10 Atari Games that caused the Crash of 1984.

[NeoZeedeater]

If the October 18, 1985 test launch date is wrong, that would be a colossal fuck up given that date has been repeated in countless articles for years. I remember NOA's own list of NES release months (it didn't have specific days) had nothing earlier than October 1985.

[sheath]

For all the 'experts' on this thread, I really do not care. I met my wife in spring of 1984 and vividly remember her buying me a NES Control Deck set with SMB pack-in for our second Christmas together. That would have been Christmas of 1985, I don't care what any supposed 'industry expert' sites say.

I'm not saying you're wrong or anything. It is just that all of the sources say that the nationwide launch was in 1986. Even your personal anecdote doesn't negate the primary sources that say the entire nation didn't see the NES until 1986. It's really no different than my saying that I chose a Master System over an NES in 1988 in San Antonio and had to drive to The Federated Group to find a store where both were on the shelf and playable.

If the October 18, 1985 test launch date is wrong, that would be a colossal fuck up given that date has been repeated in countless articles for years. I remember NOA's own list of NES release months (it didn't have specific days) had nothing earlier than October 1985.

It wouldn't be the first time that a prominent fact ended up being wrong. Still though, the mainstream sites always think that the NES launched nation wide in 1985 anyway. Just check any NES versus Master System articles on Gamespot for that.

[Armoured Priest]

I'm guessing that the test market stories may be wrong, with it being test marketed in the middle of the year and pushed nationwide during the 85 holidays.

Who in the media really kept track of it?

Media really didn't outside of advertising.

The info should exist in financial reports/publications from the period, though.

[gamevet]

Media really didn't outside of advertising.

The info should exist in financial reports/publications from the period, though.

I'm sure the info is available, it's just a matter of someone making the effort to attain it. It sounds like there might have been smaller chains in certain regions that were convinced to carry the product shortly after. It may not have reached the larger chains until 86.

[sheath]

I honestly doubt that either the NES or the Master System were in most stores nation wide even in 1986. I only started hearing about the NES in very late 1987 and I don't think even my friends started getting one until 1988.

[MrSega]

I just conducted some research and this is what I found.

http://www.sacnews.net/adamcomputer/09.html

The NES was indeed first Test Marketed in New York on October 18,1985 but it quickly spread to major West Coast Cities and according to this Trademark document became available in most retailers by Christmas of 1985.

http://tsdr.uspto.gov/documentviewer...20061023083937

The term "Interstate Commerce" means that its availability gradually spread across America. Its possible that there were still smaller less populated areas of the United States that didn't get NES until '86.

This "Super Mario Bros" trademark shows that it was available during Christmas of '85:

http://trademarks.justia.com/757/20/...-75720625.html

This of course is the GBC re-release of "Super Mario Bros. DX" but the document states its first use in Commerce as 19851018.

http://tsdr.uspto.gov/documentviewer...20061023083937

Nintendo also started displaying Super Mario Bros. in an NES10 Arcade Cabinet in early 1986:

http://trademarks.justia.com/735/94/...-73594455.html


So I can say from that we can conclude this:

The Nintendo Entertainment System first arrived for Test Marketing in NYC in the Early fall of 1985 about 4 months after it was displayed at the Early Summer 1985 CES show in June, and was quickly also test marketed in the major West Coast cities of Seattle,Los Angeles, and San Francisco. Soon after, Nintendo decided to distribute to most retailers across the Country in order not to miss the Holiday Season of 1985 meaning depending on where you lived, if it was close to a populated city, the NES could easily be purchased. So in that case, my mother's friend purchased one for her 4 year old son in Atlantic City.

They then being selling the console across the remaining less populated parts of the US and Canada in early 1986 with the newly Established "Nintendo of America" division But by then, the system had already been available in majority of the country in late 1985.

So technically, the NES' US launch counts as late 1985, and the reason why most sources keep saying February '86 is because they keep missing an important detail of history: The NES wasn't exclusively test marketed in NYC, it BEGIN test marketing there and was quickly "Railroaded" to the major West Coast cities(Which was a common test marketing practice for new Computers at the time) and THEN launched in the populated areas of America in time for Christmas.

