Post by The Laird on Jul 20, 2014 15:30:15 GMT
The Nintendo Entertainment System (also abbreviated as NES) is an 8-bit video game console that was developed and manufactured by Nintendo. It was initially released in Japan as the Family Computer (also known as the Famicom and abbreviated as FC) on July 15, 1983, and was later released in North America during 1985, in Europe during 1986, and Australia in 1987. In South Korea, it was known as the Hyundai Comboy and was distributed by SK Hynix which then was known as Hyundai Electronics. It was succeeded by the Super Famicom/Super Nintendo Entertainment System.
The best-selling gaming console of its time, the NES helped revitalise the US video game industry following the video game crash of 1983. With the NES, Nintendo introduced a now-standard business model of licensing third-party developers, authorizing them to produce and distribute titles for Nintendo's platform. However despite success in Japan and North America the system failed to capture the European market and was vastly outsold by the rival Sega Master System and other systems of the time.
In 2009, the Nintendo Entertainment System was named the single greatest video game console in history by IGN, out of a field of 25. It was the second greatest console behind only the Sega Dreamcast in PC magazines "Top 10 video game consoles of all time".
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