Design: NES or Famicom

[Jedi Master Baiter]

In Game History, we finally got to 1985, when Nintendo marketed the NES in NYC.

In the book, Highscore, there is a picture of the NES & the Famicom.  Our teacher asked which looked better, & more people agreed to the Famicom.

It's too bad that video games were considered "dead" at the time, otherwise Nintendo wouldn't have had to market the NES as an "Entertainment System."

[JC]

It's all about the vibrancy of the red, with a mixture of intricate form; the NES is plain ol' gray and boxy -- boring. The Japanese must have been willing to accept a bit of non-conformity in the aesthetic nature of their video gaming consoles and carts. Oh yeah the carts are an interesting part of it...all the officially licensed Famicom carts are colorful and come in a bunch of different sizes and shapes. The NES officially licensed carts are just more gray.

[vealchop]

really? You know the only thing I really like better about the famicom design is the colors and the fact that the controllers fit into the system itself. Otherwise, the NES was definately more sleaker and sophisticated looking. The famicom was designed to look more like a toy i think. Personally, I like the famicom design better, but I think the NES was definately a bit more ergonomic.

Was anyone in your class there in NYC during the release? I remember the week it came out I was at F.A.O. Schwartz where it debuted. There was a mob scene. It was incredible. There was only one or two demo units available to play and some kid was hogging the system. My mom wound up picking one up for me at Toys R' Us.

Are you guys reading "Game Over"? They go into a VERY in depth detail of the NYC release in 1985, you guys should check it out.

[JC]

...the NES was definately more sleaker and sophisticated looking. The famicom was designed to look more like a toy i think.

Aren't they toys? I mean, honestly, we might be able to argue back and forth about whether or not these are toys, but let me as you this, what do you do with it? You play it. Who were the targeted consumers? Kids, teens -- evidenced by the ads and inserts. The NES and Famicom were toys, no matter from which angle you look at them -- and this "sleaker" and "sophisticated" talk just doesn't seem spot on. Maybe this has become true, that more kids, primarily teens, are seeking out sleek and sophisticated, but it's more than likely that the companies making these products are doing so to reach a broadening consumer base.

[vealchop]

right. but, if you look at the market, if you make a system that looks less like a toy and more like some kind of entertainment console, you're gonna grab a bigger market share. i.e. maybe a 35 year old whos never played video games would be more likely to pick something that looked like an NES as opposed to the famicom. You also have to look at the region. Japanese audiences tend to lean more toward more compact, smaller design, whereas americans want the big, bulky stuff. Although this trend is beginning to disappear now, back in the 80's it was totally evident. Just looking at the NES, it doesn't look like a toy, it looks like a piece of computer hardware. But when I was a kid, I liked stuff like that, so I was into it. And I think, solely based on trying to attract a bigger market, that the NES was more successful. Whether or not that's fact I dunno, its just my opinion.

[Doc]

Was anyone in your class there in NYC during the release? I remember the week it came out I was at F.A.O. Schwartz where it debuted. There was a mob scene. It was incredible. There was only one or two demo units available to play and some kid was hogging the system. My mom wound up picking one up for me at Toys R' Us.

I was there...

I got mine at I THINK Toys R' Us, maybe I saw you there, lol.

I have to say I like both designs, although the Famicom slightly edges out the NES.

[Jedi Master Baiter]

Was anyone in your class there in NYC during the release? I remember the week it came out I was at F.A.O. Schwartz where it debuted. There was a mob scene. It was incredible. There was only one or two demo units available to play and some kid was hogging the system. My mom wound up picking one up for me at Toys R' Us.

I don't know; I'll ask in the next class.

Are you guys reading "Game Over"? They go into a VERY in depth detail of the NYC release in 1985, you guys should check it out.

No, but Ultimate History of Video Games, the book we're using, references it.

[Profeta Yoshitake]

The Prophet agree with JC!
Both Famicom and NES were toys!
Today they're legends!

The most beautiful to me is the Famicom AV, with the
Top Loader NES in a close second.

[super56k]

I think that the NES does look more like sophisticated computer hardware, but that cartridge slot has got ot be one of Nintendo's worst designs ever!  Seriously, every one of my cartridge based game systems work great (Famicom Included), with like a 99.8% successful boot rate, but I would have to say that the NES is more around 12%. Mine used to be like 60%, but I replaced the 72-pin connector, and it only made it worse. 

The "NEW NES", Nintendo's answer to the "NEW FAMICOM", had a nice cardridge slot, but, much like the old FAMICOM, was RF only.  You just can't win.  I suppose that the best combination would be a "NEW FAMICOM", with a 60-pin to 72-pin converter, and a 100v Japanese step-down converter.

[Jedi Master Baiter]

Yes, I think the AV is the best design overall.  If only our NES-101 had AV.  Man, Nintendo is always switching things around.

Maybe mod it to use AV?

[super56k]

Yes, I think the AV is the best design overall.  If only it our NES-101 had AV.  Man, Nintendo is always switching things around.

Maybe mod it to use AV?

Like this?:
http://www.gamesx.com/rgbadd/nes2avmod.htm

[nes_pwnerer]

I personally prefer the NES, possibly because I grew up loving it.  Also, anything NES looks so solid.  For example, I have a fear that if I look at anything FC the wrong way, it'll break; while I know full well I can toss anything NES (including the system itself) at a wall as hard as I can and it will be just as functional afterwards ( and I'd say my system has roughly an 80% sucess rate).

And, as it was said before, really big technology rules.

[natedogg]

Famicom.

I think the NES looks a bit dull, with it's box like design and grey / black color.

[nes_pwnerer]

Another thing: when I play FC (if I ever get too...one day) the whole thing is really Japanese: compact, light, and (not always, but in this situation) fragile. When I play the NES, it's very macho(as macho as a game system can get, anyways) with it's huge system, blocky games, and sharp, rectangular controllers who's + pad could give mightly blisters to those with girly hands.  It really feels like you're Playing With Power!

[Jedi Master Baiter]

...and then you realize you have the wrong adaptor plugging it all in & now you really are Playing With Power!