Super Nintendo Entertainment system - wikipedia Super Nintendo Entertainment system `` Super Nintendo '' redirects here. For the planned Nintendo - themed area in Universal Studios Japan, see Super Nintendo World. Super Nintendo Entertainment System Top : North American SNES ( circa 1991 ) Bottom : Japanese Super Famicom, which has the same casing later used in European and Australian consoles. Other variations are pictured under Casing below Also known as SNES Super NES JP : Super Famicom KOR : Super Comboy Super Nintendo Manufacturer Nintendo Type Home video game console Generation Fourth generation Release date JP : November 21, 1990 KOR : November 25, 1990 NA : August 23, 1991 UK : April 11, 1992 IRL : April 11, 1992 EU : June 1992 AU : July 3, 1992 BR : August 30, 1993 Retail availability 1990 -- 2003 Introductory price JP ¥ 25,000 US $ 199 Discontinued JP : September 25, 2003 NA : 1999 BR : 2003 KOR : April 1, 2003 Units sold Worldwide : 49.10 million North America : 23.35 million Japan : 17.17 million Other : 8.58 million Media ROM cartridge CPU Ricoh 5A22 @ 3.58 MHz Sound Nintendo S - SMP Online services Satellaview ( Japan only ) XBAND Nintendo Power ( Japan only ) Best - selling game Super Mario World ( pack - in ) ( 20.60 million ) Donkey Kong Country ( pack - in ), 9 million Super Mario Kart ( pack - in ), 8 million Street Fighter II : The World Warrior ( stand - alone ), 6.3 million Predecessor Nintendo Entertainment System Successor Nintendo 64 The Super Nintendo Entertainment System ( officially abbreviated the Super NES or SNES, and colloquially shortened to Super Nintendo ) is a 16 - bit home video game console developed by Nintendo that was released in 1990 in Japan and South Korea, 1991 in North America, 1992 in Europe and Australasia ( Oceania ), and 1993 in South America. In Japan, the system is called the Super Famicom, or SFC for short. In South Korea, it is known as the Super Comboy and was distributed by Hyundai Electronics. Although each version is essentially the same, several forms of regional lockout prevent the different versions from being compatible with one another. It was released in Brazil on August 30, 1993, by Playtronic. The SNES is Nintendo 's second home console, following the Nintendo Entertainment System ( NES ). The console introduced advanced graphics and sound capabilities compared with other systems at the time. The development of a variety of enhancement chips integrated in game cartridges helped to keep it competitive in the marketplace. The SNES was a global success, becoming the best - selling console of the 16 - bit era despite its relatively late start and the intense competition it faced in North America and Europe from Sega 's Genesis console. The SNES remained popular well into the 32 - bit era. It continues to be popular among collectors and retro gamers, some of whom still make homebrew ROM images -- and in Nintendo 's emulated rereleases. Contents 1 History 1.1 Launch 1.2 Console wars 1.3 Changes in policy 1.4 32 - bit era and beyond 2 Technical specifications 2.1 Regional lockout 2.2 Casing 2.3 Game cartridge 3 Peripherals 4 Enhancement chips 5 Emulation 6 Legacy 7 See also 8 Notes 9 References 10 Bibliography 11 External links History Early concept designs for the SNES, referred to as the `` Nintendo Entertainment System 2 '' To compete with the popular Family Computer in Japan, NEC Corporation launched the PC Engine in 1987, and Sega followed suit with the Mega Drive in 1988. The two platforms were later launched in North America in 1989 as the TurboGrafx - 16 and the Sega Genesis, respectively. Both systems were built on 16 - bit architectures and offered improved graphics and sound over the 8 - bit NES. However, it took several years for Sega 's system to become successful. Nintendo executives were in no rush to design a new system, but they reconsidered when they began to see their dominance in the market slipping. Launch The four - color Super Famicom mark ( left ) is part of the Super NES logo in the PAL region. The colors correspond to those of the ABXY buttons of the control pad in those regions. A different logo was used for the North American version ( right ), consisting of a striped background outlining four oval shapes. Designed by Masayuki Uemura, the designer of the original Famicom, the Super Famicom was released in Japan on Wednesday, November 21, 1990 for 25,000 yen ( $210 ). It was an instant success ; Nintendo 's initial shipment of 300,000 units sold out within hours, and the resulting social disturbance led the Japanese government to ask video game manufacturers to schedule future console releases on weekends. The system 's release also gained the attention of the Yakuza, leading to a decision to ship the devices at night to avoid robbery. With the Super Famicom quickly outselling its chief rivals, Nintendo reasserted itself as the leader of the Japanese console market. Nintendo 's success was partially due to the retention of most of its key third - party developers from its earlier system, including Capcom, Konami, Tecmo, Square, Koei, and Enix. Nintendo released the Super Nintendo Entertainment System, a redesigned version of the Super Famicom, in North America for $ 199. It began shipping in limited quantities on August 23, 1991, with an official nationwide release date of September 9, 1991. The SNES was released in the United Kingdom and Ireland in April 1992 for £ 150, with a German release following a few weeks later. Most of the PAL region versions of the console use the Japanese Super Famicom design, except for labeling and the length of the joypad leads. The Playtronic Super NES in Brazil, although PAL - M, uses