Snes

The SNES was Nintendo's 16-bit entry in the console gaming world and was released in North America in 1991. The system came bundled with the first Super Mario title for the console, entitled Super Mario World. Over the course of the next five years, the SNES would go onto become the best-selling console of the generation, making Nintendo the undisputed king of the 16-bit systems.

One key to a console's success is the peripherals that are released for it. Light guns were popular in the previous generation, as the Sega Master System and NES both came bundled with their own versions of a firearm control device. The SNES had its own updated version, but was designed as a bazooka rather than a typical handgun. A mouse was also released which came bundled with Mario Paint.

Certainly the most important aspect of whether a console will sell units is the games. Some of the more popular Super NES titles were Mario Kart, Street Fighter II, and Star Fox. Mortal Kombat was another incredibly popular video game of the time. Even though the Nintendo SNES version featured better graphics, the Genesis version was considered better for one reason: blood. To keep its kid-friendly image, Nintendo replaced all instances of blood with less-offensive sprays of sweat.

Today, over 15 years after the console's release, the SNES remains a popular console with vintage gamers and collectors. Older systems like the SNES are worth exploring for gamers that may not have grown up with the console when it was first released, as hundreds if not thousands of games are readily available. Oftentimes, these vintage consoles and games can be purchased at very low prices as well.