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Changes: Nintendo Entertainment System

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{{quote|Hi. I'm Nintendo, and I kick ass.|[[The Angry Video Game Nerd]] acting as the voice of the NES}}
  
{{quote|Hi. I'm Nintendo, and I kick ass.|[[The Angry Video Game Nerd]] acting as the voice of the NES}}
  +
{{Infobox
⚫
The '''Nintendo Entertainment System''', or '''NES''', is the first video game console released by [[Nintendo]]. The console, was known as Family Computer (or Famicom) was released on July 15, 1983 in Japan and in North America (as NES) on October 18, 1985. It was known for it's large library of both officially-licensed and unlicensed games, and starting off many popular video game franchises. [[The Nerd]] plays many games on it and owns both the original model and the top-loading model, as well as a household toaster modified to play NES games called the "Nintoaster".
  
  +
|Box title = Nintendo Entertainment System
  +
|Image file = Nintendo-NES 360.jpg
  +
|Image size = 300
  +
|Row 1 title = Manufacturer
  +
|Row 1 info = [[Nintendo]]
  +
|Row 2 title = Type
  +
|Row 2 info = Video game console
  +
|Row 3 title = Generation
  +
|Row 3 info = Third generation
  +
|Row 4 title = Release date
  +
|Row 4 info = July 15, 1983<br>(Japan)<br>October 18, 1985<br>(North America)<br>September 1, 1986<br>(Europe)<br>1987<br>(Europe/Australia)<br>1993<br>(Brazil)
  +
|Row 5 title = Retail availability
  +
|Row 5 info = 1983-2003
  +
|Row 6 title = Discontinued
  +
|Row 6 info = August 14, 1995<br>(North America)<br>September 2003<br>(Japan)
  +
|Row 7 title = Units sold
  +
|Row 7 info = Worldwide: 61.91 million
  +
|Row 8 title = Media
  +
|Row 8 info = ROM cartridge ("Game Pak")
  +
|Row 9 title = CPU
  +
|Row 9 info = Ricoh 2A03 8-bit processor (MOS Technology 6502 core)
  +
|Row 10 title = Successor
  +
|Row 10 info = [[Super Nintendo Entertainment System]]}}
  ⚫
The '''Nintendo Entertainment System''', or '''NES''', is the first video game console released in America by [[Nintendo]]. The console, known originally as the Family Computer (or Famicom) was released on July 15, 1983 in Japan and in North America (as NES) on October 18, 1985. It was known for its large library of both officially-licensed and unlicensed games, and starting off many popular video game franchises. [[The Nerd]] plays many games on it and owns both the original model and the top-loading model, as well as a household toaster modified to play NES games called the "[[Nintoaster]]".
  +
==Design flaws==
  +
When Nintendo released the NES in the US, the design styling was deliberately 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 to disguise the cartridge slot design as a front-loading zero insertion force (ZIF) cartridge socket, designed to resemble the front-loading mechanism of a VCR. The newly designed connector worked quite well when both the connector and the cartridges were clean and the pins on the connector were new. Unfortunately, the ZIF 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. Frequent insertion and removal of cartridges caused the pins to wear out from repeated usage over the years and the ZIF design proved more prone to interference by dirt and dust than an industry-standard card edge connector. These design issues were not alleviated by Nintendo’s choice of materials; the console slot nickel connector springs would wear due to design and the game cartridge copper connectors were also prone to tarnishing.
  +
  +
==Hardware clones==
  +
A thriving market of unlicensed NES hardware clones emerged during the heyday of the console's popularity. Initially, such clones were popular in markets where Nintendo never issued a legitimate version of the console. In particular, the Dendy (Russian: Де́нди), an unlicensed hardware clone produced in Taiwan and sold in the former Soviet Union, emerged as the most popular video game console of its time in that setting and it enjoyed a degree of fame roughly equivalent to that experienced by the NES/Famicom in North America and Japan. A Famicom clone was marketed in Argentina under the name of "Family Game", resembling the original hardware design. The Micro Genius (Simplified Chinese: 小天才) was marketed in Southeast Asia as an alternative to the Famicom; Samurai was the popular PAL alternative to the NES; and in Central Europe, especially Poland, the Pegasus was available. Samurai was also available in India in early 90s which was the first instance of console gaming in India.
  +
  +
The unlicensed clone market has flourished following Nintendo's discontinuation of the NES. Some of the more exotic of these resulting systems have gone beyond the functionality of the original hardware and have included variations such as a portable system with a color LCD (e.g. PocketFami). Others have been produced with certain specialized markets in mind, such as an NES clone that functions as a rather primitive personal computer, which includes a keyboard and basic word processing software. These unauthorized clones have been helped by the invention of the so-called NES-on-a-chip.
  +
  +
As was the case with unlicensed software titles, Nintendo has typically gone to the courts to prohibit the manufacture and sale of unlicensed cloned hardware. Many of the clone vendors have included built-in copies of licensed Nintendo software, which constitutes copyright infringement in most countries.
  +
  +
Although most hardware clones were not produced under license by Nintendo, certain companies were granted licenses to produce NES-compatible devices. The Sharp Corporation produced at least two such clones: the Twin Famicom and the SHARP 19SC111 television. The Twin Famicom was compatible with both Famicom cartridges and Famicom Disk System disks. It was available in two colors (red and black) and used hardwired controllers (as did the original Famicom), but it featured a different case design. The SHARP 19SC111 television was a television which included a built-in Famicom. A similar licensing deal was reached with Hyundai Electronics, who licensed the system under the name Comboy in the South Korean market. This deal with Hyundai was made necessary because of the South Korean government's wide ban on all Japanese "cultural products", which remained in effect until 1998 and ensured that the only way Japanese products could legally enter the South Korean market was through licensing to a third-party (non-Japanese) distributor (see also Japan–Korea disputes).
  +
 
