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Famicom clone, or "Famiclone" for short, refers to any non-licensed or "Pirate" piece of electronic hardware designed to replicate, or "clone", the workings of and play games designed for the Nintendo Famicom (or, as it is called in America, the Nintendo Entertainment System/NES). Famiclones have been around in dozens if not hundreds of forms for almost as long as the real console upon which they're based. Most variations originate from Asian countries, especially China and Taiwan, and to a lesser extent South Korea while some European versions come from Russia and other ex-USSR nations.

While most Famiclones that do not include games are legal, those that do usually contain pirate copies of original NES and Famicom games and are therefore illegal. An exception to this is the Rumble Station - its 15 built-in games are licensed from Color Dreams.

There are many hallmarks of the Famiclone: cheap materials, extremely garbled English text on the packaging (if bought in an English-speaking country), and, of course, games which are extremely unlikely to have been licensed legally (such as Mario Bros., Donkey Kong, Contra, etc.). Basically, if it looks like a NES, plays like an NES, but isn't an NES, it's a Famiclone.

Famiclone prices also vary wildly, not only because there are so many, but because their illegal nature makes it all but impossible for their makers to effectively impose an MSRP. The same Famiclone can be bought in one store for $70 or more, and in another $20 or less. Price mostly depends on A) who the reseller's source is and what they charge, and B) How much profit the store attempts to make. Price varies mostly depending on clone type, size, number of games included (usually wildly misrepresented, with some clones claiming hundreds of thousands of games as opposed to the usual several dozen), and whether a second controller or light gun peripheral is included. Things like build quality vary wildly as well, with price rarely reflecting how solid a particular clone is. Also, many clones are designed to resemble each other, creating a "clone-of-a-clone" market of Famiclones attempting to undercut each other.

Types of Famicom clones

Because Famiclones are not officially licensed, they vary extremely in areas such as build/hardware quality, available games and overall performance. Most Famiclones are made extremely cheaply and show it, while a few are comparable to first-party hardware in their manufacture. In terms of appearance and basic build, there are three general types of Famiclones:

Console type

This type of Famiclone is designed to look just like a real video game console. Most often this type resembles the original Famicom, but others can look like the NES, SNES, Sega Mega Drive/Genesis, Nintendo 64, Sony Playstation/PSOne, or simply be in any type of generic console shape. Usually it is easy to tell a Famiclone from the real hardware it imitates by the presence of either alternate coloring, brand names which do not match the real console's, or weak construction. Console type Famiclones almost always utilize cartridges, and they are usually compatible with real Famicom (60 pin) or NES (72 pin) games, as well as custom-made pirate carts (especially multi-carts, pirate game cartridges which hold a large number of games as opposed to just one, which are often included with console-type clones) Console Famiclones are most popular in Asia and parts of Europe, with few actively sold in North America due to their obviously pirated origin.

Controller type

This genre of Famiclone, popular in America and western Europe, is designed to hold all the console's hardware in the shape of a regular game console controller, usually the N64's. Also known as "NES-on-a-chip"s due to their extremely miniaturized hardware (relative to the original NES), these controllers usually eschew or at least downplay a game cartridge interface in favor of storing games directly in internal memory chips. These Famiclones can often run off battery as well as AC power, making them popular for portable usage. These clones have become especially popular in the USA thanks to the new "TV-Games" fad of selling legitimately emulated classic arcade games in a traditional-looking controller (Atari games are especially common). Controller clones can usually be found in places like flea markets, mall kiosks or independent toy stores, and most people who sell and buy them in the US are unaware that they are in fact illegally made.

Computer type

These Famiclones are designed to resemble either 80's-style computers, modern computer keyboards or the real Famicom's BASIC kit. Usually, these clones consist of the same hardware as the Console type, but put inside a keyboard instead of a console look-a-like. They are usually supplied with a cartridge containing some computer-style software, such as a simple word processor and a version of BASIC (two of the most common are G-BASIC, a pirated version of Family BASIC, and F-BASIC, an original but more limited version), and some "educational" typing and maths games. Some even include a mouse and a GUI interface.