- (month unknown)
- Atari Games countersues Nintendo, accusing Nintendo of infringing on patents held by Atari Games. [124.256]
- March
- Tecmo releases the Ninja Gaiden video game for the Nintendo Entertainment System in the US. [1413.68]
- Square of Japan establishes US subsidiary company Square Soft Inc. [1340.28]
- April
- In Japan, Nintendo introduces the Game Boy hand-held game system. It features 8-bit 1 MHz Z-80 microprocessor, 8 kB RAM, and displays games on a 2.5-inch LCD screen. Size is 3.5 x 5.75 x 1.25 inches; weight is 11.2 ounces. Included with the system is the Tetris video game cartridge. (200,000 sell in the first two weeks.) [124.294] [169.D6] [316.32] [361.47] [378.60] [474.50,92] [483.70] [1483.46] [1494.105] (300,000 sell in first day [1444.110])
- (month unknown)
- In California, Superplay publishes the first issue of GamePro magazine. (In 2005, the magazine is still going strong, hitting its 200th issue.) [674.36] [1094.28]
- May
- Taito releases the Operation Wolf video game for the Nintendo Entertainment System in the US. [514.28]
- Tengen ships the Tetris video game for the Nintendo Entertainment System. [124.336] [1460.379]
- Steve Harris starts Electronic Gaming Monthly magazine in the USA. [553.56] [1391.251]
- May 17
- In New York, Tengen holds a reception for retailers, trade representatives, and press for the launch of the Tetris video game cartridge. [124.336]
- May 23
- NEC Home Electronics announces it will begin selling a new home video game system in the fall, for about US$200. [168.D1]
vvv advertisement vvv
^^^ advertisement ^^^
- June 4
- At the Consumer Electronics Show in Chicago, Nintendo introduces the Game Boy portable hand-held video game system, with monochrome display. Price is to be US$89.95, including the Tetris video game cartridge. [169.D6] [543.9] [1159.88] (July [1095.28])
- At the Consumer Electronics Show in Chicago, Atari introduces the Portable Entertainment System hand-held video game system, with color display. Price is US$149.95, including one game cartridge. (It is later released under the name Lynx.) [169.D6] (Portable Color Entertainment System [1485.72])
- June 15
- Federal District Judge Fern Smith grants Nintendo's request, and issues a preliminary injuction blocking Tengen from selling its Tetris video game cartridge for the Nintendo Entertainment System, effective June 21. [124.338] [170.D4]
- June
- US federal regulations require all toy guns to look like toy guns. Nintendo changes the NES Zapper Light Gun from gray to orange. [1161.78]
- (to May 1990) The American Museum of the Moving Image in Astoria, New York, presents a retrospective exhibition of video games called Hot Circuits - A Video Arcade. Included are 46 playable arcade video games. [960.5] [1002.C11]
- Capcom releases the Mega Man 2 video game for the Nintendo Entertainment System in the US. [715.93] [1193.82] [1413.54]
- Nintendo releases the Tetris game for the Nintendo Entertainment System in the US. (Total sales: 3+ million.) [1460.379]
- June 16
- Columbia Pictures releases the film Ghostbusters II to theaters in the US. Someone asks "Do you want to play ... Super Mario Bros?". A Nintendo NES Advantage joystick is used. [900] [892]
- (month unknown)
- Broderbund unveils the U-Force controller for the Nintendo Entertainment System. It uses a pair of perpendicular infrared panels to sense hand movements. [1425.30]
- LJN releases The Uncanny X-Men video game for the Nintendo Entertainment System in the US. [626.93]
- Nintendo releases the Bomberman video game for the Nintendo Entertainment System in the US. [420.70]
- SNK releases the Baseball Stars video game for the Nintendo Entertainment System in the US. [304.126] [595.38]
- In Denmark, VN Toys releases the Supervision handheld video game sytem. It incorporates a 4-shade green monochrome screen. [1485.73]
- In France, Audiosonic releases the Supervision handheld video game sytem. It incorporates a 4-shade green monochrome screen. [1485.73]
- In Tokyo, a full orchestra performs the first two Final Fantasy soundtracks to an audience. [547.44]
- Mattel Electronics releases the PowerGlove for the Nintendo Entertainment System. (US$40 million worth sell in the first year.) [41.46]
- Konami releases the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles arcade video game. [460.56]
- Capcom releases the Duck Tales video game for the Nintendo Entertainment System in the US. [715.93]
- Capcom releases the Willow video game for the Nintendo Entertainment System in the US. [715.93]
- NEC releases the Super Grafx video game system in Japan. [1091.93]
- Nintendo releases the Zelda Multi-Screen Game & Watch handheld video game in Japan. [1444.188]
- July
- Capcom releases the Strider video game for the Nintendo Entertainment System in the US. [715.93] [1421.64]
- August 14
