Are you guys prepared for probably the most thrilling and annoying lists I must write for Retro Dodo? Get prepared for all Nintendo Consoles and Handhelds In Order!

Exciting as a result of Nintendo is my absolute favourite firm within the online game world. By far.

Stressful as a result of I’m estimating almost 50 whole consoles to look on this checklist! That’s quite a lot of analysis and writing.

Thankfully, I truly take pleasure in these things and it’s gonna be fairly cool to be a real skilled on the historical past of Nintendo.

So let’s not waste an excessive amount of time with intros. Strap yourselves in for a big checklist of ALL Nintendo consoles and handhelds.

So right here is an entry you might have by no means heard of… I hadn’t till I began my analysis.

Nintendo’s very first entry into residence video video games was the “Color TV-Game”, a sequence of 5 residence consoles that solely ever launched in Japan.

Each seemed distinctive, had just a few in-built video games, and featured a controller scheme that match the video games on every unit.

They have been developed by the legendary Nintendo Research & Development 2 group in collaboration with Mitsubishi Electronics, since Nintendo had no earlier historical past in making digital units.

Of course, Nintendo R&D2 would later go on to develop a few of our favourite online game consoles, such because the NES and SNES.

Seeing what Nintendo did with the Color TV-Game sequence, we will see how they finally went on to create the consoles we are going to see in the remainder of this checklist.

It is fairly superior to be taught concerning the true online game beginnings for a small sport firm that turned absolutely the large that’s Nintendo.

Now right here is one you possible know of, and (like me) in all probability assumed was Nintendo’s first entry into digital video video games.

Yep, subsequent up in our all Nintendo consoles and handhelds article is the The Game & Watch sequence of handheld sport consoles. This was the place Nintendo was actually capable of set up themselves as an digital online game firm and achieve worldwide notoriety, as this was the primary time Nintendo’s online game merchandise went outdoors of Japan (formally at the least).

Created by absolutely the legend in online game historical past, Gunpei Yokoi, the Game & Watch was the primary look of the dpad and mainly created the usual for online game controls for the 80s and 90s.

There have been over 60 totally different Game & Watch consoles since 1980 and so they characteristic a variety of distinctive designs, a few of which could shock you.

As the identify suggests, the small moveable consoles sometimes embody a sport and a watch performance.

They reap the benefits of a small LCD display, typically with printed graphics and easy video games to maintain you busy for brief durations of time.

The idea proved fairly fashionable and over 14 million models have been offered worldwide in 1980 alone.

Other sport producers and toy corporations began to create related units, similar to the favored sequence of video video games from Tiger Electronics.

The legacy of the Game & Watch sequence is just not full but, as we’ve got seen new entries as current as 2020 and 2021 within the Super Mario Bros. thirty fifth Anniversary Edition and The Legend of Zelda thirty fifth Anniversary Edition.

Perhaps we are going to see much more entries to come back within the subsequent few years, protecting the identify alive and nicely.

The Nintendo Entertainment System, also called the “Family Computer” or “Famicom” in Japan, was a house online game console produced by Nintendo that launched in 1983.

The NES was an 8-bit sport console that mixed the very best components from Nintendo’s earlier Color TV-Game and Game & Watch.

Where these two entries in Nintendo have been pretty restricted units, the Nintendo Entertainment System was a full sport console with interchangeable sport cartridges for various sport play experiences on your private home tv.

Similar units existed, similar to early ATARI Consoles and even the primary online game console, the Magnavox Odyssey.

But this was Nintendo’s first full residence leisure system, and so they actually hit it out of the park.

1983 may very well be regarded as the beginning of the Nintendo period, as they might be leaders in residence online game gross sales from that time ahead.

And what made the NES so particular? The video games in fact!

With Nintendo producing each {hardware} and software program, they’d a really massive library of unique sport titles on the NES console.

Just check out the checklist of the 10 Best Selling NES Games Of All Time.

The NES/Famicom remains to be among the finest promoting online game consoles of all time at almost 62 million models offered.

