Talk:Nintendo Entertainment System

1. the famicom is two years older than the nes

2. it wasnt just released in japan, according to super mario wiki it was officially released in hong kong and taiwan

3. famicom and nes are two pages on japanese wiki, and they got a fundamentally different game library

4. they look nothing alike. only thing in common is hardware

imho it should be split again Memphis1525 (talk) 16:41, 10 June 2024 (UTC)

:General oppose. As noted about, {{tq|only thing in common is hardware}}. They are the same system, just with different housing and marketing based on geographical areas. -- ferret (talk) 16:42, 11 June 2024 (UTC)

::what about the hong kong thing tho, they got both nes AND famicom. did you read the other points Memphis1525 (talk) 16:48, 11 June 2024 (UTC)

:Opposed. They're the same system. Sergecross73 msg me 20:06, 11 June 2024 (UTC)

:The differences can be summarised within the scope of a single article. If we split this into two articles we'd have to duplicate 90% of the content on both. Popcornfud (talk) 04:19, 12 June 2024 (UTC)

::make it like mario wiki then Memphis1525 (talk) 04:46, 12 June 2024 (UTC)

:::here are the links

:::https://www.mariowiki.com/Family_Computer

:::https://www.mariowiki.com/Nintendo_Entertainment_System Memphis1525 (talk) 04:47, 12 June 2024 (UTC)

::::Ah, yes, Mariowiki. The thinking man's Wikipedia. Popcornfud (talk) 04:49, 12 June 2024 (UTC)

::::I don't believe Mario wiki is something to aspire to. That's not an improvement at all. Sergecross73 msg me 14:29, 12 June 2024 (UTC)

:::::okay fine

:::::this place is super western biased lol. not everyone lives in america Memphis1525 (talk) 15:12, 23 June 2024 (UTC)

::::::This isn't a western thing. There is no functional difference between the Famicom and the NES beyond exterior design. It makes no sense to discuss them separately -- though making sure to discuss the national impact of the Famicom in Japan and the NES in the US/North America. Masem (t) 17:49, 23 June 2024 (UTC)

:::::::you focus too much on the nes part.

::::::::soon you mfs would be calling windows vista and 7 the exact same thing lmfaoooooo ZacharyFDS/Memphis1525 (talk) 14:40, 16 September 2024 (UTC)

:I don't see a near future of English Wikipedia ever splitting the articles. The discussion from what I've seen usually starts and ends in "they're the same system". It should be noted that Japanese Wikipedia currently has the Famicom and NES split into two articles (see ja:Family Computer and ja:Nintendo Entertainment System) and I attempted to ask for a split a while ago, and when that didn't go anywhere I decided to do [https://famiwiki.net my own thing instead]. If you want Famicom specific information than I suggest visiting other sites.

:https://famiwiki.net/wiki/Family_Computer Bro3256 (talk) 07:56, 18 April 2025 (UTC)

30px

The redirect [//en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Nintendo_Entertainment_System&redirect=no The Nintendo Entertainment System] has been listed at redirects for discussion to determine whether its use and function meets the redirect guidelines. Readers of this page are welcome to comment on this redirect at {{slink|Wikipedia:Redirects for discussion/Log/2024 October 11#The Nintendo Entertainment System}} until a consensus is reached. cogsan _{(nag me) (stalk me)} 14:02, 11 October 2024 (UTC)

I’m interested in finding firm sources for the NES’ US launch price and date. A look around the internet will show that (1) several different numbers get tossed around, and (2) *very* few sources are easily available.

Complicating matters further is the fact that the NES had multiple release packages, and that its initial release (test market release?) may have had different price points than its mass market release.

So I guess I have three questions:

1. Was the October 18, 1985 release a “test market” release, or simply a very limited release? In either case, is it appropriate to list that date as the console’s “release date” if it didn’t become widely available until a separate launch (with different packaging, and potential different price point) in early 1986?

2. Assuming we find great sources for every MSRP number, which package (control deck? Deluxe set) is the appropriate price to list in the “Introductory Price” list?

3. Where might we find this info? Are there any electronics trade publications that are archived from around this time? Maybe toy publications? Unless I’ve been looking in entirely the wrong locations, and it doesn’t seem like there are any electronic secondary sources here — everything is repeating a number heard elsewhere. If there ever was a primary source floating somewhere out there, we’re decades away from the retro games internet having easy access to it. King Crab Kid (talk) 18:10, 17 May 2025 (UTC)

:Per the 1986 NYTimes article, yes, both NYC and LA releases were test market ones. But it wasn't like a private sale - anyone in that area could have shown up to purchase a system, so that's still a public release as we generally treat that term across most consumer goods on WP.

:That said, looking at that, I came across [https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/0By3fjn1rWdp3Sk81a3FpLUpVSVU this Google Drive] from the Video Game History Foundation [https://gamehistory.org/nes-launch-collection-1985/] that has material related to the NES launches, including at-the-time news coverage. Its not as deep as some of what's being asked, and if the VGHF can't find more, we're likely also limited. Masem (t) 18:24, 17 May 2025 (UTC)

::Thank you for the response, and for the documents! I’d dug around the VGHF for this stuff before and couldn’t find anything.

::I apologize ahead of time if this is a lot of words that get us almost nothing. Here’s what I found in the drive:

::There are two publications in “Proto-NES” —> “Press Coverage” that list the New York launch MSRP. One is at $129.95, and the other has the less precise $130. This release package includes the console, two controllers, R.O.B., and 1 game that uses R.O.B. I’m not sure if this package was even sold during the test market run; both of these bits of press coverage come from 1985’s CES, so there could have been changes between then and launch.

::Then, in “NES Test Market” —> “Newspaper ads,” there are 3 ads for actual retail sale. The package here is the console, two controllers, ROB, the Zapper, and two games. One lists $139.97, one list $139, and one lists $149.99. The first two seem very clear that the price is for the package with the zapper and extra game; the last mentions only that package but says the $149.99 is for the “Base Package,” with no other information about different packages.

::Complicating this further are the two items in “NES Test-Market” —> “Press Coverage,” one of which says the zapper + 2 games package will be $180 (the exact number identified by the San Bernadino Sun, which is the current source on the number), and the other says the ROB + 1 game package will be $130.

::Which is to say: we have conflicting information in secondary sources about how much the bigger package sold for. It seems reasonable to say it was around $180, but there are also two ads that literally say you can buy it from them for ~$139.

::And further: assuming we confidently establish that there was a ROB + 1 game package for $130 and a ROB + Zapper + 2 game package for $180, which package gets listed as the launch price? King Crab Kid (talk) 21:50, 18 May 2025 (UTC)