NES Advantage

**joz** · 04-19-2011, 02:55 PM

Want the professional feel of a real arcade joystick with your Video Game console? Then the NES Advantage is what you need! Released in 1987 by Nintendo for the NES, any gamer worth his salt will tell you that the NES Advantage is unquestionably the nearest thing to a perfect arcade joystick ever made for any home video game system. A super heavyweight when it comes to gaming controllers, this bad boy weighs in at two pounds and is sturdy enough to withstand just about any type of physical abuse. But just because it's built like a tank doesn't mean that Nintendo neglected it's appearance. With a fabulous frame design and a variety of well placed buttons, this was the only NES controller that had an extra plug so that two players could play with the same joystick. Along with outstanding button functionality, this was a must have for any serious NES gamer.

On top of being a two in one controller, the NES Advantage boasted two other features that were unheard of in it's time. The first was a Turbo-Fire option. This included two knobs, one for each A and B buttons, that adjust the speed of the turbo-fire option which could also be turned on and off individually. There were also two small LEDs that would blink from slow to fast, illustrating the turbo-fire's speed setting at any given moment.
The other feature was a "Slow Motion" button that would basically press PAUSE really fast. Due to this little fact, the "Slow Motion" feature was incompatible with many games such as the Mega Man series where pressing pause would bring up a menu.

All of these features have since been implemented into controllers since, with the Turbo-Fire being the most popular of the bunch. Overall this is an amazing controller and is without a doubt one of the best accessories ever created for the NES, if not the best. It even made it into one of the most memorable scenes in Ghostbusters II, as it was the controller used to control The Statue of Liberty. The NES Advantage also made it's way into Saturday morning cartoon, Captain N: The Game Master's, intro. The only bad thing I can say about it is that it's nearly impossible to play without placing it on a flat surface such as a desk or the floor. Placing the NES Advantage on your lap feels very uncomfortable and tends to move around too much when you play.

If you never had the chance to use a NES Advantage when you were a kid and still own a NES today, you can easily purchase one online for roughly $20.

**Dudebro** · 04-19-2011, 03:54 PM

I had one(not sure if it was borrowed or owned) and it was pretty cool. One thing I noticed was that it worked best if you put it in a flat surface or secured it to something. Just sitting in your lap made the arcade stick harder to use. Or it was just how I play.

**joz** · 04-19-2011, 03:56 PM

You're correct. It was best to use it on a flat surface like a desk or the floor.

**elrod21** · 04-19-2011, 04:42 PM

It was all about the flat surface. First time I saw one was when I was visiting a friend that lived across the border for me.

He was playing 3d world runner at the time which at first glance I thought was just a Space Harrier clone.

After playing with it I had to have one and I got one about a month later.

**joz** · 04-19-2011, 04:54 PM

I remember when my parents got me one for Christmas. I was totally blown away because I remember asking if I could get the NES Max

( Click to show/hide )

. The Advantage was far superior and I was filled with a joy that day.

**Dudebro** · 04-19-2011, 05:02 PM

Yeah that Max controller sucked.

**Slime Slayer** · 04-19-2011, 07:04 PM

But it had a slide pad.

**joz** · 04-19-2011, 07:13 PM

The slide pad sucked so bad it's not even funny. I hated that thing.

**Seahawk** · 04-19-2011, 07:44 PM

You should get a NES-to-USB adapter and rock RU on that thing.

USB NES RetroPort - RetroZone

**Dojah** · 04-19-2011, 08:07 PM

If you are strapped on cash...

**joz** · 04-19-2011, 08:24 PM

the usb adapter shouldn't cost that much, but that thing you posted looks useful too Dojah.

**jim5cents** · 04-19-2011, 08:43 PM

I read that whole review and there was not a single mention about how the Ghostbusters used the NES Advantage to control the Statue of Liberty.

**joz** · 04-19-2011, 09:00 PM

Sorry about that little piece of trivia being left out. I typed this out at work so I might forget things here and there.

**Thunderlips** · 04-19-2011, 10:54 PM

I liked the NES Advantage. Track and Field for the NES was humorous with the turbo.

Despite the hype and watching Lucas Barton amaze Fred Savage in the movie "The Wizard" with his Rad Racer level 1 failure performance I resisted asking for this thing......

**alohaex** · 04-20-2011, 01:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Thunderlips

I liked the NES Advantage. Track and Field for the NES was humorous with the turbo.

Despite the hype and watching Lucas Barton amaze Fred Savage in the movie "The Wizard" with his Rad Racer level 1 failure performance I resisted asking for this thing......

Oh wow

I remember that glove I wanted one so bad when I was young. Wasn't it in the Nintendo cartoon Captian N

**joz** · 04-20-2011, 08:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by alohaex

Oh wow

I remember that glove I wanted one so bad when I was young. Wasn't it in the Nintendo cartoon Captian N

I'm pretty sure I remember seeing it in the cartoon. I know that the NES Advantage came out in it.

**alohaex** · 04-21-2011, 07:47 PM

What games could you play with that glove?

**RU Joe** · 04-28-2011, 05:02 AM

According to AVGN it's best used with racing games, but it's also compatible with lots of others.
I don't know if he was hamming it up in his review of it but it seems like it makes most normal games like side scrollers nearly unplayable.
I never owned one so I couldn't tell you personally, but his review is good for a laugh.

**Tails** · 04-28-2011, 05:11 AM

Punch Out!

**alohaex** · 04-28-2011, 06:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tails

Punch Out!

That would be fun to play with that glove. I probably would not have used it now that I think about it. I'm a heavy RPG player any it would probably be useless

**Slime Slayer** · 04-28-2011, 07:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by alohaex

That would be fun to play with that glove.

Wrong.

**Dudebro** · 04-28-2011, 01:45 PM

Quote:

I don't know if he was hamming it up in his review

He always is. Take anything he says with a grain of salt and some common sense.

**Slime Slayer** · 04-28-2011, 06:53 PM

I can confirm that it was as bad as the AVGN said it was, entirly useless. I have used the controller on the sleeve in desperate times, so not tottaly useless.

---------- Post added at 11:53 PM ---------- Previous post was at 11:49 PM ----------

The image above doesnt have the game pad, but the one I had had a fully functional controller, I'm guessing the one above was just a promotional thing.

**alohaex** · 04-28-2011, 07:11 PM

Wrong?

**Dudebro** · 04-28-2011, 07:20 PM

Wrong because the glove wasn't well made and you'd be much better off using a standard controller for Punch Out.