The
Nintendo Entertainment System
The Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) is an 8-bit home video game console developed and marketed by Nintendo. It was first released in Japan on 15 July 1983 as the and was later released as the redesigned NES in several test markets in the ...
(NES), an
8-bit
In computer architecture, 8-bit integers or other data units are those that are 8 bits wide (1 octet). Also, 8-bit central processing unit (CPU) and arithmetic logic unit (ALU) architectures are those that are based on registers or data bu ...
third-generation home video game console
A home video game console is a video game console that is designed to be connected to a display device, such as a television, and an external power source as to play video games. While initial consoles were dedicated units with only a few game ...
produced by
Nintendo
is a Japanese Multinational corporation, multinational video game company headquartered in Kyoto. It develops, publishes, and releases both video games and video game consoles.
The history of Nintendo began when craftsman Fusajiro Yamauchi ...
, had numerous model variants produced throughout its lifetime. It was originally released in 1983 as the (and widely known as the ) in Japan, with design work led by
Masayuki Uemura. Nintendo intentionally redesigned it as the NES in North America in an attempt to avoid the stigma of video game consoles lingering from the
video game crash the same year; while it was initially conceptualized as a
home computer
Home computers were a class of microcomputers that entered the market in 1977 and became common during the 1980s. They were marketed to consumers as affordable and accessible computers that, for the first time, were intended for the use of a s ...
, it was ultimately modeled after a
videocassette recorder
A videocassette recorder (VCR) or video recorder is an electromechanical device that records analog audio and analog video from broadcast television or other AV sources and can play back the recording after rewinding. The use of a VCR to reco ...
(VCR) for its debut there in 1985. Nintendo subsequently exported the NES to Europe and Oceania via local distributors.
Uemura's former employer
Sharp Corporation
is a Japanese electronics company. It is headquartered in Sakai, Osaka, and was founded by Tokuji Hayakawa in 1912 in Honjo, Tokyo, and established as the Hayakawa Metal Works Institute in Abeno-ku, Osaka, in 1924. Since 2016, it is majority o ...
, which previously collaborated with Nintendo on the
Game & Watch
is a series of handheld electronic games developed by Nintendo. Designed by Gunpei Yokoi, the first game, ''Ball'' was released in 1980 and the original production run of the devices continued until 1991. The name Game & Watch reflects thei ...
,
released three officially licensed Famicom variants in Japan: a
CRT television
CRT or Crt most commonly refers to:
* Cathode-ray tube, a display
* Critical race theory, an academic framework of analysis
CRT may also refer to:
Law
* Charitable trust#charitable remainder trust, Charitable remainder trust, United States
* Ci ...
with a built-in Famicom, a console that combined the Famicom and
Famicom Disk System
The commonly shortened to the Famicom Disk System, is a peripheral for Nintendo's Family Computer (Famicom) home video game console, released in Japan on February 21, 1986. The system uses proprietary floppy disks called "Disk Cards" for more ...
hardware in one package, and a console dedicated to video production. Only the television variant was given a release in North America. Meanwhile, Nintendo produced two arcade variants of the console: the
Nintendo VS. System, released in 1984 to gauge consumer interest in the United States for then-unreleased Famicom games; and the
PlayChoice-10, released in 1986 as a demonstration unit for NES games.
After the release of the
Super Nintendo Entertainment System
The Super Nintendo Entertainment System, commonly shortened to Super Nintendo, Super NES or SNES, is a Fourth generation of video game consoles, 16-bit home video game console developed by Nintendo that was released in 1990 in Japan, 1991 in No ...
(SNES)/Super Famicom, Nintendo released a compact, redesigned version of the NES/Famicom in 1993. The company elected to revert to the top-loading cartridge slot with the NES due to reliability issues with the original front-loading slot. It was the sole design in production when the console was ultimately discontinued in 2003.
Original variants
Family Computer

According to Uemura, video games were an unfamiliar concept to Japanese toy stores when they were introduced; the stores did not consider carrying them since they required televisions, which the stores did not sell at the time. Rather than targeting the
educational market with
PC-like styling, Uemura styled the Famicom like a toy as a cheaper option.
