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Nintendo Entertainment System
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<p>The Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) is an <a href="/facts/8-bit/2CkhLNoH">8-bit</a> <a href="/facts/Home_video_game_console/zP1RTC84">home video game console</a> developed and marketed by <a href="/facts/Nintendo/dMrLpaHu">Nintendo</a>. It was first released in Japan on 15 July 1983 as the Family Computer (Famicom), and was later released as the redesigned NES in several test markets in the United States beginning on 18 October 1985, followed by a nationwide launch on 27 September 1986. The NES was distributed in Europe, Australia, and parts of Asia throughout the 1980s under various names. As a <a href="/facts/Third_generation_of_video_game_consoles/UAbnBDlz">third-generation console</a>, it mainly competed with <a href="/facts/Sega/f9TY2kyl">Sega</a>'s <a href="/facts/Master_System/7zW0dMIG">Master System</a>. </p><p>Nintendo president <a href="/facts/Hiroshi_Yamauchi/BWDYcYSz">Hiroshi Yamauchi</a> called for a simple, cheap console that could run <a href="/facts/Arcade_game/oBYn85uk">arcade games</a> on <a href="/facts/Game_cartridge/mWLcNez7">cartridges</a>. The Famicom was designed by lead architect <a href="/facts/Masayuki_Uemura/jwIYzsV9">Masayuki Uemura</a>, with its <a href="/facts/Game_controller/2PkNFsUX">controller</a> design reused from Nintendo's portable <a href="/facts/Game_%2526_Watch/bI6ULCDw">Game & Watch</a> hardware. The western model was redesigned by Nintendo of America designers Lance Barr and Don James to resemble a <a href="/facts/Video_cassette_recorder/vNXMylt5">video cassette recorder</a>. Nintendo released add-ons such as the <a href="/facts/NES_Zapper/czsYTk4g">NES Zapper</a>, a <a href="/facts/Light_gun/KMuLDXhd">light gun</a> for <a href="/facts/Light_gun_shooter/TUvLoMAT">shooting</a> games, and <a href="/facts/R.O.B./s9jnQenw">R.O.B</a>, a <a href="/facts/Toy_robot/bD09ErNK">toy robot</a>. </p><p>The NES is widely regarded as one of the most influential gaming consoles of all time. It helped revitalize the <a href="/facts/Video_games_in_the_United_States/KAklxlf4">North American gaming industry</a> following the <a href="/facts/Video_game_crash_of_1983/dvAcwzmf">video game crash of 1983</a>, and pioneered a now-standard <a href="/facts/Business_model/TL9XXsQa">business model</a> of licensing <a href="/facts/Video_game_developer/6gbHyvDu">third-party developers</a> to produce and distribute games. Several games released for the NES, including <i><a href="/facts/Super_Mario_Bros./ryoTeTg7">Super Mario Bros.</a></i> (1985), <i><a href="/facts/The_Legend_of_Zelda_(video_game)/1chz8Qg7">The Legend of Zelda</a></i> (1986), <i><a href="/facts/Metroid_(video_game)/zHgsgCAf">Metroid</a></i> (1986), and <i><a href="/facts/Mega_Man_(1987_video_game)/8ECohSEe">Mega Man</a></i> (1987), went on to become landmark franchises. </p><p>While the console dominated Japanese and North American markets, it did not perform as well in Europe, where it faced strong competition from the Master System and the <a href="/facts/ZX_Spectrum/JVbaDHrU">ZX Spectrum</a>. With 61.91 million units sold, it remains the 14th <a href="/facts/List_of_best-selling_game_consoles/kuTLMx42">best-selling console of all time</a>. Nintendo ceased production of the NES in 1995, and the Japanese Famicom in 2003. It was succeeded in 1990 by the <a href="/facts/Super_Nintendo_Entertainment_System/uRT5Sa6s">Super Nintendo Entertainment System</a>. </p>