The NES Console - Video Game Innovation

The original Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) is one of the most successful pieces of electronic hardware of all time. Although it was released almost 30 years ago, it still remains a popular and entertaining household item. Let's take a look at what made this console so great.

Innovation

At the time the NES was released there was really nothing like it on the market. Atari had developed a home gaming system (the infamous 2600) but the graphics and game play were quickly becoming out dated. Many developers in the late 70s were releasing low quality games, which caused a video game market crash in 1977. The NES revived the falling industry. The NES was released in Japan in 1983 (under the name Famicon). It had a much more powerful processor which allowed for high quality game development. Home video game consoles had become very popular in Japan, and the NES was finally released in the United States in 1986.

Game Titles

The games for the NES were sold as large 72 pin grey cartridges that contained 'read-only' memory. Initially Nintendo released only a handful of self-produced games, including the popular Mario Brothers and Excite Bike. Over the next several years Nintendo began licensing third-party development. This led to a large variety of entertaining games from many different developers. This also promoted competition, so that there were fewer 'low quality' games produced. The many different styles of games entertained all ages, from young children to adults. The most popular game is Super Mario 3, which was released in 1990. This game went on to sell over 17 million copies and became one of the best-selling games of all time.

Affordability

For the North American release in 1986 the NES base model retail price was $129.99 US, there was also a premium package that included extra games and controllers for $249.99US. At the time this was much more affordable than a home computer system (which was still very new). The pricing point of the NES allowed most middle and upper class families to purchase the console. This led to over 60 million consoles sold worldwide during its nearly 10 year production. This was exponentially more than previous home video game systems.

This system revolutionized the gaming industry. If you have the chance, play one again yourself. It will not take long to remember why this console was so successful.

Carl J. Chute is an electrical engineer and writer with an interest in classic video games. He writes articles on retro games and has beat Mario 3 over 100 times.