The origin story of Nintendo

Published March 20, 2026 4:44am ET



A few years ago, before embarking upon a particularly daunting road trip, my wife and I bought an Amazon Fire for our 6-year-old son. How would I rate the experience? The settings were a nightmare to navigate, the games were full of ads and in-game purchases, and the screen broke after a year — one star. Last Christmas, facing the same journey, we bought a Nintendo Switch. The only issue with that device has been the embarrassing number of hours I’ve sunk into playing Super Mario Bros. Wonder. 

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