VS. System: Difference between revisions

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{{construction}}
{{image|more=yes|VS. System logo}}
{{more images|Arcade cabinets needed}}
{{system infobox
[[File:VS Super Mario Bros Arcade Machine.jpg|thumb|''[[VS. Super Mario Bros.]]'' in a VS. Table cabinet.]]
|image=[[File:VS Super Mario Bros Arcade Machine.jpg|250px]]<br>''[[VS. Super Mario Bros.]]'' in a VS. Table cabinet
The '''VS. System''' is a collection of coin-operated VS. UniSystem or VS. DualSystem arcade systems that first appeared in the 1984. As their name implies, the video games are designed for two-player competitive play. The VS. UniSystem is like a conventional upright arcade cabinet with two sets of controls and a single screen. The VS. DualSystem comes with two screens and four sets of controls. The upright type looks like two machines conjoined at an angle while the sit-down type is red and lets players face each other. The latter was renamed VS. Table.<ref>''VS. Dr. Mario'' installation manual</ref> The games are mostly ports of [[Nintendo Entertainment System]] home console games, although many have notable changes in their graphics, gameplay, and difficulty.
|release=February 1984<ref name=February84GM>{{cite|url=archive.org/details/game-machine-magazine-19840215p/page/n1/mode/1up|title=''Game Machine''. February 15, 1984 issue|page=3}}</ref>
|discontinued={{flag list|Japan|Late 1985<ref name="gm"/><ref name="pm"/>|USA|July 31, 1992<ref name="cb1"/><ref name="cb2"/>}}
|successor=[[Nintendo PlayChoice-10]]
}}
The '''{{wp|Nintendo VS. System|VS. System}}''' is a collection of coin-operated VS. DualSystem or VS. UniSystem arcade systems, and the games were designed for competitive play. The VS. DualSystem comes with two screens and four sets of controls, meaning it had support for four simultaneous players, which only the launch title, ''[[nwiki:Tennis (NES)|VS. Tennis]]'', takes advantage of, not any games of the [[Super Mario (franchise)|''Super Mario'' franchise]]. The first model is the red sit-down type that lets players face each other and was later renamed VS. Table.<ref>{{cite|url=archive.org/details/vsdr.mario/mode/1up|title=''VS. Dr. Mario'' installation manual}}</ref> The upright type looks like two machines conjoined at an angle. The VS. UniSystem is like a conventional upright arcade cabinet with two sets of controls and a single screen, and it can either come as a dedicated gray cabinet or be a conversion from ''[[Donkey Kong (game)|Donkey Kong]]'', ''[[Donkey Kong Jr. (game)|Donkey Kong Jr.]]'', or ''{{wp|Popeye (game)|Popeye}}'' cabinets. It is not possible to convert the dedicated wide-body ''[[Mario Bros. (game)|Mario Bros.]]'' cabinets or the ''{{wp|Punch-Out!! (arcade game)|Punch-Out!!}}'' cabinets. In Japan, there are conversion kits for cocktail cabinets.<ref>{{file link|VS. Golf Pinball Japanese flyer back.jpg|Cocktail conversion kit flyer}}</ref>


Nintendo's final first party VS. System titles were each released in Japan in 1985<ref>[https://onitama.tv/gamemachine/pdf/19860501p.pdf#page=11 "Jaleco Ships New Game For "VS. System"" (Paragraph 1)]. Game Machine. Amusement Press. Published May 1, 1986.</ref> and in North America in 1990. The Micro VS. System line of [[Game & Watch]] games released in 1984 was named after its arcade counterpart.
The VS. System was designed in response to the {{wp|video game crash of 1983}} and the collapse of a proposed deal with Atari to distribute the [[Family Computer]] in the United States. Knowing that arcade gaming was still commercially successful in North America, [[Nintendo]] president [[Hiroshi Yamauchi]] conceived the VS. System as a way to gauge consumer interest in Nintendo's home console games.<ref>{{cite|author=Stark, Chelsea|date=October 19, 2015|url=mashable.com/archive/nintendo-nes-launch-atari|title=How Nintendo brought the NES to America -- and avoided repeating Atari's mistakes|publisher=Mashable|accessdate=January 20, 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite|author=Horowitz, Ken|date=July 30, 2020|url=books.google.com/books?id=Y3D0DwAAQBAJ&pg=PA119|title="The Vs. System (1984)" - Beyond Donkey Kong: A History of Nintendo Arcade Games''|publisher=McFarland & Company|page=119–128|isbn=978-1-4766-4176-8}}</ref> The precursor to the VS. System line is the Nintendo-Pak conversion kits. ''Mario Bros.'' was the first to be available as a Nintendo-Pak, in addition to selling the dedicated wide-body cabinets.<ref>{{cite|url=archive.org/details/mariobrospak/mode/1up|title=''Mario Bros.'' Nintendo-Pak'' manual}}</ref> ''[[Donkey Kong 3]]'' was available only as a Nintendo-Pak, which spared operators from having to buy the cabinet.<ref>{{cite|url=archive.org/details/donkeykong3/mode/1up|title=''Donkey Kong 3'' Nintendo-Pak manual}}</ref>


