Super Nintendo Entertainment System

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Super Nintendo Entertainment System
Super Famicom logo.svg SNES logo.svg
The North American SNES (circa 1991)
A Japanese Super Famicom

Top: North American SNES (circa 1991)
Bottom: Japanese Super Famicom
Other variations are pictured under Casing below
Manufacturer Nintendo
Type Video game console
Generation Fourth generation
Release date
  • JP November 21, 1990
  • NA August 23, 1991[a]
  • EU April 11, 1992 UK and Eire
  • EU June 6, 1992(Rest)[1]
  • AUS July 3, 1992
Discontinued
  • NA November 30, 1999[3]
Units sold Worldwide: 49.10 million[4]
Japan: 17.17 million
North America: 23.35 million
Europe & Australia: 8.58 million
Media ROM cartridge
CPU 16-bit 65c816 Ricoh 5A22 3.58 MHz
Online services Satellaview (Japan only), XBAND, Nintendo Power (Japan Only)
Best-selling game
Predecessor Nintendo Entertainment System
Successor Nintendo 64

The Super Nintendo Entertainment System (also known as the Super NES, SNES[b] or Super Nintendo) is a 16-bit video game console that was released in 1990 by Nintendo in Japan (as the Super Famicom (スーパーファミコン Sūpā Famikon?, officially adopting the abbreviated name of its predecessor, the Family Computer) or SFC for short), 1991 in North America, 1992 in Europe & Australasia (Oceania), and South America in 1993. In South Korea, it is known as the Super Comboy (슈퍼 컴보이) and was distributed by Hyundai Electronics. Although each version is essentially the same, several forms of regional lockout prevent the different versions from being compatible with one another.

The Super Nintendo Entertainment System is Nintendo's second home console, following the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES). The console introduced advanced graphics and sound capabilities compared with other consoles at the time. Additionally, development of a variety of enhancement chips (which were integrated on game circuit boards) helped to keep it competitive in the marketplace. Via the Super FX chip, the SNES was able to run some of the first three-dimensional video games on consoles, beginning with Star Fox.[10]

The SNES was a global success, becoming the best-selling console of the 16-bit era despite its relatively late start and the fierce competition it faced in North America and Europe from Sega's Genesis/Mega Drive console. The SNES remained popular well into the 32-bit era, and continues to be popular among fans, collectors, retro gamers, and emulation enthusiasts, some of whom are still making homebrew ROM images.

History[edit source | edit]

Early concept designs for the Super NES, referred to as the "Nintendo Entertainment System 2".

To compete with the popular Famicom/NES, NEC launched the PC Engine/TurboGrafx-16 in 1987, and Sega followed suit with the Sega Mega Drive/Genesis in 1988. Both systems were built on 16-bit architectures and offered improved graphics and sound over the 8-bit NES. However, it took several years for Sega's system to become successful.[11] Nintendo executives were in no rush to design a new system, but they reconsidered when they began to see their dominance in the market slipping.[12]

Release[edit source | edit]

Designed by Masayuki Uemura, the designer of the original Famicom, the Super Famicom was released in Japan on Wednesday, November 21, 1990 for ¥25,000 (US$210). It was an instant success: Nintendo's initial shipment of 300,000 units sold out within hours, and the resulting social disturbance led the Japanese government to ask video game manufacturers to schedule future console releases on weekends.[13] The system's release also gained the attention of the Yakuza, leading to a decision to ship the devices at night to avoid robbery.[14]

With the Super Famicom quickly outselling its chief rivals, Nintendo reasserted itself as the leader of the Japanese console market.[15] Nintendo's success was partially due to its retention of most of its key third-party developers from its earlier system, including Capcom, Konami, Tecmo, Square, Koei, and Enix.[16]

"Nintendo's strongest selling point, however, was the game that came packed in with the Super NES console—Super Mario World."[17]

