The Nintendo Entertainment System (also called NES or Nintendo) is an 8-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America during 1985, in Europe during 1986 and Australia in 1987. In most of Asia, including Japan (where it was first launched in 1983), China, Vietnam, Singapore, Middle East and Hong Kong, it was released as the Family Computer, commonly abbreviated as the Famico
m , About this sound listen (helpĀ·info), or FC for short). In Russia, an unlicensed clone was manufactured called Dendy. A clone that was popular in Eastern Europe in the 1990s was the Super Design Ending-Man BS-500 AS, also known as Terminator. Similarly in India, clones were popular by the names of Little Master and Wiz Kid,[4] in Poland there also was a clone produced, called Pegasus. It was succeeded by the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. As the best-selling gaming console of its time, the NES helped revitalize the US video game industry following the video game crash of 1983,[6] and set the standard for subsequent consoles of its generation. With the NES, Nintendo introduced a now-standard business model of licensing third-party developers, authorizing them to produce and distribute software for Nintendo's platform.[7]
In 2009, the Nintendo Entertainment System was named the single greatest video game console in history by IGN, out of a field of 25.[8] 2010 marked the system's 25th anniversary, which was officially celebrated by Nintendo of America's magazine Nintendo Power in issue #260 (November 2010) with a special 26-page tribute section. Other video game publications also featured articles looking back at 25 years of the NES, and its impact in the video game console market.