Nintendo's first home console, it proved to be a success and lead Nintendo to where it is now. Nintendo was launched when the video game industry was considered headed downhill due to a deluge of poor games and over saturation.
Overview
The Nintendo Entertainment System (often abbreviated as NES, although sometimes Nintendo), was Nintendo's first attempt to attract home consumers. The console was an 8-bit video game console. It was first released by Nintendo in North America, Europe, and Australia in 1985 (although it was released in 1983 in Japan). In Japan and many other Asian countries, the NES was known as the Family Computer (more commonly known as the Famicom). In some Asian countries, it was known as the Tata Famicom.
After the video game market crash of 1983, the NES was the perfect revitalization. Because of this, it was the best-selling video game console of all time. The NES introduced many things that have become standard. Game design, controller layout, and licensing software for third-party software.
A second version of the NES (known as the Top Loader) was released. The color scheme was relatively the same, but there were some minor differences. Cartridges were loaded out of the top as opposed to from the front.
Licensing
Nintendo's licensing techniques were both revolutionary and for a time, illegal. Nintendo had a veritable monopoly on the market at the time, so they encouraged developers to make games for their console. But, developers had to sign a contract stating they would only develop games for the NES. Also, a chip was instituted into the NES called the 10NES. If this same chip was not found in the cartridge, the game wouldn't load. Eventually, however, Nintendo's business practices were outlawed.
Still, unlicensed games were able to be created for the system. Designers found ways to bypass the 10NES chip. One such way was to short circuit the chip, temporarily ceasing its function. However, Atari Games created unlicensed software for the NES under the name Tengen. Tengen didn't want to be held liable for short-circuiting and possibly damaging the NES, so they devised a chip (nicknamed Rabbit) that disabled the 10NES chip. However, their patent was acquired illegally, and thus, they were sued by Nintendo and lost.History
After the success of the arcade game in the 1980s, Nintendo looked to Masayuki Uemura to design a cartridge-based home console. It was first released in Japan on July 15, 1983. Three launch titles were available: Donkey Kong, Donkey Kong Jr., and Popeye. At first, the console was prone to crashes (due to a bad chip set). After a rerelease with a new motherboard, the Famicom became incredibly popular.In an effort to enter the North American market, Nintendo negotiated with Atari in an attempt to release the Famicom as the Nintendo Advanced Video Gaming System, but the deal did not work. In June of 1985, Nintendo unveiled the North American version of the Famicom; the NES. On October 18, 1985, the NES was released, along with eighteen launch titles: 10-Yard Fight, Baseball, Clu Clu Land, Donkey Kong Jr. Math, Duck Hunt, Excitebike, Golf, Gyromite, Hogan's Alley, Ice Climber, Kung Fu, Mach Rider, Pinball, Stack-Up, Tennis, Wild Gunman, Wrecking Crew, and Super Mario Bros.
Technical Specifications
- CPU: 8-bit microprocessor (by Ricoh, based on MOS Technology 6502 core)
- Memory: 2 KB of random access memory, 49,128 bytes of read-only memory
- Video: Custom-made picture processing unit (by Ricoh) named RP2C02 (in NTSC models, operates at 5.37 MHz) and RP2C07 (in PAL models, operates at 5.32 MHz)
- Color palette of 48 colors and 5 grays, 25 colors on one scanline
- 64 sprites displayed on the screen simultaneously (sprites can be 8 x 8 pixels or 8 x 16 pixels)
- Display resolution is 256 x 240 pixels (effective resolution of 256 x 224 pixels)
- Audio: Five sound channels
NES - Recent Games
NES - Upcoming Games
| Name | Platform | Developer | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Dragon Warrior |
MSX, NES, PC | Chunsoft | |
|
Rambo |
SMS, MSX, NES | Pack-In-Video Co., Ltd | |
|
Mega Man 6 expected release 1994 |
NES, PS1 | Capcom | |
|
Mega Man 5 expected release 1992 |
NES, PS1 | Capcom | |
|
Dragon Warrior IV expected release 1992 |
NES, PS1, DS | Square Enix, Heart Beat, ArtePiazza | |
|
Mega Man 4 expected release 1992 |
NES | Capcom | |
|
Action 52 expected release 1991 |
GEN, NES | Active Enterprises Ltd. | |
|
Nightshade expected release 1991 |
NES | Krome Studios Melbourne | |
|
Power Blade expected release 1991 |
NES | Taito Corporation | |
|
Shadow of the Ninja expected release 1991 |
NES | Natsume |
| Platform Name: | NES |
| Release Date: | Oct. 18, 1985 |
| Online Support: | False |
| Install Base: | 61,900,000 |
| Original Price: | $200 |
| Producing Company: | Nintendo |
| Total Games: | games |
|
Mario first in Donkey Kong |
23
|
|
Luigi first in Mario Bros. |
11
|
|
Mega Man first in Mega Man |
7
|
|
Princess Peach first in Super Mario Bros. |
7
|
|
Dr. Light first in Mega Man |
7
|
|
Dr. Wily first in Mega Man |
7
|
|
Shredder first in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles |
6
|
|
Raphael first in |
6
|
|
Leonardo first in |
6
|
|
Donatello first in |
6
|
|
Earth first in |
48
|
|
Space first in Spacewar! |
36
|
|
New York first in |
18
|
|
Castle first in |
17
|
|
Jungle first in |
17
|
|
Japan first in |
11
|
|
Sewer first in Super Mario Bros. |
11
|
|
Underwater first in |
9
|
|
The United States of America first in |
9
|
|
China first in |
6
|
|
Cheat Code first in Manic Miner |
293
|
|
Chiptunes first in |
146
|
|
Jump first in Donkey Kong |
128
|
|
2D first in Computer Space |
124
|
|
Game Over first in |
71
|
|
Boss Fight first in |
69
|
|
Tie-In first in |
68
|
|
Death first in |
66
|
|
Side-Scrolling first in |
62
|
|
Health first in |
61
|
|
Sword first in |
56
|
|
Gun first in |
47
|
|
Bomb first in B-17 Bomber |
32
|
|
Baseball Bat first in |
25
|
|
Spaceship first in Spacewar! |
24
|
|
Platform first in Donkey Kong |
23
|
|
Car first in |
22
|
|
Mustache first in Donkey Kong |
22
|
|
Key first in |
21
|
|
Baseball first in |
20
|
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