==In-house NES games (made directly by Nintendo) reviewed by the Nerd==
  
==In-house NES games (made directly by Nintendo) reviewed by the Nerd==
  +
*''[[Transcript of AVGN Episode The Wizard/Super Mario Bros. 3|Super Mario Bros. 3]]''
⚫
*''Gyromite''
  
  +
*[[Transcript of AVGN Episode Game Glitches|Game Glitches]]:
⚫
*''Stack-Up''
  
−
*''Super Mario Brothers''
 +
**''Super Mario Bros.''
−
*''Super Mario Brothers 2''
 +
**''Super Mario Bros. 2''
  ⚫
*''[[Zelda II: The Adventure of Link]]''
−
*''Super Mario Brothers 3''
  
  +
*''[[R.O.B. the Robot]]''
⚫
*''Zelda II: The Adventure of Link''
  
  ⚫
**''Gyromite''
−
*''Nintendo World Championships''
  
  ⚫
**''Stack-Up''
  +
*''[[Transcript of 2011 AVGN Episode Nintendo World Championships|Nintendo World Championships]]'' (Blue reproduction cart)
   
 
==Licensed NES games reviewed by the Nerd==
  
==Licensed NES games reviewed by the Nerd==
−
*''Castlevania II: Simon's Quest''
 +
*''[[Castlevania II: Simon's Quest]]''
−
*''Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde''
 +
*''[[Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde]]'' ([[Transcript of AVGN Episode Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde: Re-Revisited|later revisited in 2010]])
−
*''The Karate Kid''
 +
*''[[The Karate Kid]]''
−
*''Who Framed Roger Rabbit? ''(later revisited in 2010)
 +
*''[[Who Framed Roger Rabbit|Who Framed Roger Rabbit?]]'' ([[Transcript of 2010 Angry Video Game Nerd Episode Back to the Future Trilogy|later revisited in 2010]])
−
*''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles'' (later revisited in 2010)
 +
*''[[Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles]]'' (later revisited in 2010)
−
*''Back to the Future'' (later revisited in 2010)
 +
*''[[Back to the Future]]'' (later revisited in 2010)
−
*''Back to the Future Part II & III'' (later revisited in 2010)
 +
**''[[Transcript of AVGN episode Back to the Future|Back to the Future Part II &amp; III]]'' (later revisited in 2010)
−
*''M.C. Kids''
 +
*''[[Transcript of AVGN episode McKids|M.C. Kids]]''
−
*''Top Gun'' (later revisited in 2010)
 +
*''[[Top Gun]]'' (later revisited in 2010)
−
*''Top Gun: The Second Mission''
 +
**''[[Transcript of AVGN episode Top Gun|Top Gun: The Second Mission]]''
−
*''Double Dragon III: The Sacred Stones''
 +
*''[[Double Dragon III: The Sacred Stones]]''
−
*''Friday the 13th''
 +
*''[[Friday the 13th]]''
−
*''A Nightmare on Elm Street''
 +
*''[[A Nightmare on Elm Street]]''
−
*''Ghostbusters''
 +
*''[[Ghostbusters (video game)|Ghostbusters]]''