On August 23, 1991,[a] Nintendo released the Super Nintendo Entertainment System, a redesigned version of the Super Famicom, in North America for US$199. The SNES was released in the United Kingdom and Ireland in April 1992 for GB£150, with a German release following a few weeks later. The PAL region versions of the console use the Japanese Super Famicom design, except for labeling and the length of the joypad leads. Both the NES and Super NES were released in Brazil in 1993 by Playtronic, a joint venture between the toy company Estrela and consumer electronics company Gradiente.[24]

The Super NES and Super Famicom launched with only a few games, but these games were well received in the marketplace. In Japan, only two games were initially available: Super Mario World and F-Zero.[25] In North America, Super Mario World shipped with the console, and other initial titles included F-Zero, Pilotwings (both of which demonstrated the console's "Mode 7" pseudo-3D rendering capability), SimCity, and Gradius III.[26]


Reception[edit source | edit]

49.10 million Super NES units were sold worldwide, with 23.35 million of those units sold in the Americas and 17.17 million in Japan.[4] Although it could not quite repeat the success of the NES, which sold 61.91 million units worldwide,[4] the Super NES was the best-selling console of its era.

Console wars[edit source | edit]

Main article: Console wars

The rivalry between Nintendo and Sega resulted in one of the fiercest console wars in video game history,[27] in which Sega positioned the Genesis as the "cool" console, with more mature titles aimed at older gamers, and edgy advertisements that occasionally attacked the competition.[28] Nintendo however, scored an early PR coup by securing the first console conversion of Capcom's arcade classic Street Fighter II for Super NES, which took over a year to make the transition to Genesis. Despite the Genesis' head start, much larger library of games, and lower price point,[29] the Genesis only controlled an estimated 60% of the American 16-bit console market in June 1992,[30] and neither console could maintain a definitive lead for several years. Donkey Kong Country would pave the way for the Super NES to win the waning years of the 16-bit generation,[31][32][33][34] and for a time, hold its own against the PlayStation and Saturn.[35] According to Nintendo, the Super NES had sold more than 20 million units in the U.S.[36] According to a 2004 study of NPD sales data, the Sega Genesis was able to maintain its lead over the Super NES in the American 16-bit console market.[37]

32-bit era and beyond[edit source | edit]

While other companies were moving on to 32-bit systems, Rare and Nintendo proved that the Super NES was still a strong contender in the market. In November 1994, Rare released Donkey Kong Country, a platform game featuring 3D models and textures pre-rendered on SGI workstations. With its detailed graphics, fluid animation and high-quality music, Donkey Kong Country rivaled the aesthetic quality of games that were being released on newer 32-bit CD-based consoles. In the last 45 days of 1994, the game sold 6.1 million units, making it the fastest-selling video game in history to that date. This game sent a message that early 32-bit systems had little to offer over the Super NES, and helped make way for the more advanced consoles on the horizon.[38][39]

In October 1997, Nintendo released a redesigned model of the SNES (the SNS-101 model) in North America for US$99, which included the pack-in game Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island.[40] Like the earlier redesign of the NES (the NES-101 model), the new model was slimmer and lighter than its predecessor, but it lacked S-Video and RGB output, and it was among the last major SNES-related releases in the region. A similarly redesigned Super Famicom Jr. was released in Japan at around the same time.[41]

Nintendo ceased production of the SNES in 1999,[3] about two years after releasing Kirby's Dream Land 3 (its last first-party game for the system) on November 27, 1997, a year after releasing Frogger (its last third-party game for the system). In Japan, Nintendo continued production of the Super Famicom until September 2003,[2] and new games were produced until the year 2000, ending with the release of Metal Slader Glory Director's Cut on December 1, 2000.[42]

Many popular SNES titles have since been ported to the Game Boy Advance, which has similar video capabilities. In 2005, Nintendo announced that SNES titles would be made available for download via the Wii's Virtual Console service.[43] In 2007, Nintendo of Japan announced that it would no longer repair Family Computer or Super Famicom systems due to an increasing shortage of the necessary parts.[44]

