:) How much NINTENDO do you know? Take the quizzes!

[ntgvg9]

BEWARE NOT TO READ LOWER POSTS BEFORE TAKING QUIZ: SPOILERS!
Take this two quizzes: (And be honest, don't cheat and use google etc.)

Naming all the Nintendo Systems:
http://www.sporcle.com/games/Billybobbillyjoe/NintendoGameSystems

Naming all the Top Selling Nintendo Games:
http://www.sporcle.com/games/topnes.php

You have 4 minutes for the first quiz which I feel is reasonable. Just type the answer in the box and it will show up if on the list it's an answer. The second quiz however is 10 minutes which I feel is WAY TOO much time, I quit the quiz after 3 minutes because I couldn't think of anymore. (to quit the quiz just click "Give Up?" above the "Time Remaining," beware that you can only give up after you 30 seconds into a quiz. Enjoy and post your results!


My results:
On the System Quiz:
I got 13/17 and I'm upset with my results. I should of had 15 though.
Top Selling Games Quiz:
I got 9/15 and I'm okay with that. I quit 3 minutes in because I didn't know anymore. It was kinda dumb cause I guessed like 100 NES games that are popular but they weren't there.

POST YOUR RESULTS. :) Enjoy.

I wanted to post this on NintendoAge Forums as well, but they're against the 1st amendment so they disabled my account.

[Hwj_Chim]

You got 15 out of 17 Nintendo Game Systems.
You missed 3 Bonus Answers.

Not bad, I missed color tv game and ds light (I only missed ds light because it would not take.)

[fredoche711]

On the System Quiz:
I got 16/17
Top Selling Games Quiz:
I got 9/15 .. I've try dragon warrior.. but not DW 2-3-4 :(

[Leo_A]

It's called a Nintendo DS Lite, you weren't spelling it correctly.

I scored everything except Color TV Game, something I've never even heard of. A Japanese Pong clone perhaps?

I didn't try the top selling games quiz, I doubt I'd of done very well.

Edit - I skipped to the answers, I highly doubt something like Golf outsold Metroid. I'm not buying this list.



I wanted to post this on NintendoAge Forums as well, but they're against the 1st amendment so they disabled my account.

I don't care about what you've done on another forum in the least, but you should realize your 1st amendment rights don't provide you with any protection against private acts. Constitutional free speech doesn't apply to a private forum. The forum owners are free to rule how they see fit. You'll find life at a online forum much smoother if you obey the rules they provide and realize the forum owners make the rules.

[tom]

Arcade machines missing?

Oh dear missing Pokemon Mini, what a disaster quiz (maybe they are in the bonus?):
http://www.videogamecollectors.com/gallery2/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=201194&g2_serialNumber=2

Half of the answers are Game Boys (and GB light missing).

Obviously they missed out the Magnavox Odyssey from 1975 (yes, Nintendo officially imported the Odyssey in the mid 70s. OK not quite a Nintendo machine, but it is important to know this)

>>>>Leo_Ames said: I scored everything except Color TV Game, something I've never even heard of. A Japanese Pong clone perhaps?<<<<

Yes, four different Pong/Breakout clones (If they list all GB hardware variations, why not seperate the Color TV Game hardware variations in that quiz, as they even have different names (Color TV Game, Computer TV Game)

I got 15 out of 17 because I am not familiar with the DS versions.

[Game Freak]

You got ALL 17 Nintendo Game Systems.
You missed 3 Bonus Answers.


You got 13 out of 15 Top Selling Nintendo (NES) Games
i missed two japan games that i had no idea were out o_O

[rgw825]

You got 13 out of 17 Nintendo Game Systems.
You missed 3 Bonus Answers.


You got 8 out of 15 Top Selling Nintendo (NES) Games.

[vivaeljason]

I got 16 out of 17 Nintendo systems (forgot about GBA Micro) and got 1 bonus answer (the iQue in China).

I got 11 out of 15 of the games.

[portnoyd]

That was kinda silly. Got 16/17 out of systems and 12/15 games.

For the systems, TV Color Game was pretty generic. I figured it was their Pong unit. I stopped the quiz with 2 minutes to go. I did the test again and the bonus answers didn't pop up? Huh?

