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Nintendo Satellaview

Top: BS-X Logo Bottom: The Satellaview connected to a Super Famicom with a BS-X cartridge and memory pak.
Manufacturer	Nintendo
Type	Video game console add-on
Generation	Fourth generation (16-bit)
Retail availability	JP April, 1995-June 30, 2000
Media	Magnetic disks (8 MB)
Storage capacity	Cartridge ROM, Controller Pak
Online services	St.GIGA support (Japan only)

The Satellaview (サテラビュー, Saterabyū^?) was a satellite modem add-on for Nintendo's Super Famicom system in Japan released in 1995.^[1] It retailed for ¥18,000^[2][3] (then about USD$182).

The Satellaview system was developed and released by Nintendo to receive signals broadcast from satellite TV station WOWOW's satellite radio subsidiary, St.GIGA. St.GIGA was responsible for file server management, maintenance, and vocalization for "SoundLink games." Nintendo data broadcasts were given a fixed time-slot known as the Super Famicom Hour (スーパーファミコンアワー^?) during which scrambled Satellaview-related data was streamed via radio waves to be unscrambled by St.GIGA's "BS digital tuner" (ＢＳデジタルハイビジョンテレビ, BS Dejitaru HaiBijon Terebi^?). As a subscription-based ambient/New Age music station, St.GIGA listeners were already equipped with "BS tuners" prior to St.GIGA's contract with Nintendo, however Satellaview owners who lacked a "BS tuner" had to purchase one separately from St.GIGA (at a price of ¥33,000^[4]) as well as sign up for Nintendo's and St.GIGA's monthly joint membership fees.^[5] Alternately, users could rent "BS tuners" from St.GIGA for a 6-month period at a price of ¥5,400.^[4] Despite the price, by March 1997 St.GIGA subscriptions peaked at 116,378 households; by June 2001 the number of subscribers had dropped to around 46,000.^[6]

[edit] Name

The name Satellaview is a portmanteau of "Satellite" and "view," and the official abbreviation for the system is "BS-X". "BS" stands for Broadcast Satellite^[7], and "X" represents the figurative "unknown" or "nameless." In other vernaculars, the X can stand for "transfer", thus "Broadcast Satellite Transfer."

Because the Satellaview was only released in Japan, there has been some confusion among English-speaking enthusiasts as to what the "BS" prefix means. As a result, a number of mistranslations have been introduced into common use today and are prevalent on English-speaking fan sites. Thus, the "BS" portion of the official abbreviation has been most commonly misinterpreted as either "Bandai Satellaview"^[8] or "Broadcast Satellaview." Both of these translations are incorrect. Another common mistake that can be found on English-speaking fan sites is the application of the "BS" prefix to all Satellaview titles. While it is true that a number of Satellaview titles do employ the "BS" prefix, the majority of them do not.^[9] The most standard method used to title Satellaview games used three formats for three different purposes:

• The "BS" prefix was only used for the Satellaview's SoundLink Games (e.g. BS Zelda no Densetsu). Although all "BS-" titles are SoundLink games, it should be noted that not all SoundLink games bear the "BS" prefix.
• The "BS version" (「BS版」, "BS-ban"^?) suffix was used solely for non-SoundLink Satellaview-original releases (e.g. Dezaemon BS Version (デザエモンBS版, Dezaemon BS-ban^?)). Although all "BS Version" games are Satellaview originals, not all Satellaview originals bore the "BS Version" suffix.
• The original title was used for Satellaview ports and conversions (e.g. Zelda no Densetsu Kamigami no Triforce). A non-prefixed and/or non-suffixed title does not preclude the possibility that the game is a SoundLink or Satellaview original title.
• A fourth variety of title using the "Satella-" (「サテラ」^?) prefix was also common for the Satellaview (e.g. SatellaWalker (サテラウォーカー^?)). These games were Satellaview originals that often took the form of Satellaview-themed quiz games or that related to the world of the BS-X BIOS, BS-X The City Whose Name Has Been Stolen.

As the Broadcast Satellite (BS) system was in use in Japan prior to the release of the Satellaview, WOWOW, St.GIGA, and various other Japanese broadcasters have employed the term to refer to programming prior to the Satellaview.