==List of ''Mario'' games==
The VS. System games were the last arcade games Nintendo of Japan released before leaving the business in late 1985. This was despite the high demand of ''[[VS. Super Mario Bros.]]'', which never had a physical arcade release in the country.<ref name="gm">{{cite|url=onitama.tv/gamemachine/pdf/19860301p.pdf#page=13|title="Coin-Op "Super Mario" Will Shop To Overseas" - Game Machine|publisher=Amusement Press|date=March 1, 1986}}</ref><ref name="pm">{{cite|url=archive.org/details/play-meter-volume-12-number-5-april-1986-600DPI/Play%20Meter%20-%20Volume%2012%2C%20Number%205%20-%20April%201986%20%28Compressed%29/page/9/mode/1up|title=Play Meter - Volume 12, Number 5|date=April 1986}}{{page needed}}</ref> The system had a longer life in North America; new games were released for it as late as 1990, and it was successful enough to spur the development of the [[Nintendo PlayChoice-10]]. By the time Nintendo of America announced it would stop producing arcade equipment on July 31, 1992,<ref name="cb1">{{cite|url=archive.org/details/cashbox56unse_0/page/28/mode/1up|title="Nintendo Will No Longer Produce Coin-Op Equipment" - Cashbox}}{{page needed}}</ref><ref name="cb2">{{cite|url=archive.org/details/cashbox56unse_1/page/29/mode/1up|title="Nintendo Stops Games Manufacturing; But Will Continue Supplying Software" - Cashbox}}{{page needed}}</ref> however, no new VS. games were coming out.
 
The VS. System games are mostly ports of Family Computer and [[Nintendo Entertainment System]] games, although many have notable changes in their graphics, gameplay, and difficulty. One exception is ''[[VS. Wrecking Crew]]'', released a year before its Family Computer counterpart ''[[Wrecking Crew]]'', from which it greatly differs.
 
==List of ''Super Mario'' games==
{| class="wikitable"
{| class="wikitable"
!Arcade game
!Arcade game
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|''[[Wrecking Crew]]''
|''[[Wrecking Crew]]''
|-
|-
|''[[VS. Pinball]]''
|''[[Pinball (game)|VS. Pinball]]''
|''[[Pinball (game)|Pinball]]''
|''[[Pinball (game)|Pinball]]''
|-
|-
|''[[VS. Golf]]''
|''[[Stroke & Match Golf|VS. Golf]]''
|''[[Golf]]''
|''[[Golf]]''
|-
|-
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|''[[Super Mario Bros.]]''
|''[[Super Mario Bros.]]''
|-
|-
|''[[VS. Dr. Mario]]''
|''[[Dr. Mario (game)#VS. Dr. Mario|VS. Dr. Mario]]''
|''[[Dr. Mario (game)|Dr. Mario]]''
|''[[Dr. Mario (game)|Dr. Mario]]''
|}
|}


''VS. Dr. Mario'' is the only arcade version that has not been made available on the ''[[Arcade Archives]]''.
''VS. Dr. Mario'' is the only arcade version unavailable on the ''[[Arcade Archives]]''.


==Gallery==
==Gallery==
===Cabinets===
===Cabinets===
<gallery>
<gallery>
File:Dr. Mario VS cabinet.jpg|''VS. Dr. Mario''
VSSuperMarioBrosUpright.jpg|''VS. Super Mario Bros.'' in a dedicated VS. UniSystem cabinet
VS. DualSystem.jpg|''VS. Golf'' / ''VS. Super Mario Bros.'' in an upright VS. DualSystem cabinet
Dr. Mario VS cabinet.jpg|''VS. Dr. Mario'' in a VS. Table cabinet
VS. Pinball arcade.jpg|''VS. Pinball'' in a VS. Table cabinet
VS. Wrecking Crew arcade.jpg|''VS. Wrecking Crew'' in a VS. Table cabinet
</gallery>
</gallery>


