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MG FACTS
by Marriott_Guy

With Nintendo reveling in the success of their Famicom in Japan, the company soon set its site on the North American market. This would prove to be a delicate task since most distributors were wary of investing significant capital after the Video Game Crash of 1983. Sensing that the public would not be receptive to another video game system, Nintendo decided to completely redesign their Famicom console and target a different audience - the home computer market.

The Nintendo Advanced Video System (AVS) was basically a full fledged home computer. The system included a keyboard, handheld joystick. light wand, music keyboard and a data storage unit. All peripherals were infrared wireless, which was revolutionary for that era. A lock-out mechanism prevented unauthorized software from running, allowing Nintendo to enforce quality standards. This would eventually become the Nintendo Seal of Quality.

Nintendo first unveiled their new machine at the Summer Computer Electronics Show (CES) in 1984. Though the public was generally impressed with its technical capabilities, most pundits dismissed the system. The North American market was already saturated with PC hybrids like the Commodore 64, Texas Instruments TI-99/4A, Atari 400/800, et al. Nintendo took the advice to heart, redesigning the AVS into what many consider the savior of the video game console - the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES).

The Nintendo AVS would eventually be put on display at the Nintendo World store in Manhattan, New York.