[edit] Hardware

Diagram showing how the Satellaview interacts with St.GIGA's transmission-receptor devices and the television to deliver game data to the player

The basic Satellaview system comprises:

• Satellaview adapter, attached to the bottom of Super Famicom and plugged into the (previously unused) expansion port.
• L-shaped bracket, supplied power to the Satellaview via the Super Famicom.
• Application cartridge BS-X : The Story of The Town Whose Name Has Been Stolen (BS-X それは名前を盗まれた街の物語, Sore wa namae o nusumareta machi no monogatari^?): This application was like a game in itself. The player entered a name, selected either a male or female "mascot" character, and then moved the mascot around a virtual town. Each house or shop in the town served as a download location from where the player could directly download the data associated with a particular game. The download would write game data into temporary memory locations which would remain until the player downloaded a new game to take its place.

The deluxe system contained all the above as well as a rewritable 8-Megabit Memory Pak. The BS-X base unit contained around 512 KB of memory of its own, however the deluxe Memory Pak was required for larger games and to allow the player to have multiple saved games. Memory Paks were sold separately as well, and today these Memory Paks serve as a primary source of data retrieval for members of the subculture of collectors and enthusiasts devoted to the restoration of these games via emulation.

Chips in a Satellaview

DCD-BSA

Matsushita MN88821

[edit] St.GIGA Satellite broadcasts

Every day between April 23, 1995 and June 30, 2000, St.GIGA servers broadcast material via the BS network to be received and unscrambled by subscribers to Nintendo's Satellaview service. Although St.GIGA and Nintendo worked as partners between April 1995 and April 1999, tensions between them caused a rift in April 1999 which led to Nintendo's splitting from St.GIGA as well as the end of Nintendo's support for the Satellaview system. Despite this, St.GIGA continued broadcasting alone from between April 1999 and June 2000 when it ceased support for the system as well.

Broadcast material consisted of three types of data:

• Games - Original Satellaview titles as well as software versions of regular NES and SNES games were broadcast every day throughout the lifetime of St.GIGA's support for the Satellaview. Games included SoundLink as well as regular titles, and also included beta versions for upcoming titles and student works.^[10] A number of the games were additionally the basis of larger National Events in which players would compete for prizes awarded by St.GIGA.
• Magazines - Digital magazines could be read on-screen, and contained information on a variety of topics such as upcoming video games, music, comedic performances, and the lives of pop idols. Like the games, broadcast magazines came in both SoundLink as well as silent formats.^[10] SoundLink magazines were performed by members of various comedic troupes such as All Night Nippon, Bakusho Mondai, Hikaru Ijuin, etc., and often featured special guests. Regular magazines included SatellaGuide (サテラガイド^?), publications by Nintendo Power, comics by Lily Franky (リリー・フランキー^?), etc.^[10]
• Data - A smaller number of Satellaview titles were released as special application cartridges (see below) that possessed the basic gameplay data of the series to which they belonged, and required no downloads to play. These cartridges, however, could be swapped for the BS-X application cartridge to download specific scenarios relating to the series.^[10] As such, these cartridges functioned similarly to game-specific Nintendo Power cartridges, where the basic game was purchased separately and then expansion pack material could be downloaded via Satellaview.

Broadcast material followed a regular schedule that allowed Satellaview owners to plan their daily schedules in order to catch the games they wished to play. This regular schedule was changed, however, a number of times throughout the lifetime of the Satellaview to make allowances for such things as increased or decreased SoundLink voice actor availability, customer demands for SatellaGuide support, and reduced support in the later years. Below is a table displaying these changes. (Please see the note below the table)

NOTE: This table displays times when new — formerly unbroadcast — content was transmitted. Rebroadcasts of "Regular broadcast" games were transmitted throughout the lifetime of the Satellaview. As such, non-SoundLink reruns were available for players at some times simultaneously with new SatellaGuide broadcasts between 1998 and 2000.

