Prosystemsearch Posted October 29, 2014 Share Posted October 29, 2014 the SNES and NES are both well-renowned systems, as we here know. So the question is: WHY THE HELL Did nintendo not make their SNES backwards compatible with old Nintendo Games, or even make an NES adapter? Even the then widely mocked 5200 got a 2600 adaptor in response to people complaining about it not allowing VCS games! Why do nintendo fans overlook this so much? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
godslabrat Posted October 30, 2014 Share Posted October 30, 2014 Simplified version: the snes was originally supposed to be backwards compatible with the NES. However, two things quickly became clear: one, that would make it more expensive and two, the snes was already going to have to be more expensive than the Genesis, so no point in widening the price gap further. As for why an adaptor was never made... Well, given that the attention shifted so quickly to the snes, it's likely that the adaptor would have cost way more than the $50 redesigned NES that was released at about the same time. No point in having two devices that essentially do the same thing. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zap! Posted October 30, 2014 Share Posted October 30, 2014 How much was the Sega Power Base Converter (SMS adapter) when it was released? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gabriel Posted October 30, 2014 Share Posted October 30, 2014 How much was the Sega Power Base Converter (SMS adapter) when it was released? $35 USD according to this thread: http://forum.digitpress.com/forum/showthread.php?160278-Sega-Power-Base-Converter-Question I had thought $30, but that sounds about right. I had wanted one, but they were already impossible to find when I bought my Genesis in August of 1992. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Gemintronic Posted October 30, 2014 Share Posted October 30, 2014 Nintendo does what Nintendo wants. They wanted you to buy a whole new console and buy their new games. Next question. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prosystemsearch Posted October 30, 2014 Author Share Posted October 30, 2014 Nintendo does what Nintendo wants. They wanted you to buy a whole new console and buy their new games. Next question. Nintendo was just being too stingy, anyway. They Could have done what Sega did, but NOOOOOOOOOOOO! You can't play your old stuff on our new SNES! > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zap! Posted October 30, 2014 Share Posted October 30, 2014 $35 USD according to this thread: http://forum.digitpress.com/forum/showthread.php?160278-Sega-Power-Base-Converter-Question I had thought $30, but that sounds about right. I had wanted one, but they were already impossible to find when I bought my Genesis in August of 1992. I got one when they were first released. It's still in box. I didn't know they were hard to find. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Gemintronic Posted October 30, 2014 Share Posted October 30, 2014 As a side the Sega Master System adapter was a no-brainer as the z80 was an integral part of the Genesis. It wasn't a vestigial and expensive part like the C64 compatibility in the C128. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crazy Climber Posted October 30, 2014 Share Posted October 30, 2014 In the days before "retro gaming" very few people really cared about backwards compatibility. If there was a demand and market for it Nintendo would have made one. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
godslabrat Posted October 30, 2014 Share Posted October 30, 2014 Due to circumstances unique to that particular generation, Nintendo received quite a backlash by not being backwards compatible. it was a very unpopular move by the parents of the time. Given that, I have no reason to doubt that Nintendo originally wanted to make the system backwards compatible, but simply found it too expensive to do so while competing with Sega. Backwards compatibility was a very weird thing at that point in time. I don't think we'll ever see those circumstances again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zap! Posted October 31, 2014 Share Posted October 31, 2014 Due to circumstances unique to that particular generation, Nintendo received quite a backlash by not being backwards compatible. it was a very unpopular move by the parents of the time. Given that, I have no reason to doubt that Nintendo originally wanted to make the system backwards compatible, but simply found it too expensive to do so while competing with Sega. Backwards compatibility was a very weird thing at that point in time. I don't think we'll ever see those circumstances again. If they received such a backlash for not making it backwardly compatible or even offering an adapter, why did they do it again in 1996 with the N-64? And aren't we seeing the same circumstances again right now with the X-Box One and PS4? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LS_Dracon Posted October 31, 2014 Share Posted October 31, 2014 As a side the Sega Master System adapter was a no-brainer as the z80 was an integral part of the Genesis. It wasn't a vestigial and expensive part like the C64 compatibility in the C128. Yep. The Texas Instruments sound chip also, at least in the model 1 and 2. I'm wondering if there's a game/tech demo using all 6 yamaha sound channels plus 3 TI sound channels for a more complex sega genesis music... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greg2600 Posted October 31, 2014 Share Posted October 31, 2014 If they received such a backlash for not making it backwardly compatible or even offering an adapter, why did they do it again in 1996 with the N-64? And aren't we seeing the same circumstances again right now with the X-Box One and PS4? Well there was the Tristar64 out of Hong Kong! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
