As of right now– since the Famicom, the Japanese NES, hit store shelves in 1983– Nintendo has made over a dozen consoles. That is in the span of over three decades as well. This in🗹cludes revisions and all of that, but the point is they are often looked at as leaders of innovation in the video game space. And for good reason.
So, past the Famicom and NES, how exactly did Nintendo ch🥀oose to evolve their systems? This article will take a look at eleven consoles and handhelds to try and determine exactly what their biggest contributions were to the video g𓆉ame industry. Were they good, or were they bad even?
12 Game Boy
The Game Boy was Nintendo’s first real attempt at a handheld after the NES. It launched in 1989 and was just as much a hit as the h🐼ome con꧙sole. Yes, prior to this they did make the Game & Watch series, but those weren’t the same as what the Game Boy introduced to the market. It was a revolution, plain and simple.
11 Super Nintendo
A couple years after that, the North American market was introduced to the NES’ home successor, the SNES. This 1991 release launched with Super Mario World and made the console an instant classic. It had 16-bit graphics and a r𒈔efined controller with more buttons. In Japan, they even got a downloadable service which was way ahead♊ of its time.
10 Virtual Boy
This barely counts as a console (ꦫor handheld) since it failed so hard. The Virtual Boy launched in 1995 and, less than a year late🌜r, it was canned with very few games ever coming out.
Still, Nintendo can (and perhaps should) be praised for trying to make an affordable 3D experience. The effect admittedly did work💞, but it also stung the ඣeyes quickly after prolonged use.
9 Nintendo 64
Just as the Virtual Boy was canceled, the N64 was soon to follow in 1996. Similarly, the Nintendo 64 introduced 3D to a new audience– only it wasn’t an effect, but a style to fit the new graphics. Unsurprisingly, Super Mario 64 became the standard for 3D platformers and Ocarina of Time for action/adventure games. O🌳n top of th🦄e graphical boost, the system had an expansion slot for planned upgrades and four controller ports, making multiplayer an ease to set up.
8 Game Boy Color
The 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Game Boy Color was a late replacement forꩲ the Game Boy in 1998. It was more of a console revision than anything else. Its big revolutionary contribution to the handheld line was its addition of color and slightly improved graphics. It was also the first Nintendo device to offer backwards compatibility natively on the system.
7 Game Boy Advance
The Game Boy Color was quickly replaced with the GBA in 2001. This was another slight upgrade in graphical capabilities. It too had backwards compatibility, which was more astounding than the GBC as this was more of a sequel system. The handheld would get better with the GBA SP revision which finally added a backlit screen 🧸to the series. There was the꧋ Game Boy Lite that did it first, but that was a Japanese exclusive.
6 GameCube
In that same year, Nintendo also launched the GameCube. The console kept the N64's multiplayer focus in mind and not only had four controller ports, but a handle for carrying purposes. The small design accompanied by the handle made it an ease to bring to friends🅺’ houses. This was also the first system to use discs for Nintendo.
5 DS
Compared to the earlier years, Nintendo moved a lot faster between console and handheld releases. However, they also double downed on backwards compatibility as the 2004 release of the DS also supported GBA games. It’s not like they were completely abandoning software. The biggest gimmick o🐭f the DS, though, was the dual screens with the bottom acting as a touch screen. The first model was chunky, but the DS Lite model really made this sys🌳tem stick.
4 Wii
In 2006, this idea of motion controls from the DS’ touch screen was improved upon wildly with the release of the Wii. Could moti🅺on gaming really work? For the press and consumers, they were all surprised to see that the Wii worked mostly as promised.
This, on top of the introduction of the Virtual Console and a broader digital st♎ore, made the Wii a big success for Nintendo. It was also their first home console to offer native backwards compatibility, but ju🧸st for the GameCube.
3 3DS
Not shy by their failure over the Virtual Boy, Nintendo attempted 3D once more with the release of the 3DS in 2011. Like the Wii’s motion prowess, this too was a surprising success in execution. The only thing that༺ hurt it was the $250 launch price. A🌠fter the price dropped, it started to sell better. Another feature of note was the social aspect of StreetPass, which linked inactive handhelds together.