While Uemura's team intended to use an inexpensive
steel
Steel is an alloy of iron and carbon that demonstrates improved mechanical properties compared to the pure form of iron. Due to steel's high Young's modulus, elastic modulus, Yield (engineering), yield strength, Fracture, fracture strength a ...
case, they switched to a durable plastic due to the fragility of the steel case.
The red, gold, and white color scheme, chosen by Yamauchi, was inspired by two objects that used similar schemes: a
scarf
A scarf (: scarves or scarfs) is a long piece of fabric that is worn on or around the neck, shoulders, or head. A scarf is used for warmth, sun protection, cleanliness, fashion, religious reasons, or to show support for a sports club or team. ...
that he liked, and a
set-top TV antenna from a company called DX Antenna.
Other design considerations took into account the lifestyles and attitudes of Japanese consumers at the time. Uemura had considered PC-like styling for the console, but elected to use a horizontally-oriented design suited for placement on the floor; he felt Japanese consumers would prefer the latter as more relaxing. The controllers were designed to make the console's adoption among Japanese consumers easier; despite arriving on the market later than its competitors, the
Game & Watch
is a series of handheld electronic games developed by Nintendo. Designed by Gunpei Yokoi, the first game, ''Ball'' was released in 1980 and the original production run of the devices continued until 1991. The name Game & Watch reflects thei ...
-inspired design provided a familiar control scheme for those who had already played one of its
handheld electronic games, especially with the inclusion of a
D-pad
The D-pad (short for directional pad) is a compact input method developed for video games, designed to translate thumb movement into directional control through a flat, cross-shaped surface that rests on four internal switches. Each switch corres ...
for versatility across game genres. They were also intentionally hardwired with short cables to keep players close to the console (and the TV by extension), ideal for Japanese houses due to their smaller layout compared to their American counterparts.
Nintendo Entertainment System
Seeking to market the Famicom worldwide after its 1983 release in Japan, Nintendo forged a tentative distribution and rights agreement with
Atari
Atari () is a brand name that has been owned by several entities since its inception in 1972. It is currently owned by French holding company Atari SA (formerly Infogrames) and its focus is on "video games, consumer hardware, licensing and bl ...
to market it outside the country as the Nintendo Enhanced Video System; however, both sides never consummated the deal as planned at the Summer CES in June 1983 due to a series of events that culminated in Atari collapsing amid the
video game crash that year.
Despite the pessimism of North American retailers, Yamauchi was still convinced that a launch there was feasible, so he ordered the introduction of a Famicom-based arcade system called the
Nintendo VS. System the following year to gauge interest in the console's games there; the success of the system in North America encouraged Yamauchi to move forward with the launch.
Under the direction of Lance Barr and Don James, the former of which then held the position of "Design & Brand Director" at Nintendo of America (NOA), the Famicom was initially redesigned to resemble a
home computer
Home computers were a class of microcomputers that entered the market in 1977 and became common during the 1980s. They were marketed to consumers as affordable and accessible computers that, for the first time, were intended for the use of a s ...
; christened the Nintendo Advanced Video System (AVS), it featured peripherals such as a
computer keyboard
A computer keyboard is a built-in or peripheral input device modeled after the typewriter keyboard which uses an arrangement of buttons or Push-button, keys to act as Mechanical keyboard, mechanical levers or Electronic switching system, electro ...
, a
musical keyboard
A musical keyboard is the set of adjacent depressible levers or keys on a musical instrument. Keyboards typically contain keys for playing the twelve notes of the Western musical scale, with a combination of larger, longer keys and smaller, sho ...
, a
tape drive
A tape drive is a data storage device that reads and writes data on a magnetic tape. Magnetic-tape data storage is typically used for offline, archival data storage. Tape media generally has a favorable unit cost and long archival stability.
...
,
infrared
Infrared (IR; sometimes called infrared light) is electromagnetic radiation (EMR) with wavelengths longer than that of visible light but shorter than microwaves. The infrared spectral band begins with the waves that are just longer than those ...
wireless controllers, and a folding
light gun.
The console itself featured a Famicom-like top-loading system and cartridges, whereas the controller's D-pad had a square shape similar to that of
Sega
is a Japanese video game company and subsidiary of Sega Sammy Holdings headquartered in Tokyo. It produces several List of best-selling video game franchises, multi-million-selling game franchises for arcade game, arcades and video game cons ...
