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Nintendo Mass Produces Plastic Playing Cards
Fusajiro Yamauchi began manufacturing "Hanafuda" (flower cards) Japanese playing cards in Kyoto. -
Family Computer "Famicom " Released
The company built a new plant in Uji City to increase production capacity and to allow for business expansion. In July, Nintendo listed stock on the first section of the Tokyo Stock Exchange and started work on the home videogame console "Family Computer" (Famicom), employing a custom CPU (Custom Processing Unit) and PPU (Picture Processing Unit). -
Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) Release
Introduced in 1985, the NES was an instant hit. Over the course of the next two years, it almost single-handedly revitalized the video game industry. Selling over 60 million units, people brought games like Mario and Zelda into their homes for the first time on the NES. -
Gameboy released
The screen was four-colors-of-gray but the device defined portable gaming and was enormous fun. Game Boy, which came out in 1989, was closely associated with the classic game Tetris when it debuted. Game Boy is the most successful video game system ever released. Since its introduction in 1989, Game Boy has sold well over 150 million systems worldwide. Originally bundled with the game, Tetris, this little handheld became an instant phenomenon. -
Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES)
The Super Nintendo Entertainment System (Super Famicom) was launched in Europe in June. The console went on to sell more than 46 million units worldwide. Japan saw the release of the Super NES Super Scope and Mario Paint with the Super NES Mouse Accessory. The long-awaited Zelda sequel, The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past, also arrived for the Super NES. -
Nintendo 64 & Game Boy Pocket released
Nintendo 64 launched in Japan in June. Thousands lined up to be the first to experience the world's first 64-bit home videogame system. More than 500,000 systems were sold on the first day. Another system launch occurred in early September when Nintendo introduced the Game Boy Pocket, a sleeker, 30-percent-smaller version of the world's most popular handheld. Super Mario 64 was proclaimed by many as the greatest video game of all time. -
Gamecube released
The release of the Nintendo GameCube one-upped the graphics and gameplay of the N64. It was the first Nintendo system to use optical discs instead of cartridges for its games. -
Nintendo Wii released
In 2006, Nintendo introduced the Wii and with it several advanced, revolutionary features. Wireless motion-sensitive remote controllers, built-in Wi-Fi capability, and a host of other features have made the Wii the best-selling latest generation console system in the world.he new home console with its innovative control system found an audience with both Nintendo fans and those who don't traditionally play videogames. -
Nintendo 3DS released
In 2011, Nintendo launched the Nintendo 3DS system in North America, and for the first time ever, users could view and play 3D content without special 3D glasses. -
Nintendo Switch released
Released in 2017, the Nintendo Switch is a home console that can transition seamlessly to a portable handheld that gamers can enjoy anywhere. The included Joy-Con controllers attach to the console while in handheld mode, and can be removed and used separately with compatible games in TV or tabletop modes.
