The dual launches marked a new chapter in the battle for supremacy between Japan's top videogame companies as they try to deal with a sharp rise in mobile gaming.
Scores of excited gamers queued at electronics stores in Tokyo to try to get their hands on the Nintendo's new version of its Famicom and Sony's PS4 Pro.
The smaller version of Nintendo's classic console, known as the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) overseas, sold more than 60 million units after its 1983 launch.
The console is installed with 30 games including Nintendo's famed Super Mario and Donkey Kong characters.
Also Read
Sony's cutting-edge machine retails for about USD 400 and promises even sharper graphics than earlier versions of its PS4, which have sold over 40 million units globally.
Most consoles had already been pre-ordered, dashing the hopes of some Japanese gamers who rushed to stores for the double launch day.
"We stopped taking pre-orders some time ago because demand for both machines was beyond expectations," Yuko Harima, a spokeswoman for retail electronics stores Bic Camera, told AFP, without disclosing sales figures.
The two offerings are very different but their launch could herald a new turf war among the rivals, said Hirokazu Hamamura, who heads game magazines publishing at the Kadokawa media group.
"You may think it's no big deal that the cutting-edge high-end game machine and old-style Famicom make their debuts on the same day, but I don't think so," he said.
"This really illustrates that we could see a platform war in the coming years," he told a recent seminar in Tokyo.
Both firms are competing to win so-called crossover customers who use smartphones, game consoles and traditional computers, he added.
Meanwhile, the firm last month stumbled as it gave a sneak peek at a long-awaited new console called Nintendo Switch.
Disclaimer: No Business Standard Journalist was involved in creation of this content