NES Gaming - bliss. (pics)

[Scream And Fly]

I owe a special thanks to Doug at Player-2 for scoring me this beautiful NES top loader. Because of this, playing all my NES carts is fun again. I have many toaster decks, but I got sick of them. I wish the image quality of the NES top loader was better, but it's fine and I feel like 10 years old again!

[savageone]

The NES top loading model can be modified to support RCA output. I didn't know about this until fairly recently, I'm not sure if there is anyone out there that offers the mod for a fee or how difficult the mod actually is. You may want to check in to that as the RF only output has always been the big downside to the top loader.

I've had many top loaders and toaster style NES systems over the years and, despite popular opinion, I've found that the top loaders really don't work any better than a toaster system with a new set of pins (and preferably with the lockout chip neutered). On the other hand the dogbone controller is fantastic. I haven't used the original NES pad in years. Dogbone for life!

[Scream And Fly]

Yeah, I read about the AV mods for this console. I would rather not mod it, since I do have several toasters I could use if I wanted an AV console. My only issue is the vertical banding that's present on the screen. From what I read, it's normal for the NES-2 console, due to the poor RF output. THAT is annoying more than anything.

You are right though, the top loader is certainly not immune to cart-loading issues. If the cart wobbles at all, the game locks up. I still love this little machine though.

The NES top loading model can be modified to support RCA output. I didn't know about this until fairly recently, I'm not sure if there is anyone out there that offers the mod for a fee or how difficult the mod actually is. You may want to check in to that as the RF only output has always been the big downside to the top loader.

I've had many top loaders and toaster style NES systems over the years and, despite popular opinion, I've found that the top loaders really don't work any better than a toaster system with a new set of pins (and preferably with the lockout chip neutered). On the other hand the dogbone controller is fantastic. I haven't used the original NES pad in years. Dogbone for life!

[SkiDragon]

I hear that the AV mod does not remove the bands. I have a top loader. It was fun for a while but after the initial novelty I switched back to the toaster with RCA cables.

[Daria]

I don't get it. The picture quality is shit and that band is annoying. What's so blissful about Top Loaders anyway?

Not a jab at the original poster... I just don't get why these systems are in demand.

[-_-Nintendo-_-]

I don't get it. The picture quality is shit and that band is annoying. What's so blissful about Top Loaders anyway?

Not a jab at the original poster... I just don't get why these systems are in demand.

Probably because it does not take 20 minutes to try and start a game unlike the first model

[InsaneDavid]

Probably because it does not take 20 minutes to try and start a game unlike the first model

Doesn't matter, dirty cartridges and dirty connectors will make a game fail regardless of which NES model you use. If it takes 20 minutes to get a game to load on a toaster, the same game will probably crash after starting instantly on a top loader. You have to clean your cartridges and system connectors, plain and simple. I'll never understand why a majority of the very technically minded people that make portable NES systems, NES hacks, etc. say that the reason they did so is because their NES is broken because it's "binky." Just clean the damn things. Regular maintenance is part of classic gaming.

I've had a top loader in the past, got it for $5. Just as the OP has said, when you first get it you play the crap out of it. It's new, it's cool. But many, same as I did, get tired of the lines on the image and end up going back to the toaster. Hell, I've always used RF (in my mind that's how it's meant to be played) with my toaster and I prefer it over anything else, picture is way better than the top loader. The one thing I did enjoy was having one of my custom Famicom to NES converters permanently residing in my top loader, I basically had a $5 Famicom that worked on channel 3 and used my standard NES controllers. And as SkiDragon said, a composite AV mod doesn't make the lines go away - if anything it just makes them sharper and stand out more.

Of course I ended up selling the system - for $40 shipped to user smokexx here at DP. Told you guys that I'm open to low offers when I list stuff in my Buying and Selling thread.

[XYXZYZ]

I owe a special thanks to Doug at Player-2

Are you in Huntsville, AL?

Anyway, good move on rediscovering NES. Best video game system EVAR.

[Garry Silljo]

I don't get it. The picture quality is shit and that band is annoying. What's so blissful about Top Loaders anyway?

Not a jab at the original poster... I just don't get why these systems are in demand.

I have a top loader and I don't see this band everyone talks about. It works absolutely perfect with me, no problems or distortions at all.

