These days, it’s common to see the Super Nintendo Entertainment System referred to as one of the best consoles ever made — and often as the greatest of all time. But at the time of its release, there was no way of knowing that would be the case. Despite its eventual dominance, the SNES faced stiff competition from rival consoles, making its eventual success even more extraordinary in hindsight.
Before adopting the SNES moniker, Nintendo’s new console was known as the Super Famicom in Japan, where it launched on November 21, 1990. By that time, the Sega Mega Drive had already launched in Japan, featuring technical capabilities far beyond that of the NES. Perhaps more important than the Mega Drive was the PC Engine, a console that faltered when it came to North America as the TurboGrafx-16, but was a huge success in Japan. Like the Mega Drive, the PC Engine launched between Nintendo’s two consoles, giving it a headstart of several years to establish itself as Japan's best-selling console.
