I played the Super Famicom
Nick Poulos
I had a chance to play the Nintendo Super Famicom today. It was
at the Video Synthesis Store here in Cleveland. They had it setup
in the store for playing. The game unit itself looks pretty good.
The controllers are similar to the shape of the new Acclaim
wireless controllers except that there are a total of 6 fire
buttons on each, 4 on the face of the controller and 2 on the top
edges. You also need a fairly new TV set since the system is from
Japan. You have to tune into channel 69 or 70.
There are only 2 games released at this time, Super Mario 4 and a
race game called R- something.
SMB4 was a cute game but the graphics were not up to 16 bit
standards. It looked more like a NES game except for the background
scrolling a little and graphics just a touch better. The
gameplay is similar to SMB3 in that you are on a map and go from world to
world. It also has similarities to SMB1 with pipes that you can go down
that let you out in other areas. The text is in Japanese in many
cases. When you read a sign that you run across it is worthless to
you unless you can read Japaneses. The race game was not that impressive
and did sport graphics much better than NES games. The only thing
is, we can't figure out how to play it since the docs are in
Japanese. Maybe if the clerks could figure it out, it would
be better.
\
For $25 you can rent the system and both carts for 5 days
Nick Poulos
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Jim Omura
>
>
>I had a chance to play the Nintendo Super Famicom today. It was
>at the Video Synthesis Store here in Cleveland. They had it setup
>in the store for playing. The game unit itself looks pretty good.
...
>There are only 2 games released at this time, Super Mario 4 and a
>race game called R- something.
>SMB4 was a cute game but the graphics were not up to 16 bit
>standards. It looked more like a NES game except for the background
>scrolling a little and graphics just a touch better. The
Something has been bothering me about the marketting of the
SuperFamicom. Everything I've read has been parroting the same,
rather meager, information. The most anybody seems to know about
the key internals are the number of colors and pixel resolution.
The "16 Bit"-ness of the computer is loudly touted, but nobody has
identified the processor. Let me put this into perspective for
people new to the technology. The first mass production 16 bit
"consumer" computer was the TI-99/4. The TI-9900 processor which
was the basis for this computer was actually only a bit older
^^^^^ NEWER
than the 6502 that was in the first Apples (pre-Apple II) and
Commodore PET.
The first 16 bit game console was the Intellivision, based
on a General Instruments chip which was, as far as I know, essentially
the same TI-9900 family as the Texas Instruments computer. Nobody
would consider these processors "contemporary" or "power equivalents"
to the 68010 or 80286 chips which are about average (lower end of
average really) for what we think of when we talk about common
"16 bit" processors. It all makes me wonder if the SuperFamicom
is much more than a fancy plastic box with more RAM. Why the secrecy?
--
Jim Omura, 2A King George's Drive, Toronto, (416) 652-3880
lsuc!jimomura
Byte Information eXchange: jimomura
Bryan_Jone...@cup.portal.com
>edges. You also need a fairly new TV set since the system is from
>Japan. You have to tune into channel 69 or 70.
Ugg, what if you have an old rotary-dial TV set that only goes from U-13??
You have to use the Super Fami on a remote controlled television?
This is fine, since I can still play it in the living room. but that means
no more playing in my bedroom when my parents kick me out of the lroom!!
Thomas Rockwell
On games avialible on the Super Famicon....
Populous
Actlaser
Final Fight
SM4
Gradius III
Pilot Wings
F-Zero
And a bunch more on the way... A store here in columbus is selling it and
will soon be renting it.... It looks pretty hot...
Tom Chiang
>Japan. You have to tune into channel 69 or 70.
>
.....i think i can shed some light here....in japan, television
frequencies are different than they are in the U.S.....for example,
ch 2 is not the same frequency as it is here in the U.S....so if u
play a japanese machine over here, it won't work unless you use RCA
jacks for direct video/audio connection....or u can convert the the
channel 3 or 4 signal from the machine into an *american* channel 2 or
3 signal and then play by turning your tv to that channel...a device
that does that is called a multiplexor and is what i use to play my
famicom in the united states...unfortunately, the famicom didn't come
with audio/video RCA output....
