Platform: Nintendo Entertainment System
Shockwave
Spot: The Video Game
The Legend of Zelda
Smash T.V.
Bad News Baseball
Little Nemo: The Dream Master
Disney's Darkwing Duck
Mega Man 2
Snake's Revenge
Mega Man 6
Gyromite
Adventures of Lolo 2
Faria: A World of Mystery and Danger!
Castlevania II: Simon's Quest
Color a Dinosaur
Devil World
Mighty Bomb Jack
Mach Rider
River City Ransom
Disney's DuckTales 2
Bases Loaded 4
Disney's The Lion King
Tagin' Dragon
Dragon Warrior
The Flintstones: The Rescue of Dino & Hoppy
Wild Gunman
Snoopy's Silly Sports Spectacular!
Clu Clu Land
Sid Meier's Pirates!
Power Punch II
Pro Wrestling
Disney's Aladdin
Back to the Future
Street Fighter
Donkey Kong
Battle Chess
Milon's Secret Castle
Tennis
Solstice: The Quest for the Staff of Demnos
The Krion Conquest
The Simpsons: Bart vs. The Space Mutants
Ufouria: The Saga
Tom and Jerry
Karateka
Ice Climber
Batman: The Video Game
Super Mario Bros.
Jeopardy!
Ghosts 'n Goblins
Nintendo World Championships 1990
subdirectory_arrow_right Sega Master System/Mark III (Platform)
▲
4
▼
There are two different candidates for the video game console with the longest lifespan, from official introduction to discontinuation, and which one holds the distinction depends on one's metrics.
In terms of support from its original developer, the longest-lasting video game console is the Famicom, the Japanese version of the Nintendo Entertainment System. The Famicom was introduced in 1983 and remained on store shelves until 2003, lasting twenty years on the market.
However, when counting support from third party manufacturers, the distinction instead goes to the Sega Master System. While Sega incrementally discontinued the device between 1991 and 1994 depending on the region, Brazilian manufacturer Tectoy received a license from Sega to continue manufacturing clones of the Master System due to its high popularity in Brazil. These clone consoles continue to be manufactured in the present day, decades after the original Master System's launch in 1985.
In terms of support from its original developer, the longest-lasting video game console is the Famicom, the Japanese version of the Nintendo Entertainment System. The Famicom was introduced in 1983 and remained on store shelves until 2003, lasting twenty years on the market.
However, when counting support from third party manufacturers, the distinction instead goes to the Sega Master System. While Sega incrementally discontinued the device between 1991 and 1994 depending on the region, Brazilian manufacturer Tectoy received a license from Sega to continue manufacturing clones of the Master System due to its high popularity in Brazil. These clone consoles continue to be manufactured in the present day, decades after the original Master System's launch in 1985.
IGN South Africa article:
https://za.ign.com/ps4/64636/feature/the-5-longest-console-lifespans
Archived page from Sega of Japan's website clarifying the launch year of the Master System:
https://web.archive.org/web/20140716112819/http://sega.jp/fb/segahard/mk3/
https://za.ign.com/ps4/64636/feature/the-5-longest-console-lifespans
Archived page from Sega of Japan's website clarifying the launch year of the Master System:
https://web.archive.org/web/20140716112819/http://sega.jp/fb/segahard/mk3/
▲
2
▼
![Attachment](/media/thumbs/8/19035.png)
In 1994, Nintendo made a deal with Steepler, the Dendy's distributor in Eastern Europe, to permit continued sale of the Dendy in exchange for equal distribution of the Super Nintendo Entertainment System and Game Boy in the Commonwealth of Independent States; official Russian releases of these systems even included Dendy stickers on the packaging to reflect the arrangement. Meanwhile, in various other parts of the former Eastern Bloc, Nintendo made deals with other third-party distributors; among others, the NES, SNES, and Game Boy saw official releases in Poland, Hungary, and the former territories of Yugoslavia and Czechoslovakia during 1993–1994.
Joshua Rogers video about Nintendo in Eastern and Central Europe:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q75Re7deJC0
Russian-language articles about the Nintendo/Steepler deal:
https://web.archive.org/web/20190427025842/https://www.kommersant.ru/doc/94004
https://web.archive.org/web/20240601223552/https://dtf.ru/games/970617-legenda-o-slone-kak-it-kompaniya-steepler-sozdala-dendy-i-osnovala-rossiiskii-konsolnyi-rynok
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q75Re7deJC0
Russian-language articles about the Nintendo/Steepler deal:
https://web.archive.org/web/20190427025842/https://www.kommersant.ru/doc/94004
https://web.archive.org/web/20240601223552/https://dtf.ru/games/970617-legenda-o-slone-kak-it-kompaniya-steepler-sozdala-dendy-i-osnovala-rossiiskii-konsolnyi-rynok
subdirectory_arrow_right Mattel (Company)
▲
2
▼
![Attachment](/media/thumbs/8/18085.jpg)
This commercial has sustained a decent viral popularity, often being featured on listicles and review videos related to bizarre 1980s or Nintendo commercials, but it is not as well known that the advert was part of a larger Nintendo campaign, and that "you cannot beat us" is a variation on another, more frequently-used Nintendo slogan from the country - "it can't be beaten!" This phrase was used in a series of significantly less frightening live-action commercials showing children playing the games while doing imitations of the voice from the CGI commercial, winning, shouting "Beat 'cha!", and then having a hazard from the game enter their room (a tennis ball while playing Tennis, a martial artist while playing Kung Fu, and a generic effect where their chair blasts into the sky for Super Mario Bros.) while a filtered voice announces "We are Nintendo, we do not like losing!"
