Dendy (Russian: Де́нди) is a series of home video game consoles that were unofficial hardware clones of Nintendo's third-generation Famicom system.

The Dendy consoles were based on Japanese hardware designs and cartridge formats, which differed slightly from their American counterparts.

Because the Famicom and Nintendo Entertainment System were never officially sold in post-Soviet states, the Dendy achieved great popularity in the region.

The brand name "Dendy" became genericized in Russia, referring not only to other Famicom hardware clones, colloquially called Famiclones, but also to various gaming consoles.

In 1992, Russian entrepreneur Viktor Savyuk approached Steepler, a company primarily focused on distributing Hewlett-Packard products and localizing the Windows 3.x operating system using the CyrWin package.

As a result, Steepler established a "Video Games Department" (Russian: Отдел видеоигр) in September 1992, with Savyuk joining the newly formed division.

[2] Instead, Savyuk established connections with Taiwanese manufacturers, eventually leading to Steepler's deal with TXC Corporation, which produced Famiclones sold under the Micro Genius brand.

[2] When choosing the brand name, Savyuk selected the English word for Dandy, referring to a man who pays meticulous attention to aesthetic appearance, behavior, and refined speech.

Game sales also proved profitable, prompting Steepler managers to travel to various regions to seek out local dealers and purchase advertising.

[2][8] Steepler had effectively cornered a largely untapped market, as major global video game and console manufacturers showed little interest in Russia at the time.

[2] Steepler's market research into print media led to a partnership with the publishers of Video-Ace Computer Games (Russian: Видео-Асс Компьютерные Игры) magazine.

This collaboration gave rise to Video-Ace Dendy, the first wholly video-game-oriented Russian magazine, debuted in summer 1993 under the editorship of Valery Polyakov.

Initially, the magazine functioned largely as a promotional vehicle for Steepler's product line, with the first seven issues focusing heavily on Dendy-related content.

As Steepler's product range expanded to include Sega Mega Drive and Super Nintendo Entertainment System consoles, the magazine's coverage grew to encompass these platforms as well.

[2] The cancellation was attributed to multiple factors, including an unfavorable broadcast time (3:45 PM on Fridays) that limited the target audience's ability to watch,[6] and increased production costs, which doubled from $50,000 to $100,000 per episode.

Following the end of Novaya Realnost', MTK TV Channel launched Mir Dendy (Russian: Мир Денди, lit.

[2] By 1995, the company expanded its marketing efforts, hiring Russian singer Oleg Gazmanov and his son Rodion as brand ambassadors.

[10] Steepler sought to establish a partnership with Nintendo, attempting to contact the company's European division through its regional office in Germany.

The company invited Victor Savyuk to Seattle for a meeting with Nintendo of America executives Minoru Arakawa and Howard Lincoln.

[4] In late 1994, Steepler faced new competition from two companies: Lamport, which began producing its own console called Kenga, and Bitman, which imported Famicom, Mega Drive, and Game Boy clones from Taiwan.

[2] In January 1995, sales dropped noticeably, and an investigation revealed that competitors had begun importing consoles from China, allowing them to undercut Dendy's prices.

The company's goal was to offer a console at a price point that would make it more attractive for wholesalers to source from Steepler rather than Chinese manufacturers.

Alongside this model, Steepler released the Dendy Junior IIP, which included a light gun resembling the NES Zapper and a multi-game cartridge.

To differentiate their product, Steepler launched the Junior IVP in black, using less expensive plastic and bundling it with a light gun modeled after the Beretta M9.

Additionally, a wide array of pirated NES game copies, custom-hacked versions, and low-quality "multi-game" cartridges were produced for the system.

[23] Dendy's game collection comprised a blend of titles from different regions, including American, Japanese, and European releases.

[2] However, the absence of battery-backed memory in Dendy cartridges meant that games requiring save functionality, such as Final Fantasy, The Legend of Zelda and Metroid, were not available in the Russian market.

[2][24] As of 2021, original Steepler Dendy cartridges had become sought-after collectibles, with some titles commanding prices of up to tens of thousands of rubles in the collectors' market.

[2][24] One of the most famous counterfeit Dendy games is Somari, based on Sonic the Hedgehog for the Sega Mega Drive and developed in Taiwan.

Notable examples include Bucky O'Hare which became extremely challenging, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III: The Manhattan Project where the Shredder boss in the Technodrome level became invincible.