NES - Famicom Differences

Cartridge Connectors
Famicom - 60 pins

NES - 72 pins, Lockout chip in all licensed carts and lockout defeaters in all unlicensed carts

The Famicom and NES cartridge connectors provide the same signals with some exceptions.  The Famicom has an audio input pin and an audio output pin, see the next section.

The NES front loader has ten pins that run from the cartridge to the expansion port.  It uses four pins for the lockout chip and there is a pin that carries the 21MHz master clock to the cartridge.

The NES top loader does not connect the lockout chip pins and does not physically have pins for what would be pins 18, 19, 54 and 55.  The Everdrive N8 and NES PowerPak use pin 54.  One of the remaining pins (pin 51 has been suggested) can be connected with a 1.2K resistor and the audio output point.

The Game Genie uses a cartridge connector that is slightly thicker than a regular NES cart.  This was advantageous in a Front Loader because the pins on the NES connector could be bent back by the pushing down motion required to get a game PCB's contacts to connect with both sides of the cartridge connector.  In a Top Loader, it is not, and the Game Genie's board requires tremendous force to insert in a Top Loader.  There was an adapter made for the Game Genie that would allow it to fit in a Top Loader without trouble, but they are extremely rare.

Cartridge Design and Boards
Famicom - Nintendo's own cartridge shells come in a variety of colors and are typically shorter than NES cartridge shells.  They are held together by internal plastic tabs.  Some official third party companies (Konami, Sunsoft, Namco, Taito, Irem, Jaleco and Bandai) had the right to manufacture their own cartridges and used their own boards and shell designs.

NES - All licensed cartridges come in dark gray and are held together by five screws (early releases) or three screws and two tabs on the top.  Nintendo always manufactured the boards and the chips, but occasionally made exceptions in the US (Konami, Sunsoft, Virgin Games, Acclaim)  The screws were originally regular slotted screws, but Nintendo changed to using security screws.  Unlicensed cartridges used their own boards and cartridge shell designs.

Cartridge Audio
Famicom - Expansion audio supported

NES - Expansion audio not supported (mod required)

The Famicom routes its internal audio to the cartridge slot on pin 45.  Most cartridges do not generate sound, so they simply send it back to the system by connecting pin 45 to 46, where it is sent straight to the output circuitry in the console.  Cartridges that do generate sound, like Akumajou Densetsu and the Famicom Disk System RAM Adapter, mix their audio with the Famicom's audio, then send it back to the system.

The NES routes its internal audio to the output circuitry, there is no audio output and input pins on its cartridge connector.  The cartridge connector does have extra pins that could be used for this purpose, but the audio will be routed to the expansion port on the front loader, where it can be mixed with the internal NES audio.  There is no expansion port on the top loader and some of the expansion port pins are unconnected, requiring a different mod.

Loading Mechanism
Famicom, Famicom AV & NES Top Loader - Top Loading (Famicom has eject lever)

NES Front Loader - Front Loading

The front loading mechanism was probably the second biggest mistake Nintendo ever made (the Virtual Boy being the first), as its spring loaded mechanism and design that required the cartridge to bend pins would cause the connector to eventually become unreliable.

AC Adapter
Famicom - 10VDC, 850mA, negative tip (Famicom AV didn't come with an adapter).

NES - 9VAC, 1.3A, polarity immaterial (DC conversion occurs inside system)

A Famicom, Sega Master System or Sega Genesis/Mega Drive Model 1 power adapter will work in any NES, the plug is the right shape and DC is unaffected by a DC converter.  The NES power adapter must only be used with a NES, even if it will fit other systems.

Security
Famicom, NES Top Loader - None

NES Front Loader - Lockout chip

Unlicensed cartridges for Famicoms require nothing more than a licensed cartridge.  For the NES, all licensed carts included a lockout chip that communicated with the chip in the console.  If the connection was broken, then the game would constantly reset.  All unlicensed NES carts either cloned the lockout chip (Tengen) or used circuitry to try to defeat the lockout chip.

Camerica cartridges have a switch on them to enable the lockout defeating mechanism.  Position A enables the lockout defeat, position B disables it.  You should always set the switch to Position B when using Camerica cartridges on a Top Loader.

Video and audio output
Famicom - RF (Japanese Channel 1-2)

NES Front Loader - RF (US Channel 3-4) & RCA AV Composite

NES Top Loader - RF (US Channel 3-4) (and AV, but extremely rare)

Famicom AV - Nintendo Multi-out Composite Video & Audio (can be used with Japanese or US RF adapter)

The US RF modulators broadcast on Channel 3 (60-66Mhz) and Channel 4 (66-72MHz).  Japanese RF switches broadcast on Channel 1 (90-96MHz) and Channel 2 (96-102MHz).  The US reserves those frequencies for FM radio stations (frequency spectrum 88-108MHz).  The old TVs with dial controls, which were still used quite frequently in the 1980s, went from 2-13 VHF and 14-83 (UHF).  However, in more modern TVs, some will support the Japanese channels on Channel 95 or 96 and can add channels from 84-158, covering the whole UHF frequency range and more of the VHF frequency range.

The Famicom RF switch-box is not auto-switching, it has a TV-GAME switch on the back of the console which functions like the switch on an Atari-style switchbox.  The NES RF switch-box does not have a TV-GAME switch, its switchbox will automatically change the input when the console is turned on or off.

