text:
History of video games/Platforms/Nintendo 64

Development
The Nintendo 64 was proceeded by the Super Nintendo Entertainment System and Super Famicom, a family of systems capable of refined 2D graphics, but only extremely limited 3D graphics. Notably the Playstation, among the biggest rivals to the Nintendo 64, also had its roots in the Super Nintendo Entertainment System.

The Nintendo 64 would be the first major home console released by Nintendo with no significant regional differences between American, European, and Japanese releases, The innovative analog stick on the N64 controller was designed by Genyo Takeda. though the China focused iQue player would depart from the design standard of the system.

On February 11th, 1994 Nintendo announced that Project Reality would not use a CD Rom drive, surprising the industry with decision which went against industry trends.

A chip shortage in early 1996 delayed the launch of the Nintendo 64 in North America to fall.

Launch
""Change the System" and "Get N or Get Out""

The Nintendo 64 was launched in the United States in September of 1996 at a price of $200.

Legacy
In North America the Nintendo 64 was discontinued in 2003. The Nintendo 64 sold 32.93 million consoles, and 224.97 million software titles.

The Nintendo 64 was succeeded by the Nintendo GameCube.

A notable lasting legacy of the Nintendo 64 is the gaming journalism outlet IGN, which got its start as an online news outlet focused on the Nintendo 64.

iQue Player
In 2003 the iQue player was released as a version of the N64 with enhancements and modifications for the Chinese market.

The iQue Player ceased receiving updates and new games in 2006. Ten years later on December 31st 2016, iQue game download support officially ended. By 2018 the service was fully shuttered. Also in 2018, community members figure out how to unofficially access the iQue software

Technology
"N64's push to SGI style pixels was technologically premature."

Compute
The CPU of the Nintendo 64 is a 64-bit NEC VR4300 (Compatible with the SGI RISC R4300i) MIPS III architecture processor clocked at 93.75 megahertz. Despite having a 64 bit CPU, more efficient 32 bit operations were often used by developers.

The Nintendo 64 uses a SGI Reality Co-Processor clocked at 62.5 megahertz, combining the Reality Immersion Processor GPU and Reality Signal Processor Audio system on a single chip. The GPU alone is capable of 500 MIPS, and can render 150,000 polygons a second.

The Nintendo 64 has four megabytes of RDRAM. The system could be expanded to eight megabytes of RAM.

The Nintendo 64 is capable of 100 megaflops.

Cartridges
Official Nintendo 64 Cartridges had a maximum capacity of 64MB. Because of the expense of cartridges, Nintendo 64 games cost much more than games for other systems on CD. To compensate for limited space on cartridges, developers were encouraged to use dynamic music progmatically rather then recorded but static soundtracks.

Cartridges used a CIC lockout chip to stop bootleg games from being produced and to stop piracy.

Nintendo 64 DD
A version was produced for an American release, but was ultimately never sold.

Special Editions
Special editions and versions of the console.
 * Starlight Gaming Station - Kiosk for hospital use.
 * McDonalds Kiosk - A kiosk using a Nintendo 64 for use in McDonalds restaurants.

Qualities

 * Fast paced action adventure, platformers, and first person shooter games were quite popular on the system. This is due in part to the specialties of developers who chose the system, and due in part to the unique technological properties of the system favoring such games.
 * The Nintendo 64 did not enjoy the same level of support for popular JRPGs as it's predecessor, the SNES. Major JRPG franchises tended to release on competing consoles instead, leaving the Nintendo 64 with more obscure titles.

Super Mario 64
Of all the games for the Nintendo 64, Super Mario 64 perhaps has the most historic and lasting impact. It's successful translation of Mario from a 2D to a 3D platformer set an example of how a 3D platformer should enhance gameplay, look and control, paving the way for quality games in the genre by it's example. It was the first 3D game experienced by a number of 90's gamers.

Noted developers Cliff Bleszinski and Gabe Newell cite Super Mario 64 as an influence.

Long after the discontinuation of the system, the game would find new relevance as a popular game for speedrunners. A number of game specific techniques were developed, such as "Quantum Positioning Units". Another famous speedrunning glitch was discovered on accident, likely as the result of a cosmic ray causing a bit flip.

Read more about Super Mario 64 on Wikipedia.

Mario Kart 64
An influential game in the Mario Kart series, and the first to take the series into true 3D environments.

Read more about Mario Kart 64 on Wikipedia.

Wave Race 64
Jet-ski water racing game.

Read more about Wave Race 64 on Wikipedia.

Pilotwings 64
A launch title and casual flight simulator.

Read more about Pilotwings 64 on Wikipedia.

Killer Instinct Gold
A port of the arcade fighting game Killer Instinct 2. Known for it's technical excellence with cutting edge graphics for the era.

Read more about Killer Instinct Gold on Wikipedia.

GoldenEye 007
A standout title, which paved the way for other console first person shooters. It's well remembered for it's local couch co-op mode.

Read more about GoldenEye 007 on Wikipedia.

Star Fox 64
An influential on rails shooter. Commonly counted as one of the best entries in the Star Fox series.

Read more about Star Fox 64 on Wikipedia.

Diddy Kong Racing
The Diddy Kong Racing soundtrack was shaped to be like Diddy Kong's head, an unusual choice.

Read more about Diddy Kong Racing on Wikipedia.

Doom 64
Read more about Doom 64 on Wikipedia.

Yoshi's Story
Read more about Yoshi's Story on Wikipedia.

Mischief Makers
"Shake, Shake!"

An eclectic 2D platformer with a distinct style. It was poorly received at launch before later becoming a cult classic.

Read more about Mischief Makers on Wikipedia.

Turok: Dinosaur Hunter
Read more about Turok: Dinosaur Hunter on Wikipedia.

1998

 * Wipeout 64
 * Turok 2: Seeds of Evil
 * Star Wars: Rogue Squadron
 * Space Station Silicon Valley
 * Quest 64
 * 1080° Snowboarding

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
A considerable amount of crunch occurred during development.

The game is considered to be among the most important of the generation due to it's pioneering use of 3D game design to make a vast action adventure game with mechanical fluidity paired with excellent audio and graphical fidelity for the era. As a result of these factors, this game is often considered among the best ever made.

Read more about The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time on Wikipedia.

Mario Party
The first entry in the popular Mario Party series.

A minigame control resulted in hand palm injuries by some gamers leading to an investigation by the New York Attorney General, which resulted in protective gloves being shipped to some affected parties.

Read more about Mario Party on Wikipedia.

F-Zero X
Fast paced futuristic racer.

Read more about F-Zero X on Wikipedia.

Banjo-Kazooie
A 3D platformer and collectathon made by the company Rare.

Read more about Banjo-Kazooie on Wikipedia.

Hey You, Pikachu!
A digital pet game about learning to communicate with a Pokemon creature, a Pikachu.

One of two games to use the Voice Recognition Unit (VRU). The system could recognize up to 256 words. The game was said to be difficult to control due to either poor voice recognition and or bad microphone quality.

Read more about Hey You, Pikachu! on Wikipedia.

1999

 * Super Smash Bros.
 * Turok: Rage Wars
 * Superman 64
 * Star Wars Episode I: Racer
 * Pokémon Stadium
 * Ogre Battle 64: Person of Lordly Caliber
 * Neon Genesis Evangelion
 * Mario Golf
 * Jet Force Gemini
 * Mario Party 2
 * Harvest Moon 64
 * Donkey Kong 64

2000

 * Paper Mario
 * Perfect Dark
 * The World Is Not Enough
 * Turok 3: Shadow of Oblivion
 * StarCraft 64
 * Star Wars Episode I: Battle for Naboo
 * Pokémon Stadium 2
 * Indiana Jones and the Infernal Machine
 * Sin and Punishment
 * Ridge Racer 64
 * Mega Man 64
 * Mario Party 3
 * Mario Tennis
 * Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards
 * Excitebike 64
 * Banjo-Tooie

The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask

Read more about The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask at Wikipedia.

2001

 * Dr. Mario 64
 * Conker's Bad Fur Day

Post Market
A number of notable titles saw release after the platform was officially discontinued.

40 Winks
A game with a rocky development finally shipped an Nintendo 64 version in December of 2018.

Read more about 40 Winks on Wikipedia.

Dinosaur Planet
A December 1st, 2000 build of Dinosaur Planet for the Nintendo 64 by Rare was unofficially released on the 20th, of February, 2021 as the result of an online leak.

Dinosaur Planet had previously been released under a different name following a significant overhaul. Read more about Star Fox Adventures for the GameCube on Wikipedia.

iQue Player
The Nintendo backed iQue Player released in 2003 exclusively in mainland China, and was an all in one system that played Nintendo 64 games.

Development
There is a WikiBook on N64 Programming.

Archived web materials

 * Nintendo of America website - 1996
 * N64 Website - 1998
 * N64 Hardware website - 1998

Other Websites

 * Video Game Console Library - Nintendo 64 page with technical info.
 * Video Game Console Library - Nintendo 64 DD page with technical info.


text:
History of video games/Platforms/Game Boy

Development
Nintendo had previously made dedicated handheld consoles such as the Game & Watch series consoles as well as the Nintendo Computer Mah-Jong Yakuman, however the Game Boy would be their first handheld to play interchangeable cartridges

Launch
The GameBoy was released in 1989 on April 21st in Japan and July 31st in the United States of America.

Project Atlantis
Project Atlantis was a canceled Game Boy successor that used a 32 bit ARM 7 CPU that was in development by 1995. The system was canceled due to it's enormous size, high expense, and poor performance.

