Super Famicom Junior

[TV-VCR 14]

OK, I'm pretty baffled. Every source I read says that this version was the only version sold in North America.

However, they also showed something called the Super Famicom Jr. They say it was Japan only, but I remember having the "Super Famicom Jr."

The SNES I had looked exactly like the Jr (even with the colorful controller buttons), with the only exception I can think of being that it said SUPER NINTENDO (with the NA logo) on the console, instead of SUPER FAMICOM (with the JP logo). It also accepted NA cartridges (it had an NA cartridge slot).

Can someone explain?

[Duke87 1,070]

A lot of games and gaming hardware are said to have "never been released in North America", when really the case is that the NA release was very limited and unsuccessful, such that they're rare and, so far as a lot of people know, don't even exist.

A couple of arcade games, Megaman: The Power Battle and Megaman 2: The Power Fighters fit this description. When they were packaged with the anniversary collection they were advertised as "Never before released in the US!" - which wasn't technically true, but they were so rare that very few people here could have actually claimed to have played them before unless they had been to Japan. So for advertising puroses it worked.

The top-loading NES would be a hardware example. I remember we had one of those hooked up to a black and white TV in my 5th grade classroom. But most people hadn't heard of the idea of an NES that loads from the top (not unlike the SNES) rather than behind a door in the front like a VCR. It was a rarity.

So, when you say that sources claim this SNES Junior wasn't released in the US, but then claim you had one, I believe you and draw the conclusion that it probably just had a very limited release so most people don't even know about it, let alone have seen one.

[TEG24601 32]

The SNES Jr. was released shortly after the N64 hit the stores, because Nintendo continued to produce SNES titles while the N64 was just being released. Rather than remanufacturing SNES Jr.'s Controllers to just have the violet and lavender buttons, they used the multi-colored buttons that the rest of the world had and they tied better to the buttons on the N64. It was only available for a couple of months and in the end wasn't successful because people were buying the N64 instead. I'm still confused as to why Nintendo had to change the design of the SNES/Super Famicom for North America to take it from the soft shape they used in Japan and Europe to a sharp and pointy device they sent to the US and Canada.

The NES2/AV was the top-loading NES that was released after the SNES was released. They redesigned the controllers to look like the SNES controller, made them top loading, and in some countries it had the AV port that was found on the SNES, N64, and GameCube, however in the US, they removed the RCA jacks and AV support, forcing everyone to use the RF-Adapters. I only remember seeing the NES2 advertised with Tetris 2 because it was the last game released for the NES and it was available for the SNES at the same time, and they showed both systems in the background.

This is really no different than the PS2 (Thin), because the companies were able to tighten up the components and make the system smaller and seem fresher. It is too bad that they didn't do it for the N64. Then again the PS2 has lasted forever since the PS3 was released, far beyond anyone's estimates.

TEG

[Glenni 1,444]

Odd.. this is what i and most people with a SNES had in Europe... :

[Duke87 1,070]

Redesigning the overseas release was supposed to give it a look more appealing to the culture in which it was released. I mean, the original Famicom was pink. Can you blame Nintendo for redesigning it for foreign consumption?

Redesigning the cartridges also served the purpose of making it impossible to play Japanese games on an American system or vice versa. Primitive region-locking for the sake of complying with varying regulations in different parts of the world.

Even today, most systems are region locked. You can't play Japanese Wii games on an American Wii (well, unless you get a pirated software mod).

But even if you design it to comply with regulations everywhere so you don't have to region lock it, some redesign is necessary since different countries have different shaped outlets and juice coming out of the wall at different voltages.

I know someone who fried their SNES by trying to plug it in in London when they moved there for a couple years. In the US, it's 110 volts coming out of the wall. In the UK, it's 220. System wasn't designed to handle that.

[Jasoncw 11,839]

Yeah, I knew someone with one a different SNES.

[skyliner22 16]

I have the original Famicom, too bad it doesnt work

[TV-VCR 14]

Thanks for clearing that up TEG.

Originally posted by: TEG24601 I'm still confused as to why Nintendo had to change the design of the SNES/Super Famicom for North America to take it from the soft shape they used in Japan and Europe to a sharp and pointy device they sent to the US and Canada.quote>

Appealing to a different demographic.