godslabrat Posted October 31, 2014 Share Posted October 31, 2014 If they received such a backlash for not making it backwardly compatible or even offering an adapter, why did they do it again in 1996 with the N-64? And aren't we seeing the same circumstances again right now with the X-Box One and PS4? By then, the attitude was a bit more tempered. Snes was a unique generational shift. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crazy Climber Posted October 31, 2014 Share Posted October 31, 2014 The backlash was cheap parents that just needed an excuse NOT to buy a SNES, they wouldn't have bought it anyway, Nintendo was able to figure that out and not waste there time with it... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carlsson Posted October 31, 2014 Share Posted October 31, 2014 From a developer's perspective, it might be confusing if a manufacturer actively supports both the old and the new gen in the same device. If SNES had been backwards compatible, should game developers move onto making games for the newer system that fewer customers got, or stick with the older system as those games would be playable on the newer system as well? In particular the less demanding titles would be far fewer on the SNES, as there would not be any demand for SNES optimized versions of those. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greg2600 Posted October 31, 2014 Share Posted October 31, 2014 Once the SFC development deviated far enough from the NES, the concept was scrapped. Sure Nintendo took a PR hit, but it had more to do with parents being upset they had to buy a new system rather than it not playing the old one. I don't know anyone who threw their NES away when they got a Genesis or SNES. You just slide it off to the side, into the closet. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+FujiSkunk Posted October 31, 2014 Share Posted October 31, 2014 I'm wondering if there's a game/tech demo using all 6 yamaha sound channels plus 3 TI sound channels for a more complex sega genesis music... Sonic the Hedgehog uses both sound chips for its music. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
R.Cade Posted October 31, 2014 Share Posted October 31, 2014 I worked at a game store (Electronics Boutique- dumb name) at the time, and we did occasionally get that question. Once I mentioned that you could simply chain the RF boxes together and hook up your old NES and new SNES to the same TV if you wanted, they would say "Oh, that makes sense.". I never really understood the logic of backward compatibility. It's a non-issue. You already own the games, you own the old system too... what is the problem to solve exactly? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Great Hierophant Posted October 31, 2014 Share Posted October 31, 2014 I believe the SNES cost $199 when it was first released. Parents were upset about having to buy the "new Nintendo" so that their children could play the latest and greatest. However, adding NES compatibility would have meant that the console would have cost $274-299 (or more, because Nintendo estimated it would cost $75.00 per system to ensure NES compatibility in the SNES) when first released, and parents would instead complain about the extraordinarily high price for the new Nintendo. Nintendo couldn't win either way. Backwards compatibility was not something that Sega had a monopoly on at the time. The Atari 7800 was backwards compatible with 2600 games and the Intellivision, Colecovision and 5200 had adapters to play 2600 games. It was unfortunate that Nintendo never released a NES adapter for the SNES, but the NES Top Loader was released for $49 dollars, which would have been close to the cost of an adapter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CatPix Posted October 31, 2014 Share Posted October 31, 2014 (edited) You gotta remember too that the NES sold alot. Peak sales in Europe happened in.... 1992! Yes, one year AFTER the release of the SNES, the NES saw it's biggest year in term of sales. As mentionned, Nintendo first though about compatibility, hence the weak CPU of the SNES. But I think they decided that the NES was selling good enough still to not need to have compatibility. Why making your system compatible when you know that game shops will carry your old system readily available because it's selling MORE? Plus, I bet they knew already that advance in techonolgy would make the SNES obsolete fast. And, the Megadrive had been released for 2 years already, they could'nt delay things more. Edited October 31, 2014 by CatPix Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crazy Climber Posted October 31, 2014 Share Posted October 31, 2014 Once the SFC development deviated far enough from the NES, the concept was scrapped. Sure Nintendo took a PR hit, but it had more to do with parents being upset they had to buy a new system rather than it not playing the old one. I don't know anyone who threw their NES away when they got a Genesis or SNES. You just slide it off to the side, into the closet. Well, it was also the time "trade ins" started to take off. The First ever Funcoland (now gamestop) was here in MN. It was in the back of a warehouse and literally had a showroom the size of a very small bedroom (I think the majority of the business was mail order) When the Genesis was released we drove down and traded in every bit of my NES stuff so I could have the latest greatest system. I still remember the owner pondering weather or not to purchase my Atari 2600 stuff. Who knows, had I pushed a little harder maybe we would have seen Atari at all the Funcolands, lol. The store was in it's infancy at that time and he did strongly consider it.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gamemoose Posted October 31, 2014 Share Posted October 31, 2014 I never really understood the logic of backward compatibility. It's a non-issue. You already own the games, you own the old system too... what is the problem to solve exactly? Simple: a person wants to play the new but likes some of the old. Sell the old system and games you don't want and put that cash towards the new. A B/C system does it all in one shell. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crazy Climber Posted October 31, 2014 Share Posted October 31, 2014 I just flat out don't think the market was there for it. Sure, Sega did it but supporting too many old systems is what led to the Demise of there consoles... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rex Dart Posted October 31, 2014 Share Posted October 31, 2014 Yep. The Texas Instruments sound chip also, at least in the model 1 and 2. I'm wondering if there's a game/tech demo using all 6 yamaha sound channels plus 3 TI sound channels for a more complex sega genesis music... Batman used some sort of audio trickery. I'd look it up & paste the details but I'm at work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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