the North American design. Both the NES and SNES were released in Brazil in 1993 by Playtronic, a joint venture between the toy company Estrela and consumer electronics company Gradiente. The SNES and Super Famicom launched with few games, but these games were well received in the marketplace. In Japan, only two games were initially available : Super Mario World and F - Zero. ( A third game, Bombuzal, was released during the launch week. ) In North America, Super Mario World launched as a bundle with the console ; other launch games included F - Zero, Pilotwings ( both of which demonstrated the console 's `` Mode 7 '' pseudo-3D rendering capability ), SimCity, and Gradius III. Console wars Main article : Console wars The rivalry between Nintendo and Sega resulted in what has been described as one of the most notable console wars in video game history, in which Sega positioned the Genesis as the `` cool '' console, with games aimed at older audiences, and edgy advertisements that occasionally attacked the competition. Nintendo however, scored an early public relations advantage by securing the first console conversion of Capcom 's arcade classic Street Fighter II for SNES, which took over a year to make the transition to the Genesis. Despite the Genesis 's head start, much larger library of games, and lower price point, the Genesis only represented an estimated 60 % of the American 16 - bit console market in June 1992, and neither console could maintain a definitive lead for several years. Donkey Kong Country is said to have helped establish the SNES 's market prominence in the latter years of the 16 - bit generation, and for a time, maintain against the PlayStation and Saturn. According to Nintendo, the company had sold more than 20 million SNES units in the U.S. According to a 2014 Wedbush Securities report based on NPD sales data, the SNES ultimately outsold the Genesis in the U.S. market. Changes in policy During the NES era, Nintendo maintained exclusive control over games released for the system -- the company had to approve every game, each third - party developer could only release up to five games per year ( but some third parties got around this by using different names, for example Konami 's `` Ultra Games '' brand ), those games could not be released on another console within two years, and Nintendo was the exclusive manufacturer and supplier of NES cartridges. However, competition from Sega 's console brought an end to this practice ; in 1991, Acclaim began releasing games for both platforms, with most of Nintendo 's other licensees following suit over the next several years ; Capcom ( which licensed some games to Sega instead of producing them directly ) and Square were the most notable holdouts. Nintendo continued to carefully review submitted games, scoring them on a 40 - point scale and allocating marketing resources accordingly. Each region performed separate evaluations. Nintendo of America also maintained a policy that, among other things, limited the amount of violence in the games on its systems. One game, Mortal Kombat, challenged this policy. A surprise hit in arcades in 1992, Mortal Kombat features splashes of blood and finishing moves that often depict one character dismembering the other. Because the Genesis version retained the gore while the SNES version did not, it outsold the SNES version by a ratio of three or four - to - one. Game players were not the only ones to notice the violence in this game ; U.S. Senators Herb Kohl and Joe Lieberman convened a Congressional hearing on December 9, 1993, to investigate the marketing of violent video games to children. While Nintendo took the high ground with moderate success, the hearings led to the creation of the Interactive Digital Software Association and the Entertainment Software Rating Board, and the inclusion of ratings on all video games. With these ratings in place, Nintendo decided its censorship policies were no longer needed. 32 - bit era and beyond While other companies were moving on to 32 - bit systems, Rare and Nintendo proved that the SNES was still a strong contender in the market. In November 1994, Rare released Donkey Kong Country, a platform game featuring 3D models and textures pre-rendered on SGI workstations. With its detailed graphics, fluid animation and high - quality music, Donkey Kong Country rivaled the aesthetic quality of games that were being released on newer 32 - bit CD - based consoles. In the last 45 days of 1994, the game sold 6.1 million units, making it the fastest - selling video game in history to that date. This game sent a message that early 32 - bit systems had little to offer over the SNES, and helped make way for the more advanced consoles on the horizon. According to TRSTS reports, two of the top five best - selling games in the U.S. for December 1996 were Super NES games. In October 1997, Nintendo released a redesigned model of the SNES ( the SNS - 101 model referred to as `` New - Style Super NES '' ) in North America for US $99, with some units including the pack - in game Super Mario World 2 : Yoshi 's Island. Like the earlier redesign of the NES ( model NES - 101 ), the new model was slimmer and lighter than its predecessor, but it lacked S - Video and RGB output, and it was among the last major SNES - related releases in the region. A similarly redesigned Super Famicom Jr. was released in Japan at around the same time. Nintendo ceased production of the SNES in 1999, about two years after releasing Kirby 's Dream Land 3 ( its last first - party game for the system ) on November 27, 1997, a year after releasing Frogger ( its last third - party game for the system ). In Japan, Nintendo