gaming devices

  • game and watch

    The first handheld electronic games from Nintendo were produced between 1980 and 1991 and featured a single game played on an LED screen. 59 different games were released including all-time greats such as Donkey Kong, The Legend of Zelda, and Mario Bros.
  • Period: to

    gaming devices

  • nes

    The first home console from Nintendo, the NES was an 8-bit console released initially in Japan in 1983 followed by North America in 1985 and Europe in 1986. The NES zapper (light gun) complemented the standard rectangular controller.
  • ailen inveaders

    Popular Atari arcade game Space Invaders would later feature on the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES) and handheld Nintendo DS. The iconic alien shooter helped turn video games into a serious business, causing a temporary shortage of 100-yen coins in Japan because its coin-operated arcade incarnation was so popular.
  • game boy

    The original Game Boy was released in Japan and the US in 1989, and in Europe a year later. The chunky 8-bit device was technologically inferior to Sega's full-colour Game Gear, but the public loved the simplicity of the look and the absorbing games including Tennis and Super Mario Land.
  • nitendo ds

    The dual-screened handheld console saw Nintendo targeting younger children and especially girls with family-friendly games such as Petz in 2004-5. The DS allowed for multi-player gameplay over a wireless internet connection and was followed by the Nintendo DS Lite in 2006.
  • nitendo wii

    The most significant advance for the Wii upon its release in 2006 was the primary wireless controller (the Wii Remote) which detected movement and brought a greater physicality to gameplay, allowing users to mime playing tennis or baseball.
  • WII U

    The Wii U was released in Britain today to queues hundreds of people long. The touchscreen controller, flash storage and HD graphics confirm Nintendo's place at the forefront of gaming after almost 40 years in the market.