Nintendo ceases hardware support for Famicom, other aging platforms

by James Ransom-Wiley { Oct 17th 2007 at 10:00PM }

The next time your 'Fami' freezes up, blow as you might, it could be all over. Then again, it's nearly 2008; maybe it's time for an upgrade. Indeed, Nintendo of Japan is encouraging just that by ceasing hardware support for Famicom, Super Famicom, Nintendo 64, Gameboy and Gameboy Pocket due to a scarcity of repair parts.

It's remarkable that Nintendo's been able to service its pioneering platform for 24 long years. But, alas, nothing lasts forever. So long, Famicom. (Psst, this is when you bow your head for a moment of silence...)

[Via Arcade Renaissance]

Tags: famicom, nes, nintendo

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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

blooh (CDF - Nipple Ring) @ Oct 17th 2007 10:04PM

why's that nintendo pink?

i miss those old gray boxes we had to blow in like crazy to get to work :)

Nick Ritch @ Oct 17th 2007 10:43PM

That's a Famicom, the japanese version of the NES.

plyx @ Oct 17th 2007 11:34PM

It's actually beige colored. Q-tips and rubbing alcohol are a much better alternative to blowing on the cartridges.

Joshua @ Oct 17th 2007 11:51PM

And that Famicom is red.

Blast Processing Megadrive @ Oct 18th 2007 12:12AM

Famicoms are red and white. These two look a bit faded... And modded.

ssuk @ Oct 18th 2007 6:39AM

It's actually more of a dark clarat colour.

Burnt Meatloaf @ Oct 17th 2007 10:09PM

Thankfully, the NES is a very solid machine. The cart connector is the only weak point.

Mine still works like new, which is more than what I can say about my constantly overheating Playstation 1 (last time I bought a system at launch).

marcandrer @ Oct 17th 2007 10:27PM

yeah the cart reader can be a b!t[h but you can easily find one on ebay so it's no problem :)

plyx @ Oct 17th 2007 11:35PM

I have brand-new replacement heads. I get them from a company called MCM.

Blast Processing Megadrive @ Oct 18th 2007 12:06AM

@marcandrer:
You can say "bitch" here. You don't need to censor yourself. :P

dan stabbingworth @ Oct 17th 2007 10:14PM

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fc_twin

Combining the two greatest systems of all time into one orgasmic package.

Rubang B (NDF - Heart) @ Oct 17th 2007 10:40PM

And they're finally legal to produce (as of just a few years ago), so you can actually trust these fuckers nowadays.

plyx @ Oct 17th 2007 11:42PM

I carry those in my store. They're great except for the fact they wont play some of the later NES titles that used the special copy-protect chip (Castlevania 3, etc.) One other drawback is that the controller ports are SNES compatible which keeps you from plugging in a Zapper and any other NES accessories.

plyx @ Oct 17th 2007 11:53PM

I sell those in my store and they sell like crazy. One problem they have is they won't play Castlevania 3 (and a few others) due to some copy-protect chip in the cartridge. The other drawback is that because they have SNES controller ports, you can't plug a Zapper or any other NES accessories into them.

Blast Processing Megadrive @ Oct 18th 2007 12:09AM

I don't like Famiclones, due to their usage of NES-on-a-chip. While it seems nice on paper, the fact is you don't get as good of a result from playing from a real machine. The picture is usually fuzzier, and the sound is usually off-sounding. Plus, some games just won't work at all with them.

BananaBoat @ Oct 17th 2007 10:18PM

It's red, adjust your computer. This is the version of the NES that released in Japan, and was later re-designed to look like less of a toy for the American market.

At this point, if you call Nintendo for help fixing your NES, they should be obligated to email you an emulator and roms for all of your games. You deserve them soldier.

Andre @ Oct 17th 2007 10:33PM

Nintendo has always been good at supporting their older consoles. You can still order Super Nintendo AV cables and N64 controllers (grey only) brand new from Nintendo though their online store.

Rubang B (NDF - Heart) @ Oct 17th 2007 10:46PM

3 years ago when my NES finally died, I called Nintendo and told them the 72 pin connector had corroded, and they said that's the problem 99% of the time, and it comes from PEOPLE BLOWING ON THE GAMES. DO NOT BLOW INTO YOUR CARTRIDGES PEOPLE. You get those connectors wet, and then they corrode, and then the system doesn't work. If you're going to clean it, for fuck's sake dry the thing off. Q-tip with rubbing alcohol, THEN, Q-tip withOUT rubbing alcohol to dry it. Works every time without slowly rotting your system.

