Fun Fact #52 - The Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) was the first video game controller to feature a directional pad, the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES) was the first controller to feature right- and left-shoulder buttons, and the Nintendo 64 (N64) popularized the analog thumbstick.
The company that developed the Wii motion technology offered it to Microsoft and Sony first (who both turned down the technology), and Nintendo ultimately introduced motion control to the masses!
Fun Fact #51 - You might have already known Super Mario Bros. was the first video game to be made into a movie. But did you know that an up-and-coming actor named Tom Hanks campaigned for the role of Mario? At the time, Nintendo execs worried he wouldn’t have enough box office clout to carry the film.
Fun Fact #50 - Remember the PlayStation 2 startup screen? Well, the seemingly random blocks and towers represent game progress—the more you play and save your games, the more blocks and towers appear. The towers represent the game, and the longer you play the taller they get. The blocks represent saved data. The design of the PS2 was modeled after the Atari Falcon Microbox. Sony bought the rights when Atari went bankrupt.
Fun Fact #48 - The classic coin-op Space Invaders was originally developed so that all the enemies moved at the same speed. However, as players destroyed the alien invaders the computer had fewer objects to draw, so it could render the objects faster. The result? As you destroy critters, the remaining ones “march” toward Earth faster.
Fun Fact #47 - Mortal Kombat was developed in ten months by a team of four people. A year after its debut in the arcades, Mortal Kombat was released on Mortal Monday, September 13, 1993, to the Nintendo’s Super NES and Game Boy, and Sega Enterprises’ Sega Genesis and Game Gear. The Nintendo versions completely omitted the blood the game was known for.