Using real FDS disks is fun as hell though. They’re so kawaii.
It’s the same reason people collect real carts instead of just use everdrives all the time.
I use FDSStick if I’m just jumping around games, but if I’m playing through Metoroido or Arumana no Kiseki you know I’m busting out my actual disks!
I’ve had my FDS since I was 8 years old, so I have a lot of pent-up frustrations with it that I’m happy to finally be rid of. I totally get wanting to use real carts, I feel the same way, but floppy drives and also tape drives are another thing entirely, at least for me.
Guess I’ve just had no problems ever so have no frustration. Whoever set mine up must have done a top job 20 years ago!
FINALLY. Someone who understands how I think. I totally get there are better options out there. But there’s something enjoyable about using the product as it was designed originally. The design is part of the appreciation and fun for me. It’s hard to keep this stuff in good working order, but so much fun to watch the hardware do it’s thing.
I love using floppies. There’s something about it, I just like the idea of inserting a media to play instead of browsing a list on a hard drive.
Replying to myself, the problem was from the little spring wheel which wasn’t rolling smoothly any more and was stopping the ball from rolling. With some careful grinding with smooth sandpaper and a bit of grease, I was able to restore it back to a usable state. I love this mouse, it’s surprisingly ergonomic for its time and it even has a third button that I never use!
The “experience” of using a fds with the real disks is fun untill you realise the disks are dieing as fast as the belts these days thanks to disk rot.
My Twin Fami Turbo still works great but I wired up the FDS stick to future proof it.
I’d rather use my FDSStick or better still Everdrive for games that don’t use the sound chip but there is something really neat about floppy disks.
I hear this thing is awesome. I really need to get a Famicom Ram Adapter and one of these at some point.
To all of you floppy lovers, have you ever played a multi-disk game on C64, MSX, or PC88/98? A pretty good way to ensure you’re cured of this is to play one of the Ultima games on C64 where you have to change disks twice literally every time you talk to an NPC.
That’s just not true? Disc rot is damage to the metal data surface of CDs due to oxidisation of thin pitted metal.
Magnetic disks and tape, if properly stored, are among the most robust of all digital storage methods. Many archives have in fact returned to magnetic tape storage for long term solutions.
I’ve also personally never had an original Famicom Disk fail. I’ve bought some that were corrupt, but never had one that worked and then didn’t, in 20 years, and they were already 15 years old when I got them so we’re approaching four decades old.
Yeah that stuff is a nightmare. Cassette Taps especially. You can play the audio files from an mp3 player at a faster rate in most formats and cut them down significantly.
Few FDS games have such issues though, they load quick and load whole levels usually. Eg Akumajou Dracula for example, just ~10 seconds between levels.
There are some exceptions - Dracula II is a bit of a bitch, and some other crap games have too many loads (eg Relics ), but in most cases the games already suck so the loading is the least of their issues.
My solution - I have an FDS Stick but I keep the disk drive around, unconnected. I can pop disks in and show people how it works (or did work) but then just play the games hassle-free. I would love to collect more of the games and use the drive but mine seems a little off. I do not own any Everdrives or anything like that, except the Stick. I figure I’m “pure” enough on most stuff that I can slide on this one thing, which is essentially still real hardware as Aeana noted.
…What I would really like is a case mod that allows me to slot the Stick into the RAM adapter and just have a little button on top to switch sides, thereby eliminating the dangling cord. Give it some burgundy red touches and make the button yellow. Now that would be cool…
It may not be “disk rot” but look around and you’ll see many reports of disks corrupting. It’s a known issue and it’ll only get worse.
All of my FDS disks still work fine, as far as I know. Even the ones I had rewritten several times at the convenience store kiosks. Some of my 5 1/4" disks from PC88 no longer work though.
99% of FDS errors are caused by misaligned hardware. The disks themselves are very robust. I’ve had several carts die on me over the years but no FDS disks.
Even if one did get corrupt, as long as there is no physical damage you can re-write it with a fresh image and it’s good as new.
There’s also the problem of shit cheap disks. the newer the floppy, the more likely it has been made the most cheaply possible, with the least amount of magnetic coating. The general rule that I read somewhere on vcfed is to be careful of disks made in the 90s and after.
When I first needed floppies I bought one of these new Imation boxes that are still sold new on Amazon etc. Half of them crapped on me in various ways in the few months. Whereas the earlier floppies I own, either from game boxes or blanks that I knew were old are still good as new.
[edit] Speaking about 3.5 PC floppies here.
I always loved the Disney’s: Gummy Bears, art style of the cover.
Actually that’s something I never really realised, having only seen thumbnails pics online. Once I received the box I thought it was way more cartoonish than I thought!
I only have 7 FDS games, but none have failed on me. Sure, it’s only anecdotal evidence, but I feel comfortable buying disks.
I have a bunch of games on floppies still from the early '90s. I haven’t had a PC hooked up that has a floppy drive in years to test them!