Family Computer

The Family Computer (often shortened to Famicom) is the Japanese equivalent of the Nintendo Entertainment System. The Family Computer's controllers are attached to the main unit, unlike the NES, and could be stored on the sides of the system. The first player's controller can pause the game, and the second player's controller has audio controls. The cartridges are half the size of the NES's, and are inserted in the top instead of through a door in the front (like on the NES). Instead of looking like a vertical cartridge, like the NES, it more closely resembles a Super Nintendo Entertainment System cartridge, but can be found in different colors, such as gray, yellow, and blue.

The console was released in 1983, but in June 1984 and February 1986, the Family BASIC and Family Computer Disk System were released respectively as accessories for the Family Computer. Family BASIC allowed users to program in on their Family Computers. The Family Computer Disk System accessory enabled games to be played on the Family Computer in the form of a disk. Many newer games were released only on the Disk System that were never released on the NES or Family Computer. Sharp Corporation also manufactured the Twin Famicom, a Family Computer combined with the Disk System add-on in one piece of hardware, but it was only released in Japan.

On November 10, 2016, the Nintendo Classic Mini: Family Computer was released in Japan. Like the NES Classic Edition, it includes 30 pre-installed Family Computer games, although with some differences in the game lineup, such as Mario Open Golf in place of Donkey Kong Jr.

Mario franchise

 * In Super Mario Bros.: Peach-hime Kyushutsu Dai Sakusen!, Mario himself owns a Famicom, on which he plays an unnamed video game which bears some similarities to Super Mario Bros. Princess Peach and King Koopa also teleport through the television to which the Famicom is connected, although they do not appear to have any role at all in the game Mario is playing.
 * In WarioWare, Inc.: Mega Microgame$!, 9-Volt owns a Famicom system which can be seen in the upper-left corner of the screen during his introduction cutscene.
 * In Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, during Princess Peach's Interlude after Chapter 5, TEC-XX asks Peach to drink an invisibility potion in order to secretly enter Sir Grodus's Chamber and upload important data on a disk into the room's computer. When this happens, the computer screen shows the Famicom Disk System boot-up sequence which is then shortly followed up by an animation and some music from an unknown game.
 * In the Japanese version of WarioWare: Smooth Moves, the microgame Super Nostalgic Entertainment System uses a Family Computer instead.
 * In Super Paper Mario, a Famicom can be seen on a shelf in one of Francis' rooms in his fort, among other Nintendo systems.
 * In WarioWare: D.I.Y., a green Family Computer cartridge makes up the bottom screen of the title screen. Also, the designs and colors of the cartridges in this game are based on those of the Famicom.