Lesson plan

Famiclone

In video game parlance, a famiclone (portmanteau of Famicom and clone) is a hardware clone of the Family Computer/Nintendo Entertainment System. They are designed to replicate the workings of, and play games designed for, the Famicom and NES. Hundreds of unauthorized clones have been made available since the height of the NES popularity in the late 1980s. The technology employed in such clones has evolved over the years: while the earliest clones feature a printed circuit board containing custom or third party integrated circuits (ICs), more recent (post-1996) clones utilize single-chip designs, with a custom ASIC which simulates the functionality of the original hardware and often includes one or more on-board games. Most devices originate in China and Taiwan, and less commonly South Korea. Outside China and Taiwan, they are mostly widespread across emerging markets of developing countries. In some locales, such as former Eastern Bloc, former Soviet countries (especially Russia), South America, Middle East, several Asian countries and Africa such systems could occasionally be found side by side with official Nintendo hardware, but clones were cheaper and had wider availability of software so such clones were the easiest available console gaming systems. Elsewhere, these systems often prompted swift legal action.…

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Article summary

In video game parlance, a famiclone (portmanteau of Famicom and clone) is a hardware clone of the Family Computer/Nintendo Entertainment System. They are designed to replicate the workings of, and play games designed for, the Famicom and NES. Hundreds of unauthorized clones have been made available since the height of the NES popularity in the late 1980s. The technology employed in such clones has evolved over the years: while the earliest clones feature a printed circuit board containing custom or third party integrated circuits (ICs), more recent (post-1996) clones utilize single-chip designs, with a custom ASIC which simulates the functionality of the original hardware and often includes one or more on-board games. Most devices originate in China and Taiwan, and less commonly South Korea. Outside China and Taiwan, they are mostly widespread across emerging markets of developing countries. In some locales, such as former Eastern Bloc, former Soviet countries (especially Russia), South America, Middle East, several Asian countries and Africa such systems could occasionally be found side by side with official Nintendo hardware, but clones were cheaper and had wider availability of software so such clones were the easiest available console gaming systems. Elsewhere, these systems often prompted swift legal action.…

Key claims

  1. date of establishment: 1991 — source: Wikipedia · confidence 0.95
  2. release date: 2004 — source: Wikipedia · confidence 0.95
  3. release date: 2005 — source: Wikipedia · confidence 0.95
  4. release date: 1989 — source: Wikipedia · confidence 0.95
  5. release date: 1991 — source: Wikipedia · confidence 0.95
  6. release date: 1992 — source: Wikipedia · confidence 0.95

Discussion questions

  1. Summarise the article in your own words. Which single claim would you verify first, and why?
  2. The record states that the date of establishment is "1991". What evidence would count against this claim?
  3. The record states that the release date is "2004". What evidence would count against this claim?
  4. The record states that the release date is "2005". What evidence would count against this claim?
  5. The record states that the release date is "1989". What evidence would count against this claim?
  6. The record states that the release date is "1991". What evidence would count against this claim?
  7. The record states that the release date is "1992". What evidence would count against this claim?
  8. Which claim in this article is most likely to be revised as the sources update? How would you check its current status?
  9. If two sources disagreed about one of these facts, what would you need in order to trust one over the other?

Bibliography

  1. Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=1378914136

Key claims and bibliography are generated from the same tracked claims and sources as the article page.