Neo Fami
By: Justin Anderson

Pictures donated by Game Soft Inc.

SPECS: Size- 5 1/4" x 5 1/2" x 1 1/2"
POWER- Input: 120v 60Hz 4W
Output: 9VDC 200ma

The Neo Fami is the newest Famicom clone to hit the market, and probably the smallest (it is small enough to fit in a mailbox). The system is made by Gametech, no stranger to the Famiclone market. Recently, Yobo, though Game Soft Inc, has brought the Neo Fami to the US as the Neo FC Game Console.

The tiny size is the first thing of note. The specs above give an idea of just HOW small the system is. The system is also incredibly light, barely weighing a pound. The case is in black(the Neo Fami was available in black, and a red/white Famicom color scheme), with Yobo's name behind the cartridge slot. Both buttons are transparent white, and in one of the nicest features I've seen on a console, the power button lights up bright blue when turned on.

Okay, so it's a Famicom compatible system... so, what makes this so special? Well, decent AV output alone makes this system great. The Famicom lacked AV, the Famicom AV(top loader) is very hard to find, and the top loading NES, in addition to being expensive, lacks AV.

Note: AV output is excellent even with the included cables. Unfortunately, the higher-quality cables made by Monster and Acoustic research will not attach due to their larger, bulkier end shielding. Unless you wish to cut away at the surrounding plastic on the unit of course... I may see if Radio Shack carries gold-plated couplers to extend the slots. If you ask me, AV was better than the NES can do.

The system includes two controllers. Roughly the size of an NES controller, the feature the standard turbo and slow functions. The controllers are very good for non-Nintendo pads.

Famicom support is very nice. Fit nicely, worked nicely. My one and only Famicom cartridge, Lord of King (Astyanax), which has a larger cartridge housing than most FC games, worked without problem. That may be fine, but why would NES gamers care? Well, Yobo has manufactured a 72-60 pin converter for the system(and any Famicom) allowing full NES support.

How good is the converter, and NES support? NES support was just as good. Mighty Final Fight worked without problems. Athena, which hasn't worked in my NES even after replacing the connectors with new gold-plated connectors, worked just fine. Out of 53 games tested, 47 worked without hassle. The other 6 wouldn't work in an NES either as the contacts were far too corroded. Oh well, that's 6 dead games to replace(actually, I replaced 2 of those games, the replacement carts worked fine, so bump that working total to 49). As long as the game is in working condition, the game will work on this system. I have yet to encounter compatibility issues, even with Rare Company games, which are known for their hassles with a disabled NES lockout chip.

PAL games are supported on this system, as the lockout chip pin in the game goes to a dead ground point in the converter. The system itself has no lockout chip.

The Game Genie will work on this system, as the converter sticks the pin connector up far enough to not worry about the thing not fitting, unlike the cartridge slot on the toploader. Other such devices should fit without hassle as well since there is nothing in the way.

The included adaptor holds onto the game tighter than it fits into the system, so removing it is easy. The adaptor has no handle, but attaches to the cartridge tighter than it does to the system, so removing it is easy. You must remember to face the cartridge label back, however. I opened the converter. It simply leads the extra pins to dead ground points.

The only downside is that the controllers are the standard 9-pin Genesis type, meaning that the Zapper and other accessories will not work... yet. Game Soft will have a controlelr adaptor cable available soon to allow the Zapper and others to work(and as a side note to anyone still playing Gyromite, these controllers will not fit in the cradle, so you may want to wait for that adaptor). And while the NES controller adaptor has yet to see release, those wishing to play Zapper games will be able to use the gun from the Super Joy III. Though any Famiclone gun that uses the 9-pin connector should work as easily(though I have no way of knowing whether each gun works or not).

The system lacks the bottom expansion port, though that didn't do anything anyway. As to Famicom Disk System support, the cartridge slot sits far enough back to prevent the RAM adaptor from blocking the power buttons. The FDS works with the system without problem.

Now here we have the guts to a Neo Fami. Pulling off the 4 rubber feet uncovers the screws. Remove those and lift off the bottom to reveal the guts, attached to the top of the case. There are three main components- NES-on-a-chip (center) with 60-pin connector, AV outout/power (rear) and controller/switch board (front). The power button itself is a large piece with the LED inside and fit around a pole to slide, held in place by a screw which stops it from sliding off.

Removed and turned over, we can see better the top components. While there is hot glue, all the components are soldered. They did a good job, all things considered, though as we can see, lacquer spots and solder residue remain in places.

So can I recommend this system? Yes. It's a decent system. It was worth it to me to ditch the hassles of faulty NES pin connectors, at least.

-info, all scanned, and camera pictures for use on NES Player only