Editing Famicom Disk System

{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2016}}
{{More citations needed|date=June 2023}}
{{short description|Video game console peripheral}}
{{Infobox information appliance
| title = Family Computer Disk System
| logo = Family Computer Disk System logo.png
| logo_alt = Official Family Computer Disk System logo
| image = Nintendo-Famicom-Disk-System.jpg
| caption = Famicom Disk System disk drive and RAM adapter attached to the Famicom console
| manufacturer = [[Nintendo]]
| type = [[Video game accessory|Video game console peripheral]]
| generation = [[Third generation of video game consoles|Third]]
| releasedate = {{Video game release
  | JP | {{Start date|1986|02|21}}
  | HK | 1991<ref>{{cite video|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MXuVDUUmYyo|date=Sep 30, 2019|title=Famicom and Disk System Hong Kong Version - Commercial|author=Nakamanga|work=[[YouTube]]|access-date=May 5, 2025|url-status=live}}</ref>
  }}
| discontinued = {{Ubl
  | {{vgrelease|JP|1993 (device)}}
  | {{vgrelease|JP|September 30, 2003 (software)<ref name="dskend"/>}}
  | {{vgrelease|JP|October 31, 2007 (technical support)<ref name="endrp"/>}}
  }}
| retail availability = 
| units sold = 4.4 million
| CPU = 
| memory = 32 KB disk cache<br/>8 KB game RAM<ref name="Revisiting the FDS"/>
| sound = 1 extra channel of [[table-lookup synthesis|wavetable synth]] facilitated by Ricoh 2C33
| media = 112&nbsp;KB Disk Card
| successor = [[Satellaview]]<br/>[[64DD|Nintendo 64DD]]
}}

The {{nihongo foot|'''Family Computer Disk System''',|ファミリーコンピュータ ディスクシステム|Famirī Konpyūta Disuku Shisutemu|lead=yes|group=lower-alpha|abbreviated '''FCD''', '''FCDS''' or '''FDS'''}} commonly shortened to the '''Famicom Disk System''',{{efn|Abbreviated as '''FDS'''}} is a [[peripheral]] for [[Nintendo]]'s [[Nintendo Entertainment System|Family Computer]] (Famicom) [[home video game console]], released in Japan on February 21, 1986. The system uses proprietary [[floppy disk]]s called "Disk Cards" for more affordable data storage and adds a high-fidelity sound channel to enhance audio in compatible Disk System games.

To support the Disk System, Nintendo installed "Disk Writer" kiosks in stores across Japan that allowed customers to bring their Disk Cards and have new games rewritten onto them for a small fee, making it a cost-effective alternative to purchasing games on traditional RAM cartridges. Nintendo also offered similar disk rewriting services by mail.

The Disk System was designed to enhance features already present in the base Famicom, offering better sound and cheaper, rewritable games. However, it came with drawbacks, including a high initial price for the device along with the storage medium's slower load times and reduced reliability. Despite these limitations, the Disk System’s rewritable storage served as an [[enabling technology]], enabling the creation of new types of video games. This era saw the rise of expansive [[open world]] adventures like ''[[The Legend of Zelda (video game)|The Legend of Zelda]]'' (1986) and ''[[Metroid (video game)|Metroid]]'' (1986) enabled by progress-saving, games with a cost-effective and swift release such as the best-selling ''[[Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels|Super Mario Bros. 2]]'', and nationwide leaderboards and contests via in-store Disk Fax kiosks, which are considered to be forerunners of today's online [[Achievement (video gaming)|achievement]] and [[Digital distribution in video games|distribution]] systems.

While sales of the Disk System peripheral ended in 1993, after selling 4.4&nbsp;million units, making it the [[List of best-selling game consoles|most successful console add-on of all time]], support for the system continued well beyond that point. The final title for the Disk System was released in 1992, Nintendo maintained Disk writing services by mail until 2003,<ref name="dskend" /> and provided technical support until 2007.<ref name="endrp" />