For the games, don't say NES and put 2 Famicom games in there. The only legitimate one I missed was Duck Tales.

[kupomogli]

I got 15/17 systems. Got four of the top selling games before I quit because I had no idea and I really didn't want to put massively popular game after massive popular game just to happen to get lucky. My first four guesses were up there though. Super Mario Bros 1, 2, 3, and Tetris.

[SPAZ-12]

I got 16/17 systems, I couldn't get it to accept color tv games, even though I did know this one. It would of been nice if it specified American releases only, I wasted some time entering iQue, gb lite, famicom, etc.

Not to mention that it was missing the pokemon mini, nes II, and snes II. If gameboy pocket counts, then the nes II should count. These sporkle quizes are never any good, I've done their "name all the game systems ever released" quiz before, needless to say it leaves out many, many systems.

[NE146]

I got 16/17. I knew of the Nintendo pong consoles but I didnt know the exact name "color tv game" :p

[nickerous]

Got 16/17, missed Color TV Game
Got 5/15. Blanked after getting the top 5

[SPAZ-12]

The bonus answers are the Satellaview, iQue Player, and Super Game boy.

Really? If the Super Game Boy counts, why not the Game Boy Player for the Game Cube? If the Satellaview counts, why not the N64 DD? And I only "missed" the iQue because it wanted me to enter "iQue Player." Well excuuuuuuuuuse me, Princess!

We should make a proper list to put on that site.

Consoles
Color TV Game (5 consoles)
NES
SNES
N64
N64 DD
Virtual Boy
Game Cube
Wii
Famicom
Famicom Disk System
Super Famicom
iQue

Variants
NES 2
SNES 2
AV Famicom
Super Famicom 2

Adapters
Super Game Boy
Game Boy Player
Satellaview
eReader

Hand Helds
Game Boy
Game and Watch (46?)
GB Pocket
GB Lite
GB Color
GB Advance
GB Advance SP
GB Micro
Pokemon Mini
DS
DS Lite
DSi

Licensed 3rd Party Systems:
Sharp Twin Famicom
Sharp Famicom Titler
Sharp Famicom TV
Sharp Super Famicom TV
Panasonic Q

I'm probably missing some, but it's still a much better list that on that site.

[Doonzmore]

14/17 consoles
10/15 games

Some on the list surprised me, like Golf and Duck Tales.

What the hell are the 3 bonus answers anyway?
EDIT: Nevermind, post late by an instant

[ntgvg9]

The bonus answers are the Satellaview, iQue Player, and Super Game boy.

Really? If the Super Game Boy counts, why not the Game Boy Player for the Game Cube? If the Satellaview counts, why not the N64 DD? And I only "missed" the iQue because it wanted me to enter "iQue Player." Well excuuuuuuuuuse me, Princess!

We should make a proper list to put on that site.

Consoles
Color TV Game (5 consoles)
NES
SNES
N64
N64 DD
Virtual Boy
Game Cube
Wii
Famicom
Famicom Disk System
Super Famicom
iQue

Variants
NES 2
SNES 2
AV Famicom
Super Famicom 2

Adapters
Super Game Boy
Game Boy Player
Satellaview
eReader

Hand Helds
Game Boy
Game and Watch (46?)
GB Pocket
GB Lite
GB Color
GB Advance
GB Advance SP
GB Micro
Pokemon Mini
DS
DS Lite
DSi

Licensed 3rd Party Systems:
Sharp Twin Famicom
Sharp Famicom Titler
Sharp Famicom TV
Sharp Super Famicom TV
Panasonic Q

I'm probably missing some, but it's still a much better list that on that site.

I have an account and could always create the correct quiz and submit it to them for review. If they accept it, it becomes an official quiz. But I'm not sure if it's worth all the work. LOL

But yea, I never heard of Pokemon Mini before this topic. So I've learned something new. :) Very neat!

[Porksta]

Where are these bonus questions people keep talking about?

[tom]

That was kinda silly. Got 16/17 out of systems and 12/15 games.

For the systems, TV Color Game was pretty generic.
.