's
Master System
The is an 8-bit Third generation of video game consoles, third-generation home video game console manufactured and developed by Sega. It was originally a remodeled export version of the Sega Mark III, the third iteration of the SG-1000 series ...
.
The AVS was shown off at the Winter CES in January 1985, planned for a June release, to middling fanfare. Chief among the concerns identified by Nintendo was the lingering stigma from the 1983 crash and the high price point the console was likely to command.
After a cost-reduced revision of the AVS by Barr
was showcased at the Summer CES that June as the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES), Nintendo subsequently conceived a new design for the NES with colorations from Barr and James.
Known among Nintendo employees as the "lunch box", the design—credited to engineer Masayuki Yukawa—included a front-loading cartridge mechanism that was modeled after a
videocassette recorder
A videocassette recorder (VCR) or video recorder is an electromechanical device that records analog audio and analog video from broadcast television or other AV sources and can play back the recording after rewinding. The use of a VCR to reco ...
, mainly intended to further remove the console from the stigma of its contemporaries.
Uemura later revealed in 2020 that the redesign was also intended to prevent a
short circuit
A short circuit (sometimes abbreviated to short or s/c) is an electrical circuit that allows a current to travel along an unintended path with no or very low electrical impedance. This results in an excessive current flowing through the circuit ...
via direct contact with the hardware during cartridge insertion, which was especially problematic in a household full of
static-inducing furniture in a
semi-arid climate
A semi-arid climate, semi-desert climate, or steppe climate is a dry climate sub-type. It is located on regions that receive precipitation below potential evapotranspiration, but not as low as a desert climate. There are different kinds of se ...
, as was the case in much of the
Great Plains
The Great Plains is a broad expanse of plain, flatland in North America. The region stretches east of the Rocky Mountains, much of it covered in prairie, steppe, and grassland. They are the western part of the Interior Plains, which include th ...
.
While most of the peripherals that accompanied the AVS were scrapped, the light gun was kept, albeit in a cost-reduced form as the
NES Zapper. To further dissuade consumers from perceiving the NES as a console, Nintendo introduced the Nintendo Video Robot, a
toy robot that acted as a second player in two games; the presence of the robot, which was eventually named the
Robotic Operating Buddy (R.O.B.) by advertising manager
Gail Tilden, helped convince reluctant
toy shops to place orders for the NES before it launched in New York City on October 18, 1985.
PAL versions

Nintendo also marketed the NES in
PAL regions through local distributors, though the console did not find as much success as it did in North America. In Europe, it was first released in Scandinavia in late 1986.
Nintendo then partnered with
Mattel
Mattel, Inc. ( ) is an American multinational corporation, multinational toy manufacturing and entertainment company headquartered in El Segundo, California. Founded in Los Angeles by Harold Matson and the husband-and-wife duo of Ruth Handler, ...
in 1987 to distribute the NES in the United Kingdom and Italy; the same year, the console was introduced to France, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg via Nintendo Entertainment Systems International (NESI), a French private company led by former NOA salesperson Ron Judy.
However, Mattel's lackluster marketing effort in the face of strong competition from the home computer market led Nintendo to give the British distribution rights to NESI the following year.
NESI handed over its distribution rights to
Bandai
is a Japanese multinational corporation, multinational toy manufacturer and distributor headquartered in Taitō, Taitō, Tokyo. Its international branches, Bandai Namco Toys & Collectables America and Bandai UK, are respectively headquartered ...
in 1992 before Nintendo reclaimed them in 1995.
Countries in Eastern Europe did not receive as much attention as their western counterparts, with the NES making its debut in Hungary in 1991 via the Austrian distributor.
In Oceania, Mattel gained the distribution rights for Australia and New Zealand, with both receiving the NES in mid-1987. While the console fared better in those countries compared to Europe, it did not gain significant traction until 1993.
The same year, Nintendo established a regional subsidiary—Nintendo Australia—and subsequently reclaimed the distribution rights the following year.
Europe was split into two zones for distribution; the United Kingdom and Italy were designated as PAL-A, while the rest of Europe was designated as PAL-B. Consoles from one zone are not compatible with games from the other zone.
