The Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) was Nintendo's first entry into the home console gaming market. The console was first released in Japan (as the Famicom, or "Family Computer") in 1983, with a US release not coming until 1985, and Europe following in 1986. The NES helped pull the North American videogame industry out of the crash it had experienced in 1983, and is largely credited with keeping the industry alive. The console used ROM cartridges as its media format, which were loaded into the system via a hinged door located on the front of the system. The Japanese version uses a top-loading design with slightly shorter cartridges.

The NES used a standard controller for the majority of its games. This controller utilized a directional pad and start/select buttons, as well as two face buttons labeled 'B' and 'A'. The console also used a number of additional peripherals including the original NES Zapper (a gun accessory) and R.O.B. ("Robotic Operating Buddy") used primarily with the title Gyromite.

The console underwent one redesign for western territories, known as the NES 2, which eliminated the door-loader and instead went with a top-loading design similar to the Famicom's original design. These models are much more rare than the original model. Nintendo stopped producing the Nintendo Entertainment System in 1995, with total sales numbers placing the system at 61 million units sold by the end of its life. Its top-selling game (not a pack-in) is Super Mario Bros. 3, reaching 18 million sales worldwide.