Cartridge and mappers' history: Difference between revisions

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;1983 July 15th
;1983 July 15th
:The Nintendo Family Computer (Famicom) is released in Japan. The 3 launch games are : Donkey Kong, Donkey Kong Jr. and Popeye. During year one only Nintendo released games for the system. All of them were 16kB PRG and 8kb CHR.
:The Nintendo Family Computer (Famicom) is released in Japan. The 3 launch games are : "Donkey Kong", "Donkey Kong Jr." and "Popeye". During the first year, only Nintendo released games for the system. All of them had 16 KiB PRG and 8 KiB CHR.
;1984 June 21th
;1984 June 21th
:Family BASIC is released. It is the first special cart Nintendo made for the system, instead of being a game it is a device that allows programming the system in the BASIC language. It's also the first cart that uses 32kB of PRG. It also uses 2KB PRG RAM and 2 KB battery backup.  It is the first cart (for a long while) to use PRG-RAM and battery backup.
:Family BASIC is released. It is the first special cart Nintendo made for the system: instead of being a game it is a device that allows programming the system in the BASIC language. It's also the first cart that uses 32 KiB of PRG. Additionally it provides 2 KiB PRG RAM that is battery backup.  It is the first cart (for a long while) to use PRG RAM, let alone battery backup.
;1984 July 28th/31st
;1984 July 28th/31st
:Hudson's "Nuts & Milk" and "Lode Runner" appear to be the first 3rd party games released on the Famicom. The cartridges were manufactured by Nintendo though.
:Hudson's "Nuts & Milk" and "Lode Runner" appear to be the first 3rd party games released on the Famicom. The cartridges were manufactured by Nintendo though.
;1984 November 2nd/8th
;1984 November 2nd/8th
:Namco's "Pac Man" and "Xevious" appear to be the first cartridges entirely manufactured by a 3rd party which were released for the Famicom. Also Xevious appears to be the first 32 KB PRG game for the system (Family BASIC isn't a game). Because of the lack of any lockout chip, Namco and many other companies (Bandai, Irem, Jaleco, Konami, Sunsoft, Taito) will follow this trend and make their own cartridges instead of having Nintendo make them for them.
:Namco's "Pac Man" and "Xevious" appear to be the first cartridges released for the Famicom which were entirely manufactured by a 3rd party. "Xevious" appears to be the first 32 KiB PRG game for the system (as Family BASIC isn't a game). Because of the lack of any lockout chip, Namco and many other companies (Bandai, Irem, Jaleco, Konami, Sunsoft, Taito) will follow this trend and make their own cartridges instead of having Nintendo make them for them.
;1985 September 13th
;1985 September 13th
:Nintendo "Super Mario Bros." is released in Japan. It is one of the first (if not the first) Famicom games to not be merely a port of another arcade or computer game. This will be a major factor in the console's success.
:Nintendo's "Super Mario Bros." is released in Japan. It is one of the first (if not the first) Famicom games to not be merely a port of another arcade or computer game. This will be a major factor in the console's success.
;1985 September 28th
;1985 September 28th
:Jaleco's "City Connection" is the first game to use hardware other than 2 ROMs (again I don't count Family Basic as a game). The cartridge was made by Jaleco and uses [[iNES Mapper 087|some circuitry]] to allow 16 KB of CHR ROM, switching between two 8 KB banks. Mappers were born.
:Jaleco's "City Connection" is the first game to use hardware other than two ROMs (not counting Family BASIC). The cartridge was made by Jaleco and uses [[iNES Mapper 087|some circuitry]] to allow 16 KB of CHR ROM, switching between two 8 KiB banks. Mappers were born.
