Editing Nintendo VS. System (section)

{{Short description|Arcade cabinet series}}
{{More citations needed|date=August 2012}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2024}}
{{Infobox information appliance
| name         = VS. System
| image        = Vsdrmario.jpg
| caption      = A [[Dr. Mario (video game)|''VS. Dr. Mario'']] arcade machine
| developer    = [[Nintendo]]
| manufacturer = Nintendo
| family       = 
| type         = [[Arcade video game]]
| releasedate  = {{Start date and age|January 1984}}
| lifespan     = 1984-1992
| price        = 
| discontinued = {{vgrelease|JP|Late 1985 <small>(Nintendo)</small><ref name="gm86"/>|WW|{{end date|1992|07|31}}<ref name="Cashbox - Arcade discontinuation"/>}}
| unitssold    = 100,000
| unitsshipped = 
| media        = [[Read-only memory|ROM]] chips
| os           = 
| power        = 
| soc          = 
| cpu          = [[Ricoh 2A03]]
| memory       = 
| storage      = 
| memory card  = 
| display      = 
| graphics     = 
| sound        = 
| input        = 
| controllers  = 
| platform     = [[Nintendo Entertainment System|NES]]-based
| dimensions   = 
| weight       = 
| topgame      = ''[[VS. Super Mario Bros.]]''
| successor    = [[PlayChoice-10]]
| related      = 
| website      =
}}

The {{nihongo foot|'''Nintendo VS. System'''|任天堂VS.システム|Nintendō Buiesu Shisutemu|lead=yes|group=lower-alpha}} is an [[arcade system]] that was developed and produced by [[Nintendo]]. It is based on most of the same hardware as the [[Family Computer]] (Famicom), later released as the [[Nintendo Entertainment System]] (NES). As Nintendo was planning to release the NES in North America, they were aware of the [[video game crash of 1983]] and its effects on the [[Home console|home console market]]. By March 1984 the [[Arcade video game|arcade industry]] recovered enough for a plan to introduce NES titles there, with the VS. System later being a presentation to players who did not yet own the console. It became the first version of the Famicom hardware to debut in North America.

Most of its games are conversions from the Famicom and NES, some heavily altered for the arcade format, and some debuted on the VS. System before being released on the Famicom or NES. The system focuses on two-player cooperative play. It was released in three different configurations: upright VS. UniSystem cabinets, upright VS. DualSystem cabinets, and sit-down VS. DualSystem cabinets. Games are on pluggable circuit boards, allowing for each side to have a different game.

The VS. System did not have lasting popularity in Japan, leading to Nintendo's departure from arcade game development. In contrast, it was a commercial success in the United States, with about 100,000 [[arcade cabinet]]s sold, becoming the highest-grossing [[1985 in video games|arcade machine of 1985]]. The system's success in arcades proved the market for the [[History of the Nintendo Entertainment System#North American launch (1985–1986)|test release of the NES]] in North America in 1985. The final VS. System game was released in 1990.