Generation Nex
Though I’ve been meaning to buy one for a while (they came off backorder last month), I finally placed my order at Messiah Entertainment for my Generation Nex last Sunday. Well they didn’t mess around, and I received it Thursday.
The packaging is really cool. In fact, it was so small, I originally thought it was the sweet Firefox t-shirt I had ordered from the Mozilla Foundation on the same day. Much like the iPod Nano, the system looks small in pictures, but it doesn’t really hit you til you have one in your hands. It’s also all very high quality. You get the system, a brochure for other Messiah products, RCA cables, the tiny little power adapter, and a super cool instruction manual that’s die-cut to look like an NES cartridge. The manual comes in a sleeve cut to look like the original cartridge sleeves, and includes an NES/Famicom price guide in the back, as well as the full-color, comic book-style instructions. All of this is packaged in a tidy little clear plastic sleeve with the Generation Nex logo printed on it.
The system itself claims 95% compatibility with NES and Famicom games (it loads both), 2.4ghz wireless technology for Messiah’s wireless NES controllers, dual mono sound, and backwards compatibility with all original NES peripherals. The wired controller packaged with the system is sleek, but I still prefer my dogbone. They have shifted the start and select buttons up above A and B, filling the old Start/Select locations with Turbo and Slow buttons, which are touch-sensitive. I thought it would be cool if the Slow feature actually slowed the game down (perhaps by clocking the system down?) but it’s the same “slow-mo” feature the NES used for years: Pressing start REALLY fast, which doesn’t really work if start brings up a map or something. The turbo feature is a little better than, say, the turbo feature on the NES Advantage, aside from not being able to adjust the speed. You press the turbo button once, which makes the controller’s built-in LED flash. You can then press any button you would like to perform turbo, and then press the turbo button again, effectively “programming” which buttons you would like turbo-d. They have also added A/B shoulder buttons, but odds are, you’re already very comfortable playing your NES titles with A and B where they are.
I tried several games, and as long as your cartridges are clean, you should be in for a hassle-free NES experience. The Generation NEX performs more reliably than my original NES, whose 72-pin connector I replaced a little less than a year ago. It’s not perfect, but I think if I had a decent storage solution for my NES cartridges to keep them clean, I wouldn’t have any problem. The games I tried played perfectly well, but Messiah has a compatibility list on their site. While most of the non-functional titles are obscure, often unlicensed carts (Aladdin carts have trouble), a couple mainstream titles don’t function, either. A couple notable non-compatibilities are both versions of Gauntlet, Rad Racer, and Castlevania III. Also note that the Genration Nex is NOT based on the NES-on-a-chip that 99% (all?) of other NES clones like the SuperJoy are based on.
Their compatibility list isn’t super detailed, however, and I noticed the main issue with compatibility is sound replication. The first game I tried was Super Mario Bros., which played perfectly, but the sound was noticably different. Not in a bad way, but the sound was definitely different. It’s not enough to bother you, but other games had worse sound issues. I specifically wanted to try Ninja Gaiden III (which Messiah lists as “compatible”), because I knew that the game really pushes the NES’ sound hardware. I was right. On the Generation Nex, Ninja Gaiden III’s sound is SO obnoxious I couldn’t stand playing it with the sound up. The game itself plays perfectly fine. On the other side of the coin, Renegade, which they list as “incompatible”, works perfectly fine. THANK GOD. On a side note, I don’t like how much it feels like you’re forcing the cartridge into the slot. I got used to the difference between the NES and the Nex’s connections, but I still feel like I’m going to snap a cartridge sometimes.
So even with a couple compatibility issues, the Generation Nex is the best NES clone on the market, and probably the first one that you could realistically replace your original NES with. Unlike every other clone I’ve seen/played, it doesn’t look or feel poorly constructed, nor does it feel like a “black market” item. In fact, several major game retailers should be carrying the system soon, so unlike other NES clones, you don’t have to go to an open-air market in Turkey or a Mexican flea market to purchase it.
December 10th, 2005 at 2:38 pm
Firefox t-shirt for the win! If that shirt doesn’t get you laid, I don’t know what will.
Generation Nex looks pretty damn cool. I just might have to get one myself.
December 10th, 2005 at 2:45 pm
Yeah, that Firefox shirt is incredible. It got me laid YEARS before I even bought it!