In the mid-80s, thanks to the success of platforms like the C64 and MSX, video game machines that could double as personal computers were hot. So itâs understandable that, ahead of Nintendoâs entry into the North American console market, the company was thinking that its first US machine might need to be more than just a re-branded Famicom.
This is the Nintendo Advanced Video System, a prototype unit that was only ever publicly displayed once â at the 1985 Consumer Electronics Show â and was never manufactured. Itâs not a variant of the Nintendo Entertainment System that gamers around the world would grow to love over the course of the 1980s; this was originally it, intended to be Nintendoâs primary machine in the West.
And what a machine it was. It was ridiculously ambitious, designed to accomodate external peripherals like electronic instruments, including accessories like a tape deck and keyboard and, most impressive of all, its controllers were wireless, operating via infa-red. Weâre not talking bulky add-ons or third-party accessories like the Satellite; weâre talking the sleek, standard controller included with the console.
As you can see in these promotional images, released in early 1985 by Nintendo (and uploaded by former Nintendo mascot and executive Howard Phillips), it wasnât just the capabilities of the AVS that were different. The design of the console and controllers differed from those of the NES as well. The unit itself was more squat and streamlined, while the controllers featured large shiny buttons (and, weirdly, a terribly d-pad).
Those curious about the AVS, it hasnât been entirely consigned to the dustbin of history. Visitors to the Nintendo World Store in New York City can see one on display upstairs in the âmuseumâ area.
(images courtesy of Gamemaster Howard)
Total Recall is a look back at the history of video games through their characters, franchises, developers and trends. Youâll find Total Recall stories every Tue-Fri between 1am -2am Eastern.
