Nintendo Gateway System

Last updated

The Nintendo Gateway System is a version of the Super Nintendo Entertainment System, Game Boy, [1] Game Boy Color, Game Boy Advance, Nintendo 64, or GameCube that was installed on some Northwest, Singapore Airlines, Air China, Air Canada, Alitalia-Linee Aeree Italiane, All Nippon Airways, British Midland International, Kuwait Airways, Malaysia Airlines, Thai Airways, and Virgin Atlantic passenger aircraft, as well as certain hotels with LodgeNet, NXTV, or Quadriga, from late 1993 up until the late 2000s.

Contents

It was a series of video game consoles rather than a single console, specialized for airlines and hotels, featured in about 40,000 airline seats and 955,000 hotel rooms. It was one of the first in-seat airline entertainment services, provided by Matsushita Avionics, Rockwell Collins, and Thales Avionics. Its official website was discontinued in mid-2008, but units have been seen as late as 2013 for Nintendo 64 in hotels, and as late as 2012 for Game Boy and Game Boy Color on Singapore Airlines.

It was part of a much larger computer system that allowed air passengers to not only play video games, but also watch movies and shows, listen to music, talk on the phone, and even shop while in-flight, before the rise of the internet. Upon its release, there were 10 games installed in the system, which included The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past , F-Zero and Super Mario World . Future plans for the system were to have it installed in hotels and cruise ships as well.

The controller, or remote, for the airline version of the Gateway System had a button setup similar to the Super NES controller. It also doubled as a remote for the movies and music aspect of the system. Hotels had modified versions of the original console controllers. LodgeNet was the most widespread pay-per-view system for hotels that used it.

LodgeNet partnered with Nintendo to bring video games directly into guest hotel rooms through streaming over the LodgeNet server, with the special LodgeNet controller plugging directly into the TV or LodgeNet set-top box, transmitting the game over phone lines connected to a central game server. Pricing was usually $6.95 plus tax for 1 hour of video games. After 1 hour, the game would immediately stop and prompt the user to purchase more play time. Many games were modified for single-player play only.

History

In late 1993, LodgeNet launched its on-demand hospitality service, including worldwide delivery of Super NES games to hotel guests via its proprietary building-wide networks. [2] LodgeNet eventually reported the system being installed in 200,000 hotel guest rooms by April 1996, and 530,000 guest rooms by mid-1999. By April 1996, LodgeNet reported that its partnership with Nintendo to deliver Super NES games had yielded 200,000 worldwide hotel guest room installations. On June 16, 1998, Nintendo and LodgeNet entered a 10-year licensing agreement for an "aggressive" upgrade to add Nintendo 64 support to their existing 500,000 Super NES equipped guest room installations. [3] LodgeNet says that within the system's previous five years to date, the system had "caused Nintendo to become the most successful new product rollout in the history of the hotel pay-per-view industry". [4] LodgeNet reported that within the middle of 1998 alone, 35 million hotel guests encountered the Nintendo name as an integral amenity, [4] and it reported sales of more than 54 million minutes of Nintendo-based gameplay. [5]

One of the two versions of the Super Nintendo LodgeNet controller. LodgeNet-Super-Nintendo-Controller.jpg
One of the two versions of the Super Nintendo LodgeNet controller.
The Nintendo 64 LodgeNet controller, which could be used to play N64 games. LodgeNet-Nintendo-N64-Controller.jpg
The Nintendo 64 LodgeNet controller, which could be used to play N64 games.
The LodgeNet GameCube controller. Hooked up to TVs in hotel rooms, it allowed patrons to pay to play Nintendo GameCube games for limited time. LodgeNet-Nintendo-GameCube-Controller.jpg
The LodgeNet GameCube controller. Hooked up to TVs in hotel rooms, it allowed patrons to pay to play Nintendo GameCube games for limited time.

On June 10, 1999, LodgeNet and Nintendo began expanding and upgrading their existing Super NES buildout to include Nintendo 64 support. In mid-1999, LodgeNet reported that its 530,000 hotel room installations were increasing at a rate of 11,000 rooms per month. [5] In September 2000, Nintendo and LodgeNet began delivering newly released Nintendo 64 games to hotel rooms at more than 1,000 hotel sites, concurrently with the games' retail releases, demonstrating "the capacity to update LodgeNet's interactive digital systems with fresh content virtually overnight". [6]

Games

Games are offered for six Nintendo platforms, the Super Nintendo Entertainment System, the Game Boy, the Game Boy Color, the Game Boy Advance, the Nintendo 64, and the GameCube, with support for the Nintendo Entertainment System planned. While GB, GBC, and GBA games are exclusive to the airlines, the N64 and GC games are exclusive to the hotels, and the SNES is available for both.

