Now, who wants to know about Nintendo's first console? The NES, aka Famicom in Japan, is currently Nintendo's most successful console, with 61.91 million units sold. If you have a Wii, you have to go on over to the Wii Shop Channel and download NES/Famicom until your credit card is empty! (It's your choice)
If you want to know the history of this thing, read on!
k-like design with a simple four button layout: two round buttons labeled B and A, a START button, and a SELECT button. Also, the controllers had a D-pad, designed by Nintendo for the Game & Watch, to replace the bulkier joysticks on earlier gaming consoles’ controllers.
The original model Famicom featured two game controllers, both of which were hardwired to the back of the console. The second controller lacked the START and SELECT buttons, but featured a small microphone. Relatively few games made use of this feature. The earliest produced Famicom units
initially had square A and B buttons. This was changed to the circular designs because of the square buttons being caught in the controller casing when pressed down, and glitches within the hardware causing the system to freeze sometimes while playing a game.
If you want to know the history of this thing, read on!
Following a series of arcade games in the 1980s, Nintendo made plans to produce a console. The Nintendo Family Computer (Famicom) was slow to become popular; a bad chip set caused the first release of the system to crash. Following a recall and a reissue with a better motherboard, the Famicom’s popularity soared, becoming the best-selling game console in Japan by the end of 1984. Encouraged by these successes, Nintendo soon turned its attention to the North American market. Nintendo entered into negotiations with Atari to release the Famicom under Atari’s name as the name Nintendo Advanced Video Gaming System; however, this deal eventually fell apart. Plans to market a Famicom console in North America featuring a keyboard, cassette data recorder, wireless joystick controller, and a special cartridge under the name "Nintendo Advanced Video System" likewise never happened.
In 1985, Nintendo revealed its American version of the Famicom . It rolled out its first systems to limited American markets on October 18, 1985, following up with a full-fledged North American release of the console in February of the following year. Nintendo simultaneously released eighteen launch titles.
In Europe and Australia, the system was released to two separate marketing regions (A and B). Distribution in region B, consisting of most of mainland Europe (excluding Italy), was handled by a number of different companies, with Nintendo responsible for most cartridge releases; most of region B saw a 1986 release. Mattel handled distribution for region A, consisting of the United Kingdom, Ireland, Italy, Australia and New Zealand, starting the following year. Not until 1990 did Nintendo’s newly created European branch take over distribution throughout Europe. Despite the system’s lackluster performance outside of Japan and North America, by 1990 the NES had outsold all previously released consoles worldwide.
In 1985, Nintendo revealed its American version of the Famicom . It rolled out its first systems to limited American markets on October 18, 1985, following up with a full-fledged North American release of the console in February of the following year. Nintendo simultaneously released eighteen launch titles.
In Europe and Australia, the system was released to two separate marketing regions (A and B). Distribution in region B, consisting of most of mainland Europe (excluding Italy), was handled by a number of different companies, with Nintendo responsible for most cartridge releases; most of region B saw a 1986 release. Mattel handled distribution for region A, consisting of the United Kingdom, Ireland, Italy, Australia and New Zealand, starting the following year. Not until 1990 did Nintendo’s newly created European branch take over distribution throughout Europe. Despite the system’s lackluster performance outside of Japan and North America, by 1990 the NES had outsold all previously released consoles worldwide.
For its North American release in 1985, the NES was released in two different "bundles". The console deck itself was identical, but each bundle was packaged with different game paks and accessories. The first of these sets, the Control Deck, retailed from $199.99, and 
included the console itself, two game controllers, and a Super Mario Bros. game cartridge. The second bundle, the Deluxe Set, retailed for $249.99, and consisted of the console, a R.O.B. accessory, an NES Zapper gun, and two game paks: Duck Hunt and Gyromite.
For the remainder of the NES's lifespan in North America, Nintendo frequently repackaged the console in new configurations to capitalize on newer accessories or popular game titles.
Subsequent bundle packages included the NES Action Set, released in November 1988 for $149.99, which replaced both of the earlier two sets, and included the console, the NES Zapper, two game controllers, and a multicart version of Super Mario Bros. and Duck Hunt. The Action Set became the most successful of the packages released by Nintendo. One month later, in December 1988, to coincide with the release of the Power Pad floor mat controller, Nintendo released a new Power Set bundle, consisting of the console, the Power Pad, the NES Zapper, two controllers, and a multicart containing Super Mario Bros., Duck Hunt, and World Class Track Meet. In 1990, a Sports Set bundle was released, including the console, an NES Satellite infrared wireless multitap adapter, four game controllers, and a multicart featuring Super Spike V'Ball and Nintendo World Cup.
Two more bundle packages were released using the original model NES console. The Challenge Set included the console, two controllers, and a Super Mario Bros. 3 game pak. The Basic Set, first released in 1987, included only the console and two controllers with no pack-in cartridge. Instead, it contained a book called the The Official Nintendo Player's Guide, which contained detailed information for every NES game made up to that point. Finally, the redesigned NES 2 was released as part of the final Nintendo-released bundle package, once again under the name Control Deck, including the new style NES 2 console, and one redesigned "dogbone" game controller. Released in October 1993, this final bundle retailed for US$49.99, and remained in production until the discontinuation of the NES in 1995.
