On July 15, 1983, one of the most popular consoles of all time was launched: the Family Computer o Famicom de Nintendo, which would not arrive in Europe until the end of 1986. That 8-bit machine was a boost to the video game industry and its legacy is still present with us today.
Yearned for and so loved by old gamers, today, in Mundi Videogames we pay tribute and review the history of this small machine that gave us franchises of the caliber of Super Mario Bros., Metroid o Megaman.
The success of that little machine around the world was unquestionable. And we are talking about more than 62 million consoles sold worldwide, an amount that may sound like little if we compare it with the figures reached by other later consoles, such as PS2 With its more than 155 million units, but of course, the industry, at that time, was not even close to the current size.
The console was a lightweight 8-bit machine that got real arcade hits, like the legendary Donkey Kong. Physically, the Japanese version was quite different from the one we got our hands on here: in addition, the cartridges were smaller in size and were inserted into a higher slot, the two controls included in the machine could not be disconnected from it (and beware , that the second pad had a microphone to give orders), even various peripherals were launched in Japan well ahead of their time, such as a modem to connect the console to the telephone network and access a series of services, including downloading content for games.
Noteworthy are also the quirky Power glove, light gun with which many threw endless hours to games like Duck Hunt or even the attempt at 3D glasses thrown by Nintendo. But without a doubt, the greatest legacy in this regard that the NES, was that magnificent digital control, patented by Nintendo and that has been used for generations in consoles of this company.
Without a doubt, one of the things that angers the old Nintenderos the most is lighting their old NES and find that it no longer works: indeed, the quality of the hardware left a lot to be desired. Dirty connectors that prevented the proper functioning of the console, pins that were bent, the famous problem of the white screen ... It was something common in the life of NES. In the mid-90s, despite the strong presence of 16-bit machines, Nintendo released an improved revision of its legendary console, with a design inspired by the Super Nintendo and that solved many reliability problems: NES 2. As a curious note, in Japan, they were making NES until the year 2003.
On the other hand, as always happens, if something is successful, imitators soon appear, and it is enough to take a look through the network of networks to come across dozens of imitations of the NES. Some were very famous in Spain, such as the NASA, although the more flaky versions began to sprout, later, over the years, in stores around 100 with machines that imitated the shell of consoles like the first PlayStation.
Obviously, what makes a console great are good games, and the NES of that was left over. His most commercially successful title was Magnanimous Super Mario Bros., which sold more than 40 million copies worldwide, a figure that could not reach the wonderful third installment of the adventures of the plumber, which reaped sales of 18 million cartridges.
If we have to highlight console games, we have an extensive list to mention, because in NES we had many of the big big name franchises today. Contra, Ninja Gaiden, Castlevania, Bomberman, Megaman, The Legend of Zelda, Super Mario Bros., Ninja Turtles, Tetris, Rygar, Metal Gear, Metroid, Ikari Warriors, Maniac Mansion, Donkey Kong, Double Dragon… They are just a handful of the most select titles that made up the extensive catalog of the console. Nintendo.
There is no doubt about the importance of this console in the history of video games: it saved the industry from the crisis in which it was submerged, it promoted Nintendo As a manufacturer of video games and video game designer - some of which have left an unquestionable legacy in the History, with a capital letter, of video games - and was the cradle of some of the most respected or recognized great franchises today. For all this we must celebrate these 30 years since the original launch of this console that is already an icon in popular culture.