Also, unique to the French NES consoles is the inclusion of an
audiovisual
Audiovisual (AV) is electronic media possessing both a sound and a visual component, such as slide-tape presentations, films, television programs, corporate conferencing, church services, and live theater productions.
Audiovisual service provide ...
(AV) port that outputs
RGB video via a
SCART
SCART (also known as or , especially in France, 21-pin EuroSCART in marketing by Sharp Corporation, Sharp in Asia, Euroconector in Spain, EuroAV or EXT, or EIA Multiport in the United States, as an EIA interface) is a French-originated standard ...
connector instead of
composite; however, since the NES is not capable of RGB output (in its original form), it converts the native composite signal to RGB.
Asian versions
The NES was also released in other regions of Asia outside Japan (except for mainland China). In particular, South Korea received the NES via distributor
Hyundai Electronics as the Hyundai Comboy in October 1989. Nintendo could not sell the NES directly in the country as Japanese cultural imports were banned by the government at the time, dating back to the end of
World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
; the ban stayed in effect until 2004. In India, a license-built version of the PAL-region NES was sold as the Samurai Electronic TV Game System.
However, due to the prohibitively expensive price of the console, it sold poorly in the country; the Samurai brand was later reused on a series of unauthorised
Famiclone consoles.
Redesigned variant
The New-Style NES is a compact, cost-reduced, redesigned version of the Famicom/NES released by Nintendo in 1993. In Japan, it is officially called the though it retains the "Family Computer" branding to maintain consistency with the original Famicom.
Unveiled in North America via
press release
A press release (also known as a media release) is an official statement delivered to members of the news media for the purpose of providing new information, creating an official statement, or making an announcement directed for public releas ...
on October 11 and released later that month with a retail price of US$49.95 ($ in dollars), the new design was marketed virtually the same as the original model; the only difference was the presence of a "new design" mark on the packaging.
It was sold in Japan starting on December 1 (delayed from the original release date of October 21) for ¥6,800. The redesign did not receive a release in Europe.
Redesigned by Lance Barr, the New-Style NES has a vertical cartridge slot to prevent reliability issues common with the spring-loaded mechanism in the original NES.
The console removed the
10NES lockout chip, allowing it to play unlicensed games. The console also removed
composite video
Composite video, also known as CVBS (composite video baseband signal or color, video, blanking and sync), is an analog video format that combines image information—such as brightness (luminance), color (chrominance), and synchronization, int ...
output, leaving only
RF output available on it; Nintendo later produced a rare version of the console that replaced RF with the AV "multi-out" port used on the SNES. Although a game was not bundled with the New-Style NES, it came packaged with a redesigned controller modeled after the SNES controller; colloquially called the "
dog bone" controller due to its resemblance in shape to one, it also retailed separately for $15 ($ in dollars) each.
The New Famicom is similar in appearance to the New-Style NES, though the former lacks the "bump" on the latter's cartridge slot to accommodate the shorter Famicom cartridges as well as the RAM Adapter for the Famicom Disk System.
It was bundled with two "dog bone" controllers; while this allowed for easy replacement of defective controllers compared to the hardwired ones in the original Famicom, games that utilized the microphone in the original Famicom's second controller are incompatible with the New Famicom due to the lack of one in the new controller.
Although the New Famicom included composite video output, an improvement over the RF-only Famicom, it did not come bundled with an
AV cable or an
AC adapter
An AC adapter or AC/DC adapter (also called a wall charger, power adapter, power brick, or wall wart) is a type of external power supply, often enclosed in a case similar to an AC plug. AC adapters deliver electric power to devices that la ...
(they were sold separately) as Nintendo assumed that prospective customers were in possession of a
Super Famicom
The Super Nintendo Entertainment System, commonly shortened to Super Nintendo, Super NES or SNES, is a Fourth generation of video game consoles, 16-bit home video game console developed by Nintendo that was released in 1990 in Japan, 1991 in No ...
and could use the cables intended for that system instead.
An earlier redesign prototype, named the was shown alongside the when the latter was unveiled to the Japanese press on November 21, 1988; like the New Famicom, it functioned similarly to an original Famicom but included AV output instead of RF modulation.
