Downloadable content comes to the NES, sort of

It's not exactly the most elegant solution, but those looking to bring their still-kickin' NES a little (and we stress little) more in line with current-gen consoles now have a new option at their disposal, with the freshly-made Glider cart now offering downloadable content of sorts. To take advantage of that feature, however, you'll also need to snag yourself a USB CopyNES board (available for $70), which requires some cutting and soldering in order to be wrangled into your NES. If you're able to do that without doing some irreparable damage, you'll be able to connect your NES to your PC via USB and download new levels for Glider, which can be offloaded directly to the game thanks to its use of flashable cart. Not exactly the sort of thing that'll result in a spike of NES console sales on eBay, to be sure, but just imagine what your 1980s self would have thought of it.

[Via Gemaga, thanks J]

[Mo @ Apr 8th 2008 11:49AM]

Hmm... Kinda seems useless...but thats just me

[analyzewithin @ Apr 8th 2008 11:56AM]

Pretty much.. Although if you wanted to have something no one else has, this might do it.

[RoboDan @ Apr 8th 2008 12:15PM]

Not for 35-year-olds stuck living in their parents' basement, eating half-defrosted pizza pops by the box, who still have and play their NES daily.

So inconsiderate...

[Bobs @ Apr 8th 2008 11:51AM]

Now lets wait for the SNES Live! cart and achevement system

[1980s self @ Apr 8th 2008 12:03PM]

My 1980s self would have thought, What the hell is the internet? How do I use a computer?

[Chuckles McGee @ Apr 8th 2008 12:36PM]

My 80s self: Gosh darn the graphics are so good on Super Mario 3. This Powerglove is so bad.

[Lars @ Apr 8th 2008 2:40PM]

My 80's self would have told you the internet is BBS's. You use a computer by typing in BASIC to your Apple which you would then lose when you turned it off. But for BBS access it's all about the IBM XT. Screaming fast 8088 processor (whopping 4MHz), COLOR monitor, internal hard drive... Awesome to the max.

[Taylor @ Apr 8th 2008 6:30PM]

I'm so ahead of the times, i had an Xbox360 and Halo 3 in the 80's, but no one was on live, so it was kinda weak.
Also, in the 80's I was 6, at best.
-Taylor

[Tim @ Apr 8th 2008 12:03PM]

I still have an original nes, and it gets more play than the ps3. The simplicity of the system (8 button controller) along with the basic yet entertaining games is why it is still so popular. It would ruin that appeal to bring a computer and soldering iron into the mix, for me anyways.

just my two cents.

[Panhandler @ Apr 8th 2008 12:21PM]

GOLF.

"mmmMMMMM...MMMMmmmm. OB OB OB."

[Anonymoose @ Apr 8th 2008 12:29PM]

it looks like the simplicity of the system matches your mind.

[Anonymoose @ Apr 8th 2008 12:32PM]

actually, tecmo super bowl might still be the greatest football game ever made. the original zelda is probably my favorite out of all its incarnations. actually, ice hockey was da mad bombz yo, too.

[CubeGuy @ Apr 8th 2008 4:15PM]

8 buttons? What kind of NES controller do you have? =P

[Tim @ Apr 8th 2008 4:24PM]

1. up
2. down
3. left
4. right
5. select
6. start
7. B
8. A
9. byatch

[Tim @ Apr 9th 2008 3:00PM]

Some people just make me mad.

[Acerguy @ Apr 8th 2008 12:06PM]

But can it play Doom?

[Conor @ Apr 8th 2008 12:23PM]

You should be thoroughly ashamed of yourself.

[Geoffrey Sperl @ Apr 8th 2008 12:30PM]

8-bit Doom. Now that's a game I would buy on the Virtual Console.

Any WiiWare developers out there? ;)

[chrisaroz @ Apr 8th 2008 12:10PM]

Seems to me that someone should be able to make a flashable cartridge that could simply download games to directly and bypass that whole break your NES thing.