;1985 October 18th
;1985 October 18th
:The Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) is released in the United States. The launch games are : 10-Yard Fight, Baseball, Clu Clu Land, Donkey Kong Jr. Math, Duck Hunt, Excitebike, Golf, Gyromite, Hogan's Alley, Ice Climber, Kung Fu, Mach Rider, Pinball, Stack-Up, Super Mario Bros., Tennis, Wild Gunman, and Wrecking Crew. Some of these contained 60-pin Famicom cartridge PCBs connected to an internal Famicom-to-NES adapter, while others used 72-pin cartridge PCBs designed specifically for the NES. This list already includes some third party games but this time the lockout chip inside the NES prevented them from building their own cartridges.
:The Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) is released in the United States. The launch games are : "10-Yard Fight", "Baseball", "Clu Clu Land", "Donkey Kong Jr. Math", "Duck Hunt", "Excitebike", "Golf", "Gyromite", "Hogan's Alley", "Ice Climber", "Kung Fu", "Mach Rider", "Pinball", "Stack-Up", "Super Mario Bros.", "Tennis", "Wild Gunman", and "Wrecking Crew". Some of these contained 60-pin Famicom cartridge PCBs connected to an internal Famicom-to-NES adapter, while others used 72-pin cartridge PCBs designed specifically for the NES. This list already includes some third party games but this time the lockout chip inside the NES prevented them from building their own cartridges.
;1986 January 4th
;1986 January 4th
:Konami copies Jaleco's CHR bank switching circuit in their "Twin Bee" game.
:Konami copied Jaleco's CHR bank switching circuit in their game "Twin Bee".
;1986 February 21st
;1986 February 21st
:Nintendo release the Famicom Disk System accessory, which can vastly improve the possibilities of the console (almost no games were using mappers). One disk could hold 128 KB of data (64KB per side), and could be cheaper to produce. Also it could save data, and extra sound could be used.
:Nintendo released the Famicom Disk System (FDS) accessory, which vastly improve the capabilities of the console (almost no games were yet using mappers). One disk can hold 128 KB of data (64KB per side), and was cheaper to produce. Additionally it could hold save data, and produce extra sound.
;1986 April
;1986 April
:Bandai, Konami and Nintendo appear to start producing CNROM/mapper 3 games almost simultaneously. It's an improvement over Jaleco's circuit that uses only one chip instead of two.
:Bandai, Konami and Nintendo appear to start producing CNROM/mapper 3 games almost simultaneously. It's an improvement over Jaleco's circuit that uses only one chip instead of two.
;1986 April 17th
;1986 April 17th
:Sunsoft's Atlantis no Nazo appears to be the first cartridge that uses a dedicated mapper chip (as opposed to 74 series logic chips). Other companies (Konami, Namco, etc...) will follow this trend rapidly.
:Sunsoft's "Atlantis no Nazo" appears to be the first cartridge that uses a dedicated mapper chip (as opposed to 74 series logic chips). Other companies (Konami, Namco, etc...) will follow this trend rapidly.
;1986 June 6th
;1986 June 6th
:Nintendo's Gumshoe (released in USA) is the first game that expands not only the CHR ROM, but also the PRG ROM. It's the first game to use 128 KB of PRG ROM.
:Nintendo's "Gumshoe" (released in USA) is the first game that expands not only the CHR ROM, but also the PRG ROM. It's the first game to use 128 KiB of PRG ROM.
;1986 June 13th
;1986 June 13th
:Capcom's Maikamura (a.k.a. Ghosts 'n' Goblins) appears to be the first UNROM/mapper 2 game. It’s also the first game cartridge to use CHR-RAM (not considering FDS's RAM adapter as a game).
:Capcom's "Maikamura" (a.k.a. "Ghosts 'n' Goblins") appears to be the first UNROM/mapper 2 game. It’s also the first game cartridge to use CHR RAM, other than the FDS's RAM adapter.
;1986 September 1st
;1986 September 1st
:The NES is released in PAL-B regions.
:The NES is released in PAL-B regions.
;1987 April 14th
;1987 April 14th
:Seta's Morita Shougi appears to be the first game to use a Nintendo MMC1 mapper. It's also the first game cartridge with a 8kb SRAM and battery backup.