continued production of the Super Famicom until September 25, 2003, and new games were produced until the year 2000, ending with the release of Metal Slader Glory Director 's Cut on November 29, 2000. Many popular SNES games have since been ported to the Game Boy Advance, which has similar video capabilities. In 2005, Nintendo announced that SNES games would be made available for download via the Wii and Wii U 's Virtual Console service. On October 31, 2007, Nintendo Co., Ltd. announced that it would no longer repair Family Computer or Super Famicom systems due to an increasing shortage of the necessary parts. Technical specifications The 16 - bit design of the SNES incorporates graphics and sound co-processors that perform tiling and simulated 3D effects, a palette of 32,768 colors, and 8 - channel ADPCM audio. These base platform features, plus the ability to dramatically extend them all through substantial chip upgrades inside of each cartridge, represent a leap over the 8 - bit NES generation and some supposed significant advantages over 16 - bit competitors such as the Genesis. Regional lockout Nintendo employed several types of regional lockout, including both physical and hardware incompatibilities. A cartridge shape comparison Top : North American design Bottom : Japanese and PAL region design. The bottom cartridge also illustrates the optional pins used by enhancement chips such as the Super FX 3D chip. On a physical level, the cartridges are shaped differently for different regions. North American cartridges have a rectangular bottom with inset grooves matching protruding tabs in the console, while other regions ' cartridges are narrower with a smooth curve on the front and no grooves. The physical incompatibility can be overcome with use of various adapters, or through modification of the console. Internally, a regional lockout chip ( CIC ) within the console and in each cartridge prevents PAL region games from being played on Japanese or North American consoles and vice versa. The Japanese and North American machines have the same region chip. This can be overcome through the use of adapters, typically by inserting the imported cartridge in one slot and a cartridge with the correct region chip in a second slot. Alternatively, disconnecting one pin of the console 's lockout chip will prevent it from locking the console ; hardware in later games can detect this situation, so it later became common to install a switch to reconnect the lockout chip as needed. PAL consoles face another incompatibility when playing out - of - region cartridges : the NTSC video standard specifies video at 60 Hz while PAL operates at 50 Hz, resulting in approximately 16.7 % slower framerate. Additionally, PAL 's higher resolution results in letterboxing of the output image. Some commercial PAL region releases exhibit this same problem and, therefore, can be played in NTSC systems without issue while others will face a 20 % speedup if played in an NTSC console. To mostly correct this issue, a switch can be added to place the SNES PPU into a 60 Hz mode supported by most newer PAL televisions. Later games will detect this setting and refuse to run, requiring the switch to be thrown only after the check completes. Casing Japanese SHVC - 001 model ( 1990 -- 1998 ) American SNS - 001 model ( 1991 -- 1997 ) PAL - region SNSP - 001A model ( 1992 -- 1998 ) American SNS - 101 model ( 1997 -- 1999 ) Japanese SHVC - 101 model ( 1998 -- 2003 ) All versions of the SNES are predominantly gray, of slightly different shades. The original North American version, designed by Nintendo of America industrial designer Lance Barr ( who previously redesigned the Famicom to become the NES ), has a boxy design with purple sliding switches and a dark gray eject lever. The loading bay surface is curved, both to invite interaction and to prevent food or drinks from being placed on the console and spilling as had happened with the flat surfaced NES. The Japanese and European versions are more rounded, with darker gray accents and buttons. The North American SNS - 101 model and the Japanese Super Famicom Jr. ( model SHVC - 101 ), all designed by Barr, are both smaller with a rounded contour ; however, the SNS - 101 buttons are purple where the Super Famicom Jr. buttons are gray. The European and American versions of the SNES controllers have much longer cables compared to the Japanese Super Famicom controllers. All versions incorporate a top - loading slot for game cartridges, although the shape of the slot differs between regions to match the different shapes of the cartridges. The MULTI OUT connector ( later used on the Nintendo 64 and GameCube ) can output composite video, S - Video and RGB signals, as well as RF with an external RF modulator. Original versions additionally include a 28 - pin expansion port under a small cover on the bottom of the unit and a standard RF output with channel selection switch on the back ; the redesigned models output composite video only, requiring an external modulator for RF. Yellowing of console plastic The ABS plastic used in the casing of some older SNES and Super Famicom consoles is particularly susceptible to oxidization with exposure to air, likely due to an incorrect mixture of the stabilizing or flame retarding additives. This, along with the particularly light color of the original plastic, causes affected consoles to quickly become yellow ; if the sections of the casing came from different batches of plastic, a `` two - tone '' effect results. Game cartridge Main article : Super Nintendo Entertainment System Game Pak The cartridge media of the console is officially referred to as Game Pak in most