Retronauts Episode 398: The Super NES Launch

We've added four new buttons to the podcast in celebration!

Today is the 30th anniversary of the North American launch of the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. I don't have to tell you that console was well-received because Super Nintendo games are amongst our most popular episode topics. The fact that Nintendo is willing to distribute emulators in order to sell us tiny plastic replicas of the SNES is proof that people love that little machine even three decades later.

However, not all was well in 1991. Nintendo had increased competition from rival systems and needed to convince parents around the world that upgrading the hardware in their collective living rooms was worth the expense—resetting their kids' game collections in the process.

On our show this week to remember the Super NES is Jeremy, Bob, Digital Eclipse's Chris Kohler, and Art of Nintendo Power curator Stephan Reese. If you're one of those holdouts who refused to leave your 8-bit Nintendo behind, let them convince you that it's high time to give the 16-bit generation a try.

Description: Jeremy Parish, Bob Mackey, Chris Kohler, and Stephan Reese muster all their Nintendo knowledge and an alarming amount of fuzzy nostalgia to talk about the 30th anniversary of the Nintendo Entertainment System launch and the console's early days.

Retronauts is a completely fan-funded operation. To support the show, and get exclusive episodes every month, please visit the official Retronauts Patreon.

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Artwork for this episode by Greg Melo and editing thanks go to Greg Leahy.