==History==
By January 1985, Nintendo's [[Family Computer]] was dominating the Japanese home video game market, selling over three million units within a year and a half.<ref name="NLife">{{cite web |last1=McFerran |first1=Damien |title=Feature: Slipped Disk - The History of the Famicom Disk System |url=http://www.nintendolife.com/news/2010/11/feature_slipped_disk_the_history_of_the_famicom_disk_system |website=[[Nintendo Life]] |access-date=20 January 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191219221055/http://www.nintendolife.com/news/2010/11/feature_slipped_disk_the_history_of_the_famicom_disk_system |archive-date=19 December 2019 |date=20 November 2010 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="GameHist">{{cite video|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r9PuSrn_H1c|date=July 14, 2016|title=The Story of the Famicom Disk System|author=Gaming Historian|work=[[YouTube]]|access-date=November 3, 2024|url-status=live}}</ref> Because of its success, the company had difficulty with keeping up demand for new stock, often getting flooded with calls from retailers asking for more systems.<ref name="NLife"/> Retailers also requested for cheaper games; the cost of chips and semiconductors made cartridges expensive to make, and often cost a lot of money for both stores and consumers to purchase.<ref name="NLife"/> Chip shortages also created supply issues.<ref name="NLife"/> To satisfy these requests, Nintendo began thinking of ways to potentially lower the cost of games.<ref name="NLife"/> Later in July of that year, [[Hudson Soft]] approached and pitched them a new add-on for the Famicom that played games using their patented [[Bee Card (game cartridge)|Bee Cards]], which was experimented on the [[MSX]] computer.<ref name="GameHist"/><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://archive.org/details/basic-1985-07|title=マイコン BASIC 1985 07|via=Internet Archive}}</ref> Nintendo liked this concept, as it had the ability to store full games and overwrite existing ones. However, as the technology for it was expensive, and that they would have to pay royalties for each card sold, Nintendo instead decided to pass on Hudson Soft's proposal.<ref name="GameHist"/> Continuing their research, Nintendo turned towards the home computer market for inspiration; They specifically looked to floppy disks which were quickly becoming the standard for storage media for personal computers.<ref name="NLife"/> Floppy disks were cheap to produce and rewritable, allowing games to be easily produced during the manufacturing process. Seeing its potential, Nintendo began work on a disk-based peripheral for the Famicom.<ref name="NLife"/>

For its proprietary diskette platform, which they dubbed the "Disk Card", Nintendo chose to base it on [[Mitsumi]]'s [[History_of_the_floppy_disk#Mitsumi's_%22Quick_Disk%22_3-inch_floppies|Quick Disk]] media format, a cheaper alternative to floppy disks for Japanese home computers.<ref name="NLife"/> The Disk Card format presented a number of advantages over cartridges, such as increased storage capacity that allowed for larger games, additional sound channels, and the ability to save player progress.<ref name="NLife"/> The add-on itself was produced by [[Masayuki Uemura]] and [[Nintendo Research & Development 2]], the same team that designed the Famicom itself.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Mago|first=Zdenko|date=April 5, 2018|title=The "Father" Of the Nintendo Entertainment SystemIn Slovakia for The First Time - Interview With Masayuki Uemura|url=https://actaludologica.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/05-UEMURA-MAGO-%E2%80%93-AL-1-2018.pdf|journal=Acta Ludogica|volume=1|pages=52–54|quote=Due to the growing demand for development, he was in charge of the management of the Research & Development 2 Division in which they worked on the development of several hardware devices such as games for colour televisions, Nintendo Family Computer (Famicom), Nintendo Entertainment System (NES), Super Nintendo Entertainment System or BS-X Satellaview.}}</ref> Following several delays, the Famicom Disk System was released on February 21, 1986, at a retail price of ¥15000 (US$80).<ref name="NLife"/> The same day, Nintendo released ''[[The Legend of Zelda (video game)|The Legend of Zelda]]'' as a launch title, alongside disk re-releases of earlier Famicom games.<ref name="gamespot history">{{cite web|last=Vestal|first=Andrew|author2=Cliff O'Neill |author3= Brad Shoemaker |date=2000-11-14|title=History of Zelda|website=[[GameSpot]]|url=http://www.gamespot.com/gamespot/features/video/hist_zelda/index.html|access-date=2006-09-30|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060701053427/http://www.gamespot.com/gamespot/features/video/hist_zelda/|archive-date=2006-07-01 }}</ref> {{anchor|AnchorDiskun}}Marketing material for the Disk System featured a yellow mascot character named Diskun, or Mr. Disk. The Famicom Disk System sold over 300,000 units within three months, jumping to over 2&nbsp;million by the end of the year.<ref name="NLife"/> Nintendo remained confident the Disk System would be a sure-fire success, and ensured that all future first-party releases would be exclusive to the peripheral.<ref name="NLife"/>

