NES is 20 yrs old

danger boy
danger boy Posts: 15,722
edited March 2006 in Video Games
It was 20 years ago today, to paraphrase the Beatles song, that "Super Mario Bros." started to play.

On Oct. 18, 1985, the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) first went on sale in the United States. It was an 8-bit video game console, and largely thanks to "Super Mario Bros.," a spinoff from the arcade hit "Donkey Kong," the NES quickly became the most successful game system of its era.

"It has been 20 years, which is hard to believe," said Beth Llewelyn, Nintendo senior director of corporate communications. "Super Mario Bros." was "a great game. That's what it all boils down to. It offered something new. It was the first side-scrolling game."

In the interim, Nintendo's consoles included the Nintendo 64 and the current GameCube.

And while most cell phones are now capable of game performance far beyond that of the NES, the machine's legacy lives on.

Today, Nintendo is overshadowed in game consoles by Sony, with its PlayStation series, and by the Microsoft Xbox. But Nintendo still is considered the worldwide leader in handheld video game devices, with its GameBoy series and the Nintendo DS. However, Sony is also gaining significant ground in handhelds with its PlayStationPortable.

For its part, the "Mario" franchise is very much alive and well. Current members of the family include "Super Mario Strikers," "Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time" and "Mario Party 7."

But Llewelyn said that the Revolution, which is expected to be released next spring, will feature the ability to download old Nintendo games, including titles going all the way back to the NES.

In any case, those who remember the launch of the NES 20 years ago are almost certainly no longer in the video game industry's most coveted demographic. Yet, many remain committed gamers and probably relish their first NES memories.

"When it comes down to it, it (was) just a great game play experience," Llewelyn said. "That started back with the first NES game."
PolkFest 2012, who's going>?
Vancouver, Canada Sept 30th, 2012 - Madonna concert :cheesygrin:
Post edited by danger boy on

Comments

  • aaharvel
    aaharvel Posts: 4,490
    edited February 2006
    3-D Worldrunner anyone??? :cool:
    H/K Signature 2.1+235
    Jungson MagicBoat II
    Revel Performa M-20
    Velodyne cht-10 sub
    Rega P1 Turntable

    "People working at Polk Audio must sit around the office and just laugh their balls off reading many of these comments." -Lush
  • Shizelbs
    Shizelbs Posts: 7,433
    edited February 2006
    Well, now I have a reason to celebrate tonight.
  • StopherJJ1980
    StopherJJ1980 Posts: 267
    edited February 2006
    Shizelbs wrote:
    Well, now I have a reason to celebrate tonight.

    Amen to that! *cracks a beer open* :)
    -Stopher
    Tempe, AZ

    Setup:
    Polk RTi8 Mains
    Polk CSi5 Center
    Polk FXi3's Surround
    Cerwin Vega HTS10 Subwoofer
    Yamaha HTR-5740 AVR

    Upstairs R50/R15/CS1 5.1 setup w Pioneer AVR
  • dpowell
    dpowell Posts: 3,050
    edited February 2006
    Still have the original NES with Super Mario Bros. I take it out once or twice a year just to remember the days of simple, but fun games. Plus, it's extra fun playing it on an 8ft screen as well as hearing it through a Polk HT system....ensures I hear the full sound spectrum of the audio track just the way the original designers intended.
    :D
    ____________________________________________________________ polkaudio Fully Modded SDA SRS 1.2TLs + Dreadnaught, LSiM706c, 4 X Polk Surrounds + 4 X ATMOS SVS PB13 Ultra x 2Pass Labs X1, Marantz 7704, Sunfire Signature Cinema Grande 400, ADCOM 7807, Panasonic UB420, Sony SCD-C333ES, EPSON Pro Cinema 6050
  • Pablo
    Pablo Posts: 723
    edited February 2006
    I just pulled mine out of the attic the otherday. (I still need to clean it and hook it up). Maybe I'll do that now.
    Denon AVR-3803
    RTi-70 Fronts
    FXi-30 Surrounds
    RTi-38 Back Surrounds
    Csi-40 Center
    PSW350 Sub
    Panasonic PT-56WXF95 HDTVSamsung un60JS8000 SUHD
    Denon DVD-2910
    Xbox, Gamecube, PS2, PS3, PS4, xbox360, Wii, WiiU, n64
  • bknauss
    bknauss Posts: 1,441
    edited February 2006
    I guess Tecmo Super Bowl is just about 15 years old this year too :)
    Brian Knauss
    ex-Electrical Engineer for Polk
  • bdaley6509
    bdaley6509 Posts: 1,167
    edited March 2006
    aaharvel wrote:
    3-D Worldrunner anyone??? :cool:


    That was a very cool game IMHO.