Perhaps the truth that it’s #13 on that checklist would possibly sound much less spectacular… however take into account that this is because of the truth that Nintendo went on to create six of the units that scored greater.

And we will actually credit score the Nintendo Entertainment System as being their introduction to the world as the brand new kings of video video games.

Now right here is a subject in our all Nintendo consoles and handhelds article that I’m notably certified to interrupt down. This is part of Nintendo’s historical past that I’ll want little or no analysis to speak about.

I even wrote the article for All Game Boy Models and it took the primary spot on our checklist of the Best Retro Games Consoles.

So let’s get proper into it… the Game Boy. Yes, two phrases!

Not Nintendo’s first outing in handheld gaming. But actually their greatest and most elaborate handheld console at the moment.

In comparability, the Game & Watch sequence was only a demo.

Surprisingly, Nintendo based mostly the design of the unique Game Boy on calculators that have been seen in public transit.

They needed to create a tool that adults may take pleasure in throughout their commute with out the embarrassment of taking part in on one thing that might be seen as a baby’s toy.

Where the Game Boy shined was in its inexpensive value, lengthy battery life, and enormous choice of nice sport titles.

Like the NES residence console, the Game Boy would characteristic interchangeable sport cartridges, and Nintendo would produce a lot of their very own first-party titles.

Check out our checklist of a number of the 35 Best Gameboy Games Of All Time.

The Game Boy was the primary residence to classics like Kirby and Pokemon. Ever heard of them?

Nintendo supplied two up to date fashions of the Game Boy earlier than creating Game Boy Color… the Game Boy Pocket (my favourite) and the Japanese unique the Game Boy Light.

The Game Boy was one of many biggest achievements in handheld sport historical past. The #1 for my part. And there’s a very sturdy neighborhood of fanatics to today protecting the magic alive.

The Super Nintendo Entertainment System, also called the SNES or the Super Famicom, was a 16-bit residence online game console launched in 1990.

Compared to the capabilities of the NES or the Game Boy, the SNES was type of astonishing to us fortunate sufficient to be children at the moment.

The console was designed to have superior graphics and audio, and with using particular enhancement chips that may very well be included within the sport cartridges, the chances have been even larger.

With 49.1 million models offered worldwide, the Super Nintendo bested its competitors the Sega Genesis which offered 30.75 million.

And as we’ve got and can say lots on this checklist, these gross sales have been certainly supported by the unimaginable catalogue of video games made obtainable for the SNES.

Check out the checklist of the 35 Best SNES Games Of All Time (all of which will be performed on the 6 Best SNES Emulators).

Games like Donkey Kong Country confirmed how the 16-bit SNES may ship graphics and audio that made a number of the new 32-bit consoles look unhealthy.

This stored gross sales and recognition of the console sturdy far into the 32-bit period.

The Super Nintendo Entertainment System is considered one of my private favourite sport consoles of all time. I’ve quite a lot of stunning gaming recollections on the system.

And, whereas applied sciences have superior fairly a bit since 1990… I believe so far as retro graphics is worried, the SNES was the king.. and remains to be inspiring sport improvement at present.

The Virtual Boy was a 32-bit residence sport console. Sort of.

It was one of many earliest examples of a digital actuality fashion console that used stereoscopic 3D.

Strangely sufficient, Nintendo opted for the colour crimson for the console’s exterior and for the monochromatic screens contained in the goggles.

Certainly a singular selection, however perhaps not essentially the most visually interesting for sport play.

It was Nintendo’s first 32-bit sport console, and proved to be fairly costly to provide.

Critics weren’t impressed with the design, the sport play, the dearth of true portability, and there have been additionally well being considerations with using the Virtual Boy.

Overall, the Virtual Boy can be thought of a failure, the most important in our all Nintendo consoles and handhelds article.

Only 22 video games have been ever launched for the Virtual Boy. Not precisely thoughts blowing stuff right here. But nonetheless a reasonably attention-grabbing milestone in Nintendo’s historical past.

The Virtual Boy has develop into an obscure console favourite of retro emulation fanatics.

