- February 10
- Nintendo releases the Mario Kart 64 video game for the Nintendo 64 in the US. [298.38] [401] [458.41] [871.38] [1159.89]
- February
- Konami releases the Contra: Legacy of War video game for the PlayStation. [1482.18]
- Acclaim releases the Turok: Dinosaur Hunter video game for the Nintendo 64 in the USA. [1159.91] (April [1161.81])
- Capcom releases the Street Fighter III: New Generation video game in arcades. [1482.18]
- Unit sales of PlayStation systems in the United States to date: 3.4 million. Sales worldwide: 11 million. [591.22]
- Namco releases the Soul Blade video game for the PlayStation in the US. [630.62] [740.85]
- Konami releases the Crypt Killer video game for the PlayStation and Saturn video game systems. [1482.19]
- February 16
- The Fox Broadcasting Company airs The Simpsons TV show in the US. A sit-down arcade game is played in a store, called Astro Blast. [835]
- February (month)
- Top selling arcade game in the US for the month: X-Men Vs. Street Fighter by Capcom. [794.28]
- Top selling video game in the US for the month: Mario Kart 64 for the Nintendo 64. [794.28]
vvv advertisement vvv
^^^ advertisement ^^^
- Top selling Sega Saturn video game for the month: Virtua Cop 2. [1482.19]
- Top selling Sega Mega Drive video game for the month: FIFA '97. [1482.19]
- Top selling PlayStation video game for the month: Tomb Raider. [1482.19]
- March 1
- Sony announces price cuts on the PlayStation by 25 to 35 percent in Australia, Great Britain, France, and Germany. [597]
- March 4
- Sony drops the price of the PlayStation in the United States to US$149, sets the standard software price at US$49.95, and introduces a series of Greatest Hits titles at US$24.99. [591.22] [597] [674.45] [873.D3]
- March 15
- In Seattle, Washington, the GameWorks video arcade opens. Partners of the GameWorks company are DreamWorks, Universal Studios, and Sega Enterprises of Japan. The main attraction is the Vertical Reality interactive game designed by Steven Spielberg. Up to twelve players are seated around columns of three video screens; as cyborgs are shot, the player is raised, with the object being to reach the top. Cost to play is US$4. [688.72] [1460.528]
- March
- Nintendo drops the price of the Nintendo 64 in the United States to US$149. [674.45]
- Sony begins selling the Net Yaroze, a programmable PlayStation video game system in Japan. [1093.34]
- Electronic Arts agrees to produce six Nintendo 64 sports titles by Christmas 1998. [352.73]
- EA Distribution and Dreamworks Interactive sign a deal for publishing games. [1319.30]
- March 22
- Namco releases the Tekken 3 arcade game. [545.18] [1447.13]
- March 26
- Nintendo releases the Blast Corps video game for the Nintendo 64 in the USA. [1102.113] [1159.96]
- March 28
- Buena Vista Pictures releases the film The Sixth Man to theaters in the USA. A character is told to forget girls and "stick to Nintendo". [932]
- March 31
- Unit sales of Nintendo Game Boy game systems over the past twelve months: about 7 million. [271.D4]
- Unit sales of Nintendo 64 game systems in North America to date: 2.5 million. [271.D4]
- January-March
- Unit sales of video game cartridges in the US during the past three months: 13.3 million. [355.73]
- April 1
- Midway releases the Doom 64 video game for the Nintendo 64 in the US. [401] [411]
- April
- In Seattle, Washington, USA, the Nintendo 64 Developers Conference is held, over two days. [1158.105]
- April 15
- Disney Interactive lays off about 20 percent of its workforce, ending in-house production of video games. [597]
- April
- Nintendo releases the Game Boy Pocket portable game system in multiple case colors in the USA. [271.D4] [453.44] [1161.81]
- The Pokémon TV show debuts in Japan, based on the Pocket Monsters video games. [595.140] [1391.174]
- Nintendo releases the Mario Kart video game for the Nintendo 64 in the United Kingdom. [393.28]