Super Nintendo Entertainment System

There were 49 Super Nintendo Entertainment System titles available to play on LodgeNet hotel televisions and on airlines equipped with Nintendo Gateway System, which LodgeNet used for their hotel service. Some titles were not playable on airlines.

Nintendo 64

There were 38 Nintendo 64 titles available to play on LodgeNet hotel televisions.

GameCube

There were 43 Nintendo GameCube titles available to play on LodgeNet hotel televisions.

Game Boy and Game Boy Color

There were 33 Game Boy/Game Boy Color titles available to play on airlines featuring Nintendo Gateway System.

Game Boy Advance

There were 13 Game Boy Advance titles available to play on airlines featuring Nintendo Gateway System.

See also

Notes

  1. Includes The Legend of Zelda , Zelda II: The Adventure of Link , The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time , The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask , a 20-minute playable demo of The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker , a retrospective of The Legend of Zelda series, and a special movie of The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker . It is possible some content may or may not be on this version, as this GameCube service already offers The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (with Master Quest alongside it), as well as The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker .

Related Research Articles

<i>The Legend of Zelda</i> Video game series

The Legend of Zelda is an action-adventure game franchise created by the Japanese game designers Shigeru Miyamoto and Takashi Tezuka. It is primarily developed and published by Nintendo, although some portable installments and re-releases have been outsourced to Flagship, Vanpool, and Grezzo. The gameplay incorporates action-adventure and elements of action RPG games.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shigeru Miyamoto</span> Japanese video game designer (born 1952)

Shigeru Miyamoto is a Japanese video game designer, producer and game director at Nintendo, where he serves as one of its representative directors as an executive since 2002. Widely regarded as one of the most accomplished and influential designers in the history of video games, he is the creator of some of the most acclaimed and best-selling game franchises of all time, including Mario,The Legend of Zelda, Donkey Kong, Star Fox and Pikmin.

<i>The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time</i> 1998 video game

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time is an action-adventure game developed and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo 64. It was released in Japan and North America in November 1998 and in PAL regions the following month. Ocarina of Time is the first game in The Legend of Zelda series with 3D graphics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Super Game Boy</span> Accessory for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System

The Super Game Boy is a peripheral that allows Game Boy cartridges to be played on a Super Nintendo Entertainment System console. Released in June 1994, it retailed for $59.99 in the United States and £49.99 in the United Kingdom. In South Korea, it is called the Super Mini Comboy and was distributed by Hyundai Electronics. A revised model, the Super Game Boy 2, was released in Japan in January 1998.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nintendo Selects</span> Marketing label by Nintendo

Nintendo Selects is a marketing label previously used by Nintendo to promote best-selling video games on Nintendo game consoles that are late in their lifespans. Nintendo Selects titles were sold at a lower price point than new releases. The program paralleled other budget range software by Sega, Sony, and Microsoft to promote best-selling games on their consoles as well. In Japan, the discount label was introduced in 2015 for various Nintendo 3DS titles as the Happy Price Selection, although South Korea adopted the Nintendo Selects name at an earlier period. The most recent Nintendo Selects titles were released for the Wii U and 3DS and, as of September 2023, no Nintendo Switch games have been rebranded as Nintendo Selects.

Nintendo has created many video game series and franchises throughout its history. Their first established series were the Mario and the Donkey Kong series, established in 1981.

<i>Nintendo Power</i> American video game magazine and podcast

Nintendo Power is a video game news and strategy podcast and former magazine from Nintendo of America, first published in July/August 1988 as Nintendo's official print magazine for North America. The magazine's publication was initially done monthly by Nintendo of America, then independently, and in December 2007 contracted to Future US, the American subsidiary of British publisher Future. Its 24–year production run is one of the longest of all video game magazines in the United States and Canada.

Nintendo Space World, formerly named Shoshinkai and Famicom Space World, was an annual video game trade show hosted by Nintendo from 1989 to 2001. Its three days of high-energy party atmosphere was the primary venue for Nintendo and its licensees to announce and demonstrate new consoles, accessories, and games. Anticipated and dissected each year with hype and exclusivity, it was a destination for the international video game press, with detailed developer interviews and technology demos.

