![Linbonio NES Controller - [Original Nintendo NES system] Pack of 2](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/71qTqT3K5oL._AC_UL160_SR160,160_.jpg)
I bought this console for my girlfriend who has recently really fallen in love with old school games. I myself have been playing the original NES since 1987, and still regularly play NES games on an actual official top loader Nintendo, which is incredibly sturdy and reliable, unlike the original NES, so I've got a great deal of experience with the NES console and various controllers. So before giving this to her I put it through it's paces to make sure that it would function and be playable, since she's been playing on my licensed Nintendo and I don't want her to be disappointed. I played a great deal of games over several hours, a lot of which were on the super games 150 in 1 NES red cart, which obviously afforded me the ability to test the controller and visual/sound on a bunch of games really quickly without having to change the cartridge a thousand times. After that I cleaned my old NES cartridges with a Q-tip and hydrogen peroxide, because I've read several reviews about how tightly the connectors fit and how they can be finicky with reading dirty game carts, and I know for a fact that all of my 30 odd year old Nintendo games were less than factory clean. I didn't just turn the games on to see the title screen either. I played each game to see how the controller felt, judging response time and playability as well as to really take in what the games looked like running on this. So here is what I learned:
First thing you are going to notice when you crack open the box, which is pretty well packaged is that the system itself looks pretty slick. Nice black and red color motif (which looked really cool with both the red cart and the old school grays). It plus in using white and yellow avs, so that immediately is an improvement over my beloved top loader. No stereo sound, but the NES didn't run in stereo, so that's nothing to concern yourself with. The power brick is small, definitely smaller than the original's and shouldn't be a pain in your rump to plug into wherever your plugging it. I actually didn't use the retro's packed in ac adapter or av cables because I already had an AtGames Classic Sega hooked up to my tv and it uses basically the same stuff, so I just plugged those into the system, worked perfectly, no problems. The first negative thing that I can say about the console is that when you pick it up you are going to feel that it is not very thick plastic housing. It feels very thin and brittle, so I could see it breaking easily, unlike the Nintendo top loader, which has been though hell and honestly if you hit it with an SUV, I'd check the vehicle for frame damage before I worried about the Nintendo. If you've been around a Nintendo system from the SNES on (and the top loader was released post SNES launch) then you know these mothers are neigh invulnerable. The retro by comparison feels like a cheap piece of crap. Before going any further I'll say this: I have kids and I'm no stranger to letting them play classic consoles, because I believe you should know your roots, but this console might not be the best idea for a young child. If dropped from an appreciable height, I could see at the very least the housing breaking. However, it's not so flimsy that in the process of reasonable use I feel like it would fall apart. So if you are an adult or an older kid that takes care of their stuff and knows that you are playing a $15 console (so I mean, you can't expect the thing to be made of dolamite here), so you know not to bang it around unnecessarily, then I think you'll be more than fine. The controllers feel similarly thin, so if you get angry (because NES games can be absolute nightmares, which is part of the fun) and throw your controllers, you're likely to break these. The other durability issue, and this is the one that I'm honestly most worried about, is the connectors in the system grip if cartridges hard as hell, presumably to give you the best connection and therefore the best quality picture and sound. The carts fit tight to the point that is tough to pull some of them out. The reason why this is concerning is because I fear that the pins that touch the connectors could be yanked out of their spots and bent if you pull the carts out without being careful. If that happens, you've got a $15 paperweight. I was very careful about removing cartridges, and some took a lot of effort. This is my biggest issue with this console. So once again, young kids, who will just yank the games out unrepentantly to switch them, may be able to break this thing pretty quickly. I changed cartridges at least ten times, trying to be as gentle when removing them as possible and I checked the connectors every time after removal, because I was legitimately concerned with the pins getting torn up by the friction of the cartridge removal. I don't know if that is an issue with this console, this one was fine, but I was really careful, so really keep that in mind. Conversely I think nothing of pulling a game out of my top loader, with no worry of damaging the system, and I take care of my game systems, but once again, that top loader retailed for north of $200 when it came out in the early 90's, so it's fair to expect a level of durability from that system versus one I only paid $15 for.
