Nintendo visionary Hiroshi Yamauchi passes at 85
Former Nintendo President Hiroshi Yamauchi, credited for turning Nintendo from a playing card company into... well, Nintendo, has died at the age of 85. Yamauchi was president of the company from 1949 until 2002, holding an executive advisory role until his passing.
Yamauchi was responsible for turning Nintendo into the video game company it is today with the launch of the Famicom (NES) in 1983, overseeing every console until the GameCube and putting legit gaming devices in portable form with the Game Boy.
Yamauchi made headlines during the height of the Wii for being Japan's richest man, with an estimated net worth of $7.8 billion. Although that's declined considerably in recent years, he remained the company's largest shareholder.