- April 28
- 3DO agrees to sell its hardware systems business to Samsung Electronics, for US$20 million. [271.D6]
- May 1
- Gambia issues a postage stamp depicting cartoon dogs from Disney's 101 Dalmatians playing a TV video game system. [1379.52]
- May
- Nintendo releases the Game & Watch Gallery for the Game Boy in the USA. [1161.81]
- Catapult ends the Xband modem service for the Super NES in the USA. [1161.81]
- (month unknown)
- Unit sales of the Nintendo 64 in North America to date: 2.6 million. 2.7 million have been sold in the rest of the world. [355.72]
- Tiger Electronics introduces the Game.com hand-held portable video game system in the US. It features black-and-white touch-screen 2.5x2.125-inch LCD, and runs on four AA batteries. Size is 7 x 4.5 x 0.375 inches; price is US$69.95. Game cartridges cost $20-30. [354.24] [545.22] [689.12]
- June
- Lara Croft appears on the cover of United Kingdom magazine The Face. [633.98]
- Natsume releases the Harvest Moon video game for the Super NES in the US. [1420.75]
- Nintendo releases the Rumble Pak for the controller of the Nintendo 64 video game system. [453.44] [1161.81]
- June 19
- The Electronic Entertainment Expo is held in Atlanta, Georgia, over three days. Total attendance is 37,100. Nintendo unveils the Banjo-Kazooie video game. [462.195] [591.16] [674.45] [1028.38]
- June 23
- The United States Supreme Court refuses to review the case of Alpex vs. Nintendo of America, letting stand the verdict that Nintendo had not infringed on a patent owned by Alpex. [597]
- June 24
- 3DO completes the sale of its hardware business to Samsung, for US$20 million. [597]
- (month unknown)
- Sega releases the Saturn Bomberman video game for the Saturn in the US. [304.144]
- Sega launches the Saturn NetLink, allowing the Saturn system to connect to the Internet. [810.119]
- Nintendo releases the Super Famicom Jr. in Japan. The unit is a redesigned Super Famicom. [1091.94]
- Sega opens Sega World Sydney in Darling Harbor, Australia. [1494.196]
- July
- Nintendo releases the Star Fox 64 video game for the Nintendo 64 in the US. Price is US$69.95, including a Rumble Pak that allows the game to make the controller vibrate. The game was developed at Nintendo by Shigeru Miyamoto. [352.73] [401] [690.12] [1158.57]
- Konami releases the International Superstar Soccer 64 video game for the Nintendo 64 in the USA. [1159.92]
- July 22
- Sega terminates its agreement for 3Dfx to supply custom 3D graphics chipset for the next Sega video game system. (3Dfx sues in September claiming breach of contract.) [506.82] [597]
- July 31
- Sega releases the Sonic Jam video game for the Sega Saturn in the US. [396.24] [779.40]
- August
- Nintendo releases the GoldenEye 007 video game for the Nintendo 64 in the USA. (Over its lifetime, 8 million copies are sold, making this the best-selling video game for the Nintendo 64 in the USA.) [298.38] [421.38] [566.92] [746.157] [1147.116] [1159.89] [1161.81] [1460.543] (July [411])
- Chris Slate founds PSM magazine for PlayStation users. [954.37] [1188.35]
- Nintendo releases the Tetrisphere video game for the Nintendo 64 in the USA. [1159.95]
- August 26
- EA Sports releases the Madden NFL 98 video game for the PlayStation in the US. [630.62]
- August 27
- Sony releases the Dual Analog controller for the PlayStation in the US. [630.62] [1188.38]
- August 29
- 3Dfx Interactive files a lawsuit in California's Santa Clara County Superior Court against Sega Enterprises and NEC over the cancellation of a contract with 3Dfx. 3Dfx was to provide a 3D graphics component for Sega's next video game system. [597]
- August 31
- Acclaim Entertainment releases the Mortal Kombat Mythologies: Sub-Zero video game for the PlayStation in the US. [808]
- (month unknown)
