Current game hits such as “Assassin’s Creed,” “Battlefield,” or “God of War” are not immediately associated with the traditional Japanese company Nintendo, as these Hollywood-style productions with their million-dollar budgets are usually found only at Sony or Microsoft. Yet, all these games might not exist today if Nintendo hadn’t released a small, white-and-red game console called Famicom in Japan on July 15, 1983.

Does this thesis seem too bold? Let’s look back at the early 1980s: The U.S. company Atari dominated the home console market in the U.S. with its VCS console. The hype around the still-young medium of video games was enormous, with major companies like MB or Mattel entering the market, and new devices and games popping up like mushrooms and flooding retailers’ shelves. The problem: Many of the games (often programmed by hobbyists in basements) were terrible, and there was no quality control at Atari or other companies, nor were there gaming magazines with independent reviews.

The hysterical market increasingly frustrated players from 1982 onward, as they could no longer distinguish between the few truly good games and the many bad ones. The result: Sales plummeted, and by the 1982 holiday season, many retailers were already dumping games and consoles to clear their inventories. Some companies closed their gaming divisions, while others like Imagic went bankrupt. Even the former market leader Atari faced financial difficulties, recording an operating loss of over $500 million in 1983 and being split and sold in 1984. The video game market in the U.S. was in shambles.

Japan Takes Over the Gaming Market

The Japanese gaming market was less affected, although it was not as significant as it is today. Before launching the Famicom, Nintendo carefully analyzed the situation in the U.S. and decided to allow only licensed games with its own quality seal. This strategy was successful: The Famicom quickly became the best-selling console in Japan, thanks to family-friendly cult titles like “Super Mario Bros.” and “Zelda,” as well as its relatively low price of about 15,000 yen (approximately 200 euros today). Despite the U.S. market being nearly nonexistent, Nintendo took the risk and planned a release in America–changing the name to “Nintendo Entertainment System” and the design from a compact mini-device to a large, gray block. Nothing should resemble a small toy; the NES was bulky and mature, intended to look more like a VCR, according to designer Masayuki Uemura.

The plan worked, and Nintendo celebrated great success with the NES in the U.S. (1985) and Europe (1986), reviving an almost dead industry. During this time, the focus in the console market shifted from the U.S. to Japan, which shaped an entire era in the following years with further devices from Nintendo and its competitors Sega and Sony. It wasn’t until the launch of Microsoft’s Xbox in 2001 that a U.S. company established a lasting presence again.

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Success Through Game Milestones

The biggest success factor of the NES was its extensive game library, with many game series that are still popular today debuting on the console–including the platformer “Super Mario Bros.” and the action-adventures “The Legend of Zelda” and “Metroid.”

Third-party developers also contributed to the great success with timeless classics like “Final Fantasy” (Squaresoft), “Castlevania” (Konami), and “Mega Man” (Capcom), but they often clashed with Nintendo due to its strict software policy: To ensure quality, each third-party developer was allowed to release only five games per year. Additionally, Nintendo used its quasi-monopoly–by 1990, nearly one in three households in the U.S. had an NES–to enforce restrictive contracts that required developers to create games exclusively for Nintendo’s system and not for competitors. With the “Nintendo World Championship,” Nintendo held a national gaming competition in the U.S. in 1989 and 1990, further boosting the popularity of its brands.

The games initially came on plastic cartridges, which were inserted at the top of the Famicom and slid into a slot on the side of the western NES. In 1986, the Famicom Disk System was released in Japan, allowing games to be played on floppy disks. However, the drive never made it to the U.S. or Europe.

Curious Accessories

The NES was known for its vast array of accessories–both useful and quirky.

The “Zapper” was a plastic gun used to shoot targets in the game.

Nintendo NES Original Duck Hunt And Zapper Gun https://t.co/3HgQvKrxH5 pic.twitter.com/mMcnnygwxn — NES Games (@8bitNESgames) July 8, 2018

R.O.B. was a small robot that players could control with an NES software using the controller.

Whatcha got there R.O.B.? A Circuit Playground Express? Nice. #makerobotfriend @adafruit #nintendo pic.twitter.com/vV8Uoj4JJs — Stella Striegel (@stellastriegel) July 4, 2018

The fitness mat was designed to get players moving in front of the TV.

Remember this crappy thing from #Nintendo??? The family looks like they are having way too much fun LOL Family Fun Fitness Pad – 1990 #Retrogaming#NESpic.twitter.com/UQw6YmB4Ou — Nostalgia Troy (@The_Real_TroyS) January 17, 2018

With the Miracle Piano Teaching System, you could even learn to play the piano.

I came away from Labo most impressed with the piano, and I realized that – honestly – I think I just want a new Miracle Piano Teaching System. pic.twitter.com/whP45YxH68 — John S. Troutman (@TheOnlyTrout) January 17, 2018

The Laser Scope was a headset that allowed you to shoot by moving your head. When the player shouted “Fire!” the “laser gun” at the front would fire a shot.

KONAMI LASER SCOPE #NES Shop here https://t.co/gFDqnBfs21 Free Shipping!#Nintendo #8Bit #Retro #Gaming #Collection pic.twitter.com/a64CndJsPs — newwavetraders.com (@newwavetraders) December 31, 2016