Nintendo Famicom or Sharp Famicom - which is better?

[FamicomRetroGamer]

Anyone with one of these two or both could give an opinion about which is better.

Sharp has Disk System incorporated and it's 2-in-1 however Nintendo Famicom looks more stylish than Sharp's version.

Does the Sharp edition have AV at the back?

[nintendodork]

Yes, it's mono AV, but nonetheless it's AV.  I think an actual Famicom/FDS is better than a regular Twin, but if you get a green/black one with longer cords and turbo, I suppose that one is the best.

[ericj]

I have both and like them each for different reasons. I like the Twin because it's both units in one, has only one AC adapter to plug in, has AV output, plus it's been really reliable.  I like the Famicom & standalone drive because I can use them to write and dump disks and use game doctor units, which is hard to do with the Twin since the ram adapter & disk drive parts are internal. The Twin can still be used with a standalone disk drive by plugging the ram into the cart slot, but the smaller original Famicom is easier to move around.

[satoshi_matrix]

haha, wow I just wrote a comment for JewWario and here you are wondering the same thing! Time for some copy pasta:

The AV Famicom is easily the best version of the system. I too own a Twin Famicom, but it's half FDS, and that's just as hardware failure prone as the original red one. The only advantage the Twin has over the original Famicom is composite video out jacks like the NES has.

How often do you use the FDS part? If you don't use it often, then you're really taking up extra space for no reason when you could have a small sleek AV Famicom. You can use any NES controller from the boxy original to the NES2 dogbone to the Advantage as well as any Famicom DB-15 controller through the side port. The AV Famicom uses the same Multi-out AV cable as the SNES/N64/GC. The unit is small and reliable, and mine has been modded the hell out of - it includes an LED power light, NES Zapper support, and an overclock switch to switch from 1.79 MHz to 2.50 MHz. It might cost as much as a Twin, but its a much smarter buy.

Even if you do play FDS often and thus need your Twin, I still recommend the Powerpak and an AV Famicom. The Powerpak can also run single disk FDS games all without the worry of the dreaded Error codes or your desk belt melting. Add to that you can play translations of many FDS games, the games automatically flip sides for you and they load much quicker.

The only downside to running FDS games on the Powerpak is that the Powerpak itself is NES 72 pin based, meaning that the extra audio channels produced get lost in transmission when using an unmodified adapter. This can be corrected by soldering two resistors along some pins of your NES to Famicom adapter so its  not really a big deal.

If you do it this way, you can still buy your FDS games and keep them in great shape without the wear and tear while still fully enjoying them on the Powerpak.

[NintendoKing]

The AV Famicom is easily the best version of the system.

Muahaha! Indeed, it is the best Famicom out there. I used to be a big fan of the original but now that I own the AV "NEW" Famicom, I will never look back on the past.

It actually saddens me that its even better then my NES-101 Toploader video signal wise. I still love my NES-101 more though, because I am a huge NES gamer.
But man, the AV Famicom is so much awesomeness.

[satoshi_matrix]

If you were up to the tedious work, you could swap the connectors of the two consoles to allow your AV Famicom to naively accept NES games. It would be a lot of work though.

[FamicomRetroGamer]

Can someone clarify me if Famicom AV is free region? Meaning does it play NTSC/PAL format games?

I don't know where I read it.

[nintendodork]

If you've the proper converter, the Famicom, Sharp Twin, and AV Famicom will play any game you put in it.

[NintendoKing]

Yes, AV Famicom along with original Famicom, Twin Famicom and the NES-101 Toploader are all region free but you need to get a pin converter because 72 pins and 60 pins dont like to converse without a merger.

[Xious]

I have to side with the Sharp systems, although you are dropping a few from the line-up. I think it's best to cover the major benefits and drawbacks and let you decide for yourself.

Famicom 1st Release: Same as 2nd Release, except controllers have rubber, square A/B buttons. These were produced only for a short time and Nintendo quickly changed to the round, hard-plastic buttons that they have used ever since.
Additional drawbacks over 2nd release: Buttons are mushy and catch at corners when pressed.

Famicom 2nd Release: The common FC unit, produced until 1993/4.
Benefits: The ultimate, classic, iconic design; Common and available; Eject button decreases wear on games; Wired controllers can't be lost; Microphone on II controller for games that support it.
Drawbacks: FDS requires constant plugging-in and ejecting; Does not have A/V output (without modification); Short wires on controllers; No Power LED; Requires two PSUs, or one PSU and batteries for FDS; Adding Player II Expansion controller requires multi-tap.

