Microconsole

The iQue Player was released in 2003 as a low-cost handheld TV game console based on the Nintendo 64, specifically designed for the Chinese market.

In the early 2010s, shortly after the rise of mobile gaming on smartphones and tablet devices from 2008, microconsoles started to gain traction in the global market.

[8] Amidst a "new war for TV" in the consumer electronics industry,[9] an inexpensive and simple Android-based video game console designed for televisions called Ouya was announced for crowdfunding in July 2012.

[17][13][18] Following Ouya's success, other similar set-top Android gaming devices were announced as direct competitors, including the GameStick in early 2013,[19][20][21] GamePop in May 2013,[22] and Mad Catz's MOJO in June 2013.

[23] Forbes's Daniel Nye Griffiths referred to Ouya and GameStick's close release dates as the microconsole field's first "showdown".

Raspberry Pi has become a popular alternative platform for home-made microconsoles due to its low cost and ability to emulate retro gaming consoles.

[33] Edge questioned possibilities of microconsole success due to competition within the field as well as from Nintendo, Sony, and Microsoft's new consoles.

[35] The Verge called it unfinished,[36] and in a later review, Eurogamer questioned why consumers would purchase a console that duplicated the functionality of smartphones they already had.