History of video game consoles (eighth generation)

The eighth generation of video game consoles began in 2012. The eighth generation began with the release of Wii U. The PlayStation 4 was announced on February 20, 2013.^[1] It was released worldwide on November 15, 2013. Microsoft announced the Xbox One on May 21, 2013.^[2] It had its first regional release on November 22, 2013.^[3] For handheld game consoles, the generation began in February 2011. The first handheld was the Nintendo 3DS. The PlayStation Vita was released in December 2011 in Japan. It was available for the Western countries in February 2012.

It is believed by the video game media that the eighth generation home consoles compete with the smartphone, tablet, and Smart TV gaming markets.^{[4][5][6][7][8][9]} Because of this, some analysts incorrectly believed the eight generation would be the last generation of home consoles.^[10] Other microconsoles such as the NVIDIA Shield, Steam Box, Ouya and GameStick are attempting to compete in this market.^[11][12][13] Nintendo officially discontinued the Wii U on January 31, 2017 in anticipation of the March 3, 2017 worldwide release of the Nintendo Switch. The Switch is a "hybrid" console that acts as both a home console and handheld device, and it is the beginning of a ninth generation of home consoles.

Systems

Comparison

Name	Wii U	PlayStation 4	Xbox One	Nintendo Switch
Logo
Manufacturer	Nintendo	Sony	Microsoft	Nintendo
Console
Release dates	November 18, 2012	November 15, 2013	NA: November 22, 2013 EU: November 22, 2013 (some countries, September 2, 2014, for others) AU: November 22, 2013 BR: November 22, 2013 JP: September 4, 2014 CN: September 29, 2014	March 3, 2017
Launch prices	Basic Model US$299.99 £/€, set by individual retailers A$348.00 ¥26,250 Deluxe/Premium Model US$349.99 £/€, set by individual retailers A$428.00 ¥31,500	US$399.99, €399.99, £349.99	US$499/€499/£429/JP¥49,980/CN¥3,699	US$299.99, ¥29,980, €329.99, GB£279.99, A$469.95
Units shipped	Worldwide: 13.56 million (as of 16 December 2016)[14]	Worldwide: 113.5 million (as of 30 September 2020)[15]	Worldwide: 58+ million[16]	Worldwide: 153.10 million (as of 2025)
Best-selling game	Mario Kart 8, 8.26 million units (as of 31 December 2016)[17]	—	—	—
Media	Wii U Optical Disc @ 22.5MB/s 25 GB (single layer)[18]	Blu-ray, DVD	Blu-ray, DVD	Nintendo Switch game card, Download
CPU	Tri-Core IBM PowerPC "Espresso"[19]	Octa-Core AMD "Jaguar"	Octa-Core AMD	Quad-core ARM Cortex-A57[d] @ 1.02 GHz[e]
GPU	AMD Radeon "Latte" GPGPU @ 550 MHz[20]	Custom AMD Radeon, architecture and performance similar to a Radeon 7870 @ 800 MHz[21]	Custom AMD Radeon, architecture and performance similar to a Radeon 7790 @ 800 MHz[21]	256 Maxwell-based CUDA cores
Memory	2 GB DDR3 RAM (1 GB available for games / 1 GB available for system)	8 GB GDDR5 RAM (7 GB available for games / 1 GB available for system)	8 GB DDR3 RAM (5 GB available for games / 3 GB available for system)	4 GB LPDDR4 RAM
Storage	8 GB (Basic), 32 GB (Deluxe/Premium) internal flash memory Supports up to 32 GB SDHC memory cards (for Wii mode) Up to 2 TB USB hard disk drive[22] for e-Shop games & save storage	HDD with unconfirmed capacity	500 GB HDD	32 GB eMMC (Original/Lite), 64 GB eMMC (OLED)</small
Video	1080p, 1080i, 720p, 480p, 576i, 480i; standard 4:3 and 16:9 anamorphic widescreen† Analog AV port supporting: Composite video S-Video (NTSC consoles only) RGB SCART (PAL consoles only) YPBPR D-Terminal (Japan only) Component video HDMI † Resolutions other than 576i and 480i available via HDMI and YPBPR only.	4K, 1080p, 1080i, 720p, 480p, 576i, 480i; standard 4:3 and 16:9 anamorphic widescreen† Analog AV port supporting: Composite video S-Video (NTSC consoles only) RGB SCART (PAL consoles only) Component video HDMI † Resolutions other than 576i and 480i available via HDMI only.	4K, 1080p, 1080i and 720p HDMI in / HDMI out	Original: 6.2-in, IPS (237 ppi), 720p Lite: 5.5-in, IPS (267 ppi), 720p OLED: 7-in, OLED (210 ppi), 720p Docked: 480p/720p/1080p via HDMI