Controllers
Famicom - Hard-wired to console, 3' cord, microphone on controller 2

NES Front Loader - Rectangular-shaped, start and select on controller 2, 6' cord, detachable

NES Top Loader - Dogbone-shaped, start and select on controller 2, 6' cord, detachable

Famicom AV - Dogbone-shaped, start and select on controller 2, 3' cord, detachable

Japanese households, especially in the cities, had substantially less square footage than US households.  Nintendo did not believe the cables needed to be long for Japan, but changed their minds for the US.

Expansion
Famicom - 15-pin Expansion Port

NES - Controller Port 2 (also Famicom AV if modded)

NES Front Loader - 48-pin Expansion Port, unused

On the Famicom, any peripheral connected to the expansion port unless it plugged into the cartridge port.  This includes the Famicom Light Gun (Zapper), Arkanoid VAUS controller, the Bandai Family Trainer (Power Pad), two extra Controllers for four-player games, the Famicom Keyboard and Data Recorder.  The Expansion port only brought most of the inputs, the three output lines and the two controller enables, audio input and IRQ, it did not serve as a general purpose expansion port.

The NES expansion port has all the functionality of the Famicom Expansion port and much more.  It brings the data lines, the upper address line, audio in and out, video out, all the input and output lines, the two controller enables, the IRQ, NMI and the lockout chip clock signal.  It also has 10 lines that go directly to the cartridge.  With an appropriate RAM cart, this could have been used to implement a NES version of the Famicom Disk System.  Unfortunately it was never used in products that saw a release (and neither were the SNES and N64 expansion ports outside of Japan).  The expansion port can be used to mix audio from Famicom cartridges with the internal NES sound by connecting two pins (pin 3 and typically pin 9) with a 47K resistor.  The expansion pin must also be connected on the cartridge converter for real Famicom cartridges.

The NES controller ports bring three input lines for controllers to use.  By convention, all controllers (Zapper, Arkanoid VAUS, Power Pad) that require more than the controller input line use controller port 2.  Both ports have all three lines.  The Famicom AV, which has the same ports, does not bring the two extra lines to the controller ports, but by soldering two wires from the 15-pin expansion port, the correct inputs can be brought to controller port 2 (but NOT controller port 1).

NES (and Famicom) Lists

I have felt list-happy over the past few days, and decided to put together some lists of NES games.

Official Licensed Multi-carts

Donkey Kong Classics
Super Mario Bros/Duck Hunt
Super Mario Bros/Duck Hunt/World Class Track Meet (US Only)
Super Spike V'Ball / Nintendo World Cup (US Only)
Sesame Street ABC & 123 (US Only)
Super Mario Bros. / Tetris / Nintendo World Cup (Europe Only)

My definition of a true multi-cart is that the games on it had to have been previously released as standalone cartridges.  All the above carts fit the criteria.  A game like Short Order/Eggsplode does not because the two halves were never released separately.  Unfortunately, Donkey Kong Classics does not contain the "pie factory" level.  Nintendo would, however, include it with Donkey Kong Original Edition released for the European Nintendo Wii and later the 3DS.  The ROM extracted from the Wii is fully playable on a CNROM board that has been modified to prevent bus conflicts.    

All these multi-carts, except for Donkey Kong Classics and Sesame Street ABC & 123, were only released as pack-in games with the NES console.  Super Mario Bros/Duck Hunt was released with the Action Set and included a NES Zapper.  Super Mario Bros/Duck Hunt/World Class Track Meet was released with the Power Set with a NES Zapper and Power Pad.  Super Spike V'Ball / Nintendo World Cup was released with the Sports Set, an NES Satellite and four controllers.  Interestingly, World Class Track Meet, Super Spike V'Ball and Nintendo World Cup were not developed by Nintendo but by Bandai and Technos.   

Super Mario Bros. / Tetris / Nintendo World Cup could be found in the Super Set released in Europe both for PAL-A (Mattel Version or NES Version, released in the U.K., Italy and Australia) and PAL-B (France, Germany, European Economic Community, Scandinavia) countries.  

Re-releases

Stadium Events/World Class Track Meet

Mike Tyson's Punch Out!!/Punch-Out!!

Pac-Man (Tengen)/Pac-Man (Tengen Unlicensed)/Pac-Man (Namco)

Gauntlet/Gauntlet (Unlicensed)

R.B.I. Baseball/R.B.I. Baseball (Unlicensed)

Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom/Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (Unlicensed)

Mario Bros. (Europe Only) 

These cartridges have some substantial change when re-released.  Stadium Events was briefly released by Bandai with the Power Pad, but saw far, far more widespread distribution as World Class Track Meet.  The Stadium Events US cartridge is insanely rare, but WCTM is the same game with a different box, label, manual and title screen.  

Pac-Man is unique in that it was released three separate times.  The original Famicom cart was from Namcot.  In the US, first Tengen released it when they were an official licensed NES publisher.  Then they released it in their own-style of cartridge casing when they went down the unlicensed road.  Finally, late in the NES's life Namco released it for the third time, as a licensed cart.  The Namco version is easily the rarest.  Each version has different copyright text.  Similarly, Gauntlet and R.B.I. Baseball were released twice, once as a licensed cart and the second time as an unlicensed Tengen cart.  Weirdly, Indiana Jones may have been released first as a Tengen unlicensed cart, and then by Mindscape as a licensed cart.  