The Analogue Pocket even provides it a nod with using a crimson and black colour palette setting of their console.

Not the entire sport titles produced have been horrible. And they’re truly fairly pleasant for those who play them through emulation, and wouldn’t have to make use of the precise VR headset.

Check out our checklist of the 10 Best Virtual Boy Games. Virtual Boy Wario Land is especially nice, in my very own opinion. It’s the sport I carry on my retro emulation handhelds.

The Nintendo 64 was a house online game console developed by Nintendo that launched in 1996.

After the success of the Super Nintendo console, Nintendo started improvement of what can be their followup.

They labored with Sony on a attainable CD add on to the SNES which finally turned Sony’s Playstation, and likewise with Philips whose work would finally develop into their very own CD-i system.

Nintendo opted to cancel these collaborations and develop their very own 64-bit residence console that featured a 64-bit CPU developed with Silicon Graphics and nonetheless use sport cartridges fairly than CD applied sciences.

The use of a particular Expansion Pak accent may enhance the system’s RAM from 4MB to 8MB and the Controller Pak, Rumble Pak and Transfer Pak equipment may add further performance.

The console offered almost 33 million models worldwide supported by the 65 Best N64 Games and the Best Nintendo 64 Accessories.

The Nintendo 64 was universally praised for the superior 3d graphic capabilities, its superior controller design (you both like it or hate it), the console portability and sturdiness, and as common… the primary occasion video games supplied.

Play one of many 10 Best Selling Nintendo 64 Games on one of many Best N64 Emulators.

Creating a followup to the preferred handheld sport console is a giant process.

The unique Game Boy was not with out its shortcomings.

The fundamental grievance from customers being the dearth of colour, since colour handheld sport consoles existed on the time of the launch of the unique Game Boy.

So Nintendo delivered precisely that.. a colour handheld console, The Game Boy Color, on October 21, 1998.

The Game Boy Color featured a customized 8-bit CPU developed by Sharp.

The GBC was additionally totally backwards appropriate with all unique monochrome sport cartridges.

This meant that outdated customers may nonetheless use video games they’d bought, and new customers had an already large library of sport titles to select from.

Check out a number of the superior new video games that got here solely to the Game Boy Color right here: 10 Best Selling Game Boy Color Games.

Strangely, Nintendo nonetheless determined to make a handheld console and not using a backlight, regardless of having produced a backlit console as a Japan unique, the Game Boy Light.

But the dearth of a backlight didn’t decelerate gross sales one bit. And maybe this may very well be regarded as a part of Nintendo’s foresight and weighing cost-effectiveness vs efficiency and longevity.

Despite having delivered the Game Boy as a monochromatic system, and the Game Boy Color with out backlighting… the 2 consoles nonetheless collectively have been the very best promoting handheld sequence by far.

If we needed to give one of many handhelds in our all Nintendo consoles and handhelds article a badge of honour, it might be this one!

The GameDice was launched in 2001 as Nintendo’s reply to Sega’s Dreamcast, Sony’s PlayStation 2, and Microsoft’s Xbox.

Many individuals from the identical group that developed the Nintendo 64 {hardware} started work on the system logic and graphics processor for Nintendo’s subsequent console.

Interestingly, the GameDice is just not 128-bit, as you would possibly anticipate following the N64. The console is technically a 32-bit console, although its inner construction certainly makes up for the distinction in different methods.

The controller of the GameDice is nearly universally thought of one of many best possible controller designs of all time.

It’s distinctive ergonomics made use of offset analogue sticks, very similar to the Xbox controller, fairly than the analogue sticks aligned just like the Playstation Dualshock controllers. This carried on into future Nintendo merchandise, and have become a most well-liked setup in retro emulation handhelds.

Though the GameDice offered a lot lower than anticipated at 21.74 million models, the console remains to be an enormous favourite amongst retro fanatics and occasion avid gamers.

And that is among the greatest purposes for the GameDice… taking part in with associates.

The actually moveable design (it actually has a deal with to hold it) made it an amazing system to convey over to your folks home for late night time sport periods.

