How Much Did the Original Nintendo Entertainment System Cost? A Nostalgic Guide for Gamers

As a fellow gaming enthusiast, I‘m sure you‘ve fond memories of the iconic Nintendo Entertainment System. The 8-bit grey box that saved the video game industry and defined a generation of gamers. Maybe you eagerly tore open that iconic Action Set bundle on a holiday morning. Or blew into those temperamental cartridges until they just worked. What we sometimes forget is that groundbreaking technology comes at a price. So what exactly did we or our parents pay to bring the NES into our living rooms way back when? Let‘s take a nostalgic trip down memory lane and explore the history of how much the original Nintendo cost over its lifespan…

The Launch of the Nintendo Entertainment System – Reviving Video Games for $150

After the video game crash of 1983, the industry was in dire straits. Retailers had zero appetite to restock consoles. Then along came the Nintendo Entertainment System, launched in New York in 1985 for the staggering price of $149.99. I don‘t know about you, but shelling out over $150 on a new, unproven video game system seemed crazy back then! Now adjusted for inflation, that works out to almost $380 in today‘s money. A huge chunk of change for unconvinced parents.

So how did Nintendo sell skeptical families on investing that much in the bizarre grey box? By positioning it as a novel, high-tech entertainment product for the whole family with games like Duck Hunt and ROB the Robot. And it came packed with the killer app that was Super Mario Bros. While Atari couldn‘t regain retail support, Nintendo‘s smarter marketing and product positioning allowed the NES to surpass 1 million units sold by the end of 1985.

Dropping the Price – NES Bundles, Discounts and Rebates

While the $150 price point got the NES off the ground, Nintendo worked for the rest of the console‘s lifespan to make it more affordable through bundles, discounts and rebates. They wanted their system in as many homes as possible!

Here‘s a quick history of the major NES packages and discounts offered over the years:

• 1986 – Deluxe Set for $199 – Added R.O.B. robot and 2 games
• 1988 – Action Set for $109.99 – Dropped R.O.B. but added Super Mario Bros and Duck Hunt
• 1989 – Challenge Set for $89.99 – Replaced those pack-ins with Super Mario Bros 3
• 1988 – $20 Rebate Promotion – Brought the base NES down to $129.99
• 1991 – Control Deck for $99 – Removed pack-in games entirely

Additionally, many retailers would mark down the NES as it aged or bundle it with discount games. There were always ways you could save on getting your hands on the classic system. While not as cheap as today‘s consoles, these discounts kept Nintendo competitive with other systems like the Sega Master System.

The Current Collector‘s Market for NES Games and Hardware

If only we had known the goldmine the NES would become on the collector‘s market! These days, complete packaged examples of the console easily sell in the hundreds to thousands. Sealed, graded copies in perfect condition can fetch mind-blowing prices.

A sealed copy of the 1987 first print of The Legend of Zelda recently sold for an astounding $110,000 at auction! And a pristine Super Mario Bros sold for an unbelievable $2 million. Even loose cartridges of iconic first-party games like Super Mario Bros 3 and Donkey Kong still sell for $20 or more.

The original boxes, manuals and advertising material are highly coveted as well. If you happen to have any of those stashed away in good shape, you‘re looking at a nice payday! For the average gamer though, loose NES consoles generally go for a reasonable $50-100 to get back to those 8-bit glory days.

The Super Nintendo – More Power at a $199.99 Launch Price

Come 1991, Nintendo was ready to one-up themselves with the Super Nintendo. This 16-bit beauty launched with that now classic Super Mario World packed in for $199.99.

Given the tremendous popularity and familiarity with the NES, consumers were eager to shell out for the souped up power of the SNES. Even though the Sega Genesis had beat them to market with a lower $189.99 price point in 1989. Nintendo was still seen as the premium product.

With advanced capabilities like Mode 7 graphics, mind-blowing tech for the time like pixelated dinosaurs in Donkey Kong Country, the Super Nintendo went on to sell over 49 million units globally. An incredible success story built on the foundation of its 8-bit gray ancestor.

The NES – The Little Gray Box That Changed Everything

Looking back, it‘s amazing the profound pop culture impact that humble little gray NES had. Before Nintendo exploded onto the scene, video games seemed destined for the landfill of failed tech fads. But by taking a risk on a revolutionary console with fresh IPs, accessible play and smart marketing, Nintendo essentially rescued the game industry and ushered in a new age of digital entertainment.

It‘s easy to forget the NES was once an uncertain $150 novelty purchase. Now, that little gray box looks like one of the best $150 investments in entertainment history! We owe so much to visionaries like Gunpei Yokoi, Shigeru Miyamoto and Hiroshi Yamauchi for shaping the NES into such an influential and iconic product. Not to mention defining a lot of our childhoods in the process! I don‘t know about you, but I‘ve got an awful lot of great memories wrapped up in those 8 magical bits.

So while I unfortunately missed out on snagging up any sealed copies worth a fortune, reminiscing about the history of Nintendo prices takes me back. Next time I fire up the original Super Mario Bros or blow the dust out of Gyromite, remembering how much Nintendo cost way back when will make me appreciate those experiences even more. Here‘s hoping today‘s new consoles shape the next generation of gamers just as unforgettably as the NES did for all of us!