[Tim @ Apr 8th 2008 12:25PM]

I was peeping the read link, as they say, and noticed a usb adaptor for nes controllers. I am going to pick up a netbook of some type soon (that hp is looking pretty good) and may drop the 20 bucks to use a nes controller on it with nes roms. That, for me, is the ideal solution.

[tribalmasters @ Apr 8th 2008 1:14PM]

Tototek make a load of flash carts for older consoles www.tototek.com They must make a NES one too I'm sure :-)

[Matthew @ Apr 8th 2008 12:17PM]

Finally! I've been waiting 23 years for online NES content.

[Geoffrey Sperl @ Apr 8th 2008 12:28PM]

Your 1980s self would not be using a USB cable, though. It would be a null modem cable attached to serial ports on the NES and the PC... and it would be a DOS or Apple II program to handle the downloading, I bet. Maybe a later version would work under System 6 on the Mac.

Now there's a project: Could someone come up with a way to download this stuff using serial ports on an 80's computer and an NES using dial-up over a Hayes Smartmodem? That would make my 80's self realize what we were missing, but not this.

[Anonymoose @ Apr 8th 2008 12:30PM]

the lolcats just called and said that question is getting old.

[Anonymoose @ Apr 8th 2008 12:31PM]

that was supposed to be a reply to doom boy. i guess engadget is making me press reply twice before it will actually stick.

[EMoShunz @ Apr 8th 2008 12:32PM]

awesome idea. if my nes didn't crap out on me i'd totally buy this. mind you i have kids now and own a wii for which i d/l nes games anyway...

[trigger @ Apr 8th 2008 12:43PM]

I'd love to see what Nintendo had in mind with the connector port on the bottom of the NES. I think I remember reading somewhere about a modem that connected to a particular states lottery system. Maybe they could revise this so that it doesn't require soldering and just uses the comm port on the bottom.

[Linoth @ Apr 8th 2008 12:51PM]

"just imagine what your 1980s self would have thought of it."

"What the hell is this you ess bee stuff? And I need WHICH version of Windows? Will that run on a Tandy 286?"

[Good_Bytes @ Apr 8th 2008 1:01PM]

Wonderful! but it's a tad too late...
However, like it is said, better late then never ;)

[Good_Bytes @ Apr 8th 2008 1:03PM]

Correction:
but = But
then = than

Sorry!

[phanbouy @ Apr 8th 2008 1:21PM]

misspellings are fair game, but capitalizations? pfffffffft!!!

[Good_Bytes @ Apr 8th 2008 1:26PM]

I know! I am a hopeless case!

[jon @ Apr 8th 2008 1:43PM]

why did someone link this stupid copynes-based thing instead of the real gem:

http://www.retrousb.com/index.php?productID=133

compact flash based cart that lets you load ALL your games onto one cartridge. lots of functionality, no custom hardware required. i might have to get one of these myself considering half my games have stopped working.

[Hooterman @ Apr 8th 2008 4:09PM]

I've yet to see that cart in stock. I've been checking that page every so often for the past year or so too.

[Grant @ Apr 8th 2008 1:45PM]

"...but just imagine what your 1980s self would have thought of it."

Man, $70 would buy a lot of parachute pants.

[FGL82 @ Apr 8th 2008 2:09PM]

My eighties/beginning of the nineties self: "Wow! this game look almost like the arcade version! Oh, if only consoles had that kind of graphic power... oh well..."

[Anonymoose @ Apr 8th 2008 2:48PM]

i believe $70 would also buy you MC Hammer

[Zorque @ Apr 8th 2008 3:40PM]

Is this the same Glider that used to be on Mac, because I love that game. I keep my old Performa around just to play that (and Math Blaster!).

[Mike @ Apr 8th 2008 3:46PM]

Thanks... but ill stick to my emulator >.>

[eMpTy @ Apr 9th 2008 6:18AM]

I'm guesssing you are a spamming mofo

[Tim @ Apr 9th 2008 12:28PM]

That was just shameless. You didn't even try to hide the fact you were spamming.

Brass balls = +1
Being a dick w/ those balls = -2

(+1)+(-2)=FAIL