After a time of turmoil for the video game market in the early 1980s, Nintendo introduced a brand new console that took the world by storm. This system was the Nintendo Entertainment System or NES for short. The NES launched with 17 black box titles and critics may have thought that this system would fail like its predecessors. However, Nintendo succeeded in dominating the home console video game market for several years to come. There were many reasons for the NES console's success, but perhaps the most memorable thing about this system is its fun to play and well developed game library which many retro gamers and collectors enjoy to this day. 

Nintendo was careful to do extensive market research before entering the U.S. market, which had nearly collapsed in 1983 due to an overflow of poor quality games and a large quantity of inferior systems. So, Nintendo tread the U.S. waters carefully when they decided to enter this now booming gaming market. In October of 1985, Nintendo released a limited number of the NES consoles (approximately 100,00 or less) into select U.S. cities. Perhaps, they were trying to gauge whether the North American market was a good place to do business. How would consumers respond to this new NES console and should Nintendo invest in expanding their operations in America? 

By limiting the number of systems available in America to the public, Nintendo created exclusivity for their product. Consumers wanted what they couldn't have (Sort of like Eric Cartman's denial to customers at his amusement park). Nintendo was very careful to present their new system and its affiliated launch titles in a new way that would build trust and intrigue for American consumers who had become disillusioned with the failing home video game market of the early 1980's.

So why was Nintendo so successful? Their packaging was deliberate and consistent across all NES releases. The NES console featured a black box and so did the original 17 launch titles and the 13 black box titles released shortly after. (See our detailed blog on boxed games). This simple artwork with 8 bit graphics and a black background stood out in contrast to the elaborate video game artwork of the time, so it grabbed people's attention. In addition, Nintendo went a step further building trust by putting an official seal of quality on every game, console, and accessory they sold. This seal assured consumers that the content purchased met Nintendo's rigorous standard of quality. 

Nintendo even backed their products with a dedicated phone line for customer support. This way consumers could trust Nintendo to be there if they experienced any issues with a product because they always included a phone number and address where they could be reached for support.

• Promotional Copy in the USA

 *A note about Box Flap Codes: Game codes seem to have been introduced to the box flaps of games sometime in the year 1987. Box flaps often feature a numeric code on them that seems to correspond to the date of production. Example: “81021” would translate to October 21, 1988. The first number indicates the year digit, which is followed by the month, then day. Please note that the earliest variations of black box games do not feature a code on the box flaps.

Dating the PCB Chips: Clues Inside the Cartridge

Say you don’t have a box to work with and you’re wondering when your game might have been produced. Or say you would like to confirm that the PCB inside your game is authentic and a likely match to the box that came with your game. Well, good news! You can peek at the game’s printed circuit board and find a date on its chips, most of the time.

The date format can vary by game.

Some chips use a YMW format, indicating the year, then month, then week of the month. For example, 5K2 corresponds to week 2 of October 1985. How did we get October? K is the 10^th letter of the alphabet, and October is the 10^th month of the year.

Other chips use a YW format, indicating the year then the week of the year. For example, 8549 would indicate the 49^th week of 1985, approximatel

e Nintendo GameCube stands as a beloved classic that left an indelible mark on the gaming landscape. Released in 2001, the GameCube introduced an array of innovative features and gaming experiences to players worldwide. Over time, the console underwent several revisions to enhance its functionality and design. Two of the most notable models are the DOL-001 and DOL-101. In this blog post, we will dive into the differences between these two versions and explore how they contributed to the evolution of the GameCube.

Design and Aesthetics

The DOL-001, the original

Replacing a dead or dry battery does require soldering and certain tools listed below. 

Requirements for soldering: 

Soldering Iron - Recommend a kit - Check Amazon or Ebay

A CR2032 with solder tabs. You can check out our tutorial on basic soldering here.

Flux Paste - Recommend MG Chemicals Brand

Desoldering Copper Braid - to soak up solder

We sell the required 3.8mm Gamebit tool! to disassemble your cartridge!

Looking for something extra to add to your gaming collection? Browse our SNES Video Game Selection!

Here is our alphabetical list of NTSC Super Nintendo Video Games that require a save battery. 

The 7^th Saga

ABC Monday Night Football

Act Raiser

Advance Dungeons & Dragons - Eye of the Beholder

Aerobiz

Aerobiz – Supersonic

Air Strike Patrol

Arcana

Bassins Black Bass

Big Sky Trooper

Bill Laimbeer’s Combat Basketball

Brain Lord