rip

It's hard to grasp that it's been a year since Nintendo President, Satoru Iwata passed away due to a bile duct tumor. Genyo Takeda ('Technology Fellow' at Nintendo) summed up how Iwata's journey was so far from over beautifully, in his eulogy:

“Please know, however, that the seeds you have planted, and the plants that have sprouted will put forth small flowers as they bring smiles to the faces of people around the world, blossom into a grand flower bigger than even you, our leader, Iwata-san,” Takeda shared. “Together with Miyamoto and others of our generation, we swear in our hearts that we will continue our efforts so that, someday, we can report and present to you the blossoming of these flowers. May you continuously watch over and guide us managers, our employees and your family.”

Iwata's passing inspired a wealth of heartwarming fan art dedications like these:

@JombloFootballs

@JoshGrilli

@charizartluver

@projectTiGER_

@sipsapson

@DeepSilverUK

@megumegane

You will be missed, RIP Satoru Iwata.

I'm not even going to lie about cutting onions, this was just straight up touching.

From the official notice:

In order to focus on planning for a new customer loyalty program for our fans, we’ve decided to wind-down the Club Nintendo program. We are deeply thankful to our members for being a part of Club Nintendo for all of these years.

We will share details about our new program at a later date. For now, please see the schedule below for information on the discontinuation timeframe for Club Nintendo.

If you've been saving up your coins for a good reward, make sure you spend them before Club Nintendo is officially gone on July 1, 2015.  New items will be added to the rewards catalog in February, and members who reach elite status for the year will still be able to choose elite gifts in April.  Every member of Club Nintendo will receive a free download code for Flipnote Studio 3D in February. 

Ralph H Baer, the inventor of the Magnavox Odyssey, has passed away at the age of 92.

His invention was the first home video game console, and he's oft considered the inventor of video games. Baer is also the inventor of the first light gun for video games, called The Shooting Gallery. You can also thank him for that electronic, wickedly frustrating memory game, Simon.

Without Baer, you certainly wouldn't be complaining about whether or not your next-gen console is next-gen enough, so think of him the next time you turn yours on. Check out the video above to watch an interview he did with PBS about his work.

Try not to cry, try not to cry...

Manly tears will be shed.