GameBoy Color
The GameBoy Color was released on November 18th, 1998.

A touch screen adapter for the GameBoy Color was developed, but never released.

Third party support for the system was large, with even a sewing machine supporting control over Game Boy link cable.

In 2001 the Mobile System GB released in Japan for 5800 yen. Though it allowed a Game Boy to connect to cell phones to access the internet on the go, it had a number of fees associated with using it, and sold under 100,000 units.

Legacy
In 2003 the original GameBoy was discontinued, having been succeeded by the Game Boy Advance line of consoles. The GameBoy and the GameBoy Color sold 118.69 million units collectively.

GameBoy emulation has proven to be a fairly common topic in programming education. In 2020 researchers made the Engage an unofficial ultra low power GameBoy hardware clone which required no battery power to operate, instead being powered by solar energy and energy captured from button presses.

The Game Boy became would later become a popular musical instrument for Chiptune music creation.

Technology
In terms of technical capabilities, the Game Boy is often thought of as a portable Nintendo Entertainment System, though the internal architectures of these systems are radically different.

Compute
The GameBoy uses a 8 bit Z80 CPU clocked at 4.194304 megahertz.

The GameBoy has eight kilobytes of RAM and eight kilobytes of VRAM.

Display
The GameBoy has a 160 by 144 resolution LCD. The dot matrix display could display four shades from green to grey, making it monochrome.

Audio
The GameBoy has four channels of stereo sound. The system only had a single built in speaker, restricting the system to monophonic audio by default and requiring headphones for full stereo audio output.

Networking
The GameBoy has a link cable port.

Power
The original GameBoy uses four AA batteries and draws 70 to 80 mAh an hour, lasting about 30 hours.

GameBoy Color
The GameBoy color possessed significantly increased specs compared to the original monochrome models.

Compute
An 8-bit Z80 based CPU clocked at 8.388 megahertz powers the GameBoy Color.

The GameBoy color has 32 Kilobytes of RAM.

Display
The GameBoy color uses a color TFT LCD, with a resolution of 160 by 144 pixels, 32,000 colors displayable, and 56 simultaneous colors.

Networking
A link cable port and inferred port are present.

Power
The GameBoy color takes two AA batteries, and draws 70 to 80 mAh an hour, lasting for about 10 hours of runtime.

Accessories
Some Suzuki and Aprillia motorcycles are designed to hook up to a Game Boy Color through a special cable and cartridge combination for diagnostics access.

A work oriented accessory, the WorkBoy keyboard and cartridge combo was planned but not released.

1989

 * Super Mario Land
 * Revenge of the 'Gator

Tetris
The rights to Tetris proved to be a contentious issue between those who claimed rights and the Soviet government.

Read more about Tetris on Wikipedia.

1991

 * Metroid II: Return of Samus

1992

 * Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins
 * Kirby's Dream Land - The first Kirby game
 * X - Early 3D Game on the GameBoy

1993

 * The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening

1994

 * Wario Land: Super Mario Land 3

Pokemon Red and Blue
The first Pokemon games were inspired by series creator Satoshi Tajiri's experience catching bugs as a youth in Machida, Japan.

At the last minute an additional Pokemon was added by the development team to make the total number of monsters catchable 151. This addition caused a number of urban legends and myths regarding an in game truck.

The spooky ambiance of the in game location Lavender Town sparked a number of urban legends and myths.

1997

 * Harvest Moon GB

1998

 * Pokémon Yellow

Mario Golf
Mario Golf for the GBA mixed golf mechanics with a simple RPG, sparking a small genre of golf RPGs.

Read more about Mario Golf on Wikipedia.

Pokémon Gold and Silver
Then HAL Laboratory President Satoru Iwata was brought on to help with making compression tools for game graphics.

Read more about Pokémon Gold and Silver on Wikipedia.

2000

 * Pokémon Crystal

Metal Gear Solid Ghost Babel
The track "Ascent" is a particularly impressive piece of chiptune. Read more about Metal Gear Solid Ghost Babel on Wikipedia.

2001

 * The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons and Oracle of Ages

2002

 * Shantae

Special edition GameBoys

 * Yellow Tommy Hilfiger Game Boy Color.

Archived web materials

 * Game Boy website
 * Game Boy hardware website

license: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/


text:
History of video games/Platforms/Virtual Boy

History
The Virtual Boy was Nintendo's first attempt at semi-portable virtual reality.

Background
A company in Cambridge, Massachusetts had come up with an inexpensive heads up display that they tried to pitch to several gaming companies, including Sega and Mattel, but only Nintendo took serious interest in the technology. Following a 1991 pitch, Gunpei Yokoi, the head of Nintendo's R&D1 division, took interest in the technology and put his retirement plans on hold.

Development
Concern about liability from people moving without awareness of their surroundings caused the concept for a wearable virtual boy to be abandoned in favor of a tabletop unit.

Hardware testing reportedly involved testers placing their heads in a vice grip, and then undergo pupil dilation and air puffs to the eye to then stare unblinkingly for a minute with plastic rods sitting in front of their eyes in addition to a light source.

Launch
The Virtual Boy launched in Japan in July of 1995 and in North America on August 21st, 1995 at a price of $179.99 with the game Mario Tennis included. On October 18th, 1995 the price of the Virtual Boy was lowered to $159.95. By May 1996 Nintendo dropped the price of the Virtual Boy to $99.

Legacy
The console was discontinued in August 1996. Lasting about a year on the market before being pulled, the Virtual Boy was significant as one of the first major game console by Nintendo to fail on the market.

The Virtual Boy only sold 770,000 units worldwide.

Critics of the Virtual Boy, including founder of Oculus Palmer Luckey, claim it damaged the VR industry in the long term.

Following the failure of the Virtual Boy, Gunpei worked on the redesigned GameBoy Pocket, then resigned from Nintendo in August of 1996 surprising many in the industry. Gunpei stated that his resignation was not due to the Virtual Boy, but rather to go independent. While his independent work would later become the WonderSwan, Gunpei himself died in 1997 from an automobile accident.

Compute
The Virtual Boy used a NEC V810 32 bit RISC CPU with additional instructions clocked at 20MHz. The CPU was capable of 18 MIPS.

The system had 128kb of DRAM and 64kb of WRAM. For graphics there was 128kb of VRAM.

Display
The Virtual Boy used an oscillating mirror display using red LEDs, similar to the Entex Adventure Vision an earlier and more primitive tabletop console without stereoscopic capabilities.

Each eyepiece had a resolution of 384 by 224 and operated at 50 hertz. The display could output black and three hues of red at 128 different intensities. Mirrors were placed at a 45 degree angle. The LEDs used by the Virtual Boy gave it very good contrast, especially compared to other contemporary display technologies.

User specific calibration is important for displays of this form, and the Virtual Boy is no exception. The console had controls for adjusting focus, as well as a dial for adjusting inter-pupillary distance.

Hardware
The Virtual Boy supported 16 bit sound.

Cartridges can have between 512 kilobytes and 2 megabytes (2048 kilobytes) of ROM for game data and can have up to eight kilobytes of battery backed RAM for game saves.

Controller
The decision to use two D-Pads was said to be spurred by Gunpei Yokoi.

Software
About 30,000 lines of assembly code is used in the Virtual Boy game Mario Tennis.

Games
The Virtual Boy only saw 22 games released across all regions during its production.

1995

 * Golf
 * Panic Bomber
 * Innsmouth no Yakata
 * SD Gundam Dimension War
 * Space Invaders Virtual Collection
 * Vertical Force
 * Virtual League Baseball
 * Mario Clash
 * Mario's Tennis

Teleroboxer
A well received boxing game.

Read more about Teleroboxer on Wikipedia.

Virtual Boy Wario Land
Often regarded as the best game for the system.

Read more about Virtual Boy Wario Land on Wikipedia.

Waterworld
This game was considered among the most notable third party titles for the Virtual Boy.

This game supported single console multiplayer, which was done by having users play compete in individual sessions.

This game received poor to mediocre reception.

Read more about Waterworld on Wikipedia.

Galactic Pinball
The performance of the announcer in this game led the voice actor to strive for a more energetic performance in the later Nintendo 64 game F-Zero X.

Read more about Galactic Pinball on Wikipedia.

Jack Bros
A well received Halloween themed action game. This game featured the Jack Bros from the Megami Tensei series, and was the first entry of the series to have an international release.

Read more about Jack Bros. on Wikipedia.

Red Alarm
An ambitious and technically impressive flight combat game. The game did not receive a great critical reception, in part due to a lack of shading making gameplay difficult.

Developers of Red Alarm had to contend with the then new idea of 3D console gaming, and how such a game could be easily controlled by the player.

Read more about Red Alarm on Wikipedia.

1996

 * 3D Tetris

Nester's Funky Bowling
A tie in with the magazine Nintendo Power.

Read more about Nester's Funky Bowling on Wikipedia.

Canceled and Unreleased

 * Dragon Hopper - Action adventure game.
 * Bound High! - Action puzzle game.
 * Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest - Port
 * Galaxian3: Project Dragoon - Port
 * Worms - Port

Star Fox
Tech demo at the Winter Consumer Electronics Show of 1995 and E3 1995.

Zero Racers/G-Racers
F-Zero game said to be completed but unreleased.

Read more about Zero Racers on Wikipedia.


text:
History of video games/Platforms/Nintendo DS

Development
The Nintendo DS was preceded by the Game Boy Advance line of consoles.

