SNES console design (North America vs world) and accessories
I think most agree that the North American design of the Super NES is aesthetically inferior to the design used in Japan (Super Famicom) and the rest of the world.
What I find strange is that the Super Scope and mouse accessories are clearly designed to match the aesthetic of the North American SNES. Both have the gray/dark-purple color combinations. Also look at the receiver for the Super Scope and the wavy edge around the base. I recall reading somewhere that the North American SNES was designed by the same NOA guy that designed the top-loader NES-101 / AV Famicom. [2018-edit]Lance Barr[/2018-edit]
It seems Nintendo never went back to the original designer of the Japanese Super Famicom. Does anyone know if it was designed by an in-house employee at Nintendo of Japan? ...or was it a contract design?
What I find strange is that the Super Scope and mouse accessories are clearly designed to match the aesthetic of the North American SNES. Both have the gray/dark-purple color combinations. Also look at the receiver for the Super Scope and the wavy edge around the base. I recall reading somewhere that the North American SNES was designed by the same NOA guy that designed the top-loader NES-101 / AV Famicom. [2018-edit]Lance Barr[/2018-edit]
It seems Nintendo never went back to the original designer of the Japanese Super Famicom. Does anyone know if it was designed by an in-house employee at Nintendo of Japan? ...or was it a contract design?
Comments
But I don't like how the SNES yellows.
As far as controllers however, the SFC ones are better in my eyes due to the rounder more multi-colored buttons.
I'm not sure of the in-house thing vs. a contract deal, but I tend to like both styles aesthetically.
As far as controllers however, the SFC ones are better in my eyes due to the rounder more multi-colored buttons.
The button colors were good for color-coding in-game. Lots of USA titles had vestigial color-coding in menus and UI prompts as a result. The concave X and Y buttons were intended to fit your thumb tips while the convex B and A buttons would be easier to press with the same thumb that's holding X or Y.
I'm not sure of the in-house thing vs. a contract deal, but I tend to like both styles aesthetically.
As far as controllers however, the SFC ones are better in my eyes due to the rounder more multi-colored buttons.
The button colors were good for color-coding in-game. Lots of USA titles had vestigial color-coding in menus and UI prompts as a result. The concave X and Y buttons were intended to fit your thumb tips while the convex B and A buttons would be easier to press with the same thumb that's holding X or Y.
I do see how they can give a slight ergonomic advantage for others. The grouping makes sense too.
Both are solid designs.
But I don't like how the SNES yellows.
not all of them do. Mine still looks great
North American SNES for me, I really do prefer it's aesthetic over the other regions.
You sound like I did until about 15 years ago. I got my Super Famicom 17 years ago. It took a couple years to grow on me and change my mind.
Originally posted by: xMaGuSx
North American SNES. But i like the PAL controller better.
Agreed.
North American SNES for me, I really do prefer it's aesthetic over the other regions.
You sound like I did until about 15 years ago. I got my Super Famicom 17 years ago. It took a couple years to grow on me and change my mind.
I've got both, I don't think I'll be having the same change of heart. There's something about the aesthetic of the PAL SNES/Super Famicom that reminds me of a beater car from the 80's or something. Maybe it's the colour tones, maybe it's the lines. I can't put my finger on it, but I've always really liked the purple/gray colours and the boxy shape of the NTSC SNES.
Super Famicom wins in the packaging category though.
Both are solid designs.
But I don't like how the SNES yellows.
not all of them do. Mine still looks great
Yeah, and I've seen yellowed SFCs too.
Anyway, I can think of some more objective reasons why I prefer the non-NA/US design:
The area around the cart door is beveled so that the surfaces functionally slope toward the hole and automatically guide the cartridge in place.
The cart opening is actually shaped like the cartridge bottom profile, making orientation, compatibility, and fit more clear.
It has the regional emblem visible on the top of the console (not just the name), thoroughly associating the two (US/NA has a regional emblem too but it doesn't show up on top of our console).
The color-coded buttons provide a useful function that the US SNES lacks (this even made it into their region's system emblem).
The eject button mechanism is more elaborate and feels more thoughtful (presses straight down to remotely lift up instead of swinging down a lever in an arc).
The locking mechanism was never removed so it is less likely to blow a fuse from people loading/unloading with the power on.
The games were never redesigned to defeat the lock except for stuff like Super Game Boy and Super Game Boy 2.
About the only advantage I can think of for the North American/USA SNES is that it has end labels on the game paks. If they really wanted to they could've just made a new plate for the top of the SFC that fits North American/USA game paks and a new regional emblem badge for the console (both were intentionally made as separate parts). It seems that there was some truth that we stupid Americans forced them to come up with this design so that we couldn't find a place to put a drink cup on it. They said that the locking mechanism was either prompting North American/USA players to damage things worse when trying to force it out or they were likely to hurt themselves by snatching a locked cartridge with a heavy console attached. They only removed it from the North American/USA version, which speaks to our stupidity some more.
About the only advantage I can think of for the USA SNES is that it has end labels on the game paks. If they really wanted to they could've just made a new plate for the top of the SFC that fits USA game paks and a new badge for the console (both were separate parts). It seems that there was some truth that we stupid Americans forced them to come up with this design so that we couldn't find a place to put a drink cup on it. They said that the locking mechanism was either prompting USA players to damage things worse when trying to force it out or hurt themselves. They only removed it from the USA version, which speaks to our stupidity some more.
I always wondered why Famicom and super famicom (mostly) didn't have them. N64 was the same across regions so that doesn't matter. But why did they feel the US needed them but Japan didn't?
While I was in Japan recently, I noticed the Japanese Genesis 2 (Mega Drive 2) had a horizontal sliding power switch like the v1. USA's v2 had a toggle button. It seems Japan likes to keep things the same even when they are changing things
I always thought the SFC design was really damn cool. But I think I like the North American one better. Partially nostalgia I'm sure, it was the first system I ever played. Super Famicom wins in the packaging category though.
I think the SF packaging is even worse than the console itself. All those colors make it look like a box for some fisher price toy
I always thought the SFC design was really damn cool. But I think I like the North American one better. Partially nostalgia I'm sure, it was the first system I ever played. Super Famicom wins in the packaging category though.
I think the SF packaging is even worse than the console itself. All those colors make it look like a box for some fisher price toy
The AV Famicom package looks like a crappy clone system.
https://www.google.com/search?q=av+famicom+box&tbm=isch
I like the designs for the SNES and the SFC. That said, I have the second model of the US SNES and that one is pretty ugly imo.
I've never liked the look of it. It just screams "cheap". I get the same vibe from the NES-101, though not to the same extent. That being said, my SNS-101 gets more use than my 001, though it's a finicky little asshole too.