The "You cannot beat us" commercial:
https://youtu.be/FybA0SaL0nI
The "It can't be beaten" commercials:
https://youtu.be/_ohtTXbY3w0
https://youtu.be/APhANEj4S-Q
https://youtu.be/USskxMlWmkQ
https://youtu.be/FybA0SaL0nI
The "It can't be beaten" commercials:
https://youtu.be/_ohtTXbY3w0
https://youtu.be/APhANEj4S-Q
https://youtu.be/USskxMlWmkQ
subdirectory_arrow_right Gyromite (Game), Ice Climber (Game), Wild Gunman (Game), Clu Clu Land (Game), Stack-up (Game), Golf (Game), Excitebike (Game), Kung Fu (Game), 10-Yard Fight (Game), Pinball (Game), Tennis (Game), Baseball (Game), Duck Hunt (Game), Hogan's Alley (Game), Wrecking Crew (Game), Family Computer (Platform)
▲
2
▼
Multiple early "black box" NES releases' cartridges produced during the console's US launch in Winter 1985 didn't use NES ROM chips, but rather Famicom ROM chips with a built-in converter. The 15 NES launch titles, and the only games known to have these chips, are:
•10-Yard Fight
•Baseball
•Clu Clu Land
•Duck Hunt
•Excitebike
•Golf
•Gyromite
•Hogan's Alley
•Ice Climber
•Kung Fu
•Pinball
•Stack-Up
•Tennis
•Wild Gunman
•Wrecking Crew
All of these games would eventually be reprinted with regular NES chips.
•10-Yard Fight
•Baseball
•Clu Clu Land
•Duck Hunt
•Excitebike
•Golf
•Gyromite
•Hogan's Alley
•Ice Climber
•Kung Fu
•Pinball
•Stack-Up
•Tennis
•Wild Gunman
•Wrecking Crew
All of these games would eventually be reprinted with regular NES chips.
▲
2
▼
Shortly after the Famicom's launch in 1983, Atari approached Nintendo offering to distribute the system outside of Japan as the Nintendo Enhanced Video System. Negotiations for the arrangement stalled when Atari saw a demonstration for the Coleco Adam home computer system that used the ColecoVision port of Donkey Kong as a demo title. Because Atari previously gained the exclusive PC port rights to the arcade game, they assumed that Nintendo was also working with Coleco behind their backs. By the time the misunderstanding was cleared up, the North American video game industry had crashed and Ray Kassar had stepped down as CEO of Atari, causing the agreement to be called off entirely. The Famicom wouldn't reach international shores until 1985, when Nintendo began distributing a revised version in North America themselves as the Nintendo Entertainment System.
Ars Technica article:
https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2021/12/time-to-feel-old-inside-the-nes-on-its-30th-birthday/
Classic Gaming article:
https://web.archive.org/web/20051124042223/http://www.classicgaming.com/features/articles/nes20th/
GameSpy article:
https://web.archive.org/web/20040701101711/http://archive.gamespy.com/articles/july03/famicom/index11.shtml
https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2021/12/time-to-feel-old-inside-the-nes-on-its-30th-birthday/
Classic Gaming article:
https://web.archive.org/web/20051124042223/http://www.classicgaming.com/features/articles/nes20th/
GameSpy article:
https://web.archive.org/web/20040701101711/http://archive.gamespy.com/articles/july03/famicom/index11.shtml
▲
1
▼
![Attachment](/media/thumbs/8/19036.png)
subdirectory_arrow_right Sega Mega Drive/Genesis (Platform), Game Boy (Platform), Arcade (Platform), Game Boy Advance (Platform), Sega Master System/Mark III (Platform), Neo Geo AES (Platform), Sega Game Gear (Platform), Game Boy Color (Platform), Super Nintendo Entertainment System (Platform), PlayStation (Platform)
▲
1
▼
![Attachment](/media/thumbs/7/17562.jpg)
Soulja Boy selling SouljaGame line article:
https://variety.com/2018/gaming/news/soulja-boy-selling-cheap-consoles-1203084022/
Soulja Boy ends sales of SouljaGame line article:
https://www.ign.com/articles/2019/01/02/soulja-boy-stops-selling-souljagame-game-consoles
SouljaGame unboxing and teardown showing the packaging:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fo-qNU7Qu3k
Rerez video reviewing the console SouljaGame was based on, showing the console list:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZqXuAuTFXpA#t=595
https://variety.com/2018/gaming/news/soulja-boy-selling-cheap-consoles-1203084022/
Soulja Boy ends sales of SouljaGame line article:
https://www.ign.com/articles/2019/01/02/soulja-boy-stops-selling-souljagame-game-consoles
SouljaGame unboxing and teardown showing the packaging:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fo-qNU7Qu3k
Rerez video reviewing the console SouljaGame was based on, showing the console list:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZqXuAuTFXpA#t=595
subdirectory_arrow_right Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (Game)
▲
1
▼
![Attachment](/media/thumbs/7/16309.jpg)
▲
1
▼
![Attachment](/media/thumbs/6/13685.png)
▲
1
▼
![Attachment](/media/thumbs/6/12427.png)
▲
1
▼
![Attachment](/media/thumbs/5/10047.jpg)
▲
1
▼
![Attachment](/media/thumbs/5/9699.jpg)
The development of the controller was sparked by a letter from a mother of a handicapped girl requesting a controller that her daughter could use to "play the video games she loved." The development project took two years until it was finally released in April 1989, selling more than 100 units since then.