The Super Famicom was not
backward compatible
In telecommunications and computing, backward compatibility (or backwards compatibility) is a property of an operating system, software, real-world product, or technology that allows for interoperability with an older legacy system, or with inpu ...
with Famicom games; Nintendo promoted the Famicom Adapter as an alternative method, but the Super Famicom acted more as an AV
passthrough device rather than an
emulator
In computing, an emulator is Computer hardware, hardware or software that enables one computer system (called the ''host'') to behave like another computer system (called the ''guest''). An emulator typically enables the host system to run sof ...
, with a switch included on it to shift between the Famicom and Super Famicom outputs.
Despite the hardware incompatibility, the prototype Super Famicom controllers were compatible between the two consoles.
The Famicom Adapter ultimately never went into production as conceived, with the concept superseded by the New Famicom.
The New-Style NES was produced until it was discontinued in August 1995. The New Famicom was discontinued in September 2003 along with the
Super Famicom Jr. due to part scarcity, marking the official end of Famicom/NES production; the disk rewriting service for the
Famicom Disk System
The commonly shortened to the Famicom Disk System, is a peripheral for Nintendo's Family Computer (Famicom) home video game console, released in Japan on February 21, 1986. The system uses proprietary floppy disks called "Disk Cards" for more ...
was also terminated at the same time. The last Famicom was kept by Nintendo and loaned to the organizers of Level X, a game exhibition held from December 2003 to February 2004 at the
Tokyo Metropolitan Museum of Photography, for a Famicom retrospective in commemoration of the console's 20th anniversary.
Sharp-produced variants
Sharp Nintendo Television

The Sharp Nintendo Television, often described as the C1 NES TV, is a
CRT television
CRT or Crt most commonly refers to:
* Cathode-ray tube, a display
* Critical race theory, an academic framework of analysis
CRT may also refer to:
Law
* Charitable trust#charitable remainder trust, Charitable remainder trust, United States
* Ci ...
with a built-in Famicom/NES that was produced by Sharp under license from Nintendo. It was originally released in Japan in October 1983 as the
it was also distributed in Taiwan via
Sampo as the Sampo C1 starting in 1984. The unit was showcased at the Summer CES in 1987 with a release in the United States intended for later that year, but it was not released there until 1989 as the Game Television.
The C1 is notable for having provided the high-quality
screenshot
A screenshot (also known as screen capture or screen grab) is an analog or digital image that shows the contents of a computer display. A screenshot is created by a (film) camera shooting the screen or the operating system
An operating sys ...
s displayed in
video game magazines of the period, as it had a better picture quality than a Famicom or NES paired with a separate television due to its direct internal display connection.
In Japan, the TV was sold in two sizes; initially released as a 14-inch model for ¥93,000
MSRP on October 4, 1983, a 19-inch model was subsequently released on October 25 for ¥145,000 MSRP. The TV was also available in two colors: a black and red model, and a light silver and red model.
When the TV was released in the U.S., only a black 19-inch model was made available at a retail price of $799;
it was later sold for $437 at
Kmart
Kmart ( ), formerly legally registered as Kmart Corporation, now operated by Transformco, is a department-store chain and online retailer in the United States and Territories of the United States, its territories. It operates four remaining Kma ...
.
The Japanese systems feature two built-in programs, ''JR GRAPHIC'' and ''TV NOTE'', and they were additionally shipped with a
multicart containing
trial versions of ''
Donkey Kong Jr.'' and ''
Donkey Kong Jr. no Sansuu Asobi''. At the time of its release, this cartridge was unique to the C1 and represented one of the few licensed multicarts made for the Famicom.
The Japanese systems also feature detachable controllers with unique round connectors.
The concept was followed up in Japan by the
Super Famicom
The Super Nintendo Entertainment System, commonly shortened to Super Nintendo, Super NES or SNES, is a Fourth generation of video game consoles, 16-bit home video game console developed by Nintendo that was released in 1990 in Japan, 1991 in No ...
-based
SF1 in 1990.
Twin Famicom

The is a
home video game console
A home video game console is a video game console that is designed to be connected to a display device, such as a television, and an external power source as to play video games. While initial consoles were dedicated units with only a few game ...
produced by Sharp. It was exclusively released in Japan on July 1, 1986, at an introductory price of ¥32,000.
