Masayuki Uemura
Encyclopedia
is a Japanese game hardware designer. Due to the bombing of Japan during World War II
, his family was forced to move to Kyoto
. Having little money, he was forced to make his own toys. His toys became more and more complex and he wanted to learn more, so he went to industrial college. Once he graduated, Sharp Corporation
hired him immediately.
One day, Sharp sent him on a sales call to Nintendo
to see if they wanted solar cells, which caught the eyes of Gunpei Yokoi because these cells can be used in their entertainment products. Yokoi kept in touch with Uemura, and eventually hired him away from Sharp.
These solar cells were used in the Nintendo beam gun games. They put these games on the market to the consumer, which turned out to be a success for Nintendo.
When Hiroshi Yamauchi
split Nintendo's Research and Development into three groups (which later became four), Uemura became the head of Nintendo's Research and Development 2 team
. This team focused exclusively on hardware. It is better known for designing the NES
and SNES
consoles, but it also was responsible for a varierty of peripherals such as the NES Zapper
, the Famicom Disk System
, and the Satellaview
(for which Uemura served as the division chief). The R&D2 also made a few games, but were not as prominent as the other development teams. Uemura retired from Nintendo in 2004.
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, his family was forced to move to Kyoto
Kyoto
is a city in the central part of the island of Honshū, Japan. It has a population close to 1.5 million. Formerly the imperial capital of Japan, it is now the capital of Kyoto Prefecture, as well as a major part of the Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto metropolitan area.-History:...
. Having little money, he was forced to make his own toys. His toys became more and more complex and he wanted to learn more, so he went to industrial college. Once he graduated, Sharp Corporation
Sharp Corporation
is a Japanese multinational corporation that designs and manufactures electronic products. Headquartered in Abeno-ku, Osaka, Japan, Sharp employs more than 55,580 people worldwide as of June 2011. The company was founded in September 1912 and takes its name from one of its founder's first...
hired him immediately.
One day, Sharp sent him on a sales call to Nintendo
Nintendo
is a multinational corporation located in Kyoto, Japan. Founded on September 23, 1889 by Fusajiro Yamauchi, it produced handmade hanafuda cards. By 1963, the company had tried several small niche businesses, such as a cab company and a love hotel....
to see if they wanted solar cells, which caught the eyes of Gunpei Yokoi because these cells can be used in their entertainment products. Yokoi kept in touch with Uemura, and eventually hired him away from Sharp.
These solar cells were used in the Nintendo beam gun games. They put these games on the market to the consumer, which turned out to be a success for Nintendo.
When Hiroshi Yamauchi
Hiroshi Yamauchi
is a Japanese businessman. He was the third president of Nintendo, joining the company in 1949 until stepping down on May 31, 2002, to be succeeded by Satoru Iwata. Yamauchi is credited with transforming Nintendo from a small hanafuda card-making company in Japan to today's multi-billion dollar...
split Nintendo's Research and Development into three groups (which later became four), Uemura became the head of Nintendo's Research and Development 2 team
Nintendo Research & Development 2
was a team within Nintendo that developed software and peripherals. R&D2 ported several of the Nintendo R&D1 and Nintendo R&D3 games over to the Famicom in the early 1980s...
. This team focused exclusively on hardware. It is better known for designing the NES
Nintendo Entertainment System
The Nintendo Entertainment System is an 8-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America during 1985, in Europe during 1986 and Australia in 1987...
and SNES
Super Nintendo Entertainment System
The Super Nintendo Entertainment System is a 16-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America, Europe, Australasia , and South America between 1990 and 1993. In Japan and Southeast Asia, the system is called the , or SFC for short...
consoles, but it also was responsible for a varierty of peripherals such as the NES Zapper
NES Zapper
The NES Zapper, also known as the Beam Gun in Japan, is an electronic light gun accessory for the Nintendo Entertainment System and the Japanese Famicom. It was released in Japan for the Famicom on and alongside the launch of the NES in North America in October 1985...
, the Famicom Disk System
Famicom Disk System
The was released on February 21, 1986 by Nintendo as a peripheral for the Family Computer console in Japan. It was a unit that used proprietary floppy disks for data storage. It was announced, but never released, for the North American Nintendo Entertainment System...
, and the Satellaview
Satellaview
The is a satellite modem add-on for Nintendo's Super Famicom system that was released in Japan in 1995. Available for pre-release orders as early as February 13, 1995, the Satellaview retailed for between ¥14,000 and 18,000 and came bundled with the BS-X Game Pak and an 8M Memory Pak.The...
(for which Uemura served as the division chief). The R&D2 also made a few games, but were not as prominent as the other development teams. Uemura retired from Nintendo in 2004.