Introduction

Whether you want to accept it or not, Nintendo is the greatest video game company ever. They completely revolutionized the video game world and invented some of the things we nowadays take for granted. Nintendo were the first to step away from the traditional joystick and begin using their invention, the control pad. Nintendo also introduced the D-Pad, the Analogue Stick, the rumble function (no it wasn’t Sony), the RF controller, and the light gun, although it isn’t much used by Nintendo and is used a lot more by arcade machines. So you see, the original and extremely innovative Nintendo invented almost everything about video games today. Nintendo started to work in the business they’re in now from scrap, and they ended up as the biggest multi-billion dollar video game company. They virtually started the video game industry so you can be sure they will be around for a long, long time. It’s no wonder that countless people use the word “Nintendo” to refer to video games, like we use “Kleenex” for tissue and “Xerox” for copy or paper.

July 21, 2012

The History of Nintendo 11


The Next Generation


Now that it was 2001, it was Donkey Kong and Mario’s birthdays! Yup, they were turning 20. The GameCube was released in Japan this year and so was the Game Boy Advance. The GameCube launched with 18 release games and was the fastest selling next-generation console. Our beloved GBA sold more units in the month of June 2001 when it was released than all the other systems combined, and sold over 1 million.


The GameCube was out worldwide in 2002 along with the 18 games that were also released in Japan, including Luigi’s Mansion which would go on to become the most popular launch game ever. It’s launch price was about $200 which was later dropped, and had goodies thrown in the package. I could make a huge list of the good GameCube games of 2002, but I think you should know them if you bothered to read this. The GameCube sold exceptionally fast; as a matter of fact, it sold 600,000 units in its first two weeks in America. It was selling 50% faster than the Xbox and 25% faster than the PS2. It was the fastest selling console with an average of 26 units flying off the shelves per minute for two weeks after its release.



Released only two years after the GBC, Nintendo the Game Boy Advance brought the quality of the SNES console into a handheld. The final system to produce all 2D games in a classic style is also backwards compatible with all the classic games from the original Game Boy. The GBA also hosts more ports of classic Nintendo games than any other system. Game ports range from the Nintendo Game & Watch and NES titles, to SNES and coin-op arcade games. The GBA has outlasted any other game system and is still available today.


During a time when Microsoft was launching the Xbox and Sony releasing their second generation of PlayStation, the PlayStation 2, both of which touted as an all inclusive entertainment system designed to play games, DVDs and CDs, Nintendo decided to take the opposite approach and release the GameCube as the only "current gen" gaming console designed specifically for video games, and sold it at a lower cost than the competition. Unfortunately this approach didn't catch on and the GameCube dropped Nintendo to the number three spot in the console wars, with the PlayStation 2 as #1 and Microsoft's Xbox coming in #2.


Instead of admitting defeat Nintendo went back to the drawing board and started developing plans for a new and unique "Next Generation" of home gaming console. In 2001 the Nintendo Revolution was conceived with a new way of interacting with a video games, full motion control.


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