−
*''Ghostbusters II''
 +
*''[[Transcript of AVGN episode Ghostbusters Conclusion|Ghostbusters II]]''
−
*''Spider-Man: Return of the Sinister Six''
 +
*''[[Transcript of AVGN episode Spider-Man|Spider-Man: Return of the Sinister Six]]''
−
*''Silver Surfer''
 +
*''[[Transcript of AVGN episode Silver Surfer|Silver Surfer]]''
−
*''Die Hard''
 +
*''[[Transcript of AVGN episode Die Hard|Die Hard]]''
  +
*''[[Transcript of AVGN episode The Simpsons|The Simpsons]]''
−
*''The Simpsons: Bart vs. the Space Mutants''
  
−
*''The Simpsons: Bart vs. The World''
 +
**''The Simpsons: Bart vs. the Space Mutants''
−
*''The Bugs Bunny Birthday'' ''Blowout''
 +
**''The Simpsons: Bart vs. The World''
  +
*''[[Transcript of AVGN episode Bugs Bunny Birthday Blowout|Bugs Bunny Birthday Blowout]]''
−
*''Fester's Quest''
  
  +
*''[[Transcript of AVGN episode Fester's Quest|Fester's Quest]]''
−
*''Dragon's Lair''
  
  +
*''[[Transcript of AVGN episode Dragon's Lair|Dragon's Lair]]''
−
*''Home Alone 2: Lost in New York''
  
  +
*''[[Transcript of AVGN episode An Angry Nerd Christmas Carol (Part 1)|Home Alone 2: Lost in New York]]''
⚫
*''Rambo''
  
  +
*''[[Transcript of AVGN Episode Rambo|Rambo]]''
⚫
*''Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom''
  
  +
*''[[Transcript of AVGN Episode Indiana Jones|Indiana Jones]]'':
⚫
*''Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade ''
  
  ⚫
**''Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom''
⚫
*''Star Trek: 25th Anniversary''
  
  ⚫
**''Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade ''
−
*''Superman''
  
  ⚫
*''[[Transcript of AVGN Episode Star Trek|Star Trek: 25th Anniversary]]''
⚫
*''Batman''
  
  +
*''[[Transcript of AVGN Episode Superman|Superman]]''
⚫
*''Batman: Return of the Joker''
  
  +
*''[[Transcript of AVGN Episode Batman (Part 1)|Batman]]''
−
*''Deadly Towers''
  
  +
*''[[Transcript of AVGN Episode Batman (Part 2)|Batman: Return of the Joker]]''
−
*''Battletoads''
  
  +
*''[[Transcript of AVGN Episode Deadly Towers|Deadly Towers]]''
−
*''Dick Tracy''
  
  +
*''[[Transcript of AVGN Episode Battletoads|Battletoads]]''
⚫
*''Sesame Street: Countdown''
  
  +
*''[[Transcript of AVGN Episode Dick Tracy|Dick Tracy]]''
−
*''Bram Stoker's Dracula''
  
  +
*[[Transcript of AVGN Episode Dracula|Dracula games]]:
⚫
*''Frankenstein: The Monster Returns''
  
  ⚫
**''Drac's Night Out'' (Never sought licensing because it remained unreleased)
−
*''Milon's Secret Castle''
  
  ⚫
**''Sesame Street: Countdown''
−
*''Metal Gear''
  
