Nintendo teases upcoming museum: vintage consoles, Super Mario attractions and interactive exhibits

Nintendo of Japan said on Tuesday it will open its much-anticipated first museum on Oct. 2 featuring vintage video games and an interactive shoot-em-up with “Super Mario” characters. The museum in Kyoto’s Uji city is housed inside a renovated old factory built in 1969, where the gaming giant began making Western-style and Japanese playing cards and later reconditioned consoles. The company on Tuesday also released a video of Shigeru Miyamoto, the legendary creator of “Super Mario Bros” and other famous games, giving a sneak peek of what’s inside.

Miyamoto said in the clip, “The Nintendo Museum is a place where visitors can learn about Nintendo’s commitment to manufacturing that values ​​play and originality.” Along with shooting games and some of the firm’s first consoles, exhibits include a giant controller operated by two people and another illustrating ancient Japanese poems. (Also read: Documenting Black Life and Culture: Revisiting Frank Stewart at the Brandywine Museum ,

The company first announced plans for the museum in 2021, part of efforts to increase its revenue stream, and it was originally scheduled to open earlier this year. Super Nintendo World, the company’s first theme park, opened in March 2021 after months of delays due to the pandemic. Part of the Universal Studios Japan complex in Osaka, it features a real-life Bowser’s Castle along with a Mario Kart ride.

Nintendo began life in 1889 as a maker of Japanese “hanafuda” cards and launched its first home video game machines, known as the TV Game 15 and TV Game 6, in 1977. The Super Mario Bros. games were launched in 1985, two years after the company began selling its Nintendo Entertainment System console. Museum tickets for October and November went on sale Tuesday, priced at 3,300 yen ($22.60) for adults and less for children.