Whether gamers or not, the NES, or Nintendo Entertainment System console, is ubiquitous with childhood for Americans who grew up in the 1980s and 1990s. But casual observers may not know that before Nintendo brought the NES to the American market in 1985, the gaming giant was experiencing landmark success in its home country Japan with the NES’ predecessor—the Famicom. Learn more in this edition of Tech Time Warp.
Introduced July 15, 1983, the Famicom was Nintendo’s first successful entry into the console market. The company was founded in 1889 to manufacture Japanese playing cards called hanafuda. In the nearly 100 years since, they have branched out into toys and most recently arcade games. An early attempt at consoles came with the Color TV-Game 6, launched during the height of Pong’s popularity. But the Famicom (and, subsequently, the NES) was a kingmaker.
Evolution and legacy of the Famicom
Inspired by the success of Donkey Kong (Mario’s first appearance, though he was known as “Jumpman”), Nintendo president Hiroshi Yamauchi charged his team with developing a home console. Although initially codenamed “Game Console,” the system was renamed “Famicom”—a portmanteau of “Family Computer,” the vision for the console’s use.
The eye-catching red-and-white design was a nod to the red scarf often sported by Yamauchi. Inside, Famicom featured the same microprocessor used in contemporary Commodore 64s and Apple IIs. It also included a “Picture Processing Unit” graphics chip developed by Ricoh. Two hardwired controllers (one of the console’s downsides—the cords were short) eschewed the joystick for the cross-key or D-pad.
The Famicom was an almost immediate hit, and game developers lined up to make their own games for it. Although its repackaged cousin, the NES, left the American market in 1995, Nintendo continued selling the Famicom in Japan through 2003, and it remains a popular system on the secondhand market for gaming enthusiasts.
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