Also around this time, Nintendo set out to create an affordable virtual reality system. The result was the Virtual Boy, which was also designed by Gunpei Yokoi. The system was launched in 1995, featuring stereoscopic vision. Games were viewed using a binocular eye piece that had a small red-colored screen for each eye, and you controlled the games with an attached gamepad. Unfortunately, critics were not so pleased with the quality of the games and the red-colored graphics and there were complaints of gameplay-induced headaches. The system did not sell well, and in its failure it was quietly discontinued while Gunpei Yokoi retired from Nintendo.
In 1996, the SNES would be succeeded by the Nintendo 64, and in 1998 the Game Boy gave way to the Game Boy Color. The Nintendo 64 was Nintendo’s first 3D gaming console and had 64-bit graphics. The Gameboy Color brought a color screen to the portable gaming arena.
During the reigns of these early gaming systems, most of Nintendo’s now famous roster of characters were born (characters like Mario, Luigi, Yoshi, Toad, Princess Peach, Bowser, Link, Princess Zelda, Samus, Kirby, Star Fox, Captain Falcon and many others). In this time of great success, Nintendo would rise to power as one of the titans of the gaming industry and maybe even its king. Many would not consider Nintendo the king of the industry today, but the company is still one of the great titans in the industry.
Of course, as many of you know, the Nintendo 64 would be succeeded by the GameCube in 2001, followed by the Wii in 2006, and their current home console the Wii U in 2012. The Game Boy Color would of course be succeeded by the Game Boy Advance in 2003, which was followed by two redesigns: the Game Boy Advance SP and the Game Boy Micro. The Game Boy Micro would be the last product in the Game Boy line, as well as the smallest and least successful product in the line. The Game Boy era would be succeeded by the Nintendo DS in 2004, and the 3DS in 2011. The DS systems also saw a few redesigns of their own, such as the DSi and the 3DS XL. These systems are shown below with the home consoles in the left column, and the handhelds in the right column.
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To this day, Nintendo continues to be a very influential player in the video games industry. I grew up with Nintendo, and in my experience they’ve kept on making high quality games for us to enjoy. Their wonderful games have influenced the lives of countless people in many ways. For example, one of their most moving games in my opinion is from The Legend of Zelda series. Growing up, I didn’t fit in so well and The Legend Zelda: Ocarina of Time for the Nintendo 64 was a bit of an alternate reality for me. Some of Link’s goodness rubbed off on me I guess, as the game helped me to see that my classmates were not bad people just because I didn’t fit in.
That game had a profound impact on me, and this is why people who make a stink about violence in video games annoy me. They are only looking at one side of the picture. Nintendo and others have shown us that video games are a very powerful medium. They can be and are used in education, military training, and can tell stories as powerful as any movie. They also bring together a plethora of different arts from graphics, to music and sound, to story writing, character and level design. So I believe video games are not a mere waste of time as some would say. To each his own though, because we all love different things.
It’s a little surprising that Nintendo is 125 years old, and they’ve done a lot of things over the years. They’ve produced many wonderful games and virtual worlds for us to explore. We wish Nintendo a very happy 125th anniversary and hope they will be around for another 125 years and beyond!
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