The decision to make a console with two screens came from a suggestion from former Nintendo president Hiroshi Yamauchi to then current Nintendo President Satoru Iwata, becoming project Nitro.

Launch
November 21st, 2004 was the North American launch date for the DS, with a launch price of $149.99.

The Nintendo DS Lite was launched in 2006.

The Nintendo DSi was released in 2008 in Japan.

Legacy
Many games on the DS made experimental use of it's touchscreen, paving the way for mobile experiences. The DS was noted for it's strong third party developer support. The DS sold 154.02 million units.

The Nintendo DS was followed by the Nintendo 3DS and 2DS lines of consoles.

Atypical Usage
A single screen variant of the DS was made specifically to create Nintendo Zone access points at retail locations.

In 2007 Nintendo released the Nintendo Fan Network, an app for the DS that allowed users to check stats and order food from their Safeco Field seats Mariners games.

In 2010 McDonalds Japan spent 200 million yen (Roughly 2.2 million US dollars at the time) developing a training game for the Nintendo DS.

Compute
The DS is powered by an primary 32-bit ARM946E-S CPU clocked at 67 megahertz working with an 32-bit ARM7TDMI CPU clocked at 34 megahertz for backwards compatibility and IO management. The DS has 4 megabytes of PSRAM and 656 kilobytes of VRAM.

The DS has a traditional 2D engine and a somewhat unorthodox 3D engine. This means that while the Nintendo DS was capable of 3D graphics, they were somewhat unwieldly on the system. This was compounded by a very different user interface, lacking an analog stick on the DS. However the Nintendo DS exceled at 2D graphics and was capable of rendering impressive 2D artstyles which would have been more difficult on previous Nintendo handhelds.

The Nintendo DS is capable of 600 megaflops of performance. The Nintendo DS is often compared with the Nintendo 64 in terms of power, though to due to architectural differences and operational concerns, both tend to excel in different fields of computational tasks.

Hardware
The DS uses two 3.25" color TFT active matrix LCDs.

An interesting quirk of the original DS involves its top screen, which is electromagnetically noisy enough to broadcast a usable signal to some older analog televisions, indicating an unusual signaling system for an LCD. The Nintendo DS Lite, but not the previous original DS, included intentional built in TV out features, but this was never exposed to the user via hardware, and these features were disabled in official software - making the hardware an appendix of sorts. The hardware was removed entirely in later DSi units.

The DS supports 2.4 gigahertz Wi-Fi b but only supported the weak WEP encryption standard. At launch this was relatively acceptable, as Wi-Fi was still a new technology, and many deployments were either unencrypted, or used weak WEP encryption, though this would rapidly change over the life of the system. The DSi added support for Wi-Fi b/g and more advanced encryption methods.

The DS has a built in microphone, an innovative addition at the time, which was leveraged by some games for gameplay purposes.

The DS uses a lithium ion battery as standard. This was a convenient feature at the time, as it allowed recharging the system instead of replacing AA batteries. Previous Nintendo handheld lines, such as the GameBoy Advance, only included a rechargeable battery on some models, and some budget devices still relied on AA batteries, which reduced their upfront cost by making the consumer buy the batteries for the system, which often increased their long term cost.

The DSi has two 0.3 megapixel cameras: one facing the user, and one facing away from the user.

The original DS has an included wrist strap accessory that includes a thumb stylus at the end.

Software
A web browser cartridge based on the Opera browser was available for the DS Lite.

The Nintendo DSi included support for DSiWare downloadable software.

Super Mario 64 DS
A launch title, and expanded remake of the Nintendo 64 game Super Mario 64.

Read more about Super Mario 64 DS on Wikipedia.

Clubhouse Games
Read more about Clubhouse Games on Wikipedia.

Electroplankton
Read more about Electroplankton on Wikipedia.

Nintendogs
A pet simulation game.

Read more about Nintendogs on Wikipedia, or read the Nintendogs strategy guide on Wikibooks.

Advance Wars: Dual Strike
A continuation of Advance Wars, with added characters and features, primarily the ability to use two commanding officers simultaneously instead of one.

Read more about Advance Wars: Dual Strike on Wikipedia.

Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney
A more popular enhanced port of the Game Boy Advance original.

Read more about Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney on Wikipedia.

Mario Hoops 3-on-3
Read more about Mario Hoops 3-on-3 on Wikipedia.

Pokémon Diamond and Pearl
Read more about Pokémon Diamond and Pearl on Wikipedia.

Elite Beat Agents
Notable stylized rhythm game.

Read more about Elite Beat Agents on Wikipedia.

Xenosaga I & II
Read more about Xenosaga I & II on Wikipedia.

2007

 * Chibi-Robo!: Park Patrol
 * Etrian Odyssey
 * The World Ends with You

The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass

A sequel to The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker, and a rare fully 3D adventure game for the Nintendo DS.

Read more about The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass on Wikipedia.

Drawn to Life
An action RPG with mechanics involving the player drawing objects to add to the game.

Read more about Drawn to Life on Wikipedia.

2008

 * Etrian Odyssey II
 * Fossil Fighters

Advance Wars: Days of Ruin
A dark and gritty reboot of the Advance Wars franchise, set in a post-apocalyptic world where remnants of nations scramble over limited resources. Subject matter included civilian welfare in war, biowarfare, private military contractors, and weapons of mass destruction.

Read more about Advance Wars: Days of Ruin on Wikipedia.

Pokémon Platinum
An enhanced version of Pokémon Diamond and Pearl.

Read more about Pokémon Platinum on Wikipedia.

2009

 * The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks
 * Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver
 * Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey
 * Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days
 * Dragon Quest IX
 * Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors

Scribblenauts

Scribblenauts was a puzzle solving game where players input vocabulary to summon items to handle various scenarios.

Read more about Scribblenauts on Wikipedia.

2010

 * Etrian Odyssey III
 * Fire Emblem: New Mystery of the Emblem
 * Pokémon Black and White
 * Radiant Historia
 * Super Scribblenauts
 * Shantae: Risky's Revenge

Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective
An innovative adventure game, known for its quality animations, unique plot and characters, and interesting puzzles.

Read more about Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective on Wikipedia.

2011

 * Kirby Mass Attack
 * Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor 2

Wappy Dog
A toy-game combo.

Learn with Pokémon: Typing Adventure
Learn with Pokémon: Typing Adventure is a typing training game notable for its use of a bluetooth keyboard with the Nintendo DS. To support this functionality on DS, a console without bluetooth support, the game cartridge itself includes a bluetooth chip.

Read more about Learn with Pokémon: Typing Adventure on Wikipedia.

2012

 * Pokémon Black 2 and White 2

Pokémon Conquest
A tactical strategy game and a crossover between Pokémon and the Nobunaga's Ambition series.

Read more about Pokémon Conquest on Wikipedia.

Special Edition and Variant Consoles
As a popular handheld, a number of versions of the DS were made.
 * Personal Trainer: Cooking - Lime green DS lite made in 2009 which came bundled with Personal Trainer: Cooking and carrying case.
 * Nonworking DS Lite - A dummy DS Lite made with faulty and unpopulated printed circuit boards, as well as fake screens.
 * DS ML - Unofficial refurbished units that were mass produced.


text:
History of video games/Platforms/PlayStation Portable

Background
Though Sony had previously dabbled in portable consoles with the PocketStation accessory for the original PlayStation, the PlayStation Portable would be Sony's first serious attempt at a competitive major portable console.

Launch
The PlayStation Portable launched in Japan on December 12th, of 2004 at a cost of 19,800 yen.

The PlayStation Portable launched in the United States and Canada on March 24th, 2005 at a cost of $249 United States dollars or $299 Canadian dollars.

Production
On October 1st, 2009 the PSP Go was released as a digital exclusive PSP that removed the UMD drive.

Legacy
The PSP was succeeded by the much more powerful PlayStation Vita. The PSP is iconic in some regions as a capable handheld for it's era.

PSP production stopped in 2014 with about 70 million consoles sold. In early 2021 Sony announced the PlayStation Portable online store would be shuttered on July 2nd, 2021.

Technology
The capabilities of the PlayStation portable were roughly between the original PlayStation and the PlayStation 2, offering an impressive level of portable performance for the time.

Compute
The PSP used two MIPS architecture R4000 processors clocked at 333MHz, with one used as a dedicated CPU and one as a dedicated Media Processor.

The PSP had a custom dedicated GPU clocked at 166MHz that outputs 24 bit graphics.

Early models of PSP had 32MB of RAM, with later models having 64MB. The media processor had 2MB of DRAM, and the GPU also had 2MB of DRAM.

Display
The PSP had a backlit 4.3 inch diagonal thin film transistor LCD with a resolution of 480 by 272 pixels.

2004

 * Metal Gear Acid
 * Lumines: Puzzle Fusion

2005

 * Metal Gear Acid 2

2006

 * Mega Man Powered Up
 * Killzone: Liberation

2007

 * Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII
 * Patapon

2008

 * Prinny: Can I Really Be the Hero?
 * Phantasy Star Portable
 * Patapon 2

2009

 * Phantasy Star Portable 2

Persona 3 Portable
A port of the PlayStation 2 JRPG Persona 3. This game is notable for being among the few games of the time to feature substantial story differences depending on the player selected gender of the protagonist.

Read more about Persona 3 Portable on Wikipedia.

Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker
Read more about Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker on Wikipedia.

Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc
A genre blending visual novel with exploration and shooter sections.

Read more about Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc on Wikipedia.

Z.H.P. Unlosing Ranger VS Darkdeath Evilman
An innovative tactical role playing game with rougelike elements.

Read more about Z.H.P. Unlosing Ranger VS Darkdeath Evilman on Wikipedia.

Last Ranker
Read more about Last Ranker on Wikipedia.

2011

 * Patapon 3

2012

 * Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair

Unconventional Uses
Hilton Ultimate Team Play was a first person simulation game used by Hilton Garden Inn Hotels to train employees around 2008 and 2009. Only 500 UMD copies of the game were produced, and require a special memory card and security certificates to run.

Special Edition Consoles

 * Madden Metallic Blue

Development
There are two Wikibooks on developing for the PSP, PSP and PSP Development. There's also a Wikibook on running Map This! on the PSP.


text:
History of video games/Platforms/Wii U

Development
The Wii U was proceeded by the very successful Nintendo Wii.

One gamepad prototype was essentially a screen with two wiimotes attached to it.

Concerns were raised over potential forced child labor in the production of Wii U systems in 2012.

Nintendo President Satoru Iwata sketched the idea for Amiibo while riding a bullet train (Shinkansen) to Tokyo in the later part of 2013.

Launch
"I actually am baffled by it, I don’t think it’s going to be a big success."

Pricing
The typical MSRP of games raised to $59.99, up from $49.99 for Wii games.

At launch in 2012 the 8GB Basic Wii U cost $299.99 and the 32GB Deluxe Wii U cost $349.99.

Stagnation
By January 2013 the Wii U had notably poor market performance in the United States, having only sold between 50,000 and 59,000 consoles. Nintendo reported much lower sales of the Wii U then expected in 2014, leading to financial worries.

In 2015, Nintendo Amiibo sales were very high.

In 2015, Nintendo withdrew from the Brazilian market.

Legacy
Production of the Wii U ended in January of 2017. 13.56 million Wii U consoles and 103.21 million Wii U games were sold over the course of the system.

The Wii U was succeeded by the Nintendo Switch, and eventually many Wii U exclusives were ported to that console.

In 2020 some sought out older Wii U consoles due to shortages of the Nintendo Switch during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Compute
The Wii U is powered by a three core 32-bit IBM Power-PC 750 CPU clocked at 1.243125 gigahertz and produced on a 45 nanometer SOI process. This is complemented by an AMD Radeon GPU clocked at 549.999755 megahertz, which is similar to the AMD RV770 GPU series (HD 4000) and built on a 40 nanometer process supporting up to 1080p output. The GPU has 320 stream processors, 16 texture mapping units, and eight render output units. Both processors have access to 4 gigabytes of shared DDR3-1600 RAM with up to 12.8 gigabytes a second of bandwidth. Though the hardware was underpowered for its time, careful consideration to memory hierarchy and interrelation between components eased many performance bottlenecks.

The basic Wii U has eight gigabytes of solid state storage, and the premium Wii U has 32 gigabytes of solid state storage.

Just as the Wii was often said to be twice as powerful as the GameCube, the Wii U is said to be roughly thrice as powerful as the Wii. Some also compare the power of the Wii U to that of the Xbox 360. While not necessarily true, these can be useful generalizations.

Console Hardware
As the wireless gamepad is a critical part of the Wii U, the system sports a relatively feature rich radio suite. The Wii U supports 2.4 gigahertz Wi-Fi b/g/n. The Wii U has an additional Wi-Fi N controller to Miracast to the GamePad.

The Wii U has an optical disk reader which uses 25 gigabyte capacity disks with rounded edges and has read speeds of up to 22 megabytes a second. These are essentially non-standard Blu-Ray disks, and as with previous disc based Nintendo consoles, the drive is incapable of reading standard Blu Ray and DVD media to avoid patent issues.

The Wii U has four USB ports, one of which can be used with an external storage drive or thumb drive for extra space. The Wii U can use SDHC cards up to 32 gigabytes of cpacity.

GamePad
The GamePad has a 6.2" LCD with a resolution of 854 by 480 pixels and a resistive touch screen that does not support multi-touch.

The GamePad has an NFC radio built in to use Amiibo.

The GamePad has an IR remote to control television sets.

The Wii U could technically support two gamepads, though this was not pursued in practice.

Other accessories
The Wii U can use a USB keyboard, though this feature was not available at launch.

Software
The Wii U runs its own specialized operating system.

Third Party Support
Some third party developers, such as Team Ninja, noted the relative ease of development for the system, comparing it to consoles from the previous generation, such as the Xbox 360. Other third party developers, such as Bethesda, noted that Nintendo did not approach them early enough for them to offer viable support for the Wii U.

Manuals
In the beginning, Wii U games had paper manuals, with Wii U games shifting to digital manuals around 2014.

Special Editions
Special editions and versions of the console.
 * Starlight Gaming Station - Kiosk for hospital use.

2012

 * New Super Mario Bros. U
 * Nintendo Land
 * Rabbids Land
 * ZombiU

2013
2013 was promoted by Nintendo as the Year of Luigi as the 30th anniversary of his first appearance.
 * Wii Fit U
 * Wii Party U
 * Wii Sports Club
 * Dr. Luigi
 * New Super Luigi U
 * Game & Wario
 * Super Mario 3D World
 * The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD
 * Pikmin 3
 * The Wonderful 101

Sonic Lost World
The Wii U version of this game featured exclusive DLC featuring crossovers with the Zelda and Yoshi game franchises.

Read more about Sonic Lost World on Wikipedia.

2014

 * Mario Kart 8
 * Super Smash Bros. for Wii U
 * Fatal Frame: Maiden of Black Water
 * Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze
 * Hyrule Warriors
 * Bayonetta 2
 * Meme Run
 * Sonic Boom: Rise of Lyric
 * The Letter

2015

 * Splatoon - The first game in the innovative Splatoon series
 * Xenoblade Chronicles X
 * Animal Crossing: Amiibo Festival
 * Mario Party 10
 * Kirby and the Rainbow Curse
 * Affordable Space Adventures
 * Tokyo Mirage Sessions ♯FE
 * Mario Tennis: Ultra Smash
 * Super Mario Maker
 * Yoshi's Woolly World

2016

 * Star Fox Zero
 * Star Fox Guard
 * Paper Mario: Color Splash
 * The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess HD
 * Pokkén Tournament

2017

 * The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

External Resources

 * Archived version of the official website in 2012
 * Archived version of the official website in 2013
 * Archived version of the official website in 2014
 * Archived version of the official website in 2015
 * Archived version of the official website in 2016
 * Archived version of the official website in 2017
 * Archived version of the official website in 2018
 * Video Game Console Library - Wii U page.

title: History of video games/Platforms/Wii U


text:
History of video games/Platforms/Xbox One

Development
Development of backwards compatibility tools for the Xbox One to support games for the original Xbox and Xbox 360 took a large amount of effort.

Launch
The Xbox One was launched in November of 2013 at a cost of $500. The Xbox One likely sold at a loss launch, with much of the manufacturing cost coming from the Kinect sensor. At the time of launch Shareholders were urging the company to sell off it's Xbox devision, a move that Steve Balmer successfully resisted at the same time that he was stepping down as CEO of Microsoft.

Controversy surrounds the launch due to Microsoft's planned use of an always online requirement, lack of backwards compatibility, and restrictions on game sharing. Furthermore there were privacy concerns regarding the required Kinect camera accessory. The competing PlayStation 4 launches without these restrictions and appeals to gamers as a gaming focused device. Microsoft quickly drops these restrictions, though their early fumble costs them market share.

Economizing
Over the course of 2014, Microsoft took many steps to make the Xbox One more consumer friendly and competitive in the market, including a number of price reductions and offering the system without a Kinect for a cheaper price.

For the market in Brazil Microsoft manufactured the Xbox One there, letting it cost only 2,199 reals compared to the cost of the PlayStation 4's Brazilian cost of 3,999 reals.

Software improvements
In late 2013 an incomplete developer mode for the Xbox One surfaced, prompting curiosity. By 2014 the ID@Xbox Indie development program had launched.

The Xbox One launched in Japan on September 4th, 2014, to little fanfare. Also in 2014 Microsoft acquired the Swedish company Mojang, the developers of Minecraft, for 2.5 billion dollars.

In 2015 backwards compatibility for the Xbox 360 was added to the Xbox One.

In early 2016 it was announced that the Xbox one would support Universal Windows Applications.

In January 2022 restrictions began being implemented to stop homebrew and emulation.

Refresh
The improved Xbox One S was launched on August 2nd, 2016.

In 2018 Microsoft acquires the developer Obsidian, giving them ownership of series like Pillars of Eternity.

The Xbox One X was launched in late 2017. By late August 2017 the original Xbox One was discontinued.

The price reduced Xbox One S All Digital Edition was launched in 2019.

Legacy
We lost the worst generation to lose in the Xbox One generation, where everybody built their digital library of games.

Production of the Xbox One S All Digital Edition and the Xbox One X were discontinued in early 2020 to focus on production of the upcoming Xbox Series X and Series X. This was confirmed officially in January 2022.

Compute
The Xbox One uses an AMD APU which contains the CPU and GPU. The Xbox One has an eight core Jaguar CPU clocked at 1.75 gigahertz.

The Xbox One GPU contains 12 compute units clocked at 853 megahertz.

The original Xbox One is capable of 1.31 teraflops of performance.

