Version Differences NES – In-Game Differences Between 3 and 5 Screw NES Games Explained

nes

I noticed this weekend that there are two different "screw-versions" of the old NES games. As we can read on Nintendo Age, most of games have both version with 5 and 3 screws.

Here is a great example :

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Do the games are 100% identical in-game? For some titles, there is a huge price difference between the 3 screws version and the 5 screws one and I want to be sure. Is the only factor the rarity of each version? Or there are in-game differences between those versions ? What is the reason there are 3 and 5 screws NES games?

Best Answer

It probably happened to save money on the top screws. Looking around a bit, I've found the following text regarding the cartridge variations:

Cartridges were originally released with five screws, one in each corner and one in the center. Later, the molds were changed so the back of the case held two male clips which hooked snuggly into the front’s “slot-B” holes. This eliminated the need for the upper corner screws and was, again, probably introduced as a cost-saving alternative.

I don't think you'll be able to find any better explanation, because in the end it's really just that: Another "hardware revision". The price difference is most likely related to the age and rarity, considering the variation with 5 screws is older and got abandoned.

As for the actual cartridge contents, it's impossible to say: This really depends on the actual game and despite popular believe, even classic console games were often released in one or two revisions, sometimes with bugs fixed or minor things (like some graphics) getting changed.

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