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Further proof that the company’s 16-bit console was one of the best-looking systems ever made.

My family had some kind of video game system in our home as far back as I can remember, but Nintendo’s Super Famicom was the first console I actually followed the development of. For months, I pored over glossy magazine spreads with in-development pictures of games that were destined to become classics (as well as some that were destined to be forgotten, like Ultraman: Towards the Future and Jumbo Ozaki’s Hole in One Golf).

So when the Super Famicom finally made its way to the U.S. as the Super NES, I was psyched, and when I got one of my own, I was not disappointed. Not only did the holy triumvirate of its launch lineup, Super Mario World, Pilotwings, and F-Zero, represent unparalleled levels of fun, polished gameplay, their graphics were jaw-droppingly vivid and detailed.

Which was a good thing, because the North American Super NES itself is pretty ugly.

▼ But hey, it really does have a nice personality.

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The Super NES was oddly angular up top and had a weird, wavy, baked good-like ridge running along its base, plus its entirely subdued hues made it look cold and lifeless. In comparison, the Super Famicom—and the European Super NES for that matter—looked equal parts high-tech and fun, thanks to its sleek, colorful design.

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As a matter of fact, the Super Famicom is so memorably eye-pleasing that Nintendo is bringing its design back again for a new edition of its 3DS LL handheld system.

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Set to be released in mid-April, the casing’s artwork is so faithful that you might find yourself trying to actually slide the drawn-on power switch up or insert a Super Famicom game into the semi circule that represents the cartridge slot.

The theming continues inside, with the buttons Y, X, B, and A buttons colored just like their counterparts on the Super Famicom controller.

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The 3DS LL Super Famicom Edition comes bundled with a 4-gigabyte memory card and is priced at 21,600 yen (US$195). The special system will be sold exclusively by preorder through Nintendo’s website here. No announcement has yet been given regarding the possibility of a North American-spec version, or an unappealing Super NES equivalent.

Follow Casey on Twitter as he waxes romantic about 16-bit gaming.

Source: Nintendo h/t Kotaku U.K.
Top image: Nintendo
Insert images: Wikipedia/Evan-Amos (1, 2), Nintendo