FC Game Console

The Yobo FC Game Console (known as the "Neo Fami" in Asia) is a compact Famiclone measuring just 143x147x47mm which lacking a 10NES chip can play most (but not all) Nintendo Entertainment System and Famicom titles. The Japanese version of the packaging refer to it as Neo-Fami and as a result it is sometimes referred to as such. Due to its small size and availability of English packaging, the FC Game Console has taken off in markets where Famicom clones traditionally never sold well, such as North America.

The FC Game Console is a 2005 North American version of the NES (with the "USA version" marking on the box) that uses two 7-pin controller ports and outputs composite NTSC video and mono audio via RCA-style connectors. An external power supply provides 9v 200mA DC through an ordinary power jack. Both supplied controllers feature 'slow' buttons that rapidly pause and unpause play to simulate slowdown, and 'turbo' buttons that provide rapid automated button pressing.

Its box hyperbolically boasts:
* Great quality
* Easy button operation
* High performance
* AV output
* Slow & turbo function
* LED light
* 2 controllers included

With the inclusion of the 7-pin controller ports, this allows the user to use the original Nintendo controllers, light gun, Power Pad, and other accessories with this console. The video quality of the FC Game Console is also higher than that of Nintendo's official NES 2 game console (however its color accuracy can be brought into question).

The 3 color choices for the US Edition are:

* White top/Red bottom
* Silver top/Black bottom
* Indigo top/White bottom

An actual Neo-Fami accepts Famicom cartridges and won't work with NES cartridges unless one uses an adapter. Fortunately, most places that sell the Neo-Fami outside of Japan include this adapter for free. The controller ports are standard 9-pin serial, similar to the ports on the Atari 2600.

hortcomings and incompatibilities

While the system works with most US games, individuals have reported problems with a few (primarily Castlevania III, Gauntlet, and Mindscape games) due to special in-cartridge hardware being incompatible with the NES-on-a-Chip ASIC.

There are also serious audio reproduction inaccuracies which cause music and sound effects in most games to play incorrectly or not at all. In Dragon Warrior 3, some of the bass sounds are dulled, but the rest of the sounds are uneffected. The model of NES-on-a-Chip used in the system provides comparatively inferior audio compared to many other Famicom clone systems.

The system also suffers from particularly serious slowdown issues evident in stressful games. These audio and slowdown issues are particularly apparent in games like Kirby's Adventure which feature stressful CPU operations and complex audio.

External links

* [http://www.yobogroup.com/ YoboGroup] - Manufacturer, offering systems for wholesale