Everything announced, including opening date and more

Nintendo held a Direct today, but it wasn’t a traditional presentation filled with new game announcements and release dates. Instead, the company focused on its history by giving us our first look at the completed Nintendo Museum in Kyoto, Japan, which is now scheduled to open on October 2, 2024.

The presentation was hosted by none other than Nintendo legend Shigeru Miyamoto, who walked through the key exhibits and activities that museum-goers can expect to see at the new facility. Read on to find out everything that was announced in today’s Nintendo Museum Direct, including the existence of giant Wii Remotes!

Miyamoto introduces the museum

The presentation began with Miyamoto sharing the history of the museum site, revealing that the Nintendo Museum is built on the same land as Nintendo’s original playing card factory, which was used for quality control during the Famicom (NES) era. The museum’s entrance welcomes visitors with a Mario-themed plaza, complete with warp pipes, a question block, and more Super Mario Bros. items.

You can play Nintendo games with huge controllers

The highlight of the presentation was seeing the giant recreations of Nintendo controllers that visitors can use to play a selection of classic Nintendo games from the NES, SNES, Nintendo 64 and Wii eras. While we got an extended demo of Miyamoto playing Super Mario Bros. alongside a museum employee, the star of the show was undoubtedly watching two museum employees team up to play Wii Sports Resort using the motion controls of a giant Wii Remote. Just look at that!!

Attractions that emerged from Nintendo’s toy production days

The Direct only showed three of the eight interactive experiences, but the official nintendo museum website details the rest. Here’s the full list of unique gaming experiences the Nintendo Museum will offer on the first floor:

• Shigureden SP
  • Discover the poems of Hyakunin Isshu using smart devices and the big screen on the floor.
• Zapper & Scope-SP
  • Experience what it’s like to shoot with the Zapper and Super Scope as Mario’s world spreads out before you on the big screen.
• Ultramachine SP
  • A batting cage experience in a room. Hit the balls thrown by the Ultra Machine.
• Ultra Hand SP
  • Use the Ultra Hand to grab the balls rolling down the lanes and drop them into the tubes.
• Love Tester SP
  • Two people join forces and take tests together that measure their level of love.
• Play & Watch SP
  • Play Game & Watch games with your own shadow.
• Nintendo classics
  • Nintendo Entertainment System, Super Nintendo Entertainment System, Nintendo 64. Choose from over 80 games to play.
• Large controller
  • Controllers from previous generations of hardware were gigantic. Two people must work together to complete challenges in games released at the time.

Visitors cannot see all attractions with one ticket

One odd wrinkle about the Nintendo Museum is that visitors can’t experience all eight exhibits with one ticket. As described on the official website, digital coins are required to experience the interactive exhibits, and each visitor is only given 10 coins upon entry. You cannot buy additional coins once you run out, so it seems like you’ll need multiple visits to the Nintendo Museum to see everything it has to offer. We’ve reached out to Nintendo for comment and clarification.

A roundabout of Nintendo products

The second floor features a gallery of products made and published by Nintendo, from the NES to the present. This includes games and consoles in Nintendo’s catalog, complete with different iterations of hardware and game boxes to account for differences in Japan, North America, Europe, and other regions. Each section of the exhibit is marked with a large (but not that large) replica of every Nintendo controller and handheld.

There are also exhibits on products you can control by moving your body, the evolution of the Question Block, the evolution of graphics in games like Mario and Zelda, and an exhibit on products Nintendo made before it entered the video game industry, such as a photocopier and even a baby stroller.

Make your own Hanafuda cards

The Nintendo Museum harks back to the company’s beginnings with an interactive experience where visitors can design their own Hanafuda cards. The hour-long experience costs extra, but participants will take home the four cards they create. There’s also a games room where visitors can learn to play one of the most popular versions of Hanafuda.

In addition to a museum restaurant and shop that Miyamoto announced at the end of the presentation, that’s what Nintendo fans can expect if they make the long trek to the Nintendo Museum in Kyoto. Tickets are 3,300 yen (~$23 USD) for adults, with cheaper prices for children. The museum is currently holding a lottery for the chance to purchase tickets for dates starting with the museum’s grand opening on October 2, which you can enter here.

What did you think of today’s Nintendo Museum Direct? Did it make you want to travel to Japan to see it yourself? Let us know in the comments. And be sure to check out the first details about the Donkey Kong theme park expansion at Universal Studios Japan, Nintendo’s next big entertainment venture.

Logan Plant is IGN’s Database Manager, Playlist Editor, and Super Ninfriendo on Nintendo Voice Chat. Find him on Twitter @LoganJPlant.