[edit] Games

Satellaview Games were broadcast episodically in weekly or sometimes daily installments, usually with a total of four parts. As new episodes were added, players would either be confronted with new levels and maps or their original gameworld would become further unlocked allowing exploration of new areas in-game. Game items and points often carried over from one week to the next either automatically (requiring that the player use the same data cartridge) or through the use of passwords and codes.

Games could be downloaded from within the BS-X BIOS, a game city known as BS-X The City Whose Name Has Been Stolen that was used as an interface. After turning the Satellaview on with the BS-X BIOS cartridge inserted, a player could roam the city and could visit a number of BS-X buildings. Visiting these buildings would allow the player to download and play the game or episode that the building contained. The contents of the buildings changed from hour to hour, making it helpful players who wished to play a specific game to look up the correct time and location in various Super Famicom Hour (スーパーファミコンアワー^?) tables published online by Nintendo and in hard copy by magazines such as Satellaview Communications Magazine (サテラビュー通信, Saterabyu Tsuushin^?).

Broadcast Game Data fell into four distinct categories:^[12]

• Best Selection Games (ゲームベストセレクション^?) - Satellaview versions of top-selling and popular titles for the Famicom and Super Famicom were re-released as "Best Selection" games (the equivalent of the SNES's Player's Choice games). These games ranged from direct ports and exact replicas of the earlier games to remakes and remixes of the games with improved graphics and increased functions.
• Monthly Event Games (マンスリーイベント^?) - Events were held monthly to allow players to compete against other Satellaview users in a national rankings. Event games were often heavily advertised in the Magazine Data Broadcasts, and at the Nintendo website.^[13] The winner(s) and/or a few of the highest ranking players in these events would be awarded prizes (see below).
• BS Original Games (BSオリジナルゲーム^?) - Games that were released for the first time via Satellaview and new entries in established series available only via Satellaview were released exclusively as BS Original games. These games were often designed to make use of the peculiar episodic structure of the Data Broadcasts, and in almost every case these games remain exclusive to the Satellaview as almost none of them have been re-released on more modern systems.
• SoundLink Games (サウンドリンクゲーム^?) - Immersive audio experiences, SoundLink games provided narrated voice-acting gameplay to Nintendo fans for the first time. SoundLink games were often broadcast on strict timing schedules requiring players across the nation to begin at the same time and end at the same time. For this reason, competition events were quite common among SoundLink games, and prizes were often awarded for contest winners.

[edit] Events and prizes

Prizes such as Bemani Pocket games were awarded along with certificates of achievement to winners of the Satellaview competitions.

The system required a subscription to the St.GIGA satellite radio station, and during a limited time (between 11:00AM and 2:00AM), users could download games and receive news about the gaming world (as well as see some ads), and save it on a memory card that plugged into the Satellaview. It was also possible to play quizzes, and also at the end of each game users receive a score readout. By submitting their game or quiz high scores, their score would be recorded, and if they scored high enough they might get a free gift, such as a telephone card or flash-cart.

[edit] SoundLink

Some games featured live "SoundLink" (サウンドリンク^?) (streaming voice data), where a "narrator" would guide the players through the game and give helpful hints and advice. Because of the inclusion of a SoundLink soundtrack, the clock, and other live elements, these games could not be played at any time like some of the other BS-X games, but only during the set hours, much like a radio play. SoundLink broadcasts also included SoundLink Magazines that acted more like traditional radio broadcasts rather than games.

As a Nintendo-console first, in BS Zelda no Densetsu, all cutscenes were fully voice acted.

[edit] Data

This section requires expansion.

[edit] Magazines

This section requires expansion.

[edit] Compatible memory paks

[edit] Compatible application cartridges

[edit] See also

• Intellivision's PlayCable (1981)
• Atari 2600's GameLine (early 1980s)
• Sega Mega Drive's Sega Meganet (1991) and Sega Channel (1994)
• Nintendo Entertainment System's Famicom Modem and Teleplay Modem (1992)
• Nintendo 64DD's RANDnetDD (1999)

[edit] Sources

[edit] External links

• BS-X General Information, Software Downloads
• N-sider.com - NintendOnline - Page 2 article about Nintendo's online history