Nope, two are Pong systems, one's a Breakout unit, the last is a Othello unit (and I missed out the Color TV Racing unit, so there were five actually)

[jb143]

I got 14/17 of the Systems. I'm still beating myself up for missing Virtual Boy and Game Boy Pocket.

The games were a bit rougher, I got the top 6 easy enough (and Tetris) but that was it for me. I'm surprized TMNT is on the list but not TMNT-2. I always thought the second was the more well known game.

[PentiumMMX]

On the console quiz, I got all 17 right. It pays to be a former Nintendo fanboy

However, I only got 6\15 on the best-selling games list, mainly because games I would have never figured where on there (Considering I've never seen a single Dragon Warrior game aside from the first and the seventh, I wouldn't have figured II through IV would have been "best selling")

[Shadow Kisuragi]

I got 15/17 systems (missed Virtual Boy and Color TV Game...I typed Color TV, but it didn't take) and got 10/15 of the games. I somehow forgot both Zelda games... I also missed Baseball and the 2 Famicom games (Mahjong and Family Stadium), but that's because I typed in Tecmo Baseball instead.

The system quiz definitely needs work.

[ntgvg9]

This thread makes me want to purchase a Pokemon Mini system and start collecting. :)

It couldn't be too hard, there's only 10 games. I'll consider it! :)

[eskobar]

Damn it ...

15 / 17 of the systems ... i forgot the micro and color tv game ...

best selling software i got only 9 of 15 ... i typed dragon warrior and nothing appeard so i assumed that DW II, III and IV weren't there, i had the idea that the first sold more.

[Kalisiin]

Got 14 out of 17 on the first one...will come back to update after I take second one. I missed the two oldest ones, plus Virtual Boy. Got all the others.

EDIT: got 9 out of 15 on the second. Got the SMB games, the Dragon Warrior 2,3,4, Tetris, and the Zelda games.

I was surprised Final Fantasy did not make the list...also surprised Castlevania didn't make it. And Ghosts N' Goblins.

[BetaWolf47]

That thing missed Famicom Disk System and Game Boy Light. I got 16/17 however.

I only got the 3 Mario games for the 2nd one.

[thom_m]

15/17 on the system quiz. Forgot about the DS Lite, and I guess I didn't know about the TV Game.:)

Only 6 out of 15 games...got the Mario Games, the first Zelda, TMNT and Tetris right. And how come Golf sold that many copies?!?

[Shadow Kisuragi]

I'm not quite sure why Golf sold that many copies. It probably helped that Mario was in the game, but it was one of the first games I had for my NES when I was a kid. I loved playing Golf, even on the Game Boy... Everyone in my family that had an NES had that game as well.

[Half Cab Leroy]

I got 16/17. I knew of the Nintendo pong consoles but I didnt know the exact name "color tv game" :p

Same here. I thought it was tv game color. When it didn't take I just gave up.

[davepesc]

Systems: Got everything except "Color TV Game"

Best Selling Games: Actually only got the 3 Marios, Tetris, and Baseball. I didn't think of the Zeldas!

[Rob2600]

I highly doubt something like Golf outsold Metroid. I'm not buying this list.

I agree. I thought games like Metroid, Punch-Out!!, Double Dragon, Double Dragon II, Contra, TMNT II, Castlevania, Ninja Gaiden, and Mega Man II would've been on the list.

EDIT: Evidently, Golf was a big seller in Japan:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_best_selling_video_games#Nintendo_Entertai nment_System

[A Black Falcon]

16/17 systems, I remembered "TV Game" but not the "Color" part, so it wouldn't count it. Bah. And as has been said, including redesigns and addons that's far from a complete list...

As for the games, I got 9, missing TMNT, Dragon Warriors 2-4 (I tried the first one but didn't think of the others... wasn't sure if it was a US-only list,and of course none of them would have been on a US only list!), and the Japan-exclusive titles. The biggest problem with THAT list is that Duck Hunt isn't on it. Seriously, Duck Hunt is actually one of the best selling games on the NES, in the top two or three without question, thanks to the SMB/Duck Hunt packin cart in the US. It has to have sold tens of millions of copies thanks to that. 35 million NESes sold in the US, most of them came with Super Mario Bros. (which is why that total is so high), and a lot came with Duck Hunt as well.