A number of the controllers were also present during the first Nintendo World Championship, for players that required it.
▲
1
▼
When the NES was first released in North America in 1985, it was only possible to purchase it from a few stores in New York and Los Angeles. This came soon after the great video game crash of 1983.
People expressing interest in the console wrote to Nintendo of America who provided them with information packs about the console, the games and peripherals that were available, and the then only three stores in North America which offered mail orders for the console.
People expressing interest in the console wrote to Nintendo of America who provided them with information packs about the console, the games and peripherals that were available, and the then only three stores in North America which offered mail orders for the console.
▲
1
▼
The Famicom comes built in with the 2A03 chip, and has five audio channels: two square waves, one triangle wave, one noise generator, and one digital sample (DPCM) channel. On top of this, six expansions were created by both Nintendo and third parties. They are:
• Famicom Disk System sound: adds an extra channel with custom wavetable capabilities. (Example: Zelda, Metroid, etc. Most but not all Disk System games)
• Nintendo MMC5: Adds two square waves identical to the 2A03 square waves and a PCM channel. This is the only expansion that the international NES could use. (Example: US/European Castlevania III)
• Konami VRC6: Adds two square waves but has 8 duty cycles (voices) instead of the standard 4. Also adds a sawtooth wave. (Example: Akumajou Densetsu (Japanese Castlevania III)
• Konami VRC7: Adds six FM channels with 15 built-in patches (instruments) and the ability to create 64 unique patches. (Example: Langrage Point)
• Namco 163: Adds up to eight channels with definable waves. (Example: Digital Devil Story: Megami Tensei II)
• Sunsoft 5B: Adds 3 50% pulse waves (stuck on one voice). Can be manipulated to generate noise, sawtooth, or triangle waves. (Example: Gimmick!)
• Famicom Disk System sound: adds an extra channel with custom wavetable capabilities. (Example: Zelda, Metroid, etc. Most but not all Disk System games)
• Nintendo MMC5: Adds two square waves identical to the 2A03 square waves and a PCM channel. This is the only expansion that the international NES could use. (Example: US/European Castlevania III)
• Konami VRC6: Adds two square waves but has 8 duty cycles (voices) instead of the standard 4. Also adds a sawtooth wave. (Example: Akumajou Densetsu (Japanese Castlevania III)
• Konami VRC7: Adds six FM channels with 15 built-in patches (instruments) and the ability to create 64 unique patches. (Example: Langrage Point)
• Namco 163: Adds up to eight channels with definable waves. (Example: Digital Devil Story: Megami Tensei II)
• Sunsoft 5B: Adds 3 50% pulse waves (stuck on one voice). Can be manipulated to generate noise, sawtooth, or triangle waves. (Example: Gimmick!)
▲
1
▼
![Attachment](/media/thumbs/3/6774.jpg)
▲
1
▼
▲
1
▼
Nintendo had strict licensing policies for the NES as a way to encourage quality over quantity, in hopes of avoiding the fate of Atari during the video game crash of 1983. Third parties were limited to releasing 5 titles per year for the NES, all titles had to be reviewed by Nintendo before they would be licensed, and the console had a system to lock out unauthorized games that did not contain the necessary patented chip as a way to enforce Nintendo's control.
A combination of third-party developer pushback, legal challenges, and competition from other console manufacturers such as Sega eventually forced them to relax their policies.
A combination of third-party developer pushback, legal challenges, and competition from other console manufacturers such as Sega eventually forced them to relax their policies.
▲
1
▼
![Attachment](/media/thumbs/2/3359.png)
keyboard_double_arrow_leftFirst keyboard_arrow_leftPrev | Page 1 of 2 | Nextkeyboard_arrow_right Lastkeyboard_double_arrow_right |