Nintendo Entertainment System
Top: NES Control Deck with detachable controller Bottom: Family Computer ("Famicom") main unit with hardwired controllers | |
| Also known as | |
|---|---|
| Developer | Nintendo R&D2 |
| Manufacturer | Nintendo |
| Type | Home video game console |
| Generation | Third |
| Release date | |
| Introductory price | ¥14,800 (equivalent to ¥18,365 in 2019) US$180 (equivalent to $530 in 2024)[6] |
| Discontinued | |
| Units sold | 61.91 million[9] |
| Media | Nintendo Entertainment System Game Pak |
| CPU |
|
| Memory | 2 KB work RAM 2 KB video RAM 256 bytes sprite RAM |
| Display | 256 × 240 px |
| Graphics | PPU (Ricoh 2C02) |
| Sound | APU, 5 channels: 2 pulse wave, triangle wave, white noise, DPCM |
| Controller input | 2 controller ports[e] |
| Best-selling game |
|
| Predecessor | Color TV-Game |
| Successor | Super Nintendo Entertainment System |
| Related | Famicom Disk System Famicom 3D System |
The Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) is an 8-bit home video game console developed and marketed by Nintendo. It was released in Japan on July 15, 1983, as the Family Computer (Famicom),[note 1] and released as the redesigned NES in test markets in the United States on October 18, 1985, followed by a nationwide launch on September 27, 1986. The NES was distributed in Europe, Australia, and parts of Asia throughout the 1980s under various names. As a third-generation console, it mainly competed with Sega's Master System.
The Nintendo president, Hiroshi Yamauchi, called for a simple, cheap console that could run arcade games on cartridges. The Famicom was designed by Masayuki Uemura, with its controller design reused from Nintendo's portable Game & Watch hardware. The Western model was redesigned by Lance Barr and Don James to resemble a video cassette recorder. Nintendo released add-ons such as the NES Zapper, a light gun for shooting games, and R.O.B, a toy robot.
The NES is regarded as one of the most influential gaming consoles. It helped revitalize the American gaming industry following the video game crash of 1983, and pioneered a now-standard business model of licensing third-party developers to produce and distribute games.[12] Several games released for the NES, including Super Mario Bros. (1985), The Legend of Zelda (1986), Metroid (1986), and Mega Man (1987), became major franchises.
While the NES dominated Japanese and North American markets, it performed less well in Europe,[f] where it faced strong competition from the Master System, as well as the Commodore 64 and ZX Spectrum home computers. With 61.91 million units sold, it is the 14th-best-selling console of all time. Nintendo ceased production of the NES in 1995 and the Famicom in 2003. It was succeeded in 1990 by the Super Nintendo Entertainment System.
- ^ Kohler, Chris (October 18, 2010). "Oct. 18, 1985: Nintendo Entertainment System Launches". WIRED. Archived from the original on November 26, 2020. Retrieved June 11, 2015.
- ^ "Nintendo's Wii will be priced at Rs 19,900 in India". Rediff.com. September 16, 2008. Retrieved August 27, 2025.
- ^ Top Hat Gaming Man (April 28, 2019). Hyundai Super Comboy – The Story of The Super Nintendo Console in South Korea!. Event occurs at 7:48. Archived from the original on June 26, 2023 – via YouTube.
- ^ "La NES cumple 40 años: La historia de la icónica consola ochentera de Nintendo que revolucionó al mundo" [The NES Turns 40: The Story of Nintendo's Iconic 80s Console That Revolutionized the World]. The Clinic (in Spanish). July 14, 2023. Retrieved February 14, 2025.
A Chile llegó apenas el año 1991.
[It didn't reach Chile until 1991.] - ^ "Video Games Around the World: South Africa". Archived from the original on September 25, 2022. Retrieved September 25, 2022.
- ^ Levin, Martin (November 20, 1985). "New components add some Zap to video games". San Bernardino County Sun. p. A-4.
- ^ "編集者の目/企業者からのメッセージ". 任天堂株式会社. Archived from the original on April 13, 2004. Retrieved January 11, 2025.
- ^ "Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) – 1985–1995". Classic Gaming. GameSpy. Archived from the original on October 29, 2012. Retrieved December 20, 2019.
- ^ a b "Consolidated Sales Transition by Region" (PDF). Nintendo. March 2016. Archived (PDF) from the original on April 27, 2016. Retrieved September 12, 2022.
- ^ Stuart, Keith (September 13, 2010). "Super Mario Bros: 25 Mario facts for the 25th anniversary". The Guardian. Archived from the original on August 9, 2017. Retrieved November 2, 2018.
- ^ "All Time Top 20 Best Selling Games". May 21, 2003. Archived from the original on February 21, 2006. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
- ^ Sanchez-Crespo, Daniel (September 8, 2003). Core Techniques and Algorithms in Game Programming. New Riders Games. p. 14. ISBN 0-13-102009-9.
- ^ a b Sheff, David (1993). Game Over. New York: Random House. ISBN 0-679-40469-4. Retrieved July 2, 2019.
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