Anyway, since they could tell I knew what I was talking about, they mailed me a 72 pin connector for free. It took just a few minutes to install (a few minutes because I had to find a screwdriver), and it's worked like 1985 for the last 3 years. It's sad to see the support come to an end, but that's one hell of a bar to set.

Flyy (NDF) @ Oct 17th 2007 10:57PM

Lies...blowing on the cartridge is a time-honored ritual.

capt_carl @ Oct 17th 2007 11:34PM

@Flyy

It's my childhood.

Anticrawl @ Oct 18th 2007 2:17AM

I dunno about you guys but even when I was 4 I knew better than to blow on something ran by electricity. I figured out quickly that rubbing alcohol on a q-tip worked best despite it warning against it on the back of the cart.

NIN @ Oct 19th 2007 3:03AM

so you mean when i go back to play on my 21 year old nes it really isnt working? it's just my imagination? hmm been doing this since i got it (when i was 5, am 26 now) and whenever i get a hankering to play it i still blow in it and cartridges and it still works great. so do the other 2 nes consoles i saved from dumpster heaven (no i'm not a dumpster diver, got them from relatives) over the past few years.

so if you blow and end up spraying a little tiny bit of spit on it which happens to be pretty much only water, it'll make stuff corrode? but if you put rubbing alcohol which happens to be 70% alcohol and 30% WATER it's not gonna hurt anything?

i'll take my chances with the blowing thing, i'm pretty sure i can blow on a cartridge without very much spit coming out. you must be one of them people that spit all over people when you talk to them, i'll keep away from you.

Rubang B (NDF - Heart) @ Oct 18th 2007 3:28AM

Them's fightin' words.

Farseer (GDI) @ Oct 18th 2007 10:28AM

No matter how you cut it, the human exhalation contains water vapor (even with a severe case of cotton-mouth). Alcohol evaporates much, much quicker than water (which is why hand sanitizing liquids contain mostly alcohol). If you blow on any electronic equipment, you introduce corrosion to sensitive parts.

You can always use canned air if you are afraid of rubbing alcohol, but the alcohol will do a much better job of cleaning the contacts. Blow on it at your own risk.

CaptainAmericaX @ Oct 17th 2007 10:59PM

I love Nintendo...

Thanks for the good tech support over the years and I agree that its time to let it go...

Mighty Shockwave @ Oct 17th 2007 11:23PM

A bit too late for me. I've already turned my old system into clocks, VCR's, planting pots, abstract works of art, and a gravity gun. The only reason I would ever need this return service would be for my Wii should it ever break down, but I've been stockpiling on duct tape, so I think I'm covered.

Blast Processing Megadrive @ Oct 18th 2007 12:11AM

Gravity gun? I turned my spare NES into a portal gun. Much more useful.

timnc @ Oct 17th 2007 11:54PM

Holy crap you mean they've been supporting the old systems all this time? That's awesome customer service, and now I have a new respect for Nintendo. Maybe they'll fix my Wii in 2011.

holyice7 @ Oct 18th 2007 12:02AM

They cut repairs for all those systems at the same time? Seems like they should go for the 24 year mark on all of those.

Though I suppose one can't complain; that level of dedication to the customer seems unmatched these days.

Psaakyrn @ Oct 18th 2007 1:34AM

Cutting repairs all at the same time, because of scarcity of repair parts.... generally means the repair parts for all of these are the same. (granted, the repair part may just be cartridge based and not processor hardware... but doesn't the GBA play GB carts?)

Tamyu @ Oct 18th 2007 3:41AM

No, more like it means that the small producer they were using for the repair parts - most likely the same place that they`ve been buying them from since the Famicon was originally released - closed.

Japan has this thing with utilizing a lot of really really tiny producers (family run businesses with less than 5 employees) for specialized parts. When grandpa dies, if there isn`t a huge amount of demand, the business closes. I`m going to guess that is probably what has happened in this case.
The demand is so small that it`s just not worth finding someone else to produce the specialized parts.