Here's an NY ad for the NES from October 1985:
http://playtilldoomsday.com/2010/10/...-nes-turns-25/
Again, it shows that NES had more than just a few games when it begin its according to the ad "brief NYC test market" and debut. The ad lists 17 games and calls the games "Game Paks". The "First Showing" means that the system was debuting in NYC and would be available for shipment to any retailer in the U.S. who was interested. This indicates, it could be pre-ordered through newspaper, consumer magazine, and Telephone.
It also shows that during the Fall of 1985, that NOBODY was calling it a "video game system" and certainly ads like this in the NY Times would have helped spread word-of-mouth in big cities. I qoute this article here as verifying my original source:
http://sydlexia.com/nes_launch_games_october_1985.htm
"The Nintendo Entertainment System, the Westernized version of Nintendo's Famicom console, first debuted in North America 25 years ago today on October 18, 1985. Starting with New York City, the NES was launched in a series of test markets before experiencing a nationwide release in February 1986." (According to this and other sources, 18 games were released for the NES in '85 not just 17.)
"A Series of Test Markets" once again means its was only sold in select cities. Those who still carried video games and still had Arcade dens.
Once again the regional shipment schedule:
ctober 18,1985, Mid Atlantic Region: NY,NJ,PA,MD,DE,New England.
October 25,1985: West Coast, Los Angeles, Seattle(NOA's HQs),San Francisco.
October 31-November 1: The Rocky Mountains, CO,UT,NV,NM.
November 8-15: Heartland/ MIAMOLA/Midwest.
Thanksgiving/Black Friday '85 November 29: Texas/ Gulf Coast.
December 6-13: Southeast US.
January 1986: Deep South,Plains and Arizona area.
February 19: Canada. Western Hemisphere release concluded.
