Nintendo earlier on July 7th celebrated the 15th anniversary of its first home game console with an interchangeable cartridge design, the Famicom (also known as Family Computer, or simply FC, red and white machine), and openedFamicom 40th Anniversary Event Website, and have fun with players through hardware introductions, knowledge questions, console chronology, software overview, and the "Famicom National Voting" event that selects the first-place Famicom game under different themes every week.
The Famicom was developed under the leadership of Masayuki Uemura, then head of Nintendo's second development department. Codenamed "GameCom," it was originally planned to use a more advanced 16-bit processor, paired with a keyboard, floppy drive, and other accessories. However, this was rejected by then-president Hiroshi Yamauchi, leading to the subsequent design using an 8-bit processor to meet Yamauchi's requirement that the console must be cheaper than its competitors.
Compared to its competitors at the time, the Famicom actually laid the foundation for many subsequent home game console design directions, including the mainstream use of interchangeable game cartridges, and the controller design that included a cross key and A/B keys. In addition, the expansion port on the front of the console could be used to connect accessories such as light guns, keyboards, and large joysticks. The subsequent addition of accessories such as disk drives also greatly increased the playability of the Famicom.
Although Nintendo has stated that it is not recommended for players to blow air on the metal contacts at the bottom of the cartridge when the game cartridge is not working properly, as moisture may cause the cartridge to damage faster, players can usually use the cartridge smoothly after doing so. This has become a common memory among many players and has become one of the characteristics of the Famicom.
In addition, after allowing game companies including Hudson Soft, Namco, Taito, Capcom, Jaleco and Konami to join in the development of Famicom games, Nintendo established a complete licensing model, which included game developers having to pay in advance to purchase development platform tools, and also having to pay platform usage fees based on the number of games released.
The Famicom was later released in the European and American markets as a gray console under the name Nintendo Entertainment System (NES). Although its design and cartridge usage were completely different, its basic operation remained largely the same as the Famicom. Some games differed due to factors such as copyright and distribution market.
Relevant records show that Famicom has sold a total of 6191 million units to date, and the cumulative number of games released has exceeded 5 million. If derivative versions and unauthorized design versions are included, the total sales of Famicom may be even higher. At the same time, it is difficult to calculate the specific number of pirated and privately copied game cartridges in circulation.