Punch-Out!! was released around August of 1990 and revised to eliminate Mike Tyson's name and likeness in game when their licensing contract with him expired.  He had received his first professional defeat and lost the heavyweight title back in February of 1990 to James "Buster" Douglas.  Even if he did not, as the title was a re-release intended to be sold in smaller numbers, it would not have made much sense for Nintendo to pay an expensive new license fee when the quality of the game itself was superb.  

Mario Bros. was re-released for the PAL territories in an updated form sometime in 1993 with a Classic Serie(s) label.  This version was similar to the old release but had better enemy graphics (taken from Kaettekita Mario Bros. for the Famicom Disk System), instructional cut-scenes, an altered level layout and was the music was tuned for PAL speeds.

Classic Series Re-Releases

Legend of Zelda, The
Metroid
Punch-Out!!
Zelda II - The Adventure of Link

These US-only re-releases had no differences from their earlier counterparts from a ROM standpoint (Zelda Rev. A came in a gold cart), but were the only games Nintendo re-released with obvious changes under a Classic Series label.  All have different box and label artwork, and the Zelda games use the standard gray cartridges.  While there are many, many games with minor variations such as 3-screw vs. 5 screw and round vs. oval Nintendo Seal of Quality, these games have obvious cosmetic differences to their original releases.  These releases occurred during the Red Label era, 1992-1994, of the NES's lifespan when the SNES was released.  These Zelda cartridges are less likely to loose data than the gold cartridges because Nintendo had refined their PCBs to work more reliably.  

Licensed NES Games with Revision A/PRG1 (NTSC only unless otherwise specified)

Barbie

Captain Skyhawk

Castlevania

Chessmaster, The

Double Dragon II: The Revenge

Double Dribble

Dragon Ball Europe Only

Dragon Warrior

Dr. Mario 

Faxanadu

Home Alone

Hunt for Red October, The

Jeopardy!

Ikari Warriors

Karate Champ

Kid Icarus (Rev A PAL Only)

Kid Niki: Radical Ninja 

Kirby's Adventure
Lee Trevino's Fighting Golf

Legend of Zelda, The (Both)

Major League Baseball

Mega Man 4

Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!! Both

Operation Wolf: Take no Prisoners

Platoon

Pro Wrestling

R.C. Pro-Am Both

Rambo

Robin Hood - Prince of Thieves

RoboCop 2 

Rygar 

Silent Service

Simpsons, The - Bart Vs. the Space Mutants

Super Mario Bros/Duck Hunt/World Class Track Meet

Super Mario Bros. 2

Super Mario Bros. 3

Taboo - The Sixth Sense

Tecmo Bowl
Tecmo NBA Basketball

Top Gun

Track & Field II

Wheel of Fortune

Wild Gunman

Winter Games

Wizards & Warriors

World Class Track Meet

Wrath of the Black Manta

All the above games have one known, released revision to their ROM(s).  Typically they are referred to as REV. 0 and REV. A or REV. 1.

Some of these revisions are interesting.  The original version of Castlevania has a bug that can crash your game in the hall with the medusas and armored knights just before Death.  The revised version of Pro Wrestling says "Winner is You" instead of "A Winner is You" and says Won and Lost for Win and Lose.  Although transparent to the player, the later revision of R.C. Pro Am uses the Nintendo MMC1 chip while the older version relies on discrete logic (mapper 7) for bankswitching.

Licensed NES Games with Revision A & B/PRG1 & PRG2

Bases Loaded

Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (Licensed Original, Licensed Rev A, Unlicensed)

Mega Man 3 Europe Only

Untouchables, The

Zelda II: The Adventure of Link (Revs PAL Only)

All the above have two revisions to their ROM(s).  Typically their second revisions are called REV. Bs or REV. 2.  The Untouchables has a totally different title screen in the latest revision.  

Unlicensed Games with Known Version Numbers

Bible Adventures (v1.0, 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4)

Bible Buffet (v6.0)

Chiller (Three Revisions)

Double Strike (v1.0, 1.1)

Exodus: Journey to the Promised Land (v4.0, 5.0)

F-15 City War (v1.0, 1.1)

Joshua & the Battle of Jericho (v5,0, 6.0)

King of Kings, The: The Early Years (v1.1?, 1.2, 1.3, 5.0)

Spiritual Warfare (v5.1, 6.0, 6.1)

Solitaire (v1.0?, 1.1)

Multi-Region Games (Japan & US)

1942

Dr. Mario

Excitebike

Mach Rider (Rev A released only in Japan)

Pinball

Soccer

Tennis

Multi-Region Games (World)

Clu Clu Land

Donkey Kong (Rev A Only)

Donkey Kong Jr. (Rev A Only)

Donkey Kong 3

Duck Hunt

Gyromite

Hogan's Alley

Mario Bros. (Rev A released only for PAL)

Popeye (Rev A Only)

Stack Up

Super Mario Bros. (Rev A released only for PAL)

Urban Champion

Wild Gunman (Rev A Only)

Wrecking Crew

Multi-Region Games (US & Europe)

Ice Climber

Kid Icarus (Rev A released only for PAL)

Volleyball

Games that are identical across two or three regions does not necessarily mean the game will be playable on a system from a different region.  The PAL lockout chips will not prevent games from functioning in an NTSC NES unless the console's lockout chip is disabled or bypassed, and vice versa.  NES games will need a pin adapter to work in a Famicom, and vice versa.  I have not included any games Nintendo only released for the Famicom Disk System in Japan, Ice Hockey, Pro Wrestling and Volleyball and were released in cartridge form elsewhere.

