- Model Number: NES-001
- Released: October 18, 1985
- Discontinued: circa 1993
- CPU: Ricoh 2A03 (1.79 MHz)
- RAM: 2 KB
- GPU: Ricoh 2C02
The Nintendo Entertainment System was originally released in Japan in July 1983 as the Family Computer (also known as the Famicom). The console was not released in other reigons until October 1985, when it was released in North America as the Nintendo Entertainment System.
The NES's unique front-loading design is a result of the video game crash of 1983; Nintendo gave the console a similar design to a VCR in order to distance it from previous consoles that had top-loading cartridge slots. This design unfortunately has several flaws which cause wear to the cartridge slot's connector pins over time, resulting in the console having trouble reading cartridges.