Nintendo video game consoles have been around since the time handheld video game consoles became a part of kids’ entertainment. Nintendo is a Japan based multinational company and is a well-known brand for video game consoles. In fact, Nintendo is one of the dominant names in the hand-held video game console market. The Nintendo Wii and the Nintendo DS Lite are among the most popular Nintendo gaming consoles currently available on the market.
Nintendo was established in 1889 in Kyoto, Japan, as a hanafuda cards (playing cards) manufacturing company. After foraying into various small-time niche businesses (operating as a taxi company and as a love hotel), Nintendo gradually moved into becoming one of the most renowned video game companies. Computer Othello, released in 1978, was the first video arcade game from Nintendo. The 1980s was the decade when Nintendo came to dominate the arcade game market, offering some of its most popular arcade tittles like Donkey Kong and Radar Scope. All the early arcade titles were also released on other game systems such as Atari 2600, the Intellivision and the ColecoVision.
1989 saw the launch of the first Nintendo handheld video game console, the Nintendo Game Boy, which went on to become a huge commercial success. One of the best-selling gaming consoles of its time, the Nintendo Game Boy along with the Game Boy Colour have sales of more than 118 million units worldwide. Another improved version of the original was released as the Game Boy Advance, which along with the the Nintendo GameCube gained a fair amount of commercial success. These gaming consoles have now being replaced by the newer consoles like the Nintendo DS Lite and the Nintendo Wii.
The Nintendo DS was released in 2004 as a hand-held video game console to immense commercial success. One of the prime reasons for its success was the horizontal clamshell body design that sported two displays: the lower one being a touch screen display. Some of the other special attractions were the built-in microphone and the wireless IEEE 802.11 (Wi-Fi) support. The Wi-Fi feature allowed any player to interact with the game within a 30–100 foot range. A re-designed and enhanced version of the Nintendo DS, the Nintendo DS Lite, was released in 2006.
As a video game company, Nintendo has managed to keep pace with the latest technological developments and the Nintendo Wii is a fine example. Released right at the end of 2006, it is a seventh generation video game console and offers some ground-breaking technology. This includes the Wii Remote – a hand-held controller (a pointed device) with the ability to sense motion and rotation in three dimensions. Some of the other important features on the Wii Remote include a speaker, and an electronic device to provide sensory feedback and switching control. The Nintendo Wii has sales of over 20 million units worldwide.
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