Its total absence from the list proves that this is NOT a comprehensive list. Other titles like Ninja Gaiden, Metroid, some Double Dragon game, etc, I have strong suspicions about as well... but Duck Hunt? That one was without question a multi-multi-multi million selling game.


The bonus answers are the Satellaview, iQue Player, and Super Game boy.

Really? If the Super Game Boy counts, why not the Game Boy Player for the Game Cube? If the Satellaview counts, why not the N64 DD? And I only "missed" the iQue because it wanted me to enter "iQue Player." Well excuuuuuuuuuse me, Princess!

We should make a proper list to put on that site.

Consoles
Color TV Game (5 consoles)
NES
SNES
N64
N64 DD
Virtual Boy
Game Cube
Wii
Famicom
Famicom Disk System
Super Famicom
iQue

Variants
NES 2
SNES 2
AV Famicom
Super Famicom 2

Adapters
Super Game Boy
Game Boy Player
Satellaview
eReader

Hand Helds
Game Boy
Game and Watch (46?)
GB Pocket
GB Lite
GB Color
GB Advance
GB Advance SP
GB Micro
Pokemon Mini
DS
DS Lite
DSi

Licensed 3rd Party Systems:
Sharp Twin Famicom
Sharp Famicom Titler
Sharp Famicom TV
Sharp Super Famicom TV
Panasonic Q

I'm probably missing some, but it's still a much better list that on that site.

Why do you consider the Satellaview just an "adapter"? I guess it sort of was, but it also had exclusive titles, even if it wasn't actually more powerful... kind of on the borderline between the two I guess, but I'd consider calling it an addon, thanks to things like the timed, over-the-air broadcasts with live voice acting for some titles.

Also, you're missing a few things.

In "Consoles" (or maybe add an "Addons" category?), add:

Family Basic Keyboard (Famicom addon)
Family Data Recorder (Family Basic Keyboard addon that allows saving programs, playing games on tape, and saving your custom mode data in Excitebike, Wrecking Crew, and Mach Rider)

In "Adapters", the two Nintendo Power system things should be listed as well... these carts would plug into the system, and then you would plug small flash carts into the main cartridge. People could buy games in a store at a kiosk and have them flashed to the flashcart, and then take it home and play. It was kind of a followup to the Satellaview, I guess... except without the required addon, time limits on games and such, or live satellite audio. :)

Nintendo Power Cartridge (Super Famicom version)
Nintendo Power Cartridge (Game Boy version)

Also, you should list the two early American systems that Nintendo sold in Japan:
Magnavox Odyssey
Atari 2600

One last consideration is whether the model 2 Gamecube should count. In the model 2 system, they removed the Digital Out port (so no component video output) and made it so you could not remove and switch the black circle thing with the logo on it in the center of the lid anymore. Is that enough to consider it a new version? Maybe...

[SPAZ-12]

...list of Nintendo Consoles...

Why do you consider the Satellaview just an "adapter"? I guess it sort of was, but it also had exclusive titles, even if it wasn't actually more powerful... kind of on the borderline between the two I guess, but I'd consider calling it an addon, thanks to things like the timed, over-the-air broadcasts with live voice acting for some titles.

I'd consider the Satellaview to be in the same category as the eReader: just another way of loading games onto the system. Although, as I think about it, the FDS would also fit into that category.

I guess the correct thing to do is to move the FDS into the adapters (addons?) category, because I don't think that it actually adds capabilities to the Famicom besides the ability to take disc games.




Also, you're missing a few things.

In "Consoles" (or maybe add an "Addons" category?), add:

Family Basic Keyboard (Famicom addon)
Family Data Recorder (Family Basic Keyboard addon that allows saving programs, playing games on tape, and saving your custom mode data in Excitebike, Wrecking Crew, and Mach Rider)


My impression is that the Keyboard and data recorder can either be considered special peripherals that only work with one specific "game" (a la Miracle Piano), or as an add-on to turn the Famicom into a computer. Either way, they certainly aren't a console, but because of the data recorder I guess an argument could be made for it being an add-on.



