Interesting Famicom Systems
videog...@gmail.com
this first image shows two Famicom systems. the larger one on the right
is a prototype of the 16-bit Super Famicom. the smaller one on the
left, with the yellow cartridge, is an unreleased version of the 8-bit
Famicom. it is actually not the original version of the Famicom dispite
what the caption from the magazine says. that above picture is from
EGM Number 2 which came out in summer 1989. EGM was just becoming a
monthly magazine at that time.
I had assumed for many years that the white Famicom in that picture was
how the Japanese Famicom looked, until I got the internet and learned
that the original Famicom was much different looking.
what that white Famicom seems to be, is something called the "Famicom
Adaptor" even though it doesn't seem to be an adaptor for the Famicom
or Super Famicom, but a self-contained Famicom that plays the 8-bit
Nintendo games.
okay now check out these pictures from a Japanese magazine
http://www.disgruntleddesigner.com/chrisc/misc/sfcproto01.jpg
http://www.disgruntleddesigner.com/chrisc/misc/sfcproto02.jpg
http://www.disgruntleddesigner.com/chrisc/misc/sfcproto03.jpg
and some comments about that magazine article from Chris Covell, a guy
who has this really amazing page about unreleased Japanese games
CC:
"And below is a really amazing find! This comes from an announcement of
the Super Famicom hardware, in February 1989. The article discusses
some of the features of the new system (stereo sound, scaling, ROM
size, etc...) But the system pictures are intriguing, to say the least!
The system on the left side of the page is a redesigned Famicom, called
a "Famicom adaptor". Who knows if it connected with the SFC as an
adaptor, or if it was just a fancy name for a redesigned Famicom to
complement the SFC design. This new FC design wasn't produced.
BUT! That picture on the right side of the page shows an early design
of the SFC, as above. This time, the labels of the switches are clearly
visible: Power Switch; FAMICOM Switch, and Reset Switch! Is this the
fabled Super Famicom prototype that was backwards-compatible with
Famicom games? It looks possible.."
personally, I really love the design of that white Famicom / Famicom
Adaptor system.
Also, here are more pictures of several different Super Famicom
prototypes / casings
ver. 1: same as the one in the first image at the top)
http://www.disgruntleddesigner.com/chrisc/misc/EarlySFC.JPG
http://www.gamersgraveyard.com/repository/snes/history/images/snesproto1.jpg
http://www.tinypic.com/27g9u
(ver. 2)
http://www.disgruntleddesigner.com/chrisc/1990/earlySFC1.jpg
(ver. 3)
http://www.disgruntleddesigner.com/chrisc/1990/earlySFC2.jpg
(ver. 4?) a possible *hoax* Super Famicom proto picture
http://www.disgruntleddesigner.com/chrisc/1991/SFCHoax.jpg
there are some other prototype-concept-mock up pictures of the American
Super SNES / Super Nintendo / SNES from Nintendo Power and EGM that I
have not been able to find online. If anyone has these that can also
post them, I would love to see them again.