Photo credit: SkateboardingReason
In 1989, a curious hybrid landed on the shelves of Kmart and Sears stores in the United States, a device that merged the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) with a 19-inch CRT television. Known as the Sharp Nintendo Television, model 19SV111, this rare piece of hardware blended home entertainment with gaming. Few units remain today, and their scarcity has turned them into collector’s gold, fetching prices upwards of $1,500 on eBay.
Sharp and Nintendo’s collaboration first began in Japan with the My Computer TV C1, a 14-inch or 19-inch television with a built-in Famicom, Japan’s version of the NES, released in October 1983. “We saw an opportunity to combine the clarity of a direct video connection with the convenience of a single unit,” a Sharp spokesperson noted in a 1983 Japanese press release, highlighting the improved picture quality over traditional RF modulator setups. By 1989, this concept crossed the Pacific as the 19SV111, tailored for North American gamers. Nintendo’s involvement ensured official licensing, complete with an NES seal sticker.
- Build an interactive, 1980s-style TV set displaying the classic Super Mario Bros. game & activate it with LEGO Mario figure (not included)
- Authentic details of the NES console are recreated in LEGO style, including a controller and an opening slot for the buildable Game Pak
- The TV has a handle-operated scrolling screen, Mario figure reacts to the on-screen enemies, obstacles and power-ups when placed on the top
This wasn’t just a TV with a gaming theme; it was a fully integrated NES console. The front panel housed power and reset buttons, two controller ports, and a Game Pak slot, all seamlessly built into the television’s chassis. A rare remote, model RRMCG0684CESA, could even power the NES on or off, a feature ahead of its time. “Our goal was to simplify the gaming experience while maintaining the quality Nintendo is known for,” a Nintendo representative stated in a 1989 trade magazine. The unit came with two black Sharp-branded controllers, though many surviving units lack these originals, and the remote is notoriously hard to find.
The 19SV111 featured a 19-inch CRT display with approximately 185 square inches of viewable area, delivering a resolution typical of late-’80s televisions. Its 75-ohm unbalanced and 300-ohm balanced antenna inputs supported VHF, UHF, and CATV channels, with a TV/CATV mode selector.The audio system included a 4-inch PM speaker with an 8-ohm voice coil impedance, producing 12 watts at 10% distortion. Power consumption sat at 95 watts via a 120V AC 60Hz input.
Production ended in January 1990, possibly due to sluggish sales attributed to its high price—around $550 in 1989, equivalent to over $1,300 today. Only sold at Kmart and Sears, its distribution was limited, and estimates suggest fewer than 200 units of a rumored display-only model, often mislabeled as the 19SC111, were produced. A 2002 typo in an ASSEMbler article fueled confusion about the 19SC111’s existence, but collectors like Nintendrew have debunked this, confirming only the 19SV111 was sold in the U.S. “It’s a unicorn in the retro gaming world,” says collector JohnnyPhantom on a NintendoAge forum, who scored one at a garage sale for $5.
Maintenance adds another layer to the 19SV111’s story. Its CRT and NES PCB require periodic capacitor replacements, with kits available from sites like Console5. “It’s not just about owning it; it’s about preserving a piece of gaming history,” a Reddit user, SkateboardingReason posted.
