prototype Super Famicom and Famicom system, circa 1989

[airraid]

http://img116.imageshack.us/img116/5013/prototypefamicomsuperfamicom6g.jpg

on the right is one of the first, if not THE first, Super Famicom prototypes. on the left is an unreleased(?) version of the 8-bit Famicom. this most likely unreleased redesign of the 8-bit Famicom is called the
'Famicom Adaptor' according to Chris Covell on his website disgruntleddesigner.com. Although clearly it is a stand-alone Famicom console, and a very good looking one IMO. much better than the later re-designed A/V Famicom of the early 1990s, which was just horrible looking.
again, just IMO.

Chris Covell writes:


And below is a really amazing find! This comes from an announcement of the Super Famicom hardware, in February 1989. The article discusses some of the features of the new system (stereo sound, scaling, ROM size, etc...) But the system pictures are intriguing, to say the least! The system on the left side of the page is a redesigned Famicom, called a "Famicom adaptor". Who knows if it connected with the SFC as an adaptor, or if it was just a fancy name for a redesigned Famicom to complement the SFC design. This new FC design wasn't produced.

BUT! That picture on the right side of the page shows an early design of the SFC, as above. This time, the labels of the switches are clearly visible: Power Switch; FAMICOM Switch, and Reset Switch! Is this the fabled Super Famicom prototype that was backwards-compatible with Famicom games? It looks possible...


another pic of the 8-bit Famicom redesign (upper right)
http://img74.imageshack.us/img74/8862/sfcproto010uf.jpg


a b&w photo of the early 16-bit Super Famicom prototype
http://www.disgruntleddesigner.com/chrisc/misc/sfcproto02.jpg

another b&w photo of the redesigned 8-bit Famicom
http://www.disgruntleddesigner.com/chrisc/misc/sfcproto03.jpg

found here: http://disgruntleddesigner.com/chrisc/secrets3.html



another color photo of the early 16-bit Super Famicom design
http://www.disgruntleddesigner.com/chrisc/misc/EarlySFC.JPG


a much better picture
http://img74.imageshack.us/img74/8008/superfamicomprotoclear2nm.jpg


and another really nice picture because of the angle, showing the headphone jack and volume control not found in the SFC that came out!
http://img116.imageshack.us/img116/5572/superfamicomproto36fb.jpg


now this is another Super Famicom prototype that came later. it is much closer to the Super Famicom that Nintendo released
http://img116.imageshack.us/img116/7109/earlysfc20pa.jpg
http://img61.imageshack.us/img61/496/earlysfc18fa.jpg

[MegaDrive20XX]

Well at least they stuck with the original SFC cart prototype all the way.

Other then that, these strike a resemblence to many Famiclones you see on the market these days.

[smokehouse]

Man, just think of getting your hands on that bad boy……what a collector’s piece it would make!

Oh, and I notice the prototype also has what appears to be a A/V out on the front…..hmmm.

Thanks for the pics!

[jajaja]

Interessting :) Im glad they changed the design, the prototype is ugly hehe.

[rbudrick]

I wonder what that FDS/AV shaped port on the front of the unit is for.

-Rob

[CosmicMonkey]

The big red button on the first SFami proto is for Famicom mode, apparently. Cool. Would have added too much to the production cost, so it was removed.

[LocalH]

No, I think that's the power switch. On this (http://img74.imageshack.us/img74/8008/superfamicomprotoclear2nm.jpg) picture, it's much easier to tell that the middle switch does say "FAMICOM" on it.

Also notice from that picture that the controller buttons were originally labeled A-D, and I'd almost bet money that the controller also had no shoulder buttons.

[Ed Oscuro]

LocalH: You can see the shoulder button on the last image. Where the controller intersects with the bottom of the image, you can see a big gray bit sticking out a ways. You can also see it at the bottom of the B&W scan, the top view of the controller with the black cord leading out the bottom of the photo.

There's a good picture of this controller design at that evolution of controllers page, too.

[Push Upstairs]

And their still better looking than the US SNES.

[airraid]

Interessting :) Im glad they changed the design, the prototype is ugly hehe.

heh, the American SNES was ugly. I'd take any of the SFC prototypes over it.

[NESaholic]

My pick would be the last one,it looks like our own PAL SNES consoles.

[airraid]

And their still better looking than the US SNES.


agreed! :)

[rbudrick]

No, I think that's the power switch. On this picture, it's much easier to tell that the middle switch does say "FAMICOM" on it.

x_x It is? Looks like crap to me, even zoomed in.

-Rob

[The Manimal]

I love the design of the U.S. SNES.. :)

[jajaja]

Interessting :) Im glad they changed the design, the prototype is ugly hehe.

heh, the American SNES was ugly. I'd take any of the SFC prototypes over it.

Indeed, but this prototype looks so fat and big hehe. Too tall.

[CosmicMonkey]

You have to wonder though... After all this time, and with all the people in Japan (and worldwide) still playing Fami/Super Fami, why Nintendo never did eventually release an all-in-one unit?

Nintendo aren't making anymore Famis, so why the hell not just include Fami backwards compatability in some new model of SF Jr?