[gamevet]

Yeah Sheath.

The Toys R' Us video from 1986, that I'd posted, was pushing the C-64 as the big holiday seller.

Walmart probably didn't start carrying it until 87.

[MrSega]

I'm sure the info is available, it's just a matter of someone making the effort to attain it. It sounds like there might have been smaller chains in certain regions that were convinced to carry the product shortly after. It may not have reached the larger chains until 86.

I just spoke to one of the users on youtube last night who posted one of the ads. He was 5 when it got it brand new in the early Autumn '85 and is from Staten Island,NY and this is what he told me. He told me that it DID start Test Marketing in NYC on October 18, but it was exclusive there in NY/NJ for only a week and shipped to the West Coast(October 25-Halloween), where it was gradually sold at Toy stores and retailers throughout the US in more larger more populated regions throughout the entire fall. He told me that is was available depending on where you lived and that Mid America had to wait about 3 weeks to receive their first batch which was the Control Deck set which would be the date of Mid November 1985. He said that by Christmas of that year it was widely available in most parts of the country including Hawaii and Alaska.

How does he know this? He told me his Uncle worked in the Test Marketing dept and that Nintendo's Strategy was to target the larger parts of the country first because they were the only parts of America still selling video games and still carrying Arcade Dens. The last part of America that got NES was the plains and the Arizona region which were the only parts of America that missed the holiday season because these regions stopped carrying video games and had closed and reportedly BANNED Arcade dens.

He also said, Canada finally got it in February 1986 which officially wrapped up the launch. He said that the returns by early 1986 were 300,000 units sold in North America with 90,000 sold in NY/NJ California/Washington state by the end of its first month.


So if this source is accurate, then the Nintendo Entertainment System had a gradual Nationwide launch rather "Regional
Launch" starting in the NY/Mid Atlantic area on October 18,1985 but spread across the Country and was available in about 80% of all US retailers and Areas by Christmastime. The assumption that it was only test marketed exclusively in NYC is a myth.

So its marketing went like this: Because of the crash, most of the smaller less populated parts of America hated video games and had shut down most Arcade dens. Nintendo was forced to gamble in the more marketable larger areas that still played and sold video games so NES had a Shipping Journey that started in mid October and officially ended February in Canada. So I would say the Schedule or launch Window looked like this:

October 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.

[StarMist]

I'd like to suggest that launch dates not be confused with shipping dates. In all probability the units were shipped several months in advance of the official launch not only to the launch cities but in cautious quantities as a sort of gambling stock to retailers in larger cities elsewhere so that when the official launch went well they (those elsewhere retailers) would have the hottest new stock on hand. In such a case all the luck a shopper like tz101's would have needed was to see a display of any kind, be it so little as a paper broadside, then to ask a manager when the product might be coming. The manager mightn't wish to prematurely sell stock guaranteed to be in demand later on (because shortages look bad) but depending when the inquiry took place it might seem wiser to get rid of any stock possible or irrelevant because launch rumour was already favourable so more stock had already been ordered. Then again if almost nobody was buying prelaunch stock a couple early sales here or there would be drops in the bucket.
Or perhaps tz101's wife had a time machine and wasted it on the first most trivial thing that crossed her mind.

[MrSega]

I'd like to suggest that launch dates not be confused with shipping dates. In all probability the units were shipped several months in advance of the official launch not only to the launch cities but in cautious quantities as a sort of gambling stock to retailers in larger cities elsewhere so that when the official launch went well they (those elsewhere retailers) would have the hottest new stock on hand. In such a case all the luck a shopper like tz101's would have needed was to see a display of any kind, be it so little as a paper broadside, then to ask a manager when the product might be coming. The manager mightn't wish to prematurely sell stock guaranteed to be in demand later on (because shortages look bad) but depending when the inquiry took place it might seem wiser to get rid of any stock possible or irrelevant because launch rumour was already favourable so more stock had already been ordered. Then again if almost nobody was buying prelaunch stock a couple early sales here or there would be drops in the bucket.
Or perhaps tz101's wife had a time machine and wasted it on the first most trivial thing that crossed her mind.

