Nintendo video game consoles
has developed eight home video game consoles and multiple portable consoles for use with external media, as well as dedicated consoles and other hardware for their consoles., Nintendo has sold over 869.95 million hardware units.
The company's first console, the Color TV-Game, was a success in Japan but was never released in other territories. Their first systems to achieve worldwide success were the Game & Watch handheld series, before achieving greater worldwide success with the Nintendo Entertainment System, originally released as the Family Computer in Japan in 1983. The NES restarted the video game industry after the video game crash of 1983, and was an international success. In 1989, Nintendo released the Game Boy, which became the first handheld console to sell in large numbers. In the early 1990s, Nintendo's market lead began to decrease; although the 1990 Super Nintendo Entertainment System was a strong seller, the Sega Genesis was a very strong contender. Nintendo and Sega would both lose a significant portion of the console market towards the end of the 1990s, as Sony's PlayStation became the most popular console, beating the Nintendo 64, though Nintendo managed to sell more than Sega Saturn.
The Dreamcast, released in 1998, PlayStation 2, released in 2000, and Microsoft's Xbox, released in 2001, would eventually relegate Nintendo to third place in the international market, despite the release of the GameCube. However, they retained their lead in the handheld console market, with the Game Boy Color and Game Boy Advance models. Towards the middle of the 2000s, Nintendo introduced the first successful handheld device with a touch screen and the first successful console designed for motion controlled inputs ; they became some of the best-selling consoles of all time. 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. The Wii U, released in November 2012, was much less successful, and sales were significantly lower than predicted. The Nintendo Switch, by contrast, was released in March 2017 and has become the company's best-selling home console and overall third best-selling console of all time. A successor, the Nintendo Switch 2, was released on June 5, 2025.
Home consoles
Color TV-Game (1977–1983)
Color TV-Game is a series of five dedicated home consoles released only in Japan. Each of the consoles contained a small number of games and a built-in controller. In total, approximately 3 million units were sold.The Color TV-Game series consists of:
- Color TV-Game 6, released June 1, 1977, with six variations of Pong: Tennis, Hockey, and Volleyball in Singles or Doubles mode. Sold approximately 1 million units.
- Color TV-Game 15, released June 8, 1977, with 15 variations of Pong. This was the most popular console in the series, selling just over 1 million units.
- Color TV-Game Racing 112, released June 8, 1978, with a racing game. Notable for being the first Nintendo project that Shigeru Miyamoto worked on. Sold approximately half a million units.
- Color TV-Game Block Breaker, released April 23, 1979, with a game based on Breakout. Sold approximately half a million units.
- Computer TV-Game, released December 12, 1980, with Computer Othello. Sold in limited quantities.
Family Computer and Nintendo Entertainment System (1983 and 1985)
Selling 61.91 million units worldwide, the NES helped revitalize the video game industry following the video game crash of 1983, and set the standard for subsequent consoles in everything from game design to business practices. The NES was the first console for which the manufacturer openly courted third-party developers. The console also launched many of Nintendo's most iconic franchises, such as The Legend of Zelda and Metroid. 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.
Nintendo released a software emulation-based version of the Nintendo Entertainment System on November 10, 2016. Called the NES Classic Edition, it is a dedicated console that comes with a single controller and 30 preloaded games.
Super Famicom and Super Nintendo Entertainment System (1990 and 1991)
The Super Nintendo Entertainment System, colloquially shortened to Super Nintendo, is a 16-bit home video game console that was released in 1990 in Japan, 1991 in North America, 1992 in Europe and Oceania, and 1993 in South America. It was first released in Japan on November 21, 1990, where it is known as the Super Famicom. In South Korea, it is known as the Super Comboy and was distributed by Hyundai Electronics.The SNES is Nintendo's third home console, following the Nintendo Entertainment System. 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. Despite its relatively late start, the SNES became the bestselling console of the 16-bit era, selling 49.10 million systems worldwide. 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.
Similarly to the NES Classic Edition released prior, Nintendo released a software-emulation-based version of the Super Nintendo Entertainment System on September 29, 2017. 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.
Nintendo 64 (1996 and 1997)
The Nintendo 64, is a 64-bit home video game console released starting on June 23, 1996 in Japan, September 29, 1996 in North America, and March 1, 1997 in Europe and Australia. The Nintendo 64 was Nintendo's third home video game console for the international market. It was released with three launch games in Japan and two in North America. PAL regions also had three launch titles with Turok: Dinosaur Hunter delayed until three days after launch. Other key games included Donkey Kong 64, Diddy Kong Racing, Banjo-Kazooie, two games in The Legend of Zelda series, GoldenEye 007, Mario Kart 64, Super Smash Bros., and Star Fox 64. The Nintendo 64 sold 32.93 million systems.GameCube (2001)
The GameCube was released on September 14, 2001. It is Nintendo's sixth generation home video game console, the same generation as Sega's Dreamcast, Sony's PlayStation 2, and Microsoft's Xbox. Until the console's unveiling at Space World 2000, the design project was known as Dolphin—this can still be seen in the console and its accessories' model numbers. The GameCube is the most compact sixth generation console. The GameCube is Nintendo's first game console to use optical discs rather than game cartridges. 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. Much of Nintendo's core line-up centered on sequels to their established hit franchises such as Super Mario Sunshine, Super Smash Bros. Melee, The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker, Metroid Prime, Pokémon Colosseum, and Star Fox Adventures, while new franchises like Animal Crossing and Pikmin were born, although the former franchise had seen a Japan-exclusive release on the N64. The GameCube has sold 21.74 million units.Wii (2006)
Nintendo released the Wii on November 19, 2006, as their seventh generation home video game console. Nintendo designed the console to appeal towards a wider audience than those of its main competitors, the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, including "casual" players and audiences that were new to video games.These aims were emphasized by the console's distinguishing feature, the Wii Remote—a handheld motion controller that can detect motion and rotation in three dimensions, using a mixture of internal sensors and infrared positioning. The controller includes an expansion port that can be used to connect other accessories, such as the Nunchuk—an attachment with an analog stick and additional buttons, a "Classic Controller" gamepad providing a traditional control scheme, and Wii MotionPlus—an accessory designed to enhance the motion detection capabilities of the original Wii Remote models.
The Wii's internal hardware is an updated derivative of that of the GameCube; in comparison to its seventh-generation competitors, the Wii had lower overall graphics capabilities, and does not output in high-definition. The Wii also featured internet-enabled features; the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection service allowed supported games to offer online multiplayer and other features, while the WiiConnect24 feature allowed messages and updates to be downloaded while the console was in standby. Through Wii Shop Channel, additional games and apps could be downloaded or purchased for the console, including Virtual Console—a selection of classic video games emulated from older consoles. That service has been discontinued as of January 30, 2019. Early models of the Wii also had backwards compatibility with GameCube games and controllers, but this was dropped from later hardware revisions, namely the Wii Family Edition and the Wii Mini.
The Wii was a major success for Nintendo; in April 2007, the Wall Street Journal declared that Nintendo had "become the company to beat in the games business", citing the success of the Wii and the portable Nintendo DS line., the Wii has sold 101.63 million consoles worldwide. Wii Sports—a collection of sports minigames that were designed to leverage the Wii Remote, was bundled with the console outside of Japan, and had a major cultural impact as the console's "killer app" among the mainstream audience.