Super Nintendo (SNES) was another hit for Nintendo, the company that had revived console gaming after the video game crash of 1983. The successor for Famicom / Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) was much anticipated, and especially the Europeans had to exercise the art of patience to get their hands on the new gaming system.
The 16-bit console launched first in Nintendo’s domestic market of Japan in November 1990 with the name Super Famicom (SFC). North America had to wait nearly a year - the awaited system launched in August of 1991. Hardware was the same but USA got their own exterior design. The name followed the same convention as Nintendo’s 8-bit system and dropped the Japanese name Famicom in favor of acronym NES. Europeans were finally lucky to get their Super Nintendos in Spring of 1992. This time both the hardware and exterior design were the same with the Japanese console. For some the wait had proven to be too much. Many had imported Japanese and North American consoles and some had crossed into the dark side and started pirating SNES games.