FC Mobile 2 II as playpower platform?
Recently, I came across the FC Mobile 2 produced by Hyperkin:
http://hyperkin.com/index.php/retro-gaming/retro-system-fc-mobile-i...
Also available in Black, this is battery powered and has an in-built screen. Downside is the "wireless" (actually proprietary IR) controllers are a bit flakey, according to reviews, and it has no mouse or keyboard. However, it might be worth investigating as being battery powered and self contained, it could be powered by solar rechargeable batteries. It's hard to get in the UK - only ebay imports, which is rather expensive, but is about $50. With some hardware hacking to add mouse and keyboard (often the Subor provided "built in" ones are variable in quality, so having a separate peripheral would allow swapping in and possibly refurbished PC keyboards and mice might be possible) this could be a viable option for the cheap computer in areas with variable power supply.
Here are some related links for anyone interested in looking into this:
http://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-Make-a-Portable-Game-System for creating portable versions from existing hardware
http://www.metacafe.com/watch/2831899/fc_mobile_ii_unboxing_review_... a hands on review(ish) for the FC Mobile 2
http://videogamesdiva.com/FC-Mobile-2-II-NES-Portable/M/B0027ESBCG.htm appears to be the cheapest supplier I can find at $39
I'm reticent to order one from the USA, but it might be worth someone investigating... If we can get Hyperkin to look at pricing, this might with some extra stuff be a good option.
Mike
Tags: 2, battery, built-in, fc, mobile, powered, rechargeable, screen, solar
Views: 32
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Harrison Lee on -
I actually did see a portable NES a couple of days ago. I don't know how difficult it was to build one, but maybe a manufacturer could make portable Famiclones for cheap.
Dr. Mike Reddy said:Looking at the specs for these, two things occur to me:
1) All of the alternatives to the FC have "built in" games. Presumably, there is a ROM on the motherboard, which would be very difficult to extract/reprogram with our own offerings without major surgery.
2) None of the alternatives to the FC, except for the Matashi, have more than the built in games. The Matashi and the FC have slots for Nintendo cartridges, which means that modding is less invasive, and there is space inside the casing for bespoke circuits, etc.
The FC also has external controllers, using IR even if some report this to be a bit flaky, which potentially gives the option for several interesting mods:
a) wireless keyboard and mouse
b) RF modem support
c) IR beaming between devices
d) multiple users
BUT these are unproven concepts, and light guns go out the window, unless hooked up to a CRT TV.
I am going to buy an FC and open it up to see what options there are...
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Permalink Reply by Joshua Dean Lane on -
If it's difficult to build one that's one of the factors that will discourage the chinese manufacturers from making a cheap, portable famiclone, especially one with mouse and keyboard support. But you know, the Chinese have essentially been pirating the same system since 1983 so eventually there are going to be some price drops in even the portable famiclone technology. But keep in mind that the intention of the Chinese manufacturers is profit.
Harrison Lee said:I actually did see a portable NES a couple of days ago. I don't know how difficult it was to build one, but maybe a manufacturer could make portable Famiclones for cheap.
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Permalink Reply by Scott A. Williams on
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I found this recently, a $4 famiclone from Japan
article at wired
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Permalink Reply by Dr. Mike Reddy on -
OK, well I now have an FC Mobile II, which not surprisingly is manufactured in China. So, the terrible cost from the USA plus the £21 british sterling I had to pay customs :-( could probably be avoided. The device is really well put together. It works pretty well, with good button action and the wireless controllers work fine. Next step is trying to create a compatible keyboard that uses the wireless link by hacking one of the controllers; they are hard coded at the console end to feed into the NES clone, as the controllers themselves are marked 1 and 2 but seem functionally identical. Maybe it is what IR codes are being sent that identify the controllers, which would be a software fix. This may mean that the IR protocol would find it hard to cope with a keyboard, but a good deal of reverse engineering is necessary first...
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Permalink Reply by Wily's Apprentice on -
I'll be very interested to hear about your progress on this one - I've often wondered whether the otherwise "novelty" Famiclones - such as the handheld types, or the astonishingly common kind that come as a gamepad with the system guts inside (which I notice one seller is offering on eBay UK for £6.99 including postage at the moment - the item number is 400146645009 at the time of writing) - like that can feasibly be reworked into something more useful.
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Permalink Reply by Dr. Mike Reddy on
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http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d.html/ref=mp_bxgy_p_dp_y?a=B000LP4JRY gives a customer review of the SCART version, which isn't promising. There is a "better" wireless version called Superjoy III.
wikipedia gives an interesting legal history:
http://www.google.co.uk/m/url?client=safari&ei=jKp0TLj8CMa4jAfp...
They won't be buying this in the USA!
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Permalink Reply by Wily's Apprentice on
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Wow, that review is harsh!
As for the legal history, I remember the 2004 search warrant stuff getting some minor news coverage on the internet, way back when. I've always been surprised that they never went after the TV shopping channels that were selling similar devices (under a different brand) globally at around the same time.
Also, looking at the photograph, that light-gun would probably get someone in trouble! (Well, ok, the bright green one might not.)
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