Famicom World

Nintendo Co., Ltd., sold the Family Computer in Japan, Hong Kong and Taiwan. And that’s it. But that doesn’t mean those are the only three countries that had Famicoms. Sometimes Famicoms were imported elsewhere, like Korea. But, most often the Famicom was duplicated (often illegally). These duplicates are called “Famiclones” — a clone of the Famicom.

While only three countries saw the official Famicom, many more countries across the world, including Korea, Thailand, Argentina, the United States and others, got Famiclones. (Some argue that the Nintendo Entertainment System is a Famiclone, and in a way it is.)

Famicloning was illegal until 2003, when the patent on the Famicom expired and duplication became legal. Prior to 2003, however, Famiclones were available just about anywhere. Companies, such as Micro-Genius, made lots of money selling high-quality Famiclones. Others created portable Famicoms — like the one you see to the right. In this section, you’ll learn about Famiclones.