Would it be worth it to get a FDS?

[matorin57]

I am not sure if i should get an FDS. I see the advantages such as saves. Bu there are lots of erros brought along, and it can be quite a bit of money.
I am just not sure if it is worth the money.

[lobdale]

If you dig the history of it, sure!  I think it's fun.  Loose disks are pretty cheap and you can often get two games in one.  Also if you're a Nintendo fan, virtually every big franchise had its start on the Disk System: Zelda, Metroid, and Kid Icarus all began on the Disk System and all have enhanced sound (and saving for Metroid and Kid Icarus) over their NES versions.  Most FDS Nintendo-published games never came out on cart either and are pretty good, like Zelda 2, Super Mario Bros. 2, Volleyball, Ice Hockey, and Nazo no Murasame Jo.

You also have a variety of other good games like Doki Doki Panic, and the original Akumajou Dracula (Castlevania), with save support and unreleased on the Famicom until 1993 (now obscenely rare).  If you like Konami a lot of their games only came out on Disk System as well, like Gyruss, Green Beret, Akai Yousei, Moero Twinbee (though an expensive cart version was released later) and Bio Miracle Bokutte Upa (like Castlevania, a late-era Famicom release that is now absurdly expensive on cart but exceedingly cheap on disk).

All of that said, unless you really want to play the superior versions of those original Nintendo games, the third party support for the thing in the realm of cool games that are understandable to non-Japanese speakers is admittedly rather slim.  The drive itself can be finnicky, though I bought mine recently reconditioned for about forty bucks in a store in Osaka (and have had no problems with it).  It also runs on batteries, so you can plug a bunch of C-cells into it and let it live next to your Famicom.  It really depends how "complete" you want your setup to be, especially if you are into Nintendo themselves, as there's a period of time between 1986 and 1988 roughly where there were no cart-based games released by them at all.  It also looks really neat next to your OG Famicom, and clickin' the little yellow disks in there is fun.

Honestly, even though I want to unreservedly recommend it, it probably isn't the greatest bang-for-your-buck investment there is to be had, looking at it realistically... ultimately I suppose it's up to you.

[Jedi Master Baiter]

Get a PowerPak.

Then again, you'd be short-changed with the extra sound channel enhancement.

Then you've gotta ask yourself if modding your NES is worth it. Decisions, decisions.

[petik1]

Modding your NES for PowerPak extra sound is evasive and easy. you just have to connect two pins on the NES's expansion port with a capacitor and a resistor.

[Xious]

Even then, you aren't going to have true 'extra sound'. You gain partially implemented sound effects, but the PP does not replicate the FM sound of the FDS. Personally, I find the FDS and other obscure attachments to be a major point to owning a Famicom. Even if I only enjoy two titles, I still love the 3-D System as well. 

[P]

I agree! The FDS is probably the most important attachment for the Famicom as it is required to play many great games.

Besides lacking sound emulation, you can't manually swap disk sides with the power pak and it have problems with multi disk games or so I heard.

[chazbc24]

GET IT!

[UglyJoe]

If there are FDS games that you want to play, then it is worth getting.  Just make sure you buy a "tested working" model from a seller who knows what they're talking about.

[chazbc24]

the powerpak does such a shitty job of emulating extra channels. I was so disappointed when i heard FDS Zelda's intro.

[Parodius Duh]

Lets not forget all the FDS exclusive titles that kick major ass! Worth it alone for Armana No Kiseki and Ai Senshi Nicol!

[Xious]

'Almana no Kiseki' is one of the ones that I somehow dropped. It's on my list of the best games for the FC and NES, which is obscenely long, but not on my best of the FDS list.

I have to say that between the HW limitations and the fact that the FDS mappers are by Loopy (and not Brian, so they're neither official nor was loopy paid for them), the PP does an awesome job; just not uo to the spec of real HW, which is pretty much the base for any extra sound or exotic mapper title you may wish to run on it. The sound emulation is lacking, as I would expect: It could possibly be improved, but it's not an easy task.

You need to remember that Brian (of RetroUSB) did not plan to support the FDS at all initially, so the product was not designed around supporting extra sound, and it's a miracle that it does at all. Frankly, if it wasn't for Loopy, most of the games that we want to rn on it would be impossible, as Brian has no plans to extend the selection of mappers for it, and all new mappers must be made by outside people with no hope of making anything off their work...

Honestly, my biggest woe is its saving technique, as many times I forget to save properly and come back to a Zelda game during a demo night with a blank expression of grief. I often use it to demonstrate the FC and games at conventions and venues as a way to avoid lugging around a hundred games plus a system and attachments.