[[File:Family Computer Disk System logo, vector.svg|thumb|left|150px|Diskun, the official mascot of the Famicom Disk System]]
Coinciding with the Disk System's release, Nintendo installed several "Disk Writer" kiosks in various toy and electronic stores across the country.<ref name="NLife"/> These kiosks allowed customers to bring in their disk games and have a new game rewritten onto them for a ¥500 fee; blank disks could also be purchased for ¥2000.<ref name="NLife"/> Nintendo then decided to make an early form of online gaming; In 1987, they introduced special high-score tournaments for specific Disk System games, where players could submit their scores directly to Nintendo via "Disk Fax" machines found in retail stores.<ref name="NLife"/> Winners would receive exclusive prizes, including Famicom-branded stationery sets and a gold-colored ''[[Punch-Out!! (NES)|Punch-Out!!]]'' cartridge.<ref>{{cite web |author1=Retro Gamer Team |title=Punch Out Special (Gold) |url=https://www.retrogamer.net/retro_games80/punch-out-special-gold/ |website=[[Retro Gamer]] |access-date=20 January 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190331210924/https://www.retrogamer.net/retro_games80/punch-out-special-gold/ |archive-date=31 March 2019 |date=19 December 2011}}</ref><ref name="GameHist"/> [[Nintendo of America]] announced plans to release the Disk System for the Famicom's international counterpart, the [[Nintendo Entertainment System]], and began filing patents simultaneously. However, by the time these were approved in November 1988, Nintendo cancelled their plans to release the system stateside.<ref name="Computer Entertainer February 1986">{{cite magazine | magazine=[[Computer Entertainer]] | date=February 1986 | title=Nintendo Update | url=https://nintendotimes.com/1986/05/26/computer-entertainer-nes-reviews-news/ | access-date=July 2, 2019}}</ref><ref name="GameHist"/>

Despite the Famicom Disk System's success and advantages over the Famicom itself, it also imposed many problems of its own. Most common was the quality of the Disk Cards; Nintendo removed the shutters on most Disk System games to reduce costs, instead placing them in a wax sleeve and clear plastic shell.<ref name="NLife"/> The disks themselves are fragile, and the lack of a shutter made them collect dust and fingerprints, eventually rendering them unplayable as a result.<ref name="NLife"/> Piracy was also rampant, with disk copying devices and bootleg games becoming commonplace in stores and in magazine advertisements.<ref name="NLife"/> Third-party developers for the Disk System were also angered towards Nintendo's strict licensing terms, requiring that it receive 50% copyright ownership of any and all software released — this led to several major developers, such as [[Namco]] and [[Hudson Soft]], refusing to produce games for it.<ref name="AHQ"/><ref name="Game Over"/> Four months after the Disk System was released, [[Capcom]] released a Famicom conversion of ''[[Ghosts 'n Goblins (video game)|Ghosts 'n Goblins]]'' on a 128k cartridge - larger than the Disk Card's 112k capacity - which, as a result, made consumers and developers less impressed with the Disk System's technological features.<ref name="AHQ">{{cite web |title=Famicom Disk System |url=https://www.atarihq.com/tsr/fds/fds.html |website=Atari HQ |access-date=20 January 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191009191536/http://www.atarihq.com/tsr/fds/fds.html |archive-date=9 October 2019 |date=June 1999}}</ref> Retailers disliked the Disk Writer kiosks for taking up too much space and for generally being unprofitable.<ref name="NLife"/> The Disk System's vague error messages, long loading times, and the poor quality of the rubber drive belt that spun the disks are also cited as attributing to its downfall.<ref name="NLife"/>

