The NES Four Score is a multitap accessory created by Nintendo in 1990 for the Nintendo Entertainment System. Select games can utilize it to enable up to four-player gameplay.[1] The NES Four Score is similar to the previously introduced NES Satellite, a device that allows four players to connect to the NES and extends the range using infrared wireless communication.
Prior to the advent of NES multitap support, the NES games supporting more than two players required the players to pair up and then alternate turns while sharing the same pair of NES controllers. Some games that originally featured support for more than two players, such as some arcade titles, support only two simultaneous players in their NES versions.
The NES Four Score plugs into both controller ports on the NES console and allows input of up to four NES controllers. On the NES Four Score, there is an option to switch between two-player and four-player modes, and there are turbo A and B buttons that give any of the connected controllers a rapid-fire boost. The NES Four Score can also be used as a controller extension cable because the wire which leads from the accessory to the NES is several feet in length.[2]
Games
These licensed games are compatible with the NES Four Score, for more than two concurrent players:
The 4-Players Adaptor[a] is a licensed peripheral released for the Famicom in Japan by Hori.[6] It is the Famicom's equivalent to the NES Four Score.[7] Its purpose is to allow up to four players to play simultaneously in compatible games by allowing for additional controllers to be connected through the console's expansion port. The adapter also features a switch that allows the first two players to use external controllers in lieu of the standard Famicom controllers, giving each player the choice to use an external controller. Many of the titles in Technōs Japan's Kunio-kun series support the adapter.