Nintendo’s electronic game hardware began with the portable Game & Watch in 1980; its first home console was the Family Computer, or Famicom, released in Japan in 1983. The Famicom later launched internationally as the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES). Since then, Nintendo has developed parallel home-console and handheld families, before bringing TV and portable play together in the Nintendo Switch. Nintendo’s current history identifies Switch 2 as its latest system.
Dates below are launch years, not a claim that every region received a system at once. Nintendo often released hardware in Japan, North America and Europe in different years.
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| 1 |
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Nintendo Switch 2 System | $499.00 | Buy on Amazon |
| 2 |
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Nintendo Switch 2 System with Super Mario Galaxy + Super Mario Galaxy 2 Bundle | $568.00 | Buy on Amazon |
| 3 |
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Nintendo Switch 2 + Mario Kart World Bundle with Bonus HDMI Cable & Screen Cleaning Cloth | $619.00 | Buy on Amazon |
What was the first Nintendo console?
That depends on what you mean by “console.” Nintendo’s modern electronic game hardware story starts with Game & Watch, a series of portable LCD games introduced in Japan in 1980. It was a handheld game system, not a home console connected to a television.
The first Nintendo home console was the Family Computer (Famicom), launched in Japan in 1983. Nintendo later released the system internationally as the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES). So, Game & Watch came first as electronic game hardware; Famicom came first as a Nintendo home console.
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- The next evolution of Nintendo Switch
- One system, three play modes: TV, Tabletop, and Handheld
- Larger, vivid, 7.9” LCD touch screen with support for HDR and up to 120 fps
- Dock that supports 4K when connected to a compatible TV*
- GameChat** lets you voice chat, share your game screen, and connect via video chat as you play
When did each Nintendo console come out?
This timeline includes Nintendo’s handhelds as well as home consoles, because the portable systems are a major branch of the company’s hardware history. Years indicate the launches documented for the listed territory or the period generally established in Nintendo’s official histories; they do not mean a worldwide simultaneous release.
| System | Launch timing | What distinguished it |
|---|---|---|
| Game & Watch | 1980; Japan | Portable LCD games: the beginning of Nintendo’s modern electronic game hardware and handheld lineage. |
| Family Computer (Famicom) | 1983; Japan | Nintendo’s first home console, released in Japan on July 15. |
| Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) | 1985; North America. 1986; Europe. | The Famicom platform’s international identity. |
| Game Boy | 1989; Japan. 1990; Europe. | A portable system with interchangeable game cartridges; closely associated with Tetris. |
| Super Famicom / Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES) | 1990; Japan. 1991; United States. 1992; Europe. | The next home-console generation after the Famicom/NES. |
| Virtual Boy | 1995 | An experimental 32-bit “Virtual Immersion” system, a short-lived detour rather than a mainline successor. |
| Nintendo 64 | 1996; Japan and United States. 1997; Europe. | A new home-console generation; Nintendo’s history recorded 2.3 million systems sold in Europe during its first year there. |
| Game Boy Color | 1998 | A color-screen evolution of the Game Boy handheld family. |
| Game Boy Advance | 2001 | A new generation in Nintendo’s handheld line. |
| GameCube | 2001 | Nintendo’s move from cartridges to optical discs for its home-console games. |
| Game Boy Advance SP | 2003 | A clamshell redesign of the Game Boy Advance line. |
| Nintendo DS | 2004–2005; launches varied by region | Dual screens, one touch-sensitive, plus wireless multiplayer and backward compatibility with Game Boy Advance titles. |
| Wii | 2006 | Motion-sensitive wireless controls became central to the home system’s identity; Nintendo also highlighted built-in Wi-Fi capability. |
| Nintendo 3DS | 2011 | Glasses-free stereoscopic 3D in Nintendo’s handheld line. |
| Wii U | 2012 | A high-definition home console with a screen-equipped GamePad that supported asymmetric and off-TV play. |
| Nintendo Switch | 2017 | A hybrid system designed for both TV-connected and portable play. |
| Nintendo Switch Lite | 2019 | A compact system designed specifically for portable play; it plays Switch software that supports handheld mode. |
| Nintendo Switch 2 | Current endpoint in Nintendo’s history; 2025 onward | Nintendo’s current history identifies it as the latest system in the company’s hardware timeline. |
What is the order of Nintendo consoles?
Seen as two related branches, Nintendo’s history is easier to follow than as one uninterrupted line. The home-console sequence runs from Famicom/NES through Super Famicom/SNES, Nintendo 64, GameCube, Wii, Wii U, Switch and Switch 2. Alongside it, the portable line runs from Game & Watch through Game Boy, Game Boy Color, Game Boy Advance and its SP redesign, Nintendo DS and Nintendo 3DS. Switch then joined portable and TV-connected play in one system.