−
*''The Uncanny X-Men''
 +
**''Bram Stoker's Dracula''
  ⚫
*''[[Transcript of AVGN Episode Frankenstein|Frankenstein: The Monster Returns]]''
⚫
*''Wolverine''
  
  ⚫
*''Noah's Ark'' (Europe only)
−
*''The Terminator''
  
  +
*''[[Transcript of AVGN episode Milon's Secret Castle|Milon's Secret Castle]]''
⚫
*''Terminator 2: Judgment Day''
  
  +
*''[[Transcript of AVGN Episode Metal Gear|Metal Gear]]''
−
*''Transformers: Convoy no Nazo'' (Famicom game)
  
  +
*''[[Transcript of AVGN Episode X-Men|X-Men]]:''
⚫
*''Mario is Missing!''
  
−
*''Mario's Time Machine''
 +
**''The Uncanny X-Men''
  ⚫
**''Wolverine''
−
*''The Bugs Bunny Crazy Castle''
  
  +
*''[[Transcript of AVGN episode The Terminator|The Terminator]]''
⚫
*''Super Pitfall''
  
  ⚫
*''[[Transcript of AVGN episode Terminator 2|Terminator 2: Judgment Day]]''
⚫
*''Godzilla: Monster of Monsters''
  
  +
*[[Transcript of AVGN Episode Mario is Missing|''Mario'' educational games]]:
⚫
*''Godzilla 2: War of the Monsters''
  
−
*''Wayne's World''
 +
**''Mario is Missing!''
  ⚫
**''Mario's Time Machine''
−
*''Castlevania''
  
  +
*''[[Transcript of 2009 AVGN Episode Bugs Bunny's Crazy Castle|Bugs Bunny Crazy Castle]]''
−
*''Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse''
  
  +
*''[[Transcript of AVGN episode Super Pitfall|Super Pitfall]]''
−
*''Winter Games''
  
  +
*''[[Transcript of AVGN Episode Godzilla|Godzilla]]'':
−
*''Street Fighter 2010''
  
  ⚫
**''Godzilla: Monster of Monsters''
−
*''Hydlide''
  
  ⚫
**''Godzilla 2: War of the Monsters''
−
*''Ninja Gaiden''
  
  +
*''[[Transcript of AVGN Episode Wayne's World|Wayne's World]]''
⚫
*''Mega Man 2 ''(Game Glitches)
  
  +
*''[[Transcript of 2009 AVGN Episode Castlevania (Part 1)|Castlevania]]''
⚫
*''Mega Man 5'' (Game Glitches)
  
  +
*''[[Transcript of 2009 AVGN Episode Castlevania (Part 2)|Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse]]''
−
*''Double Dragon'' (Game Glitches)
  
  +
*''[[Transcript of AVGN Episode Winter Games|Winter Games]]''
⚫
*''Town & Country Surf Designs: Wood & Water Rage'' (2010 Christmas special)
  
  +
*''[[Transcript of AVGN Episode Street Fighter 2010|Street Fighter 2010]]''
−
*''Circus Caper'' (2010 Christmas special)
  
  +
*''[[Transcript of AVGN Episode Hydlide|Hydlide]]''
−
*''Fist of the Northstar ''(2010 Christmas special)
  
  +
*''[[Transcript of AVGN Episode Ninja Gaiden|Ninja Gaiden]]''
−
*''Day Dreamin' Davey''
  
  ⚫
*Game Glitches:
⚫
*''Star Wars''
  
  ⚫
**''Mega Man 2''
⚫
*''Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back''
  
−
*''Jaws''
 +
**''Mega Man 5''
−
*''Hook''
 +
**''Double Dragon''
  +
*[[Transcript of 2010 AVGN Episode How the Nerd Stole Christmas|How the Nerd Stole Christmas]]:
⚫
*''Jurassic Park''
  
  ⚫
**''Town & Country Surf Designs: Wood & Water Rage''
⚫
*''Barbie ''(The Making of an AVGN Episode)
  
