The Evolution of Nintendo
Back in 1889, on September 23, Nintendo, now a gaming industry giant, quietly began its journey under the name "Nintendo dominoes" by its founder, Hajiro Yamauchi. Initially, the company focused on producing and selling a card game called Hanazono in Japan.
By 1965, after several presidential handovers, Nintendo ventured into the electronics industry, developing its first electronic toy products. Highly skilled college students in science and technology, including Junpei Yokoi, were hired. Yokoi spearheaded the creation of the "Super Monster Hand," Nintendo's inaugural electronic toy.
In 1969, Nintendo formally established its game department, concentrating on electronic toy development. Notable creations included the "ray gun" and "super monster hand."
Expanding its gaming horizons, in 1973, Nintendo introduced the "laser body shooting system," an extension of the ray gun concept, which found its way into the "Wilderness Gunner" game in 1974.
In 1975, Nintendo's Hiroshi Yamauchi initiated the development of a TV-connectable gaming device, taking inspiration from Atari's prior success. Nintendo acquired authorization from Magnavox to manufacture and distribute the Magnavox Odyssey (Odyssey game console) with assistance from Mitsubishi Mechatronics.
On June 1, 1977, Nintendo launched its own TV game platform, the "Color TV-Game" series, in collaboration with Mitsubishi Electric. These built-in game devices, requiring no cartridges, surpassed one million in sales. Concurrently, Junpei Yokoyi conceptualized a "small game console for leisure" to alleviate boredom during train rides on the Shinkansen.
In 1980, Nintendo introduced the handheld "Game&Watch," featuring a single game per device. This same year marked Nintendo's foray into arcade games, featuring adaptations of its ray gun technology in games like "Purgatory Fire" and "Steve."
By 1981, Nintendo released Donkey Kong, an arcade sensation developed by Shigeru Koumoto, starring Mario, the iconic big-nosed carpenter who would become a gaming legend.
In July 1983, Nintendo unveiled the groundbreaking FC game console (Family Computer), It marked the debut of the classic Mario game IP with "Mario Bros."
Even in 2024, memories of the Gameboy from 1989 endure. Time may have shaped Nintendo's journey, but the nostalgia for 1989 remains. Preserving those cherished moments, we transform this classic Gameboy into a piece of art, disassembling and framing it by hand for display.