Satellaview

The Satellaview was a satellite modern add-on for the Super Famicom, released only in Japan in 1995. It was made in a joint effort between Nintendo and St. GIGA, a popular satellite radio company at the time. It had features comparable to SEGA's SEGA Channel service in North America, allowing players to download games, news magazines, and articles from St. GIGA's servers. It also had the ability to stream satellite radio, allowing players to listen to music, news, or radio stations while playing their games. For some games, such as the Mario titles showcased on it, audio was played intentionally to go along with the gameplay, and consisted of character voice acting and arranged video game music. The service was discontinued in 2000.
While a relatively unknown piece of Nintendo history, the Satellaview has gotten some callbacks in some of Nintendo's games. Most notably, it was referenced in Super Mario Odyssey as a costume Mario could wear, based on a costume he wore in Satellaview advertisements. This same costume also appeared in Mario Kart Tour. Despite this recognition, most Satellaview content has not been officially rereleased, condemning many games to become lost media.
Category:Add-Ons
Category:Nintendo
Category:Nintendo Consoles