Nintendo VS. System

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VS. System

A VS. Dr. Mario arcade machine
Developer	Nintendo
Manufacturer	Nintendo
Type	Arcade video game
Release date	January 1984; 40 years ago (January 1984)
Lifespan	1984-1992
Discontinued	JP: Late 1985 (Late 1985) (Nintendo)[2] WW: July 31, 1992 (July 31, 1992)[1]
Units sold	100,000
Media	ROM chips
CPU	Ricoh 2A03
Platform	NES-based
Best-selling game	VS. Super Mario Bros.
Successor	PlayChoice-10

The Nintendo VS. System^[a] is an arcade system that was developed and produced by Nintendo. It is based on most of the same hardware as the Family Computer (Famicom), later released as the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES). As Nintendo was planning to release the NES in North America, they were aware of the video game crash of 1983 and its effects on the home console market. However by March 1984 the arcade industry recovered enough for a plan to introduce NES titles there, with the VS. System later being a presentation to players who did not yet own the console. It became the first version of the Famicom hardware to debut in North America.

Most of its games are conversions from the Famicom and NES, some heavily altered for the arcade format, and some debuted on the VS. System before being released on the Famicom or NES. The system focuses on two-player cooperative play. It was released in three different configurations: upright VS. UniSystem cabinets, upright VS. DualSystem cabinets, and sit-down VS. DualSystem cabinets. Games are on pluggable circuit boards, allowing for each side to have a different game.

The VS. System did not have lasting popularity in Japan, leading to Nintendo's departure from arcade game development. In contrast, it was a commercial success in the United States, with about 100,000 arcade cabinets sold, becoming the highest-grossing arcade machine of 1985. The system's success in arcades proved the market for the test release of the NES in North America in 1985. The final VS. System game was released in 1990.

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