Except in one instance, every one of these games are Nintendo first party titles.  When third-party titles were released for the NES, they always add the in-game text "Licensed by Nintendo."  Sometimes this may be the only difference between a US and Japanese game.  US and European releases soon required some kind of adjustment for the differing NTSC and PAL speeds.

Lockout Chips & Countries

NES NTSC
CIC 3193 or 3193A or 6113 or 6113A or 6113B1
United States (USA)
Canada (CAN)
Brazil (unconfirmed)

NES PAL-A "Mattel PAL Version" or "NES Version"
CIC 3197A
United Kingdom (UKV)
Italy (ITA)
Australia (AUS)

NES PAL-B "European Version"
CIC 3195A
Scandavia (SCN)
Sweden (SWE)
Netherlands (HOL)
European Economic Community (EEC)
Spain (ESP)
Germany (NOE or FRG)
France (FRA)

NES PAL "Hong Kong Version" and "Asian Version"

CIC 3196A

NES NTSC "Comboy" or "Korean Version"

CIC 3195A

Foreign Language NES carts (non-Japanese)

Australia Aussie Rules Footy (A) International Cricket (A) Rollerball (A) Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II - The Arcade Game (A) Finnish

F-15 Strike Eagle (No, Sw, Fi)

French

Addams Family (E, F, G)

Battleship (E, F, G, S)

Defender of the Crown (F)

Dragon Ball (F)

Duck Tales 2 (F)

F-15 Strike Eagle (F)

Kirby's Adventure (F)*

Last Starfighter, The (F)

Les Chevaliers du Zodiaque - La Legende d'Or (F)

Linus Spacehead's Cosmic Crusade (E, F, G, S)

Maniac Mansion (F)

McDonaldLand (F)

Miracle Piano Teaching System, The (F)

Mission Impossible (F)

Monopoly (F)

Nigel Mansell's World Championship Challenge (E, F, G, I, S)

Prince of Persia (F)

Shadowgate (F)

Swords and Serpents (F)

The Smurfs (E, F, G, S)

Ultimate Air Combat (E, F, G)

Korean

Arabian (K)

Macross (K)

German

Addams Family (E, F, G)

Banana Prince (G)

Battleship (E, F, G, S)

Darkwing Duck (G)

Duck Tales 2 (G)

F-15 Strike Eagle (G)

Kirby's Adventure (G)

Linus Spacehead's Cosmic Crusade (E, F, G, S)

Maniac Mansion (G)

Monopoly (G)

Nigel Mansell's World Championship Challenge (E, F, G, I, S)

Pirates! (G)

Prince of Persia (G)

Robin Hood - Prince of Thieves (G)

Shadowgate (G)

Star Trek - 25th Anniversary (G)

The Smurfs (E, F, G, S)

Ultimate Air Combat (E, F, G)

Italian

F-15 Strike Eagle (I)

Maniac Mansion (I)

Nigel Mansell's World Championship Challenge (E, F, G, I, S)

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (I)

Norwegian

F-15 Strike Eagle (No, Sw, Fi)

Spanish

Battleship (E, F, G, S)

Linus Spacehead's Cosmic Crusade (E, F, G, S)

Maniac Mansion (S)

Nigel Mansell's World Championship Challenge (E, F, G, I, S)

Prince of Persia (S)

Robin Hood - Prince of Thieves (S)

Tecmo Cup - Football Game (S)

The Smurfs (E, F, G, S)

Swedish

Deja Vu (Sw)

F-15 Strike Eagle (No, Sw, Fi)

Maniac Mansion (Sw)

Shadowgate (Sw)

Games in bold are unique to that country.  

* - Also released for NTSC in Canada for French Canadians.  The language text is identical to the PAL version for France.

Ports : Famicom Cart to Famicom Disk
Baseball
Bomberman
BurgerTime
Dig Dug*
Dig Dug II
Donkey Kong
Donkey Kong Jr.
Galaga
Galaxian*
Golf
Goonies, The@

Karate Champ

Mahjong*
Mario Bros - Kaettekita Mario Bros./
Pac-Man
Pachicom*
Pinball
Soccer
Solomon no Kagi (Solomon's Key)
Super Mario Bros. & All Night Nippon Super Mario Bros.*
Tanikawa Koji no Shougi Shinan II*

Tennis

Twinbee*
Wrecking Crew
Xevious

* - No NES Release
@ - Playchoice-10 Release only outside Japan
/ - In-game graphics used in Mario Bros. (Classic Serie(s)) re-release for PAL countries

Reverse Ports : Famicom Disk to Famicom Cart (and NES Cart except Bio Miracle)
Zelda no Densetsu: The Hyrule Fantasy - Zelda no Densetsu 1: The Hyrule Fantasy (The Legend of Zelda)
Akumajō Dracula (Castlevania)
Moero Twinbee: Cinnamon Hakase wo Sukue! (Stinger)
Bio Miracle Bokutte Upa
Yume Kōjō: Doki Doki Panic - Super Mario Bros. USA (Super Mario Bros. 2)

