cyber-familator
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Familator taken out for a test-Familate
We are still fascinated by this gigantic, impractical Famicom cartridge adapter. That's why we were delighted when GAME Watch picked up one of CYBER Gadget's CYBER Familator Lite adapters and tested it out, taking plenty of pictures during the process. Unsurprisingly, but still sadly, the various issues with the device make it a suboptimal method of playing Famicom games.Most notably, you can't plug a second controller in, meaning also that the Famicom microphone (which is embeded in the player 2 controller) cannot be used. Also, the system can't hook up to the Famicom Disk System. The Familator also suffers compatibility issues with a few games, including Bases Loaded.GAME Watch did a side-by-side comparison of the Familator's TV output of Xevious to the Wii's Virtual Console version of the same game, and found that the colors and the sound were inferior, even without taking into account the Wii's ability to use component and D-terminal connections. Battery life was, of course, also an issue.None of these concerns are exactly dealbreakers, but even as a novelty it would be hard to justify the expense of such an item without excellent performance.
CYBER Familator Lite: Faminow available
The CYBER Familator has been described as "... unique ..." , "neat", and "Nomad-sized" by our commenters. And now we'll finally get an opportunity to purchase this critically-acclaimed item. Starting tomorrow, NCSX will offer the DS Lite Famicom adapter for $68. Yes, you could easily load up a bunch of ROMs on a Flash card or whatever, but you shouldn't. Whenever possible, we do enjoy having an option for retrogaming that doesn't involve violating copyright. And anyway, if you're looking at this huge thing in terms of its real-world utility, you kind of missed the point. This item is fully in "wacky contraption" territory.
Famicom adapter makes the DS useful
Finally, we can stop playing all those awful DS and Game Boy Advance games on our DS Lite. Really, we like the hardware, but we want to play real games on the thing. Like Final Fantasy III, Dragon Quest IV, and Ys, not whatever's out on the DS. We're sure you feel the same way.That's why we think CYBER Gadget's CYBER Familator Lite is so great. Based on their CYBER Familator "Famiclone," It plugs into the DS's GBA slot and allows the system to play genuine (and pirate, we suppose) Famicom cartridges. And, with the right Gyromite cartridge, it'll play American games too. It even has TV out, making it a fully functional Famicom!It'll be out in Japan next month, but CYBER Gadget has yet to announce the price. The amazing name will probably bump it up an extra 1000 yen or so. Familator.