- In Tokyo, Japan, the Spaceworld video game show is held. 240,000 attend the show. Nintendo demonstrates a new Zelda video game for the Nintendo 64. Nintendo premieres the Yoshi's Story video game for the Nintendo 64. [390.4,34]
- September
- The name of P.S.X. magazine in the U.S. is changed to Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine. [630.62]
- September 7
- Sony CEA releases the Final Fantasy VII video game for the PlayStation in the US. [304.127] [556.99] [576.102] [591.24] [625.50] [627.36] [630.50] [674.45] [740.86] (September 3 [630.62]) (September 4 [869.19]) (August 31 [411])
- September 11
- Midway Amusement Games releases the Mortal Kombat 4 video game Version 1.0 to arcades in the US. [808]
- September 30
- Capcom releases the Resident Evil Director's Cut video game for the PlayStation in the US. [411] [834.17]
- October 4
- Gunpei Yokoi, inventor and toy maker, dies at age 56 when struck by a car on an expressway in Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan. Yokoi designed Nintendo's Game & Watch handheld games, Game Boy, and Game Boy Pocket. [1161.81] [1460.524] [1494.170]
- October 15
- Midway Amusement Games releases the Mortal Kombat 4 video game Version 2.0 to arcades in the US. [808]
- October
- The Justice Ministry of Brazil bans sale of the Carmageddon video game. [1399.30]
- Nintendo releases a redesigned smaller Super NES, model SNS-101, in the USA. Number of internal chips is reduced from eleven to five, there is no eject lever, no LED power light, no RF switch, no RF modulator, no expansion port, no s-video output. [1160.104] [1161.81] [1420.75]
- Konami releases the Castlevania: Symphony of the Night video game for the PlayStation in the US. [304.152] [630.62] [740.90]
- October 17
- Midway Amusement Games releases the Mortal Kombat 4 video game Version 2.1 to arcades in the US. [808]
- October 23
- Four game developers release the first arcade games based on Intel's Pentium II platform and the Open Arcade Architecture. This system allows game changes by software only, without requiring a physical machine change. [597]
- November 5
- Sony CEA releases the Crash Bandicoot 2 video game for the PlayStation in the US. [628.60]
- November 9
- The Fox Broadcasting Company airs The Simpsons TV show in the US. In a convenience store, a child plays an arcade game called Cat Fight. [838]
- November
- Square releases the Final Fantasy VII video game for the PlayStation in Europe. [556.99]
- Accolade releases the Test Drive 4 video game for the PlayStation in the US. [492.5] [506.4]
- New Line Cinema releases the feature film Mortal Kombat: Annihilation to theaters in the US. (Total American theater ticket sales: US$36 million.) [464.177] [496.40]
- November 18
- Sega releases the Sonic R video game for the Sega Saturn in the US. [779.40]
- November 19
- Sony releases the PaRappa the Rapper video game for the PlayStation in the US. The game innovates by popularizing music/rhythm-based games. [625.50] [628.60] [740.86]
- November 21
- Nintendo releases the Diddy Kong Racing video game for the Nintendo 64. [531.7] [1391.60] [1396.30] (October 31 [411])
- November 22
- Eidos releases the Tomb Raider II video game for the PlayStation in the US. (Total lifetime sales: 1.8 million.) [308.82] [411] [444.34] [628.60] [630.62] [633.98]
- November 25
- Sega announces that The Sega Channel for the Genesis will be shut down. 20 million homes had access but only 150,000 subscribed to the service. [1078.154]
- December
- Konami releases the Beatmania arcade video game in Japan. [1025.11]
- Nintendo releases the GoldenEye video game for the Nintendo 64 in the United Kingdom. [393.28]
- Year
- Total sales of video game hardware and software in Japan: 750 billion yen (US$6.8 billion). [1460.583]
- Total handheld video game sales in the USA: US$294 million. [1460.568]
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