The successor to the NES, the Super Nintendo Entertainment System, arrived first as the Super Famicom in Japan in 1990 before coming to the west in 1991. Nintendo had been in no rush to make a 16-bit console, as the 8-bit NES was holding strong in the market. Eventually, they were forced to reconsider. The Super Famicom proved to be an instant success in Japan, moving so many units so quickly that it had actually attracted attention from the Yakuza, and precautions became necessary to prevent systems from being stolen. The new system quickly outsold Nintendo’s rivals, and the company reestablished itself as the one to beat.

The SNES released in the U.S. on September 9, 1991, and came bundled with Super Mario World, leading to early success. The console faced stiff competition in America from the Sega Genesis; though the Genesis saw a head-start on the market, and had a much larger selection of games, it never was able to consistently maintain a lead on the SNES. The early competition between the SNES and the Genesis saw the first true “console war” between Sega and Nintendo.

Even as other companies entered the 32-bit era, such as Sega with the Saturn, Nintendo was able to hold strong with their 16-bit system with games such as Donkey Kong Country. The game used such advanced graphics that it rivaled many 32-bit titles on other systems, and created the image that 32-bit systems weren’t offering much more than what was already on the SNES. This helped extend the life of the SNES, which didn’t cease production until 1999. A second, slimmer version of both the Super Famicom and the SNES were produced in the late 1990s as well. In total, more than 49 million SNES units sold worldwide, making it the bestselling console of its era.

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