Over the years, there have been and continue to be tons of Nintendo related merch. These vary widely from mascot related items to other things themed after the company’s past consoles. Although not anywhere near being mainstream outside of Japan, the Famicom Disk System, a proprietary floppy disk drive for the original Famicom, played a huge part in the company’s history and holds quite a bit of mindshare for gamers who grew up during the era in the land of the rising sun. Despite its former highs in terms of popularity, you will be hard pressed to find much merchandise based on the system. Or at least this was the case up until 2021. Today, let’s take a quick look at what is quite possibly the best Famicom Disk System merch available and how you can get it - the Famicom Disk System card cases. Let’s get into it.
What Are These?
On November 12, 2021, the official Nintendo store, Nintendo TOKYO, announced via Twitter and various online outlets that Famicom Disk System based IC card cases were for sale. Dubbed the “Card Case Collection Disk System,” the cases and the entire packaging were based on the original packaging for select Famicom Disk System releases. One opened, the “disk” section could house an IC card. For those unfamiliar, IC cards, such as Suica or PASMO, are NFC cards that are used for train fare and purchases at shops and vending machines across the country. These stylized cases were just, more or less, a fancy way to be able to carry them around. There are five card cases available based on the following games:
- The Legend of Zelda
- Super Mario Bros. 2 (aka The Lost Levels)
- Metroid
- Famicom Detective Club: Kieta Kōeisha Zenpen (The Missing Heir Part I)
- Famicom Detective Club: Kieta Kōeisha Kōhen (The Missing Heir Part II)
The cases could either be bought individually or via a special box. When buying these individually, you will not know which game design you are getting since the items are all placed in blind boxes. The special larger box houses all five games. Individual blind box cards sell for ¥1,540 while the complete box sells for ¥7,700. For fans out there looking to pick up the entire set, the box is your best option.
Where Can You Buy Them?
These card cases can be bought exclusively from Nintendo directly. Fans can opt to pick these up at Nintendo retail stores in Japan at Nintendo TOKYO, OSAKA or KYOTO, or can purchase them online. Unfortunately even with an online purchase, these are currently limited to Japan only - shipping addresses linked to My Nintendo Accounts in Japan must have a Japanese address. There may be work arounds on this, but
Thoughts & Photos
I bought the complete boxed set of the card cases on a trip to Nintendo TOKYO. I don’t have too many Disk System related items in my collection, but I these were just too cool to pass up. Nintendo did a really bang up job on crafting these things. The packaging for the “games” themselves are pretty much exactly the same as the actual disks released years ago. The original disks are just a little bit wider and do not sport the triangular piece for the optional keychain. Again, artwork, inserts and even the small lettering on the IC card cases are very faithful to the originals.
Below, you can find some more photos of the cases.
Conclusion
This bit of merch might not blow everyone away, but the attention to detail cannot be denied. Aside from a few very minor differences, the IC card cases are consistent with the original designs. Given the prevalence of wireless payment options these days via phones or smart watches, items like this are only going to be practical for fewer and fewer people as time goes on. At the same time, if you’re a collector out there, one or all of these would be a great addition to any collection out there.
But, let’s turn things over to you. Did you know about these card holders? Do you have any cool Disk System merch, or games? Be sure to sound off in the comments down below, we’d love to hear from you.
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