Released for both Disk and Cart on same date :
Family Computer Othello

Ports : Vs. System to Famicom Disk
Vs. Clu Clu Land - Clu Clu Land: Welcome to New Clu Clu Land
Vs. Ice Climber - Ice Climber
Vs. Excitebike

Ports : Famicom Disk to NES Cart
Bubble Bobble
Dr. Chaos
Dracula II: Noroi no Fūin - Castlevania II: Simon's Quest
Exciting Basketball - Double Dribble
Final Command: Akai Yōsai - Jackal
Green Beret - Rush'n Attack
Gun.Smoke
Hikari Shinwa: Palthena no Kagami - Kid Icarus
Ice Hockey
Konami Ice Hockey - Blades of Steel
Legend of Zelda 2, The: Link no Bōken - Zelda II: The Adventure of Link
Metroid
Nazo no Kabe: Block Kuzushi - Crackout (PAL Only)
ProWres - Pro Wrestling
Roger Rabbit - Bugs Bunny's Crazy Castle
Section Z
Tobidase Daisakusen  - 3-D WorldRunner
Winter Games
Volleyball
Zanac

Levels : Famicom Disk to NES

Eggerland: Sōzōhe no Tabidachi (and possibly Eggerman) - The Adventures of Lolo

Levels : Famicom Cart to Famicom Disk

Lode Runner & Championship Lode Runner - Super Lode Runner & Super Lode Runner II

Official Famicom Multi-carts:
Donkey Kong Jr. + Jr. [Math] Lesson

This is debatable because it only contains about half of each game, because it is a 24KB cartridge and each of the original games were also 24KB carts, so a good deal had to be cut from each.  DK Jr. cuts out stages 2 and 3 and the B game select option, and only the Calculate function.  The graphics are different in the Calculate function because they reuse tiles from DKjr.

Final Fantasy I & II
Thic cart uses 32KB of battery backed RAM, but each individual cart only has 8KB.  The multi-cart's board is the only one using the MMC1 chip that supports more than 8KB of battery backed RAM.  

Famicom AV : Issues and Solutions

Famicom AV Box, Console and One Controller (Not Shown, Second Controller, AV Cable, Manual and Warning Card)

One of my first blog posts was about the Famicom AV, the final iteration of the 8-bit NES hardware.  Released in late 1993, it was modeled after the NES Top Loader.  Unlike the Top Loader, or the original Famicom which it replaced, it boasts the best composite video quality of any of the NES consoles.  It completely lacks the video jailbars that are notorious on the Top Loader, quite visible on the Famicom and still can be seen in a small way even on the NES Front Loader.

It is much more import friendly because it does not use an RF adapter tuned to odd frequencies as in the Famicom (US Channels 95-96) and does not have the Famicom's hard-wired controllers.  It retains compatibility with the Famicom Disk System and all Famicom expansion controllers and devices.  It can play any US game with a pin converter and doesn't care about a lockout chip.  These were the last systems Nintendo made, and they are very reliable and well-built.  Fortunately, using one outside of Japan is easier (if not cheaper) than ever before, so with that I present an updated guide :

1.  Power Supply

If you get a Famicom AV in the box, it comes with the console, two restyled "dogbone" controllers and the manual.  It did not come with a power supply because it was intended to replace the buyer's existing Famicom.  The buyer was expected to use his original power supply.  The NES power adapter will not work because it outputs AC and is converted to DC in the console.  It should never, ever be inserted.  The SNES power adapter would work, but the connector is very different.

The proper Famicom or Famicom AV power supply adapter is rated for 10v DC, 850mA, center tip negative.  Fortunately, the most convenient solution in the United States and Europe came, ironically, from arch-rival Sega.  The power supply adapter for the Sega Master System and Sega Genesis/Mega Drive Model 1 fits in the Famicom AV's power socket and has the correct specs.  These power supplies, or third-party adapters, are common enough to find.  Radio Shack should have a suitable power supply adapter, and  you should use an M Adaptaplug with it on the Famicom AV.

2.  Controller Cables

The cables on the included dogbone controllers are only 3' long.  This made some sense for a Japanese household where space is at a premium, but a US household has much more square footage.  NES controllers are 6' long.  One solution is to use NES extension cables, which are much easier to find today than they were 10 years ago.  Another solution is to use the NES Satellite or Four-Score, which can act as an extension.  The NES Satellite or Four-Score will NOT allow you to play as player three or four in Famicom games, they only work with NES games.  You can play NES 4-player games on the Famicom AV with a suitable pin adapter.

3.  Zappers and other Controller Port 2 Input Devices

While the Famicom AV's controller sockets look identical to the NES's sockets, there is a difference between them.  The NES connects +5v, Ground, Clock, Latch/Output, D0, D3 & D4 on both ports.  The Famicom AV's ports leave out D3 and D4.  The standard controller only uses D0.  The Zapper (including workalikes like the Konami Laser Scope), Power Pad, Arkanoid VAUS Controller all rely on D3 and D4.

