How Nintendo Invented The Game Boy

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Nintendo combined the NES and the game and watch technology to create a portable cartridge-based console called the Game Boy. Gunpei proposed the idea to Yamuchi, who was initially skeptical but gave it the go-ahead. Despite internal doubts and concerns about the device being black and white, the Game Boy was released in Japan in April 1989 and quickly became a huge success. The Game Boy outsold its competitors and the killer app driving sales in the US was Tetris.

In the 1980’s Nintendo was on top of the world, with the NES achieving over 90% market share of home video games globally. So how did they fall ALL the way down to ~10% in just a few short console generations? And how did they then build themselves back up (and down and up again) to the top of the world again? Spoiler: it all hinged on one very small, yet very large and durable platform… the Game Boy. Fire up your favorite portable entertainment device and tune in for the epic story of Nintendo’s fall from grace and journey back to the top — capped off by our robust discussion of where they go from here, and whether this 130+ year old company may still (!) be misunderstood and mis-valued.

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Links:

Carve Outs:

Kara Swisher in Vanity Fair (and our old episode with her!)
Hardcore History (finally!)
The Tetris movie
Daryl Morey on Invest Like the Best

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‍Note: Acquired hosts and guests may hold assets discussed in this episode. This podcast is not investment advice, and is intended for informational and entertainment purposes only. You should do your own research and make your own independent decisions when considering any financial transactions.