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NOW 
YOU'RE
PLAYING

WITH POWER

A TRIBUTE TO

From playing card to

a hybride gameconsole

'Now you're playing with power' was the payoff Nintendo of America used for the release of the Nintendo Entertainment System. This payoff is still remembered by a lot of people who grew up in the eighties. Since the release of the NES, Nintendo released a lot of successful systems like the Gameboy, Nintendo DS & Wii. It's latest release, the Nintendo Switch, turns out to be the next big thing. I had trouble finding a nice timeline of all the consoles the company ever made. So I decided to create one, as a tribute to Nintendo. For their important role in videogame history.

Color TV-Game 6

Nintendo’s first game system that players could connect to their TV. Included six variations of Light Tennis, based on the then popular Pong. The two controllers of this first version weren’t detachable

Color TV Game

1977

Game & Watch

A series of handheld electronic games, each featuring a single gameThere were 59 variations produced between 1980 and 1991Some versions had two screens, or were build like a tabletop arcade machine

Game & Watch

1980

Famicom

Famicom

Nintendo’s first console with swappable cartridges. The best selling video game system of its time. Home of the original Metroid, The Legend of Zelda and Super Mario Bros.

1983

Did you know? The name Famicom stands for Family Computer, emphasizing the difference with a personal computer

Nintendo Entertainment System

Nintendo Entertainment System

The US NES came with two gamepads, a R.O.B., a Zapper and the games Gyromite and Duck Hunt. The European NES included two gamepads, a Zapper and the games Super Mario Bros. and Duck Hunt. The NES revitalized the video game industry after the video game crash of 1983.

1985

Did you know? The R.O.B. accessory later became a playable character in Mario Kart DS and several Smash Bros. games

Nintendo Game Boy

Nintendo’s first handheld with swappable cartridges. Came as a standalone console or bundled with the popular Tetris. Near the end of it’s life cycle, the Game Boy became a very hot item thanks to the release of Pokémon

Nintendo Game Boy

1989

Did you know? The Game Boy was the first game console in space – a Russian astronaut played Tetris on it during his trips

Super Nintendo USA

Super Nintendo USA

The best selling console of the 16-bit eraCame bundled with Super Mario WorldIncluded an advanced, pseudo-3D effect called Mode 7

1991

Did you know? In 1994 Nintendo released an accessory for the Super Nintendo that let you play Game Boy games on TV

Super Nintendo (Europe)

Super Nintendo (Europe)

The European SNES had a rounder design and different power and reset buttons. European launch games included Super Mario World, F-Zero and Pilot wings. In 1994 Nintendo released Donkey Kong Country, with visuals that rivaled that of 32-bit competitors

1992

Did you know? In South Korea the SNES was released by Hyundai Electronics as the Super Comboy

Virtual Boy

1995

Did you know? The Virtual Boy was designed by the same Gunpei Yokoi that designed the Game Boy and Game & Watch series

Virtual Boy

A 32-bit table-top console with a red monochrome displayThe first console capable of displaying stereoscopic 3D graphics. Only launched in the US, with Mario’s Tennis as a pack-in game

Nintendo Gamecube

Nintendo Gamecube

The first Nintendo console to use optical discs as primary storage medium. Launched with Luigi’s MansionSupports online gaming via the broadband or modem adapter

2001

Did you know? When you turn on the GameCube with the Z button pressed on controller 1, you get a different startup sound.

Nintendo DS

Nintendo DS

This handheld featured two screens, the bottom one being a touchscreenIt became the best selling handheld to dateThe system attracted a lot of new players with unconventional titles like Nintendogs and Brain Training

2004

Did you know? Prior to its release and success, the Nintendo DS was marketed as an experimental ‘third pillar’, meant to compliment the Game Boy Advance and GameCube

Nintendo 64

This 64 bits console was Nintendo’s first one dedicated to 3D graphics. Home to the 3D evolutions of Zelda, Mario and Donkey KongThe four controller ports made it a great machine for multiplayer games like GoldenEye 007 and Mario Kart 64

Nintendo 64

1996

Did you know? In 1997 Nintendo released the Rumble Pak, an attachment for the controller that provided force feedback while playing games like Star Fox 64

Wii

The Wii caused a revolution by introducing motion controls into console gaming. Came bundled with Wii Sports. Introduced Mii characters and an TV like channels

Wii

2006

Did you know? In 2012 Nintendo released the Wii Mini, a smaller, cheaper version of the Wii

Nintendo 3DS

The successor to the Nintendo DSCapable of displaying stereoscopic 3D effects without the use of special glassesThe 32 bits CPU made complex 3D games available for playing on the go.

Nintendo 3DS

2011

Did you know? Nintendo already experimented with 3D effects in the eighties, resulting in the Famicom 3D System

Wii U

Wii U

The first Nintendo console to support HD graphicsThe second screen on the controller offered new ways to play gamesBackwards compatible with Wii software and controllers

2012

Did you know? When game data is transferred from Wii to Wii U, the icons of the transferred data are carried by Pikmin

NES Classic Edition

A miniature replica of the original NESIncluding 30 built-in games from the NES library. Choose for an old school display or pixel perfect look

NES Classic Edition

2016

Did you know? The Japanese version has 8 games that differ from the US and European version

Nintendo Switch

A hybrid of a handheld and a home console. Including two Joy-Con that can function as wireless controllers. The 16 cm LCD screen supports resolutions up to 720p

Nintendo Switch

2017

Did you know? The cartridges for the Nintendo Switch have a ‘bittering agent’ coating, to prevent kids from accidentally swallowing them

SNES Classic Edition

A miniature replica of the original SNES. Including 21 built-in games from the SNES library. Distributed in three variations for Japan, the US and Europe respectively

SNES Classic Edition

2017

Did you know? The SNES Classic Edition includes the never before released Star Fox 2

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