In "Adapters", the two Nintendo Power system things should be listed as well... these carts would plug into the system, and then you would plug small flash carts into the main cartridge. People could buy games in a store at a kiosk and have them flashed to the flashcart, and then take it home and play. It was kind of a followup to the Satellaview, I guess... except without the required addon, time limits on games and such, or live satellite audio. :)

Nintendo Power Cartridge (Super Famicom version)
Nintendo Power Cartridge (Game Boy version)


These I was not aware of. I suppose that they should go into the same category as the Super Game Boy. They seem to be adapters again, not really adding functionality to the system, except to let it accept games on a new form of media.



Also, you should list the two early American systems that Nintendo sold in Japan:
Magnavox Odyssey
Atari 2600


I suppose that these would get their own category, a "distributed by Nintendo" category. They don't fit into any other category, since they were not produced or designed by Nintendo.



One last consideration is whether the model 2 Gamecube should count. In the model 2 system, they removed the Digital Out port (so no component video output) and made it so you could not remove and switch the black circle thing with the logo on it in the center of the lid anymore. Is that enough to consider it a new version? Maybe...

I didn't know there were different versions of the Game Cube. Although, I'm not sure that is enough to count as a variant, at least not a major one. That's like categorizing all of the motherboard updates in a Model 1 Genesis, as opposed to comparing Model 1 to Model 2, etc.

I like to draw the line at what counts as a different model somewhere before minor hardware revisions, or different colors (N64 Pokemon, etc.)

So the new list would be:

Consoles
Game machines that play on a tv, designed and manufactured by Nintendo
Color TV Game (5 separate consoles)
Nintendo Entertainment System
Super Nintendo Entertainment System
N64
Game Cube
Wii
Famicom
Super Famicom

Console Variants
Case revisions of an earlier console, also designed and built by Nintendo
Nintendo Entertainment System 2
Super Nintendo Entertainment System 2
AV Famicom
Super Famicom Jr.
iQue Player

Adapters/Add-Ons
Peripherals that either allow a console to play games in a different media, without significantly changing the abilities of the console itself (accept the ability to accept the new media); or that allow games from one system to be played on another system.
Famicom Disk System
Super Game Boy
Game Boy Player
Satellaview
eReader
Nintendo Power Cartridge (Super Famicom)
Nintendo Power Cartridge (Game Boy)
Famicom Basic Keyboard/Data Recorder
N64 DD

Hand Helds/Portables
Systems designed to be portable (self contained screen, controller, PSU), designed and built by Nintendo (Virtual Boy included since it does not display on a TV).
Virtual Boy
Game Boy
Game and Watch (46?)
Game Boy Color
Game Boy Advance
Pokemon Mini
DS
DSi

Handheld/Portable Variants
Game Boy Pocket
Game Boy Light
Game Boy Advance SP
Game Boy Micro
DS Lite
iQue Advance
iQue Advance SP
iQue Micro
iQue DS
iQue DS Lite

Licensed 3rd Party Systems:
Nintendo systems that were licensed to another manufacturer, and produced by that other manufacturer.
Sharp Twin Famicom
Sharp Famicom Titler
Sharp Famicom TV
Sharp Super Famicom TV
Panasonic Q

Distributed by Nintendo
Systems designed and built by another company, but distributed at least in part by Nintendo.
Magnavox Odyssey
Atari 2600


So, can anyone think of any more? Something tells me that this list is a little too much to make into a quiz. Still a nice list to have though. Oh, and I didn't add the Aladdin, since that was not licensed by, produced, or approved of by Nintendo.

Wow, that was easily my longest post ever.

edit: Just learnt that there is an entire line of iQue Nintendo products in China. Just added: iQue Game Boy Advance, iQue Game Boy Advance SP, iQue Game Boy Micro, iQue DS, and iQue DS Lite.

[A Black Falcon]

The iQue Player is a handheld, you know, not a major console.

But yeah... the Pokemon Edition N64, case revision or not? Sort of yes, sort of no... it's pretty much the same shape, but does have a different top on it. Definitely a borderline case for sure. I'd consider counting it, but probably not. Maybe though...

