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Nintendo's Forgotten Product Lines

Go

by Danny Bivens - November 26, 2013, 6:36 pm EST

The most expensive game related item on the market from Nintendo is not a home console.

Igo (pronounced “ee-go”), or simply Go as it is known as in the West, originated in China but has been played in Japan for centuries. Black and white go-ishi, or stones, are placed on intersections on a 19x19 grid. Players win by having their stones surround a larger area of the game board than their opponent. Nintendo currently sells a total of fifteen different game boards, three variations of stones, and six cases for stones (you can check out everything here). The boards for Go are similar to the ones used for Shogi in terms of materials used and in the ways they are described. While all of the stones available from Nintendo are plastic, the cases are made from different kinds of wood. Like Shogi, trying to get the best quality full Go set can get expensive pretty quickly. The most expensive board, the Ashitsuki Shin Kaya ("New" Kaya wood with legs) 60-go matsu (around 17.5 cm) goes for 139,650 yen (about $1,396.50 USD). Even though the wood used for this board is not produced from trees in Japan, Kaya is the best quality wood that can be used for a Go board. While not everything is pictured, below you will find the featured Go products offered by Nintendo. 

Similar to the Shogi lineup, there are both standing and folding of the Go game boards. The first, the Ashitsuki Katsura (Katsura wood with legs) 50-go matsu (about 14.5 cm) board sells for 99,750 yen (about $997.50 USD) while the Futatsuori Katsura (folding Katsura wood) 7-go (1.9 cm) retails for 7,350 yen (around $73.50 USD).


Here we have Kikutokujyō (finest chrysanthemum) go-ishi (stones) and Keyaki-kiji Dai (large zelkova wood case). The featured plastic stones sell for 7,350 yen (about $73.50 USD) while the case, the most expensive of the six cases, retails for 22,050 yen (about $220.50 USD).

Note: The exchange rate at the time of writing was roughly $1 USD = 100 yen.

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Talkback

azekeNovember 26, 2013

I recommend "History of Nintendo" books by Pix'n'Love if you're interested in that kind of stuff. Lots of information about Nintendo's products before they entered videogames, highly fascinating stuff.

That sounds awesome! I'll have to be sure to check it out!

azekeNovember 27, 2013

Just make sure you handle books with care. Binding isn't all that good in first two volumes -- i have first book with few pages literally falling from it.

Also i heard complaints that english translation isn't all that good (english being my third language, i honestly can't tell), so if you're fluent in French -- you might want to check out books in original French.

I'm going through the first volume in French, it's good stuff!

Towards the end, it almost becomes a catalog of old Nintendo toys, but there are still fun facts to be learned. For instance, I didn't expect to see that the Game Boy's Game Link cable had a predecessor... in 1982. For Nintendo's Yakuman portable electronic Mah-jong game!

CericNovember 27, 2013

I was expecting something more to tell you the truth.  I mean I didn't know all the variations of play cards they have but I did know they made all those cards.  I also knew they made a lot of what would be thought of as traditional Japanese games.  I was sort of hoping to find out they made bikes or an action figure line not related to any of their game properties.  Lego like things.  You know something that just makes you go "Oh that is a toy."

Damn Nintendo for disappointing us!  :P

I seriously want to get one of Hyakunin Isshu sets. To play a competitive game all by myself. Woo?!

Quote from: Ceric

I was expecting something more to tell you the truth.  I mean I didn't know all the variations of play cards they have but I did know they made all those cards.  I also knew they made a lot of what would be thought of as traditional Japanese games.  I was sort of hoping to find out they made bikes or an action figure line not related to any of their game properties.  Lego like things.  You know something that just makes you go "Oh that is a toy."

You mean exactly like this?

They made plenty of toys, of board games, of little "travel size" toys, electronic toys. They had their own designs, and they licensed toys and games from other companies for sale in Japan as well.

CericNovember 27, 2013

Quote from: Pandareus

Quote from: Ceric

I was expecting something more to tell you the truth.  I mean I didn't know all the variations of play cards they have but I did know they made all those cards.  I also knew they made a lot of what would be thought of as traditional Japanese games.  I was sort of hoping to find out they made bikes or an action figure line not related to any of their game properties.  Lego like things.  You know something that just makes you go "Oh that is a toy."

You mean exactly like this?

They made plenty of toys, of board games, of little "travel size" toys, electronic toys. They had their own designs, and they licensed toys and games from other companies for sale in Japan as well.

Yes, I'm fairly sure We've posted those before but, yes.  Only still making.

sehrgutDecember 06, 2013

They actually still manufacture harifuda cards for tehonbiki as well. Only the Daitōryō are available, and they're sold without the nice plastic case the hanafuda and kabufuda come in: they're just the inner paperboard box.

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