In the world of gaming, the two most recognizable icons in the world are Mario, and Sonic the Hedgehog. But they both come from separate companies, one of which has been around for 123 years, the other for 72 years. Who am I talking about? Nintendo and Sega of course. But in the days before the Italian Plumber and the Blue Hedgehog stormed onto the scene, what were Nintendo and Sega up to?

Did you know that Nintendo ran a line of "love hotels", a taxi company, a TV network, and instant rice manufacturing? According to Wikipedia, they also made handmade Hanafuda playing cards. While they were up to all those diverse business interests, Sega took a more somber conservative business approach with coin-operated jukeboxes and slot machines.

In the end, it is Nintendo who seems to be on top, with double the annual revenue, double the annual net income, and almost double the number of employees. With that kind of cash, I should move to the Mushroom Kingdom and get into the Italian plumbing business.

Our infographic today shows the evolution of both Nintendo and Sega, charting their progress from the beginning, and what they managed to accomplish along the way.

Which do you prefer best - Nintendo or Sega? Tell us why in the comments below.

Infographic Source: Visual.ly