Family Computer Network System

The is a video game peripheral for the Family Computer released only in Japan in 1988 that uses a card-based format like Hudson Soft's/NEC's PC-Engine. It allowed the user access to a server that provided game cheats, jokes, weather forecasts, and a small amount of downloadable content. It could also be used to make live stock trades. It did provide online play but all of its games with online play were ports of cartridge games and are now very rare to find. The device also allowed players to purchase and download certain games onto the disk drive. 

By early 1989, the Family Computer Network System had sold 150,000 units in Japan.

The idea of downloading content would later be used in the Super Famicom's Satellaview, the Nintendo 64DD, the GameCube, the GameCube to Game Boy Advance Link Cable, the Nintendo DS's DS Download Play, the Wii's WiiConnect24 and its shop, the Nintendo DSi's DSi Shop, and the Nintendo eShop for the Nintendo 3DS, Wii U and Nintendo Switch.