Fortunately, the signals for the second controller port D3 & D4 are available on the 15-pin Famicom expansion port.  You can solder a pair of wires from that port to their respective lines on the second controller port on the front of the Famicom AV.  Here is a photo that shows the wiring :

Taken from : http://forums.nesdev.com/viewtopic.php?p=34665#p34665

One alternative is to obtain the Famicom equivalent of the Zapper, the Video Shooting Series Light Gun which looks like a western six-shooter : http://famicomworld.com/system/controllers/video-shooting-series-light-gun/  It is nowhere near as common as the Zapper.  The Japanese version was never bundled with the console and only supported in five Famicom games, as opposed to fifteen licensed and unlicensed NES games.

The Famicom equivalent of the Power Pad is called the Family Trainer Mat and was only released by Bandai in Japan.  It supports ten unique games, five of which found their way to the NES.  The NES has one exclusive, Short Order / Eggsplode!.

Unfortunately, the Famicom Arkanoid controller will not work with the US version of Arkanoid, and the US version of the Arkanoid controller will not work with the Japanese versions of Arkanoid, Arkanoid 2 or Chase HQ.

If you want to make sure own adapter, you will need the end of a Famicom expansion port controller or a Neo Geo MVS Controller expansion cable and a NES expansion cable or controller socket.  I would strongly suggest a continuity tester to determine what wire connects to which pin.

4.  AV Port

While the Famicom AV comes with a stereo AV cable, if you buy a loose console, you can use any SNES, N64 or Gamecube Composite Stereo or Mono AV cable.  The Famicom AV's audio is mono only, both the red and white jack outputs the same signal.  No NES or Famicom supports stereo audio.

You may need an RCA splitter if you have a mono cable and your TV has stereo inputs.  Otherwise you may hear sound only out of one speaker.  S-Video and RGB-SCART (only) Nintendo Multi-out cables will show no video, the Famicom AV is composite only. There is no internal RF adapter in the system, but the RF adapter and cable that attach to the Nintendo Multi-AV Out port will also work or you can use an external RF adapter such as from Radio Shack.

5.  Flash Carts

The best flash cart for either the Famicom or Famicom AV is the Everdrive N8, which has a 60-pin Famicom version.  No need to fiddle around with converters as with a NES PowerPak or Everdrive N8 NES version.  The Everdrive supports expansion audio, Famicom Disk System images, the common mappers. and several Japanese-only mappers.  It also has a battery for saving games to RAM without turning off the cartridge.  It does not add nearly to the jailbars in the video output, unlike the PowerPak.

6.  NES-to-Famicom Cartridge Converter

The NES uses a 72-pin cartridge connector, the Famicom uses a 60-pin cartridge connector.  Unfortunately, most of the ones available on the market are not fully compatible with certain NES games.  Lazy and cheap converters tie Famicom pins 48 & 49 together. These are three of them :

This what most, but far from all, Famicom or NES cartridges do.  Some NES cartridges (MMC5 games, Gauntlet, Rad Racer 2, After Burner) that do advanced things with the graphics name tables need the pins separate and fail to work when they are not.  Additionally, the Everdrive N8 and NES PowerPak need those pins separated.  You will have to cut the pins and wire them up to the appropriate pins.

This is the best converter I have found.  While it needs the mod, it fits well inside a Famicom AV.

1.  Fixing the Cartridges that use advanced Nametable Mirroring methods

Most Famicom cartridges tie pins 48 and 49 together.  Similarly virtually all NES cartridges tie pins 57 and 58 together.  When they are tied together, regular nametable mirroring methods are available.  Nametables are the name given to the tile maps for the backgrounds and the NES has enough internal RAM for two. When separated, the cartridge can add additional nametables with RAM inside the cartridge or map Character ROM directly to nametables.  The following NES cartridges have the hardware that can or does take advantage of this :

After Burner

Bandit Kings of Ancient China

Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse

Gauntlet

Gemfire

L'Empereur

Laser Invasion

Nobunaga's Ambition II

Gauntlet

Romance of the Three Kingdoms II

Uncharted Waters

Castlevania III is the only game on this list to have a licensed PAL release.  In addition, the PowerPak and the Everdrive N8 require these pins separate as well.  There is also a reproduction NES cartridge of Rocman X by Sachen (which may have originally been a Famicom cart) which requires this mod to run in the converter.  More advanced experimental and hobbyist NES boards will require it.  There are more Famicom cartridges that use ROM or RAM nametable mapping or require the pins to be separated, including all MMC5 games and all Namco 129/163, Konami VRC6 and Sunsoft-4 games and Napoleon Senki.  Any reproduction or pirate NES cartridge of those games will also need the mod as well.

The fix is simple enough, first cut the trace on the Famicom cartridge edge between pins 48 and 49.  Next, solder a wire from NES pin 58 to Famicom pin 49.  Finally, solder another wire from NES pin 57 to Famicom pin 48.  

2.  Adding Expansion Sound

The NES PowerPak and Everdrive N8 NES Edition support expansion audio.  They use NES pin 51 to output the expansion audio. Because the NES had no official method of routing expansion audio, the PowerPak decided to use the otherwise unused NES pin 51 and the Everdrive followed suit.  Any NES reproduction cartridge of a Famicom game like Gimmck! or Just Breed will also follow suit.  NES pin 51 connects only to the unused expansion connector on the underside of a front loader, and a resistor can connect that pin (pin 3) to the pin (pin 9) with  47K resistor that will mix the cartridge audio with the internal NES audio. 

