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History of Nintendo Game Systems

Nintendo Company Ltd. was founded in 1889 as a producer of Japanese playing cards, but by the 1980s the corporation had turned its attention towards the production of video game hardware and software. Since then, Nintendo has gone on to become the third most valuable company in Japan, selling more than 470 million home game consoles and handhelds as of 2009.

NES
- The cartridge-based Famicom, known in North America as the Nintendo Entertainment System or NES, was the first home console system released by Nintendo. It came out in July 1983 in Japan (1985 in the United States), and sold more than 60 million units worldwide during its lifespan.
Super NES
- The Super Famicom or Super Nintendo Entertainment System was a 16-bit system created to replace the 8-bit NES. It was released in Japan on November 21, 1990 and hit North America the following August, selling a combined 49 million units worldwide to outsell the competing Sega Genesis.
Nintendo 64
- The Nintendo 64 (N64) was the first Nintendo system to have a single name used in all territories, as well as the final one to use a cartridge-based format for its software. It came out in Japan and North America in 1996 and in Europe the following March, and sold a disappointing 32.9 million units worldwide.
Gamecube
- Nintendo switched to optical mini-discs for their next system, the Gamecube. Released in Japan and North America in 2001 and in all territories by 2002, the Gamecube sold the fewest total units of any Nintendo home console as of 2009--less than 22 million worldwide.
Wii
- Looking to rebound from the Gamecube's poor performance, Nintendo focused their next console around a set of unique motion-controls. Dubbed the Wii and released worldwide in 2006, the system has already shipped more than 44 million units through December 2008.
Game Boy / Game Boy Advance
- Nintendo's Game Boy family of systems, which includes the Game Boy Pocket and the Game Boy Color, was invented in 1989 and sold more than 118 million combined units worldwide. An upgraded successor, the 32-bit Game Boy Advance, has also been released in multiple versions and has sold in excess of 81 million units worldwide.
Nintendo DS / DSi
- Nintendo's next handheld gaming system, the DS, features two screens (one of which is a touch screen) and hit Japan and North America in 2004. On March 11, 2009, Nintendo announced that they had shipped more than 100 million DS units, and on April 15, 2009, the company will release a new handheld system known as the DSi in North America.

Video Game Consoles