Today marks the 30th anniversary of Nintendo's groundbreaking gaming console, the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES).
The device is credited with birthing the now billion dollar home gaming industry, resuscitating the market following the great gaming crash of 1983 and paving the way for generations of classic games. Oh, it also happens to be the platform where a certain Italian plumber first made his debut.
Some of gaming's biggest names celebrated the milestone with tributes on twitter.
Dear NES: Happy 30th, and thanks for paving the way
— PlayStation (@PlayStation) October 18, 2015
Happy 30th Birthday to the NES https://t.co/tIoTGU0AJl (released 30-years ago today in NA) — Larry Hryb (@majornelson) October 18, 2015
Here is Super Mario Brothers level 1-1 to honor the NES’s NA 30th Birthday today. https://t.co/ATGOnvGDe5
— Larry Hryb (@majornelson) October 18, 2015
There are some things Back to the Future II got RIGHT... #NES #retrogaming pic.twitter.com/A7P6uQ939c — P Scott Patterson (@OriginalPSP) October 18, 2015
The device launched with these 19 titles in the US.
- 10-Yard Fight
- Baseball
- Clu Clu Land
- Duck Hunt
- Excitebike
- Golf
- Gyromite
- Hogan's Alley
- Ice Climber
- Kung-Fu
- Pinball
- Soccer
- Stack-Up
- Super Mario Bros.
- Tennis
- Wild Gunman
- Wrecking Crew
If you happen to have these or any other NES titles still laying around, you might be interested in checking out the Analogue NT, a specialized game console capable of playing your classic NES and Famicom cartridges. Made with the original Ricoh 20A3 and Ricoh 2C02 chips used in the orginal console, it certainly is the most authentic way to get the NES experience aside from actually owning the original device.
At $499, the NT costs more than any current gaming console out on the market, but there's no doubt a select few will be willing to shell out the cash to relieve those classic memories.
