43 Bizarre Facts About Nintendo
Discover 43 surprising and bizarre facts about Nintendo, from its origins as a card company to the creation of iconic consoles like Game Boy.
00:00:00 Discover 43 surprising facts about Nintendo, from its origins as a card company to the creation of iconic consoles like Game Boy. Nintendo's mascot was almost disco, and their first toy product pivoted them into the gaming industry.
Nintendo has been around since 1889 and originally made hanafuda cards.
Mario became Nintendo's mascot and disco was buried.
Nintendo pivoted from a card company to a toy company with the invention of the Ultra.
Gunpei Yokoi played a key role in Nintendo's success, creating the Game and Watch and Game Boy.
00:02:04 Nintendo's success is attributed to their out-of-the-box thinking and cost-effective approach. Their history includes creating their own lego-like building blocks and releasing the Color TV game. The Nintendo DS is the only console to survive Mount Everest.
🎮 Nintendo's success is based on innovative thinking and not just cutting-edge technology.
🧩 Nintendo's early products, like the game and watch and the Nintendo switch, used older technology, but still achieved great success.
🏰 Nintendo started making their own building blocks after the success of Lego, but their design didn't work as well.
💪 Nintendo's durability is impressive, with the Nintendo DS surviving a trip to the top of Mount Everest.
00:04:09 Discover bizarre facts about Nintendo, from a Game Boy surviving a bombing during the Gulf War to Mario's original identity as Jumpman.
A Game Boy survived a bombing in the Gulf War and still worked
The Game Boy was taken to space by a cosmonaut and played Tetris
Nintendo's characters, like Mario and Donkey Kong, have interesting origins
00:06:14 Nintendo's original intention was to feature time travel with Link being the link between past and future. They also found that demographics in Japan responded well to cuteness, but in the US they wanted Kirby to be cool. Nintendo innovated with the d-pad, analog stick, and saving game progress on cartridges.
🔑 Nintendo originally planned to have time travel in their games.
😊🤔 Kirby's box art differs between Japan and the US due to market research.
⚖️🚢 Nintendo's lawyer, John Kirby, owns the rights to name sailboats Donkey Kong.
🎮💡 Nintendo introduced innovations like the d-pad, analog stick, and cartridge save feature.
00:08:19 Nintendo revolutionized gaming with innovations like shoulder buttons and controller rumble. But their early venture into virtual reality, the Virtual Boy, was a flop due to its bulky design and limited graphics. Shigeru Miyamoto, the genius behind Super Mario and Zelda, created the first open-world game, inspired by his childhood adventures.
Nintendo introduced innovative features in gaming such as shoulder buttons and controller rumble.
The Virtual Boy, Nintendo's first virtual reality system, had limitations and was not well-received.
Nintendo executives like Shigeru Miyamoto played a significant role in shaping the company's success.
00:10:15 Discover the fascinating facts about Nintendo, from the iconic presidents to hidden Easter eggs. Learn how they overcame challenges and delighted fans.
🎮 Nintendo's previous president, Reggie Fils-Aimé, had iconic moments and fan interactions.
👑 Satoru Iwata, the former president, made significant contributions to the company and saved the development of Pokemon games.
🕹️ The launch of the Nintendo Switch included a hidden Easter egg as a tribute to Iwata.
⛳ The golf course in Wii Sports is based on the layout of the original NES golf game from 1987.
💡 Using compression technology, Iwata enabled the inclusion of both the second and first generation regions in the Pokemon games.
00:12:20 Discover 43 unique facts about Nintendo, from hidden jingles and secret themes to hidden Easter eggs and iconic character cameos across various consoles. Experience the magic!
🎮 Nintendo reuses courses in different games and adds hidden Easter eggs as nods to its history and culture.
🎵 The GameCube launch jingle has secret alternatives, including a traditional Japanese drum theme.
🎂 Nintendo includes special features in its consoles to celebrate birthdays and anniversaries.
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