Western regions, and as Cassette ( カセット, Kasetto ) in Japan and parts of Latin America. While the SNES can address 128 Mbit, only 117.75 Mbit are actually available for cartridge use. A fairly normal mapping could easily address up to 95 Mbit of ROM data ( 48 Mbit at FastROM speed ) with 8 Mbit of battery - backed RAM. However, most available memory access controllers only support mappings of up to 32 Mbit. The largest games released ( Tales of Phantasia and Star Ocean ) contain 48 Mbit of ROM data, while the smallest games contain only 2 Mbit. Cartridges may also contain battery - backed SRAM to save the game state, extra working RAM, custom coprocessors, or any other hardware that will not exceed the maximum current rating of the console. Peripherals The North American SNES controller The standard SNES controller adds X and Y face buttons to the design of the NES iteration, arranging the four in a diamond shape, and adds two shoulder buttons. It features an ergonomic design by Lance Barr, later used for the NES - 102 model controllers, also designed by Barr. The Japanese and PAL region versions incorporate the colors of the four action buttons into the system 's logo. The North American version 's buttons are colored to match the redesigned console ; the X and Y buttons are lavender with concave faces, and the A and B buttons are purple with convex faces. Several later consoles derive elements of their controller design from the SNES, including the PlayStation, Dreamcast, Xbox, and Wii Classic Controller. Throughout the course of its life, a number of peripherals were released which added to the functionality of the SNES. Many of these devices were modeled after earlier add - ons for the NES : the Super Scope is a light gun functionally similar to the NES Zapper ( though the Super Scope features wireless capabilities ) and the Super Advantage is an arcade - style joystick with adjustable turbo settings akin to the NES Advantage. Nintendo also released the SNES Mouse in conjunction with Mario Paint. Hudson Soft, under license from Nintendo, released the Super Multitap, a multiplayer adapter for use with its popular series of Bomberman games. Some of the more unusual controllers include the BatterUP baseball bat, the Life Fitness Entertainment System ( an exercise bike controller with built - in monitoring software ), and the TeeV Golf golf club. The Super Game Boy allows Game Boy games to be played on the SNES. While Nintendo never released an adapter for playing NES games on the SNES, the Super Game Boy adapter cartridge allows games designed for Nintendo 's portable Game Boy system to be played on the SNES. The Super Game Boy touts several feature enhancements over the Game Boy, including palette substitution, custom screen borders, and access to the SNES console 's features by specially enhanced Game Boy games. Japan also saw the release of the Super Game Boy 2, which adds a communication port to enable a second Game Boy to connect for multiplayer games. Like the NES before it, the SNES has unlicensed third - party peripherals, including a new version of the Game Genie cheat cartridge designed for use with SNES games. Soon after the release of the SNES, companies began marketing backup devices such as the Super Wildcard, Super Pro Fighter Q, and Game Doctor. These devices create a backup of a cartridge. They can also be used to play illicit ROM images or to create copies of rented video games, violating copyright laws in many jurisdictions. Satellaview with Super Famicom Japan saw the release of the Satellaview, a modem which attaches to the Super Famicom 's expansion port and connected to the St. GIGA satellite radio station from April 23, 1995 to June 30, 2000. Satellaview users could download gaming news and specially designed games, which were frequently either remakes of or sequels to older Famicom games, and released in installments. In the United States, the relatively short - lived XBAND allowed users to connect to a network via a dial - up modem to compete against other players around the country. During the SNES 's life, Nintendo contracted with two different companies to develop a CD - ROM - based peripheral for the console to compete with Sega 's CD - ROM based add - on, Sega CD. Although a SNES - CD prototype console was produced by Sony, Nintendo 's deals with both Sony and Philips were canceled, with Philips gaining the right to release a series of games based on Nintendo franchises for its CD - i multimedia console and Sony going on to develop its own PlayStation console based on its initial dealings with Nintendo. Enhancement chips Main article : List of Super NES enhancement chips Star Fox, the first game to utilize the Super FX chip, as shown with the polygonal models that compose a large portion of the game 's graphics As part of the overall plan for the SNES, rather than include an expensive CPU that would still become obsolete in a few years, the hardware designers made it easy to interface special coprocessor chips to the console, just like the MMC chips used for most NES games. This is most often characterized by 16 additional pins on the cartridge card edge. The Super FX is a RISC CPU designed to perform functions that the main CPU can not feasibly do. The chip is primarily used to create 3D game worlds made with polygons, texture mapping and light source shading. The chip can also be used to enhance 2D games. The Nintendo fixed - point digital signal processor ( DSP ) chip allowed for fast vector - based calculations, bitmap conversions, both 2D and 3D coordinate transformations, and other functions. Four revisions of the chip exist, each physically identical but with different