Now that that's out of the way, the real question should be: How do the games look, sound and play? Well, in all honesty, amazing. The top loader is notorious for vertical scan lines that appear on the screen and if you were to look at it's image right next to, say, an old stick the game in the side and push it down "toaster" kind of NES, you'll also notice that the color is just a little less vibrant. The retro has none of these problems. No scan lines and the colors are very rich. The first game I played was my first game ever as a kid, Super Mario Bros., and I felt the colors might even have been a little over saturated, but then I played some of SMB3, Doctor Mario, Ninja Gaiden, and Batman to name a few and really the color and clarity were amazing. Definitely and without question better than my top loader. The over saturation feeling was just me being used to the top loader having poorer color to be quite honest. The sound is also really good. I think it might be better than the top loader in that department too, and I imagine that would be due to the top loader being strictly RF, running through coax (in fact I have to use an old vcr to convert the signal from coax to av to play the system on my HDTV), so that alone is going to make visual and sound quality less because you're running everything through one wire. The retro does not have that problem. So sound and visuals are excellent to be sure. I loved the way it looked, especially Batman, which has a lot of detail and color against a lot of dark black shades, especially for an 8-bit game, and mega man, which just looked beautiful. It was very bright and vibrant and the clear, line free, bright blue sky of the Cutman level looked great even compared to the game cube mega man anniversary collection version, which I've played to completion not more than a week ago. So visuals and sound are exceptional.
That brings us to the two packed in controllers. There are two, so you are ready for two player games right out of the box which is excellent. They have the a and b buttons, start and select, and above a and b you have aa and bb buttons, which are turbo buttons. A nifty little feature, especially when playing ball breaking games like silver surfer (watch the AVGN review if you don't know what I'm talking about). Also, above start and select there is a slow mo button. These buttons I've never really cared for, even when I was a kid. It essentially just pauses and unpauses the game repeatedly. It's not very useful in my experience and the show mo button is rather large and very close to the start and select buttons, making it easy to press accidentally in the heat of intense play and even playing casually, as I did in both circumstances several times while playing. The plastic of the controllers, like I said before, is thin and doesn't feel super sturdy, but they are very comfortable to hold, more so than a classic NES controller, and the buttons have a good tactile response to them when pressed and they work very very well. I felt like the response time between me pressing a button and then seeing the effect in the game was pitch perfect. The D-pad is "platter" style, like a Sega controller, so it's a big disk with the + raised in the center, rather than a Nintendo style cross. Let me say this, I hate platter style D-pads with a passion. Sega controllers suffered from this and are less accurate than Nintendo controllers and it's one of the main reasons I was always a Nintendo guy. Even now, I've spent extra money with my Xbox 360 to get the "transforming D-pad" controllers whenever I've needed a new one and I leave them locked in the cross d-pad and it still isn't as good as a traditional Nintendo true cross d-pad. That being said, the retro controllers platter style d-pad is honestly one of the most responsive and comfortable ones I've ever used on any controller. I had no issues, even with games that require demanding platforming, like late stage Mario or the intensely, sometimes unfairly, precise Ninja Gaiden. In fact, the controller as a whole was great. In some ways I like it more than the actual Nintendo controller. It's comfortable to hold and it's accurate and honestly, if you need replacement NES controllers, I'd say drop the $15 on this system and use these. It'll save you money and you'll get a free backup Nintendo. That's how much I liked them.
The cords for the controllers are entirely too short though, so if you are playing from further than maybe four or five feet, get yourself a cord extension. The retro also takes any NES controller. I tested my original licensed rectangle style one and it worked perfectly and also I tested the retro controller on my top loader, worked perfectly, no problems.
I played the same games on the top loader too immediately after, just to see a direct immediate comparison and like I said, visually the retro is better.
All in all this is a very very good console. It is a little brittle, but if you are careful with the game cartridges, you should be fine. Personally, I'm going to get my girlfriend a 150 in 1 cart of her own though, just for ease of use and because I want to limit the need to remove the cartridge to avoid screwing up the connector pins. So if you pick up a good multicart and this console, you could have a really nice set up for under $60. Can't beat that. I highly recommend this console as long as you keep in mind the durability concerns and you clean your cartridges of you're using old ones and not a shiny new red multicart. If you like classic NES games and you're on a really limited budget, this will definitely make you happy.
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Reviewed in the United States on August 13, 2016
Verified Purchase
It works!!! Finally I get to play on my 2d simple Mario bro's 3 game. Works with orig controllers too.
Reviewed in the United States on December 23, 2016Verified Purchase
Reviewed in the United States on March 28, 2017
Verified Purchase
I've had mine for about 5 months now and it still works just fine. All the games that I have for the ...
Reviewed in the United States on December 30, 2017Verified Purchase
Top reviews from other countries
Amazon Customer
The price is right but you'd be better off to get the HD version for more than just the HDMI
Reviewed in Canada on June 13, 2018Verified Purchase
Amazon Customer
NES A Blast From the Past
Reviewed in Canada on March 24, 2016Verified Purchase
Gabriel
Its good but
Reviewed in Canada on January 3, 2019Verified Purchase
Carlos T
Excelente consola
Reviewed in Mexico on March 16, 2016Verified Purchase
Brent
Nothing Special
Reviewed in Canada on January 6, 2013Verified Purchase