Legacy[edit source | edit]

In 2007, GameTrailers named the Super NES as the second-best console of all time in their list of top ten consoles that "left their mark on the history of gaming", citing its graphic, sound, and library of top-quality games.[45] Technology columnist Don Reisinger proclaimed "The SNES is the greatest console of all time" in January 2008, citing the quality of the games and the console's drastic improvement over its predecessor;[46] fellow technology columnist Will Greenwald replied with a more nuanced view, giving the SNES top marks with his heart, the NES with his head, and the PlayStation (for its controller) with his hands.[47] GamingExcellence also gave the SNES first place in 2008, declaring it "simply the most timeless system ever created" with many games that stand the test of time and citing its innovation in controller design, graphics capabilities, and game storytelling.[48] At the same time, GameDaily rated it fifth of ten for its graphics, audio, controllers, and games.[49] In 2009, IGN named the Super Nintendo Entertainment System the fourth best video game console, complimenting its audio and "concentration of AAA titles".[50]

Games[edit source | edit]

Further information: List of Super Nintendo Entertainment System games

The Super NES and Super Famicom launched with only a few games, but these games were well received in the marketplace. In Japan, only two games were initially available: Super Mario World and F-Zero.[51] In North America, Super Mario World shipped with the console, and other initial titles included F-Zero, Pilotwings (both of which demonstrated the console's "Mode 7" pseudo-3D rendering capability), SimCity, and Gradius III.[52]

Changes in policy[edit source | edit]

During the NES era, Nintendo maintained exclusive control over titles released for the system—the company had to approve every game, each third-party developer could only release up to five games per year (but some third-parties got around this by using different names, for example Konami's "Ultra" brand), those games could not be released on another console within two years, and Nintendo was the exclusive manufacturer and supplier of NES cartridges. However, competition from Sega's console brought an end to this practice; in 1991, Acclaim began releasing games for both platforms, with most of Nintendo's other licensees following suit over the next several years; Capcom (which licensed some games to Sega instead of producing them directly) and Square were the most notable holdouts.[53]

Nintendo of America also maintained a policy that, among other things, limited the amount of violence in the games on its systems. One game, Mortal Kombat, would challenge this policy. A surprise hit in arcades in 1992, Mortal Kombat features splashes of blood and finishing moves that often depict one character dismembering the other. Because the Sega Genesis version retained the gore while the SNES version did not,[54] it outsold the SNES version by a ratio of three or four-to-one.[55][56][57]

Game players were not the only ones to notice the violence in this game; US Senators Herb Kohl and Joe Lieberman convened a Congressional hearing on December 9, 1993 to investigate the marketing of violent video games to children.[c] While Nintendo took the high ground with moderate success, the hearings led to the creation of the Interactive Digital Software Association and the Entertainment Software Rating Board, and the inclusion of ratings on all video games.[54][55] With these ratings in place, Nintendo decided its censorship policies were no longer needed. Consequently, the uncensored SNES port of Mortal Kombat II became the preferred version among reviewers.[54][55]

Hardware[edit source | edit]

Main article: Super Nintendo Entertainment System hardware

The design of the Super NES incorporates powerful graphics and sound co-processors that allowed tiling and Mode 7 effects, many times more colors, and audio quality that represented a leap over the competition.[58] Individual game cartridges can supply further custom chips as needed.

The CPU is a Nintendo-custom 5A22 processor, based on a 16-bit 65c816 core. The CPU employs a variable bus speed depending on the memory region being accessed for each instruction cycle.

The picture processing unit (PPU) consists of two separate but closely tied IC packages, which may be considered as a single entity. It also contains 64 kB[d] of SRAM for storing video data (VRAM), 544 bytes of object attribute memory (OAM) for storing sprite data, and 256 × 15 bits of color generator RAM (CGRAM) for storing palette data. Images may be output at 256 or 512 pixels horizontal resolution and 224, 239, 448, or 478 pixels vertically. Vertical resolutions of 224 or 239 are usually output in progressive scan, while 448 and 478 resolutions are interlaced. Colors are chosen from the 15-bit RGB color space, for a total of 32,768 possible colors. Graphics consist of up to 128 sprites and up to 4 background layers, all made up of combinations of 8×8 pixel tiles.

