Kotaku: super famicom

Club Nintendo SNES Controller Unboxed

Brian Ashcraft — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 03:00:20 MDT

Feast your eyes! Here's an unboxing of the Japan-only Club Nintendo Super Famicom (SNES) controller. Like with the Classic Controller, the controller plugs directly in the bottom of the Wiimote. Cue bitching about it being Japan-only. Who hates Club Nintendo now? C'mon!

Club Nintendo Controller [iNSIDE via Boing Boing Gadgets via Giz]

Coin-Op NES

Brian Ashcraft — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 02:00:22 MDT

Want to play? Get out those coins. Here's a coin-operated Famicom that was hooked up to standard TVs in Japanese hotels and inns. One hundred yen coin got players 10~15 minutes of playtime. There's a Zapper and everything! Hit the jump for the pricier Super Famicom, which only doled out 5 minutes of playtime for a hundred yen. Well, it was "Super." Super expensive!

Business Use Home Consoles [via Danny Choo]

Miyamoto Signed Super Famicom Going For $1,475 On eBay

Michael McWhertor — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 20:40:09 MDT

Here's a funny story. I was at this same Nintendo World Store signing event with Shigeru Miyamoto as "press" and had the man sign my own game device, a Nintendo DS. For some reason, and against the advice of my co-worker who also attended, I continued to play that DS until the signature had completely worn off, rendering it not only devoid of novelty, but collector value as well. Wait, here's the funny part. Nathan Smart of The Game Rag fame has decided to clear up some space by selling his Super Famicom, along with a few games, with Mr. Miyamoto's signature. It's currently going for $1475 at time of publish.

Ha ha ha! Just imagine if I'd say, set aside that Nintendo DS until the Lite had appeared or simply shelled out $150 for a back up. Regardless of the profit I could make, it wouldn't be worth the hilarious story of me flushing money down the drain.

For an even better tale of throwing away money, remind me sometime to spin you the yarn of placing my Game Boy Advance in the garbage as a joke, then forgetting to remove it before the janitorial service disposed of it. It's a sidesplitter!

Shigeru Miyamoto Signed Super Famicom + Games [eBay via The BBPS]

But What Consoles Does Japan Actually Own?

Brian Ashcraft — Fri, 08 Feb 2008 06:00:13 MST

Not sure, but here's a shot in the dark. We always talk about what Japanese people are buying, but what about what they own? Research firm Oricon did the digging and polled Japanese folks last October. A total of one thousand were quiered, split evenly between men and women. Here's the breakdown: 250 people in their teens, 250 in their twenties, 250 in their thirties and 250 in their forties. And which consoles do they own?

1. PlayStation 2: 62.3 percent
2. Nintendo DS: 55.4 percent
3. Super Famicom: 42.5 percent
4. PlayStation: 37. 5 percent
5. Game Boy: 34.3 percent
6. Game Boy Advance: 31.8 percent
7. Famicom: 28.3 percent
8. NINTENDO64: 25.4 percent
9. PSP: 17 percent
10. Wii: 16.4 percent

Not had enough numbers? There are more! That, after the jump:

Women
1. Nintendo DS: 62 percent
2. PlayStation 2: 58.5 percent
3. Super Famicom: 40.3 percent
4. Game Boy: 36.4 percent
5. PlayStation: 36.2 percent

Men
1. PlayStation 2: 65.7 percent
2. Nintendo DS: 49.3 percent
3. Super Famicom: 44.5 percent
4. PlayStation: 38.8 percent
5. Game Boy: 32.3 percent

Teens
1. PlayStation 2: 64.1 percent
2. Nintendo DS: 55.8 percent
3. Game Boy: 51.1 percent

20s
1. PlayStation 2: 70.2 percent
2. Nintendo DS: 56.9 percent
3. Super Famicom: 42.7 percent

30s
1. PlayStation 2: 60 percent
2. Nintendo DS: 51.1 percent
3. Super Famicom: 39.1 percent

40s
1. Nintendo DS: 58.1 percent
2. PlayStation 2: 54.4 percent
3. Super Famicom: 42.8 percent

Console Data [Oricon via Itai News] [Pic]

Nintendo Forever Abandons Famicom

Brian Ashcraft — Wed, 17 Oct 2007 01:00:03 MDT

SEGA isn't the only company disowning vintage consoles. Starting October this Halloween, Nintendo Co., Ltd. will no longer provide hardware support for the Famicom. The console was originally launched in Japan back in 1983, and Nintendo continued to service the machine all these years. With the rise of the Virtual Console and original Famicom parts becoming harder and harder to locate, Nintendo had decided cease repairs. What's more, Nintendo Co., Ltd. will no longer repair the Super Famicom, the Nintendo 64, the Gameboy and the Gameboy Pocket. Virtual Console or not, this strikes me as sad.
No more support [IT Media via Arcade Renaissance]

Super NES "Play Station" Prototype

Michael McWhertor — Thu, 07 Jun 2007 17:20:53 MDT

Game Rave claims to have a brand new, previously unseen version of the "Play Station" attachment originally planned for the Super Nintendo (aka Super Famicom) a shot of which you can see above, just past the watermark and the thick layer of dust. For the uninitiated, Sony's entry into the console market with the PlayStation was born of an agreement with Nintendo to make a CD-ROM add-on for their 16-bit console.

Is it real? I don't know, as I was absent during most of the Sony/Nintendo negotiations for this ultimately failed partnership, but it sure looks like the genuine article. Game Rave promises more updates "very, very soon." Michael McWhertor

Super Famicom Play Station Prototype [Game Rave]

Afternoon At The Nintendo Museum

Brian Ashcraft — Mon, 02 Apr 2007 02:00:39 MDT

Over the weekend, the fam and I hit Hankyu Department store in Umeda to check out the Nintendo Museum exhibit. Co-sponsored with magazine Nintendo Dream, the exhibition featured items from the collection of Isao Yamazaki. Goodies like retro Nintendo playing cards, post-war toys and retro consoles. Plus there were playable Wii/DS games and stuff to buy. The kid played a bit of Mario Kart on the VC — The staffer had to explain to him that the classic controller doesn't work like the Wii-mote. There were some neat items, like Mario design drawings. Anyway, I'll be uploading pics throughout my shift, so do be sure to check back. Brian Ashcraft

Color Outside the Lines with Final Fantasy Artist

Brian Ashcraft — Tue, 25 Jul 2006 07:22:50 MDT

1Up has a fascinating feature up with legendary RPG artist Yoshitaka Amano. There's no pumpin' the guy for big news or trying to break some big scoop. Instead, it's just 1Up Editor James Mielke finding out what makes Yoshitaka Amano tick. Mielke documents his long relationship with Amano, providing insight into his work and life. He writes:

I first met Amano-san at the opening of his HERO exhibit at New York City's Angel Orensantz Gallery in late 1999. I was on assignment for Electronic Gaming Monthly, and was there with fellow editors John Ricciardi and Chris Johnston to meet with Amano-san and interview him. That initial meeting would begin a long and occasionally collaborative friendship with the man most gamers consider the heart of the "true" Final Fantasy games, those which sparked imaginations on the Famicom, Super Famicom, and Super Nintendo Entertainment System, and which set the template for nearly every role-playing game after it.

Amano talks about how he got his break, his early career and why he likes Jeff Beck's music. Pieces like this gives me hope, not only in game journalism, but gaming itself. Brian Ashcraft

More Here [1Up]