Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES)
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Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES)
Building on the popularity of the original Nintendo Entertainment System (NES), the company with Mario as its mascot jumped into the 16-bit era with the Super Nintendo Entertainment System, or the Super Famicom as it was called in Japan. It was an instant success in the land of the rising sun when it hit shelves on November 21, 1990, with the American SNES following suit on August 13, 1991.
The Hardware
The design of the smaller, rounder Super Famicom of Japan was used for European versions as well, whereas Americans received a boxier, more rigid looking Super Nintendo. The cartridges -- which held up to 4MB of data -- were loaded into the top of the machine. Two propriety seven-pin controller ports can be found at the front of the machine, whereas the power, reset, and eject switches are on the top of the SNES and Super Famicom.
The Controllers and Peripherals
Whereas the original Nintendo had square controllers with only two buttons, the Super Nintendo went for a rounder, more comfortable design, and brought the button count up to six. In addition to "A" and "B", this controller also had "X" and "Y" as face buttons, as well as "L" and "R" shoulder buttons. Of course, the "select" and "start" buttons could also be found in the middle.
Peripherals that hit the market along the way include the Super Advantage (an arcade-style controller complete with joystick and "turbo" options), the Super Scope (a large light gun shaped like a small bazooka), the SNES Mouse (used in conjuction with Mario Paint), and Game Genie cheat cartridge.
Backwards Compatibility
As the only other "next-generation" machines the public had experienced up to that point, people came to expect that the Super Nintendo would have the backwards compatibility found on the Atari machines. Unfortunately, not so. The Super Nintendo could take in the old NES cartridges. That said, the library of games made available for the Super Nintendo more than made up for this missing feature as the gaming system matured, and many more third-party titles made appearances.
No More Monopoly
Nintendo may have held a virtual monopoly with the NES -- the Sega Master System was its only real competition -- but when the SNES hit the market, it was suddenly attacked by Sonic and crew. Sega unleashed a series of advertisements that displayed how slow everyone's favorite plumber was compared to the fast-footed hedgehog. In fact, the sales figures for the SNES never really caught up to that of the Sega Genesis until Sega left the 16-bit market to release its Saturn console.
Classic Games
Like the NES before it, the Super Nintendo too had many unforgettable games. The Mario, Zelda, Mega Man and other franchises continued to proliferate, as well as a wide range of other hugely popular games that introduced us to Fox McCloud, Kirby, and Earthworm Jim. Classic titles like Chrono Trigger still fetch up to $40 on eBay. The hits included:
- Chrono Trigger
- Clay Fighter
- Donkey Kong Country
- Earthworm Jim
- F-Zero
- Final Fantasy II
- Harvest Moon
- John Madden's Football
- Ken Griffey Jr. Presents Major League Baseball
- Kirby Super Star
- Starfox
- Super Mario All-Stars
- Super Mario Kart
Learn More
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