB PPU mod in an NES as well as an NESRGB. The NESRGB is by far the better RGB solution for the NES.

[panzeroceania]

thanks darcagn, I was under the impression that the titler didn't have the same issues as the arcade boards, didn't know the Composite PPU could communicate with a second PPU, can the PPU in the titler not do this?

I also thought the NESRGB palettes were just taken from an emulator. Thanks for your insight.

[ApolloBoy]

didn't know the Composite PPU could communicate with a second PPU, can the PPU in the titler not do this?

No, the pins used on the composite PPU for that function (EXT0-3) are the RGB outputs and ground on the RGB PPU.

[panzeroceania]

that actually makes a lot of sense, thanks guys.

[RGB32E]

Looks like this will finally start shipping next month (July)?! Looks like the HDMI upscaler is now integrated into the case!

[BazookaBen]

I'm wondering if their HDMI solution is going to be truly lagless like Kevtris':

The optional, internal HDMI adapter, meanwhile, is designed to optimize image quality on modern TVs — lead video hardware engineer Kevin Horton says it "upscales digitally, directly from the PPU and CPU. This means no lag and zero signal degradation." There's even a built-in scanline generator, if the resulting image is too clean for you.

http://www.theverge.com/2015/6/26/88503 ... do-console

Hard to tell from that statement if it is doing the traditional, XRGB-like analog to digital conversion, or if it is completely digital. Saying it upscales digitally is different from saying that the original image is digital.

[RGB32E]

From the sounds of it, it could still be using the NESRGB, but tapping the digital signals from the CLPD before the R2R DAC and feeding them to FPGA for upscaling. Similar to how the Neo Geo HDMI mod works. The audio appears to be completely analog though, and probably is fed through a ADC to embed on HDMI.

[CkRtech]

I would love to see a teardown/analysis of the final thing by a knowledgeable person. Thing is - I am fairly certain that none of us "in the know" want to fork over the money just to poke around inside and do a side-by-side compare.