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1989 promo shows the 'Terminator' NES game that never was
The very first game based on The Terminator was supposed to be an NES side-scroller from Sunsoft, but it never panned out that way. The company lost the movie license and reworked the game into what would become Journey to Silius. However, evidence of what that game looked like was seemingly lost to the ages... until now. Gaming Alexandria has obtained a promo video Sunsoft made to advertise the Terminator game at winter CES 1989, offering a rare peek at what the title was supposed to look like.
Jon Fingas07.08.2019
Switch Online adds 'Punch-Out' and 'Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels'
Nintendo's ever-growing library of NES classics that are playable on Switch will add two more entries on the 10th: Punch-Out!!!, Star Soldier and Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels. Punch-Out!!! swaps in Mr. Dream for the game's original boss Mike Tyson -- hopefully without the Wii's scaling-induced lag issues on HDTVs and with all of the Easter eggs -- while SMB: The Lost Levels makes the original 8-bit release (which was released in Japan as SMB 2) playable, but now with easy cloud saves so you don't have to call your brother to get past a tough level. Star Soldier is a classic scrolling shoot-em-up, and all of them will be available if you subscribe to Switch Online. As a reminder, if you have Amazon Prime, you can unlock a free year of access via Twitch, whether or not you've already paid for online service to the console.
Richard Lawler04.02.2019
‘Kid Icarus’ and ‘StarTropics’ come to the Nintendo Switch next week
Nintendo is adding a pair of vintage NES games to its Switch Online library next Wednesday. Starting on March 13th, you'll be able to play Kid Icarus and StarTropics on the online service. Kid Icarus, which was released in North America in 1987, has assembled a sizeable cult following over the years and fans have called for a sequel. Nintendo, for its part, hasn't totally put the platformer to bed, though updates have been rare. Kid Icarus: Uprising for 3DS, released in 2012, received a warm reception from critics who welcomed the revival of the franchise.
Amrita Khalid03.06.2019
A pristine 'Super Mario Bros.' cartridge sold for over $100,000
Despite classic video games now being readily available online and on throwback mini consoles, rare physical copies are still fetching big bucks. The latest record-breaking collector's item is a sealed copy of Super Mario Bros. that just sold for $100,150, according to Kotaku, which experts claim is the highest-price ever paid for a single game.
Saqib Shah02.15.2019
Nintendo’s Switch NES gamepads are an unnecessary blast from the past
How much would you pay to be transported back into the 8-bit era? Nintendo already gave us a taste of nostalgia with the $60 NES Classic, and now it's offering a similar experience with a pair of NES controllers for the Switch. The big downsides: They also cost $60 and they're only available for Switch Online subscribers. And, not that this comes as a surprise, they're practically useless outside of NES games on the Switch.
Devindra Hardawar12.29.2018
Dive into the long lost SimCity NES port
SimCity on the Super Nintendo was groundbreaking -- it managed to combine the joy of simulated city building that Mac and Amiga gamers enjoyed into a family-friendly console title that anyone could play. But did you know Maxis and Nintendo also had an NES version in the works, too? Last year, two prototype cartridges of the NES SimCity appeared at the Portland Retro Gaming Expo, and Frank Cifaldi of the Video Game History Foundation snagged a digital copy. As a fitting Christmas gift to the gaming world, he published a deep dive into the history of the long lost game, which also covers the ways it differs from the SNES version we're all familiar with, as well as a NES ROM for emulators.
Devindra Hardawar12.25.2018
Nintendo warns it won't make more retro NES and SNES consoles
Just because Nintendo revived the NES Classic doesn't mean you'll have the luxury of buying a retro console whenever you'd like. In a chat with the Hollywood Reporter, the company's Reggie Fils-Aime warned that the NES Classic and SNES Classic will sell in the Americas through the holidays, but will be "gone" once they sell out. If you want to walk down memory lane after that, you'll have to take advantage of the games that come with Switch Online.
Jon Fingas12.14.2018
‘Ninja Gaiden’ and other NES classics are coming to Switch Online
The NES games keep coming as an added incentive to get you to sign up to Nintendo's Switch Online subscription service, aside from online play and cloud saves, of course. A trio of new titles have been announced today: side-scrolling action-platformer Ninja Gaiden, Tetris-style puzzler Wario's Woods (featuring Wario and Toad) and Adventures of Lolo, which bundles together puzzles from the Eggerland series. All three will be available on December 12th and Nintendo is also pledging to bring more NES games to Switch Online in January.
Saqib Shah12.05.2018
Bit Brigade, the rock band that plays classic NES games on-stage
Bit Brigade could be more famous if they wanted to be. They're a five-man rock band, but one of their members doesn't play an instrument -- instead, he speedruns through a classic NES game while the remaining four bandmates play its soundtrack, live and completely attuned to the pixelated action projected above the stage. Bit Brigade has a built-in audience of nerds and nostalgia fiends, especially in an era dominated by live streaming, but they don't even have a Twitch channel. There is a YouTube page named "bitbrigade," but it has just four videos, all of which are more than 10 years old.
Jessica Conditt11.08.2018
The Playstation Classic is $100 worth of '90s nostalgia
All that's old will be new again this Festivus, if the Playstation Classic is any indication. On Tuesday, Engadget headed down to Sony Interactive Studios in San Mateo, California for an early look at what is shaping up to be one of the hottest items of the holidays.
