Game Axe

The GameAxe is a (the only?) portable Famicom clone that has recently popped back up in the Pirate market channels as a hot item. It is a bascially 99% compatable famicom stuck in a box about the size of a GameGear. The box and packaging are obvious ripoffs of the GameBoy Color logo (as it says GameAxe Color), but it is still a neat product. I hear it a battery devourer, it needs a special adapter (72-60 pin) to play US NES games, and has a weird power converter, but otherwise is quite a novel unit, if you can get one in decent condition. What i like is that there is a portable LCD screen that you can plug anything (I have seen tests of it booting a playstation) into it.

There are numerous issues with these devices, and importing any peice of Hong Kong equipment is a hassle, but all in all, these units are a great piece to have, and a must for any serious video game collector.

Please note that this is in no way made by Nintendo themselves. It's an unlicensed unit made by some anonymous pirates. Also, it only plays 8-bit Famicom games.

While the concept of playing such games on a portable system sure seems cool, the shoddy components inside the unit suck the novelty right out. I suggest not to spend over 20 dollars on the thing, unless of course you're an obsessive collector.