The History of Nintendo

By: Trevor Rice

Nintendo is a video game company that is widely known around the world for making video games, consoles, and characters. Many claim Nintendo is one of the greatest video game companies. Nintendo's history can back up this statement quite easily.

Nintendo's original console was the Color TV Game. The CTVG was a small console with only one game on it that could be played at home. Two main games were Block Breaker and Racing. They were exclusive to Japan and sold over 3 million copies.

Nintendo's first handheld was the Game and Watch systems. The Game and Watches were small handhelds with one game installed in each of them. They were also some of the first ever video game handhelds to be made. Some games included Donkey Kong and Mario the Juggler. Over 40 million of these handhelds were sold.

3 years after the release of the Game and Watch, Nintendo created the Famicom, a home console that would change the gaming industry forever. However, the gaming system would have many problems like bugs and glitches. Sadly, the Famicom would be recalled due to the problems. Luckily, the Famicom would return once again after two years under a new name.

The Famicom was re-released in 1985 under the name NES. The NES was a huge success and sold over 40 million units. The NES also introduced many known video game characters like the Legend of Hyrule Link, the Space Warrior Samus, and the Italian Plumber Mario.

In 1989, Nintendo released one of its most famous handhelds of all time. The Game Boy was a worldwide success. Many famous games like Kirby and Pokemon debuted on this console. The Game Boy sold over 110 million units. The one drawback was it could only be played in a lighted area because you could not see the screen if played in the dark.

Seeing as how the NES was a huge hit, Nintendo made a sequel to the NES called the SNES (Super Nintendo Entertainment System). The SNES was released in 1990. It was well received and introduced some well known video game series like Yoshi and Star Fox. The SNES sold almost 50 million units, surpassing the original NES by almost 10 million.

Nintendo has had a few bad releases, most notably being the Virtual Boy. The Virtual Boy was released in 1995. The Virtual Boy was supposed to be a headset that projected 3D images while the wearer played the game. However, wearers had headaches and nausea after playing for 30 minutes. The Virtual Boy only sold around half a million units before it was recalled in 1996.

In 1996, Nintendo released one of the most revolutionary video game consoles to date. The console was called the Nintendo 64 and was the first console to have 3D game play where the player could move around anywhere in the game. Super Mario 64 and Ocarina of Time are the best examples of the N64's capabilities. It sold well with over 30 million units and introduced Super Smash Bros.