Fortunately, the Famicom does not need a mod because it has a pair of pins, 45 and 46, which allow a Famicom cartridge to mix in cartridge based audio.  If the cartridge hardware does not support external audio, these pins will be connected together.  If it does, then it will separate the pins and mix the internal Famicom audio coming in from pin 45 with the cartridge audio and send the mixed signal to cartridge pin 46. From there it goes directly to the Famicom's RF unit or the Multi AV of the Famicom AV.  

This mod is really easy, but you will be using 10K resistors to perform the connections.  First, cut the bridge between Famicom pins 45 and 46 on the converter.  Next, solder a resistor from NES pin 51 to Famicom pin 46.  Finally, solder a second resistor from pin 45 to the leg of the resistor nearest the Famicom pin connector.  If you find the resulting audio not to your liking, you can use potentiometers instead.  I would suggest using a value of less than 10K on the resistor coming from the AV Famicom, as its volume output is slightly lower than the older Famicoms.  

7.  Microphone

One minor issue with the Famicom AV is that it does not support the microphone on the second controller of the Famicom.  You can find a list of games that use it in this thread : http://www.famicomworld.com/forum/index.php?topic=2355.0

In most instances, the microphone only has marginal use at best, but there are three or four Japanese games that require using the microphone at some point to progress.

An alleged issue is that expansion audio from those cartridges which contain it supposedly drown out the internal audio.  Non-AV Famicom with earlier circuit boards have been said to have louder internal audio output, but Famicoms with later circuit boards have quieter internal audio.  In my opinion, there is little in the way of solid, concrete evidence to support this.  In fact, the audio circuits seem to be the same regardless of Famicom or Famicom AV console used.  Additionally, there is no apparent difference in the loudness between the 2A03G used in later Famicoms and the 2A03H used in most Famicom AVs.  There is a difference between the 2A03E used in the earlier Famicoms and the late Famicoms, so expansion audio will be a little more punchy with the Famicom AV.  However, it is a mistake to believe that expansion audio drowns out internal audio in the Famicom AV.

Famicom AV: Best Overall Choice for the running NES & Famicom Cartridges

I am a real fan of the Nintendo Entertainment System.  This little gray box is the reason why we still play video games today  We have not forgotten about it, we still enjoy playing many, many of the approximately 750 unique North American games released during the console's lifespan.  While there is something to be said for emulating the games, there is nothing quite like playing on a real system connected to a television screen. 

Using the NES today has one problem, but it is a big one, the gray box (which in enthusiast circles is called the front loader) is terribly unreliable.  Back in the day, the push-in-and-down cartridge slot caused stress on the connectors.  Eventually obtaining and maintaining good contact between the 72 pins of the cartridge and the connector was no longer guaranteed.  If contact was broken, then the game would fail to start or crash.  On pressing the power button, if you saw a blinking screen or a solid screen of one color, that meant there was not good contact between the cartridge and connector. 

Two other issues exacerbated this unreliable mechanism.  First was the NES lockout chip.  The lockout chip inside the cartridge communicated with the one inside the system, and if the could not establish or maintain their delicate serial communications, the system would reset about twice a second.  This meant flashing screens.  Second, children discovered that by blowing on the contacts of the cartridge or system, they could often disperse the dust causing the faulty connection.  The side effect is that the saliva being blown onto the cartridge connector would, over time, corrode the contacts.  Hence more unreliable connections. 

Many companies sell replacement cartridge connectors or refurbished NES units.  There are issues here too.  First, all connectors are not created equal, and many of them are so tight that you practically need a pair of pliers to extract the cartridge when you want to change a game.  Second, the tightness of the connectors causes them to wear out more quickly than looser connectors.  Eventually, the connectors will wear out.  Refurbishing the connectors yourself requires a lot of time and the patience to slightly bend pins back to give a proper connection. 

Fortunately, there are other options.  First is the Redesigned NES, better known as the Top Loader.  The Top Loader was released at the end of the NES's life in 1993 as a cheap, entry level system.  It was a seriously cost reduced design.  Gone is the lockout chip and the unused expansion port.  As its nickname suggests, the cartridge slot consists of a vertical slot and a dust cover.  The PCB is as simplified as it gets without getting rid of any essential components.  Games tended to work much more reliably in the vertical slot, no extra stress on the pins from having to rotate the cartridge to make contact with both sets of pins in the slot. 

Two issues developed with the Top Loader, one major, one minor.  The minor one apparently is that it would not work with certain unlicensed games that relied on the presence of a lockout chip and defeat it before the game would work  I have never been able to confirm this, except for the licensed rarity known as the Nintendo World Championships 1990 cartridge.  The Game Genie's PCB may be too thick to fit inside the slot, and there was an adapter to make it work, but it is now extremely rare. 

The major issue is that the Top Loader has the worst video quality of any official NES-compatible hardware.  Vertical lines run down the screen every other pixel it seems.  This is especially apparent on backgrounds of certain solid colors, which is common on older NES titles.  Add to this the R/F only output, (whereas the front loader has composite video as well), and you have a serious barriers to oldskool enjoyment. 

