-
"Hanafuda"
Fusajiro Yamauchi began manufacturing "Hanafuda" (flower cards) Japanese playing cards in Kyoto. -
The Cards Become Popular.
Mr. Yamauchi started manufacturing the first western-style playing cards in Japan. These were originally intended for export, but the product became popular in Japan as well as the rest of the world. -
Yamauchi Nintendo & Co
The company was established as an unlimited partnership, Yamauchi Nintendo & Co. -
Distribution
Mr. Yamauchi began a distribution company, Marufuku Co. Ltd. -
President
Hiroshi Yamauchi took office as President and headed the manufacturing operation of Yamauchi Nintendo & Co. -
First to Suceed
Nintendo Playing Card Co. Ltd. became the first to succeed in manufacturing mass-produced plastic playing cards in Japan. -
Walt Disney
The company started selling cards printed with Walt Disney characters, opening up a new market in children's playing cards and resulting in a boom in the card department. -
Started making games
The company changed its name to Nintendo Co., Ltd. and started manufacturing games in addition to playing cards. -
electronic video recording
In co-operation with Mitsubishi Electric, Nintendo developed a videogame system using an electronic video recording (EVR) player for Japan.Nintendo developed an image-projection system and employed the 16mm film projector in amusement arcades. The company began exporting these arcade machines to America and Europe. -
The Microprocessor
The microprocessor was introduced into a videogame system created by Nintendo. -
The First Computer Game.
In March, Nintendo released a simplistic arcade cocktail table game based on the board game Othello, entitled Computer Othello. On the screen, green, white and black Othello pieces were replaced with square and plus symbols, respectively. Computer Othello had no joystick, only ten coloured buttons per player. -
Nintendo of America
Minoru Arakawa, son-in-law of Nintendo's Japanese chief Hiroshi Yamauchi, opened Nintendo of America in New York City. Nintendo started an operations division for coin-operated games -
Donkey Kong
Nintendo developed and distributed the coin-operated video game "Donkey Kong." This video game quickly became the hottest-selling individual coin-operated machine in the business. -
Smash Hits
Nintendo developed and started selling the unique, twin-screen interactive coin-operated videogame "VS. System". At the same time, the company launched the Famicom system in Japan, later renamed Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) when it launched worldwide. From Excitebike, Super Mario Bros. and Metroid to The Legend of Zelda and Punch-Out! From these titles, it was Super Mario Bros. that quickly became a smash hit around the world. -
Famicom Network
Nintendo sponsored a Famicom "Golf Tournament" in Japan as a communications test using the public telephone network and Disk Faxes to aid in building a Famicom network. -
The Game Boy
The Game Boy, the first portable, handheld game system with interchangeable game cartridges, is introduced in Japan along with Tetris. -
Super Famicom
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. -
The Super Game Boy
The Super Game Boy accessory was released, expanding the library of games that could now be played on the Super NES. Nintendo helped pioneer the development and implementation of an industry-wide rating system in the United States. This year also saw the introduction of a game that would set a new standard in video game excellence - using proprietary Advanced Computer Modeling (ACM) graphics, Donkey Kong Country took the US holiday season by storm. -
"Play It Loud!"
Thanks to the success of Donkey Kong Country, ACM graphics were introduced to the Game Boy system by way of Donkey Kong Land. Along with this boost to the Game Boy system line, Nintendo also introduced the Play It Loud! series of Game Boy systems with colour casings. ACM graphics made another appearance on the Super NES with the release of the arcade smash-hit, Killer Instinct. In Japan, Nintendo began selling the SatellaView adapter for Super Famicom, enabling the system to receive digital data -
Super Mario 64 "Greatest"
Super Mario 64 was proclaimed by many as "the greatest video game of all time." Meanwhile, the Super NES saw the release of the third game in the continuing Donkey Kong series, Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble. Pokémon, a new gaming phenomenon on the Game Boy, was released in Japan on 26 February. -
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time for Nintendo 64
The highly anticipated The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time for Nintendo 64 was released, setting new standards and breaking pre-order records for any videogame to date. -
Pikachu Nintendo 64
The Nintendo Game Boy became the most popular selling console ever as sales surpassed 100 million. Meanwhile, the Pokémon franchise continued to be a worldwide phenomenon, and Nintendo celebrated its success with a limited edition release of Pikachu Nintendo 64. The N64 expanded its library of classics with hits such as The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask, Ridge Racer 64 and Mario Tennis.
