Square button / buttoned Famicom

[fami-ave]

I got a boxed one (NM), and saw that it was sold on Feb. 28, 1984.
Wonder how long they were sold?
Also wonder about the box design. This one has 10 games on the small picture. Later models had more, but how many different pictures are there?

Nice one! I got my CIB FC last winter, I know how happy it can make the Famicom collector inside you  

My box has the same design (8 pulse line carts), I think there were only two different pictures - this, and the one for later models. But since there were only three launch titles and some of the games on that picture were released quite a few months after that, I'm wondering if there was a "launch Famicom" picture with even less titles. But that's just speculation, I never heard about such a version. I think they also used some games twice on the picture, didn't they?

I did some investigation upon the square button FC a while ago. See my post over on Assemblergames:
http://www.assemblergames.com/forums/showthread.php?31995-Famicom-Launch-amp-Square-Button-Famicom&p=553958&viewfull=1#post553958

I concluded that the change to round-buttons must have happened anytime between November 1984 and January 1985.

[fredJ]

I saw that thread but I didn't scroll all the way down. :-/

I am surprised that the change happened so late (1,5 years after release?). I would think it happened earlier.
I assume Japanese people should know, and there must be websites for that.
I think these things are often not so predictable, as someone said on assemblergames. Photos can be made of carts months before they are in stores. Also, I think Nintendo replaced the buttons on the square buttons earlier, and that may have been done earlier.

Just speculating.
I am a member of assemblergames but don't really post there.

[fami-ave]

Of course it's hard to determine a date because I never found an official statement on any page on the internet or even by Nintendo. Even in interviews, they just refer to it as "short time after release", but I do not think it was before late 1984, the indicators being

- the commercials featuring the square-button FC
- the new Famicom was shipped with the intructional manga which has "(C) 1985)" on it
- the most recent carts on the revised picture on the box is F1 Race, 4P Mahjong, titles released in early November 1984. Excitebike and CluClu Land, however, are not shown (released November 30th 1984)

Nintendo did replace the buttons because they wore out really quickly, but they wouldn't exchange them for round buttons. And apart from the buttons, the bottom surface (smooth and shiny) and some other details also sets it apart from the round-button revision.

[fredJ]

It would be interesting to document the paperwork that came with the units too, as well as changes with power supplies and such.
I guarantee there are Japanese websites that deal with this. I don't read/speak Japanese myself though.

[80sFREAK]

Of course it's hard to determine a date because I never found an official statement on any page on the internet or even by Nintendo. Even in interviews, they just refer to it as "short time after release", but I do not think it was before late 1984, the indicators being

- the commercials featuring the square-button FC
- the new Famicom was shipped with the intructional manga which has "(C) 1985)" on it
- the most recent carts on the revised picture on the box is F1 Race, 4P Mahjong, titles released in early November 1984. Excitebike and CluClu Land, however, are not shown (released November 30th 1984)

Nintendo did replace the buttons because they wore out really quickly, but they wouldn't exchange them for round buttons. And apart from the buttons, the bottom surface (smooth and shiny) and some other details also sets it apart from the round-button revision.

Not only buttons, but chipset as well(few times) and revision 06 have RAM chips in SOIC