The Twin Famicom is a licensed Nintendo product that combines the Famicom and the
Famicom Disk System
The commonly shortened to the Famicom Disk System, is a peripheral for Nintendo's Family Computer (Famicom) home video game console, released in Japan on February 21, 1986. The system uses proprietary floppy disks called "Disk Cards" for more ...
into a single piece of hardware.
Whereas the standard Famicom only has one color combination, the Twin Famicom was initially sold in two colors: red with black highlights (AN-500R), and black with red highlights (AN-500B). A second version of the system was released in 1987 with a slightly different case design, turbo controllers, and two different color schemes; black with green highlights (AN-505-BK) and red with beige highlights (AN-505-RD).
The basic parts of the Twin Famicom include a slot for Famicom cartridges, a slot for the Disk System's
floppy disk
A floppy disk or floppy diskette (casually referred to as a floppy, a diskette, or a disk) is a type of disk storage composed of a thin and flexible disk of a magnetic storage medium in a square or nearly square plastic enclosure lined with a ...
s (called "Disk Cards"), a switch located right below the cartridge slot to switch between the two formats, a power button, a reset button, and an eject button, while the back of the console has slots for controller storage.
The Twin Famicom has the
expansion port present in other Famicom variations that allows additional peripherals to be connected to the console; it is located on the right side of the console and labeled .
The console also features three additional expansion ports; port "B" is located to the right of port "A", while ports "C" and "D" are located on the bottom rear, hidden by a removable cover.
However, unlike port "A", no known existing peripherals use them.
The Twin Famicom generates an
NTSC
NTSC (from National Television System Committee) is the first American standard for analog television, published and adopted in 1941. In 1961, it was assigned the designation System M. It is also known as EIA standard 170.
In 1953, a second ...
signal, but outputs
composite video
Composite video, also known as CVBS (composite video baseband signal or color, video, blanking and sync), is an analog video format that combines image information—such as brightness (luminance), color (chrominance), and synchronization, int ...
and
monophonic audio via
RCA connectors instead of using an
RF modulator,
allowing for greater audiovisual quality on TVs and monitors with such inputs; such connections were rare in Japan when it was released.
An external RF modulator is bundled with the unit for connection through a TV's antenna/cable input. Like the original Famicom, the Twin Famicom also features two gamepads, both of which are hardwired into the console.
Famicom Titler

The also known as the is a Famicom-based
home video game console
A home video game console is a video game console that is designed to be connected to a display device, such as a television, and an external power source as to play video games. While initial consoles were dedicated units with only a few game ...
produced by
Sharp Corporation
is a Japanese electronics company. It is headquartered in Sakai, Osaka, and was founded by Tokuji Hayakawa in 1912 in Honjo, Tokyo, and established as the Hayakawa Metal Works Institute in Abeno-ku, Osaka, in 1924. Since 2016, it is majority o ...
under license from Nintendo in 1989. The console, released exclusively in Japan at a retail price of ¥43,000, was the most technologically ambitious project that Sharp had attempted with the Famicom system, with Sharp identifying a need for capturing direct game footage from a Famicom at a time when doing so for any video game required specialized equipment.
It is the only Famicom that was commercially available to internally generate
RGB video, done via usage of a unique variant of the PPU chip capable of doing so, and this has been identified as responsible for markedly improved clarity of image over other Famicom models.
It is also the only Famicom console to employ
S-Video
S-Video (also known as separate video, Y/C, and erroneously Super-Video) is an analog video signal format that carries standard-definition video, typically at 525 lines or 625 lines. It encodes video luma and chrominance on two separate chann ...
output, though
composite video
Composite video, also known as CVBS (composite video baseband signal or color, video, blanking and sync), is an analog video format that combines image information—such as brightness (luminance), color (chrominance), and synchronization, int ...
output is another option available on the system.
The system additionally features a
keyboard and pressure-sensitive
touchpad
A touchpad or trackpad is a type of pointing device. Its largest component is a tactile sensor: an electronic device with a flat surface, that detects the motion and position of a user's fingers, and translates them to 2D motion, to control a Cu ...