From what I was told by the Youtube user, Nintendo gradually shipped units across the Country throughout the entire 4th Quarter of 1985 and was already able to start buying TV commercial advisement by Thanksgiving. He also told me that Nintendo was only shipping the units to retailers in larger cities and regions still carrying Arcade dens and retailers still carrying pre-Crash console SKUs. He explained to me that NJ is part of the New York area so I was lucky to have seen the Shipping SKUs first.

He also explained that since people had lost most interest in video games that Nintendo's goal was to have shipped at least 100,000 units in most of America by Christmas, they ended up shipping and selling 300,000 total.

According to several trademark documents I read: All NES trademarks and IPs had the term "Interstate Commerce" use implied which indeed means the the G&S were issued gradually after the First Use Commerce date of: 19851018. Which is proof that the system's US release was regional.

By Summer CES 1986, NES had already been widely available for about 8 months when Sega Master System and Atari 7800 were first introduced.

[TrekkiesUnite118]

Apparently youtube users are the end all source of truth when it comes to Nintendo trivia.

[gamevet]

I really doubt Montana was getting the NES before Arizona. I moved from Montana to Arizona in 86. The whole state barely has a million people.

[MrSega]

I really doubt Montana was getting the NES before Arizona. I moved from Montana to Arizona in 86. The whole state barely has a million people.

Then that would mean that only the larger more populated Rocky Mountain states like Colorado,Utah, Nevada,New Mexico got NES before Arizona,Idaho,Montana.

[gamevet]

Then that would mean that only the larger more populated Rocky Mountain states like Colorado,Utah, Nevada,New Mexico got NES before Arizona,Idaho,Montana.

Arizona would get the NES before Albuquerque New Mexico would. The large distribution points would be: Seattle, Los Angeles, Houston, Miami, Pheonix, NYC, Minneapolis, Portland Oregon, Denver, Indianapolis, Dallas, San Francisco, Chicago and Atlanta.

What area would get shipments would depend on what store chains Nintendo managed to get on board. So, say Nintendo cut a deal with Walmart. The Great Northwest did not have Walmarts, while the south was heavily embedded with the Walmart chain. K-Mart was more prominent in the North, so if they had cut a deal with them, that region would have seen more of the product.

[MrSega]

Arizona would get the NES before Albuquerque New Mexico would. The large distribution points would be: Seattle, Los Angeles, Houston, Miami, Pheonix, NYC, Minneapolis, Portland Oregon, Denver, Indianapolis, Dallas, San Francisco, Chicago and Atlanta.

What area would get shipments would depend on what store chains Nintendo managed to get on board. So, say Nintendo cut a deal with Walmart. The Great Northwest did not have Walmarts, while the south was heavily embedded with the Walmart chain. K-Mart was more prominent in the North, so if they had cut a deal with them, that region would have seen more of the product.

I recall that Distribution for NES was first handled by "Worlds of Wonder" a Fremont,CA based toy brand makers of "Teddy Ruxpin" and "Lazer Tag" from 1985 to about 1988 remember, Tonka handled Sega Master System's distribution.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Worlds_..._(toy_company)

W.O.W. were large partners of K-Mart,Kaybee Toys and Toys 'R US during the 80s so the NES was probably widely sold through those chains.

I vividly remember "Kaybee Toys" as the place that always carried Nintendo and had Kiosk displays and Rebate and Discount coupons. Its likely they were the first chain to sell NES.

In the Pacific Northwest, you also forgot "Fred Meyers". Best Buy is also based in the Mid West so they probably carried NES out there. You also forgot "Musicland". They were quite the giant Electronics chain back in the day and California also had "Good Guys" and "Frys".

The Southeast and Gulf, there was "Service Merchandise" and "Venture".

In the Heartland, the was "Montgomery Ward".