For the last two decades, Nintendo has consistently stayed just behind the times with its hardware. The Wii, the Switch, and the upcoming Switch 2 are all less powerful than their contemporaries, as Nintendo put more of an emphasis on how its software will innovate in terms of gameplay ideas and push the envelope creatively.
But Nintendo wasn’t always like this. The GameCube was famously more powerful than the PlayStation 2 and the Xbox. Nintendo was all in on CD technology at the same time as its competition (until it wasn’t) and was doing fun goofy accessories like the E-Reader for the Game Boy Advance and the Game Boy Camera. But none of these experimental and forward-looking technologies showcases Nintendo’s willingness to push the boundaries better than the short lived Satellaview. The literally out-of-this-world technology was leaps and bounds ahead of its time, pioneering a technology that we take for granted some 30 years later.