[donkeykong1]

Those are some nice pics you put up. That just made me happier about collecting video games. :)

[poloplayr]

AWESOME photos.

[Ed Oscuro]

You have to wonder though... After all this time, and with all the people in Japan (and worldwide) still playing Fami/Super Fami, why Nintendo never did eventually release an all-in-one unit?
The official Nintendo Power answer was that NES compatibility would've raised the price of the SNES by $70.

[airraid]

AWESOME photos.


thanks. I thought the first prototype that I saw for the first time in EGM was completely awesome. I wish that that had been the final or near-final design.

Also, I wish that the full original specifications (not 100% known) for the Super Famicom had made it into the final system. some of those included a 68000 CPU like the Genesis, only faster, and more extensive scaling & rotation and special effects hardware--a lot of that hardware was gutted from the Super Famicom and was put back in only in specific games with the various DSP chips.



The first batch of games for the Super Famicom were developed around 1988 and 1989. Popular Super Famicom titles, like F-Zero and Super Mario World, were the most difficult for several reasons--if nothing else, the Super Famicom hardware specifications changed in small ways at least twice during the development project, requiring changes to existing code. (Trivia tidbit: the original Super Famicom plans called for much more extensive onboard 3D hardware--PilotWings was developed assuming that this hardware would be present, and since this chip was scrapped from the Super Famicom at the last minute, Nintendo was forced to include this 3D chip on the PilotWings board in order to keep the game on schedule.)

http://groups.google.com/group/rec.games.video.marketplace/msg/2ba2def2a8b80ecb?dmode=source&hl=en

naturally when he says 3D hardware he doesn't mean 3D polygon hardware like SuperFX chip, he meant pesudo 3D hardware for sprite scaling & rotation, and other 2D graphics manipulations.

[airraid]

two completely different artist concepts of the American Super NES

http://img98.imageshack.us/img98/7374/artistconceptsnes671x5039iu.jpg

http://img98.imageshack.us/img98/1443/earlysnes671x5035yr.jpg

though very different, they both look FAR superior to the design of the final American Super NES.

Now where are the American SNES artist concepts or prototypes that were in Nintendo Power?

I wanna see those

[SNKFan75]

THe JPN version of the SNES is one of the best looking consoles of all time! Of course the Neo Geo is the first.


SNKFan75

[The Manimal]

two completely different artist concepts of the American Super NES

http://img98.imageshack.us/img98/7374/artistconceptsnes671x5039iu.jpg

http://img98.imageshack.us/img98/1443/earlysnes671x5035yr.jpg

though very different, they both look FAR superior to the design of the final American Super NES.

Now where are the American SNES artist concepts or prototypes that were in Nintendo Power?

I wanna see those

I think those both look horrid, especially the first one. Looks like an Atari Trak-Ball or something.

[Captain Qb]

two completely different artist concepts of the American Super NES

http://img98.imageshack.us/img98/7374/artistconceptsnes671x5039iu.jpg

http://img98.imageshack.us/img98/1443/earlysnes671x5035yr.jpg

though very different, they both look FAR superior to the design of the final American Super NES.

Now where are the American SNES artist concepts or prototypes that were in Nintendo Power?

I wanna see those
http://img116.imageshack.us/img116/5013/prototypefamicomsuperfamicom6g.jpg

another pic of the 8-bit Famicom redesign (upper right)
http://img74.imageshack.us/img74/8862/sfcproto010uf.jpg


a b&w photo of the early 16-bit Super Famicom prototype
http://www.disgruntleddesigner.com/chrisc/misc/sfcproto02.jpg

another b&w photo of the redesigned 8-bit Famicom
http://www.disgruntleddesigner.com/chrisc/misc/sfcproto03.jpg

found here: http://disgruntleddesigner.com/chrisc/secrets3.html



another color photo of the early 16-bit Super Famicom design
http://www.disgruntleddesigner.com/chrisc/misc/EarlySFC.JPG


a much better picture
http://img74.imageshack.us/img74/8008/superfamicomprotoclear2nm.jpg


and another really nice picture because of the angle, showing the headphone jack and volume control not found in the SFC that came out!
http://img116.imageshack.us/img116/5572/superfamicomproto36fb.jpg


now this is another Super Famicom prototype that came later. it is much closer to the Super Famicom that Nintendo released
http://img116.imageshack.us/img116/7109/earlysfc20pa.jpg
http://img61.imageshack.us/img61/496/earlysfc18fa.jpg

Awesome pictures..
Keep them coming ^.^

[airraid]

^^ sadly, that is pretty close to all I have or could find.

there was, I think, a Japanese (or Chinese) website that had some clearer shots of that unreleased white 8-bit Famicom and the first proto of the Super Famicom, but I cannot remember the website, and have not been able to find it again.

It is ALL about the precise keywords that you type into Google or any search engine, and exactly how you arrange keywords, that determines what you are going to find, or not find.

I should've bookmarked that site when I had it! aghhhh
:( :(

I am certain that other people have more / different pictures from various Japanese magazines, and even Nintendo Power.

please, please, see this message, find them, and post them.

thanks! ~much appreciated in advance.