I'd probably agree about not counting the the model 2 GC though, if you count that you have to start considering the different internal revisions of the SNES, etc, and that's more detail than a list of this kind really needs...

[A Black Falcon]

I'd consider the Satellaview to be in the same category as the eReader: just another way of loading games onto the system. Although, as I think about it, the FDS would also fit into that category.

I guess the correct thing to do is to move the FDS into the adapters (addons?) category, because I don't think that it actually adds capabilities to the Famicom besides the ability to take disc games.

Actually, the FDS does add some hardware beyond the different medium. If you remember, the Famicom has two special pins in the cart port, that are designed to be used by addon sound chips. These were used by the FDS, which has hardware in it that adds some additional sound capabilities to games that use it.

In Japan, a couple of third-party cart-based games also used special chips that gave them additional sound channels on those pins. No first-party addon chip for normal games used those pins though. Also, the US NES had those pins removed. Instead, the middle block of 10 pins or so in US NES carts are a direct connection to the never-used bottom port, where, presumably, a US Disk Drive would have hooked up. So if you use an FDD on a US NES, it'll work fine, but some of the sound will not play. The same goes for those few cart games which use the pins, most notably the Japanese version of Castlevania III.

I don't think the FDS added any graphics hardware, though, and it is true that even the additional sound hardware could potentially be replicated by a cart with the correct kind of add-on chip in it. Still, no such carts were made (I don't think any of the few cart-based games with sound chips that used the additonal pins were games also available on FDS), and it is something to make a bit of a stronger case for counting the FDS as a true addon.

Oh, and the FDS also was the first way Nintendo came up to allow saving on the NES; they only went with the password and battery-in-the-cart ideas after deciding to pass on the Disk System in the US, I'm pretty sure.


As for Satellaview, the live satellite audio would be the main thing differentiating its games from anything else on SNES. That's something that uses the special hardware of the Satellaview for sure, to revieve the satellite audio signal... but other than that they're just SNES games, yeah. It's a lot like the FDS really, except by satellite instead of buying games individually.


The Nintendo Power system was definitely just an adapter, yes. As I said it was just a different way to buy GB or SFC games. It was only available in the later years of the SFC's life in Japan, and ran until 2000 or so I believe. Many later SFC games had both NP and cart releases, or NP first and then cart later if the game sold well enough in the NP kiosk download system (and remember that Nintendo supported the system in Japan with first-party titles all the way until 2000, not 1997 like in the US).

Both Satellaview and NP games saved to small flash carts which plugged into larger carts which plugged into the system. The carts were rewritable so you could erase games and such. Some poeple didn't though, and that's how the games have survived for emulation and such, people who kept the games. We're lucky they did, Nintendo has never re-released any NP or Satellaview game on anything (Wii VC, re-release on another system, whatever)!


I suppose that these would get their own category, a "distributed by Nintendo" category. They don't fit into any other category, since they were not produced or designed by Nintendo.

Yeah, agreed.


My impression is that the Keyboard and data recorder can either be considered special peripherals that only work with one specific "game" (a la Miracle Piano), or as an add-on to turn the Famicom into a computer. Either way, they certainly aren't a console, but because of the data recorder I guess an argument could be made for it being an add-on.

Hmm, this is kind of a tricky line isn't it... because yes, the Basic Keyboard is an addon that turns a Famicom into a computer (and it does require a Famicom and not a NES, it plugs into the Famicom expansion port, a port the NES doesn't have). Do computer addons count as consoles? Yeah, a tough question for sure... what about other ones like the Coleco Adam for the Colecovision, Sega SC-3000 for the SG-1000, etc?

In addition to games people could program themselves or program in from magazines or whatever using the Famicom Basic cartridge, there were evidently a few tape-based games or game demos or something. I read an article about this once... ah, here we go, read this article, it's a great comprehensive overview of this very rare Nintendo accessory.

http://www.japan-games.com/wiki/pmwiki.php?n=Consoles.HowToUseANintendoDataRecorde r

Anyway, if you don't count those as normal addons because they're addons that turn the consoles into computers, instead of addons that are also consoles, then I would agree with what you said about the main saving feature here being the fact that the keyboard plus data recorder (read: a tape recorder hooked up to the Basic Keyboard via cables) lets you save that custom track/level data in those three games that you couldn't save the data of in the US, before the N64 (Excitebike)/Wii Virtual Console (all three) releases of the games that is. The Famicom is a computer with the addon, really, but a couple of cart-based games do support it for saving.