- Sega of America launches the Genesis home video game system in Los Angeles and New York City in the US. It features 7.68MHz 16-bit Motorola 68EC000 processor, 4MHz Z80 sound coprocessor, 64kB RAM, 512 colors in 320x224 resolution. 80 animated sprites are possible, with up to 16 colors per sprite. Included is the video game Altered Beast. Price is US$189. (Total North American sales in its lifetime: 14 million. Total world sales: 29 million.) [70] [124.352] [157.44] [176.C1] [317.68] [483.64] [1255.75] [1460.404]
- August
- Nintendo ships the Game Boy portable video game system in the US. Price is $169, including the Tetris video game cartridge. (40,000 sell on the first day of sale. 150 million sell over the product's lifetime.) [124.294] [253.D5] [453.40] [1494.105] (September [1151.46])
- Nintendo releases the Super Mario Land video game for the Game Boy in the US. (Total sales: 18.06 million.) [410.9] [412.24] [1494.105] (14 million [1147.30])
- Nintendo releases the Dragon Warrior video game for the Nintendo Entertainment System in the US. The game had been previously released in Japan for the Famicom as Dragon Quest. It is not be released as Dragon Quest because TSR holds a trade mark on that name in the US. [298.48] [1161.78] [1413.50]
- NEC Home Entertainment launches the TurboGrafx-16 home video game system in Los Angeles and New York City in the USA. It features 16-bit graphics processor, 512 colors, 64 movable sprites, 16 colors per sprite, 256x212 graphics, stereo sound. Included is the video game Keith Courage in Alpha Zones. Price is US$199. (Less than 1 million units are shipped in its lifetime.) [124.350] [176.C1] [317.70] [1255.75]
- (month unknown)
- Sega releases the Phantasy Star II video game for the Genesis. [304.132]
- Japan Economic Journal names Nintendo as best company in Japan. [1494.105]
- September 12
- NEC Home Electronics introduces a coin-operated version of the TurboGrafx-16 video game system. [171.D5]
- September
- Capcom releases the DuckTales video game for the Nintendo Entertainment System in the US. [982.82] [1413.68]
- October
- Sega of America expands Genesis sales in the USA nationwide. [1460.405]
- November 13
- US District Court Judge Fern Smith rules Nintendo owned rights to Tetris, not Tengen (Atari Games). [1460.380]
- November
- Nintendo counter-sues Atari Games for patent infringement, breach of contract, unfair competition, tortious interference with contract. [124.249] [1460.375]
- Universal Studios releases the film The Wizard to theaters. The film is about video game playing, with a promotion of the upcoming Nintendo game Super Mario Bros. 3. [124.191]
- November 21
- Atari introduces the Lynx hand-held video game system in the USA. It features a 4.0MHz 65C02 processor, 16-bit graphics processor, 6 sound channels, 3.5-inch color LCD screen, 16 colors out of 4096 palette. Weight is under one pound. Price is US$150-200, with the Galifornia Games video game cartridge. (This is the first color hand-held video game system in the US.) [172.D3] [316.32] [327.94] [545.22] [685.133] [1093.60] [1485.72] (October [1460.419])
- November 22
- MCA/Universal Pictures releases the film Back to the Future Part II to theaters in the USA.
- A Jaws video game cartridge for the Nintendo Entertainment System appears in an antique store window.
- An arcade game Wild Gunman appears, which Nintendo released to arcades in 1974.
[935]
- December 7
- U.S. Congressman Dennis Eckart announces at a large news conference that he is recommending an investigation of Nintendo by the Justice Department. [124.265]
- December
- Seika releases the Shadowgate video game for the Nintendo Entertainment System in the USA. [177.S3.10] [1159.98]
- The first issue of Sega Power magazine is released, in the UK. [1391.251]
- The first issue of S: The Sega Magazine is released, in the UK. [1391.251]
- NEC releases the NEC PC Engine CD-ROM2 for the PC Engine in Japan. This is the first console to use CD-ROM data. The system allows the first streaming soundtracks, and first full-motion video sequences on a home console. [1255.74] (1988 [1343.207])
- December 21
- Hudson releases the Ys I & II video game for the PC Engine in Japan. [1255.81]
- December 31
- Unit sales to date of Nintendo Entertainment System game systems: about 20 million. [189.35]
- Year
- Unit sales of the Sega Genesis game system during the year: 400,000. [176.C1]
- Unit sales of Nintendo Entertainment System game systems during the year: 9.2 million. [177.S3.10] [181.35] [189.36]
- Unit sales of Nintendo Entertainment System game cartridges during the year: 53 million. [181.35]
- Sales of Nintendo game systems and cartridges in the US during the year: US$2.7 billion. [183.D4]
- Unit sales of the TurboGrafx-16 game system during the year: 300,000. [176.C1] [177.S3.10]
- Unit sales of the Game Boy game system during the year: 1 million. [177.S3.10] [181.35]
- Market share of US video game industry: Nintendo 80%, Sega 5%. [174.D5] [175.C1] [314.106] (Nintendo 90% [349.35])
- Sales of video game systems and cartridges in the US during the year: US$3.4 billion. [174.D5] [175.C1] [314.106]
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