−
*''Kid Kool''
 +
**''Circus Caper''
−
*''Ghosts n' Goblins''
 +
**''Fist of the Northstar''
  +
*''[[Transcript of 2011 AVGN Episode Day Dreamin' Davey|Day Dreamin' Davey]]''
  +
*[[Transcript of AVGN Episode Star Wars|Star Wars Games]]:
  +
**''Star Wars''
  ⚫
**''Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back''
  +
*[[Transcript of 2011 Angry Video Game Nerd Episode Spielberg Games|Spielberg Games]]:
  ⚫
**''Jaws''
  ⚫
**''Hook''
  ⚫
**''Jurassic Park''
  ⚫
*''Barbie ''([[The Making of an Angry Video Game Nerd Episode (2011)|The Making of an AVGN Episode]])
  +
*''[[Transcript of 2011 AVGN Episode Kid Kool|Kid Kool]]''
  +
*[[Transcript of AVGN Episode Schwarzenegger Games|Schwarzenegger Games]]:
  +
**''Total Recall''
  ⚫
**''Last Action Hero''
  ⚫
**''Conan''
  +
**''Commando''
  +
**''Predator''
  +
*''[[Transcript of 2012 AVGN Episode: Ghosts N' Goblins|Ghosts n' Goblins]]''
  +
*''[[Transcript of 2013 AVGN Episode Ikari Warriors|Ikari Warriors]]''
  +
*''[[Transcript of 2013 AVGN Episode Toxic Crusaders|Toxic Crusaders]]''
  +
*''[[Transcript of 2013 AVGN Episode Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure|Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure]]''
  +
*''[[Transcript of 2013 AVGN Episode Alien 3|Alien 3]]''
  +
*[[Transcript of 2013 AVGN Episode Wish List (PART 1) Sonic The Hedgehog & More|Wish List Part 1]]:
  +
**''Skate or Die!''
  +
**''Bad Dudes''
  +
**''Karate Champ''
  +
**''Where's Waldo?''
  +
*[[Transcript of 2013 AVGN Episode Wish List (PART 2) Bubsy 3D & More|Wish List Part 2]]:
  +
**''A Boy and His Blob''
  +
**''The Three Stooges''
  +
*''[[Transcript of AVGN Episode Beetlejuice|Bettlejuice]]'' (also featured with the ''Roll n' Rocker'' in the NES Accesories episode)
  +
*''[[Transcript of AVGN Episode Rocky and Bullwinkle|Rocky and Bullwinkle]]''
  +
*''[[Transcript of AVGN Episode Lethal Weapon|Lethal Weapon]]''
  +
*''[[Transcript of 2016 AVGN Episode Paperboy|Paperboy]]''
  +
*''[[Transcript of 2017 AVGN Episode Treasure Master|Treasure Master]]''
  +
*[[Transcript of 2017 AVGN Episode Wrestling Games|Wrestling Games]]:
  +
**''Tag Team Wrestling''
  +
**''WWF WrestleMania''
  +
**''WWF WrestleMania Challenge''
  +
**''WWF Steel Cage Challenge''
  ⚫
**''WWF King of the Ring''
  +
*[[Transcript of 2017 AVGN Episode Robocop NES Games|''Robocop'' NES Games]]:
  +
**''Robocop''
  +
**''Robocop 2''
  +
**''Robocop 3''
  +
*''[[Transcript of 2018 AVGN Episode Dirty Harry|Dirty Harry]]''
  +
*''[[Transcript of Home Alone Games with Macaulay Culkin|Home Alone]]'' (also featured on a Christmas episode of Captain S)
  +
*''[[Transcript of 2019 AVGN Episode The Immortal|The Immortal]]''
   
 
==Unlicensed NES games reviewed by the Nerd==
  
==Unlicensed NES games reviewed by the Nerd==
−
*''Master Chu and the Drunkard Hu''
 +
*''[[Wally Bear and the NO! Gang]]''
−
*''Wally Bear and the NO! Gang''
 +
*''[[Master Chu and the Drunkard Hu]]''
  +
*[[Transcript of AVGN episode Bible Games|Bible Games]]:
⚫
*''Bible Adventures''
  
−
*''Bible Buffet''
 +
**''Bible Adventures''
−
*''Spiritual Warfare''
 +
**''Bible Buffet''
  +
**''Spiritual Warfare''
−
*''King of Kings: The Early Years''
  