As for Miracle Piano, the biycicle addon thing for the SNES, etc, you have a point there, how do you count those... though if those weren't first party, it doesn't matter for this list. I don't think Nintendo itself released the Miracle Piano, right? It was third party. So it shouldn't really be on the list anyway I think. :)

[SPAZ-12]

The iQue Player is a handheld, you know, not a major console.

I'd say that since it requires a TV to play (so it's not portable), and allows for interchangeable games, it should count as a console. It's not a major console to be sure, and it could be argued that it's an N64 variant though, since I believe that it's just a smaller repackaged N64 that store games in a different media. I'll move it to the variants section. I guess I'll also add a handheld variants section.


Actually, the FDS does add some hardware beyond the different medium. If you remember, the Famicom has two special pins in the cart port, that are designed to be used by addon sound chips. These were used by the FDS, which has hardware in it that adds some additional sound capabilities to games that use it.

In Japan, a couple of third-party cart-based games also used special chips that gave them additional sound channels on those pins. No first-party addon chip for normal games used those pins though. Also, the US NES had those pins removed. Instead, the middle block of 10 pins or so in US NES carts are a direct connection to the never-used bottom port, where, presumably, a US Disk Drive would have hooked up. So if you use an FDD on a US NES, it'll work fine, but some of the sound will not play. The same goes for those few cart games which use the pins, most notably the Japanese version of Castlevania III.

I don't think the FDS added any graphics hardware, though, and it is true that even the additional sound hardware could potentially be replicated by a cart with the correct kind of add-on chip in it. Still, no such carts were made (I don't think any of the few cart-based games with sound chips that used the additonal pins were games also available on FDS), and it is something to make a bit of a stronger case for counting the FDS as a true addon.

Oh, and the FDS also was the first way Nintendo came up to allow saving on the NES; they only went with the password and battery-in-the-cart ideas after deciding to pass on the Disk System in the US, I'm pretty sure.


I actually was aware of the increased sound capabilities, but like you said, the same effect could achieved by carts, it just wasn't. Kinda like all the co-processors that the SNES games had to boost the SNES' capabilities (Star Fox comes to mind).

I'd say that the saving feature is the more important ability of the Disk System, except that it was really just the nature of the media that lent itself to this. Of course cartridge games like Zelda also allow games to be saved, so the FDS still doesn't really augment the hardware of the Famicom in a way that makes it worthy of being called a console.

Actually, doesn't the FDS pretty much load the data from the disc into internal memory, and then act like a cart for the Famicom? I'd say that this definitely belongs in the add-ons category.



As for Satellaview, the live satellite audio would be the main thing differentiating its games from anything else on SNES. That's something that uses the special hardware of the Satellaview for sure, to revieve the satellite audio signal... but other than that they're just SNES games, yeah. It's a lot like the FDS really, except by satellite instead of buying games individually.


I agree that this is a lot like the FDS, even its live audio could be compared to the FDS' enhanced audio capability. So, it must be either add-on, or adapter; I would put it into the add-on group.



Hmm, this is kind of a tricky line isn't it... because yes, the Basic Keyboard is an addon that turns a Famicom into a computer (and it does require a Famicom and not a NES, it plugs into the Famicom expansion port, a port the NES doesn't have). Do computer addons count as consoles? Yeah, a tough question for sure... what about other ones like the Coleco Adam for the Colecovision, Sega SC-3000 for the SG-1000, etc?

In addition to games people could program themselves or program in from magazines or whatever using the Famicom Basic cartridge, there were evidently a few tape-based games or game demos or something. I read an article about this once... ah, here we go, read this article, it's a great comprehensive overview of this very rare Nintendo accessory.

http://www.japan-games.com/wiki/pmwiki.php?n=Consoles.HowToUseANintendoDataRecorde r

Anyway, if you don't count those as normal addons because they're addons that turn the consoles into computers, instead of addons that are also consoles, then I would agree with what you said about the main saving feature here being the fact that the keyboard plus data recorder (read: a tape recorder hooked up to the Basic Keyboard via cables) lets you save that custom track/level data in those three games that you couldn't save the data of in the US, before the N64 (Excitebike)/Wii Virtual Console (all three) releases of the games that is. The Famicom is a computer with the addon, really, but a couple of cart-based games do support it for saving.