microcode. The DSP - 1 version, including the later 1A and 1B bug fix revisions, is used most often ; the DSP - 2, DSP - 3, and DSP - 4 are used in only one game each. Similar to the 5A22 CPU in the console, the SA - 1 chip contains a 65c816 processor core clocked at 10 MHz, a memory mapper, DMA, decompression and bitplane conversion circuitry, several programmable timers, and CIC region lockout functionality. In Japan, games could be downloaded cheaper than standard cartridges, from Nintendo Power kiosks onto special cartridges containing flash memory and a MegaChips MX15001TFC chip. The chip managed communication with the kiosks to download ROM images, and provided an initial menu to select which of the downloaded games would be played. Some were available both in cartridge and download form, while others were download only. The service closed on February 8, 2007. Many cartridges contain other enhancement chips, most of which were created for use by a single company in a few games ; the only limitations are the speed of the SNES itself to transfer data from the chip and the current limit of the console. Emulation See also : List of SNES emulators Like the NES before it, the SNES has retained a long - lived fan base. It has continued to thrive on the second - hand market, emulators, and remakes. The SNES has taken the same revival path as the NES. Emulation projects began with the initial release of VSMC in 1994, and Super Pasofami became the first working SNES emulator in 1996. During that time, two competing emulation projects -- Snes96 and Snes97 -- merged to form Snes9x. In 1997, SNES enthusiasts began programming an emulator named ZSNES. In 2004, higan began development as bsnes, in an effort to emulate the system as closely as possible. Nintendo of America took the same stance against the distribution of SNES ROM image files and the use of emulators as it did with the NES, insisting that they represented flagrant software piracy. Proponents of SNES emulation cite discontinued production of the SNES constituting abandonware status, the right of the owner of the respective game to make a personal backup via devices such as the Retrode, space shifting for private use, the desire to develop homebrew games for the system, the frailty of SNES ROM cartridges and consoles, and the lack of certain foreign imports. Emulation of the Super NES is also available on platforms such as Android, and iOS, the Nintendo DS line, the Gizmondo, the Dingoo and the GP2X by GamePark Holdings, as well as PDAs. While individual games have been included with emulators on some GameCube discs, Nintendo 's Virtual Console service for the Wii marks the introduction of officially sanctioned general SNES emulation. A dedicated mini-console, the Super NES Classic Edition, was released in September 2017 after the NES Classic Edition. The emulation - based system, which is physically modeled after the North American and European versions of the SNES in their respective regions, is bundled with two SNES - style controllers and comes preloaded with 21 games, including the previously unreleased Star Fox 2. Legacy Approximately 49.1 million Super Nintendo Systems were sold worldwide, with 23.35 million of those units sold in the Americas and 17.17 million in Japan. Although it could not quite repeat the success of the NES, which sold 61.91 million units worldwide, the SNES was the best - selling console of its era. In 2007, GameTrailers named the SNES as the second - best console of all time in their list of top ten consoles that `` left their mark on the history of gaming '', citing its graphics, sound, and library of top - quality games. In 2015, they also named it the best Nintendo console of all time, saying, `` The list of games we love from this console completely annihilates any other roster from the Big N. '' Technology columnist Don Reisinger proclaimed `` The SNES is the greatest console of all time '' in January 2008, citing the quality of the games and the console 's dramatic improvement over its predecessor ; fellow technology columnist Will Greenwald replied with a more nuanced view, giving the SNES top marks with his heart, the NES with his head, and the PlayStation ( for its controller ) with his hands. GamingExcellence also gave the SNES first place in 2008, declaring it `` simply the most timeless system ever created '' with many games that stand the test of time and citing its innovation in controller design, graphics capabilities, and game storytelling. At the same time, GameDaily rated it fifth for its graphics, audio, controllers, and games. In 2009, IGN named the Super Nintendo Entertainment System the fourth best video game console, complimenting its audio and number of AAA games. See also Nintendo portal Video games portal Mario portal 1990s portal List of Super Famicom games List of Super Nintendo Entertainment System accessories List of Super Nintendo Entertainment System games List of best - selling Super Nintendo Entertainment System video games List of Super Comboy games Nintendo Selects Notes ^ Jump up to : According to Stephen Kent 's The Ultimate History of Video Games, the official launch date was September 9. Newspaper and magazine articles from late 1991 report that the first shipments were in stores in some regions on August 23, while it arrived in other regions at a later date. Many modern online sources ( circa 2005 and later ) report August 13. Jump up ^ The abbreviation `` Super NES '' is printed in a label on the bottom of the console as the `` Super NES Control Deck '' and is commonly used in various Nintendo peripherals and literature related to the platform. Jump up ^ The acronym SNES can be