Copyright: famicom

The Famicom (ファミコン) is a Japanese video game console released for Japanese markets by Nintendo in 1983 as the Family Computer (ファミリーコンピュータ) and was Nintendo's first cartridge based video game console. It was redesigned and rebranded as the Nintendo Entertainment System for the American (NTSC) and European (PAL) markets. The NES is visibly distinctive from the Famicom and are separate tags as a result.

The console was designed with the goal of playing a solid port of the arcade game Donkey Kong. The name was derived from personal computer, where rather one person uses the computer, a family gathers around and shares the computer, a Family Computer. The name would be abbreviated to Famicom, however trademarks held by SHARP prevented Nintendo from using the abbreviated name themselves and released the console under its full name. Nintendo would release the console on July 15, 1983 in Japan with three launch games. Donkey Kong, Donkey Kong Jr., and Popeye. Shortly after Nintendo would open up the console to third party developers and by the end of 1984 the console had sold over 2 million units. This would mark the beginning of the Famicom boom era with hardware and software sales in a fever pitch in the country. Meanwhile in America, the video game crash was in full swing (known as Atari shock in Japan) but Nintendo was interested in releasing the Famicom in other markets. Nintendo originally negotiated with Atari to distribute the hardware but plans quickly fell through with Nintendo having to do it all themselves with the help of Nintendo of America. Nintendo decided to redesign and rebrand the Famicom and came up with the Advanced Video System and marketed it as a home computer. When showcased at CES, people still saw it as a video game console and had no interest resulting in Nintendo redesigning and rebranding the Famicom yet again which resulted in the Nintendo Entertainment System. The NES would launch in New York City on October 18, 1985 and later nationwide on September 27, 1986 and in Europe that same year.

The Famicom would continue to be supported in Japan until the final game released on June 24, 1994. The console would continue to be sold until September 25, 2003.