Famicom BASIC
Encyclopedia
Family BASIC or Famicom BASIC is a dialect of the BASIC
programming language
that is used to program the Family Computer
, its cartridge came with a computer style keyboard, and required a cassette tape recorder to save games that were created. Packaged with an instructional textbook and the Family Basic Keyboard, the software was released to consumers in Japan by Nintendo
in co-operation with Hudson Soft
and Sharp Corporation
on June 21, 1984, with a second version, with added memory, and features known as Family Basic V3 release on February 21, 1985.
Several visual components seen in Nintendo games, such as backgrounds and characters from Mario
and Donkey Kong
games (circa 1984-1985), were made available as basic Family Basic development parts, or have appeared in pre-made Family Basic games.
Programs can be saved using the Famicom Data Recorder
peripheral, basically the Famicom equivalent of the Commodore Datasette. Contrary to common thought, the Famicom Disk System
cannot be used together with Family Basic because both the disk system's RAM adapter and the Family Basic cartridge need to be inserted into the main unit's cartridge slot for each respective peripheral to function.
BASIC
BASIC is a family of general-purpose, high-level programming languages whose design philosophy emphasizes ease of use - the name is an acronym from Beginner's All-purpose Symbolic Instruction Code....
programming language
Programming language
A programming language is an artificial language designed to communicate instructions to a machine, particularly a computer. Programming languages can be used to create programs that control the behavior of a machine and/or to express algorithms precisely....
that is used to program the Family Computer
Nintendo Entertainment System
The Nintendo Entertainment System is an 8-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America during 1985, in Europe during 1986 and Australia in 1987...
, its cartridge came with a computer style keyboard, and required a cassette tape recorder to save games that were created. Packaged with an instructional textbook and the Family Basic Keyboard, the software was released to consumers in Japan by Nintendo
Nintendo
is a multinational corporation located in Kyoto, Japan. Founded on September 23, 1889 by Fusajiro Yamauchi, it produced handmade hanafuda cards. By 1963, the company had tried several small niche businesses, such as a cab company and a love hotel....
in co-operation with Hudson Soft
Hudson Soft
, formally known as , is a majority-owned subsidiary of Konami Corporation is a Japanese electronic entertainment publisher headquartered in the Midtown Tower in Tokyo Midtown, Akasaka, Minato, Tokyo, Japan, with an additional office in the Hudson Building in Sapporo. It was founded on May 18, 1973...
and Sharp Corporation
Sharp Corporation
is a Japanese multinational corporation that designs and manufactures electronic products. Headquartered in Abeno-ku, Osaka, Japan, Sharp employs more than 55,580 people worldwide as of June 2011. The company was founded in September 1912 and takes its name from one of its founder's first...
on June 21, 1984, with a second version, with added memory, and features known as Family Basic V3 release on February 21, 1985.
Several visual components seen in Nintendo games, such as backgrounds and characters from Mario
Mario (series)
The video game series, alternatively called the series or simply the series, is a series of highly popular and critically acclaimed video games by Nintendo, featuring Nintendo's mascot Mario and, in many games, his brother Luigi. Gameplay in the series often centers around jumping on and...
and Donkey Kong
Donkey Kong
is a fictional gorilla in the Donkey Kong and Mario series. He is roughly twice the size of a normal gorilla, weighing approximately 800 pounds. Donkey Kong first appeared in Nintendo's popular 1981 video game of the same name. Since then he has appeared in over 20 games in his own series, as well...
games (circa 1984-1985), were made available as basic Family Basic development parts, or have appeared in pre-made Family Basic games.
Game creating and saving
Famicom Data Recorder
Famicom Data Recorder HVC-008 is a compact cassette data interface for the Family Computer.-History:Manufactured by Matsushita/Panasonic for Nintendo, the Drive was released in 1984 only in Japan as an addition to the Family BASIC Keyboard to save data from BASIC programs created by users...
peripheral, basically the Famicom equivalent of the Commodore Datasette. Contrary to common thought, the Famicom Disk System
Famicom Disk System
The was released on February 21, 1986 by Nintendo as a peripheral for the Family Computer console in Japan. It was a unit that used proprietary floppy disks for data storage. It was announced, but never released, for the North American Nintendo Entertainment System...
cannot be used together with Family Basic because both the disk system's RAM adapter and the Family Basic cartridge need to be inserted into the main unit's cartridge slot for each respective peripheral to function.
Trivia
- In WarioWare, Inc.: Mega Microgames!, one of 9-Volt's Minigames involves the Famicom Basic keyboard.
- There were plans to release the program to the U.S.United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, but Nintendo decided that they did not want to market the NESNintendo Entertainment SystemThe Nintendo Entertainment System is an 8-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America during 1985, in Europe during 1986 and Australia in 1987...
as a computer system, taking into account the North American video game crash of 1983. - Version 1.0 was never released but Versions 2.0, 2.1, and 3.0 were. V.3.0 had a few tweaks and already created games were included.
External links
- Family BASIC at NinDB
- Famicom BASIC Token Lists for V2 and V3 (dead link)