By 1989, advancements in technology made cartridge games much cheaper and easier to produce, leaving the Famicom Disk System obsolete.<ref name="NLife FC History">{{cite web |last1=McFerran |first1=Damien |title=Feature: The History Of The Famicom, The Console That Changed Nintendo's Fortunes |url=https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2013/07/feature_the_history_of_the_famicom |website=[[Nintendo Life]] |access-date=20 January 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190731213816/https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2013/07/feature_the_history_of_the_famicom |archive-date=31 July 2019 |date=16 July 2013}}</ref><ref name="NLife"/> Retailers were critical of Nintendo simply abandoning the Disk Writers and leaving stores with large kiosks that took up vital space, while companies began to release or move their games from the Disk System to a standard cartridge; towards the end of development, [[Square (video game company)|Square]] ported ''[[Final Fantasy (video game)|Final Fantasy]]'' over to the Famicom as a cartridge game, with its own battery backup save feature.<ref name="NLife"/> Nintendo officially discontinued the Famicom Disk System in 1990, selling around 4.4&nbsp;million units total.<ref name="Game Over">{{Cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/0966961706 |title=Game Over: How Nintendo conquered the world|last=Sheff|first=David|date=1994|publisher=Vintage Books|isbn=9780307800749|edition=1st Vintage books|location=New York|oclc=780180879 | access-date=July 27, 2019}}</ref> Disk writing services were still kept in operation until September 30, 2003,<ref name="dskend">{{cite web | title=ディスクカード書換えのご案内 | publisher=Nintendo Co, Ltd. | url=http://www.nintendo.co.jp/n10/fc_disk/index.html | url-status=dead | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030806065944/http://www.nintendo.co.jp/n09/fc_disk/index.html | archive-date=August 6, 2003 | language=ja | access-date=April 28, 2023}}</ref> while technical services were provided up until October 31, 2007.<ref name="endrp">{{cite web|title=修理の参考価格|publisher=Nintendo Co, Ltd.|url=http://www.nintendo.co.jp/n10/repair/price.html#uketsuke_syuryo|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071021081932/http://www.nintendo.co.jp/n10/repair/price.html#uketsuke_syuryo|archive-date=October 21, 2007|language=ja|access-date=April 28, 2023}}</ref>

===Hardware versions===
[[File:Sharp-Twin-Famicom-Console.jpg|thumb|The Sharp Twin Famicom is a Famicom with built-in Disk System.]]
[[Sharp Corporation|Sharp]] released the [[Twin Famicom]], a Famicom model that features a built-in Disk System.

==={{anchor|Famicom Disk Writer kiosks|Disk Writer|Disk Fax}}Disk Writer and Disk Fax kiosks===
Widespread copyright violation in Japan's predominantly personal-computer-based game rental market inspired corporations to petition the government to ban the rental of all video games in 1984.<ref name="Why You Can't Rent Games in Japan">{{cite web | title=Why You Can't Rent Games in Japan | publisher=[[Kotaku]] | url=http://kotaku.com/5914749/why-you-cant-rent-games-in-japan | first=Richard | last=Eisenbeis | date=June 1, 2012 | access-date=June 26, 2014}}</ref> With games then being available only via full purchase, demand rose for a new and less expensive way to access more games. In 1986, as video gaming had increasingly expanded from computers into the video game console market, Nintendo advertised a promise to install 10,000 Famicom Disk Writer kiosks in toy and hobby stores across Japan within one year.<ref name="Game Over"/>{{rp|75–76}} These jukebox style stations allowed users to copy from a rotating stock of the latest games to their disks and keep each one for an unlimited time. To write an existing disk with a new game from the available roster was {{JPY|500}} (then about {{US$|3.25}} and 1/6 of the price of many new games).<ref name="Revisiting the FDS"/><ref name="Game Over"/>{{rp|75–76}} Instruction sheets were given by the retailer, or available by mail order for {{JPY|100}}. Some game releases, such as ''[[Kaette Kita Mario Bros.]]'',<ref name="Obscure Mario Bros.">{{cite web | title=Obscure Mario Bros. Famicom Disk System Game Gets Translated Into English | first=Gonçalo | last=Lopes | date=May 24, 2016 | work=Nintendo Life | url=https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2016/05/obscure_mario_bros_famicom_disk_system_game_gets_translated_into_english | access-date=July 29, 2019}}</ref> were exclusive to these kiosks.<ref name="Game Over"/>{{rp|75}}{{elucidate|reason=make a list|date=June 2014}}

In 1987, Disk Writer kiosks in select locations were also provisioned as Disk Fax systems as Nintendo's first online concept. Players could take advantage of the dynamic rewritability of blue floppy disk versions of Disk System games (such as ''[[Famicom Grand Prix#Famicom Grand Prix: F1 Race|Famicom Grand Prix: F1 Race]]'' and ''Golf Japan Course'')<ref name="Nintendo History">{{cite web | title=Nintendo History | publisher=[[Nintendo of Europe]] | url=https://www.nintendo.co.uk/Corporate/Nintendo-History/Nintendo-History-625945.html | access-date=October 12, 2019}}</ref> in order to save their high scores at their leisure at home, and then bring the disk to a retailer's Disk Fax kiosk, which collated and transmitted the players' scores via [[fax]] to Nintendo. Players participated in a nationwide leaderboard, with unique prizes.{{citation needed|date=June 2023}}