, enabling users to produce
subtitles
Subtitles are texts representing the contents of the audio in a film, television show, opera or other audiovisual media. Subtitles might provide a transcription or translation of spoken dialogue. Although naming conventions can vary, caption ...
directly on the screen during gameplay as well as perform other basic editing functions, while a
microphone
A microphone, colloquially called a mic (), or mike, is a transducer that converts sound into an electrical signal. Microphones are used in many applications such as telephones, hearing aids, public address systems for concert halls and publi ...
is present to enable video narration.
Although relatively obscure at the time of its release, the console has recently seen increased interest from fans, hackers/modders, and collectors on the secondary market.
Apart from historical interest in the system, collectors are highly interested in the improved picture quality resulting from its internal RGB video generation, a feature shared only with the
Nintendo VS. System and
PlayChoice-10 arcade systems;
the Famicom Titler is recognized by collectors as a practical way to obtain such a system appropriate for modern television sets.
The console is also popular within the
modding
Modding (from "modifying") is the act of modifying hardware, software, or anything else to perform a function not originally intended by the designer, or to achieve bespoke specification or appearance. The term is often used in reference to vid ...
community due to its ease of modification in outputting a true RGB signal.
Arcade variants
Nintendo VS. System

The is an arcade system developed and marketed by Nintendo. The system, introduced in March 1984 across the United States, Europe, and Japan with the release of ''
Vs. Tennis'', was intended as a successor to the Nintendo-Pak
conversion kits used for games such as ''
Mario Bros.'' and ''
Donkey Kong 3
is a 1983 shoot 'em up game developed and published by Nintendo. It is the third installment in the ''Donkey Kong'' series and was released for arcades worldwide in 1983, the Family Computer in 1984, then in North America for the Nintendo Ent ...
'';
based on Famicom hardware, it was also designed as a way to introduce Famicom games to the general public in the United States without committing to a general release, which retailers were hesitant in doing so due to the lingering fallout from the
video game crash the year before.
Two cabinet versions of the system were initially produced; collectively called the VS. DualSystem, both had dual-screen setups, with distinctions made between an upright and a sit-down version.
The upright cabinet integrated two cabinets at an angle, whereas the sit-down cabinet, later called the VS. Table (and colloquially known as the "red tent"
), placed screens on opposite ends; both cabinets ran on two motherboards (one for each screen) and could support up to four players. Complaints about the upright VS. DualSystem's size from operators led Nintendo to later introduce the VS. UniSystem in 1985, which used a more traditional upright cabinet and only one motherboard while including two control sets to support two-player games. While the VS. System's hardware was virtually similar to that of the Famicom, it included more
random-access memory
Random-access memory (RAM; ) is a form of Computer memory, electronic computer memory that can be read and changed in any order, typically used to store working Data (computing), data and machine code. A random-access memory device allows ...
(RAM); utilizing the
bank switching
Bank switching is a technique used in computer design to increase the amount of usable memory beyond the amount directly addressable by the Processor (computing), processor instructions. It can be used to configure a system differently at diffe ...
technique, games for the system could support more levels and features than their console counterparts. Swapping games was accomplished by replacing the existing game's
read-only memory
Read-only memory (ROM) is a type of non-volatile memory used in computers and other electronic devices. Data stored in ROM cannot be electronically modified after the manufacture of the memory device. Read-only memory is useful for storing sof ...
(ROM) chip with the one for the desired game.
All cabinets could offer either two games, one for each screen, or one game programmed to handle multiplayer functionality across both screens.
The dual-motherboard cabinets retailed at $2,400, while the UniSystem cabinet retailed at under $2,000, with each game (called "VS.-Pak") sold for under $300. A UniKit conversion kit for older Nintendo arcade cabinets was released shortly after launch, with each kit sold for less than $1,000; Nintendo later demonstrated a similar kit for ''
Pac-Man
''Pac-Man,'' originally called in Japan, is a 1980 maze video game developed and published by Namco for arcades. In North America, the game was released by Midway Manufacturing as part of its licensing agreement with Namco America. The pla ...
'' and ''
Ms. Pac-Man'' cabinets in 1985. Despite misgivings between some industry insiders towards the VS. System's lackluster graphical power compared to its contemporaries, Nintendo achieved major success with the system in the United States through aggressive marketing tactics, selling more than 10,000 units by the end of 1984 alone; over 40 games were released for the system before it was discontinued in 1990.