Before releasing the NES in the United States, Nintendo had already enjoyed great success with the basic hardware, the Famicom, in Japan.  The Famicom and NES are virtually identical from a programmer's perspective.  Hardware-wise, they use different cartridge connectors, the Famicom uses a 60-pin connector while the NES uses a 72-pin connector.  Using US cartridges on a Famicom requires a 72-60 pin converter.  Other disadvantages of using a Famicom is that the controllers are hardwired to the system and the cables are very short.  The cables tend to be approximately 3' long whereas NES controllers are 6' long. Replacing worn out controllers is not as easy as it is for the NES.

The other big issue with using a regular Famicom is that the R/F signal was designed to be tuned to Japanese standards, which are just different enough from US standards to be annoying.  While a regular NES or other console RF system tunes to channel 2, 3 or 4, you need to set your TV to channel 95 or 96 to get the proper frequency for the Famicom's RF signal.  Not all TVs can do that, although more modern ones can more easily.  The Twin Famicom by Sharp (designed by Nintendo) has the same problems but has a Famicom Disk System inside the unit.

More interesting is the Sharp Famicom Titler.  While it has the attached controllers, it also has composte and S-Video outputs.  While they provide a sharper picture, they have graphics issues.  Normal US NES and Famicoms use a 2C02 Composite Video PPU, the Titler and the Playchoice-10 devices use a 2C03 RGB Video PPU.  The Titler has a chip that converts the RGB output from the PPU to S-Video, composite video and R/F video.  The 2C02 cannot output a good S-Video signal because the luma and chroma signals are mixed within the chip.  The RGB PPU generates graphics with some differences from the composite PPU, leading to issues.  The RGB and Composite palettes are generally similar to each other but there are color differences.  The Composite PPU can generate more gray shades than the RGB.  Games like The Immortal will not show graphics on the RGB PPU because they use a feature (color emphasis bits) that works as intended on the Composite PPU (diming the brightness generally) which will give a solid white screen on an RGB device. 

Finally, let me discuss the Famicom AV.  This unit was first released in 1993 or 1994 just as Nintendo was ready to stop producing games for the Famicom.  It is the smallest true Nintendo NES/Famicom device.  Because of its relative newness, you can find them in good shape. 

It uses the Nintendo Multi-Out A/V connector that the SNES, N64 and Gamecube use.  (The RGB and S-Video cables will not output video).  Unlike the first model SNES, it does not have an R/F output, but the Nintendo RF adapter which plugs into the Multi-Out should work.  It uses the same power requirements as a SNES power adapter but the plug which it expects is different.  The system did not come with a power adapter as it was assumed the purchaser would use his or her original Famicom power adapter.  The adapter for a Sega Master System or Sega Genesis Model 1 fits and works perfectly with the Famicom AV.  The adapter's ratings are DC 10v, 850mA, center tip negative.

The Famicom AV is chiefly distinguished by its video quality.  It has the best true composite output of any other NES/Famicom.  With licensed and unlicensed cartridges, the vertical stripes are non-existent.  Even on the front loader NES they can be visible at times.  The audio is still mono as with any unmodified NES/Famicom; each audio outputs jack on any cable will output the exact same sound. 

The Famicom AV has the same two controller ports as found in the NES.  It also comes with two "new-style" (dogbone) controllers.  I personally prefer to use dogbones over the original old-style rectangular NES controllers because they are more comfortable to hold in your hands over an extended period of time and the concave buttons are easier on the thumb than the convex buttons of the old-style controller.  However, the controllers that come with the Famicom AV only have a cable length of 3 feet, NES controllers have 6 foot cables.  Gamers in Japan generally have less room than US, so the cable lengths are shorter.  Top loader NESes came with 1 dogbone controller, but it had a 6 foot cable length. 

The Famicom AV, just like the original Famicom, supports all official Famicom cartridges, including ones that have extra sound hardware within.  It also supports the Famicom Disk System.  However, games that made use of the microphone on the second attached original Famicom controller will not be able to make use of that functionality.  Fortunately, the functionality is not important in any game a non-Japanese person is likely to play.  The Legend of Zelda uses it to kill the Pols Voice monsters, Kid Icarus to lower the shopkeeper's prices.

The more important limitation of the Famicom AV's second controller port is that it does not support the NES Zapper or the Arkanoid NES Vaus Controller.  The reason why is because there are two data lines which are connected on the NES's second controller port but not on the Famicom AV's.  Fortunately, soldering two wires inside the unit can fix this, if you are brave enough to take an iron to the Famicom AV.

Playing NES games with the Famicom AV requires the player to use a 72-60 pin converter between cartridge and console.  These used to be very difficult to find.  60-72 pin converters (they have ribbons attached) were much more common because more people were interested in playing Famicom games in their NES than vice-versa.  However, with the greater availability of Famicom clones, 72-60 pin converters have become more available.  Even so, not all are created equal.  The "Family Converter" works perfectly with all NES cartridges, but it is no longer in production.  More recent converters tend not to connect certain pins on the bus to the Picture Processing Unit & Video RAM inside the NES.  While this is okay for almost all released NES games, 10 games (including Gauntlet, After Burner & Castlevania III) will be unplayable due to graphic errors.  The PowerPak also will not work with cheap converters.  With some soldering and trace cutting on the converter, this problem may be fixable.  

Having explained the caveats, I still maintain that the Famicom AV is the best way to go to play commercial NES and Famicom games.  You will enjoy the best overall experience.