The kiosk service was very popular and remained available until 2003. In subsequent console generations, Nintendo would relaunch this online national leaderboard concept with the home satellite-based [[Satellaview]] subscription service in Japan from 1995 to 2000 for the [[Super Famicom]]. It would relaunch the model of games downloadable to rewritable portable media from store kiosks, with the [[Nintendo Power (cartridge)|Nintendo Power]] service in Japan which is based on rewritable flash media cartridges for the Super Famicom and [[Game Boy]] from 1997 to 2007.{{citation needed|date=June 2023}}

Calling the Disk Writer "one of the coolest things Nintendo ever created", [[Kotaku]] says modern "[[Digital distribution in video games|digital distribution]] could learn from [the Disk Writer]", and that the system's premise of game rental and achievements would still be innovative in today's retail and online stores.<ref name="Digital Distribution Could Learn">{{cite web|last=Eisenbeis|first=Richard|title=Digital Distribution Could Learn from Nintendo's Disk Writer Kiosk|url=http://kotaku.com/digital-distribution-could-learn-from-nintendo-s-disk-w-1542718404|access-date=June 11, 2014|publisher=Kotaku|date=March 14, 2014}}</ref> ''[[Nintendo Life]]'' said it "was truly ground-breaking for its time and could be considered a forerunner of more modern distribution methods [such as] [[Xbox Live Arcade]], [[PlayStation Network]], and [[Steam (service)|Steam]]".<ref name="NLife"/>

==Technology==
The device is connected to the Famicom console by plugging its [[RAM]] Adapter cartridge into the system's cartridge port, and attaching that cartridge's cable to the disk drive. The RAM Adapter contains 32&nbsp;[[kilobyte]]s (KB) of RAM for temporarily caching program data from disk, 8&nbsp;KB of RAM for tile and [[Sprite (computer graphics)|sprite]] data storage,<ref name="Revisiting the FDS">{{cite web | title=Revisiting the Famicom Disk System: mass storage on console in 1986 | first=John | last=Linneman | work=Eurogamer | date=July 27, 2019 | url=https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/digitalfoundry-2019-retro-revisiting-famicom-disk-system | access-date=July 29, 2019}}</ref> and an [[Application-specific integrated circuit|ASIC]] named the 2C33. The ASIC acts as a [[disk controller]], plus single-cycle [[table-lookup synthesis|wavetable-lookup synthesizer]] sound hardware. Finally, embedded in the 2C33 is an 8KB BIOS ROM.  The Disk Cards used are double-sided, with a total capacity of 112&nbsp;KB per disk. Many games span both sides of a disk and a few span multiple disks, requiring the user to switch at some point during gameplay. The Disk System is capable of running on six C-cell [[Battery (electricity)|batteries]] or the supplied AC adapter. Batteries usually last five months with daily game play. The inclusion of a battery option is due to the likelihood of a standard set of AC plugs already being occupied by a Famicom and a television.

The Disk System's Disk Cards are somewhat proprietary 71&nbsp;mm × 76&nbsp;mm (2.8 × 3 in) 56K-per-side double-sided floppy. They are a slight modification of [[Mitsumi]]'s [[History_of_the_floppy_disk#Mitsumi's_%22Quick_Disk%22_3-inch_floppies|Quick Disk]] 71&nbsp;mm 2.8 in square disk format which is used in a handful of Japanese computers and various synthesizer keyboards, along with a few word processors. QuickDisk drives are in a few devices in Europe and North America. Mitsumi already had close relations with Nintendo, as it manufactured the Famicom and [[Nintendo Entertainment System|NES]] consoles, and possibly other Nintendo hardware.

Modifications to the standard Quick Disk format include the "NINTENDO" moulding along the bottom of each Disk Card. In addition to branding the disk, this acts as a rudimentary form of [[copy protection]] - a device inside the drive bay contains raised protrusions which fit into their recessed counterparts, ostensibly ensuring that only official disks are used.<ref name="Nintendo's early DRM">{{Cite web|url=https://kotaku.com/nintendos-early-drm-was-simple-and-didnt-work-30784483|title=Nintendo's Early DRM Was Simple (And Didn't Work)|last=Plunkett|first=Luke|website=Kotaku|date=June 13, 2012 |language=en-US|access-date=April 25, 2019}}</ref> If a disk without these recessed areas is inserted, the protrusions cannot raise, and the system will not allow the game to be loaded. This was combined with technical measures in the way data was stored on the disk to prevent users from physically swapping copied disk media into an official shell.<ref name="Nintendo's early DRM" /> However, both of these measures were defeated by pirate game distributors; in particular, special disks with cutouts alongside simple devices to modify standard Quick Disks were produced to defeat the physical hardware check, enabling rampant piracy. An advertisement containing a guide for a simple modification to a Quick Disk to allow its use with a Famicom Disk System was printed in at least one magazine.