The CPU contains 32 megabytes of high speed ESRAM and eight gigabytes of DDR3 RAM.

Hardware
The Xbox One contains a 500 gigabyte hard drive and Blu-Ray drive. The Xbox One Elite Edition uses a one terabyte hybrid hard drive and SSD combo instead of a pure hard drive.

The Xbox One contains three Wi-Fi n radios and gigabit ethernet.

Design
Though the system would receive a 2014 Red Dot design award, popular reception of the design was less welcome, and comparisons to home AV equipment were often made.

Compute
The Xbox One S has an AMD APU containing eight Jaguar CPU cores clocked at 1.75 gigahertz and a GPU clocked at 914 megahertz.

The Xbox One S is capable of 1.4 teraflops of performance.

The Xbox One S has eight gigabytes of GDDR3 RAM.

Hardware
The Xbox One S has either a 500 gigabyte, a one terabyte, or a two terabyte hard disk drive depending on the model. The Xbox One S also has an Ultra HD Blu-Ray optical disk drive, though this was excluded from the all digital edition of the Xbox One S.

The Xbox One S motherboard was later reused on the Chwi Japanese Mini-PC.

Compute
The Xbox One X has an eight core CPU clocked at 2.3 gigahertz.

The Xbox One X GPU is based on the AMD Polaris architecture and is clocked at 1.172 gigahertz and has forty compute units. The Xbox One X outputs up to 4K resolution with HDR10 support.

The Xbox One X is capable of six teraflops of performance.

The Xbox One X has 12 gigabytes of GDDR5 at a speed of 326 gigabytes per second.

Hardware
The Xbox One X has eight gigabytes of flash storage and a one terabyte hard drive. The Xbox One X has a UHD Blu-Ray optical disk drive.

The Xbox One X has dual band (2.4 gigahertz and 5 gigahertz) ac Wi-Fi, a gigabit ethernet port, and an IR blaster.

Scorpio Dev Kit
The Scorpio Dev Kit is similar to an Xbox One X, but has a extra SSD with a one terabyte capacity, an OLED screen, 24 gigabytes of DDR5 RAM, and 44 GPU compute units.

Controller
The Xbox One controller uses four motors to create directional force feedback.

Security
The Xbox One has security features that would later become the Microsoft Pluton Processor.

2013

 * Crimson Dragon
 * Forza Motorsport 5
 * Xbox Fitness
 * Powerstar Golf

2014

 * Sunset Overdrive
 * Forza Horizon 2
 * Shape Up
 * Kinect Sports Rivals

2015

 * Halo 5: Guardians
 * Rare Replay
 * Forza Motorsport 6

2016

 * Forza Horizon 3
 * Fru

2017

 * Forza Motorsport 7

2018

 * Sea of Thieves
 * Forza Horizon 4

2020

 * Battletoads

Special Edition Xbox One consoles

 * Cyberpunk 2077 Xbox One X - Released in June 2020 with glow in the dark "No Future" tag - 45,000 made.

External Resources

 * Video Game Console Library - Xbox One page with launch photos.


text:
History of video games/Platforms/PlayStation 4

Development
Development of the PlayStation 4 started in 2007. Making the console easy to develop for was a priority, likely as a recognition of issues developers had using the powerful, but difficult to utilize hardware of the PlayStation 3.

Launch
There was great excitement around the launch of the eighth generation of video game consoles, with many wondering which emerging console would prove to be the best option. At a critical moment in 2013 Sony gained positive reactions when it announced it wouldn't have draconian restrictions on sharing physical copies of games, in stark contrast with unpopular decisions regarding the original Xbox One, including strict used game policies, always online requirements, and a Kinect requirement raising privacy issues. While Microsoft would quickly change course on their unpopular policies, this fumble gave the PlayStation 4 a critical early edge in the market.

The PlayStation 4 was launched on November 15th, 2013 in North America. The PlayStation 4 saw a Japanese launch on February 22nd, 2014 at a cost of 39,980 yen. The cost to manufacture a PlayStation 4 at launch compared to it's price is estimated to have given Sony a slight margin on console hardware.

Refresh

In January 2016 Sony Interactive Entertainment moved from Japan to San Mateo, California following an internal merger. Later in 2016, the PlayStation 4 line was given a refresh with two new major models released. The PlayStation 4 Slim was launched on September 15th, 2016 for $299, and the PlayStation 4 Pro was launched on November 10th, 2016 for $399. The Slim replaced the original model as the default choice, while the Pro offered a premium high end experience, with both offering improvements over the original model.

Legacy
The PlayStation 4 was followed by the PlayStation 5.

In April of 2021 the PlayStation communities feature was removed.

Original PlayStation 4 & Slim
A single chip includes an AMD APU containing an X86 64 eight core Jaguar CPU clocked at 1.6 gigahertz and a Radeon GPU with 18 compute units clocked at 800 megahertz.

The PS4 has eight gigabytes of unified GDDR5 RAM on a 256 bit bus with throughput of 176 gigabits per second.

The PlayStation 4 GPU has a performance of 1.84 teraflops.

PlayStation 4 Pro
The PlayStation 4 Pro is powered by an AMD APU containing an X86 64 eight core Jaguar CPU clocked at 2.13 gigahertz and a Radeon GPU with 36 compute units clocked at 911 megahertz.

The system has eight gigabytes of GDDR5 RAM with a throughput of 218 gigabits per second. The PlayStation 4 Pro also includes an additional one gigabyte of RAM for game swapping, and another separate bank consisting of 512 megabytes of RAM for specialized features.

The PlayStation 4 Pro GPU has a performance of 4.20 teraflops.

Secondary Processor
PlayStation 4 consoles contain a secondary ARM processor with a dedicated 256 megabytes of DDR3 SDRAM. The exact purpose of this low power subsystem remains open to speculation.

Hardware
The PS4 includes Wi-Fi b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth 4.0, and gigabit speed ethernet. This networking hardware allowed supported large game downloads, as well as game streaming.

Like the previous PS3, the PS4 includes a Blu-Ray drive, both to load game media and to load Blu-Ray movies.

The case of the PS4 is made of injection molded ABS plastic, and the Blu-Ray drive is mostly made out of polyoxymethylene plastic. Steel is widely used on the console interior, and an aluminum heatsink is used for heat dissipation. The original PS4 internals are relatively easy to access.

The PlayStation 4 Pro was noted for its loud cooling fans.

Software
The PlayStation 4 runs Orbis OS, a modified version of FreeBSD 9, as an operating system.

As with the PlayStation 3, and to a lesser extent the PlayStation 2, the PlayStation 4 was designed to be more than just a game console, and supported a number of extra features. The PlayStation 4 could play multimedia content, including overlaying custom music while playing a game. The PlayStation 4 includes a web browser, that uses the open source WebKit engine for rendering web content.

Special Edition Consoles

 * Persona 5 Royale Special Edition Line

2013

 * The Last of Us Remastered
 * Knack

inFAMOUS Second Son
Action adventure game.

Read more about inFAMOUS Second Son on Wikipedia.

The Tomorrow Children
A collaborative adventure game with cold war era iconography.

Read more about The Tomorrow Children on Wikipedia.

P.T.
Teaser of canceled game Silent Hills.

Read more about P.T. on Wikipedia.

2015

 * Bloodborne
 * Journey - Rerelease
 * Until Dawn
 * Gravity Rush Remastered
 * The Order: 1886

2016

 * Persona 5
 * The Last Guardian
 * Yakuza 6: The Song of Life
 * Uncharted 4: A Thief's End

2017

 * Uncharted: The Lost Legacy
 * Knack II
 * Monster of the Deep: Final Fantasy XV
 * Wipeout Omega Collection
 * Gravity Rush 2
 * Nioh
 * Horizon Zero Dawn

2018

 * Spider-Man
 * God of War
 * Shadow of the Colossus
 * Detroit: Become Human

2019

 * Persona 5 Royal
 * MediEvil
 * Sakura Wars

2020

 * Dreams
 * Persona 5 Scramble
 * Final Fantasy VII Remake
 * Ghost of Tsushima
 * The Last of Us Part II
 * Iron Man VR
 * Nioh 2

External Resources

 * Video Game Console Library - PlayStation 4 page.


text:
History of video games/Platforms/Switch

Development
The Nintendo Switch was preceded by both the Nintendo Wii U and the Nintendo 3DS.

Third party developers, including Capcom, persuaded Nintendo to make a console with at least 4 gigabytes of RAM during development.

The Nintendo Switch was announced by Satoru Iwata to investors as the NX in March 2015.

A number of false rumors circulated around the console prior to the launch of the system.

Launch
The Nintendo Switch was launched in March of 2017. Following the launch of the Nintendo Switch, Nintendo struggled to maintain stock of the system in multiple regions. In 10 months following the launch of the Switch, the system had already outsold the Wii U, and caused Nintendo to experience it's best quarter since 2009.

System Life
As a result of the trade war, Nintendo partially diverted some Nintendo Switch production from China to Vietnam in 2019, diversifying it's supply chain.

The Nintendo Switch Lite was launched on September 20th, 2019 for $199, integrating controllers into the console, and removing TV output.

In the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 the Nintendo Switch was widely sold out for a period of several months. High demand was confounded by limited supply, as computer chip shortages during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and 2021 constrained production of the new Nintendo Switch units. As a result, in combination with with other factors such as increased competition, earnings during this time for Nintendo were only slightly up.

On July 6th, 2021 a new model of Nintendo Switch was announced featuring improved hardware specifications.