Thanks for the link, I might have to track one of those down some day... Do you know if it works with the Sharp Twin?

As for how to classify add-ons that turn a console into a computer, I would say that they are called add-ons--first of all they add-on (duh), and second, they are only part of a computer by themselves. But when attached to a console, can it still be called a game console?

For instance, I would say that the Colecovision is a console, while the Adam is not. So, the expansion pack #3 is an add-on; when attached to a Colecovision the whole thing should be called a computer, but the Colecovision part of the computer itself may still be called a console (whew!). Kind of a convoluted system, but I'd say that it is at least consistent, and consistency is always something to strive for when making classifications.

So, I would just call the Basic Keyboard stuff an add-on. It adds some functionality to some games, but makes no significant improvements to the hardware, and can work as an adapter for games saved on tapes.

How about some attempts at formal definitions?

Dedicated Console:
A machine that can only play from a selection of built in games, without the ability to load more. It displays its images on a TV screen, or is in some other way not portable.
ex:
Pong
Color TV Game

Console:
A machine that plays interchangeable games, and displays its image on a screen, or in some other way is not portable (needs a wall outlet, etc.). The primary purpose of the machine is to play games.
ex:
NES
Vectrex

Portable:
A machine that is meant to be played on the go, and can (theoretically) be played anywhere without using adapters to do so. Includes its own built in display and controls.
ex:
Virtual Boy
Game Boy

Hand-Held:
A portable machine that can be simply held in the hands while playing. Most portable machines are also hand-helds (notable exception: Virtual Boy).
ex:
Game Boy
NGPC

Adapter:
A peripheral whose primary and overriding purpose is to allow games meant to be played on another existent system to be played on a different system.
ex:
Super Game Boy
Colecovision Expansion #1

Add-On:
A peripheral which may allow playing games stored in a new format, and adds some minor enhancements to what the machine is otherwise capable of, or adding small features to game play (which often can be accomplished by other means). The code for a game programmed for an add-on should run (theoretically) on the base system, perhaps with some small changes to the code.
ex:
Famicom Disc System

"Parasitic Console:"
A console that requires that it is attached to a base console to provide some functions normally included in full fledged consoles (power, controls, display, etc.), but also adds large improvements or changes to the base console to which it attaches. Games programmed for a parasitic console should be sufficiently different compared to games programmed for the base that they absolutely will not run without anything less than a port of the code being made.
ex:
32x

Overall, I'd say that I like how the list stands now. Except that it's missing arcade games! (But, I'd rather not.)

[Aussie2B]

I only missed the Color TV Game, which I've heard of but couldn't remember its name.

The game quiz is just plain stupid. Obviously they're including worldwide sales, but they don't make it clear at all. They should write "NES/Famicom", otherwise they're being misleading. I did get 10 regardless, getting Golf and Baseball purely by luck. Tried Dragon Warrior on a whim, just because Nintendo Power gave out loads, but I didn't bother with the sequels because their US sales were poor. And I didn't get the Famicom-exclusives, of course.

[vivaeljason]

For those complaining about the game list -- after some looking around, I realize that whoever made this quiz just copied and pasted out of Wikipedia.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_best-selling_video_games#Nintendo_Entertainment_System

So yeah, that's why Mahjong and Family Stadium are listed on that quiz despite not being released...or at least selling well...in the US.

[aaron7]

12/17... forgot Virtual Boy somehow haha
...gave up (2.13 Million Mahjong WTF?)

[Compute]

Yeah those sales figures suck. Did Mah Jonng even come out for the NES in the states? For being a bazillion-seller, I should have seen it by now :P

[portnoyd]

It was Japan only (well it got a HK release, semantics). The list was mindlessly ripped from Wikipedia and pasted to this site.