IQue
iQue, Ltd. is a Chinese video game localization and development company located in Suzhou. It was founded in 2002 as a joint venture between Taiwanese-American engineer Wei Yen and Nintendo to manufacture and distribute Nintendo hardware and software for mainland China.
iQue released the iQue Player in 2003 and went on to distribute several Nintendo handheld systems under the iQue brand. By 2013, the company became a wholly owned subsidiary of Nintendo and later shifted its focus away from hardware to localization, technical support, and internal development work.
Its Chinese name, Shényóu, is a double entendre meaning "to make a mental journey".
History
Nintendo established iQue in December 2002 as a joint venture with Wei Yen, a veteran of earlier Nintendo hardware collaborations. Yen had previously served as senior vice president at Silicon Graphics, where he contributed to Project Reality, the hardware project that became the Nintendo 64. After leaving SGI, Yen founded BroadOn, which developed the cryptographic security system used in the iQue Player to deter piracy.The company introduced its first product, the iQue Player, in 2003. The system adopted a handheld TV game format in part to comply with a 2000 Ministry of Culture ban on the sale of traditional home video game consoles. In the following years, iQue distributed official Nintendo products for the mainland Chinese market, focusing primarily on handheld systems, which were not subject to the same ban. While Nintendo and iQue initially planned to release the Wii across mainland China, these plans were ultimately scaled back and the iQue Player was the company's only home console released in China.
By 2013, iQue became a wholly-owned subsidiary of Nintendo. During the early 2010s, iQue contributed to emulator development for Nintendo's Virtual Console services, including NES and Game Boy emulation on Nintendo 3DS and Nintendo 64 emulation on Wii U. The company later supported development of the Nintendo 64 emulator used for Nintendo Switch Online.
From 2017 onward, Nintendo wound down distribution of older hardware under the iQue brand. Nintendo partnered with Tencent to introduce the Nintendo Switch in mainland China in 2019. iQue shifted to providing customer support for legacy products and began localizing Nintendo titles into simplified Chinese, while Nintendo Hong Kong handled traditional Chinese.
In 2019, iQue began hiring programmers and developers, signaling a broader transition toward internal development support for Nintendo EPD.
iQue Player
The iQue Player is a handheld TV game variant of the Nintendo 64. It was uniquely designed to bypass China's ban on home console products placed at the time and to combat the problems with rampant game piracy in the market. A total of 14 games were released for the console.iQue Game Boy Advance
The iQue GBA is the Chinese version of the Game Boy Advance. It was released on 8 June 2004.iQue Game Boy SP
The iQue Game Boy SP is the Chinese version of the Game Boy Advance SP. It is the same as a regular Game Boy Advance SP but has an "iQue" logo on the top of the casing instead of "Nintendo". It plays Game Boy, Game Boy Color and Game Boy Advance games and has a rechargeable battery. It was released in October 2004.iQue Game Boy Micro
The iQue Micro is the Chinese version of the Game Boy Micro, and the smallest of the iQue family. It plays Game Boy Advance games. It was released in October 2005.Games
Eight games have been released for the console. Twelve more games were planned, but cancelled after high piracy of the system.| Western title | Chinese title | Pinyin | Release date | Genre | Game modes |
| Wario Land 4 | 瓦力欧寻宝记 | Wǎlìōu Xúnbǎo Jì | June 2004 | Platform | Single player |
| Super Mario Advance | 超级马力欧2 | Chāojí Mǎlìōu 2 | 30 June 2004 | Platform | Single player, multiplayer |
| Metroid: Zero Mission | 密特罗德：零点任务 | Mìtèluōdé: Língdiǎn Rènwù | 15 June 2005 | Shooter | Single player |
| WarioWare, Inc.: Mega Microgames! | 瓦力欧制造 | Wǎlìōu Zhìzào | 4 July 2005 | Minigames | Single player |
| Metroid Fusion | 密特罗德 融合 | Mìtèluōdé Rónghé | 2 March 2006 | Shooter | Single player |
| Yoshi's Island – Super Mario Advance 3 | 耀西岛 | Yàoxi Dǎo | 2 March 2006 | Platform | Single player |
| Super Mario World – Super Mario Advance 2 | 超级马力欧世界 | Chāojí Mǎlìōu Shìjiè | 15 March 2006 | Platform | Single player, multiplayer |