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<gallery>
<gallery>
MarioVSSystem.jpg|Library of VS. titles flyer
MarioVSSystem.jpg|Library of VS. titles flyer
VS System Flyer WC.jpg|Another library of VS. titles flyer
VS. Golf Pinball Japanese flyer front.jpg|''VS. Golf'' / ''VS. Pinball'' flyer showing off the upright VS. DualSystem
VSWreckingCrewCabinetFlyerJP.png|Earlier Japanese flyer of ''VS. Wrecking Crew''
VSWreckingCrewCabinetFlyerJP.png|Earlier Japanese flyer of ''VS. Wrecking Crew''
VSWreckingCrewScreensFlyerJP.png|Earlier Japanese flyer of ''VS. Wrecking Crew''
VSWreckingCrewScreensFlyerJP.png|Earlier Japanese flyer of ''VS. Wrecking Crew''
VSWreckingCrewCabinetFlyerJPredrawn.png|Later Japanese flyer of ''VS. Wrecking Crew''
VSWreckingCrewCabinetFlyerJPredrawn.png|Later Japanese flyer of ''VS. Wrecking Crew''
VSWreckingCrewScreensFlyerJPredrawn.png|Later Japanese flyer of ''VS. Wrecking Crew''
VSWreckingCrewScreensFlyerJPredrawn.png|Later Japanese flyer of ''VS. Wrecking Crew''
SMBVS Flyer.jpg|Earlier flyer of ''VS. Super Mario Bros.'' with the title ''VS. Mario's Adventure''
VSSMB Alternate Flyer.jpg|Later flyer of ''VS. Super Mario Bros.''
</gallery>
</gallery>


==References==
==References==
{{NIWA|NWiki=Nintendo VS. System}}
<references/>
<references/>


{{stub}}
{{Systems}}
{{NIWA|NWiki=Nintendo Vs. System}}
{{Wikipedia|Nintendo VS. System}}
{{consoles}}
[[Category:Systems]]
[[Category:Systems]]
[[Category:Enhanced ports]]

Latest revision as of 08:06, December 1, 2024

It has been requested that more images be uploaded for this article. Remove this notice only after the additional images have been added. Specific(s): VS. System logo

VS. System
Arcade machine of VS. Super Mario Bros.
VS. Super Mario Bros. in a VS. Table cabinet
Release date February 1984[1]
Discontinued Japan Late 1985[2][3]
USA July 31, 1992[4][5]
Successor Nintendo PlayChoice-10

The VS. System is a collection of coin-operated VS. DualSystem or VS. UniSystem arcade systems, and the games were designed for competitive play. The VS. DualSystem comes with two screens and four sets of controls, meaning it had support for four simultaneous players, which only the launch title, VS. Tennis, takes advantage of, not any games of the Super Mario franchise. The first model is the red sit-down type that lets players face each other and was later renamed VS. Table.[6] The upright type looks like two machines conjoined at an angle. The VS. UniSystem is like a conventional upright arcade cabinet with two sets of controls and a single screen, and it can either come as a dedicated gray cabinet or be a conversion from Donkey Kong, Donkey Kong Jr., or Popeye cabinets. It is not possible to convert the dedicated wide-body Mario Bros. cabinets or the Punch-Out!! cabinets. In Japan, there are conversion kits for cocktail cabinets.[7]

The VS. System was designed in response to the video game crash of 1983 and the collapse of a proposed deal with Atari to distribute the Family Computer in the United States. Knowing that arcade gaming was still commercially successful in North America, Nintendo president Hiroshi Yamauchi conceived the VS. System as a way to gauge consumer interest in Nintendo's home console games.[8][9] The precursor to the VS. System line is the Nintendo-Pak conversion kits. Mario Bros. was the first to be available as a Nintendo-Pak, in addition to selling the dedicated wide-body cabinets.[10] Donkey Kong 3 was available only as a Nintendo-Pak, which spared operators from having to buy the cabinet.[11]

The VS. System games were the last arcade games Nintendo of Japan released before leaving the business in late 1985. This was despite the high demand of VS. Super Mario Bros., which never had a physical arcade release in the country.[2][3] The system had a longer life in North America; new games were released for it as late as 1990, and it was successful enough to spur the development of the Nintendo PlayChoice-10. By the time Nintendo of America announced it would stop producing arcade equipment on July 31, 1992,[4][5] however, no new VS. games were coming out.

The VS. System games are mostly ports of Family Computer and Nintendo Entertainment System games, although many have notable changes in their graphics, gameplay, and difficulty. One exception is VS. Wrecking Crew, released a year before its Family Computer counterpart Wrecking Crew, from which it greatly differs.

List of Super Mario games[edit]

Arcade game Nintendo Entertainment System game
VS. Wrecking Crew Wrecking Crew
VS. Pinball Pinball
VS. Golf Golf
VS. Super Mario Bros. Super Mario Bros.
VS. Dr. Mario Dr. Mario

VS. Dr. Mario is the only arcade version unavailable on the Arcade Archives.

