Gadgets Blog Homepage

Nintendo announced yesterday at the Tokyo Games Conference that, as speculated in some corners of the media after a photograph of some promotional material made it’s way onto the internet last week, it would indeed be dropping the price of the Wii console in both the US and Japan. Of course us mere mortals here in the PAL zone won’t receive a price cut for the time being, but then if units are still shifting why would they instigate a premature price cut?

What you may not have heard however is that also yesterday Nintendo celebrated their 120th birthday! to put into perspective how long this is it’s almost double the 63 years that rivals Sony have been in existence (founded 1946), and nearly nine times as long as Microsoft (founded 1975). Of course back when they were first founded they weren’t developing and distributing incredibly popular games consoles and games. In fact they started with hanafuda playing cards (which they still manufacture in Japan today), and on the journey from these beginnings to where they are now they have also dabbled in other area’s, trying things such as instant rice, and setting up their own TV channel and taxi company.

It wasn’t until 1973 that Nintendo really began the evolution into the gaming giant recognised all around the world today. It was then that they shifted their focus to family entertainment and opened entertainment venues with the Laser Clay Shooting System, which was an early version of what would later be turned into Duckhunt and packaged with the Nintendo Entertainment System. A student product developer was hired in 1975, and it was he that four years later designed Donkey Kong, and was largely responsible for the new direction and success of the company at the point. Indeed Shigeru Miyamoto is still a very important part of Nintendo.

What will the next 120 years hold for the big N? There is little doubt in my mind that the evolution of the Wii will be to a more interactive, intuitive, and inclusive method of gaming, and considering we’ve gone from playing cards to the Wii, where we will we be if we travel as far again?