:Seta's "Morita Shougi" appears to be the first game to use the Nintendo [[MMC1]] mapper. It's also the first game cartridge with 8 KiB of PRG RAM and battery backup.
;1987 May 15th
;1987 May 15th
:The NES is released in PAL-A regions.
:The NES is released in PAL-A regions.
;1988 March 18th
;1988 March 18th
:Irem releases Napoleon Senki, the first games to have 4-screen mirroring, and to contain both CHR-RAM and CHR-ROM.
:Irem released "Napoleon Senki", the first game to have 4-screen mirroring, and to contain both CHR RAM and CHR ROM.
;1988 September 27th
;1988 September 27th
:Seta's 8-Eyes appears to be the first game to use a Nintendo MMC3 mapper (it's just an improved version of an older [[iNES Mapper 206|Namco mapper]] by the way).
:Seta's "8-Eyes" appears to be the first game to use the Nintendo [[MMC3]] mapper (an improved version of an older [[iNES Mapper 206|Namco mapper]]).
;1990 September
;1990 September
:Hal Laboratory's Uchuu Keibitai SDF and Konami's Castlevania 3 (released almost simultaneously) appear to be the first games to use a Nintendo MMC5 mapper.
:Hal Laboratory's "Uchuu Keibitai SDF" and Konami's "Castlevania 3" (released almost simultaneously) appear to be the first games to use the Nintendo [[MMC5]] mapper.
;1991 June
;1991 June
:Videomation is released. It apparently is the first and only "game" to bankswitch CHR-RAM.
:"[[CPROM|Videomation]]" is released. It apparently is the first "game" to bankswitch CHR RAM.
;1991 August 30th
;1991 August 30th
:HAL Labratory releases Metal Slader Glory, the largest licensed game with 512KB of PRG-ROM and CHR-ROM.
:HAL Labratory released "Metal Slader Glory", the largest licensed game with 512KB of PRG ROM and CHR ROM.
;1994 May 13th
;1994 May 13th
:Coconuts Japan's Pachi Slot Adventure 3: Bitaoshii 7 Kenzan! appears to be the last licensed game released for the Famicom.
:Coconuts Japan's "Pachi Slot Adventure 3: Bitaoshii 7 Kenzan!" appears to be the last licensed game released for the Famicom.
;1994 December
;1994 December
:Nintendo's Wario's Woods is the last licensed game for the NES in USA.
:Nintendo's "Wario's Woods" is the last licensed game for the NES in USA.
;2003 September 25th
;2003 September 25th
:Nintendo discontinues all manufacturing and support for the Famicom
:Nintendo discontinued all manufacturing and support for the Famicom

Revision as of 05:34, 6 July 2015

1983 July 15th
The Nintendo Family Computer (Famicom) is released in Japan. The 3 launch games are : "Donkey Kong", "Donkey Kong Jr." and "Popeye". During the first year, only Nintendo released games for the system. All of them had 16 KiB PRG and 8 KiB CHR.
1984 June 21th
Family BASIC is released. It is the first special cart Nintendo made for the system: instead of being a game it is a device that allows programming the system in the BASIC language. It's also the first cart that uses 32 KiB of PRG. Additionally it provides 2 KiB PRG RAM that is battery backup. It is the first cart (for a long while) to use PRG RAM, let alone battery backup.
1984 July 28th/31st
Hudson's "Nuts & Milk" and "Lode Runner" appear to be the first 3rd party games released on the Famicom. The cartridges were manufactured by Nintendo though.
1984 November 2nd/8th
Namco's "Pac Man" and "Xevious" appear to be the first cartridges released for the Famicom which were entirely manufactured by a 3rd party. "Xevious" appears to be the first 32 KiB PRG game for the system (as Family BASIC isn't a game). Because of the lack of any lockout chip, Namco and many other companies (Bandai, Irem, Jaleco, Konami, Sunsoft, Taito) will follow this trend and make their own cartridges instead of having Nintendo make them for them.
