Family Computer (Famicom)

Original white and red Japanese model with a top-loading slot, hardwired controllers and a microphone on the second pad.

Uemura styled the Famicom like a toy to make it an affordable option, since Japanese toy stores were wary of products that needed a television. A steel case was considered but proved fragile, so durable plastic was used instead. Yamauchi chose the red, gold and white colours, inspired by a scarf and by an antenna from the DX Antenna brand. The horizontal design was meant for placing on the floor, which Uemura felt suited Japanese consumers better.

It has a top-loading slot, side grooves to store the two hardwired controllers with their short cables, and a 15-pin expansion port on the front. The second controller includes a microphone. It went on sale on July 15, 1983, at ¥14,800. After a faulty circuit was found to freeze the console, Nintendo recalled every unit and released a revision with a new board. Unlike the NES, it has no lockout chip and outputs RF only.

Models: HVC-001