[smokehouse]

I hear that the AV mod does not remove the bands. I have a top loader. It was fun for a while but after the initial novelty I switched back to the toaster with RCA cables.

Yup...

I too have a top load but I never use it...the output ont he toaster is just too good. I just swap a new 72-pin from time to time and I never have any problems (that and I use a separate deck for a Game Genie, it has a fat board which gaps the connector over time).

[smokehouse]

I have a top loader and I don't see this band everyone talks about. It works absolutely perfect with me, no problems or distortions at all.

I haven't hooked mine up in some time but if my memory serves me correctly, it's not a band...it's bands that run vertically across the screen. I immediately noticed it when I first got mine and thought something was wrong with it. It drives me nuts...possibly I'll snap a pic of it later.

[swlovinist]

There are pros and cons to using a Top Loader. I use both. I have an AV modded Top loader, but it still does not hold a stick to the AV quality of an original Toaster. To test games, I use my Top loader though, because it works on the first time every time

[TurboGenesis]

I currently use a Top Loader right now mainly because the Toaster does not have stereo sound Also my set up utilize the slim size of the Top Loader where the toaster was a bit wider. I pay $30 for my Top Loader back in 2003 in box so average deal I guess. My original concept was to allow my daughter to play NES with out the hassle of a using a toaster but heh she is rather play Genesis then and now she is enjoy the use of my GCN (playing SSBM right now!)

So yes, I use my Top Loader but I could go back to the Toaster I really do not care they are both fine to me. Some time I play game on the Super 8 but then some time I rather play with a NES controller than a SNES controller ^_^

[77punk]

I love my top loader as well. Never got one for years but finally ran into one, picked it up and its been heaven(without blowing) every time i go to play.

[NES_Rules]

I just keep my toaster's pins clean and I clean games as I buy them. Every game works the first time, I can even move the console with no problems. So, I really don't get what the big deal with toploaders is. But if I found one cheap, I'd still buy it. So far, the best deal I've seen is a loose one for $80.

[Aussie2B]

Nice, glad to see you're able to enjoy NES again.

Maybe I'm an oddity, but I got my top loader several years ago, and I STILL love the thing and use it as my primary machine. From everything I've heard over the years, I get the impression that the vertical bars are more visible with some top loaders than others (or maybe it's possible that the TV has some effect as well?) With mine, I barely notice them. I usually don't see them unless I'm playing an early title like Super Mario Bros. which have mostly solid colored backgrounds. Most of my playing is of games released in '87 or later, though, so the backgrounds are more detailed.

I think the biggest difference between me and other people who track down a top loader is that, while my toaster was giving me issues back in the day, my main reason for getting one was because trying to get my Famicom converter rig to work on a toaster was a nightmare. The top loader will always be valuable to me as a means to easily play Famicom games.

I do enjoy my toaster, though, and that's what I use when I'm on summer vacation and staying with family. It's not an option to use it the rest of the year since it stays at my mom's house, which on the other side of the country. However, perhaps one day when I get my entire collection in one location, maybe I'll start using the toaster more than the top loader.

[Starwander]

The NES top loading model can be modified to support RCA output. I didn't know about this until fairly recently, I'm not sure if there is anyone out there that offers the mod for a fee or how difficult the mod actually is. You may want to check in to that as the RF only output has always been the big downside to the top loader.

I've had many top loaders and toaster style NES systems over the years and, despite popular opinion, I've found that the top loaders really don't work any better than a toaster system with a new set of pins (and preferably with the lockout chip neutered). On the other hand the dogbone controller is fantastic. I haven't used the original NES pad in years. Dogbone for life!

If you are still looking for somebody to mod your system, shadowkn55 here at DP modded my NES Top Loader and he did one hell of a professional job

[FABombjoy]

There is a mod that doesn't have banding. I've modded a few with it and all turned out well.

The banding seems to be caused by the proximity of the PPU's video output trace to an adjacent data bus trace.

[dlopez9069]

The way I see it is who cares about the lines? The OP said it made him feel ten again to play it so why not go for the whole experience? The having to bang the side of the TV to watch anything and having to clean the heads on your VCR. Ahhh memories. But either way I prefer the toaster but hey congrats on the find.