The audio subsystem consists of an 8-bit Sony SPC700, a 16-bit DSP, 64 kB[d] of SRAM shared by the two chips, and a 64 byte boot ROM. The audio subsystem is clocked at a nominal 24.576 MHz in both NTSC and PAL systems. The DSP generates a 16-bit waveform at 32 kHz by mixing input from 8 independent voices and an 8-tap FIR filter typically used for reverberation. Each voice can play its sample at a variable rate, with Gaussian interpolation, stereo panning, and ADSR, linear, non-linear, or direct volume envelope adjustment. Hardware on the cartridge, expansion port, or both can provide stereo audio data for mixing into the DSP's analog audio output before it leaves the console.[59]

The console contains 128 kB[d] of DRAM. The video and audio subsystems contain additional RAM reserved for use by those processors.[60]

Regional lockout[edit source | edit]

Nintendo employed several types of regional lockout, including both physical and hardware incompatibilities.

A cartridge shape comparison
Top: North American design
Bottom: Japanese and PAL region design.
The bottom cartridge also illustrates the optional pins used by enhancement chips such as the Super FX 3D chip.

On a physical level, the cartridges are shaped differently for different regions. North American cartridges have a rectangular bottom with inset grooves matching protruding tabs in the console, while other regions' cartridges are narrower with a smooth curve on the front and no grooves. The physical incompatibility can be overcome with use of various adapters, or through modification of the console.[61]

Internally, a regional lockout chip (CIC) within the console and in each cartridge prevents PAL region games from being played on Japanese or North American consoles and vice versa. The Japanese and North American machines have the same region chip.

PAL consoles face another incompatibility when playing out-of-region cartridges: the NTSC video standard specifies video at 60 Hz while PAL operates at 50 Hz, resulting in approximately 16.7% slower gameplay. Additionally, PAL's higher resolution results in letterboxing of the output image. Some commercial PAL region releases exhibit this same problem and therefore can be played in NTSC systems without issue, while others will face a 20% speedup if played in an NTSC console.

Casing[edit source | edit]

Original Japanese SNES
Original U.S. SNES
Original PAL SNES
Super Famicom Jr.
Super Famicom Jr.
Original Japanese version
(1990–1998)		 Original North American version
(1991–1997)		 Original PAL version
(1992–1998)		 Super Famicom Jr.
(1998–2003)		 North American redesign
(1997–1999)

All versions of the SNES are predominantly gray, although the exact shade may differ. The original North American version, designed by Nintendo of America industrial designer Lance Barr[62] (who previously redesigned the Famicom to become the NES[63]), has a boxy design with purple sliding switches and a dark gray eject lever. The loading bay surface is curved, both to invite interaction and to prevent food or drinks from being placed on the console and spilled as had happened with the flat surfaced NES.[62] The Japanese and European versions are more rounded, with darker gray accents and buttons. The North American SNS-101 model, the European SNES Jr. and the Japanese Super Famicom Jr. (the SHVC-101 model), all of them designed by Barr, are both smaller with a rounded contour; however, the SNS-101 buttons are purple where the Super Famicom Jr. and SNES Jr. buttons are gray. The European and American versions of the SNES have much longer controller cables compared to the Japanese Super Famicom.