...the fact that the quoted post above says that the tv must be tuned
to channel 69 or 70 implies that these channels are the equivalent of
the japanese channel 3 or 4 frequencies....*OR* the store is using a
multiplexor but not telling the customer....so the customer rents the
system, goes home, and realizes that he can't play the thing...
...the moral to the above is to be very careful when buying japanese
audio & video products....don't think that u can just buy something in
japan and it'll work here...do some research...
console cowboy
The Unknown User
In article <37...@cup.portal.com> Bryan_Jone...@cup.portal.com writes:
>Nick Poulos says,
>>edges. You also need a fairly new TV set since the system is from
>>Japan. You have to tune into channel 69 or 70.
>Ugg, what if you have an old rotary-dial TV set that only goes from U-13??
>You have to use the Super Fami on a remote controlled television?
The "U" stands for UHF, and there's another rotary dial that
goes from 14-83!
Sorry to be so darn sarcastic.. There aren't actually TVs that only
have VHF on them are there?! If so, the "U" is pointless.
Basically, Bryan, from what I gather, it doesn't matter HOW
you tune into channel 69 or 70, just do it.. (I can see no plausible
reason WHY it would matter how you tuned into channel 69 or 70)
By the way, this is more appropriate for rec.arts.tv, but this
discussion made me think of it.. Does anyone live somewhere where there
-is- a channel 83??? With remote controlled TVs, going to high UHF
channels is no big deal... But with a rotary dial TV (i.e. old fashioned!
heh), it'd be a royal pain in the butt... Here there are channels 65 and 66,
one of 'em's a stupid home shopping channel (that only operates part time I
think), and the other's a stupid religious channel.
--
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The Unknown User
In article <1991Jan10....@lsuc.on.ca> jimo...@lsuc.on.ca (Jim Omura) writes:
> The first 16 bit game console was the Intellivision, based
>on a General Instruments chip which was, as far as I know, essentially
>the same TI-9900 family as the Texas Instruments computer. Nobody
>would consider these processors "contemporary" or "power equivalents"
>to the 68010 or 80286 chips which are about average (lower end of
>average really) for what we think of when we talk about common
>"16 bit" processors. It all makes me wonder if the SuperFamicom
>is much more than a fancy plastic box with more RAM. Why the secrecy?
Well, the 65816 is a common 16 bit processor too, and used in a
lot of things from what I've heard..
It's in the Apple IIGS (of course I'd know that.. see my .sig!),
and I believe a few of the videogame consoles.... Actually, it seems I've
heard that the Super Famicom might have a 65816 in it..
Also, the 6502 line (including the '816 I believe) is the only
processor approved for human implantation! Cool, huh?
Jim Lick
>.....i think i can shed some light here....in japan, television
>frequencies are different than they are in the U.S.....for example,
>...the fact that the quoted post above says that the tv must be tuned
>to channel 69 or 70 implies that these channels are the equivalent of
>the japanese channel 3 or 4 frequencies....*OR* the store is using a
It is indeed true that the Japanese VHF channels are at different
frequencies than US channels. They are roughly in the same range as
the US channels, though off by enough that most US equipment won't
get any of those channels, and some will be able to tune a handful of
them.
However, the UHF channels use frequencies that are off by one channel
from the US version, so you just have to tune the channels off by
one and it'll work. I suspect that the reason they support channel
69 or 70 operation is that this is more standard throughout the world
than a low channel number.
Jim Lick
Work: University of California | Home: 6657 El Colegio #24
Santa Barbara | Isla Vista, CA 93117-4280
Dept. of Mechanical Engr. | (805) 968-0189 voice/msg
2311 Engr II Building | (805) 968-1239 data
(805) 893-4113 | (805) 968-2734 fax
j...@ferkel.ucsb.edu | Soon: j...@cave.sba.ca.us
Parik Rao
the Super Famicom/Nintendo SFX uses a 65816, a 16
bit CPU that can emulate the 6502 w/o any slowdown.
