Return of the NES

Around mid-1993 in a last attempt to pump life into the NES, Nintendo released a redesigned version in Japan and later in the US under the name "Video Game Beginners Console." Both the American and Japanese systems were more or less the same, although the motives for releasing these consoles were different in the two countries. In the US, Nintendo needed an answer to complaints of NES systems succumbing to dirt and benting of connectors. In Japan, Nintendo needed to update the Famicom to modern televisions.

The new NES was an attempt to bring the console back into the game market as a low-end machine for people who couldn't afford a 16-bit system. It cost $50 for the deck and one controller but no games. Visually, it was very similar to a SNES because it was intended to look sleeker than the original "grey box."

Physically, it was much better than the original in most aspects. It was much more compact. It was half as long, in both length and width. The major change in the design was that cartridges were now top-loading, like the SNES. Apparently, the springs that held the cartridge down in the older NES were very costly to produce and once broken were hard to fix. The power button on the console was changed to a SNES-style switch. The switches were also moved to the top of the unit, and the controller plugs to the front.

The new controllers were obviously designed to mimic those of the SNES - two semi-cirlces connected by a central rectangle. The crosspad, start and select buttons remained in the same basic position, but the A + B buttons were slightly raised and at an angle (another SNES property.) The semi-circles provided a better grip on the controller, resulting in a more natural feel. Overall, almost everything physically wrong with the originals NES was corrected.

Internally, it was, with one big exception, the same system. The new NES was missing the audio/video out ports on the side that the old system had. This might not seem bad at first, but if your NES was hooked up to a stereo, it was a big minus. Still, the entire marketing point behind the new NES was that it was cheap and compatible with the old stock of NES games and accessories.

Improvements for the Japanese Version The original Famicom was RF only, and while the console was still popular by 1993, its hardware was outdated for most newer TV's in Japan, which featured AV inputs only. This new AV Famicom only accepted composite video out, giving excellent image and sound and also updated the system for the 90's.

The FC expansion port had been moved to the right side of the console and the microphone on controller two had been removed. The detachable controllers, were another great feature, sorely missing on the old Famicom. These redesigned units were found brand new in many denki-ya in Japan for many years after at prices anywhere from 4800 to 7000 yen ($42-60.)

In Japan the "new" console came bundled with Final Fantasy 1 and 2. This collection sold 1 million copies, even beating the SNES in some cities! After the success of the Final Fantasy collection, Square (the makers of the Final Fantasy series) produced another Final Fantasy game for the NES - Final Fantasy 3 (not released in the west.)

Although this newer Famicom sold fairly well, Nintendo officially gave up the NES in December 1994, releasing its last game ever, entitled Wario's Woods.