Nintendo is one of the oldest companies in the world of video games, which has had a huge trajectory in terms of creating games and consoles. One of the most famous consoles that exists today is the Nintendo Switch, however, this was the result of multiple experiments in the past, the first of these being the Famicom Computer, an entertainment center that was sold in the West under another name and model, known as Nintendo Entertainment System (NES).
As many already know, the NES (along with the Master System) was one of the most outstanding consoles of yesteryear, since it recovered the confidence of users towards video games after the horrible crash of 83, however, its design was quite different compared to the Famicom computer, this was because they wanted to give it a more similar look to the VHS, one of the most famous video players in America.
However, this design brought bad consequences, first of all, the production costs, since, having a special cartridge insertion system, more parts had to be considered for its assembly, but the most serious consequence is the accumulation of dust in the console slot, causing that on several occasions it does not load games efficiently, besides turning maintenance into a really cumbersome task.
Thus, in 1993 Nintendo decided to redesign its console, eliminating many unnecessary things, completely changing its shape and considerably reducing its size, this was called NES-101 or also as the Top Loader, due to the method used to insert the cartridges from the top.
In this design the red led light that indicated the on and off of the console was eliminated, in addition to making a modification in its bonotes, now its Slot is located at the top, allowing the cartridges to be placed in a simpler way, but not only in its external part changes were made, the RCA connectors were removed, leaving only the coaxial video connection, in addition to eliminating the 10NES chip which was responsible for the authentication of region and originality of the cartridge.
The controller also received a total redesign with respect to its ergonomics, being very similar to that of its successor console, the Super Nintendo. Despite these aesthetic changes, all the peripherals of the previous model are fully compatible with the console, including the Famicom Disk System, which can only be connected to the Japanese version of the Top Loader.
In short, the Top Loader was one of the best redesigns of all time, reducing the size and reducing manufacturing costs, easier insertion of cartridges, the possibility of easy and quick maintenance without disassembling the console, among many other things, although not everything is perfect, since they eliminated the audio and video connection by RCA, although as a solution they created a transformer so that it can be used in this way.
Did you know about NES Loader? Tell me your opinion about this console in the comments section.
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Siempre me pareció interesante el rediseño que le hicieron a la NES para que pareciera similar a la Super Nintendo (especialmente el diseño del control, que utiliza la misma forma); me recuerda a como Xbox intentó unificar de forma estética la Xbox 360 con la Xbox One (y Series X) con nuevos diseños de cajas y para la consola.
Es interesante ver que estos posts son nuevos después de meses de inactividad; buen post y bienvenido de vuelta!
Hola @acstriker, ciertamente lo que mencionas sobre las consolas de Microsoft dan a recordar un poco el concepto de ese diseño de la Top Loader, unieron lo mejor de dos controles y realizaron una forma más cómoda para el usuario. Gracias por dejar tu opinión en este pequeño rincón gamer. Saludos!!
Hi gabox,
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I didn’t knew that there was a NES redesign and that the first version was problematic. 🤔
It may be because of nostalgia, but I prefer the classic design.
We are two people who prefer the first design for nostalgia, in fact I still have mine for all these years, but we should not take away the merit to this redesign that, in a way, improved many aspects. Thanks for leaving your valuable opinion in this little gamer corner.