What was the name of Nintendo’s 1986 disk-based accessory for the Famicom?

Nintendo’s 1986 disk-based accessory for the Famicom was the Famicom Disk System. It connected beneath the console and used proprietary floppy-style disks called Disk Cards to load games and save progress.

Nintendo released the Famicom Disk System in Japan on February 21, 1986. The rewritable disks offered more storage flexibility than early cartridges and included a low-cost manufacturing model. Players could also use Disk Writer kiosks to copy or rewrite selected games for a fee.

The accessory launched with The Legend of Zelda, which used its storage for save data. Other notable Disk System releases included Metroid and Kid Icarus. The system’s games could be purchased on separate disks rather than standard Famicom cartridges.

The Famicom Disk System was never officially released outside Japan. As cartridge technology improved, its advantages became less important, and Nintendo eventually shifted away from the format. It remains significant because it hosted several foundational Nintendo games in their earliest forms.