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Gaming in 1986 - An Overview, Part I
Nintendo AVS
After a surprisingly successful launch in New York, Nintendo would release the NES nationwide in 1986. The home arcade was available in multiple "packs", so to speak, ranging from a simple pack with just the control deck, controllers, and Super Mario Bros. as an inexpensive option, to a full-sized pack including the keyboard, cassette recorder, and a few BASIC cartridges.
As for games, the launch titles were now available nationwide, as well as ports of Nintendo's previous arcade hits such as Mario Bros. and Donkey Kong. Third-party games such as Gradius and Ghosts 'n Goblins also saw a rise in popularity.
However, Nintendo of America had a bit of catching up to do - across the Pacific, Nintendo of Japan released a disk-based add-on for the Famicom, and from what was demonstrated, the games on that were more of an experience compared to those on the vanilla Famicom. Minoru Arakawa and Howard Lincoln were quick to greenlight the Famicom Disk System's statewide equivalent.
Vectrex
"So one day this kid showed up to class with a Vectrex. And it amazed the rest of us, you know? We challenged each other with all the games he had for it, and had a damn good time. Naturally, the teacher called it a distraction and it was banned from our school by the end of the week."
- Interviewee on VH1's "I Love 1985"
Hasbro had a hit on their hands. The Vectrex sold 3 million units in 1986 alone, and Hasbro owes it to games based on their properties such as My Little Pony and Transformers.
Intellivision III
The Intellivision III was planned to be a continuation of its predecessors, but the surprising success of the Nintendo AVS led the development of the Intellivision III to a more modular system. The controllers are now wireless, and features such as three-channel sound, 8-bit graphics, and speech synthesis are now built-in. The high launch price of $300 in 1986 put off plenty of potential customers, but Mattel would be quick to provide price cuts during the holiday season.
After a surprisingly successful launch in New York, Nintendo would release the NES nationwide in 1986. The home arcade was available in multiple "packs", so to speak, ranging from a simple pack with just the control deck, controllers, and Super Mario Bros. as an inexpensive option, to a full-sized pack including the keyboard, cassette recorder, and a few BASIC cartridges.
As for games, the launch titles were now available nationwide, as well as ports of Nintendo's previous arcade hits such as Mario Bros. and Donkey Kong. Third-party games such as Gradius and Ghosts 'n Goblins also saw a rise in popularity.
However, Nintendo of America had a bit of catching up to do - across the Pacific, Nintendo of Japan released a disk-based add-on for the Famicom, and from what was demonstrated, the games on that were more of an experience compared to those on the vanilla Famicom. Minoru Arakawa and Howard Lincoln were quick to greenlight the Famicom Disk System's statewide equivalent.
Vectrex
"So one day this kid showed up to class with a Vectrex. And it amazed the rest of us, you know? We challenged each other with all the games he had for it, and had a damn good time. Naturally, the teacher called it a distraction and it was banned from our school by the end of the week."
- Interviewee on VH1's "I Love 1985"
Hasbro had a hit on their hands. The Vectrex sold 3 million units in 1986 alone, and Hasbro owes it to games based on their properties such as My Little Pony and Transformers.
Intellivision III
The Intellivision III was planned to be a continuation of its predecessors, but the surprising success of the Nintendo AVS led the development of the Intellivision III to a more modular system. The controllers are now wireless, and features such as three-channel sound, 8-bit graphics, and speech synthesis are now built-in. The high launch price of $300 in 1986 put off plenty of potential customers, but Mattel would be quick to provide price cuts during the holiday season.
- StomperYoshi
- Word Count: 350