Prototype Famicom 2 and Super Famicom pics

[Yakumo]

Found these pictures today ina japanese magazine. I thought that everyone would be interested in seeing them.

FAMICOM 2 Prototype. (Now why didn't they make the Famicom AV look this nice?)
http://www.gamingpics.servehttp.com/proto-ff.jpg

ORIGINAL SUPER FAMICOM PAD (Notice how small the L & R buttons are?)
http://www.gamingpics.servehttp.com/proto-sfc-pad.jpg

SUPER FAMICOM PROTOTYPE (Looks to have a "Famicom" switch)
http://www.gamingpics.servehttp.com/proto-sfc.jpg

Yakumo

[Chrissy P]

It looks like it was gonna be able to play Famicom games. That would have been kick ass if they'd left that in.

[SilverBolt]

Sweet pics Yakumo.
Why are prototypes usually much better looking then the end results :smt022

[Calpis]

Thats the first time I've seen the AV Famicom proto, thanks! The AV FC proto and SFC proto would have looked sweet sitting next to eachother. I also love the controller connector, its oval, thats awesome! I have another picture of the SFC proto without the line through the middle if needed :)

[Johnny]

Amazing stuff you found Yakumo!

Keep them coming :smt023

[Yakumo]

I have another picture of the SFC proto without the line through the middle if needed :)

thanks for the offer mate but I also have a picture of prototype SFC with out that black line. I just used that one because it was bigger :smt024

Yakumo

[SuperFunkNinjaYoshiiKun]

Makes you wonder if any of these beauties actually exist somewhere in Nintendo HQ.

Maybe Miyamoto-san sits at home playing his Famicom and SuperFamicom games through one unit?

Then again, he's probably got an N64 with a DD and the only copy of MarioDD in his office. Git.

Whats that socket on the front of the SF proto? AV out? And that orange thing on the side, it looks like a switch?

[Calpis]

Probably an expansion port, ala Famicom. Perhaps this could be adapted to BE a Famicom expansion port if a FC was built in.

[AntiPasta]

is it me or does that Mario FC game have the same cover as that Mario game for Gameboy? :smt017

Oh and by the way, it isnt that surprising that the SFC was planned to be backwards compatible, in fact the SFC's CPU can run 6502 (FC/NES CPU) code - there's also various pirate SNES conversions of NES/FC games floating around :smt024

[Yakumo]

Oh and by the way, it isnt that surprising that the SFC was planned to be backwards compatible, in fact the SFC's CPU can run 6502 (FC/NES CPU) code - there's also various pirate SNES conversions of NES/FC games floating around :smt024

Yeah, I have all of those Pirate FC to SFC conversions. Some are glitchy and have awful sound but on the whole they work fine.

Yakumo

[TheDeathcoaster]

Hey Antipasta....if you look very carefully at the game in the proto you'll notice its Super Mario Brothers 3, not the Gameboy Mario ^_^

[AntiPasta]

Ah, makes sense. It was just a faint inkling, havent seen that GB Mario game for years but it instantly reminded me of it :smt017

[Kami]

Looks really interesting thanks for the photos :)

[neomatrix]

hi to all I am happy to go back to this page

nice pic Yakumo
I have SUPER FAMICOM PAD proto like Yakumo pics
tomorrow I take pic :smt024

[Greatsaintlouis]

Welcome, neomatrix! :drinkers:

Anti, that game in question is Super Mario Bros. 3, or if you're thinking of the GBA one, Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3 (longest ever game title? maybe).

And I must say the buttons on that second proto strike me as funny - POWER! RESET! FAMICOM!

On a more serious note, I take it this "Famicom 2" was just supposed to be the redesigned A/V one?

[Bert Hardy]

Excellent pictures Yakumo!.....brilliant to see pics that only exist in Japanese mags....cool...

Last week in the UK there was a documentary on Nintendo on TV. It was a bit hit and miss. It was clear they were trying to dig up some dirt on Nintendo, but didn't have much luck.

They said that Nintendo was headed by the hard nosed 76 year old who still runs(rules) the company....also mentioned the Mario creator who had the child like thought patterns necessary to make Mario a success.

Appears the head guy(Can't remember this name - you guys know! - sorry I'm not a Nintendo Nut) was a bit of a tyrant and what he said went - full stop.

They couldn't get interviews with anyone from Nintendo, except his son-in-law who headed up Nintendo US at the start (I think). His son-in-law was 60 ish and retired and STILL refered to his father in law as MR!!!!!...geeze...is this a Japanese thing?...