<i>Nintendo Comics System</i> Series of comic books

The Nintendo Comics System was a series of comic books published by Valiant Comics in 1990 and 1991. It was part of a licensing deal with Nintendo, featuring characters from their video games and the cartoons based on them.

Nintendo Fusion Tour was a touring rock music and video game festival sponsored by Nintendo, which began in 2003.

The Nintendo Player’s Guides are a series of video game strategy guides from Nintendo based on Nintendo Power magazine.

Daniel "Dan" Owsen is an American video game translator at Nintendo of America (NOA), best known for his role in the translation and localization of many Nintendo video games, playing a large role in the translation of The Legend of Zelda series. He is also known for his now-discontinued "Ask Dan" column on Nintendo's official website. As of 2015, Owsen lives in Seattle, Washington.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yoshiaki Koizumi</span> Japanese video game designer

Yoshiaki Koizumi is a Japanese video game designer, director, and producer, and business executive. He is a senior executive officer at Nintendo and a deputy general manager at Nintendo EPD, where he is known for his work within their Mario and The Legend of Zelda series, and as the General Producer of the Nintendo Switch.

Hiroji Kiyotake is a game designer for Nintendo and has been a part of the history of Nintendo since 1983.

SONIFI Solutions, Inc. is a provider of guest-facing entertainment technology in hotels and healthcare settings.

The Japan Game Awards is the Japanese Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry's awards ceremony, which was created in 1996 as the CESA Awards. While it represents the Japanese video game industry, it is not limited to Japanese video games, but also includes international video games.

<i>Amiibo Tap: Nintendos Greatest Bits</i> 2015 video game

Amiibo Tap: Nintendo's Greatest Bits, known as Amiibo Touch & Play: Nintendo Classics Highlights in the PAL regions, was an application developed and published by Nintendo for the Wii U's Nintendo eShop in 2015. The application was used to play demos of 30 popular Nintendo Entertainment System and Super Nintendo Entertainment System video games by scanning, Amiibo figurines, Nintendo's toys-to-life series of products.

TASBot is a tool-assisted speedrun robot/mascot created in 2013, developed by a team led by dwangoAC. The robot takes a list of controller inputs which it then sends to a console such as a Nintendo Entertainment System or Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES) directly via signals to the controller ports.

The Nintendo data leak, also known as the Nintendo Gigaleak, is a series of leaks of data from the Japanese video game company Nintendo on the anonymous imageboard website 4chan. The leak started in March 2018, but became most prominent in 2020. Ten main sets of data leaked on 4chan, ranging from game and console source code to internal documentation and development tools. The name "Gigaleak" mainly refers to the second leak on July 24, 2020, which was 3 gigabytes in size. The leaks are believed to have come from companies contracted by Nintendo in the design of these consoles, and/or from individuals previously convicted of intrusion into Nintendo systems. An earlier, much smaller leak had also occurred in 2018 which contained the Nintendo Space World 1997 demos for Pokémon Gold and Silver.

References

  1. "System and method for trans-compiling video games". Google Patents. Nintendo of America, Inc. July 27, 2010. Retrieved March 17, 2021.
  2. "Hotel-based video game and communication system". Google Patents. Nintendo of America, Inc. December 3, 1996. Retrieved May 23, 2019.
  3. "LodgeNet, Nintendo Sign N64 Agreement" (Press release). Sioux Falls, SD: LodgeNet Entertainment Corporation. PRNewswire. June 16, 1998. Retrieved May 23, 2019.
  4. 1 2 "LodgeNet, Nintendo Celebrate Guest Room Video Game Milestone" (Press release). Sioux Falls, SD: LodgeNet Entertainment Corporation. PRNewswire. September 3, 1998. Retrieved May 23, 2019.
  5. 1 2 "LodgeNet Begins Installing Hotels With Nintendo 64 Game Systems; Initiative Includes New Installations, System Upgrades for Thousands of Hotel Rooms" (Press release). Sioux Falls, SD: LodgeNet Entertainment Corporation. PRNewswire. June 10, 1999. Retrieved May 23, 2019.
  6. "LodgeNet Brings Mario Tennis(TM) to Hotel Guests Nationwide; New N64(R) Game Will Appear in Stores, Hotel Rooms Same Week" (Press release). Sioux Falls, SD: LodgeNet Entertainment Corporation. PRNewswire. August 29, 2000. Retrieved May 23, 2019.