In late 2021 the chip shortage began to seriously impact Switch production, with a 20% production reduction caused by the shortage.

Compute
The Switch uses a SOC based on the NVIDIA Tegra X1. The Switch has four 64-bit ARM Cortex A57 architecture cores clocked at 1020 megahertz (~One Gigahertz). The Switch also has an additional four low power ARM Cortex A53 architecture cores, which are said by some to be used by the SOC automatically for low power tasks and are not exposed to the switch operating system. Others claim these cores are totally unused.

The Switch GPU is an NVIDIA Maxwell Architecture GM20B and has 256 CUDA cores. The GPU is clocked at either 307.2 megahertz when either docked or undocked, or up to 769 megahertz when docked. The GPU has 16 texture units and 16 ROPs.

The Switch has four gigabytes of RAM. The memory controller governing the RAM on the Switch typically operates at 1600 megahertz when docked, and 1331 megahertz in portable mode, though developers can opt for higher clock rates in portable mode if needed. The Development kits differ from standard models here, as earlier dev kits featured 6 gigabytes of RAM and starting with the 2021 ADEV kit offered 8 gigabytes of RAM.

The Nintendo Switch is often compared to the Wii U in terms of computational power. Though on paper the switch and the Wii U appear comparable due to similar major specs, architectural differences between the two tend to give the Switch an advantage in general computational performance over it's less portable predecessor.

Console Hardware
The Nintendo Switch is fairly durable, with the main unit able to survive significant falls, albeit with damage.

The Switch shipped with 32GB of onboard NAND storage. This was enough for about 2-4 major games, or about a dozen or so small games. The Switch has a microSD card slot which supports cards up to 2TB in size through the SDXC standard.

Display
The original model Switch has a 1280 by 720 resolution 6.2 inch capacitive multitouch IPS LCD. The Switch lite has a 1280 by 720 resolution 5.5 inch capacitive multitouch LCD. A ST Microcontroller is used to handle touchscreen input.

The home button on the right JoyCon also contains a notification LED, but it went unused until the release of firmware version 9.0 in late 2019.

Sensors
The system includes an accelerometer and gyroscope. An ambient light sensor is used to automatically control screen brightness.

Unlike the 3DS which did have a built in microphone, the Nintendo Switch lacks a built in microphone, but can use a microphone built into a wired headset, a USB microphone, or a smartphone app for voice chat purposes. Game support for microphones is limited.

Battery
The Switch shipped with a 4,310mAh Lithium-ion battery, taking three hours to charge while sleeping. The original model of the system, HAC-001, lasted 2.5 hours to 6.5 hours and an increased efficiency revision in mid August 2019, HAC-001(-01), increased runtime to be 4.5 to 9 hours.

The device charges through a USB type C port. The Switch battery can become permanently unusable if left uncharged for periods of more than six months.

Networking
The Nintendo Switch supports dual band 2.4 gigahertz and 5 gigahertz Wi-Fi supporting b, g, n, and ac standards, as well as Bluetooth 4.1. Supported Wi-Fi encryption protocols include WEP and AES based WPA-PSK and WPA2-PSK. A number of college campuses encountered difficulty with the Switch on their wireless networks, requiring special steps to access their wireless networks.

The Switch allows USB ethernet adapters to be used when docked or with a specific accessory for the Switch Lite.

Other hardware
The Switch Dock and charging grip both have an STM32 microcontroller. The Switch Dock also features 2.5 megabytes of flash storage, a USB 3.0 hub, and a MyDP/Mobility Displayport to HDMI converter. The Switch dock uses slightly modified version of industry standard protocols, often leading to issues with 3rd party docks which typically implement the same standards without Nintendo's deviations, or when they fail to correctly match said deviations.

The Switch can use a USB keyboard and mouse.

JoyCons
The Joycons have an enhanced rumble feature called HD rumble, though this feature is absent from the integrated controls in the Switch Lite.

The Switch right JoyCon features an NFC radio, which is handled by the same STM32 microcontroller which handles the IR camera.

The right JoyCon contains an Infrared camera based on a CMOS sensor with a 5 micrometer pixel pitch. Four IR LEDs are used for illumination. The near inferred camera is capable of taking photos with a resolution of 240 by 320 pixels. An STM32 microcontroller built into the JoyCon handles the IR Camera.

The IR Camera was used extensively with Nintendo Labo.

Nintendo Switch Pro Controller
The ProThe Nintendo Switch Pro controller is a more traditional style controller released for the Switch. The controller contains vibration motors, NFC, and wireless connection support, though it lacks the IR camera of the JoyCons, and must charge over a cable instead of slotting into the console.

An easter egg containing the message "THX2 ALLGAMEFANZ" (Thanks to all game fans) is printed on the PCB of the pro controller.

Poke Ball Plus
The Poke Ball Plus was released on November 18th, 2018 as a special controller for use with the Nintendo Switch Pokemon games and Pokemon Go. The controller is shaped like a ball and contains a control stick, speaker, accelerometer, gyroscope, vibration motor, and LED. Designed to be used with a throwing motion, the controller created issues for dog owners, and many dogs were confused by nearby humans using the controller. The Poke Ball Plus has a non-removable lithium ion battery rated at 220mAh and charges over USB type C.

The Poke Ball Plus is shipped with data for the Pokemon Mew. Prior to this, Mew had only been officially obtainable in games by attending special events, or by trading with a player who had.

Mario Kart Live
The Mario Kart Live prototype used a Raspberry Pi W as it's onboard computer.

Game Media
Nintendo Switch Game cards are read only, with save data residing on the system's internal storage. Macronix XtraROM flash memory is used in the game cards for storage. Game cards are coated with denatonium benzoate, a non toxic potent bitterant, to reduce the chance of being accidentally swallowed. Both of these features make accidentally damaging cartridges or harming the user through improper use more difficult.

Games for the Nintendo Switch are not region locked. This allows a Switch to play games released in other countries.

Some games released for the Switch, such as Resident Evil 7, were streamed from an online server and did not actually run on the Switch hardware. This allowed the Switch to play games with much higher fidelity then possible on the base hardware, though at the cost of requiring a constant, good internet connection. This also presents a preservation issue, as these games are not actually rendered on hardware, and rely on external services which will eventually be shut down.

System Applications
A browsable E-Shop was included on the console. A Miimaker was also included, but was deemphasized. A user accessible internet browser was not shipped with the system. No games were bundled with the operating system, unlike the 3DS.

Operating System
Most operating system updates required user interaction and a reboot, however some firmware updates were able to be installed silently, without requiring user interaction or a reboot.

Nintendo Switch Online
Nintendo Switch Online is the online service for the Switch. Instead of using dedicated servers, multiplayer on the switch is conducted over peer to peer connections.

Backwards Compatibility
The Switch did not have backward compatibility with previous systems.

The Virtual Console did not return on the Nintendo Switch. A lack of a virtual console was a common point of frustration among Switch owners, and lead some to continue to keep using their Wii U consoles well into 2021.

Accessibility
The console was criticized for it's lack of accessibility, though this was slightly improved in software with time.

Some third parties would also attempt to address accessibility concerns on the system, though these approaches were hardware based.

Removal of Manuals
Unlike the Wii U and 3DS, which primarily offered digital manuals, most Nintendo Switch games lacked either a physical or a digital manual. This occasionally caused issues, such as when the Nintendo Switch Online service added StarTropics, which requires a manual to beat.

Some publishers did include manuals with their physical games. Some gamers took matters into their own hands and produced their own unofficial game manuals for games which did not ship with them.

Social Features
Social features like voice chat were moved to a companion app for smart devices.

The Switch did not support Nintendo's social media platform Miiverse, which was discontinued in late 2017. Instead the Switch supported linking to other Social Media services for sharing content.

Third-Party Hardware

 * Hot Wheels Switch Backpack
 * Clock

2017

 * Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
 * Arms
 * Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle
 * Golf Story
 * 1-2-Switch
 * Xenoblade Chronicles 2
 * Pokkén Tournament DX
 * The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

Breath of the Wild
Breath of the Wild is widely regarded as a mold breaking open world experience.

The cooking system in breath of the wild is hailed as a better representation of cooking then most games at the time provided.

Read more about The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild on Wikipedia.

Super Mario Odyssey

Commonly considered to be among the hallmark games for the system. This 3D platformer was noted for achieving some of the highest aggregate review scores of all time on release.

Read more about Super Mario Odyssey on Wikipedia.

Splatoon 2
Splatoon 2 was a popular continuation of the Splatoon series, sporting innovative shooter mechanics focused on map control and movement options.

The game featured integration with Miiverse, which was later spun off into its own communication functions after Miiverse proper ceased operation. Many gamers used this feature to promote a variety of causes in Inkopolis Square regarding topics outside of the game, ranging from bringing Black Lives Matter demonstrations, messages regarding the LGBTQ community, and demanding the release of Knack 2 for the PlayStation 4.

An unutilized function to check if the operating system was Windows 98 was included in the Splatoon 2 multiplayer software.

Read more about Splatoon 2 on Wikipedia.

2018

 * Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
 * Pokémon: Let's Go, Pikachu! and Let's Go, Eevee!
 * Super Mario Party
 * Mario Tennis Aces
 * Kirby Star Allies
 * Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze
 * Octopath Traveler
 * Xenoblade Chronicles 2: Torna – The Golden Country
 * Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker
 * Fitness Boxing

Nintendo Labo
Nintendo Labo was promoted on the Tonight Show with notable musicians performing a song using Labo instruments.

