Tag Archive

25 Years Later The SNES Mouse Is Being Re-Released


Posted on June 29, 2017 by Rae Michelle Richards

Some of you reading this might remember the SNES paint program Mario Paint and the Super Nintendo styled mouse that came packed with the cartridge. Twenty-five years after the peripherals’ initial release for Ninty’s fourth generation console, it is seeing a resurgence thanks to a Nintendo partner – hardware manufacturer Hyperkin.

I can’t seem to find which company manufactured the 1990s original version of the SNES mouse so perhaps Nintendo produced it themselves. Hyperkin’s re-release of the pointing device adopts the same grey color scheme, small physical size and twin purple buttons that made the OG mouse so unique. One particular change with the 2017 Hyperkin version is the length of the cord – 1992’s version had a cord that was shorter than that of the included SNES controllers. They’ve kept the SNES controller port support as well, meaning that this mouse will work with existing Super Nintendo consoles and the upcoming Super Nintendo Entertainment System Classic.

Here are a few promo shots and the official features list from Hyperkin:

  • SNES compatible
  • Perfect with Mario Paint and other compatible SNES mouse titles
  • Iconic retro-style color scheme
  • Smooth and responsive cursor control, perfect for drawing, commanding troops, or fragging enemies
  • 6 ft. cable

The Retro Style Mouse will retail for $19.99 USD, no word on if we’ll be able to hack Mario Paint on to our SNES Classics when they become available. Other games that supported the mouse back in the 90s included the arcade port of Terminator 2 and the SNES version of Jurassic Park – needless to say those won’t come standard on the SNES Classic either.

[Source: Hyperkin | Header Image Source: Moby Games]


0

Internal SEGA USA “Trainumentary” Is The Most 90s Thing Ever


Posted on May 15, 2016 by Rae Michelle Richards

The 1990s were a magical time when Jolt Cola was still readily available, Bill Clinton was President, SEGA & Sonic the Hedgehog rivaled Nintendo & Mario in popularity and you could totally get away with wearing a beanie to work!  Prepare yourselves for possibly one of the most 90s videos you’ve ever seen courtesy of the 1996 SEGA USA Testing Department – “The SEGA TEST”.

Early ‘96 was an odd time for the folks at SEGA USA – SEGA was coming off a particular strong ’94 where they had outsold the SNES in North America, the begging of ’96 was officially six months into the launch of the SEGA Saturn and former SEGA of America CEO Tom Kolinsky had yet to leave the hardware manufacturer.

I don’t think I have enough RADICAL words to really sum up how XTREME this “testamentary” is so here – in all of this glory, this image shall sum up SEGA in the mid-90s:

SegaGenesisWTF

If you’ve watched the embedded video already and wondered what happened to some of the folks featured in the video: According to LinkedIN Mark Paraiagua went to QA for OPENTV before working at HP. Jeff Junio went on to work for 3DO, became a Game Designer for Rock Star games before moving on to SGN. Janine Cook still works for SEGA of America as a producer after moving around to various other gaming related businesses including EA Canada.

It is quite interesting to get an inside(ish) look at what working for one of the major videogame companies in the mid-90s was like, even if the that look is thoroughly washed through the corporate lens.

This is SEGA TEST (1996) Director JOHN JANSEN from Green Mill Filmworks on Vimeo.


0

Set Your Feels To Nostalgia Because Digimon Is Coming Back


Posted on May 6, 2015 by Rae Michelle Richards

If you grew up in the 90s then prepare to be overwhelmed with feelings of nostalgia because it has been announced that the Digimon franchise will be returning not as a 26 episode anime series but a six part movie series with the first film titled ‘Reunion’ due out on November 21st in Japan.

For those not old enough to remember Digimon was a popular virtual pet / monster battle handheld popular in the late 90s that also had its own anime series. The anime was localized by Fox Kids and ran in North America from March 1999 until March 2003.

Alongside the news that Digimon would be returning later this year a brief teaser trailer was also released. It gives you a good look at how the character designs for the original digi-destined have changed since we last saw them.

So which is better – Pokemon or Digimon? Get ready to relive some of the greatest schoolyard arguments of the 1990s.

[youtube id=”CN9xpqG1giY”]


0

Get the latest articles and news from BrokenJoysticks and a selection of excellent articles from other sources.

Simply fill out the form below and you’ll be on your way to getting our upcoming newsletter.