−
*''Exodus: Journey to the Promised Land''
 +
**''King of Kings: The Early Years''
  +
*[[Transcript of AVGN Episode Bible Games 2|Bible Games 2]]:
⚫
*''Noah's Ark''
  
  +
**''Exodus: Journey to the Promised Land''
⚫
*''Joshua''
  
  +
**''Joshua''
−
*''Menace Beach/Sunday Funday''
 +
**''Menace Beach/Sunday Funday''
⚫
*''Drac's Night Out'' (Never sought licensing because it remained unreleased)
  
  +
*''[[Transcript of AVGN Episode Little Red Hood|Little Red Hood]]''
⚫
*''Action 52''
  
−
*''Cheetahmen 2''
 +
*''[[Action 52]]''
  +
*''[[Transcript of AVGN Episode Cheetahmen|Cheetahmen 2]]''
−
*''Caltron 6-in-1''
  
  +
*''[[Transcript of 2011 AVGN Episode Bible Games III|Caltron 6-in-1]]''
−
*''Little Red Hood''
  
  +
*''[[Transcript of AVGN Episode Tagin' Dragon|Tagin' Dragon]]''
  +
*''[[Transcript of 2019 AVGN Episode Aladdin Deck Enhancer|Aladdin Deck Enhancer]]'' (with the Camerica game catridges are exactly the same)
  +
**''Dizzy the Adventurer''
  ⚫
**''The Fantastic Adventures of Dizzy''
  +
**''Bignose Freaks Out''
  +
**''Linus Spaceheads: Cosmic Crusades''
  +
**''Quattro Sports'' (''Baseball Pros'', ''BMX Simulator'', ''Soccer Simulator'', ''Pro Tennis'')
  +
**''Quattro Adventure'' (''Treasure Island Dizzy'', ''Linus Spaceheads'', ''Boomerang Kid'', ''Super Robin Hood'')
  +
**''Micro Machines''
  +
*''[[Transcript of 2020 AVGN Episode Raid 2020|Raid 2020]]''
  +
  +
==Famicom Japan-only games reviewed by the Nerd==
  +
*''[[Transcript of AVGN episode Transformers|Transformers: Convoy no Nazo]]''
  ⚫
*''Star Wars''
  +
*''Explosive Fighter Patton'' (Famicom Disk System game, Side A message only in the [[Transcript of 2015 AVGN Episode Seaman|Seaman review]])
  +
*''[[Transcript of 2017 AVGN Episode Mighty Morphin Power Rangers|Mighty Morphin Power Rangers]]'':
  ⚫
**''Super Sentai: Jetman''
  +
**''Super Sentai: Zyuranger''
  +
  +
== Top-loader ==
  +
{{quote|Well, we got another game on the NES, and we're gonna play it in the Top-loader. Yeah, we're being pretty fancy today.|The Nerd about the Top-loader}}The Top-loader (NES-101) is a NES model, launched in 1993.
  +
[[File:Top-Loader.png|thumb|right]]
  +
  +
== Trivia ==
  +
* The Nerd prefers review NES games. It's like his "safe zone"
 
[[Category:Game Consoles]]
  
[[Category:Game Consoles]]
  +
[[Category:Nintendo consoles]]
  +
[[Category:Third-generation video game consoles]]
  +
[[Category:Best Console Ever]]
  +
[[Category:1980s toys]]
  +
[[Category:1990s toys]]

Revision as of 21:08, 15 January 2020

"Hi. I'm Nintendo, and I kick ass."
—The Angry Video Game Nerd acting as the voice of the NES
Nintendo Entertainment System

Nintendo-NES 360

Manufacturer
Type
Video game console
Generation
Third generation
Release date
July 15, 1983
(Japan)
October 18, 1985
(North America)
September 1, 1986
(Europe)
1987
(Europe/Australia)
1993
(Brazil)
Retail availability
1983-2003
Discontinued
August 14, 1995
(North America)
September 2003
(Japan)
Units sold
Worldwide: 61.91 million
Media
ROM cartridge ("Game Pak")
CPU
Ricoh 2A03 8-bit processor (MOS Technology 6502 core)
Successor

The Nintendo Entertainment System, or NES, is the first video game console released in America by Nintendo. The console, known originally as the Family Computer (or Famicom) was released on July 15, 1983 in Japan and in North America (as NES) on October 18, 1985. It was known for its large library of both officially-licensed and unlicensed games, and starting off many popular video game franchises. The Nerd plays many games on it and owns both the original model and the top-loading model, as well as a household toaster modified to play NES games called the "Nintoaster".