Read more about Nintendo Labo on Wikipedia.

Firewatch
The switch port of Firewatch included a hidden mini-game.

Read more about Firewatch on Wikipedia.

2019

 * Pokémon Sword and Shield
 * Luigi's Mansion 3
 * New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe
 * The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening
 * Super Mario Maker 2
 * Fire Emblem: Three Houses
 * Astral Chain
 * Yoshi's Crafted World
 * Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3: The Black Order

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
Port of CD Projekt Red's acclaimed RPG. Though visual quality had to be reduced to run on the switch, reviewers were still impressed by the ability of the game to run on Switch hardware at all due to it's reputation for being a computationally demanding game. Because of this, the Switch edition was often referred to as an "Impossible Port".

Read more about The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt - Complete Edition on Wikipedia.

Ring Fit Adventure
Nintendo's exergame focused on arm movement using a custom Pilates Joycon holder known as a "Ring-Con" and a leg strap.

Read more about Ring Fit Adventure on Wikipedia.

2020

 * Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition
 * Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Rescue Team DX
 * Paper Mario: The Origami King
 * Deadly Premonition 2: A Blessing in Disguise
 * Brigandine: The Legend of Runersia

Animal Crossing: New Horizons
A refresh of the Animal Crossing series, focused on homesteading a wild island with new crafting mechanics.

Read more about Animal Crossing: New Horizons on Wikipedia.

Good Job
A short physics puzzler about solving problems in an office as quickly as possible, regardless of mayhem caused.

Read more about Good Job! on Wikipedia.

Clubhouse Games: 51 Worldwide Classics
A digital complication of various traditional board games from around the world.

Read more about Clubhouse Games: 51 Worldwide Classics on Wikipedia.

Jump Rope Challenge
A simple free exergame released by Nintendo to give switch owners a simple workout activity they could perform while under lockdown during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Later on 3rd party manufactures released jump rope add on accessories for Joy-Cons intended for use with this game.

Read more about Jump Rope Challenge on Wikipedia.

Miitopia
Port of the casual 3DS RPG.

Read more about Miitopia on Wikipedia.

New Pokémon Snap
An updated take on the earlier Nintendo 64 game Pokémon Snap, featuring newer Pokemon and contemporary graphics.

Read more about New Pokémon Snap on Wikipedia.

Metroid Dread
This game stood out on a technical level, with reviewers noting speedy load times, quality graphics, and 5.1 surround sound support.

Read more about Metroid Dread on Wikipedia.

Pokémon Legends: Arceus
An open-world action RPG style Pokémon game.

Read more about Pokémon Legends: Arceus on Wikipedia.

Pokémon Scarlet and Violet
An open-world RPG style Pokémon game.

Read more about Pokémon Scarlet and Violet on Wikipedia.

Kirby and the Forgotten Land
A Kirby game set in the ruins of an abandoned civilization.

Read more about Kirby and the Forgotten Land on Wikipedia.

Dragon Quest Treasures
A Dragon Quest spin off game about obtaining treasures.

Read more about Dragon Quest Treasure on Wikipedia.

Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope
Read more about Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope on Wikipedia.

Splatoon 3
A third person shooter known for its multiplayer.

Read more about Splatoon 3 on Wikipedia.

Xenoblade Chronicles 3
Read more about Xenoblade Chronicles 3 on Wikipedia.

Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes
A musou game set in the same setting as Fire Emblem: Three Houses.

Read more about Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes on Wikipedia.

Bayonetta 3
Read more about Bayonetta 3 on Wikipedia.

Mario Strikers: Battle League
A Mario themed football (American Soccer) game.

Read more about Mario Strikers: Battle League on Wikipedia.

Nintendo Switch Sports
A game developed by Nintendo similar in style to Wii Sports, albeit not as a launch pack in title.

Read more about Nintendo Switch Sports on Wikipedia.

Fire Emblem Engage
A mainline game in the Fire Emblem series.

Read more about Fire Emblem Engage on Wikipedia.

Metroid Prime Remastered
Enhanced Remake of the GameCube game.

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
A sequel to Breath of the Wild featuring a similar overworld map with expanded areas, a new story, and different mechanics.

Read more about The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom on Wikipedia.

Pikmin 1
Rerelease of the GameCube game.

Pikmin 2
ReRelease of the GameCube game.

Bayonetta Origins: Cereza and the Lost Demon
A prequel to Bayonetta.

Read more about Bayonetta Origins: Cereza and the Lost Demon on Wikipedia.

Super Mario RPG
Enhanced remake of the SNES/Super Famicom Game.

Special Models
This section contains special editions and notable variants.

Special Editions

 * Animal Crossing: New Horizons edition - A Switch with pastel green and blue colors and a dock illustration.
 * LA Noire - Features art deco styling.
 * Mario - Features red and blue colors.
 * Crash Bandicoot N Sane Trilogy - Orange and Cyan, only 3 produced.
 * Pokemon Let's Go - Tan and Yellow Joycons with decal of Pikachu and Eevee.

Special Purpose

 * Starlight Gaming Station - A mobile kiosk version of the switch intended for hospital use.
 * Story Display Nintendo Switch Lite

External Resources

 * Official site
 * iFixit - Nintendo Switch page.

title: History of video games/Platforms/Switch


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History of video games/Platforms/3DS

Development
The Nintendo 3DS was preceded by the Nintendo DS.

Stereoscopic displays were considered for both the GameCube, and the GameBoy Advance SP, but were not implemented by Nintendo due to cost and technology limitations of the time. However, the announcement of the system did coincide with the popularity of using 3D cinema in the early 2010s.

There was internal debate concerning the launch price of the system, with Reggie Fils Amié pushing for a lower launch price in North America of $199 US dollars.

Launch
The 3DS launched in Japan on February 26, 2011. It launched March 25th in the United Kingdom. It launched March 27th, 2011 in the United States.

The system saw sluggish sales initially due to a high price of $250 and lackluster software library. A first year price cut to $169.99 allowed it to become the fastest selling console in Japanese history at that point in time, but it also caused Nintendo to post their first annual operating loss in company history.

The 3DS eshop was launched after the system via an update in 2011.

Ambassador Program
Following the price cut, an Ambassador Program was launched for those who purchased the console at the higher launch price, giving them free older titles. This program was generally received well, though the process of redeeming the reward was not seen as especially intuitive. This program received internal support from Reggie Fils Amié.

Concerns
At launch there was some concern regarding concerns of dangers caused by 3D on the system.

Growing line up
The 3DS XL was released on August 19th, 2012.

The 2DS was released on October 12, 2013.

New 3DS
The New 3DS and the New 3DS XL were released in Japan on October 11th, 2014.

In 2016 Nintendo established a bug bounty program for the 3DS.

The New 2DS XL was released in 2017.

Legacy
The 3DS was discontinued in September 2020, shipping over 75 million systems and 384 million games worldwide while stabilizing Nintendo's financial situation during the tumultuous Wii U era. Both the 3DS and the Wii U were succeeded by the Nintendo Switch, but the platform continued to be in high demand following the discontinuation, in part due to the special circumstances caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite the discontinuation of new hardware sales, the system still saw support, such as an system software update in 2021. In 2021 refurbished Nintendo 3DS and 2DS hardware continued to be sold by Nintendo, and these frequently sold out that year. Production of physical games continued past 2021, with these releases using somewhat different packaging in some instances.

By 2021 a number of 3DS game cartridges had noted high failure rates.

Compute
The original 3DS has a dual core 32-bit ARM11 architecture CPU with a 268 megahertz clock, and an ARM9 core having a 134 megahertz clock.

The original 3DS has 128 megabytes of fast cycle DRAM (FCRAM).

The original 3DS is often compared to the GameCube in terms of performance, with the New 3DS often being compared to the Wii in terms of performance. Both feature completely different architectures compared earlier Nintendo Home Consoles, making such comparisons only an extreme generalization.

Compute
The New 3DS has an upgraded quad core 32-bit ARM11 architecture CPU clocked at 804 megahertz and has more L2 cache then the original 3DS.

New 3DS models have 256 megabytes of fast cycle DRAM (FCRAM).

The new 3DS also has a CEVA TeakLite DSP clocked at 134 megahertz.

All models
The 3DS GPU is a DMA PICA clocked at 268MHz, the original 3DS has 6MB of VRAM, and the new 3DS has 10MB of VRAM.

System software is stored on encrypted non-volatile NAND.

The 3DS has two outward facing cameras for stereoscopic pictures, and one user facing camera. This arrangement is preserved on all consumer 3DS units, including 2DS units without stereoscopic screens.

Battery life lasts between three hours and seven hours depending on the model of 3DS used and software run.

The 3DS and 2DS lines support 2.4 gigahertz Wi-Fi b/g. Despite the fact that Wi-Fi n was rapidly gaining traction as a standard after being introduced in 2009, the 3DS did not support it.

2011

 * Mario Kart 7
 * Pilotwings Resort
 * Face Raiders
 * Super Mario 3D Land
 * Nintendogs + Cats
 * Swapnote
 * The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D

Cubic Ninja
Cubic Ninja was a gyroscopically controlled platformer that was generally praised for having an interesting concept, but panned for not implementing those ideas well.

This game attracted attention in 2014 when a homebrew exploit using the game was released, causing the price of the game to drastically rise.

Read more about Cubic Ninja on Wikipedia.

