Fourth generation of video game consoles
Nintendo executives were initially reluctant to design a new system, but as the market transitioned to the newer hardware, Nintendo saw the erosion of the commanding market share it had built up with the Nintendo Entertainment System. Nintendo's fourth-generation console, the Super Famicom, was released in Japan on November 21, 1990; Nintendo's initial shipment of 300,000 units sold out within hours. The machine reached North America as the Super Nintendo Entertainment System on August 23, 1991, and Europe and Australia in April 1992.
Super Nintendo Entertainment System
The SNES and Super Famicom launched with few games, but these games were well received in the marketplace. In Japan, only two games were initially available: "Super Mario World" and "F-Zero". (A third game, "Bombuzal", was released during the launch week.) In North America, "Super Mario World" launched as a bundle with the console; other launch games included "F-Zero", "Pilotwings" (both of which demonstrated the console's "Mode 7" pseudo-3D rendering capability), "SimCity", and "Gradius III".