The home-console line: media and controls change
Famicom/NES and Super Famicom/SNES established Nintendo’s home-console generations. Nintendo 64 followed as a distinct new generation. GameCube marked a clear change in game media, moving Nintendo’s home games from cartridges to optical discs.
Wii shifted attention to motion-sensitive wireless control, rather than making a conventional controller the whole story. Wii U kept the system connected to a television but added a screen to its GamePad, enabling play that could differ between the television and controller or continue off-TV. Switch changed the form of the home system itself: the same hybrid console could be used with a TV or as a portable device.
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The handheld line: cartridges, extra screens and 3D
Game Boy made interchangeable cartridges a defining part of Nintendo’s portable line. Nintendo reported that more than 100 million Game Boy systems had been sold by 2000. Game Boy Color added a color screen; Game Boy Advance brought the family into a new generation, and the 2003 SP redesign put that handheld into a clamshell form.
Rank #2
- The next evolution of the Nintendo Switch system
- One system, three play modes: TV, Tabletop, and Handheld
- Larger, vivid, 7.9” LCD touch screen with support for HDR and up to 120 fps
- Supports up to 4K resolution** when using a compatible game and TV connected via the included Nintendo Switch 2 dock
- Nintendo Switch 2 plays compatible physical and digital Nintendo Switch games.***
Nintendo DS changed the interaction model with two screens, one of them touch-sensitive. Nintendo also identified wireless multiplayer and Game Boy Advance backward compatibility as DS features. Nintendo 3DS later introduced glasses-free stereoscopic 3D to the handheld family.
Short-lived and unusual branches
Virtual Boy belongs in the timeline but not as a straightforward next step in the main home-console line. Nintendo’s history describes it as a 32-bit Virtual Immersion system; its 1995 release was a brief experimental detour.
What is the difference between Famicom and NES?
Famicom is short for Family Computer, the name Nintendo used for its home console in Japan. Nintendo released it there in 1983. NES means Nintendo Entertainment System, the name used when the Famicom platform launched internationally. The regional launch years differed: Nintendo dates the North American NES launch to 1985 and the European launch to 1986.
For a historical timeline, it is most accurate to treat Famicom and NES as the Japanese and international identities of the same platform family—not as separate generations.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Which Nintendo consoles were handheld?
Nintendo’s handheld lineage includes Game & Watch, Game Boy, Game Boy Color, Game Boy Advance, Game Boy Advance SP, Nintendo DS and Nintendo 3DS. Game Boy Advance SP is a redesign within the Advance family, rather than a separate generation. Switch Lite is also portable-only; Nintendo describes it as playing Switch software that supports handheld mode.
Rank #3
- 【Ultimate Nintendo Switch 2 Bundle – Ready to Play】Includes the complete Nintendo Switch 2 console and a full-game download of Mario Kart World, so you can start racing right out of the box. Perfect for gamers of all ages and playstyles.
- 【Next-Gen Hybrid Gaming with Stunning Visuals】Experience a vivid 7.9‑inch 1080p LCD touchscreen with HDR support, and enjoy 4K TV output at up to 60 fps when docked — for immersive gameplay at home or on the go.
- 【Versatile 3 Play Modes】Seamlessly switch between Handheld, Tabletop, and TV modes — all featuring intuitive controls and smooth performance, wherever you choose to play.
- 【Enhanced Social Gaming with GameChat & Multiplayer】Connect with friends locally, enjoy online multiplayer with up to 24 players, and use voice chat via GameChat (internet connection and Nintendo Switch Online membership required after trial period).
- 【Powerful Storage & Joy‑Con 2 Controllers】Includes 256 GB internal storage (expandable with microSD), magnetic Joy‑Con 2 controllers, docking station, HDMI cable, AC adapter, grip, and straps — everything you need for the ultimate gaming setup.
Switch is different from those portable-only systems: it is a hybrid designed for both handheld and TV-connected play. That convergence makes it a useful endpoint for understanding how Nintendo’s historically separate home and portable branches relate.
What is Nintendo’s newest console?
Nintendo Switch 2 is the newest system identified in Nintendo’s current hardware history. Nintendo’s history introduction establishes it as the latest endpoint, but does not by itself establish launch-day details or specifications. The timeline here therefore does not infer a specific release date, sales total, price or performance figure for Switch 2.
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Nintendo’s historical milestones show the reach of individual systems as well as the broader shift from handheld cartridges to hybrid play. Nintendo’s history reported more than 46 million Super Nintendo units sold worldwide in its 1992 entry. It also recorded 2.3 million Nintendo 64 systems sold in Europe during that system’s first year, in its 1997 entry.
Nintendo’s current history introduction gives cumulative totals of more than 870 million consoles and more than 6 billion games sold globally. The page does not state an “as of” year for those totals, so they should be read as undated cumulative figures, not as confirmed 2026 totals.
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