/vr/ - Retro Games

[Anonymous No.2744530]

According to Wikipedia, today marks 30 years since the NES was released in the United States. Two years later than the Famicom. Accordingly, it was released only in limited numbers back then, and only in New York. It wasn't until a few months later until Nintendo tried selling the console outside of New York. So I would like to know if anyone on here actually owned the NES back when it first came out. Are the New York models more sought after than the regular ones? What sets them apart?

Happy 30th Birthday, NES.

[Anonymous No.2744537]

Would like to know this as well. I received mine in 1991 from what I remember and it was the "Action Set with the light gun and Mario Bros/Duck Hunt (no rob the robot)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yt4KG9ib8S4

[Anonymous No.2744553]

>>2744530
I'm not from New York and wasn't the first on my block to own a NES, but I did get a Deluxe Set as pictured for Christmas. I don't think the NY models were any different afaik but if they were I'd be happy to hear about it.

[Anonymous No.2744557]

Why does it say "Jeu de"? Is that a Canadian version?

[Anonymous No.2744728]

>>2744530
It was the rare NES-001. One sold for $>9000.

[Anonymous No.2744735]

>>2744557
Obviously.

[Anonymous No.2744741]

This was over on Nintendo Age this morning.

I don't really participate in social media, but I do expect to play some Flintstones today.

[Anonymous No.2744749]

There's a book called "Super Mario" by Jeff Ryan that may have the info you seek, OP. I read it a while ago and it goes through the history of Nintendo. I don't remember the New York systems being different, but there could've been some little hardware change or something before they went wider. I do remember that stores were so full of crappy systems back when the NES came out that many retailers refused to sell it bc they already had a ton of consoles that weren't selling.

[Anonymous No.2744769]

The only difference I know of is the packaging is slightly different, it looks like the pic in OP but it didn't say "deluxe set" since it was the only set released at the time. My local retro game shop has one of the test market sets CIB for $500. I'm from New York btw.

[Anonymous No.2744785]

>>2744530

I'm from New York and got a deluxe set Christmas 85. I don't remember any real differences.

[Anonymous No.2745054]

>>2744553
me again

>>2744769
>>2744785
tbh I seem to remember some difference between my box and those who got a NES after I did. I don't have my box any more but I remember mine missing text, probably the Deluxe Set title. I don't think that was a NY-specific thing.

These posts reminded me about it. I even remember being mindful of whether the SNES would be released in a similar way.

If anything, I guess I just want to add the caveat that my post should not be considered a reliable source of whether non-NY launch units said "Deluxe Set" or not.

[Anonymous No.2745225]

>>2744530
>only in New York

This is a lie. I knew people in other states with the system almost immediately after its launch. It was kind of obscure at first, but it DID get released in other areas.

[Anonymous No.2745227]

>>2744530
Best system ever, BTW.

[Anonymous No.2745229]

>>2745227
nope.

[Anonymous No.2745247]

>>2745227
Minus that worthless robot it was OK. Best of it's generation certainly. It would be unfair to judge it against other eras.

[Anonymous No.2745260]

>>2745229
Wrong.

[Anonymous No.2745338]

>>2745247
The robot wasn't even needed, technically. You could operate the second controller or have another player use it.

[Anonymous No.2745379]

I got 3 BJs at the NY launch of the NES, good times.

[Anonymous No.2745414]

>>2744530
It also marks 30 years of still unsolved mystery of the black buttons. Urban legend is there 3 prototype NES systems with the black buttons used for the original US promotion tour and used in the original Zelda commercial. Supposedly, 1 went missing somewhere in California in the summer of 1985 and still exists in a private collection.

https://youtu.be/giSyRgWRzbI

[Anonymous No.2745424]

>>2744741
>Flintstones
God I wish more people knew about that game.

[Anonymous No.2745665]

One of my favorite sites ever was a site that some guy made that talked exclusively about NES stuff and various 80's things. I forget what it was called, NES World? Surprised that another relevant site, I-mockery, hasn't mentioned this at all, you'd figure since Rog is a massive NES fan.

Also, speaking of the NES, I find it quite ironic how Nintendo used to be this company developers were afraid of pissing off, when now Nintendo is the company that everyone ignores. See: Square Enix and the Nintendo NX. They were the first to mention that they had a devkit for it, and made an indirect statement saying that they would support it. They then quickly changed their words to hint that they were not. Perhaps Sony took a page from Nintendo's book and sent them the suits to scare them into not supporting others.

[Anonymous No.2745827]

When exactly was the nationwide release of the NES. I've heard it was in February of 1986?

[Anonymous No.2745831]

>>2745424
>>2744741

which one are we talking about?

Rescue of Dino & Hoppy?