Andrew Tarantola11.08.2018
8BitDo’s Bluetooth mod kits put retired controllers back to work
The mini-console trend isn't just a case of repackaging classic, beloved games and cashing in on our shared retrophilia. There's also a practical reason for their existence: Most old consoles are incompatible with today's TVs. Unless you've held on to a CRT, you've got no choice but to seek out special signal converters or, more likely, let your best childhood friend gather dust in a closet. But there is a middle ground. With 8BitDo's $20 mod kits, you can, at least, give those classic controllers a new lease on life by repurposing them for the Bluetooth era.
Jamie Rigg11.06.2018
Analogue's Mega Sg sounds like the ultimate Sega Genesis
Analogue, the retro console manufacturer behind the Nt Mini and Super Nt, excellent modern NES and SNES reproductions, is now bringing back a seminal '90s rival. The company has announced the Mega Sg, a Sega Genesis, Mega Drive and Master System recreation that can play over 2,180 classic cartridges. Unlike other retro console clones, Analogue, as its name suggests, doesn't use emulation methods. Rather, the company opts to use an Altera Cyclone V FPGA chip to ensure 100 percent compatibility -- and so that games can be played exactly how they were intended. It's not the exact chip used in the Genesis, but using an FPGA chip that runs off HDL (hardware description language), it can essentially be any other chip. It's a solution that bypasses emulation through an operating system, to connect and speak directly between game cartridge and motherboard.
Imad Khan10.16.2018
Nintendo Switch Online now includes an easier version of 'Zelda'
Nintendo had previously said that three new games would arrive on its instant-access NES catalogue today, and it's delivered on its promise -- and then some. In addition to the anticipated Solomon's Key, NES Open Tournament Golf and Super Dodge Ball, Nintendo's also released a fourth game -- a hyped-up spin on a Zelda classic.
Rachel England10.10.2018
After Math: To infinity... and Taiwan!
Apparently, this was the week to shoot for the Moon, in some ways more literally than others. SpaceX announced on Monday that it'd found its first Guinea Pi- I mean "paying customer" for a slingshot sightseeing trip around the far edge of la luna and back. 3D-printed guns' strongest advocate made a break for the hills (of Taiwan) after being accused of sexually assaulting a 16-year-old, Telltale Studios told virtually all of its employees to start looking for alternative employment opportunities, and Amazon is hawking a bargain-basement microwave because they'll put a digital assistant in anything these days.
Andrew Tarantola09.23.2018
Switch NES emulator already hacked to run unofficial games
Nintendo Switch Online has barely been live a day and hackers have already had their way with it. According to a modder who goes by the name KapuccinoHeck, it's pretty easy to load your own ROMs onto a hacked Switch and play them directly through the NES emulator, which comes as part of the $20-a-year service.
Rachel England09.20.2018
Nintendo unveils $60 wireless NES controllers for the Switch
If you want a classic NES gameplay experience on the Switch, be prepared to shell out $60. Nintendo announced new wireless NES controllers today as an exclusive for subscribers of the Switch's online service. From what we can tell from the Nintendo Direct presentation, they seem to be an accurate rendition of the classic console gamepads. But even though they charge on the Switch in dock mode, they don't work as Joy-Cons. (You can probably figure that out since they both have proper directional pads.) You can pre-order the Switch NES controllers on September 18th, and Nintendo says shipments will start in December. Naturally, they'll want to get these out by the holidays.
Devindra Hardawar09.13.2018
Make your classic gamepads wireless with 8BitDo's DIY kits
8BitDo will happily sell you wireless controllers that are vaguely similar to classic gamepads of yore, but it clearly can't sell you the real deal without invoking massive copyright battles. It can, however, offer you the next best thing. The company is now selling mod kits that add Bluetooth wireless to original NES, SNES, Super Famicom and Mega Drive controllers. You don't need a soldering iron or a toolbox -- so long as you're comfortable opening a vintage gamepad in the first place, you'll have everything you need (including a lithium-ion battery) to avoid stringing cords across the room.
Jon Fingas07.17.2018
8BitDo put a handy home button on its NES Classic wireless controller
To celebrate Nintendo re-issuing the NES Classic Edition, 8Bitdo has revamped its wireless retro controller to match. The new version -- dubbed "N30 2.4G Wireless Controller for NES Classic Edition" -- boasts a different button layout (a square rather than a cross), rechargeable battery and now it has a dedicated home button to get you back to the micro-console's main menu. The new gamepad will set you back $24.99 when it's released this August 20th, and pre-orders are available right now. Happy gaming!
Timothy J. Seppala06.29.2018
Cloud saves are coming to Nintendo Switch this September
Nintendo has finally revealed more details about its long-awaited Switch Online service. In addition to giving you access to NES games adapted for the console, the service will also come with cloud-based backup -- a much-requested feature that will give you access to saves in case you lose or break your device, or in case you buy a new Switch. The subscription service will set you back $4 per month, $8 for three months or $20 for a year and will launch with 20 NES titles you can play either online or offline.
Mariella Moon05.08.2018
Watch this streamer accidentally break a 'Tetris' world record
As the old saying goes, if at first you don't succeed, try again. Or, if you're Jonas Neubauer (AKA NubbinsGoody), break a different world record instead. The NES Tetris maestro was trying to break the world record for speed-clearing 100 lines in the classic 80s game and was doing alright until he made a minor error (a basically negligible whoopsie for most players, at that) and lost his focus. "That was a fast 300,000" he says casually, before checking his Twitch comments and then realising that yeah, it was a fast 300,000. Fast enough to earn him the world record for hitting the score in under two minutes, in fact. And understandably, he's pretty excited. And the 100 lines record? He broke it the next day.
Rachel England01.03.2018