Nintendo video game consoles

Their first systems to achieve worldwide success were the Game & Watch handheld series, before achieving greater worldwide success with the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES), originally released as the Family Computer (Famicom) in Japan in 1983.

In 1989, Nintendo released the Game Boy, which became the first handheld console to sell in large numbers.

In 2011, Nintendo became the first major company to release a handheld game console with stereoscopic 3D capabilities, with the 3DS, which had very strong sales from the beginning.

Nintendo continued to repair Famicom consoles in Japan until October 31, 2007, attributing the decision to discontinue support to an increasing shortage of the necessary parts.

Called the NES Classic Edition, it is a dedicated console that comes with a single controller and 30 preloaded games.

Whereas the earlier console had struggled in the PAL region and large parts of Asia, the SNES was a global success, albeit one that could not match its predecessor's popularity in Northeast Asia and North America—due in part to increased competition from Sega's Genesis console.

[6] The SNES library is known for upgrading some of Nintendo's most famous franchises, and making the games even more critically acclaimed, such as Super Metroid, The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past, Final Fantasy IV and VI, Donkey Kong Country, and Super Mario World, as well starting some popular franchises such as Star Fox and Mega Man X.

Called the Super NES Classic Edition, it, like its predecessor, is a dedicated console that comes with two controllers and 21 preloaded games, one of which, Star Fox 2, is a title originally developed for the system that went unreleased.

[7] The Nintendo 64 was released on June 23, 1996 in Japan, on September 29, 1996, in North America, and March 1, 1997, in Europe and Australia.

An agreement with the optical drive manufacturer Matsushita led to a DVD-playing GameCube system named the Panasonic Q, which was only released in Japan.

The Wii U's distinguishing hardware feature is the GamePad, a tablet-like controller which contains a touchscreen that wirelessly streams a video output from the console.

It previously featured an internal social network known as Miiverse, which allowed users to write and draw posts in game-specific communities, the service was discontinued on November 8, 2017.

[16] The Wii U was met with low adoption, attributed by Nintendo executives to a lack of third-party support; poor marketing of the system, which led to a lack of clarity of the Wii U game pad from being a tablet device; and the subsequent release of the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One the following year.

[27][28] However, some critics argued that the Wii U still had advantages over PS4 and Xbox One, including its lower cost and notable early exclusives such as Super Mario 3D World.

[34] In January 2017, a Nintendo spokesperson stated that production of the console had ended, with 13.56 million units sold worldwide.

[36] A special Game & Watch edition, as part of Super Mario Bros.' 35th anniversary, was released on November 13, 2020.

Released in 1989 in Japan, it is one of the world's best-selling game console lines, with over 100 million units sold worldwide.

[38] It features a color screen and an 8-bit processor and a custom Zilog Z80 central processing unit.

Unlike the previous models, the Micro lacks Game Boy/Game Boy Color backwards compatibility and e-Reader support.

As of June 30, 2010, the three Game Boy Advance models have sold 81.51 million units worldwide.

It is visibly distinguishable by its horizontal clamshell design, and the presence of two displays, the lower of which acts as a touchscreen.

It contains two cameras and downloadable software capabilities, plus a built-in flash memory and web browser.

Autostereoscopy is a process that sends different images to the left and right eyes to enable the viewer to view the screen in 3D "without the need for special glasses".

It includes a C-Stick, ZR and ZL shoulder buttons, and a faster CPU, allowing for more software specifically for the New Nintendo 3DS (such as Xenoblade Chronicles 3D).

[43][44][45] The Virtual Boy (also known as the VR-32 during development, abbreviated VB) was the first portable game console capable of displaying true 3D graphics.

In a manner similar to using a head-mounted display, the user looks into an eyepiece made of neoprene on the front of the machine, and then an eyeglass-style projector allows viewing of the monochromatic (in this case, red) image.

Exactly 14 titles were released for Virtual Boy in North America, but only a few were met with positive reception.

It features two detachable wireless controllers called Joy-Con, that can be used individually or attached to a grip to provide a more traditional gamepad form.

Both Joy-Con are built with motion sensors and HD Rumble, Nintendo's haptic vibration feedback system for improved gameplay experiences.

It comes in five color variations: grey, turquoise, coral, yellow, and blue, as well as some special editions.