All versions incorporate a top-loading slot for game cartridges, although the shape of the slot differs between regions to match the different shapes of the cartridges. All versions also incorporate two 7-pin controller ports on the front of the unit, and a plug for a power supply and a Nintendo-proprietary "MULTI OUT" A/V connector on the back.[59] The MULTI OUT connector (later used on the Nintendo 64 and GameCube) can output composite video, S-Video and RGB signals, as well as RF with an external RF modulator.[61] Original versions additionally include a 28-pin expansion port under a small cover on the bottom of the unit[59] and a standard RF output with channel selection switch on the back;[64] the redesigned models output composite video only, requiring an external modulator for RF.[65]

Yellowing of console plastic

The ABS plastic used in the casing of some older SNES consoles is particularly susceptible to oxidization on exposure to air, likely due to an incorrect mixture of the stabilizing or flame retarding additives. This, along with the particularly light color of the original plastic, causes affected consoles to quickly become yellow; if the sections of the casing came from different batches of plastic, a "two-tone" effect results.[66]

Game cartridge[edit source | edit]

The cartridge media of the console is officially referred to as Game Pak in most Western regions,[67] and as Cassette (カセット Kasetto?) in Japan and parts of Latin America.[68] While the SNES can address 128 Mbit,[d] only 117.75 Mbit are actually available for cartridge use. The largest games released (Tales of Phantasia and Star Ocean) contain 48 Mbit of ROM data,[69][70] while the smallest games contain only 2 Mbit.

Cartridges may also contain battery-backed SRAM to save the game state, extra working RAM, custom coprocessors, or any other hardware that will not exceed the maximum current rating of the console.

Enhancement chips[edit source | edit]

Main article: List of Super NES enhancement chips
Star Fox, Nintendo's first game with 3D polygonal graphics.

As part of the overall plan for the SNES, rather than include an expensive CPU that would still become obsolete in a few years, the hardware designers made it easy to interface special coprocessor chips to the console (just like the MMC chips used for most NES games).[59]

The Super FX is a RISC CPU designed to perform functions that the main CPU could not feasibly do. The chip was primarily used to create 3D game worlds made with polygons, texture mapping and light source shading. The chip could also be used to enhance 2D games.[71]

In Japan, games could be downloaded for a fee from Nintendo Power kiosks onto special cartridges containing flash memory and a MegaChips MX15001TFC chip. The chip managed communication with the kiosks to download ROM images, and provided an initial menu to select which of the downloaded games would be played. Some titles were available both in cartridge and download form, while others were download only. The service was closed on February 8, 2007.[72]

Many cartridges contain other enhancement chips, most of which were created for use by a single company in a few titles;[73] the only limitations are the speed of the Super NES itself to transfer data from the chip and the current limit of the console.

Peripherals[edit source | edit]

Top: Japanese Super Famicom controller, bottom: North American SNES controller

The standard SNES controller adds two additional face buttons to the design of the NES iteration, arranging the four in a diamond shape, and introduces two shoulder buttons. The inclusion of six active buttons was made with the popularity of the Street Fighter arcade series in mind.[74] It also features an ergonomic design by Lance Barr, later used for the NES-102 model controllers, also designed by Barr.[62][63] The Japanese and PAL region versions incorporate the system's logo in the colors of the four action buttons, while the North American version colors them lavender and purple to match the redesigned console and gives the lighter two a concave rather than convex top. Several later consoles derive elements of their controller design from the SNES, including the PlayStation, Dreamcast, Xbox, and Wii Classic Controller.[50][75][76]

Throughout the course of its life, a number of peripherals were released which added to the functionality of the SNES. Many of these devices were modeled after earlier add-ons for the NES: the Super Scope is a light gun functionally similar to the NES Zapper (though the Super Scope features wireless capabilities) and the Super Advantage is an arcade-style joystick with adjustable turbo settings akin to the NES Advantage. Nintendo also released the SNES Mouse in conjunction with its Mario Paint title. Hudson Soft, under license from Nintendo, released the Super Multitap, a multiplayer adapter for use with its popular series of Bomberman games.

The Super Game Boy allowed Game Boy games to be played on the SNES

While Nintendo never released an adapter for playing NES games on the SNES, the Super Game Boy adapter cartridge allows games designed for Nintendo's portable Game Boy system to be played on the SNES. Japan also saw the release of the Super Game Boy 2, which added a communication port to enable a second Game Boy to connect for multiplayer games.

