Super Nintendo Entertainment System
physical object
Identifier
2025.13.1Description
Nintendo's second major home console was also a runaway success, even though it had tough competition from Sega Genesis. Nintendo produced different versions of the console for different markets, with the Japanese version called the Super Famicom. The Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES) featured enhanced graphics, a brand new controller with additional buttons, superior sound and more features. It also encoded the cartridges in such a way that you weren't able to play games from one country on a console from another.Nintendo and Sega maintained a fierce rivalry during the 16-bit era. Sega's Genesis was released before the SNES, and this head start allowed the Genesis to gain a substantial sales lead by the time the SNES came to market. Simultaneously, Sega ran an aggressive marketing campaign that portrayed the SNES and its players as slow and childlike when compared to the speedy and "cool" Genesis. While the Genesis led the SNES in sales throughout most of the 16-bit generation, the SNES eventually overtook it as the decade ended with nearly 50 million units shipped worldwide.
One of the SNES’s strengths was its library of games. It was host to numerous classic video games, including titles such as Super Mario World, Super Metroid, Final Fantasy VI, Chrono Trigger, Donkey Kong Country, Street Fighter II, The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past, Star Fox, F-Zero, and Super Mario Kar