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The
Q-Boy
(Sachen)
By: The
Collector
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A lot of Famicom system pirates try to win
over potential customers with unique designs and promises
of elaborate features while shying away from the truth that
they're just illegal copies. Some models, like the Polystation,
look cool, but their functionality and design are really cheap.
Others manage to escape this fate and put out a good design
and deliver on their promises. The Q-Boy is one of them.
Put out by the famous unlicensed game developer
Sachen, the Q-Boy is one of the most professional pirates
I've run across. The unit is about the size of an NES 2 and
comes in multiple colors with translucent casing (I was given
the choice of black, green, or blue. Since I had plenty of
systems in black, I opted for the blue). The system itself
is really well built, with solid plastic that should be able
to stand a beating, should you be so irresponsible. Best of
all, it comes with eight games built in (well, six. More on
that later).
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The box, which, sadly, is not Engrish-tastic,
proudly proclaims that "for less than the cost of a video
game you can have a cool looking console with Classic arcade
games built-in." For once, the advertisement is accurate.
Speaking of which, the box looks excellent, with professional
design and pictures that depict actual games that you can
play on system (in other words, not Tomba). The system comes
with two color matching controllers, a power supply, and both
RF and RCA cords.
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Onboard, the Q-Boy has a Famicom cartridge
slot, the usual two nine-pin control ports, power and reset
buttons on top, and the standard mono-RCA, RF, (that's right,
this system does Nintendo one better and puts BOTH options
on there), and AC adapter ports. Everything is labeled right
in the plastic, making this system easy to set up for those
who need help. The system also features a flip-top dust cover
for the cartridge slot and a nifty cart eject button like
the one found on the SNES. It doesn't really do much (it's
actually pretty easy to send Famicom carts flying in the air),
but it's still a nice gesture.
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The included games work by simply switching
on the console without a game inserted. The unit works perfectly
with standard Famicom games, with a cartridge slot that holds
the game in very well. It also works with NES games (with
an adapter, of course), and even though the carts tower out
of the machine, the connection is still wonderfully solid.
It's probably not a good idea to kick the system mid-game,
but the connection is way better than the NES. The RCA signal
was crisp, but the colors appeared washed out. Ironically,
the RF signal is also crystal clear, way better than what
Nintendo put out the second time. For as much as Nintendo
decries pirates, it's funny that they actually made a better
product than them.
The matching controllers (with "Sachen"
molded in, no less) certainly aren't the worst, but a few
glaring flaws remind you that these are pirates. They look
really cool (even the silver cord looks great), are marginally
comfortable to hold in your hand, the buttons function well,
and with turbo buttons, they at least have more features than
the standard pads.
The fatal flaw is that, like other pirates,
Sachen for some reason decided to connect the wires to the
SIDE of the controller, meaning you'll have to fight them
for a grip. Oddly, the second player controller doesn't have
a start or select button. Even though those buttons aren't
necessary for the included games, you're out of luck if you
need them for other titles or the player one controller gets
damaged.
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One good thing that can be said about the
included games is that they're all vaguely unique. There are
eight listed, but three are basically the same game with slight
variations (but in pirate terms, these guys are honest as
saints). Included is Jovial Race (a Rally X clone),
Little Red Riding Hood (the famous terror of Sachen
programming), Twin Eagle (a side-scrolling ship shooter),
Silent Assault (a bad platform shooter), Super Pang
(a clone of Buster Bros., but a really fun one), and three
variations of Mine Sweeper (like the Windows game).
Not as many as your standard pirate cart, but at least they're
original.
On a side note, I may have the answer to why
this is called the "Q-Boy," or at least a rationalization.
Look at the picture of the top of the console upside-down.
Doesn't that look like a face? I have a hard time believing
that this wasn't intentional. That may explain why it's likened
to something human (plus, it sounds like a little thing called
the "Gameboy"). "Quality-Boy," maybe?
Who knows, but it's still kind of creepy.
So, is the Q-Boy worth the trouble and the
price? I paid $40 for it on eBay in early 2004, less than
the cost of an NES 2 when it first came out, and about half
the cost of what it would cost to get one today, and I'm happy
with it. It's a solid, attractive, and just plain cool little
console that is well-built overall (color fading issues aside)
and includes six unique and hard-to-find games. You may want
to bring your own controllers, but for Famicom gaming with
a sturdy machine, you can't go wrong with the Q-Boy.
-info, all scanned, and camera
pictures for use on NES Player only
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