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Everyone who knows anything about Famicom knows about the FamicomBox and FamicomStation. Those systems were for use in stores and hotels, allowing a gamer to select between 10 or 15 games to play. And anyone who knows anything about Japanese gaming knows that gamers like to make their own custom-built gaming consoles.
Here we have the Video Station, combining the Japanese love for building consoles with the design of the FamicomBox or FamicomStation. The neat thing about this one is it’s entirely custom-built, not an easy feat.
The big knob you see at the center allows you to switch between six different games. The games are all inside on separate boards, like having six Famicom consoles inside. The game you’ve switched to is indicated by a light above the title, which are listed on those orange and white labels. It’s got controllers borrowed from a Famicom, and there are Power and Reset buttons. The dude who made this went all out…but wait till you see the inside.
Inside is where things get messy, but it’s still freaking cool to see. If you look closely enough, you’ll see that the dude combined six pin connectors with a single Famicom board. He’s even got the original AC adaptor in there! The controller cords and AC adaptor cord very neatly go through holes on the sides of the system. He has vent holes and even a lock. A custom-built console doesn’t get much nicer than that. I wonder how it hooks up to a television.
Custom-built consoles, like this Video Station, don’t sell for much, especially untested. You could probably find one for less than $50.