==Games==
{{main|List of Famicom Disk System games}}
[[File:Famicom Zelda Disk.png|thumb|A ''[[The Legend of Zelda (1986 video game)|Zelda no Densetsu]]'' (''Legend of Zelda'') Disk Card]]
[[File:FSC-TDRE disk 20060830.jpg|right|thumb| A blue ''[[3D Hot Rally]]'' Disk Card with shutter]]
There are about 194 games in the Famicom Disk System's library. Some are FDS exclusives, some are Disk Writer exclusives, and many were re-released years later on the cartridge format such as ''The Legend of Zelda'' for NES in 1987, and for Famicom in 1994. The most notable FDS originals include ''The Legend of Zelda'', ''[[Zelda II: The Adventure of Link]]'', ''[[Kid Icarus]]'', ''[[Metroid (video game)|Metroid]]'', and ''Akumajō Dracula'' (''[[Castlevania (1986 video game)|Castlevania]]'').

[[Square (video game company)|Square]] had a branch called [[Disk Original Group]], a software label that published Disk System games from Japanese PC software companies. The venture was largely a failure and almost pushed a pre-''[[Final Fantasy (video game)|Final Fantasy]]'' Square into bankruptcy. ''Final Fantasy'' was to be released for the FDS, but a disagreement over Nintendo's copyright policies caused Square to change its position and release the game as a cartridge.<ref name="NLife"/>

Nintendo released a disk version of ''[[Super Mario Bros.]]'' in addition to the cartridge version. The Western-market ''[[Super Mario Bros. 2]]'' originated from a disk-only game called ''[[Yume Kōjō: Doki Doki Panic]]''.<ref name="Revisiting the FDS"/>

Nintendo utilized the cheaper and more dynamic disk medium for a Disk Writer exclusive, as an early [[advergame]]. ''Kaettekita Mario Bros.'' (lit. The Return of Mario Bros.) is a remastered version of ''[[Mario Bros.]]'' with enhanced jump controls and high score saving, plus a new slot machine minigame co-branded for the Nagatanien food company.<ref name="Obscure Mario Bros."/>

The final FDS game release was ''Janken Disk Jō'' in December 1992, a [[rock paper scissors]]-themed [[sokoban]] game featuring the Disk System mascot, Disk-kun.

==Legacy==
The Famicom Disk System briefly served as an [[enabling technology]] for the creation of a new wave of home console video games and a new type of video game experience, mostly due to tripling the size of cheap game storage compared to affordable cartridge ROMs, and by storing gamers' progress within their vast new adventures. These games include the [[open world]] design and enduring series launches of ''[[The Legend of Zelda (video game)|The Legend of Zelda]]'' and ''[[Metroid (video game)|Metroid]]'' (both 1986), with its launch game ''Zelda'' becoming very popular and leading to sequels which are considered some of the greatest games of all time. Almost one decade ahead of Nintendo's [[Satellaview]] service, the FDS's writable and portable storage technology served as an enabling technology for the innovation of online leaderboards and contests via the in-store Disk Fax kiosks, which are now seen as the earliest forerunners of modern [[online game|online gaming]] and [[Digital distribution in video games|distribution]].<ref name="Digital Distribution Could Learn"/>

Within its library of 200 original games, some are FDS-exclusive and many were re-released one or two years later on cartridges for Famicom and NES, though without the FDS's additional sound channel.

==See also==
*[[Sega CD]] - A similar peripheral for the [[Sega Genesis]].
*[[Super NES CD-ROM]]
*[[64DD]]

==Notes==
{{notelist}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{Nintendo Entertainment System}}
{{Nintendo hardware|NES}}

[[Category:Nintendo Entertainment System accessories]]
[[Category:Video game console add-ons]]
[[Category:Video game storage media]]
[[Category:Computer-related introductions in 1986]]