pronounced by English speakers as a single word ( compare `` NATO '' ) with various pronunciations, a string of letters ( compare `` IBM '' ), or as a hybrid ( compare `` JPEG '' ). In written English, the choice of indefinite article can be problematic due to these differences in pronunciation. Jump up ^ While the use of `` Super Nintendo '' as a grammatically incorrect shorthand is common in colloquial speech, Nintendo of America 's official guidelines discourage it, preferring instead the officially accepted abbreviations of `` Super NES '' or `` SNES '' in a formal context. Jump up ^ Super Famicom ( Japanese : スーパーファミコン, Hepburn : Sūpā Famikon, officially adopting the abbreviated name of its predecessor, the Famicom ) Jump up ^ 슈퍼 컴 보이 Syupeo Keomboi Jump up ^ While some contend that Nintendo orchestrated the Congressional hearings of 1993, Senator Lieberman and NOA 's Senior Vice President ( later Chairman ) Howard Lincoln both refute these allegations. Jump up ^ Unless otherwise specified, kilobyte ( kB ), megabyte ( MB ), and megabit ( Mbit ) are used in the binary sense in this article, referring to quantities of 1024 or 1,048,576. References Jump up ^ `` History Corporate ''. Nintendo. Retrieved February 24, 2013. Jump up ^ `` Nintendo chega hoje ao mercado ''. O Estado de S. Paulo. August 30, 1993. Retrieved May 6, 2018. Jump up ^ `` Consolidated Sales Transition by Region '' ( PDF ). Nintendo Co., Ltd. Retrieved October 25, 2017. ^ Jump up to : Don Reisinger ( January 21, 2009 ). `` Does the Xbox 360 's ' Lack of Longevity ' Matter ? ''. CNET. Retrieved October 23, 2015. ^ Jump up to : Niizumi, Hirohiko ( May 30, 2003 ). `` Nintendo to end Famicom and Super Famicom production ''. GameSpot. Archived from the original on January 22, 2012. Retrieved July 15, 2007. ^ Jump up to : `` Consolidated Sales Transition by Region '' ( PDF ). Nintendo. January 27, 2010. Archived from the original ( PDF ) on February 14, 2010. Retrieved February 14, 2010. Jump up ^ `` The Nintendo Years : 1990 ''. June 25, 2007. p. 2. Archived from the original on August 20, 2012. Retrieved June 27, 2007. Jump up ^ Kent ( 2001 ), p. 497. `` By the end of the 16 - bit generation, Nintendo would go on to sell 9 million copies of Donkey Kong Country '' Jump up ^ `` IGN 's Top 100 Games of All Time 2007 ''. IGN. 2007. Retrieved January 2, 2009. Jump up ^ `` Platinum Titles ''. Capcom. Archived from the original on July 4, 2011. Retrieved August 21, 2010. Jump up ^ `` Do you say NES or N-E-S ? ''. Nintendo NSider Forums. Archived from the original on September 23, 2007. Retrieved September 23, 2007. Additional archived pages : 2 3 4 5 8 9 Jump up ^ `` Pronouncing NES & SNES ''. GameSpot forums. Archived from the original on February 14, 2012. Retrieved May 16, 2007. Jump up ^ `` SNES Development Manual '' ( PDF ). Jump up ^ Sheff ( 1993 ), pp. 353 -- 356. `` The Genesis continued to flounder through its first couple of years on the market, although Sega showed Sisyphean resolve... ( By mid-1991 ) Sega had established itself as the market leader of the next generation. '' Jump up ^ Kent ( 2001 ), pp. 413 -- 414. Jump up ^ Kent ( 2001 ), pp. 422 -- 431. Jump up ^ Sheff ( 1993 ), pp. 360 -- 361. Jump up ^ Kent ( 2001 ), pp. 431 -- 433. `` Japan remained loyal to Nintendo, ignoring both Sega 's Genesis and NEC 's PC Engine ( the Japanese name for TurboGrafx )... Unlike the Japanese launch in which Super Famicom had outsold both competitors combined in presales alone, SNES would debut against an established product. '' Jump up ^ Kristan Reed ( January 19, 2007 ). `` Virtual Console : SNES ''. Eurogamer. Retrieved February 12, 2009. Jump up ^ Kent ( 2001 ), p. 432. Kent states September 1 was planned but later rescheduled to September 9. Jump up ^ Campbell, Ron ( August 27, 1991 ). `` Super Nintendo sells quickly at OC outlets ''. The Orange County Register. Last weekend, months after video - game addicts started calling, Dave Adams finally was able to sell them what they craved : Super Nintendo. Adams, the manager of Babbages in South Coast Plaza, got 32 of the $199.95 systems Friday. Based on the publication date, the `` Friday '' mentioned would be August 23, 1991. Jump up ^ `` Super Nintendo It 's Here ! ! ! ''. Electronic Gaming Monthly. Sendai Publishing Group ( 28 ) : 162. November 1991. The Long awaited SNES is finally available to the U.S. gaming public. The first few pieces of this fantastic unit hit the store shelves on August 23, 1991. Nintendo, however, released the first production run without any heavy fanfare or spectacular announcements. Jump up ^ `` New products put more zip into the video - game market '' ( abstract ). Chicago Sun - Times. August 27, 1991. Retrieved March 5, 2010. On Friday, area Toys R Us stores (... ) were expecting SNES, with a suggested retail price of $199.95, any day, said Brad Grafton, assistant inventory control manager for Toys R Us. Based on the publication date, the `` Friday '' mentioned would be August 23, 1991. Jump up ^ Ray Barnholt ( August 4, 2006 ). `` Purple Reign : 15 Years of the SNES ''. 1UP.com. p. 2. Archived from the original on October 17, 2012. Retrieved June 14, 2007. Jump up ^ Campbell, Ron ( August 27, 1991 ). `` Super Nintendo sells quickly at OC outlets ''. The Orange County Register. Super Nintendo began showing up in Southern California stores Wednesday, nearly three weeks before the official Sept. 9 release date... Until the official nationwide release Sept. 9, availability will be limited. Jump up ^ `` COMPANY NEWS ; Super Nintendo Now Nationwide ''. New York Times. September 10, 1991. Retrieved August 23, 2016. Jump up ^ `` Playtronic SNES Games ''. SNES Central. Jump up ^ `` Nintendo Brasil '' ( in Portuguese ). Nintendo. Archived from the original on July 17, 2007. Retrieved August 2, 2007. Jump up ^ Sheff ( 1993 ), p. 361. Jump up ^ `` Big in Japan : Nintendo 64 Launches at Last ''. Next Generation. No. 21. Imagine Media. September 1996. pp. 14 -- 16. Jump up ^ Jeremy Parish ( November 14, 2006 ). `` Out to Launch : Wii ''. 