Integrated 3DTV support	Yes[23]	Yes	Yes	Yes
Second screen	Off-TV Play	Remote Play	SmartGlass	—
Audio	Analog stereo via the Analog AV port. Six-channel PCM linear output via HDMI	TBA	TBA	Undocked: Linear PCM 2.0 ch stereo speakers (with pseudo-surround) Docked: Linear PCM 5.1 ch
Peripheral abilities	SD memory card slot (supports SDHC cards) 4 USB 2.0 ports (2 at front of console, 2 at rear) Bluetooth Sensor Bar power port "AV Multi Out" port HDMI out port	Bluetooth HDMI out port USB 3.0 ports (number yet unrevealed)	Bluetooth HDMI 1 in port and 1 out port[24] 3 USB 3.0 ports	Bluetooth 4.1 HDMI (1 out port on dock) 1 USB 3.0 port (on dock) 2 USB 2.0 ports (on dock) 1 USB-C port (on Console) Near Field Communication (NFC)
Controller	Wii U GamePad (up to 2) Wii U Pro Controller (up to 4, but special games are possible up 7)[25] Wii Remote/Plus (up to 4, but special games are possible up 7) Nunchuk attachment Classic Controller attachment NES Classic Edition game-pad (Virtual Console compatible) Wii Balance Board GameCube Controller via Adapter for Wii U (up to 8, two sets of four)[25]	DualShock 4 PlayStation Move PlayStation Vita	Wireless controller Kinect Voice command
Online services	Nintendo Network[26] Accounts Nintendo Network ID (up to 12 per system) User Account Profile (up to 12 per system) Personal Mii (one linked per account) Friend List (up to 100 friends) Origin support[27] (EA-published titles only) Uplay support[28] (Ubisoft-published titles only) Social network Miiverse Games Online multiplayer (upwards of 8-12 players)[29] Online leaderboards Accomplishments System Voice/video chat (requires at least one Wii U GamePad) Cloud storage TBD Communication Wii U Chat (video calls/voice chat) Friend List (up to 100 friends) Block List Player History (online players met) Notifications SpotPass Cross Platform with Nintendo 3DS Online Shop Nintendo eShop Entertainment Nintendo TVii (discontinued August 11, 2015)[30] YNN! (Japan only) Nico Nico Douga (Japan only) YouTube Internet Navigation NetFront based Internet Browser (w/ HTML5 video and audio support)[31] Integrated Google/Yahoo search engine Loyalty Programs Club Nintendo (discontinued - 2015)[32] Nintendo Network Premium My Nintendo ( launched 31 March, 2016)[33] Other Utilities Parental controls eManuals[34] Nintendo Customer Service (video game console warranty and help/repair support) Nintendo Online Store (physical products only) System Update Wii U System Update Miiverse3DS [b] Personal Profile (up to 400 characters) Communities: Game/App communities News communities Developer's Room communities Private communities Share: Comments & Drawings Activity Feed (most recent post of any followed users) Accomplishments Tags (records/challenges) In-game screenshots YouTube videos News Feed Friend List (up to 100 friends) Follow (Profile can follow up to 1000 users) Instant messaging Notifications — Nintendo eShop Games/Apps Downloadable content Demos (playable up to 30 times) Game screenshots/videos/ Software rantings (1 to 5 stars; various categories) Software updates/patches Virtual Console Entertainment Nintendo eShop News Nintendo Direct Nintendo TVii Netflix Hulu Plus (US/Japan only) Amazon Instant Video (US only) LoveFilm (Europe only) TiVo	PlayStation Network	Xbox Live
Regional lockout	Yes[35]	TBA	TBA
Games can be shared/resold without a fee	Yes	Yes	Yes
Requires an Internet connection	No	No[36]	No
List of games	List of Wii U games	List of PlayStation 4 games	List of Xbox One games
Backward compatibility	Nintendo optical discs Wii Downloadable only WiiWare Virtual Console in Wii Mode	Optical disc/download Not compatible with PlayStation 3 titles due to hardware incompatibility; other systems unannounced Gaikai cloud streaming (not at launch) PlayStation PlayStation 2 PlayStation 3	Compatible with some Xbox 360 and Xbox titles