Like the NES before it, the SNES saw its fair share of unlicensed third-party peripherals, including a new version of the Game Genie cheat cartridge designed for use with SNES games. In general, Nintendo proved to be somewhat more tolerant of unlicensed SNES peripherals than they had been with NES peripherals. Soon after the release of the SNES, companies began marketing backup devices such as the Super Wildcard, Super Pro Fighter Q, and Game Doctor.[77] These devices were sold to create a backup of a cartridge, in the event that it would break. However, they could also be used to play copied ROM images that could be downloaded from BBSes and the Internet, or to create copies of rented video games, often violating copyright laws in many jurisdictions.

Satellaview with Super Famicom.

Japan saw the release of the Satellaview, a modem which attached to the Super Famicom's expansion port and connected to the St.GIGA satellite radio station. Users of the Satellaview could download gaming news and specially designed games, which were frequently either remakes of or sequels to older Famicom titles, released in installments. Satellaview signals were broadcast from April 23, 1995 through June 30, 2000.[78] In the United States, the similar but relatively short-lived XBAND allowed users to connect to a network via a dial-up modem to compete against other players around the country.

During the SNES's life, Nintendo contracted with two different companies to develop a CD-ROM-based peripheral for the console to compete with Sega's CD-ROM based addon, Mega-CD. Ultimately, deals with both Sony and Philips fell through, (although a prototype console was produced by Sony) with Philips gaining the right to release a series of titles based on Nintendo franchises for its CD-i multimedia player and Sony going on to develop its own console based on its initial dealings with Nintendo (the PlayStation).[79]

Emulation[edit source | edit]

See also: List of SNES emulators
Snes9x 1.53 on Windows Vista

Like the NES before it, the SNES has retained interest among its fans even following its decline in the marketplace. It has continued to thrive on the second-hand market and through console emulation. The SNES has taken much the same revival path as the NES (see History of the Nintendo Entertainment System).

Emulation projects began with the initial release of VSMC in 1994, and Super Pasofami became the first working SNES emulator in 1996.[80] During that time, two competing emulation projects—Snes96 and Snes97—merged to form a new initiative entitled Snes9x.[71] In 1997, SNES enthusiasts began programming an emulator named ZSNES.[81] These two have remained among the best-known SNES emulators, although development continues on others as well. In 2003, members of both the Snes9x and ZSNES teams and others began a push for exact emulation;[e][82] this movement is now led by the development of higan by a developer named byuu.[83]

Nintendo of America took the same stance against the distribution of SNES ROM image files and the use of emulators as it did with the NES, suggesting that they represented software piracy.[84] Proponents of SNES emulation cite various defenses: discontinued production of the SNES constituting abandonware status, the right of the owner of the respective game to make a personal backup via devices such as the Retrode, space shifting for private use, the desire to develop homebrew games for the system, the frailty of SNES ROM cartridges and consoles, and the lack of certain foreign imports.[85] Despite Nintendo's attempts to stop the proliferation of such projects, emulators and ROM files continue to be widely available on the Internet.

The SNES was one of the first systems to attract the attention of amateur fan translators: Final Fantasy V was the first major work of fan translation, and was completed in 1998.[80][86]

Emulation of the SNES is now available on handheld units, such as Android devices,[87] Apple's iPhone[88] and iPad,[89] Sony's PlayStation Portable (PSP),[90] the Nintendo DS[91] and Game Boy Advance,[92] the Gizmondo,[93] the Dingoo and the GP2X by GamePark Holdings,[94] as well as PDAs.[95] While individual games have been included with emulators on some GameCube discs, Nintendo's Virtual Console service for the Wii marks the introduction of officially sanctioned general SNES emulation, though SNES9x GX, a port of SNES9x, has been made for the Wii.[96]

See also[edit source | edit]

Portal icon Nintendo portal

Footnotes[edit source | edit]