| F-Zero Maximum Velocity | 极速F-ZERO未来赛车 | Jísù F-ZERO Wèilái Sàichē | August 2007 | Racing | Single player, multiplayer |
| Advance Wars | 陆海空大战 | Lùhǎikōng Dàzhàn | Strategy | Single player, multiplayer | |
| Densetsu no Starfy | 斯塔非的传说 | Sītǎfēi de Chuánshuō | Platform | Single player | |
| Densetsu no Starfy 2 | 斯塔非的传说2 | Sītǎfēi de Chuánshuō 2 | Platform | Single player | |
| DK: King of Swing | 摇摆森喜刚 | Yáobǎi Sēn Xǐgāng | Puzzle | Single player | |
| Famicom Mini Collection | 红白机合集 | Hóngbái Jīhéjí | Compilation | Single player | |
| Fire Emblem: The Binding Blade | 火纹战记: 封印之剑 | Huǒwén Zhànjì: Fēngyìn Zhījiàn | Role-playing | Single player | |
| Kuru Kuru Kuruin | 转转棒 | Zhuǎn Zhuǎn Bàng | Puzzle | Single player, multiplayer | |
| Kuruin Paradise | 转转棒天堂 | Zhuǎn Zhuǎn Bàng Tiāntáng | Puzzle | Single player, multiplayer | |
| Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga | 马力欧与路易吉RPG | Mǎlìōu Yǔ Lùyìjí RPG | Role-playing | Single player | |
| Mario Kart: Super Circuit | 马力欧卡丁车超级赛道 | Mǎlìōu Kǎdīngchē Chāojí Sài Dào | Racing | Single player, multiplayer | |
| Polarium Advance | 通勤一笔 | Tōngqín Yī Bǐ | Puzzle | Single player | |
| Tomato Adventure | 番茄酱王国大冒险 | Fānqié Jiàng Wángguó dà Màoxiǎn | Role-playing | Single player, multiplayer |
iQue DS
iQue DS
The iQue DS is the Chinese version of the Nintendo DS. It was released on 23 July 2005. Six games were released for the console. It is the only version of the Nintendo DS to have a regional lockout, so iQue DS games cannot be played on Nintendo DS systems from other regions.iQue DS Lite
The iQue DS Lite is the Chinese version of the Nintendo DS Lite. It plays Nintendo DS games, is smaller than the original DS, and has a brighter screen than the original DS. It was released on 26 June 2006.iQue DSi
The iQue DSi is the Chinese version of the Nintendo DSi. It has 2 cameras and it plays both DS and DSiWare games. It came with Nintendogs pre-installed on the system and a gift card with 1,000 DSiWare points to download software. It was released in late December 2009.Games
iQue 3DS XL
The iQue 3DS XL is the Chinese Version of the Nintendo 3DS XL. It was the only version of the 3DS offered by iQue. Unlike the Nintendo 3DS XL from other regions, the iQue 3DS XL doesn't have a Nintendo eShop, save data can't be transferred from an iQue DSi to an iQue 3DS XL or between systems and iQue DSiWare can't be played on an iQue 3DS XL. Only 2 games have been released for the console and they were both preinstalled on every console made. No physical game cards were ever made.| Western title | Chinese title | Pinyin | Release date | Game modes |
| Super Mario 3D Land | 超级马力欧 3D乐园 | Chāojí Mǎlìōu 3D Lèyuán | 7 December 2012 | Single player |
| Mario Kart 7 | 马力欧卡丁车7 | Mǎlìōu Kǎdīngchē 7 | 7 December 2012 | Single player, multiplayer |
Due to the regional lockout, only games that provide simplified Chinese interface language can be used in iQue 3DS XL. Besides the two games listed above which were released by iQue, the following 14 games released by Nintendo Hong Kong and Nintendo Taiwan can also be used on this console and include a simplified Chinese interface language:
| Western title | Chinese title | Pinyin | Game modes |
| The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D | 塞尔达传说 时光之笛 3D | Sàiěrdá Chuánshuō: Shíguāng zhī Dí 3D | Single player |
| Nintendogs + Cats | 任天狗狗+猫猫 | Rèntiān Gǒugou + Māomāo | Single player |
| Star Fox 64 3D | 星际火狐64 3D | Xīngjì Huǒhú 64 3D | Single player, multiplayer |
| Mario Tennis Open | 马力欧网球 公开赛 | Mǎlìōu Wǎngqiú Gōngkāisài | Single player, multiplayer |
| New Super Mario Bros. 2 | 新超级马力欧兄弟 2 | Xīn Chāojí Mǎlìōu Xiōngdì 2 | Single player, multiplayer |
| Brain Age: Concentration Training | 脑科学专家 川岛隆太博士监修 突破极限 脑的5分钟魔鬼锻炼 | Nǎokēxué Zhuānjiā Chuāndǎolóngtài Bóshì Jiānxiū Tūpò Jíxiàn Nǎo de 5 Fēnzhōng Móguǐ Duànliàn | Single player, multiplayer |
| Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon | 路易吉洋馆2 | Lùyìjí Yángguǎn 2 | Single player, multiplayer |
| Paper Mario: Sticker Star | 纸片马力欧 超级贴纸 | Zhǐpiàn Mǎlìōu Chāojí Tiēzhǐ | Single player |
| Pokémon Sun and Moon | 精灵宝可梦 太阳/月亮 | Jīnglíng Bǎokěmèng Tàiyáng / Yuèliang | Single player, multiplayer |
| Pokémon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon | 精灵宝可梦 究极之日 /究极之月 | Jīnglíng Bǎokěmèng Jiūjí-zhī Rì / Jiūjí-zhī Yuè | Single player, multiplayer |