[Anonymous No.2745904]

>>2745414
>Not knowing what props are

[Anonymous No.2746669]

>>2745414
I reread that in the voice of that dude from unsolved mysteries. :)

[Anonymous No.2746723]

>>2745260
>>2745227
PC Engine says hi.

[Anonymous No.2746748]

I didn't get mine until it came with the orange version, but didn't the first NESes come with a zapper that actually looked like a grey revolver?

[Anonymous No.2746769]

>>2744537
Texas here

I was 4 years old at the time when the NES was released in NYC, I played with my Dad's Atari and I had not seen anything like the NES and knew very little about it. I had heard schoolkids talking about Mario and they had the lunch boxes but other than that I wasn't too interested.

I found out about Mario when I went to a small arcade in a gas station and played VS Super Mario Bros. around 1989 or so.

The arcade had a pretty badass lineup and was soon chewing up all the quarters I could find;

Star Wars Arcade (!)
Punch Out!!
Pac-Man
Donkey Kong
Jungle Hunt
VS Super Mario Bros.
and of course,
Galaga
(because every arcade had to have Galaga)

Of course Super Mario really stood out to me. Beautiful graphics (for a kid who only knew Atari)

I went to a friend's house and found out that this incredible game with its bright graphics could be played on a home console and immediately wanted one, unfortunately my parents weren't in the position of putting down $200 for a game system at the time.

I started noticing the Toys R' Us commercials and saw that a SECOND Mario game had come out

for a split second, on a Toys 'R Us commercial while watching the Bugs Bunny & Tweety Show on ABC

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lx6HFyYzdcM

This only made me beg even more for the system.

I got the same system as you for Christmas in 1990, and always had some neighborhood kids coming over to play Super Mario Bros/Duck Hunt

Good times were had.

Again, my parents weren't in the position to pay for games, so I got an extreme amount of mileage out of Super Mario Bros./Duck hunt. but I was later able to borrow and exchange games with friends, and Wednesdays were $1 2-day rentals at the local video rental store, so this filled in the gaps.

Funny story, my friend Paul let me borrow a game called Castle Quest

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iFqf5oVyPUc

I really got addicted to the game, but he took it back 2 weeks later.

cont.

[Anonymous No.2746778]

>>2746769
So, the solution was to go to the local video store and try to find it on dollar day.

Unfortunately I did not really remember the game's name, and after searching for a long time I found a game that, to my untrained eye, sort of resembled it.

I looked in the back and there was a guy with a pointy hat, and it was much more colorful but I thought hey maybe it's a sequel or something.

I was like what the heck I'll try it.

MY MIND WAS BLOWN

the game? Pic related.

You might know a little bit about it.

[Anonymous No.2746796]

>>2745338
Yeah I found Gyromite in a garage sale for $5 back in 1992, no robot.

Couldn't figure out anything on it (no instruction manual!)

Couldn't figure it out until my friend Mike pushed the buttons on the second controller.

Thus, I was introduced to co-op gaming before it was really a thing.

[Anonymous No.2746825]

>>2744530
I live in NY. I Remember my dad picking up an NES when I was in 1st grade.(1987). It came with Super Mario Bros. I want to say duck hunt, gun, and 2 conrtollers. I really don't know if it was special or not. But I doubt it,

[Anonymous No.2746826]

>>2744728
lovely bait, glad nobody bit

[Anonymous No.2746908]

My parents bought an NES for my brothers back in 1989, and a couple of what appeared to be second hand games. Among them were such classics like Karate Kid, Friday the 13th, Back to the Future, Ghostbusters, Fester's Quest, T&C Surf Designs, Contra, Karate Champ, Popeye, Operation Wolf, Wizards and Warriors, and Mario/Duck Hunt. The NES was out of order for the longest time, predictably the pin connector failed, and I was really anxious to get this thing to work. Bear in mind that while we got this console in the US, my parents decided to move to Greece, and such I had no idea about these games, To my mind, I thought that Nintendo was a company that only existed to make this console, and I was saddened to know that it would be impossible to find another said console.

Needless to say I came back to the US, and brought the NES back over, and I managed to get a new pin connector and it works now. The NES is about as old as I am, as I was born in 1989.

[Anonymous No.2747127]

>>2746826
>too young to remember storage wars

[Anonymous No.2747521]

>>2746748
Yeah, my launch NES had a gray Zapper.

[Anonymous No.2747581]

>>2747127
It's not as though nobody remembers it, that bit has just been done to death. Literally, that guy died.

[Anonymous No.2750105]

Happy birthday to you as well, you vastly superior piece of hardware ~

[Anonymous No.2751934]

>>2747581
I'm pretty sure everyone remembers it except that guy