Recommended modifications
NES – Remove region lock:
https://www.consolesunleashed.com/guides/nintendo-entertainment-system-region-free-mod-install-guide/
Easy and cheap mod to be able to play both PAL-A and PAL-B games on the same machine. (you can also play NTSC-games, but they will be run in 50hz). I recommend doing the version of the mod where you solder two wires to the PCB instead of just cutting the leg off the chip – it’s fully reversible and you don’t risk to scratch off any traces when doing the mod.
NES – Remove region lock on controller-ports:
https://consolemods.org/wiki/NES:Region_Free_Controller_Mods
Another easy and cheap mod, only needs to be done on PAL NES that’s not marked SCN.
NES Fourscore – Remove region lock on european models:
http://www.wanderinghuman.com/blog/archives/000126.html
Fourscores that are marked with NESE-034 are region locked to only work with european controllers, but there is an easy fix that just involves a few resistors!
Famicom – Composite mod:
https://8bitplus.co.uk/projects/famicom-av-mod-nintendo/
This is not the best guide out there, but it works. There are some options when it comes to modding your Famicom – this one is the cheapest and one of the easiest, since it reuses the lifted transistor, but it’s not the best image quality. If you want better image quality, there is another mod that use the exact same components as the AV Famicom. Or you could just skip the Famicom and get an AV Famicom instead 🙂
AV Famicom – Make Zapper work:
https://famicomworld.com/workshop/tech/nes-zapper-on-av-famicom/
Out of the box, the NES Zapper won’t work on the AV Famicom even though the controller fits fine. This is a very easy and cheap mod, so no reason to NOT do it, really.
NES and Famicom – RGB-mod:
You will have to buy a special mod to make this, so I won’t put up any direct links.
There is mainly 3 options: Lava RGB for about $50, etims NESRGB for about $70 and the solderless RGB Blaster for about $150. Before buying one of them – make sure they really work with your version of NES / Famicom. Also they are not super easy to install, so may not be so good for an unexperienced modder.
Buying guide / variants
Everybody know of the Nintendo Entertainment System, right? But here’s some more things about it that is good to know before getting one!
There are a couple of variants of it. Here in Europe we only got the toaster model with a 72 pin connector that all have RF out on the back and composite 50hz PAL video on the side BUT they are not all the same!
Here in Sweden, we got the one that is marked as SCN on the underside – key features on this model is that the controller ports are region free and it can be run by an AC-power adapter (do NOT use this adapter to any other NES).
In Germany, and many other European countries, the NES was marked with NOE – this model can only use controllers marked NES-004E (I’ll make a separate post on how to fix this). And it’s being powered by a DC-adapter.
France got a version that has the same video port as SNES on the back (multi out) that outputs RGB-scart-video. However, it’s not a clear RGB-signal – instead there is a (rather poor) internal conversion of the composite video signal to RGB, so it looks pretty much the same as any other composite signal and not at all as good as the newer, real RGB-mods that are out there.
These all play games marked PAL-B
Then there’s Great Britain that got a version that only play games marked PAL-A
Then comes the American / Canadian versions – they output 60Hz NTSC video and has the same 72 pin as the european NES. There were both a toaster model and a top loader-model released. These consoles play games marked with REV A.
Japan did not get a toaster model at all, and they aren’t even called NES over there. It’s Famicom! The Famicom also came in a couple of different models and they all output 60Hz NTSC video and have a 60 pin connector.
The first Famicom only outputs a Japanese RF-signal as default, which most TV-sets outside Japan can’t handle. As a result of this they are often composite modded, to add composite video output from them. They also have two controllers with quite short cords hardwired to the console, which looks good but isn’t very practical. There is a connector on the side where you can plug in a controller made for the Famicom (it doesn’t have the same connector as any other NES-controllers) – you can then use that controller to play _most_ games. Some games won’t let you use that controller as a player 1-controller.
Later on the AV-Famicom was released with new design. It looks the same as the American top-loader version, but with different cart-connector and also had controller ports and composite video out right from the box. So if you want to play original Famicom games, I really recommend getting an AV-Famicom.
The Famicoms are only region locked by having a different connector – so you can play any game by using a 72 pin -> 60 pin adapter.
There is also a third alternative to Famicom: Sharp Twin Famicom. It’s a bit bulky, but it’s a Famicom with built-in Famicom Disk System with good composite video output.
Region locks
As I mentioned before the NES is region locked so you can only play games from certain regions by default. But it’s quite easy to disable this lock.
However, even if you make your NES region free, it won’t change the screen frequency of your console. There is a solution to this, but it’s not worth it, if you ask me. If you want to use your 50hz console to play in 60hz, you will have to swap out the CPU and PPU with the chips from a 60Hz-console. Mods have been made to add both sets of chips in one machine so you can select what frequency to use, but it’s a bit of a hazzle and requires original CPU & PPU chips from both a PAL and an NTSC unit.
Play all games
I got myself an SCN PAL NES and an AV-Famicom, so I can play in both 50Hz with 72 Pins and 60Hz with 60 pins and also share the same controllers between the units. There are also cheap pin-converters that can be bought on AliExpress or some retro game stores. Look for 72 -> 60 pin and 60 -> 72 pin adapter.
With a region modded console and adapter you can play any original game you want!