The NES Satellite was gift from one of my youtube viewers and it sat in a box for quite some time. The main issue was it required six C cell batteries. That's a steep barrier to the luxury of a wireless infrared multi tap. Eventually though I did obtain the required batteries and wanted to put this piece of hardware through its paces so I could review it on MCTV.

So for months after getting the needed batteries I would only play the NES with the NES Satellite.  Taking the batteries out of the unit every time I finished playing and meticulously putting them back in before play to extend the life of the fat load of batteries this thing requires to function.  I'm a particularly lazy game player but managed to perform this ritual every time I wanted to play some Nintendo tapes.  I jumped at every chance to play multi player games to see if more controllers would impact it's performance.

 The coolest thing I found out about the NES Satellite was its functionality with Smash TV. There's a mode where two players can each use two NES controllers to mimic dual stick controls. The D pad on one controller controls movement and the D pad on the other controller controls the direction of your firing and with four controllers two players could use this most excellent control scheme. This really enhanced the game and took it from something I would probably just have sitting on my shelf to something I would actually toss in the Nintendo and get down with whenever I have someone to play with.

Would I rush out and grab an NES Satellite for every day use? No, probably not. While it is nice being able to play further away from a TV I typically play as close to the TV as I can get. Not having an option to plug it in for power is also a major draw back. I could see having this plugged in and sitting on a table next to a couch so there aren't any wires splayed out across the living room but at the cost of 6 C cell batteries that option becomes a lot less attractive. As an alternative to the NES Four Score however yes I can fully recommend this device. It works very well as a 4 player multi tap and there are a few games that use it in interesting ways.

Here's a full list of games compatible with the NES Satellite.

8-Bit Xmas 2011

Bomberman II

Danny Sullivan's Indy Heat

Gauntlet II

Greg Norman's Golf Power

Harlem Globetrotters

Kings of the Beach

Magic Johnson's Fast Break

Monster Truck Rally

M.U.L.E.

NES Play Action Football

A Nightmare on Elm Street

Nintendo World Cup

R.C. Pro-Am II

Rackets & Rivals

Rock 'n Ball

Roundball: 2 on 2 Challenge

Spot

Smash TV

Super Off Road

Super Jeopardy!

Super Spike V'Ball

Swords and Serpents

Top Players' Tennis

-Jerry Terrifying