It's hard to believe Nintendo has been a company for over a hundred years now. They didn’t even start in the home console market until the 1980s with𓄧 both the NES and Famicom. From there, their gaming empire grew. However, not every console, or handheld was as well supported as the other.
This article will compare how long a co🌟nsole stayed on the market before being officially discontinued by Nintendo. That being said, neither the Switch or 3DS will be covered as 🔜both those systems are still being officially supported by Nintendo. As a bonus fun fact, each entry will also showcase what the last major release was for the system at hand.
11 Virtual Boy
This ranking can’t be too surprising. The Virtual Boy launched in 1995 and was discontinued in 1996. This was just a few months after Japan gave up at the very end of 1995 in December. In both Japan and the United States, this system was around for less than a year. The last game released was 3D Tetris in 1996.
10 Wii U
The Wii U launched in 2012 and was discontinued in 2017 worldwide. That said, games are still releasing digitally for the system to this day. The last big Nintendo game, though, was The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild in 2017. Even🧔 though the Wii U is still being supported via third parties and indie developers, Nintendo has pulled all of their first party support in favor of the Switch.
9 Game Boy Color
The GBC launched in 1998 and was discontinued in 2003. That said, this is based on Japan as North American discontinuation figures are unclear. Doraemon no Study Boy: Kanji Yomikaki Master launched in 2003 in Japan, with Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets being the last North American game in 2002. As a fun side fact to that, unlike the puzzle platformers on consoles, this Harry Potter game was an RPG akin to Golden Sun.
8 Nintendo 64
The N64 launched in 1996 and was discontinued in 2002 worldwide. While Nintendo supported the N64 as best they could, they never saw the same success as on the SNES. Coincidentally, 1996 was also the same year as the N64's last released game, Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3.
There could be worse notes to go out on even though that series was never as identifiable on Nintendo’s consoles next to Sony and th👍e PS1.
7 GameCube
The GameCube launched in 2001 and was discontinued in 2007 worldwide. Madden NFL 08 was the last game to hit in 2007, which seems about right. This actually happens all the time for consoles, as sports games continue to sell even after a console is seemingly dead. The same holds true for the PS2 as another example, courtesy of Pro Evolution Soccer 2014.
6 Game Boy Advance
The GBA launched in 2001 and was discontinued in 2008. This was two years after the Japanese cancellation in 2006. That said, they did get the last game in 2008 with Samurai Deeper Kyo, which was based off of a Manga. Even though it wasn’t officially discontinued until 2008, the Game Boy Advance would be r♔eplaced within three years by the Ninꦺtendo DS.
5 DS
The DS launched in 2004 and was discontinued in 2013. The last game was released in 2014, Big Hero 6: Battle in the Bay. The DS was the GBA’s immediate successor, and even saw the shortest time period between two handheld launches. Thankfully, most editions of the DS could play GBA ga꧋mes which was a nice save for Nintendo.
4 Wii
The Wii launched in 2006 and was discontinued in 2017. Interestingly, this was four years after Japan’s 2013 cancelation. Another bizarre fact is that Just Dance 2020 is the last big release as of 2019. That might change if Just Dance 2021 releases this year for the system as well. It just goes to show how well the Wii did on top of how monstrous a series Just Dance can be.
3 Super Nintendo
The SNES launched in 1991 and was discontinued in 1999. The SNES had a Japanese equivalent, the Super Famicom, which released just a year prior in 1990 and and was discontinued in 2003. The last big game to hit the console was in 2000 in Japan, Fire Emblem: Thracia 776. Depending on the viewpoi༺nt, the console🍷 had an eight year run, or a thirteen year spree. Either way, it was a popular system.
2 Game Boy
The Game Boy launched in 1989 and was discontinued in 2003. Like the Game Boy Color, regional discontinuation dates may be unclear, but the last big release was Pokémon Yellow in 1999.
It is miraculous that this system lasted fourteen years, especially when the Game Boy Color was better and could play every game in its library.