Around the launch of the Famicom Disk System, Nintendo introduced Japan to the Famicom Disk Writer; a clever method for allowing Famicom Disk System owners to change up their game library for a reduced price (generally around 500 yen as opposed to 2,600 yen, the average price of new Famicom games) in a ‘rental’ style system, despite game rentals being illegal in Japan.

A flyer displaying the Famicom Disk Writer kiosk’s capabilities (Source: thedoteaters.com)

This 6 minute ‘demo reel’ of sorts played on the Famicom Disk Writer kiosks found in various stores across Japan, and features everything you could possibly dream of; Luigi riding on the Famicom Disk System’s RAM adapter, Luigi commanding data to transfer through a cable using only the immense power of his pointing finger, Luigi destroying Mario’s FDS game with a giant magnet… Basically, lots of Luigi! The whole reel is accompanied by a dangerously catchy upbeat chiptune soundtrack, making the presumed wait for your brand new games to be written onto a disc all that more bearable; admittedly, I can’t say I envy the shop worker back in 1986 who had to listen to this track repeating through their entire shift…

Japanese blogger and presumed Famicom collector kazzycom appears to have recently come into possession of an original Disk Writer kiosk which he has beautifully restored with custom artwork and casing. He has posted some interesting pictures of the machine’s internals on his blog, and you can check out some more high-quality pics of the whole kiosk and its construction on his Twitter page, linked below.

Source: Famicom Story (ファミコンのネタ!! )