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NES 2
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The NES 2 (also commonly referred to as the Toploader and the Top-loading NES) is a compact, top-loading redesign of the original Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) video game console from Nintendo. Nintendo itself called it simply Nintendo Entertainment System exactly the same as the original (only with a "new design" logo on the box) but users call it the NES 2 or NES Toploader to distinguish from the original.
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Encyclopedia
The NES 2 (also commonly referred to as the Toploader and the Top-loading NES) is a compact, top-loading redesign of the original Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) video game console from Nintendo. Nintendo itself called it simply Nintendo Entertainment System exactly the same as the original (only with a "new design" logo on the box) but users call it the NES 2 or NES Toploader to distinguish from the original. It was released in North America in 1993 and retailed for $49.99. The NES 2 is stylistically similar to the AV Family Computer, which was released in Japan at roughly the same time, but differs in a number of its specifications.
Changes
The internal hardware of the unit remained essentially unchanged from the earlier model, with the exception of the removal of RCA composite video output jacks (a significant difference from the AV Famicom), and the removal of the 10NES authentication chip. The external appearance, on the other hand, was greatly overhauled, restyled to align its looks to the North American Super Nintendo Entertainment System, and to address a number of commonly cited ergonomic problems of the original NES deck. The case design was by Lance Barr, who also designed the original NES as well as the SNES case.
The first and most obvious change was the removal of the ZIF cartridge-loading system that caused no end of trouble in maintenance and game-swapping when using the original NES. In that system, the user had to first open the lid of the case, slide in the cartridge, then press it down, compressing a spring and locking it against the contacts. Dust was the first problem with this: the large space inside allowed plenty of room for dust to settle, and the contact heads were almost impossible to access and clean without unscrewing the case or using the official cleaning kit. Wear and tear was the other problem: with continued use, the precision of the mechanism deteriorated and the user would have to poke and nudge at the cartridge to move it to a position that would be read correctly. The NES 2 returned to the standard top-loading method, used by almost all cartridge systems before and since for its ease and reliability. The power and reset buttons, while never a problem with the original design, now matched the curvature of the new look. The NES 2 does not have an LED power light to indicate the unit is on, as the original NES, SNES, N64, Gamecube, and Wii all included.
The second change was in the design of the game controllers, which were packaged with the system (although they were also sold separately). Like the console itself, the new controllers, known commonly as Dogbone controllers due to their shape, were restyled to resemble the SNES controller, with rounded edges that caused less stress on the hands than the old rectangular design. The A and B buttons were also set at an angle to mimic the SNES controller as well as provide better ergonomics. Original controllers and the new Dogbone design are interchangeable and backwards compatible between the Toaster (original model) and the Toploader.
AV Family Computer
The AV Family Computer was a redesign of the original Family Computer video game console released by Nintendo in Japan in the early 1990s. Nintendo itself called it simply Family Computer, exactly the same as the original, but users called it AV Famicom or New Famicom to distinguish from the original. It was released in Japan on December 1st 1993 and retailed for ¥6800. Like the original model, it is commonly referred to by the nickname "Famicom”. It was stylistically similar to the NES 2 released in North America at roughly the same time.
The AV Famicom was designed to address two major design flaws of the original Famicom hardware. The original Famicom featured hardwired game controllers; users who wished to add additional, specialized controllers were forced to make use of the deck's single expansion port. In bringing NES-style removable controllers to the Famicom, Nintendo removed the microphone which had been originally included on the second controller in place of the "start" and "select" buttons. The microphone was originally intended to introduce extra functionality for certain games, but, in practice, very few games had ever made use of it.
Secondly, the Famicom featured audio/video output via RF modulator only. By the early 1990s, many Japanese television sets featured composite input jacks. The AV Famicom replaced the original Famicom's RF output switch with composite AV cables, hence the name AV Famicom. This represented the biggest difference between the AV Famicom and the NES 2, which included only RF modulator output functionality (even though the original NES had composite as well as RF modulator outputs).
See also
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