Little Compartment On The Bottom Of The NES

[Tempest]

While rearranging my games systems today I noticed something for the first time. What the heck is that little carpartment under the NES for? It looks like a cap that can be pulled off and I imagine there's an expansion port in there. I know nothing used this, but was anything planned? Seems kinda odd.

 

Tempest

[Tempest]

Ahh... Ok I found the answer. Apperently it was for some unreleased multi-player adapter.

 

 

Tempest

[tyranthraxus]

Actually that is incorrect it was actually intended as a place to hide your

stash

[JB]

While rearranging my games systems today I noticed something for the first time.  What the heck is that little carpartment under the NES for?  It looks like a cap that can be pulled off and I imagine there's an expansion port in there.  I know nothing used this, but was anything planned?  Seems kinda odd.

 

Tempest

Remember the FamiCom had hard-wired gamepads?

Specialty and 3rd-party controllers hooked in there in Japan, as well as accessories.

They included it in American units because they thought they'd use it.

 

In point of fact, socketed controllers almost completely removed the need for it, and since Nintendo didn't bring the LCD shutter glasses over(or any of the other various oddities), it serves no purpose whatsoever.

[MegaManFan]

I was also given the impression that in Japan they used it as a dataport for the modem, for people who used their Famicom to check the stock market. No, seriously.

[sigma]

I was also given the impression that in Japan they used it as a dataport for the modem, for people who used their Famicom to check the stock market.  No, seriously.

A precursor to the Super Famicon's Bandai Satellaview?

[sniperCCJVQ]

The bottom connector was used for the modem for the unreleased Minnesota State Lottery cart.

 

http://www.megspace.com/entertainment/nesk...tery/index.html

[RMila75]

The bottom connector was used for the modem for the unreleased Minnesota State Lottery cart.

http://www.megspace.com/entertainment/neskingdom/special/lottery/index.html

 

I'll be darned! And most of us are still stuck depending upon those big old clear plastic machines that blow around all those ping-pong balls!

[Inky]

I coulda sworn that's where the NES Disk Drive was supposed to go...

[Atarinvader]

I always guessed that was a cable tidy...

[sku_u]

The bottom connector was used for the modem for the unreleased Minnesota State Lottery cart.

http://www.megspace.com/entertainment/neskingdom/special/lottery/index.html

 

Is this real or a joke? It was a great idea and something I never knew about before.

[joeybastard]

Actually that is incorrect it was actually intended as a place to hide your  

stash

 

You're laughing, but I did hide pot in there when I was a teenager and still did those types of things

[Snider-man]

You can put your weeeeeed in it.

[RMila75]

Don't forget the Saturn's battery compartment.

[Ze_ro]

I always just figured that companies put expansion ports on pretty much all their systems, just in case they decide to expand it later on. A whole bunch of systems had ports that never got used for anything.

 

--Zero

[sniperCCJVQ]

The bottom connector was used for the modem for the unreleased Minnesota State Lottery cart.

http://www.megspace.com/entertainment/neskingdom/special/lottery/index.html

 

Is this real or a joke? It was a great idea and something I never knew about before.

 

It's real.

 

The first idea of the bottom connector was for a FDS like device. But later in the NES life, the modem idea was most closest thing they did.

 

But the Minnesota lottery never came out of the prototype stage.

[Brad2600]

The bottom connector was used for the modem for the unreleased Minnesota State Lottery cart.

http://www.megspace.com/entertainment/neskingdom/special/lottery/index.html

 

 

That would be a totally cool thing to use if someone could build one of those from scratch and actually operate it.

[Vic George 2K3]

I always just figured that companies put expansion ports on pretty much all their systems, just in case they decide to expand it later on. A whole bunch of systems had ports that never got used for anything.

 

--Zero

 

That just stinks when console manufacturers put in expansion ports that end up never being used. Even more irritating that Nintendo did end up using the expansion ports of the SNES and N64, but the products that used them were only available overseas.

[Jasoco]

Most consoles have expansion ports. They don't HAVE to be used, you know. It's not like console makers are REQUIRED to release add-ons.

 

And yes, I agree, it is sad that the add-ons are usually only released in Japan. I'm completely surprised that the Game Boy Player actually made it here. For a while it looked like the Cube would have yet another unused expansion port.

 

Also remember that a LOT of the time, periphrials actually released for those slots don't succeed.

 

The Genesis comes to mind. The Sega CD wasn't popular enough and flopped in most respects. The 64DD wasn't as big as it should have been in Japan and therefore never made it here.

 

I would love to have seen the Sony/Nintendo deal go through. Even if the PlayStation add-on for the SNES was a failure, it'd make one hell of a cool device. (Especially after seeing the Super Famicom/CD combo. It's one of the most attractive systems I've seen. Sadly, we'd probably get a boxy version in the US.)

 

Makes me wonder what the N5 will look like, and if it'll also have a slot. And whether it'll get used.

[Cootster]

George Andersen, the lottery director who thought up this concept, recently decided to swallow his shotgun . . .

 

Perhaps he never got over the lawmakers dumping this idea?

 

And, no, in this country, it would have been a bad, BAD idea. Between all the PTA types grumbling over "encouraging gambling by children" and the fact that people would be stealing NES systems all over Minnesota in the hope to catch someone with cash in their Lotto account . . . It would have never worked . . .

 

The modem itself, however, should have been used . . . If only for some cheesy attempt at the Atari Gameline/Sega Channel . . . I would have bought it, and ran up mega-charges just to play DK3 or something.

[Tempest]

Anyone have pics of that Lottery Modem? The pictures on the page don't seem to want to come up for me.

 

Tempest

[Ze_ro]

That just stinks when console manufacturers put in expansion ports that end up never being used.

 

Would you rather they not put an expansion port on at all?

 

They did the right thing in not bringing the 64DD to North America... it would have been a failure.

 

--Zero

[privateers69]

Anyone have pics of that Lottery Modem?  The pictures on the page don't seem to want to come up for me.

 

Tempest

[privateers69]

heres the rest of them.

[SS]

Actually that is incorrect it was actually intended as a place to hide your  

stash

 

You're laughing, but I did hide pot in there when I was a teenager and still did those types of things

 

I had great parents who stupidly trusted me and never searched my room. I think that I "hid" mine in my sock drawer!

 

I’ll tell you how naive my mother was. I’m a skinny guy. Always have been. I went through my whole teenage years generally not eating. Unless, of course, I came home at Midnight and ended up scarfing down a whole box of Apple Jacks in one sitting! Somehow she never put two and two together.

 

Man, have I ever drifted waaaaaaay OT here! :wink: