RGB Famiclone?

it290 · Post by **it290** » Mon May 26, 2008 8:40 pm

Anyone know if such a thing exists as a Famiclone which has good compatibility and can output RGB? I have RGB output on all of my other consoles now (well, not counting the 2600, Odyssey2 and the like), and would really like to play NES games with good quality video. I suppose NesterDC is probably a better option as far as sound quality, but hey, thought I'd ask.

Fudoh · Post by **Fudoh** » Mon May 26, 2008 10:20 pm

Get your NES RGB-modded. It's not as easy as on the other systems, since you need a videochip from a VS. arcade board, but it's really worth it if you want to play on the original hardware.

iatneH · Post by **iatneH** » Mon May 26, 2008 10:21 pm

Might be an interesting read:
http://shmups.system11.org/viewtopic.php?t=2459

I know it's not exactly what you're looking for, but I looked at gamesx and it seems like the official NES and NES2 never supported RGB in the first place, so I find it unlikely that any clones would either.

I'm thinking of buying a Retro Duo which has S-video output for SNES games, but apparently only the composite output can be used with NES games.

Ex-Cyber · Post by **Ex-Cyber** » Tue May 27, 2008 8:42 am

RGB is not the native signal format (or even color space) of the NES PPU. Most attempts to map it to RGB are screwed up somehow.

Fudoh · Post by **Fudoh** » Tue May 27, 2008 9:57 am

This is why you have to be picky about the PPU you choose, but with the right choice of chip the result is amazing.

it290 · Post by **it290** » Tue May 27, 2008 11:52 pm

I would rather have somewhat screwed up color than a totally crappy picture overall, but PPU modding or getting a Famicom Titler is a bit out of my price range at the moment. You'd think some clone manufacturer would wise up to the fact that adding this feature might help them move some units.

iatneH · Post by **iatneH** » Wed May 28, 2008 12:13 am

Sounds like Retro Duo has a CXA clone with RGB lines that can possibly be tapped. Again this is for SNES only though.

I think the problem here is that the market for these clones is for older folks who want to visit some old games on the big screen TV for nostalgia and are perfectly fine with using the little yellow plug, but really aren't the type of people who have old PVMs sitting around.

matt · Post by **matt** » Wed May 28, 2008 9:16 am

The "NES-on-a-chip" Famicom clones output straight composite from the epoxy blob, so there's no chance of getting RGB.

Ex-Cyber · Post by **Ex-Cyber** » Wed May 28, 2008 9:51 am

it290 wrote:You'd think some clone manufacturer would wise up to the fact that adding this feature might help them move some units.

That would mean a new chip design, which would mean a lot of cost and risk that's hard to justify in a cheap product when the current ones are selling just fine.