Nintendo has plans to release a module for the SFX
that lets it run old nintendo software. Thats in
Japan anyways; the USA version may come with it
built in (wiser move). Talk also of the unit
attaching to a standard Nintendo instead of
releasing a whole new machine.
Anyways, if anyone is going to CES, stop by the
Nintendo booth. They may be showing it. I'll be
there tommorow to sneak into the hidden nintendo &
sega (Game Gear & CD-ROM will be shown!) booths.
--
____________________________________________________________________________
| |
| Parik Rao, Univ. of California Santa Barbara... 6600...@ucsbuxa.ucsb.edu |
|_America Online:AFA Parik_______________________________________GEnie:P.RAO_|
Bryan_Jone...@cup.portal.com
>>edges. You also need a fairly new TV set since the system is from
>>Japan. You have to tune into channel 69 or 70.
>>Ugg, what if you have an old rotary-dial TV set that only goes from
>>U-13?? You have to use the Super Fami on a remote controlled
>>television?
>The "U" stands for UHF, and there's another rotary dial that goes
>from 14-83!Sorry to be so darn sarcastic.. There aren't actually TVs
>that only have VHF on them are there?!
Thanks, when he said "69 or 70" I thought he meant like on the DIAl not
UHF :)
Bryan_Jone...@cup.portal.com
Dave Taylor
> Anyways, if anyone is going to CES, stop by the Nintendo booth. They
> may be showing it. I'll be there tommorow to sneak into the hidden
> nintendo & sega (Game Gear & CD-ROM will be shown!) booths.
Well, the Super Famicom wasn't exactly hidden, actually, but I did get
to have a private demonstration of the unit by the head of Nintendo PR
at Hill & Knowlton. :-) We saw four different titles, F ZERO (a race
car game with some pretty awesome real-time 3d scaling), Super Mario 4
(a nice, "safe" step from Mario 3) a 'flying simulation' type game, and
a fourth title that escapes me.
The titles I saw reminded me of the first Genesis titles; the graphics
were primitive and, while you could see the potential of the unit, the
programmers were far too rushed to actually craft fine games yet. The
sound, as I've said in a previous posting, absolutely blows away the
Genesis (which I think has the best sound of any current home unit).
The Sega Game Gear was on open display, as was the new $99 smaller Lynx
from Atari. The two, in fact, were pretty damn similar looking. Columns
on the Game Gear (which it comes with) was nice, and the other titles
being shown (five? six?) were pretty slick too. Buuutttt... do you REALLY
want to buy yet another set of incompatible cartridges? I don't...
If you saw a CDROM unit for the Genesis, then you've some astounding
contacts, Parik. Mark Smotroff, the head of PR for the Genesis line,
said that there was nothing of the sort available, let alone at the
show. On the other hand, Sonic the Hedgehog, a new title for the Genesis
probably this summer, will be HOT HOT HOT. It's a FANTASTIC title that's
reminiscent of Mario/Bonk, but with stunning graphics and blindingly fast
scrolling. An amazing game, and a super demonstration of just what
the Genesis is capable of doing, too. Definitely the best adventure
exporation video game I've ever seen, it looks like terrific fun!
Bonk II looked cool too, Bomberman should be a hit, and the Cinemaware
TG16 titles looked terrific too. Cinemaware said "It Came From the
Desert" should be out for TG16 CDROM by this summer too.
The NEC "Sherlock Holmes Consulting Detective" CDROM game introduction
party was fun too, though not too well scheduled. But more in another
posting... :-)
-- Dave Taylor
Intuitive Systems
Mountain View, California
tay...@limbo.intuitive.com or {uunet!}{decwrl,apple}!limbo!taylor