Handheld consoles

Handheld comparison

Name	Nintendo 3DS / 3DS XL	PlayStation Vita
Logo
Manufacturer	Nintendo	Sony
Console
Release dates	Nintendo 3DS JP: 26 February 2011 EU: 25 March 2011 NA: 27 March 2011 AU: 31 March 2011 Nintendo 3DS XL JP: 28 July 2012 EU: 28 July 2012 NA: 19 August 2012 AU: 23 August 2012	All versions JP: 17 December 2011 EU: 22 February 2012 NA: 22 February 2012 AU: 23 February 2012
Launch prices	Nintendo 3DS ¥25,000 US$249.99[37] £/€, set by individual retailers[38] A$349.95[39] Nintendo 3DS XL ¥18,900 US$199.99 £/€, set by individual retailers A$249.9	Wi-Fi ¥24,980 $249 €249 £229.99 Wi-Fi+3G ¥29,980 $299 €299 £279.99[40]
2013 prices	Nintendo 3DS $169.99[41] €169.99 ¥15,000[42] A$249.99[42] (as of 12 August 2011) Nintendo 3DS XL Same as launch prices	Wi-Fi ¥19,980 Same as launch prices Wi-Fi+3G ¥19,980 Same as launch prices
Units shipped	Worldwide: 31.09 million (as of 31 March 2013)[14]	Worldwide: 2.2 million (as of 30 June 2012)[43]
Best-selling game	Super Mario 3D Land, 8.29 million units (as of 31 March 2013)[44]	—
Display	Top: Autostereoscopic (3D) LCD 800 × 240 px (400 × 240 px per eye) 3.53 in (90 mm) (Nintendo 3DS) 4.88 in (124 mm) (Nintendo 3DS XL) Bottom: 2D LCD Touchscreen 320 × 240 px QVGA 3.02 in (77 mm) (Nintendo 3DS) 4.18 in (106 mm) (Nintendo 3DS XL)	5 in (130 mm) OLED 960 × 544 px[45]
3D enabled	Yes	No
CPU	Dual-core ARM11 MPCore	Quad-core ARM Cortex-A9 MPCore[45][46]
GPU	Digital Media Professionals PICA200	PowerVR SGX543MP4+[45]
Memory	128 MB FCRAM, 6 MB VRAM	512 MB RAM, 128 MB VRAM[47]
Camera	One front-facing and a set of two rear-facing 3D 0.3 MP (VGA) camera sensors	Front and rear 0.3 MP (VGA) camera sensors[45]
Storage	2 GB (1.5 GB usable) NAND flash internal storage Supports up to 128GB SDXC cards, and up to 32GB SDHC cards[48] 2 GB SD card included (Nintendo 3DS) 4 GB SDHC card included (Nintendo 3DS XL)	No internal storage 4 GB to 32 GB of proprietary removable memory sticks
Media	Nintendo 3DS Game Card (1–8 GB) Nintendo DS Game Card (8–512 MB)	PlayStation Vita Game Card (2–4 GB)
User interface	Circle Pad (2× with add-on) D-pad Autostereoscopic 15:9(5:3) screen with 3D depth slider (top screen) Resistive 4:3 touchscreen (bottom screen) 3-axis accelerometer and 3-axis gyroscope[49] Volume slider 3D depth slider Wireless communications switch Front 2D camera and rear 3D camera set Microphone 12 × buttons (X, Y, A, B, L, R (ZL and ZR with add-on), START, SELECT, HOME, POWER)	2 × analog sticks[50] D-pad[50] Capacitive OLED 16:9 touchscreen[50] Rear touchpad[50] Sixaxis motion sensing[50] Three-axis electronic compass[50] Front & rear 2D cameras[45] Microphone[45] 12 × buttons (, , , , L, R, Start, Select, Home, Volume ±, Power)[50]
Battery	Nintendo 3DS 1300 mAh lithium-ion battery 3DS Mode: 3–5 hours DS Mode: 5–8 hours Nintendo 3DS XL 1750 mAh lithium-ion battery 3DS Mode: 3.5–6.5 hours DS Mode: 6–10 hours (determined by screen brightness, Wi-Fi, sound volume, and 3D effect)	All versions 2200 mAh lithium-ion battery Gameplay: 3–5 hours Video playback: 5 hours Music: 9 hours[51] (determined by screen brightness, Wi-Fi, sound volume, and whether 3G is active)
Connectivity	Integrated 802.11b[broken anchor]/g Wi-Fi IR port	Integrated 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi 3G (optional) Bluetooth 2.1+EDR
