Nintendo: The Company and its Founders - Sharyland ISD

NINTENDO
exploding. One of the most important developments
was microelectronics, which reduced massive and
complicated computer wiring to small integrated
circuits. This made computer processing a lot
cheaper, since integrated circuits were tiny and could
also be mass-produced. The silicon semiconductors
used in them were also inexpensive, since silicon is
abundant in nature.
Intel, a manufacturer of semiconductors,
developed the first microprocessor in 1971. A
microprocessor is a key component to a computer.
Reducing the computer’s main processing unit to
the size of a chip (about the size of your thumbnail)
made technology more affordable in a variety of
applications, including video games. Yamauchi was
interested in these developments and how they might
help him expand his company.
In 1975, Yamauchi attended a social gathering
with another industry leader. At the gathering, he
learned how the newest technologies used in other
industries, such as consumer and office products,
were becoming cheaper every year. He investigated
the matter and found that Atari and Magnavox were
already using these technologies in games that played
on home televisions. Yamauchi acquired a license to
distribute the Magnavox television games in Japan,
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