Chiptune music attempts to make new sounds using old hardware, mashing Game Boys with Garage Band to create tracks that feel ripped out of the 8-bit era. Typically, though, you still listen to these songs using modern gadgets: but that’s not the case with 8-bit Music Power. The upcoming album isn’t available as a digital download or even on CD or vinyl. Instead, it comes on a cartridge made for the Nintendo Famicom, the Japanese version of the NES.
You’ll need a Nintendo Famicom to listen to this new chiptune album
Old console, new tunes
Old console, new tunes
is an entertainment editor covering streaming, virtual worlds, and every single Pokémon video game. Andrew joined The Verge in 2012, writing over 4,000 stories.
The 11-song album launches on January 31st in Japan for $30, and features a range of composers behind some classic, beloved games, including Ape Escape on the original PlayStation and NES shoot ‘em up Star Soldier. And since it plays on a device that plugs into your television, 8-bit Music Power also features some cool, pixelated visualizers to go along with the music.
Unfortunately, if you own an NES you won’t be able to listen to the album without an adapter — the NES and Famicom used different cartridges — but Columbus Circle, the company behind the album, says that an NES release isn’t out of the question, given the demand. “This was just a project among old Nintendo fans around us,” a company rep told The Wall Street Journal. “We were surprised at the overwhelming reaction we’ve received.”
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