1985 September 13th
Nintendo's "Super Mario Bros." is released in Japan. It is one of the first (if not the first) Famicom games to not be merely a port of another arcade or computer game. This will be a major factor in the console's success.
1985 September 28th
Jaleco's "City Connection" is the first game to use hardware other than two ROMs (not counting Family BASIC). The cartridge was made by Jaleco and uses some circuitry to allow 16 KB of CHR ROM, switching between two 8 KiB banks. Mappers were born.
1985 October 18th
The Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) is released in the United States. The launch games are : "10-Yard Fight", "Baseball", "Clu Clu Land", "Donkey Kong Jr. Math", "Duck Hunt", "Excitebike", "Golf", "Gyromite", "Hogan's Alley", "Ice Climber", "Kung Fu", "Mach Rider", "Pinball", "Stack-Up", "Super Mario Bros.", "Tennis", "Wild Gunman", and "Wrecking Crew". Some of these contained 60-pin Famicom cartridge PCBs connected to an internal Famicom-to-NES adapter, while others used 72-pin cartridge PCBs designed specifically for the NES. This list already includes some third party games but this time the lockout chip inside the NES prevented them from building their own cartridges.
1986 January 4th
Konami copied Jaleco's CHR bank switching circuit in their game "Twin Bee".
1986 February 21st
Nintendo released the Famicom Disk System (FDS) accessory, which vastly improve the capabilities of the console (almost no games were yet using mappers). One disk can hold 128 KB of data (64KB per side), and was cheaper to produce. Additionally it could hold save data, and produce extra sound.
1986 April
Bandai, Konami and Nintendo appear to start producing CNROM/mapper 3 games almost simultaneously. It's an improvement over Jaleco's circuit that uses only one chip instead of two.
1986 April 17th
Sunsoft's "Atlantis no Nazo" appears to be the first cartridge that uses a dedicated mapper chip (as opposed to 74 series logic chips). Other companies (Konami, Namco, etc...) will follow this trend rapidly.
1986 June 6th
Nintendo's "Gumshoe" (released in USA) is the first game that expands not only the CHR ROM, but also the PRG ROM. It's the first game to use 128 KiB of PRG ROM.
1986 June 13th
Capcom's "Maikamura" (a.k.a. "Ghosts 'n' Goblins") appears to be the first UNROM/mapper 2 game. It’s also the first game cartridge to use CHR RAM, other than the FDS's RAM adapter.
1986 September 1st
The NES is released in PAL-B regions.
1987 April 14th
Seta's "Morita Shougi" appears to be the first game to use the Nintendo MMC1 mapper. It's also the first game cartridge with 8 KiB of PRG RAM and battery backup.
1987 May 15th
The NES is released in PAL-A regions.
1988 March 18th
Irem released "Napoleon Senki", the first game to have 4-screen mirroring, and to contain both CHR RAM and CHR ROM.
1988 September 27th
Seta's "8-Eyes" appears to be the first game to use the Nintendo MMC3 mapper (an improved version of an older Namco mapper).
1990 September
Hal Laboratory's "Uchuu Keibitai SDF" and Konami's "Castlevania 3" (released almost simultaneously) appear to be the first games to use the Nintendo MMC5 mapper.
1991 June
"Videomation" is released. It apparently is the first "game" to bankswitch CHR RAM.
1991 August 30th
HAL Labratory released "Metal Slader Glory", the largest licensed game with 512KB of PRG ROM and CHR ROM.
1994 May 13th
Coconuts Japan's "Pachi Slot Adventure 3: Bitaoshii 7 Kenzan!" appears to be the last licensed game released for the Famicom.
1994 December
Nintendo's "Wario's Woods" is the last licensed game for the NES in USA.
2003 September 25th
Nintendo discontinued all manufacturing and support for the Famicom