Nintendo console

Q: What is the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES)?

The Nintendo Entertainment System , or NES, is an eight-bit video game console created by Japanese designer Uemura Masayuki. It was first released in Japan in 1983 as the Family Computer, or Famicom. The console was later introduced in the United States , where it became known for games such as Super Mario Bros. , Duck Hunt , and The Legend of Zelda .

Q: When was the Nintendo Entertainment System released?

The console was first released in Japan on July 15, 1983, under the name Family Computer, commonly known as Famicom. After a showing at the Consumer Electronics Show and a limited U.S. release in 1985, the Nintendo Entertainment System became widely available in the United States in February 1986.

Q: What were some popular games available on the NES?

The NES became known for a large library of video games , including Super Mario Bros. , Duck Hunt , Hogan’s Alley, and The Legend of Zelda . Super Mario Bros. became especially closely associated with the system, while The Legend of Zelda introduced another major Nintendo series centered on the hero Link and Princess Zelda.

Q: When did Nintendo stop making NES games?

Licensed production of games for the NES continued into the 1990s and ended in 1994, by which time the system had a library of more than 1,000 titles. The console had already begun to lose prominence as newer 16-bit systems, including the Sega Genesis and Nintendo’s Super Nintendo Entertainment System, entered the market.

video game console

Also known as: Famicom, NES, Nintendo Entertainment System

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Britannica Editors

History

What is the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES)?

When was the Nintendo Entertainment System released?

What were some popular games available on the NES?

When did Nintendo stop making NES games?

Nintendo console, groundbreaking eight-bit video game console created by Japanese designer Uemura Masayuki. The Nintendo console, or Nintendo Entertainment System (NES), was released as the Family Computer or Famicom in Japan on July 15, 1983. The Famicom offered the ability to play popular arcade games such as Donkey Kong on a home television set and was extremely well received. The console’s success in Japan triggered American interest, and negotiations began in order to bring the NES to the United States. After a 1985 showing at the Consumer Electronics Show and a limited release, the NES stormed America in February 1986, with titles such as Duck Hunt, Hogan’s Alley, and, most famously, Super Mario Bros. More than 60 million NES consoles were sold under various names and through several companies worldwide.

One of the NES’s strengths was its library of games. Super Mario Bros. became the face of the system as gamers embraced Mario and Luigi, two Italian plumbers who traveled through the Mushroom Kingdom to save Princess Peach Toadstool from the evil King Bowser. The Mario Bros. franchise went on to generate numerous sequels on the NES and other consoles. Another landmark title, The Legend of Zelda, also spawned many sequels. The Legend of Zelda franchise differs from game to game, but it usually focuses on the adventures of Link, a green-clad, sword-toting hero, in his quest to save Princess Zelda.

The NES eventually faded from the spotlight as new 16-bit consoles were created, such as the Sega Genesis and Nintendo’s own Super Nintendo Entertainment System. However, games were still released for the NES into the 1990s, until licensed production of games for the system ceased in 1994, by which time its library included more than 1,000 titles. The NES, though less technologically advanced than newer consoles, remained a popular choice for “retro” gamers into the 21st century.