Retro consoles were built for the TVs of the country they were sold in, and most of them check that the game came from the same place. Every console in our catalog is the North American release. This guide explains what the region labels mean, what runs on what, and how to get a clean picture on the TV you own today.
The three regions
You'll see three labels in listings. NTSC-U (also NTSC-U/C) is North America. NTSC-J is Japan. PAL covers most of Europe and Australia. Sony region-locked the PlayStation to exactly those three.
NTSC and PAL are TV standards. NTSC runs at 60 fields a second and PAL at 50. Japan and North America both use NTSC, so their consoles share timing even when they don't share cartridge shapes.
Why 50 Hz matters
A game written for 60 Hz has to be adapted for 50 Hz. Many publishers simply slowed the game down, by roughly a sixth. PAL versions also often have black borders at the top and bottom and a slightly squashed picture, and full-motion video made at 30 frames a second was often cut down to 25. A PAL copy is frequently the weaker version of the same game, even when it runs. For a North American console and TV, buy NTSC-U.
How each platform locks
Atari 2600
There's no lockout at all. The catch is the picture. PAL mode draws at 50 Hz with fewer colors, and AtariAge notes that a PAL cart on an NTSC console rolls with strange colors. Check the cart's region before you buy one for a US 2600.
NES
The NES uses the 10NES lockout chip, one in the console and one in each cartridge, in separate versions for North America, two PAL zones and Asia. Put a cart from the wrong region in a front-loader and the chip resets the console about once a second, which is the familiar blinking red light. Japanese Famicom carts are a different size, with 60 pins against the NES's 72, so they don't fit an NES slot without an adapter. The top-loading NES-101 dropped the lockout chip, as did the Famicom, which is why the top-loader also runs unlicensed carts.
SNES
North American cartridges have a rectangular bottom with inset grooves, and two plastic tabs in the US slot match them. Super Famicom and PAL carts are narrower with a curved front and no grooves, so the tabs keep them out. Inside, a CIC lockout chip in the console and each cart blocks PAL games on NTSC consoles and the reverse. Japan and North America are both NTSC, so the tabs are what stand between a Super Famicom cart and a US SNES.
Genesis
Japanese Mega Drive carts use the same pinout as Genesis carts but a different shape, so they won't fit the Genesis slot. Some games also run a software check and show a warning on the wrong console, though most games, especially Sega's own, are region-free. TMSS, the boot message Sega added around 1991, is a licensing check, not a region lock.
Nintendo 64
N64 carts have different notches on the back by region, which stops them going into a foreign console. Each cart also carries a lockout chip, and Nintendo made several versions of it.
PlayStation
Every licensed PlayStation disc carries a short region string in its lead-in, SCEA for America, SCEI for Japan and SCEE for Europe. The console reads it at boot and won't start a disc from another region, or a copied disc that lacks it. Modchips get around this by feeding the console a valid string. If a listing mentions a chip, see modded consoles explained.
Video outputs, worst to best
RF sends picture and sound through the antenna input on channel 3 or 4. Picture quality suffers twice, once when the console modulates the signal and again when the TV demodulates it. RetroRGB also points out that RF picks up interference in crowded areas. Composite uses one yellow RCA plug for video and is a clear step up. S-video splits brightness from color for a sharper picture. RGB keeps the red, green and blue signals separate and looks best of all.
Here's what each platform offers stock.
- Atari 2600: RF only.
- NES: the front-loader has RF and composite on RCA jacks. The top-loader has RF only, apart from a rare version with the SNES-style multi-out.
- SNES: the multi-out carries composite, S-video and RGB. The later SNS-101 outputs composite only, with S-video and RGB disabled inside.
- Genesis: the Model 1 has RF plus an 8-pin DIN with composite and RGB, and a front headphone jack for stereo. The Model 2 puts composite, RGB and stereo on one 9-pin mini-DIN.
- Nintendo 64: composite and S-video through the same multi-out cables as the SNES.
- PlayStation: the AV Multi Out carries composite, S-video and RGB. Early models also had RCA jacks, which disappeared from 1997. The SCPH-1001 has them.
RGB is easier to use in Europe, where SCART was the standard connector on TVs. It was far less common in North America, and Japan used its own JP-21 plug with a different pinout. A SCART cable from a European seller may not suit your setup, so check the plug before you buy one.
What a modern flat TV needs
Start with the inputs on your TV. RF only works if the TV can still tune an analog channel 3 or 4. Composite needs a yellow composite jack. RetroRGB notes that most TVs won't accept RGB at all, so RGB usually goes through a scaler.
The bigger issue is 240p. These consoles send only one field type instead of alternating two, which makes a progressive picture with about 240 lines. Flat TVs were never designed for it. RetroRGB notes that some TVs treat 240p as 480i and run it through a deinterlacer, and that most built-in scalers are basic and don't account for lag. The result is often a soft picture with a delay you can feel in a platformer.
An external upscaler made for retro consoles fixes most of that. It takes the 240p signal and multiplies the lines by a whole number, two for 480p, three for 720p, and so on, with very little lag. Many accept RGB through SCART, which is the cleanest path from a console that supports it. You don't need one to enjoy these games, but it's the upgrade we'd make before any mod.
Light guns need a CRT
The NES Zapper works by timing. When you pull the trigger, the game blanks the screen for one frame and then draws the targets in white, and the Zapper's sensor watches for that change. Flat panels add display lag that breaks the timing, so the Zapper only works on a CRT. Treat any light gun from this era the same way unless the seller shows it working on the screen you plan to use.
What we'd do
Buy North American consoles and games, check your TV's inputs before you pick a console, and get the best cable the console supports. Before you buy, read how to check a used retro console, then browse with the right cable in mind.