Sharp Famicom AN-500: The standard Twin Famicom, comes in Red and Black colourations.
Benefits: Stylish, professional design and multiple colour schemes, Built-in FDS, Instantly switch between cartridge and FDS modes, without having to remove FDS hardware; RF and A/V out; Wired controllers can't be lost; Microphone on II controller for games that support it; LED indicator for system power; large Power & Reset buttons; Eject button decreases wear on game cartridges; one PSU.
Drawbacks: Controller wires are short; Adding Player II Expansion controller requires multi-tap.

Sharp Famicom AN-505: The upgraded model with built-in Turbo buttons.
Benefits: Stylish, professional design and multiple colour schemes; Turbo buttons on wired controllers; Built-in FDS, Instantly switch between cartridge and FDS modes, without having to remove FDS hardware; RF and A/V out; Wired controllers can't be lost; Microphone on II controller for games that support it; LED indicator for system power; large Power & Reset buttons; Eject button decreases wear on game cartridges; one PSU.
Drawbacks: Controller wires are short; Adding Player II Expansion controller requires multi-tap.

Sharp Famicom AN-510: This is the Video Titler Famicom and allows for easy recording of Famicom games, and for Gen-Locking of on-screen writing. It does not have an FDS and therefore the only benefits over the standard FC are: Can easily make professional videos and demos of games using this console; Professional model case.

Sharp C1 series (14CC1R & 17CC1R, etc.): This is the Famicom built into a monitor. It has direct RGB output and special controls for making images for publication. It has the standard benefits and drawbacks of the 2nd Release Famicom plus: RGB video output; Special industrial video controls; front-loading cartridge slot; integrated RGB monitor.
Drawbacks: Large, heavy and rare.

Famicom A/V: The New-Type Famicom released in 1994.
Benefits: NES-type controller ports allow for use of American controllers. Direct A/V output.
Drawbacks: FDS requires constant plugging-in and ejecting; Does not have RF output (without modification); Possible to lose controllers (does not natively support USA Zapper light gun); No Power LED; Requires two PSUs, or one PSU and batteries for FDS; No microphone means no support for microphone functions in games such as 'Zelda no Densetsu'; No eject button means heavier (uneven) wear on cartridges; no Power LED.

I will also mention clones:
Famicom clones benefits: Cheap and easily found.
Drawbacks: Poorly built, easily broken; Incompatible with many gamed; May not support FDS; May not support other expansion devices or controllers.

I think the Sharp AN-500/505 series has the most benefits and the fewest drawbacks, and I use an AN-500R as my primary system for these reasons. Your mileage may vary.

-Xious

[satoshi_matrix]

The last option is to use an emulator on either a PC or a console.

main emulator advantages:

-totally eliminate the wear and tear on your cartridges
-turbo fire options
-HD support
-savestates and digital SRAM.

main emulator disadvantages
-depending on your set up, you probably can't use real NES/FC controllers. There are all sorts of adapters for this purpose however.
-You loose the physicality of the act of putting in a cartridge and hitting the power button to hope it works.

[FamicomFreak]

From what I played on, I haven't tried the sharp, but I have tried the original Famicom and the AV Famicom. AV Famicom is a weiner! lol

[Strider_Hiryu]

My opinion obout my systems:

Famicom: Cool Design (the best), but i don´t like the RF output.

AV Famicom: it has a perfect size and video quality. The best version for gaming purposes.

Sharp Twin famicom: It´s cool have a two-in-one unit so you don´t have to mess around with wires,adaptors and other bullshit. I like the first model, i own the black model but the red is great. Good video output BUT the AV famicom one is better.

[lkermel]

I share the same feeling about the old Famicom - I own a couple of them and the RF output is a pain. I play most of my Famicom games on a unofficcial console called the Famulator - it runs really well and has been fairly reliable so far... I would love to get my hands on a AV Famicom, but they're a bit too pricey... Finally, I  LOVE my Sharp Twin famicom and it is a really cool and fun unit.

[NintendoKing]

I share the same feeling about the old Famicom - I own a couple of them and the RF output is a pain. I play most of my Famicom games on a unofficcial console called the Famulator - it runs really well and has been fairly reliable so far... I would love to get my hands on a AV Famicom, but they're a bit too pricey... Finally, I  LOVE my Sharp Twin famicom and it is a really cool and fun unit.

I only paid $95 shipped, for mine. You just need to search a bit and you will find a reasonable price AV Famicom.