1UP.com. Archived from the original on February 14, 2012. Retrieved July 3, 2007. Jump up ^ Kent ( 2001 ), p. 431. `` Sonic was an immediate hit, and many consumers who had been loyally waiting for SNES to arrive now decided to purchase Genesis... The fiercest competition in the history of video games was about to begin. '' Jump up ^ Kent ( 2001 ), pp. 448 -- 449. Jump up ^ Kent ( 2001 ), p. 433. Jump up ^ Pete Hisey ( June 1, 1992 ). `` 16 - bit games take a bite out of sales -- computer games ''. Discount Store News. Jump up ^ Kent ( 2001 ), p. 496 - 497. `` The late November release of Donkey Kong Country stood in stark contrast to the gloom and doom faced by the rest of the video game industry. After three holiday seasons of coming in second to Sega, Nintendo had the biggest game of the year. Sega still outperformed Nintendo in overall holiday sales, but the 500,000 copies of Donkey Kong Country that Nintendo sent out in its initial shipment were mostly sold in preorder, and the rest sold out in less than one week. It ( Donkey Kong Country ) established the SNES as the better 16 - bit console and paved the way for Nintendo to win the waning years of the 16 - bit generation. '' Jump up ^ `` Game - System Sales ''. Newsweek. January 14, 1996. Archived from the original on May 13, 2013. Retrieved January 21, 2012. Jump up ^ Greenstein, Jane ( 1997 ). `` Do n't expect flood of 16 - bit games ''. Video Business. 1.4 million units sold during 1996 Jump up ^ `` Sega farms out Genesis ''. Television Digest. March 2, 1998. Jump up ^ Danny Allen ( December 22, 2006 ). `` A Brief History of Game Consoles, as Seen in Old TV Ads ''. PC World. Archived from the original on February 15, 2010. Retrieved July 15, 2007. Jump up ^ `` Classic Systems : SNES ''. Nintendo. 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Jump up ^ `` - Nintendo -- Customer Service -- New - Style Super NES RF to TV Hookup ''. nintendo.com. Jump up ^ `` Nintendo Support : Original - Style Super NES RF to TV Hookup ''. Nintendo. Retrieved February 28, 2010. Jump up ^ `` Nintendo Support : New - Style Super NES RF to TV Hookup ''. Nintendo. Retrieved June 30, 2010. Jump up ^ Edwards, Benj ( January 12, 2007 ). `` Why Super Nintendos Lose Their Color : Plastic Discoloration in Classic Machines ''. Vintagecomputing.com. Retrieved August 19, 2009. Jump up ^ `` Game Pak Troubleshooting ''. Customer Service. Nintendo of America, Inc. Retrieved August 23, 2010. Jump up ^ ゼルダ の 伝説 神々 の トライ フォース 取扱 説明 書. Nintendo Co., Ltd. November 21, 1991. p. 1. Jump up ^ Ogasawara, Nob ( November 1995 ). `` Future Fantasies from overseas ''. GamePro. San Mateo, CA : Infotainment World. 7 ( 11 ) : 126. ISSN 1042 - 8658. Jump up ^ `` Star Ocean ''. Nintendo Power. Redmond, WA : Nintendo of America ( 86 ) : 60 -- 61. July 1996. ISSN 1041 - 9551. ^ Jump up to : `` Top 25 Videogame Consoles of All Time ''. IGN. September 4, 2009. Archived from the original on February 15, 2010. Retrieved October 24, 2010. Jump up ^ Sud Koushik ( January 30, 2006 ). `` Evolution of Controllers ''. Advanced Media Network. Archived from the original on February 7, 2009. Retrieved May 25, 2007. Jump up ^ Chris Kohler ( September 13, 2005 ). `` Controller 's History Dynamite ''. 1UP.com. p. 4. Archived from the original on September 29, 2012. Retrieved May 25, 2007. Jump up ^ `` Use Your Super Nintendo to Play Your Way to Perfect Health ''. Electronic Gaming Monthly. Ziff Davis ( 67 ) : 54. February 1995. Jump up ^ Super Nintendo ( SNES ) Controller -- TeeV Golf by Sports Sciences. YouTube. August 22, 2015. Jump up ^ `` Popular Mechanics ''. google.com. Jump up ^ Eric Levenson. `` Feature : Remembering the Super Game Boy ''. theatlantic.com. Jump up ^ `` SNES Backup Units ''. RED # 9. Archived from the original on June 26, 2007. 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Jump up ^ Top Ten Nintendo Systems ( Flash video ). Gametrailers. March 28, 2015. Event occurs at 10 : 48. Retrieved March 29, 2015. Jump up ^ Reisinger, Don ( January 25, 2008 ). `` The SNES is the greatest console of all time ''. CNET Blog Network. Retrieved October 24, 2010. Jump up ^ Greenwald, Will ( January 28, 2008 ). `` The greatest game console of all time ? ''. CNET Blog Network. Retrieved October 24, 2010. Jump up ^ Sztein, Andrew ( March 28, 2008 ). `` The Top Ten Consoles of All Time ''. GamingExcellence. Retrieved October 24, 2010. Jump up ^ Buffa, Chris ( March 5, 2008 ). `` Top 10 Greatest Consoles ''. GameDaily. Archived from the original on March 9, 2008. Retrieved October 24, 2010. Bibliography Kent, Steven L. ( 2001 ). The Ultimate History of Video Games : The Story Behind the Craze that Touched our Lives and Changed the World. Roseville, California : Prima Publishing. ISBN 0 - 7615 - 3643 - 4. Sheff, David ( 1993 ). Game Over : How Nintendo Zapped an American Industry, Captured Your Dollars, and Enslaved Your Children ( First ed. ). New York : Random House. ISBN 0 - 679 - 40469 - 4. External links Wikimedia Commons has media related to Super Famicom and variants. Super NES Programming at Wikibooks `` SNES games list '' ( PDF ). Archived from the original ( PDF ) on June 19, 2004. Retrieved May 23, 2017., archived from Nintendo.com. Super Nintendo Entertainment System Known in Japan as the Super Famicom and in South Korea as