  1. ^ a b According to Stephen Kent's The Ultimate History of Video Games, the official launch date was September 9.[18] Newspaper and magazine articles from late 1991 report that the first shipments were in stores in some regions on August 23,[19][20] while it arrived in other regions at a later date.[21] Many modern online sources (circa 2005 and later) report August 13.[22][23]
  2. ^ The acronym SNES can be pronounced by English speakers as a single word (compare "NATO") with various pronunciations, a string of letters (compare "IBM"), or as a hybrid (compare "JPEG"); some even claim SNES should be pronounced "Super Nintendo" or "Super NES". In written English, the choice of indefinite article can be problematic due to these differences in pronunciation.[8][9]
  3. ^ While some contend that Nintendo orchestrated the Congressional hearings of 1993, Senator Lieberman and NOA's Senior Vice President (later Chairman) Howard Lincoln both refute these allegations.[55]
  4. ^ a b c d Unless otherwise specified, kilobyte (kB), megabyte (MB), and megabit (Mbit) are used in the binary sense in this article, referring to quantities of 1024 or 1,048,576.
  5. ^ As opposed to emulation "good enough" for most purposes, exact emulation facilitates the use of the emulator for homebrew game development and documents the operation of the hardware against such time as all existing consoles cease functioning.

Citations[edit source | edit]

