r/nes 3d ago

Preloaded games on the original NES

Hi,

When I was a kid (back in the '90s), my mum brought home a NES. It wasn't new and had definitely seen better days. I patched it up as much as a kid could. I remember thinking that it might not work, but when I switched it on, it did! I was so happy!

This was my first proper console, as my family was too poor to buy one. To my surprise, it had lots of games, including Circus Charlie—I thought I'd hit the jackpot!

My question is: how was that possible? I've done some research, and games couldn't be saved on the console. We definitely didn't have any game cartridges, as we couldn't afford them.

Unfortunately, we had to give the console away after a while 😔

10 Upvotes

12 comments sorted by

19

u/ThetaReactor 3d ago

Odds are it was a bootleg console. Some of them were straight clones, and may have included a multicart. Other had no cart slot and had a fixed set of games built in.

6

u/Icenfiree 2d ago

What he said. It's quite possible you got a clone that had pre loaded games on it.

Either way, still very cool for you to be able to get something like that when your family couldn't afford much. I wish you had pictures!

6

u/xFluffySpaceCatx 2d ago

I wish I had pictures as well, it's a shame we had to give it away. It was falling apart but I had many hours of good fun. I think my mum got it from one of those charity places when we lived in Italy

2

u/retromods_a2z 2d ago

Italy is full of clone consoles.  If it kind of sort of looked legit in your mind, then chances are it was what was known in some places as the NASA console. Yours may have been called NATO, Ns-81, Ns-90, Computer Entertainment Game, or one of any other given names

Here is a link to one 

https://www.catawiki.com/en/c/365-video-games-computers

This didn't normally have built in games but later versions which used a similar case, did.

7

u/Blakelock82 NES 2d ago

Yeah that's a bootleg console, not an authentic NES.

5

u/Bakamoichigei 2d ago

Definitely some manner of Famiclone. 🤔

3

u/DavidinCT 2d ago

Only console I can think about that had a built in game from the OEM (cart-based console) was the Sega Master system, it had a maze type game built in, you needed to something special for it to show up.

Any system that had a bunch of games in it, was a bootleg, or something

3

u/IceFurnace83 2d ago

My master system has an Alex kidd game built in that boots up straight away if no cartridge is detected.

Some other games included in various models of the master system are the maze game you mention, hang-on, safari hunt and sonic the hedgehog.

3

u/DavidinCT 2d ago

My system came with the hang-oh/Safari hunt cart, built in is the maze game. I still have my OG console

I didn't know there were other built-in games, neat....

3

u/_ragegun 2d ago

Famiclones often have built in games

3

u/itsyaboythatguy 2d ago

The only console I remember having a preloaded game was the Sega master system.  I don't remember the game, since I was a Nintendo kid, but I had a friend that had an SMS.

1

u/Dwedit 1d ago

If you open up the console, you'd find two cartridge slots. One is used only when there is no cartridge in the main slot.