The Super Nintendo Entertainment System |
Released: November 1990, 19 years ago
CPU Speed: Ricoh 5A22 21,4 MHz
Memory: 128 KB RAM / 64 KB VRAM
Video: 512x224 / 32768 colors
Game Controller: Gamepad
Price in 1990: $210
The Super Nintendo Entertainment System, or SNES as it was popularly abbreviated, had to be one of the greatest gaming consoles in history. Released in 1993, it went by a variety of names outside of the United States, including the Super Famicom (family computer) in Japan and Southeast Asia, and the Super Comboy in South Korea. Regardless of its moniker, the Super Nintendo Entertainment System introduced graphics far superior to its predecessor (the Nintendo Entertainment System) and decent sound capability that made it the best-selling home gaming console of the 16-Bit era. Almost 50 million consoles were sold worldwide.
The Super Nintendo is probably most storied for surviving the fiercest console gaming war in video gaming history when it was assaulted by the Sega Genesis. Long had the two companies gone head to head, but Sega truly seemed to have the advertising edge in the nineties, marketing its system with more mature titles to attract older gamers as well as the younger crowd. The Genesis was an excellent console, but even though it offered a lower initial price, a larger library of games and a sleeker design, it could not pull away from the SNES.
The SNES was most influential in the gaming world for, of all things, its controller. PS1, PS2, PS3, the Dreamcast, Xbox, Xbox 360, and the original Wii controller all derived elements of their controllers from that of the SNES. The SNES also made excellent use of peripherals for a variety of games. Some added fun that could be plugged into the console included the light gun, a joystick, a mouse, and even a golf club and ball bat.
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