Aladdin Deck Enhancer for hacking or homebrew and more

[fellowroot]

I just recently purchased the Aladdin Deck Enhancer for my NES collection. It's a pretty interesting piece for the NES.

From what I understand it offers upgraded hardware specs with this device such as 64K memory. So I ask, has anyone hacked any game for this or have produced any home brew games for it.

If the specs are better why not use that to make better games for the NES with it? Or is there just other simpler ways to go about having better upgraded NES games?

Also I've read that this was a huge flop and that it never became popular and one thing that I've never really understood is the whole unlicensed game legality thing.

If you own a computer running a Microsoft operating system should you only be able to run software on it that Microsoft has approved of?

What if I coded a simple calculator program and wanted to sell it for people who use Microsoft operating systems. Would selling such a program be illegal because Microsoft didn't approve of it?

But when it comes to Nintendo, apparently Nintendo had to approve of everything that was to run on their system though licenses. Many companies tried to make their own games to run on Nintendo hardware including Camerica, makers of the Aladdin Deck, but it seemed as if Nintendo was always against this and wanted them to be shut down.

So I ask, what's the big deal about somebody making games for your system? I know Nintendo doesn't get any money from it, but still why should it be illegal. Nobody is forcing the player to buy the unlicensed games.

Let's say that someone really wanted to play an unlicensed game, but didn't have a Nintendo to play it on. So Nintendo would get a profit off that simply because you have to first buy a Nintendo before you can play the unlicensed game. Plus controllers and accessories Nintendo could sell too and then even if an unlicensed game was the cause of the purchase of the Nintendo the buyer would also then buy other Nintendo products as well because now they have the system such as games.

I understand that Nintendo wants and needs money to survive as a company, but I just don't see why they are against unlicensed games.

If you buy a Sony DVD player should it only work with movies made by the Sony company?

If you bought a microwave does that mean you can only warm up food in it from Kraft?

Also if 3rd party controllers are allowed to be made and sold then why can't unlicensed games too?

Anyway I'd like to hear your thoughts. 

[henke37]

Part of the NES situation was the Nintendo seal of quality. Nintendo, like all the other console vendors now, have checklists that must be satisfied. Things like "doesn't crash when left on for a week" and "can finish the game without a memory card", but also rather pedantic things like "game must show content within N seconds" and flat out censorship. Ultimately these checks weed out the worst things. And the cost of the entire process is supposed to keep out shovelware that caused the infamous video game crash.

[fellowroot]

And you know how the Aladdin deck is supposed to be made so that its cost effective.

Why didn't Nintendo have like a build in "Aladdin deck" of their own already built into the Nintendo console so that they didn't have to produce extra chips?

And I know that the seal of quality is supposed to improve games and prevent things like video game crashes, but if a game is crappy wouldn't people just not buy it?

Usually good games sell more than crappy ones.

[MrBing]

And you know how the Aladdin deck is supposed to be made so that its cost effective.

Why didn't Nintendo have like a build in "Aladdin deck" of their own already built into the Nintendo console so that they didn't have to produce extra chips?

And I know that the seal of quality is supposed to improve games and prevent things like video game crashes, but if a game is crappy wouldn't people just not buy it?

Usually good games sell more than crappy ones.

Because they wanted the SNES to be as big a step up as possible. Besides the Aladdin cart doesn't replace the VPU, which was the biggest noose around the NES' neck in competition with the Genesis and PC Engine. Also legal thing: is a game made for use with Aladdin made for use with Aladdin, or the NES?

[KingMike]

Why didn't Nintendo have like a build in "Aladdin deck" of their own already built into the Nintendo console so that they didn't have to produce extra chips?

Because Nintendo probably learned from the Famicom Disk System. The extra box was an extra expense to the consumer, and it also had widespread piracy.
If indeed the Aladdin carts are just the game chips on a small board, it would either be piracy-bait or would have to have anti-piracy that would take as much effort as standard carts (and considering by the early 90s Nintendo had seen the lockout chip the NES already had was a bigger hindrance than help)

[Jorpho]

And I know that the seal of quality is supposed to improve games and prevent things like video game crashes, but if a game is crappy wouldn't people just not buy it?

Usually good games sell more than crappy ones.

But how would people know what games are good and what games are crappy?

I read a lovely article not so long ago written by someone who worked at Gamestop during the holiday season who made trenchant observations that you and I who are somewhat informed about games and who go online and read reviews make up a very, very small percentage of people who actually buy video games.  (Alas, I cannot find said article and am very frustrated.)

[Nightcrawler]

But how would people know what games are good and what games are crappy?

There was no online back in 1992. If you didn't pay for a magazine subscription, you'd have no idea at all if newly released games were any good. Even if you did have some magazines, you'd still ended up buying a number of bad games that you'd regret buying later. I know I did. It definitely was not like the world of today where you could watch gameplay footage, read hundreds of reviews, play demos, etc.



fellowroot:

This piece of hardware was released in 1992, AFTER the SNES. It's of no surprise to me that it would fail. It came too little, too late.

[KingMike]

This piece of hardware was released in 1992, AFTER the SNES. It's of no surprise to me that it would fail. It came too little, too late.

It was also unlicensed, which means it had a harder chance of even reaching major chain stores.
(I suppose the Game Genie made it because it was made by a Galoob, then a MAJOR toy company that obviously had some pull.)

[Gideon Zhi]

(I suppose the Game Genie made it because it was made by a Galoob, then a MAJOR toy company that obviously had some pull.)

The Game Genie made it because it let you tweak and cheat in the games you already owned.

[KingMike]

Only after Nintendo tried to sue it off the market. (even post-market, I've heard some reports of Nintendo trying to get ebay to declare them a prohibited item)

I was thinking more did the official Nintendo/Sega seals at least it had some guarantee it wouldn't break the system at least.
(like most unlicensed companies besides Tengen used brute-force techniques to zap the lockout chip, which I've heard could damage the console if used extensively)

[MontyMole]

But how would people know what games are good and what games are crappy?


There was no online back in 1992. If you didn't pay for a magazine subscription, you'd have no idea at all if newly released games were any good. Even if you did have some magazines, you'd still ended up buying a number of bad games that you'd regret buying later. I know I did. It definitely was not like the world of today where you could watch gameplay footage, read hundreds of reviews, play demos, etc

This though, I used to get mine from the local newsagents as we never had a UK equivalent of Nintendo Power, only the bloody awful.Club Nintendo, which deservedly died a death after a few issues. 

Much better non subscription stuff, was Total, Mean Machines (later NMS and Mean Machines Sega) and Superplay which were really well written and full of humour and more crucially honest when reviewing.  Superplay and I think Total had a list of concise reviews at the back, but if they didn't cover it or you didn't have that copy you trusted to luck.

It was also unlicensed, which means it had a harder chance of even reaching major chain stores

Those Aladdin deck games seem to be just a load of Codemasters games, specificly their budget £1.99 quattro range, and some of the earlier Dizzy adventures, not sure if the NES versions came out here but the 8bit computer versions did.