They showed some of the failed ventures before he created Nintendo...

He's a billionaire who still lives in the same house he's lived in for a long time - it's a biggish house but stuck in the middle of an overcrowded area of houses.....mad....

Anyone else see it? (BBC 3 I think)
Bert.

[GaijinPunch]

He's a billionaire who still lives in the same house he's lived in for a long time - it's a biggish house but stuck in the middle of an overcrowded area of houses.....mad...

You just described every single neighborhood in Japan.

[TheDeathcoaster]

I watched it ^_^ It was alright...though most of it I already knew from reading off of Websites ^_^

[Greatsaintlouis]

Hey guys, wasn't Nintendomad working on some documentary or something for UK tv about Nintendo?

[s0urce]

To all those who think companies would care about prototypes or unfinished games - they don't,if the company doesn't have some kind of museum the creator keeps it or it gets thrown away,companies care about the real money not about a potential rarity collectors value or whatever.

[neomatrix]

look my pic of my proto super nintendo pad :smt040
http://img6.photobucket.com/albums/v20/neofreak9193/proto_snes_pad.jpg

[neomatrix]

anyone have pic of other prototypes systems like sega genesis
or playstation or nintendo64 or games of any system :smt017

[MIKA-L]

There's a small collection of prototype-pics here: http://www.uk.playright.dk/rarehardware.php?serieid=49

[Nintendomad]

I'd seen these pictures before,they were from Spaceworld 1989 and shown in the UK magazine ACE,you will remember that one Yakumo hehe :smt023

I have never seen the photos in this clarity before,thanks for posting them mate.The famicom button was indeed for backwards compatability but was removed due to both production and consumer costs,and the fact it would harm sales of the newly released AV Family computer.The headphones section was removed due to it looking too much like the Sega Megadrive,according to Hiroshi Imanishi(Ncl's head of PR at the time) that is.

I reckon it saved on production costs as well ,therefore increasing Yamauchi's fortunes and why the fu ck not????Nintendo co Ltd. is a business after all.

One more thing,yes GSL I did help on that programme till they started all that epilepsy conspiracy nonsence,and the fact that they started breaking Yamauchi code by going to interview Minoru Arakawa.They blatantly disregarded all ethics at the end of making the show so I pulled out.Unfortunately I was unable to talk to anyone about it as i signed an NDA.

[SuperFunkNinjaYoshiiKun]

Sorry to resurect this topic from the dead but....

I was thinking today. Surely it would have benefited Nintendo to release a Famicom/Super Famicom compatable unit a couple of yrs ago, instead of the Fami/Super Fami Jr version machines.

At the time the backwards compatable SF didn't make financial sense to release. But surely it would now, to save production costs on 2 different machines and I'm sure there are plenty of gamers in Japan that would like one unit instead of two.

Just my thought for the day. What do you lot think?

[Calpis]

I think they should have done backwards compatibility from the beginning.

[Yakumo]

You're forgeting one think. Nintendo are money grabing bastards. Even a true Nintendo fan would have to admit that it's true. We all know that Nintendo were going to make the GBA SP when they released the GBA. But why release a back lit screen unit first when you can release it later and get half the original buyers of GBA to buy the same machine in a new case again. The same goes with a dule system. You can see it now.

Mr. X - Hey, let's release a dule compatable system for our fans.

Mr. Y - Why the hell would we want to do that?

Mr. X - WEll, think about it. It would save space and our fans hard earned yen.

Mr. Y - Bollocks to that. We know we are number one so we know everyone will buy both of our systems. We can rake it in. And I'll tell you what we'll do. About 15 years down the line, let's release all of these games again for a new system and dub them "Clssics" or something.

OK, I may be talking complete rubish here but that's how I see it. Nintendo never miss a chance to make extra cash. That may seem hard to their fans but I guess that's why they are still going strong.

Yakumo

[sayin999]

It's an obvious fact, their the one company that takes the longest to discount their games, they rarely do a discount to $20, and they won't release mother 1+2 over here. Damnit its just not fair. Why must i risk buying the snes version at a high price then playing a emu version of part 1. DAMNIT NINTENDO JUST RELEASE IT OVER HERE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! But im sure it wont happen due to the fact that the second one didn't sell well over here. Back to mega man aniversary collection.................................ON GAME CUBE muhahahaahahahah

[cahaz]

damn ... i can't view to pict of proto!
:smt022

link is down... or someting else?

btw: i have prototype nes 2 game pad in one of my old magazine
just have to re-install my scanner due to a format two weeks ago .
maybe tomorow ill send them..


:smt024