8 BIT MUSIC POWER is the first commercially released title for the format in over two decades.
If vinyl has lost its lustre and tapes just aren’t underground enough, the next frontier of niche formats has been reached, with an album released on a cartridge you need a 30-year-old video games console to play.
As the Wall Street Journal reports, 8 BIT MUSIC POWER is an album released exclusively for the Nintendo Famicom – the Japanese equivalent of the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES). It features 12 original tracks including contributions from noted Famicom composers Yuriko Keino (Xevious, Dig Dug) and Takeaki Kunimoto (Star Soldier).
As you’d expect from an album that comes on cartridge, it comes with a wealth of visuals, but you’ll need a Famicom to play it – the NES uses a different cartridge format so most Western enthusiasts will need an adaptor to play it.
Columbus Circle, the Japanese company responsible for the cartridge, says that 8 BIT MUSIC POWER is the first title to be released on the format in 21 years, though it doesn’t come with the Nintendo Seal of Quality. If you want to get your hands on one it’s released on January 31 and is available through Amazon – if it proves popular Columbus Circle has said it may consider releasing an NES version. [via Engadget]
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