The game controller used for both the NES and the Famicom featured a bric
included the console itself, two game controllers, and a Super Mario Bros. game cartridge. The second bundle, the Deluxe Set, retailed for $249.99, and consisted of the console, a R.O.B. accessory, an NES Zapper gun, and two game paks: Duck Hunt and Gyromite.For the remainder of the NES's lifespan in North America, Nintendo frequently repackaged the console in new configurations to capitalize on newer accessories or popular game titles.
Subsequent bundle packages included the NES Action Set, released in November 1988 for $149.99, which replaced both of the earlier two sets, and included the console, the NES Zapper, two game controllers, and a multicart version of Super Mario Bros. and Duck Hunt. The Action Set became the most successful of the packages released by Nintendo. One month later, in December 1988, to coincide with the release of the Power Pad floor mat controller, Nintendo released a new Power Set bundle, consisting of the console, the Power Pad, the NES Zapper, two controllers, and a multicart containing Super Mario Bros., Duck Hunt, and World Class Track Meet. In 1990, a Sports Set bundle was released, including the console, an NES Satellite infrared wireless multitap adapter, four game controllers, and a multicart featuring Super Spike V'Ball and Nintendo World Cup.Two more bundle packages were released using the original model NES console. The Challenge Set included the console, two controllers, and a Super Mario Bros. 3 game pak. The Basic Set, first released in 1987, included only the console and two controllers with no pack-in cartridge. Instead, it contained a book called the The Official Nintendo Player's Guide, which contained detailed information for every NES game made up to that point. Finally, the redesigned NES 2 was released as part of the final Nintendo-released bundle package, once again under the name Control Deck, including the new style NES 2 console, and one redesigned "dogbone" game controller. Released in October 1993, this final bundle retailed for US$49.99, and remained in production until the discontinuation of the NES in 1995.
k-like design with a simple four button layout: two round buttons labeled B and A, a START button, and a SELECT button. Also, the controllers had a D-pad, designed by Nintendo for the Game & Watch, to replace the bulkier joysticks on earlier gaming consoles’ controllers.The original model Famicom featured two game controllers, both of which were hardwired to the back of the console. The second controller lacked the START and SELECT buttons, but featured a small microphone. Relatively few games made use of this feature. The earliest produced Famicom units
initially had square A and B buttons. This was changed to the circular designs because of the square buttons being caught in the controller casing when pressed down, and glitches within the hardware causing the system to freeze sometimes while playing a game.Also, unlike the Famicom, the controllers included with the NES were identical to each other—the second controller lacked the microphone that was present on the Famicom model, and had the same START and SELECT buttons as the regular controller.
Recently, the original NES controller has become one of the most recognizable symbols of the system. Nintendo has mimicked the look of the controller in several recent products, from promotional merchandise to limited edition versions of the Game Boy Advance SP and Game Boy Micro handheld game consoles.
When Nintendo released the NES in the United States, the design styling was delibe
rately different from that of other game consoles. Nintendo wanted to distinguish its product from those of competitors, and to avoid the generally poor reputation that game consoles had acquired following the video game crash of 1983. One result of this philosophy was a front-loading zero insertion force cartridge socket designed
to resemble the front-loading mechanism of a VCR. The connector and the cartridges were clean and the pins on the connector were new. Unfortunately, the connector was not truly zero insertion force. When a user inserted the cartridge into the NES, the force of pressing the cartridge down and into place bent the contact pins slightly, as well as pressing the cartridge’s ROM board back into the cartridge itself. Repeated insertion and removal of cartridges caused the pins to wear out pretty quick, and the ZIF design proved far more prone to interference by dirt and dust. Add-ons like the popular Game Genie cheat cartridge tended to further exaggerate this problem by bending the front-loading mechanism during gameplay.
Well, I hope you liked it! Next up, A Salute to Nintendo: Part IV: Super Nintendo
Recently, the original NES controller has become one of the most recognizable symbols of the system. Nintendo has mimicked the look of the controller in several recent products, from promotional merchandise to limited edition versions of the Game Boy Advance SP and Game Boy Micro handheld game consoles.
When Nintendo released the NES in the United States, the design styling was delibe
rately different from that of other game consoles. Nintendo wanted to distinguish its product from those of competitors, and to avoid the generally poor reputation that game consoles had acquired following the video game crash of 1983. One result of this philosophy was a front-loading zero insertion force cartridge socket designed
to resemble the front-loading mechanism of a VCR. The connector and the cartridges were clean and the pins on the connector were new. Unfortunately, the connector was not truly zero insertion force. When a user inserted the cartridge into the NES, the force of pressing the cartridge down and into place bent the contact pins slightly, as well as pressing the cartridge’s ROM board back into the cartridge itself. Repeated insertion and removal of cartridges caused the pins to wear out pretty quick, and the ZIF design proved far more prone to interference by dirt and dust. Add-ons like the popular Game Genie cheat cartridge tended to further exaggerate this problem by bending the front-loading mechanism during gameplay.Well, I hope you liked it! Next up, A Salute to Nintendo: Part IV: Super Nintendo
1 comment:
::awesomesauce::
I can't wait for the next installment!!!
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