A batch of one of Nintendo‘s rarest consoles was recently discovered in a completely unexpected place, a Japanese love hotel. The unusual Nintendo consoles were found in surprisingly good condition and had an assortment of games that still worked after nearly 40 years.
Nintendo became a household name in gaming with the universal success of the Nintendo Entertainment System, known as the Famicom in Japan. The NES was the first console to see major success in the United States after the infamous video game crash of 1983. Now, some relics of a bygone era of Nintendo have been found in an unusual location.
Rare Nintendo Consoles Found in Japanese Hotel
Japanese Twitter user Orochi, who refers to themselves as the Famicom Archivist, recently shared their discovery of a batch of rare Famicombox consoles. The unusual hardware was found in a Japanese love hotel in surprisingly good condition, with every room in the hotel except one having the console. The commercial-use Nintendo consoles even included the Zapper gun for games like Duck Hunt, though Orochi confirmed that the gun would not function properly with the newer LCD TVs. The Famicombox was a multi-cartridge console originally intended for commercial use, with each supporting up to 16 different Famicom games and being given to businesses like hotels for guests’ rooms.
Put the consoles in the correct order.
The incredible Famicom discovery is not the first example of Nintendo creating a console geared towards businesses. Nintendo developed commercial-use versions of many of its consoles designed for use in hotels, including the Nintendo Gateway System, which was supported from the SNES up until the Nintendo GameCube. The Gateway System was even included as an in-flight entertainment option on some airlines, though Nintendo fully discontinued the service in 2012. Much like many other console manufacturers, Nintendo also regularly installs kiosks at businesses like Walmart and Target, allowing fans to play demos and watch videos of upcoming games.
Despite the console having been released more than 40 years ago, Nintendo continues to honor the NES and Famicom’s legacy. Nintendo Switch Online features an expansive library of NES games, ranging from classics like Super Mario Bros. and The Legend of Zelda to Japan-exclusive games like The Tower of Druaga. The library of games for the NES also continues to be coveted collectibles for many fans, with a pristine copy of the original Super Mario Bros. recently selling for a staggering $3 million at auction. The classic NES game became the most expensive video game ever sold, passing the record previously set by a different copy of the same game.
Nintendo remains one of the biggest players in the gaming industry, recently launching its newest home console. The Nintendo Switch 2 officially released in June 2025 and was an instant success for the company, selling more than 3.5 million units in four days to become the fastest-selling Nintendo console. Mario Kart World quickly became the breakout hit for the console, being packaged with many bundles for the Switch 2, with the game already selling more than 14 million units just over a year of its launch. Nintendo continues to cement itself as one of the premier names in gaming, and looks to maintain that status well into the future.