Stylus	Nintendo 3DS Extendable up to 100 mm (3.9 in) long Nintendo 3DS XL 96 mm (3.8 in) long	—
Weight	Nintendo 3DS 235 grams (8.3 oz) Nintendo 3DS XL 336 grams (11.9 oz)	Wi-Fi model 260 grams (9.2 oz) Wi-Fi+3G model 279 grams (9.8 oz)
Dimensions	Nintendo 3DS 134 mm (5.3 in) W 74 mm (2.9 in) D 22 mm (0.87 in) H Nintendo 3DS XL 156 mm (6.1 in) W 93 mm (3.7 in) D 22 mm (0.87 in)	All versions 182 mm (7.2 in) W 83.6 mm (3.29 in) D 18.6 mm (0.73 in) H[45]
Online services	Nintendo Network Accounts Universal Friend Code System (Friend Card) Personal Mii (one linked per account) Friend List (up to 100 friends) Social network Miiverse Games Online multiplayer (up to 7 local players) Online leaderboards Accomplishments System Communication Swapnote (Nintendo Letter Box in PAL region) Friend List (up to 100 friends) StreetPass Mii Plaza (local & online players met) 3DS Download Play Notifications StreetPass & SpotPass Cross Platform with Wii U Online Shop Nintendo eShop Entertainment Nintendo Video Netflix (North America only) Hulu Plus (United States only) Recochoku (Japan only) e-Reader[52] Internet Navigation NetFront based Internet Browser Integrated Google/Yahoo search engine Loyalty Programs Club Nintendo Nintendo Network Premium Other Utilities Parental controls eManuals[34] Nintendo Customer Service (video game console warranty and help/repair support) Nintendo Online Store (physical products only) System Update Nintendo 3DS System Update[broken anchor] Miiverse Personal Profile Comunities: Game/App communities News communities Developer's Room communities Private communities (online matchmaking) Share: Comments Drawings Accomplishments Tags (records/challenges) In-game screenshots YouTube videos News Feed Friend List (up to 100 friends) Instant messaging Notifications Nintendo eShop Games/Apps Downloadable content Demos (playable up to 30 times) Game screenshots/videos/ Software rantings (1 to 5 stars; various categories) Software updates/patches Virtual Console Entertainment Nintendo TV (Official Nintendo Magazine) Short Films Nintendo eShop News Nintendo Direct	Sony Entertainment Network PlayStation Network PlayStation Store Video Unlimited Music Unlimited Netflix Flickr Foursquare Google Maps Facebook Twitter (via the LiveTweet application) Skype YouTube PlayStation Mobile
Preloaded applications	Health & Safety Information Nintendo 3DS / DS Game Card Nintendo 3DS Camera (Photo + Video Recording and Editing) Nintendo 3DS Sound[53] Nintendo eShop Mii Maker StreetPass Mii Plaza AR Games Face Raiders Activity Log[54] Nintendo Zone Nintendo Video Swapnote (Nintendo Letter Box in PAL region) Eurosport (PAL region only) Netflix (w/ paid subscription) Hulu Plus (w/ paid subscription) DS Download Play[55] 3DS Download Play System Settings Game Notes Friend List Notifications Internet Browser	Trophies PlayStation Store Friends Party Group Messaging Notifications Music Videos Photos Internet Browser Email Maps Settings Content Manager Remote Play Cross-Controller Welcome Park near
Regional lockout	Yes[56]	No[57]
List of games	List of Nintendo 3DS games	List of PlayStation Vita games
Backward compatibility	Nintendo Game Cards Nintendo DS/DSi Downloadable only DSiWare Virtual Console	Downloadable only PlayStation PlayStation Portable PlayStation minis