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Google Maps Comes To The Nintendo Entertainment System

This may be my favorite April Fool’s offering from Google ever (and they’ve done a lot of things). They’ve created Google Maps for the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES), complete w...
Google Maps Comes To The Nintendo Entertainment System
Written by Chris Crum
  • This may be my favorite April Fool’s offering from Google ever (and they’ve done a lot of things).

    They’ve created Google Maps for the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES), complete with a special cartridge and controllers (for voice search input).

    You can actually go to Google Maps and navigate in 8-bit. It even includes Street View:

    Street View 8 Bit

    “Our engineering team in Japan understood the importance of maps on retro game systems,” says Google Maps software engineer Tatsuo Nomura. “With the power of Google’s immense data centers, and support from Nintendo and Square Enix, we were able to overcome the technical and design hurdles of developing 8-bit maps. Today, we’re excited to announce the result: a version of Google Maps for NES, with beautiful low-res graphics, simple and intuitive controls, and a timeless soundtrack.”

    “With Google Maps 8-bit, you can do all the things you already do on regular Google Maps,” Nomura adds. “Search for famous landmarks and sites around the world. Take an epic journey with 8-bit Street View. Get detailed directions to avoid dangerous paths, and battle your way through a world of powerful monsters and mystic treasures.”

    I hope this feature is around for the rest of the year.

    I’m sure we’ll see plenty more April Fool’s fun from Google over the course of the weekend.

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