Design flaws

When Nintendo released the NES in the US, the design styling was deliberately 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 to disguise the cartridge slot design as a front-loading zero insertion force (ZIF) cartridge socket, designed to resemble the front-loading mechanism of a VCR. The newly designed connector worked quite well when both the connector and the cartridges were clean and the pins on the connector were new. Unfortunately, the ZIF 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. Frequent insertion and removal of cartridges caused the pins to wear out from repeated usage over the years and the ZIF design proved more prone to interference by dirt and dust than an industry-standard card edge connector. These design issues were not alleviated by Nintendo’s choice of materials; the console slot nickel connector springs would wear due to design and the game cartridge copper connectors were also prone to tarnishing.

Hardware clones

A thriving market of unlicensed NES hardware clones emerged during the heyday of the console's popularity. Initially, such clones were popular in markets where Nintendo never issued a legitimate version of the console. In particular, the Dendy (Russian: Де́нди), an unlicensed hardware clone produced in Taiwan and sold in the former Soviet Union, emerged as the most popular video game console of its time in that setting and it enjoyed a degree of fame roughly equivalent to that experienced by the NES/Famicom in North America and Japan. A Famicom clone was marketed in Argentina under the name of "Family Game", resembling the original hardware design. The Micro Genius (Simplified Chinese: 小天才) was marketed in Southeast Asia as an alternative to the Famicom; Samurai was the popular PAL alternative to the NES; and in Central Europe, especially Poland, the Pegasus was available. Samurai was also available in India in early 90s which was the first instance of console gaming in India.

The unlicensed clone market has flourished following Nintendo's discontinuation of the NES. Some of the more exotic of these resulting systems have gone beyond the functionality of the original hardware and have included variations such as a portable system with a color LCD (e.g. PocketFami). Others have been produced with certain specialized markets in mind, such as an NES clone that functions as a rather primitive personal computer, which includes a keyboard and basic word processing software. These unauthorized clones have been helped by the invention of the so-called NES-on-a-chip.

As was the case with unlicensed software titles, Nintendo has typically gone to the courts to prohibit the manufacture and sale of unlicensed cloned hardware. Many of the clone vendors have included built-in copies of licensed Nintendo software, which constitutes copyright infringement in most countries.

Although most hardware clones were not produced under license by Nintendo, certain companies were granted licenses to produce NES-compatible devices. The Sharp Corporation produced at least two such clones: the Twin Famicom and the SHARP 19SC111 television. The Twin Famicom was compatible with both Famicom cartridges and Famicom Disk System disks. It was available in two colors (red and black) and used hardwired controllers (as did the original Famicom), but it featured a different case design. The SHARP 19SC111 television was a television which included a built-in Famicom. A similar licensing deal was reached with Hyundai Electronics, who licensed the system under the name Comboy in the South Korean market. This deal with Hyundai was made necessary because of the South Korean government's wide ban on all Japanese "cultural products", which remained in effect until 1998 and ensured that the only way Japanese products could legally enter the South Korean market was through licensing to a third-party (non-Japanese) distributor (see also Japan–Korea disputes).

In-house NES games (made directly by Nintendo) reviewed by the Nerd

Licensed NES games reviewed by the Nerd

Unlicensed NES games reviewed by the Nerd

Famicom Japan-only games reviewed by the Nerd

Top-loader

"Well, we got another game on the NES, and we're gonna play it in the Top-loader. Yeah, we're being pretty fancy today."
—The Nerd about the Top-loader

The Top-loader (NES-101) is a NES model, launched in 1993.

Top-Loader

Trivia

  • The Nerd prefers review NES games. It's like his "safe zone"
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