2012

 * Paper Mario: Sticker Star
 * Bravely Default
 * HarmoKnight
 * Crashmo
 * Etrian Odyssey IV
 * Dillon's Rolling Western
 * Fire Emblem Awakening
 * New Super Mario Bros. 2
 * Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance
 * Fantasy Life
 * Professor Layton vs. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney
 * Rhythm Thief & the Emperor's Treasure

Kid Icarus: Uprising
The first Kid Icarus series game released since the 1990's. A 3D shooter mostly featuring on rails gameplay. Well known for its writing and emotive acting.

Read more about Kid Icarus: Uprising on Wikipedia.

Animal Crossing: New Leaf
An portable entry to the Animal Crossing series which was well liked for adding improvements while staying faithful to the original series formula. This long lived game included a town players could develop as mayor. The game unusually had twin directors working together on the game.

Although developers feared players would ignore creativity features, gamers often expressed themselves in creative ways, such as through Aika Village.

Read more about Animal Crossing: New Leaf on Wikipedia.

2013

 * Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon
 * Pokémon X and Y
 * Chibi-Robo! Photo Finder
 * Monster Hunter 4
 * Shin Megami Tensei IV
 * Flipnote Studio 3D
 * Mario & Luigi: Dream Team
 * The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds
 * Mario Party: Island Tour

Tomodachi Life
Being a game focused on importing real life figures as characters, there was a controversy caused by gay players being unable to marry their spouse in game, excluding them from content available to heterosexual players. As a result, Nintendo promised to focus more on inclusivity in future games.

Read more about Tomodachi Life on Wikipedia.

Rusty's Real Deal Baseball
The game introduced Pappy Van Poodle who was a character that could only be encountered by not haggling and as a result went unnoticed by the most Nintendo fans on the internet for several years.

Read more about Rusty's Real Deal Baseball on Wikipedia.

2014

 * Kirby: Triple Deluxe
 * Pokémon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire
 * Persona Q: Shadow of the Labyrinth
 * Nintendo Badge Arcade
 * Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS
 * Shantae and the Pirate's Curse

2015

 * Bravely Second: End Layer
 * BoxBoy!
 * Animal Crossing: Happy Home Designer
 * Chibi-Robo! Zip Lash
 * Code Name: S.T.E.A.M.
 * Fire Emblem Fates
 * Monster Hunter Generations
 * Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam
 * The Legend of Zelda: Tri Force Heroes
 * The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask 3D
 * IronFall: Invasion
 * Stella Glow

2016

 * Detective Pikachu
 * Etrian Odyssey V
 * Culdcept Revolt
 * Metroid Prime: Federation Force
 * Miitopia
 * Pokémon Sun and Moon
 * Kirby: Planet Robobot
 * Super Mario Maker for Nintendo 3DS

2017

 * Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia
 * Metroid: Samus Returns
 * Pokémon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon
 * Kirby Battle Royale
 * Hey! Pikmin
 * Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey Redux

Pocket Card Jockey
A solitaire based horse racing game made by GameFreak.

Read more about Pocket Card Jockey on Wikipedia.

WarioWare Gold
A minigame collection game.

Read more about WarioWare Gold on Wikipedia.

Persona Q2: New Cinema Labyrinth
A sequel to Persona Q, featuring the addition of characters from Persona 5.

Read more about Persona Q2: New Cinema Labyrinth on Wikipedia.

Kirby's Extra Epic Yarn
A port of Kirby's Epic Yarn for the Nintendo Wii, which was released about 9 years prior in 2010 and 2011 depending on the region.

Read more about Kirby's Extra Epic Yarn on Wikipedia

Other System Software
A Netflix app was launched for the 3DS line in 2011.

On April 11th, 2012 Nintendo launched an early consumer AR application which assisted when touring the Louvre art museum in France.

In 2019 a third party released PDI check, a $99.99 app for the 3DS which leverages it's unique screen to check patients for stereopsis, color, and monocular near vision acuity in about 90 seconds. The app was used in some research projects.

Special Edition Consoles

 * Pikachu yellow and white
 * Persona Q 3DS XL - Blue with Le Grimoire de Coeur themed top shell and character art on bottom shell.

title: History of video games/Platforms/3DS


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History of video games/Platforms/PlayStation Vita

Development
The PlayStation Vita replaced the earlier PlayStation Portable

The PlayStation Vita was originally known as the Next Generation Portable or NGP.

Just prior to launch PlayStation Vita was rumored to have it's amount of RAM halved to make it more competitive through a price reduction, though these rumors were ultimately false.

Launch
The PlayStation Vita was launched in the United States of America in February 2012 with the Wi-Fi only Vita costing $249 and the 3G enabled Vita costing $299.

In early 2014 there were shortages of Vita consoles in stores.

PlayStation TV
The PlayStation TV, a micro console based on Vita hardware, was released in late 2014 for either 14,280 Japanese yen or $99 United States dollars. The system casing was colored off white in Japan, and black in the United States.

Stagnation
First party studios stopped developing for the Vita in 2015. Production of physical game cards ended in 2018.

Legacy
On March 2nd, 2019 production of the Vita ended, with no plans for a successor console. The Vita is estimated to have sold between 10 and 15 million consoles. Competition from the then rapidly evolving smartphone gaming scene is considered to be a contributing factor to the lukewarm adoption of the Vita. In 2021 Sony had planned on shuttering the PS Vita store, before deciding against the decision due to consumer backlash.

Compute
The PlayStation Vita has a four core ARM Cortex A9 CPU.

The PlayStation Vita has 512MB of RAM, 128 megabytes of VRAM, and 1GB of internal storage. This was a fairly decent amount of RAM for the time, and was chosen to ease development and multitasking functions.

Graphics
The PlayStation Vita has a PowerVR SGX543MP4+ GPU with 128MB of VRAM.

The PlayStation Vita has a 5 inch LCD with a resolution of 960 by 544 pixels. Some models featured an OLED screen, an early application of this technology in a major handheld game console.

Communications
The PlayStation Vita has 1x1 b/g/n WiFi, and Bluetooth 2.1 with EDR.

Some PlayStation Vitas have 3G cellular modems. At launch in the United States of America, 3G file downloads were limited to 20 megabytes due to restrictions set by AT&T, leading many to question why the value offered by the 3G model.

Power
A 3.7 volt lithium ion battery with a capacity of 2210 mAh powers the PlayStation Vita.

Hardware
Notably, both the PlayStation Vita and the Gamecube share a model number prefix with DOL.

2011

 * Ridge Racer
 * Akiba's Trip
 * Uncharted: Golden Abyss

2012

 * LittleBigPlanet PS Vita
 * Silent Hill: Book of Memories
 * Super Stardust Delta
 * Super Monkey Ball: Banana Splitz
 * Resistance: Burning Skies
 * Gravity Rush
 * Persona 4 Golden

2013

 * Killzone: Mercenary
 * Soul Sacrifice

2014

 * Freedom Wars
 * Phantasy Star Nova
 * Danganronpa Another Episode: Ultra Despair Girls
 * Oreshika: Tainted Bloodlines - RPG with unique art style.

2015

 * Persona 4: Dancing All Night

The Caligula Effect
The Caligula Effect is a JRPG with a somewhat unique focus on psychology.

Read more about The Caligula Effect on Wikipedia.


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History of video games/Platforms/GP2X

Launch
GamePark Holdings, also known as GPH, released the GP2X after splitting off from GamePark.

The GP2X was launched in South Korea in November of 2005.

About 30,000 GP2X consoles were sold by October 2006.

The improved spec GP2X F-200 was launched in October of 2007 for 125 British pounds.

Legacy
GamePark Holdings discontinued the GP2X in August of 2008 with 60,000 consoles sold.

After the company split, GamePark folded in 2007, and GamePark Holdings survived a bit longer till March 23rd, 2013.

Compute
The GP2X has a primary ARM920T CPU and a secondary ARM940T CPU, both clocked at 200 megahertz.

The GP2X has 64 megabytes of SDRAM.

F-100
The GP2X has 64 megabytes of NAND flash storage built in.

The original GP2X F-100 has an analog stick.

The GP2X display is a 3.5 inch LCD with a resolution of 320 by 240 pixels.

The GP2X is powered by dual AA batteries, though the power draw is such that standard alkaline batteries will last about ten minutes at most, with rechargeable batteries lasting six hours at most.

F-200 Only
The F-200 adds a touchscreen, improves expandable storage to the SDHC Standard, and replaces the D-pad with an improved 16 way D-Pad, but is otherwise identical to an F-100.

Software
The GP2X runs GNU/Linux.

Payback
3D open world game made in a similar style to early top down Grand Theft Auto games.

Read more about Payback on Wikipedia.

Wind and Water: Puzzle Battles
The demo of this game became a console pack in title after release in August 2007. The game was developed by the studio Yuan Works, which sources either state is in Korea, or Costa Rica.

Read more about Wind and Water: Puzzle Battles on Wikipedia.

External Resources

 * Archived version of the official website in 2005.

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History of video games/Open consoles

Intro
Open source consoles are an interesting field of study, as they offer historians an easy way to see how hardware evolves over the course of a product's lifespan. They also serve as an interesting intersection between the open-design movement, and video game console hardware.

Released Open Consoles

 * UzeBox
 * Tiny Arcade & Tiny Pocket
 * Game Gadget
 * Pokitto
 * Arduboy
 * Gamebuino
 * Adafruit PyGamer

title: History of video games/Open consoles


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User:Thent1234

Please see on the English Wikipedia

title: User:Thent1234