Check out our checklist of the very best 4 Player GameDice Games and 20 Best Multiplayer GameDice Games. Lots and plenty of enjoyable available with associates.

We nonetheless love the GameDice. We hope that we’d see a GameDice Mini sometime so we will relive a few of these basic gaming moments of our teenage years.

Next up in our all Nintendo consoles and handhelds article is the Game Boy Advance (GBA), a 32-bit handheld sport console launched in 2001.

The console featured a brand new 32-bit ARM7TDMI CPU and the unique Sharp LR35902 to make the console backwards appropriate with the earlier era of sport titles.

The new superior graphic capabilities made for an amazing residence to a number of the most spectacular sport titles from Nintendo.

Take a take a look at the 60 Best Gameboy Advance (GBA) Games. Mario Kart Super Circuit, The Legend Of Zelda – The Minish Cap, Pokemon Ruby/Emerald/Saphire, Metroid Fusion, Drill Dozer… all classics.

The new widescreen horizontal design was developed by French designer Gwénaël Nicolas of the design studio Curiosity.

Nintendo additionally launched the Game Boy Advance SP in 2003, the “SP” truly being brief for “special”.

As the ultimate addition to the Game Boy sequence, Nintendo additionally launched the Game Boy Micro in 2005.

The Game Boy Micro was a compact model of the Game Boy Advance that solely accepted GBA sport cartridges.

This can be essentially the most pocketable technique to play Nintendo’s 32-bit video games on the go.

Nintendo launched what would develop into essentially the most prolific handheld console franchise of all time in 2004…

The Nintendo DS was a handheld sport console that featured two screens in a clamshell design, much like the Game Boy Advance SP.

Nintendo additional emphasised their skill to innovate and ship one thing fully surprising.

Features like touchscreen performance and in-built wifi would develop into requirements for handheld gaming.

And the distinctive design of the Nintendo DS made for brand new alternatives in gaming experiences.

Check out the lists of the 10 Best Selling Nintendo DS Games Of All Time and the 55 Best Nintendo DS Games Of 2022.

All Nintendo DS fashions mixed have offered 154 million models. It is the very best promoting handheld console and highest promoting Nintendo console.

So clearly individuals have been loving the brand new concepts that the NDS delivered.

There have been a number of redesigned fashions of the Nintendo DS all through its lifetime, together with the Nintendo DS Lite, Nintendo DSi, and the Nintendo DSi XL.

The Wii was a house online game console by Nintendo launched on November 19, 2006.

In the event of the Wii, it’s stated that Nintendo president Satoru Iwata instructed his group to not attempt to compete with the know-how of Sony and Xbox, and to concentrate on what makes Nintendo Nintendo.

Where some Nintendo programs lacked in technical capabilities, they’ve strongly made up for in innovation and distinctive gaming experiences.

And the Wii would develop into a major instance of distinctive sport play options in contrast to anything we had seen available on the market.

Nintendo labored instantly with Gyration Inc. to create the Wii Remote and Nunchuk peripherals targeted on movement controls and interactive options.

Taking a take a look at the 10 Best Selling Nintendo Wii Games Of All Time, you possibly can see how vital the movement management options can be within the video games created for the Wii.

The Wii offered almost 102 million models, and it has develop into one of many favourite consoles of avid gamers, primarily on account of its distinctive video games and the net library of backwards appropriate titles from earlier generations.

People have even discovered methods to make a Wii totally moveable, like within the WiiSp and the Wii Boy Color.

Nintendo additionally launched their very own miniature model of the Wii in 2012, the Wii Mini, that featured a a lot smaller design, and likewise eliminated the wifi options, sd card slot and element video output.

Next up on this all Nintendo consoles and handhelds article is the Nintendo 3DS, a handheld sport console launched in 2011 because the successor to the Nintendo DS.

The system additionally featured backward compatibility with Nintendo DS video video games.

The 3DS makes use of stereoscopic 3D know-how, which was additionally tried within the Virtual Boy, a Japanese unique Famicom peripheral, and as an experimental GameDice operate.

