Bob

Injection-Molded FDSKey

Posted on by Bob

JT Studio is now selling a version of ClusterM‘s FDSKey, that features an injection-molded case from Retro Game Restore.  There’s also a new firmware update coming, as well as an optional cable that allows this version of the FDSKey to work on Sharp Twin Famicom’s!  The price is $40 plus shipping and they should be in-stock right now.  More info, plus a quick unboxing video can be found below the links:

Purchase Here:  https://jt-studios.com/product/fdskey-famicom-disk-system-drive-emulator/
Twin Famicom Cable:  https://jt-studios.com/product/pre-orderfdskey-to-twin-famicom-cable/
Project Link:  https://github.com/ClusterM/fdskey

The FDSKey is a device that replaces the floppy disk drive in a Famicom/RAM Module/FloppyDrive setup.  It still requires the original “RAM Module” that sits on top of the Famicom.  From a “preservation” point of view, this is the perfect solution, as the only thing emulated are the disks and drive – All the chips inside the RAM module are still used, making it an authentic experience.

Using the FDSKey is easy!:  Format a MicroSD card to FAT32, copy your games, select the game via the FDSKey’s buttons and display…then lastly, power on your console.  As far as your Famicom / RAM Module are concerned, it’s loading an “original disk”.  One advantage of the FDSKey over the other, is no software is required to load roms – Simply copy them to the SD!

When used with an original floppy drive, the FDSKey can be used to dump FDS disks as well, without any custom cabling required.  That’s a pretty big deal for anyone with rare, old software for the FDS!  You can also write to writable FDS disks, which is a neat feature I’ve never tried…although I imagine that’s a bit more complicated.

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