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Now your knitting with Power - NES Knitting Machine

P

POWERSPHERE

Banned
Man, this would have been incredible. Nintendos early excursions into broadening the console market I suppose, plus a million Mario jumpers.

http://m.au.ign.com/articles/2012/08/31/nintendo-almost-made-a-knitting-add-on-for-nes

A recently-surfaced 1980s brochure reveals that Nintendo nearly released a knitting add-on for the NES. Posted on the Facebook page of former Nintendo employee Howard Phillips, the brochure shows off the Nintendo Knitting Machine, a device that would have connected to the NES and allowed players to create and print their own designs.
“You're looking at the Nintendo Knitting Machine,” the ad reads. “It's not a game; not a toy; not something a young girl can outgrow in three or six months or even a year. It's a machine that interacts with the powerful Nintendo Entertainment System to actually knit sweaters: and not just one or two patterns but a multitude of different and unique designs.”
Click to expand...

NESknitting-610x823.jpg


And this pixel art editor game thing would be been awesome for making that World 1-1 jumper you've always wanted

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1YbANpltcm4&feature=player_embedded
 
S

Shig

Strap on your hooker ...
Hot damn I really wish they would have gone with that prototype NES design.

(the console, not the controller. Square D-pad and buttons, yuck, and I'm sure the wireless IR was unreliable. The collapsible lightgun was rad, though.)
 
S

slackboy72

Banned
As a side note did you know that Toyota started as a manufacturer of fabric who branched out into making looms? Cars were a bit of an afterthought.
 
MrCunningham

MrCunningham

Member
POWERSPHERE said:
I think it was more of a problem with flakey IR.
Click to expand...

Yeah, as great as it looks on paper, the wireless IR was probably completely unreliable in testing. I do love how most everything from the early to mid 80's tried to look slick and futuristic though. What they ended up with may have not looked as cool, but it was probably a lot more practical in the real world... aside from the idiotic front loading design. I will never understand the logic behind that.


I also like how they were trying to push the home computer aspect with the keyboard and tape player.

I wonder if there were any working prototypes for the knitting machine, that thing is bizarre but kind of awesome.
 
I

Instro

Member
It would be pretty sweet if a machine could knit you something based on the game you are playing and how well you are doing.
 
@

@MUWANdo

Banned
They actually ended up releasing something similar for the GBC in Japan--you could get a digital sewing machine that came with a special GBC link cable and cartridge that contained a bunch of Mario-themed stitch patterns, or something. They were planning on releasing a Kirby-themed one, too, but it got canned. I think Natsume was behind it?
 
R

RagnarokX

Member
fritolay said:
No wires? I guess battery technology ended up not being where people wanted it and went tired instead.
Click to expand...
I dunno. All I know is that Nintendo dumped that design because they showed it off at CES and just got laughed at. They originally intended to market the Famicom as a computer, but after the response at CES they made it more toy-like.
 
Link1110

Link1110

Member
I saw this thread, laughed at the cute Photoshop joke in the OT, then saw that Gamemaster Howard page on FB, liked it and looked at the pics.

WTF!? That was actually made by Nintendo but never released!?
 
P

Pociask

Member
Wait wait wait - Nintendo could make something that combines my love of video games with my desire to return to homespun days of yore when I could make my own clothes?

Get that thing to make pants, shirts, and socks on top of sweaters, and it'd be an insta-buy.
 
Z

Zee-Row

Banned
Wow Nintendo tried everything in their power to make the NES perceived as a do everything device and not just a game console. I know that was necessary in the effort to restore Video Games popularity in the U.S.

Also lol I want to see a PS3 sawing machine since it has the "it can do everything" tagline.
 
S

SMT

this show is not Breaking Bad why is it not Breaking Bad? it should be Breaking Bad dammit Breaking Bad
I want one, so I can knit beside the fireplace.
 
M

Medalion

Banned
This goes to show you that Nintendo was trying for all demographics even back in the NES days...
Mario for your kids
and Knitting for your Grandma

NES... playing together never felt so awkward
 
E

Eric C

Member
I didn't know about this, but it doesn't surprise me.

The Nintendo Knitting Machine is just one more example of the innovative thinking that keeps Nintendo on the cutting edge of video game technology.
Click to expand...

Knitting with POWER
 
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