Generation NEX is a Famiclone (Famicom/NES hardware clone) released by Messiah Entertainment, Inc. in 2005. The machine is designed to play most games released for the Famicom and its overseas equivalent, the Nintendo Entertainment System, with the system possessing both 60-pin and 72-pin cartridge slots for games made for the respective systems. It was first announced by Messiah Entertainment in May 2005, with the official press release made around that time touting it as a modern upgrade of the NES with integrated support for wireless controllers and stereo audio.[1]
Messiah Entertainment's official compatibility list states that the system is compatible with 97.25% of NES games released in the United States. Twenty-one NES games are listed as not compatible, including Castlevania III. The compatibility list is disputed[2]; while there are claims from some that the NEX is faithful to the original NES, others claim that the replication of picture and sound is inaccurate and that some games have additional glitches when played on the NEX. While Messiah Entertainment claimed that the Generation NEX used a custom-designed IC, allegedly "built on the NES algorithm", schematics for the console from an FCC filing as well as labelling on the PCB of the released device mention a "VT03"[3][4], which is a known Famiclone hardware solution produced by Taiwanese company V.R. Technology with various enhancements that add advanced graphics modes and sound capabilities. The schematics in particular label one of the pinouts of the "VT03" CPU as "ONEBUS" (the name of the proprietary mapper used in VTxx systems starting with the VT02), confirming it to be the same as the V.R. Technology product. It is unclear if the VT03 ended up being used in the final product. The system also features a single UMC UM62256EM-70LL SRAM chip, the exact function of which is unknown.
The Generation NEX has its own wireless technology and therefore supports the Wireless NEX Controllers and a Wireless Arcade Stick. The NEX's two controller ports supports original NES controllers and other original accessories.
This system has pseudo-stereo sound capability which can be programmed into future games. Supported titles still play in dual mono since the NES only supports mono sound. The Generation NEX's technical documents were never released, causing this to become an unused feature.
Trivia[]
- The Generation NEX's name is a portmanteau of Generation X and Nintendo Entertainment System.[citation needed]
References[]
- ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20050809011131/http://www.playmessiah.com/onlinestore/gnex_faq.htm
- ↑ http://jdralphs.com/2009/01/19/updated-unofficial-generation-nex-compatibility-guide/ (dead link)
- ↑ "Schematics" exhibit included in FCC record filed under ID "SFD-M1983-B" (mirror is available here)
- ↑ https://hackaday.com/2020/05/11/teardown-generation-nex/
External links[]
- Satoshi Matrix Review
- IGN.com Product Review (9.5 out of 10)
- Game World Network Review
- Vintage Computing and Gaming Review (4 out of 10)
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