A brief history of Nintendo consoles the legendary gaming firm

The Nintendo Switch has finally landed bringing new hope to the legendary gaming firm that has struggled in recent years.

Strong opposition from the Xbox One and PS4, plus the onslaught of mobile gaming has meant that the Japanese firm has a lot riding on its latest device. 

From the vintage NES, though the Game Boy glory days, all the way up to the 3DS and Wii U, here’s a brief history of Nintendo consoles and handhelds …

Game & Watch

Made between 1980 and 1991, these one-game portables featured a built-in LCD screen and eventually inspired Nintendo to create the Game Boy. Classic titles like Donkey Kong, Super Mario Bros. and Zelda. (Evan-Amos/Wikipedia)

NES

First released back in 1983, the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) was considered the best console of its time. The classic 8-bit machine gave a much-needed boost to the struggling games industry but was eventually discontinued in 1995. (Evan-Amos/Wikipedia)

Game Boy

The game-changing 8-bit console arrived in Europe in 1990 and introduced addictive puzzle game Tetris to the masses. Interchangeable cartridges enabled users to swap between different games. (Evan-Amos/Wikipedia)

SNES

Launched in the 1992 in Europe, the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES) or Super Nintendo was a 16-bit and with enhanced graphics and sound. It went head-to-head with the Sega Mega Drive and lasted out until 2003. (Evan-Amos/Wikipedia)

Virtual Boy

In 1995, Nintendo was early to the virtual reality game with a console that worked with a stereoscopic 3D headset. A high price, blurry 3D and a black and white display meant that it didn’t sell well at all and was canned within a year. (Evan-Amos/Wikipedia)

Nintendo 64

Named after its 64-bit processor, Nintendo’s third console made it to Europe in 1997 and was last major console to use cartridges, until the new Switch resurrected them. The last units were sold in 2003. (Evan-Amos/Wikipedia)

Game Boy Color

The successor to the original Game Boy, this 8-bit handheld version added a colour screen to mix and arrived in 1998 alongside a new and colourful Tetris DX. It was sold until 2003.(Evan-Amos/Wikipedia)

Game Boy Advance

Landing in 2001, the follow-up to the Game Boy Color, swapped the portrait form factor for a horizontal landscape design and went up against a raft of retro competitors including the Nokia N-Gage, before being discontinued in 2010. (Evan-Amos/Wikipedia)

Nintendo GameCube

Arriving in 2002, the GameCube was considered something of a flop despite it’s popularity. It was one of the first consoles to support online gaming, but struggled to compete with the PS2 and was finally ditched in 2007. (Evan-Amos/Wikipedia)

Nintendo DS

The DS is a 32-bit folding handheld device with two screens that was launched in 2006 and proved to be hugely popular, spawning a few additional redesigns including the DS Lite. (Evan-Amos/Wikipedia)

Wii

The big draw for nintendo’s 2006 completely overhauled console was the motion-detecting Wii Remote or Wiimote controllers. Designed as a family console, the Wii worked with numerous games involving jumping around and pointing at the screen, including Wii Sports. It was finally 

Nintendo 3DS

The successor to the DS landed in 2011 and still available today. It added a 3D screen,, viewable without the need for 3D glasses. It’s also backwards compatible meaning that DS games can be played on it. (Evan-Amos/Wikipedia)

Wii U

Released in 2012, the Wii U had a short lifespan of just five years. The unusual Wii U Gamepad controller featured a built-in touchscreen and that could either be used in addition to the TV or independently, but it couldn’t be taken out like the new