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History
Emulation
Peripherals
Market Share |
Peripherals
The SNES standard controller adds two additional face buttons to the
design of the NES iteration, arranging the four in a diamond shape, and
the layout adds two shoulder buttons. It also features an ergonomic
design later used for the NES 2. The Japanese and PAL region versions
incorporate the system's logo in the colors of the four action buttons,
while the North American version colors them lavender and purple to
match the redesigned console. Many believe that several later consoles
derive their controller design from the SNES, including the PlayStation,
PS2, PS3, Dreamcast, Xbox, Xbox 360, and Wii (Classic Controller).
Throughout the course of its life, a number of peripherals were released
which added to the functionality of the SNES. Many of these devices were
modeled after earlier add-ons for the NES: the Super Scope is a light
gun functionally similar to the NES Zapper (though the Super Scope
features wireless capabilities) and the Super Advantage is an
arcade-style joystick with adjustable turbo settings akin to the NES
Advantage. Nintendo also released the SNES Mouse in conjunction with its
Mario Paint title. Hudson Soft, under license from Nintendo, released
the Super Multitap, a multiplayer adapter for use with its popular
series of Bomberman games. Some of the more unusual controllers include
the BatterUP baseball bat and TeeV Golf golf club.
While Nintendo never released an adapter for playing NES games on the
SNES, the Super Game Boy adapter cartridge allows games designed for
Nintendo's portable Game Boy system to be played on the SNES. The Super
Game Boy touted several feature enhancements over the Game Boy,
including palette substitution, custom screen borders, and (for
specially enhanced games) access to the SNES console.
Like the NES before it, the SNES saw its fair share of unlicensed
third-party peripherals, including a new version of the Game Genie cheat
cartridge designed for use with SNES games and a variety of game copier
devices. In general, Nintendo proved to be somewhat more tolerant of
unlicensed SNES peripherals than they had been with NES peripherals.
Soon after the release of the SNES, companies began marketing backup
devices such as the Super Wildcard, Super Pro Fighter Q, and Game
Doctor. These devices were sold to create a backup of a cartridge, in
the event that it would break. However, they could also be used to play
copied ROM images that could be downloaded from BBSes and the Internet,
or to create copies of rented video games, often violating copyright
laws in many jurisdictions.
Japan saw the release of the Satellaview, a modem which attached to the
Super Famicom's expansion port and connected to the St. GIGA satellite
radio station. Users of the Satellaview could download gaming news and
specially designed games, which were frequently either remakes of or
sequels to older Famicom titles, released in installments. Satellaview
signals were broadcast from April 23, 1995 through June 30, 2000. In the
United States, the similar but relatively short-lived XBAND allowed
users to connect to a network via a dial-up modem to compete against
other players around the country.
During the SNES's life, Nintendo contracted with two different companies
to develop a CD-ROM-based peripheral for the console to compete with
Sega's CD-ROM based addon, Sega CD. Ultimately, negotiations with both
Sony and Philips fell through, and Sony went on to develop its own
console based on its initial dealings with Nintendo (the PlayStation),
with Philips gaining the right to release a series of titles based on
Nintendo franchises for its CD-i multimedia player. |
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