Gallery[edit]

Cabinets[edit]

  • VS. Super Mario Bros. in a dedicated VS. UniSystem cabinet

    VS. Super Mario Bros. in a dedicated VS. UniSystem cabinet

  • VS. Golf / VS. Super Mario Bros. in an upright VS. DualSystem cabinet

    VS. Golf / VS. Super Mario Bros. in an upright VS. DualSystem cabinet

  • VS. Dr. Mario in a VS. Table cabinet

    VS. Dr. Mario in a VS. Table cabinet

  • VS. Pinball in a VS. Table cabinet

    VS. Pinball in a VS. Table cabinet

  • VS. Wrecking Crew in a VS. Table cabinet

    VS. Wrecking Crew in a VS. Table cabinet

Screenshots[edit]

  • VS. Super Mario Bros.

    VS. Super Mario Bros.

  • VS. Wrecking Crew

    VS. Wrecking Crew

  • VS. Dr. Mario

    VS. Dr. Mario

  • VS. Pinball

    VS. Pinball

  • VS. Golf

    VS. Golf

Flyers[edit]

  • Library of VS. titles flyer

    Library of VS. titles flyer

  • Another library of VS. titles flyer

    Another library of VS. titles flyer

  • VS. Golf / VS. Pinball flyer showing off the upright VS. DualSystem

    VS. Golf / VS. Pinball flyer showing off the upright VS. DualSystem

  • Earlier Japanese flyer of VS. Wrecking Crew

    Earlier Japanese flyer of VS. Wrecking Crew

  • Earlier Japanese flyer of VS. Wrecking Crew

    Earlier Japanese flyer of VS. Wrecking Crew

  • Later Japanese flyer of VS. Wrecking Crew

    Later Japanese flyer of VS. Wrecking Crew

  • Later Japanese flyer of VS. Wrecking Crew

    Later Japanese flyer of VS. Wrecking Crew

  • Earlier flyer of VS. Super Mario Bros. with the title VS. Mario's Adventure

    Earlier flyer of VS. Super Mario Bros. with the title VS. Mario's Adventure

  • Later flyer of VS. Super Mario Bros.

    Later flyer of VS. Super Mario Bros.

References[edit]

VS. System coverage on other NIWA wikis:
  1. ^ Game Machine. February 15, 1984 issue. Page 3.
  2. ^ a b March 1, 1986. "Coin-Op "Super Mario" Will Shop To Overseas" - Game Machine. Amusement Press.
  3. ^ a b April 1986. Play Meter - Volume 12, Number 5.[page number needed]
  4. ^ a b "Nintendo Will No Longer Produce Coin-Op Equipment" - Cashbox.[page number needed]
  5. ^ a b "Nintendo Stops Games Manufacturing; But Will Continue Supplying Software" - Cashbox.[page number needed]
  6. ^ VS. Dr. Mario installation manual.
  7. ^ Cocktail conversion kit flyerMedia:VS. Golf Pinball Japanese flyer back.jpg
  8. ^ Stark, Chelsea (October 19, 2015). How Nintendo brought the NES to America -- and avoided repeating Atari's mistakes. Mashable. Retrieved January 20, 2024.
  9. ^ Horowitz, Ken (July 30, 2020). "The Vs. System (1984)" - Beyond Donkey Kong: A History of Nintendo Arcade Games. McFarland & Company. ISBN 978-1-4766-4176-8. Page 119–128.
  10. ^ Mario Bros. Nintendo-Pak manual.
  11. ^ Donkey Kong 3 Nintendo-Pak manual.
[Edit]
Video game systems and add-ons
Nintendo home consoles Family Computer/Nintendo Entertainment System (Family BASIC, Family Computer Disk System) • Super Famicom/Super Nintendo Entertainment System (Satellaview, Super Game Boy) • Nintendo 64 (Nintendo 64DD) • Nintendo GameCube (Game Boy Player) • Wii (Virtual Console, WiiWare) • Wii U (Virtual Console) • Nintendo Switch
Nintendo handhelds Game & Watch • Game Boy • Virtual Boy • Game Boy Color • Game Boy Advance • Nintendo DS (Nintendo DSi, DSiWare) • Nintendo 3DS (Virtual Console) • Nintendo Switch
Other MS-DOS • VS. System • Nintendo PlayChoice-10 • Nintendo Super System • Nelsonic Game Watch • Super Mario Bros. Watch • Gamewatch Boy • Philips CD-i • Mini Classics • Triforce • Visteon Dockable Entertainment System • Classics • LodgeNet • Nintendo Sound Clock: Alarmo
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