But Nintendo didn’t really feel like they’d scratched their 3D itch fairly but. They continued to experiment with 3D know-how, together with testing a Game Boy Advance SP addon.

Like the Nintendo DS, the 3DS had a dual-screen setup in a clamshell design, however now the highest display being an autostereoscopic liquid-crystal show.

Autostereoscopic know-how signifies that the show will present a 3d-like impact with out using further glasses. This characteristic will be turned on with the flip of a swap.

And as at all times with Nintendo, the 3DS had some unimaginable video games. Check out the 10 Best Selling 3DS Games of All Time and the 20 Best Nintendo 3DS Games Of All Time.

The further fashions of the 3DS launched have been the Nintendo 2DS, New Nintendo 3DS, New Nintendo 3DS XL, and the New Nintendo 2DS XL.

The Wii U, launched in 2012, is a house online game console and was the successor to the Wii.

The Wii U’s design mixed a regular console unit and a Wii U GamePad, which was each a controller and a transportable sport console.

However, the Wii U fundamental console renders all sport content material and sends it to the GamePad wirelessly.

This was an attention-grabbing console concept, however was additionally in all probability the rationale the console didn’t resonate with avid gamers a lot.

The Wii U appeared to have a scarcity of id. Or at the least lack of an id that gamers needed.

Nintendo had a historical past of constructing distinctive decisions of their consoles, which just about at all times paid off.

But the Wii U was perhaps the most important miss for Nintendo, and it solely offered 13.5 million models worldwide.

Nonetheless, the Wii U was an vital milestone within the historical past of Nintendo…

And looking back it’s simple to see how decisions made within the Nintendo DS, the Wii and the Wii U all result in what can be considered one of their hottest units… The Nintendo Switch.

Where the Wii U failed, the Switch succeeded.

Combining the very best components of a house console and a transportable handheld console, the Switch resonated with avid gamers in a manner that the Wii U had aimed for, however couldn’t obtain.

Released in March of 2017, the Nintendo Switch was a gaming pill that may very well be docked as a house console or used as a handheld gaming system.

The detachable controllers made this transition fast and simple. And additionally supplied attention-grabbing multiplayer choices.

Though the Nintendo Switch competes instantly with Microsoft’s Xbox One and Sony’s PlayStation 4, very similar to with the Wii.. Nintendo didn’t attempt to compete with the applied sciences in these consoles.

Nintendo as soon as once more targeted on the general gaming expertise, innovation, simple element entry for cheaper and simpler manufacturing, and ease of improvement for the console.

These decisions resulted in a console that nearly anyone may love. And they did.

Sales are presently nearing 108 million models offered, and the Switch is rapidly climbing the checklist of the very best promoting sport consoles of all time.

With the discharge of up to date fashions, together with the Nintendo Switch Lite and the Nintendo Switch OLED mannequin, it’s possible that the Switch will finally develop into the very best promoting Nintendo console.

There are presently over 5000 video games for the console, which embody just a few of my absolute high video games of all time.

This contains video games made for the Switch, Wii U ports, and video games made obtainable on the Nintendo Online service, which affords basic NES, SNES, and N64 titles.

Take a take a look at the 25 Best Nintendo Switch Games, the 15 Best SNES Games On Switch, and the 20 Best Indie Games On Switch.

So what’s subsequent for Nintendo?

Rumors of the longer term mannequin of the Switch, the “Nintendo Switch Pro”, have been round because the unique console launch in 2017.

It looks like each week, we get new rumors.

It is just about assured that Nintendo will journey the Switch wave so long as they presumably can.

Whether which means they maintain the unique mannequin round or truly give us a Switch 2 or Switch Pro anytime quickly.

Whatever selection they make, certainly there can be avid gamers who’re upset and avid gamers who like it.

With video games like The Legend of Zelda – Breath of the Wild 2 incoming… the longer term is trying shiny.

We personally love the Switch, the sport library on the Switch, and are excited for no matter is coming from Nintendo.

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