In 1983, Nintendo struck gold with the Famicom, a console that quickly became a massive hit in Japan. At the time, the United States was still reeling from the aftereffects of the video game crash of 1983, but Nintendo was convinced it could still find a way to reach the market.
To win over wary consumers, Nintendo tried to make the NES feel more like a toy than an advanced gaming computer. They also offered an impressive selection of games, with classics like Duck Hunt and Super Mario Bros. in the console’s launch line-up. Against all odds, Nintendo pulled it over, and the NES became the most important console ever.
While the NES technically debuted in the United States on Oct. 18, 1985, the console had a limited release and was only available in New York City at first. Throughout 1986, the console was rolled out across the country, and the NES saw its full national release on Sept. 27, 1986.
This myth about the NES’ release date is one of many misconceptions about the console. Many people believe the NES was an instant success, but it actually took a while for the console to catch on, and sales were only modest at first. By 1987, the NES was a massive hit, and it eventually sold more in the US than in Japan.
Nintendo wanted the NES to stand out from other consoles on the market, which is why it had a VCR-esque front-loading design. The NES also came bundled with an array of accessories that made it feel more like a toy, including the Robotic Operating Buddy, aka R.O.B., and the NES zapper.
The NES Had Some Major Flaws
While the design of the NES contributed to its popularity, it also had some notable issues. The biggest problem was that the 72-pin connector on the console’s loading tray had a tendency to wear out quickly, thanks to the constant need to insert and eject cartridges.
Because of that flaw, it can be difficult to find an old NES that’s still playable today. Thankfully, Nintendo was aware of this problem, and in 1993, the company released the top-loaded New-Style NES, which was designed to be more like the Super Nintendo.
Not only was this model a lot more reliable than the original NES, but it could play most cartridges from outside the new NES, including PAL titles. However, the New-Style NES has one glaring flaw that makes it hard to go back to: a lack of composite output. This makes it difficult to connect to most TVs.
While the physical consoles haven’t necessarily aged well, it’s hard to deny the legacy of the NES. Both the original NES and the New-Style NES came to define video gaming for more than a decade and made the industry what it is today.
The NES Had Tons of Amazing Games
Even though Nintendo redesigned the Famicom for its international release, they were still the same consoles, and the vast majority of NES games were also available on the Famicom. That said, the NES had the benefit of launching two years later, and because of that, it debuted with a much larger library of games.
On top of that, some Famicom games were actually better on the NES, including Super Mario Bros. 3, one of the greatest Nintendo games of all time. It takes longer to load into levels in the Famicom version, and if Mario is hit, he immediately downgrades into his smaller form. On the NES, Mario reverts to his Super Mario form as long as he has a power-up.
While Nintendo was known for its tight licensing policies at the time, the NES also had an impressive library of third-party titles. That said, many Atari 2600-era game designers quickly learned that making games for the NES wasn’t easy.
“Nintendo came along, and we needed a completely different development system,” says Dan Kitchen, who worked on NES titles like Attack of the Killer Tomatoes and Swamp Thing. Despite the challenge, Kitchen thought making games for the NES was worthwhile. “The Nintendo was just a far superior system.”
The NES Survived for Nearly 10 Years
The NES might have had a slow start, but it was still going strong in the SNES and Sega Genesis era. The last game released for the NES, Wario’s Woods, came out on Dec. 10, 1994, around 9 years after its US debut. It was officially discontinued in the US on Aug. 14, 1995.
40 years after its release, the NES is still celebrated, with many fans still rating it as one of the best consoles ever. Nintendo has kept the console alive through an array of digital platforms, like Virtual Console and Nintendo Switch Online.
Third-party NES clones, dubbed Famiclones, also have a big audience, with developers containing new homebrew software to play on these devices. Thanks to these systems, new “NES” games are still being released today.
Beyond clones, it’s easy to see the influence the NES has had on gaming, especially when it comes to indie developers. Popular games Shovel Knight and Undertale look and sound like the games released on the NES in its heydey. The NES helped bring back gaming in the US after a crash, and decades later, it’s still the most important console ever.