the Super Comboy Fourth generation console Accessories Nintendo Mouse Super Scope Nintendo Power Super Game Boy Satellaview CD - ROM Third - party ASCII Turbo Fire Action Replay BatterUP Barcode Battler Game Genie Konami Justifier Miracle Piano Teaching System Super 8 Voicer - kun XBAND Turbo Touch 360 Games List of Super NES games List of Super Famicom games List of Super Comboy games Best - selling games Hardware Nintendo S - SMP Ricoh 5A22 Game Pak List of enhancement chips Variants Nintendo Super System New - Style Super Famicom Box Super NES Classic Edition See also Super FX Super SmartJoy SNESAmp Satellaview broadcasts Preceded by Nintendo Entertainment System Succeeded by Nintendo 64 Nintendo video game hardware Consoles Home NES Famicom Titler Twin Famicom NES - 101 Sharp Nintendo Television NES Classic Edition accessories Super NES New - Style SF Naizou TV SF1 Super NES Classic Edition Nintendo 64 iQue Player GameCube Panasonic Q accessories Wii Wii U Switch Handheld Game Boy Game Boy Color Virtual Boy Game Boy Advance SP Micro Dockable Entertainment Pokémon Mini Nintendo DS Lite DSi Nintendo 3DS 2DS New 3DS New 2DS XL Dedicated Home Color TV - Game NES Classic Edition Super NES Classic Edition Handheld Game & Watch Mini Classics Pokémon Pikachu Arcade VS. System PlayChoice - 10 Super Famicom Box Nintendo Super System Peripherals Add - ons 3D System Data Recorder Disk System Satellaview Super NES CD - ROM ( unreleased ) Super Game Boy Game Boy Camera Game Boy Printer 64DD Rumble Pak e-Reader Game Boy Player Connectivity NES Four Score NES Satellite Game Link Cable GCN - GBA Link Cable Controllers Family BASIC NES Advantage NES Zapper Power Pad R.O.B. Speedboard SNES Mouse Super Scope Nintendo 64 controller GameCube controller WaveBird Wireless Wii Balance Board Wii Remote Classic Controller MotionPlus Wii Zapper Third - party accessories Wii Speak Wii U GamePad Wii U Pro Controller Joy - Con Networking Family Computer Network System Teleplay Modem XBAND Satellaview Nintendo Wi - Fi USB Connector Other Nintendo Power Nintendo DS & DSi Browser Amiibo Technology Media NES Game Pak SNES Game Pak N64 Game Pak Game Boy Advance Video Nintendo optical discs Nintendo game card Processors 2A03 PPU 5A22 S - APU GSU RCP Gekko Broadway Hollywood PICA200 Espresso Erista List of products Video game consoles ( fourth generation ) Types Home video game console list Handheld game console list Microconsole list Dedicated console list Generations First ( 1972 -- 80 ) Second ( 1976 -- 92 ) Third ( 1983 -- 2003 ) Fourth ( 1987 -- 2004 ) Fifth ( 1993 -- 2005 ) Sixth ( 1998 -- 2013 ) Seventh ( 2005 -- 17 ) Eighth ( 2012 -- present ) Fourth generation Home Commodore CDTV Neo Geo Neo Geo CD Philips CD - i LaserActive Sega Genesis Sega Pico Super A'Can Super Nintendo Entertainment System SNS - 101 TurboGrafx - 16 Handheld Game Boy family Game Boy Atari Lynx Game Gear TurboExpress Gamate Watara Supervision Mega Duck / Cougar Boy Game Master ← Third generation Fifth generation → Emulator Game History List Manufacturer Home video game consoles Atari Atari 2600 Atari 5200 Atari 7800 Atari XEGS Atari Jaguar Atari VCS Bandai Super Vision 8000 Arcadia RX - 78 Playdia Apple Bandai Pippin Casio PV - 1000 Casio Loopy Commodore Commodore 64 Games System Commodore CDTV Amiga CD32 Mattel Intellivision HyperScan Microsoft Xbox Xbox 360 Xbox One NEC TurboGrafx - 16 PC - FX Nintendo NES SNES N64 GameCube Wii Wii U Switch Philips Magnavox Odyssey Odyssey2 Videopac + G7400 Philips CD - i Sega SG - 1000 Master System Sega Genesis Sega Saturn Dreamcast SNK Neo Geo Neo Geo CD Sony PlayStation PlayStation 2 PSX PlayStation 3 PlayStation 4 VTech VTech CreatiVision Socrates V. Smile V. Flash Others 1970s APF - MP1000 Bally Astrocade Fairchild Channel F RCA Studio II Interton VC 4000 / 1292 Advanced Programmable Video System 1980s Action Max Arcadia 2001 ColecoVision Epoch Cassette Vision Super Cassette Vision RDI Halcyon Vectrex View - Master Interactive Vision 1990s 3DO Interactive Multiplayer Amstrad GX4000 CPS Changer FM Towns Marty LaserActive Super A'Can 2000s DISCover EVO Smart Console Game Wave Nuon XaviXPORT Zeebo List GND : 4304186 - 3 Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Super_Nintendo_Entertainment_System&oldid=843291891 '' Categories : Super Nintendo Entertainment System Home video game consoles Fourth - generation video game consoles Products introduced in 1990 Products introduced in 1991 Products introduced in 1992 1990s toys Products and services discontinued in 1999 Products and services discontinued in 2003 Discontinued products Hidden categories : Articles containing Japanese - language text CS1 Portuguese - language sources ( pt ) CS1 Japanese - language sources ( ja ) Webarchive template wayback links Use mdy dates from December 2015 Pages using deprecated image syntax All articles with unsourced statements Articles with unsourced statements from September 2016 Articles with unsourced statements from March 2017 Wikipedia articles with GND identifiers Talk Variants Contents About Wikipedia Asturianu Brezhoneg Català Čeština Dansk Deutsch Eesti Ελληνικά Español Esperanto Euskara فارسی Français Galego 한국어 Hrvatski Bahasa Indonesia Íslenska Italiano עברית ქართული Latina Lietuvių Lumbaart Magyar مصرى Nederlands 日本 語 Norsk Norsk nynorsk Polski Português Română Русский Scots Shqip Simple English Slovenčina Srpskohrvatski / српскохрватски Suomi Svenska ไทย Türkçe Українська Tiếng Việt 文言 West - Vlams 吴语 ייִדיש 粵語 中文 43 more Edit links This page was last edited on 28 May 2018, at 05 : 12. 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Question: how much did a super nintendo cost when it first came out
Answer: $199