  1. ^ "History | Corporate". Nintendo. Retrieved 2013-02-24. 
  2. ^ a b Niizumi, Hirohiko (2003-05-30). "Nintendo to end Famicom and Super Famicom production". GameSpot. Retrieved 2007-07-15. 
  3. ^ a b "Super Nintendo Entertainment System 2". Museum. Old-Computers.com. Retrieved 2007-07-15. 
  4. ^ a b c "Consolidated Sales Transition by Region" (PDF). Nintendo. 2010-01-27. Archived from the original on 2010-02-14. Retrieved 2010-02-14. 
  5. ^ "Super Mario Sales Data". GameCubicle.com. Retrieved 2011-11-20. 
  6. ^ Kent (2001), p. 497. "By the end of the 16-bit generation, Nintendo would go on to sell 9 million copies of Donkey Kong Country"
  7. ^ "IGN's Top 100 Games of All Time 2007". IGN. 2007. Retrieved 2009-01-02. 
  8. ^ "Do you say NES or N-E-S?". Nintendo NSider Forums. Archived from the original on 2007-09-23. Retrieved 2007-09-23.  Additional archived pages: 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
  9. ^ "Pronouncing NES & SNES". GameSpot forums. Retrieved 2007-05-16. 
  10. ^ História do Video Game
  11. ^ Sheff (1993), pp. 353–356. "The Genesis continued to flounder through its first couple of years on the market, although Sega showed Sisyphean resolve.... [By mid-1991] Sega had established itself as the market leader of the next generation."
  12. ^ Kent (2001), pp. 413–414.
  13. ^ Kent (2001), pp. 422–431.
  14. ^ Sheff (1993), pp. 360–361.
  15. ^ Kent (2001), pp. 431–433. "Japan remained loyal to Nintendo, ignoring both Sega's Mega-Drive and NEC's PC Engine (the Japanese name for TurboGrafx).... Unlike the Japanese launch in which Super Famicom had outsold both competitors combined in presales alone, Super NES would debut against an established product."
  16. ^ Kristan Reed (2007-01-19). "Virtual Console: SNES". Eurogamer. Retrieved 2009-02-12. 
  17. ^ Kent (2001), p. 432.
  18. ^ Kent (2001), p. 434. Kent states September 1 was planned but later rescheduled to September 9.
  19. ^ Campbell, Ron (1991-08-27). "Super Nintendo sells quickly at OC outlets". The Orange County Register. "Last weekend, months after video-game addicts started calling, Dave Adams finally was able to sell them what they craved: Super Nintendo. Adams, manager of Babbages in South Coast Plaza, got 32 of the $199.95 systems Friday."  Based on the publication date, the "Friday" mentioned would be August 23, 1991.
  20. ^ "Super Nintendo It's Here!!!". Electronic Gaming Monthly (Sendai Publishing Group) (28): 162. November 1991. "The Long awaited Super NES is finally available to the U.S. gaming public. The first few pieces of this fantastic unit hit the store shelves on August 23rd, 1991. Nintendo, however, released the first production run without any heavy fanfare or spectacular announcements." 
  21. ^ "New products put more zip into the video-game market" (abstract). Chicago Sun-Times. 1991-08-27. Retrieved 2010-03-05. "On Friday, area Toys R Us stores [...] were expecting Super NES, with a suggested retail price of $199.95, any day, said Brad Grafton, assistant inventory control manager for Toys R Us."  Based on the publication date, the "Friday" mentioned would be August 23, 1991.
  22. ^ Ray Barnholt (2006-08-04). "Purple Reign: 15 Years of the Super NES". 1UP.com. p. 2. Retrieved 2007-06-14. 
  23. ^ "Super Nintendo Entertainment System". N-Sider.com. Retrieved 2007-06-14. 
  24. ^ "Nintendo Brasil" (in Portuguese). Nintendo. Archived from the original on 2007-07-17. Retrieved 2007-08-02. 
  25. ^ Sheff (1993), p. 361.
  26. ^ Jeremy Parish (2006-11-14). "Out to Launch: Wii". 1UP.com. Retrieved 2007-07-03. 
  27. ^ Kent (2001), p. 431. "Sonic was an immediate hit, and many consumers who had been loyally waiting for the Super NES to arrive now decided to purchase the Sega Genesis... The fiercest competition in the history of video games was about to begin."
  28. ^ Kent (2001), pp. 448–449.
  29. ^ Kent (2001), p. 433.
  30. ^ Pete Hisey (1992-06-01). "16-bit games take a bite out of sales — computer games". Discount Store News. Retrieved 2007-04-14. 
  31. ^ Kent (2001), p. 496-497. "The late November release of Donkey Kong Country stood in stark contrast to the gloom and doom faced by the rest of the video game industry. After three holiday seasons of coming in second to Sega, Nintendo had the biggest game of the year. Sega still outperformed Nintendo in overall holiday sales, but the 500,000 copies of Donkey Kong Country that Nintendo sent out in its initial shipment were mostly sold in preorder, and the rest sold out in less than one week. It (Donkey Kong Country) established the Super NES as the better 16-bit console and paved the way for Nintendo to win the waning years of the 16-bit generation."
  32. ^ "Game-System Sales". Newsweek. 1996-01-14. Retrieved 2012-01-21. 
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References[edit source | edit]

External links[edit source | edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Super Famicom and variants
SNES logo.svg
Known in Japan as the Super Famicom and in South Korea as the Super Comboy • Fourth generation console
Accessories
Nintendo
Third party
SNES-Mod1-Console-Set.jpg

SNES-Model-2-Set.jpg
Launch games
Hardware
Nintendo S-SMP • 64 kB SRAM • 544 bytes of object attribute memory • 256 × 15 bits of color generator RAM • 128 kB of DRAM • Bit Rate Reduction • Ricoh 5A22
Release dates
November 21, 1990 (JP) • August 23, 1991 (NA) • April 11, 1992 (UK) • June 6, 1992 (EU) • July 3, 1992 (AUS)
Units sold
49.10 million (worldwide) • 17.17 million (JP) • 23.35 million {NA} • 8.58 million EU & AUS)
Models
Nintendo Super System • SNS-101 model • SHVC-101 (JP)
See also
Preceded by Nintendo Entertainment System • Succeeded by Nintendo 64
Consoles
Handhelds
(comparison)
Handheld Electronic Games
Handheld game Consoles
Arcade
Accessories
Famicom and NES
Super Famicom and SNES
GameCube
Wii and Wii U
Other
Technology
Online

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