Halfbaked

Is there any info on UK sales?

Does anyone have console sales for Scandanavia?

Anyone know how many units the Amiga CD32 shifted?

It was Mattel, I still have my Mattel box behind the settee.

Context is important, I mentioned the GX4000 as an example of an incredibly poor selling console, which still eclipsed the Atari. It was only taking into account consoles sales. I was an avid reader of media, like all my compatriots, so we were on the ball with regards to consoles and what was out and what wasn't (I recall really wanting that Konix). The NES sold 1.5 million and I think it was successful for the 'UK market' (as was the Master system). Sinclair and Commodore were the big names in the early 80s, then that became Atari and Commodore. By 1990, consoles had become as large presence as they could have been for the UK market, and Sega and Nintendo were as prevalent on the lips of kids in the playground, but the Atari ST and the Amiga still pushed the 'school-work' angle heavily, which was rubbish, we just wanted them for games. One shouldn't compare UK figures to other countries as the computer industry was so strong, with £1.99 games and codes where you could write your own games, but even so, the big two did make a considerable dent into that market.

I've enjoyed your posts here koolkitty. I found this place when my interest was sparkled on data of sales. I've done quite a bit of youtube video watching recently and watched a fair few game comparison vids. NES/Master System and others. I read a lot of (mostly moronic tribal) posts at youtube and amongst the retroactive gibberish was that the NES wasn't popular in the UK and it didn't sell well, which wasn't how I recall things at all, so I started looking into it. :D Anecdotally, I cannot recall the 7800 at all, it was invisible. Vague recollection of the XEGS (which I had to look up), AMstrad GX4000 and other smaller machines.

I know. Up until recently I only had my memories, but after watching youtube videos of my old games and reading some comments, I looked into it more. wanting just the stats. It is interesting see how Nintendo (for the most part) got behind a machine for half a generation and then pushed the next one. Sega seemed to release a machine every few years, when one looks at the Mark 1 all the way up to the Dreamcast. I had forgotten that the Master system2 was still a bargain bucket machine in the UK up until the mid 90s which helped its numbers. I think 'showed up' late is an inappropriate way of seeing how Nintendo allowed programmers to utilise the machine and allow gamers to enjoy the hardware for a sufficient amount of time, as opposed to the alternative of releasing hardware regularly to have the punter shell out for it.

The UK release of Mario 3 was post the Japanses release of Mario World, but in line with UK releases. I played Mario 3 and then a year later I played Mario World. The import game was big in magazines (almost bought a PC Engine myself) but it was practically non existent for the general gamer. By that time Nintendo had gotten their act together and I was happy to wait, but looking back it is annoying that so many great NES games came so late.

Only the top end NES games were £49.99, like Zelda (I have vivid memory of asking for this game and my mum quibbling the price). £34.99 to £39.99 was the most used price range I think. I had forgotten that Sega games were priced 'cheaply' though.

The NES was more popular, 8.5 million to 6.2. Also by the end of their lives, the NES had caught up to the Master system with 1.5 million units. France had 1.4 million sold.

The NES was more than a curiosity. I had computers and consoles back then, I knew many NES owners. Computers dominated in the UK because the games were cheap and they had the legacy in the UK, but one you played the best games on the NES (like Zelda, the C64 had nothing like it, the comparison to ToL is hilarious) the games on the NES were yugely expensive yes, but the best ones just outshone the best C64 games. I had an Amiga as well and the games on there had lovely graphics, but the gameplay on PC games was usually behind consoles. I can recall going into a Toys-r-us and there being a while lane of Nintendo stuff, with some Sega too.

The NES outsold the Master system 8.5 million units to 6.2 in Europe.