However, Nintendo did not experience the same success in Japan; Uemura noted that Japanese players were wary about the system's emphasis on competitive gameplay.
The VS. System was Nintendo's final arcade system in Japan, with the company withdrawing from the Japanese arcade market altogether in late 1985.
PlayChoice-10

The PlayChoice-10 is an arcade system developed and marketed by Nintendo. Released in August 1986 as the successor to the Nintendo VS. System, the PlayChoice-10 was developed as a means to showcase NES games while maintaining revenue from the arcade business; it did so by allowing players to test up to ten games, one at a time. The first games offered were ''
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...
'', ''
Tennis
Tennis is a List of racket sports, racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent (singles (tennis), singles) or between two teams of two players each (doubles (tennis), doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket st ...
'', ''
Golf
Golf is a club-and-ball sport in which players use various Golf club, clubs to hit a Golf ball, ball into a series of holes on a golf course, course in as few strokes as possible.
Golf, unlike most ball games, cannot and does not use a standa ...
'', ''
Excitebike'', ''
Wild Gunman'', ''
Mario Bros.'', ''
Super Mario Bros.'', ''
Duck Hunt'', ''
Hogan's Alley'', and ''
Balloon Fight''.
Two upright cabinet variants of the PlayChoice-10 were offered: a stacked dual-screen one and a single-screen one. A "cabaret" variant of the dual-screen cabinet, featuring a 9-inch screen on top of a 15-inch one instead of two 25-inch screens, was available in markets outside the United States. Conversion kits were also available for both dual-screen and single-screen formats, with the former intended for converting ''
Punch-Out!!
is a boxing video game series created by Genyo Takeda, and published by Nintendo. The player controls Little Mac, a boxer who aims to become the World Video Boxing Association (W.V.B.A.) champion.
The original '' Punch-Out!!'' arcade game w ...
'' cabinets and the latter intended for converting standard Nintendo cabinets; the company later offered conversion kits for VS. UniSystem cabinets, with a five-game PlayChoice-5 kit made available alongside the standard ten-game kit. Nintendo additionally offered a countertop variant of the PlayChoice-10: the PlayChoice CounterTop System, which featured two control sets side-by-side.
Games were distributed on
printed circuit board
A printed circuit board (PCB), also called printed wiring board (PWB), is a Lamination, laminated sandwich structure of electrical conduction, conductive and Insulator (electricity), insulating layers, each with a pattern of traces, planes ...
s (PCBs) featuring ROM chips and were connected to the motherboard with
edge connectors.
Gameplay is restricted to a set time limit, with two minutes available at minimum; inserting additional coins before play results in bonus session time (called "Prime Time") on top of the added time.
Players are able to freely switch between games by pressing a button that invoked a game selection menu;
they are also able to pause and reset the current game.
Dual-screen cabinets displayed the selection menu and game instructions on the top screen and the gameplay on the bottom screen. The games themselves have minor differences compared to their console counterparts, with all of them including game instructions; some games had other differences, with ''
Punch-Out!!
is a boxing video game series created by Genyo Takeda, and published by Nintendo. The player controls Little Mac, a boxer who aims to become the World Video Boxing Association (W.V.B.A.) champion.
The original '' Punch-Out!!'' arcade game w ...
'' using a
battery save to remember a player's initials for high scores.
There are 53 games that are confirmed to have released on the PlayChoice-10.
Nintendo ultimately announced on July 31, 1992, that it would discontinue all of its arcade machines due to lack of profitability.
Diagnostic variant
The Nintendo Test Station is a diagnostic device developed by Nintendo to test NES accessories. Intended for use in authorized service centers as part of the Nintendo World Class Service program (introduced in the May–June 1990 issue of ''
Nintendo Power
''Nintendo Power'' was a video game news and strategy magazine from Nintendo of America, first published in July/August 1988 as Nintendo's official print magazine for North America. The magazine's publication was initially done monthly by Ninte ...
''), the device can detect problems with AV cables, power supplies, and game controllers.
A version of the device for the Super NES was initially produced as an extension to the NES version.
See also
*
Famiclone – unofficial hardware clones and variants of the system
Notes
References
Bibliography
*
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{{Nintendo hardware
Nintendo Entertainment System