<s>
The	O
eighth	B-Application
generation	I-Application
of	I-Application
video	I-Application
game	I-Application
consoles	I-Application
began	O
in	O
2012	O
,	O
and	O
consists	O
of	O
four	O
home	B-Device
video	I-Device
game	I-Device
consoles	I-Device
:	O
the	B-Operating_System
Wii	I-Operating_System
U	O
released	O
in	O
2012	O
,	O
the	B-Operating_System
PlayStation	I-Operating_System
4	I-Operating_System
family	O
in	O
2013	O
,	O
the	B-Device
Xbox	I-Device
One	I-Device
family	O
in	O
2013	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
Nintendo	B-Application
Switch	I-Application
family	O
in	O
2017	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Sony	O
and	O
Microsoft	O
continued	O
to	O
produce	O
new	O
systems	O
with	O
similar	O
designs	O
and	O
capabilities	O
as	O
their	O
predecessors	O
,	O
but	O
with	O
improved	O
performance	O
(	O
processing	O
speed	O
,	O
higher-resolution	O
graphics	O
,	O
and	O
increased	O
storage	B-General_Concept
capacity	O
)	O
that	O
further	O
moved	O
consoles	O
into	O
confluence	O
with	O
personal	B-Device
computers	I-Device
,	O
and	O
furthering	O
support	O
for	O
digital	B-Application
distribution	I-Application
and	O
games	O
as	O
a	O
service	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Motion-controlled	B-Device
games	I-Device
of	O
the	O
seventh	B-Application
generation	I-Application
had	O
waned	O
in	O
popularity	O
,	O
but	O
consoles	O
were	O
preparing	O
for	O
advancement	O
of	O
virtual	B-Application
reality	I-Application
(	O
VR	O
)	O
,	O
with	O
Sony	O
introducing	O
the	O
PlayStation	B-Device
VR	I-Device
in	O
2016	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Sony	O
focused	O
heavily	O
on	O
its	O
first-party	O
developers	O
and	O
console	O
exclusives	O
as	O
key	O
selling	O
points	O
,	O
while	O
Microsoft	O
expanded	O
its	O
gaming	O
services	O
,	O
creating	O
the	O
Xbox	B-Application
Game	I-Application
Pass	I-Application
subscription	O
service	O
for	O
Xbox	B-Protocol
and	O
Windows	O
computers	O
,	O
and	O
its	O
xCloud	B-Application
game	O
streaming	O
service	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Microsoft	O
and	O
Sony	O
consoles	O
saw	O
mid-generation	O
refreshes	O
,	O
with	O
high-end	O
revisions	O
PlayStation	B-Device
4	I-Device
Pro	I-Device
and	O
the	B-Device
Xbox	I-Device
One	I-Device
X	O
,	O
and	O
lower-cost	O
PlayStation	B-Device
4	I-Device
Slim	I-Device
and	O
Xbox	B-Device
One	I-Device
S	O
models	O
that	O
lacked	O
some	O
features	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
of	O
2021	O
,	O
the	B-Operating_System
PlayStation	I-Operating_System
4	I-Operating_System
and	O
Xbox	B-Device
One	I-Device
families	O
had	O
sold	O
an	O
estimated	O
116	O
and	O
51	O
million	O
units	O
,	O
respectively	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	B-Operating_System
Wii	I-Operating_System
U	O
was	O
designed	O
to	O
be	O
a	O
more	O
robust	O
Wii	B-Operating_System
to	O
appeal	O
to	O
dedicated	O
gamers	O
,	O
but	O
its	O
means	O
and	O
purpose	O
were	O
lost	O
in	O
how	O
it	O
was	O
marketed	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	B-Operating_System
Wii	I-Operating_System
U	O
substantially	O
undersold	O
Nintendo	O
's	O
projections	O
,	O
selling	O
only	O
13.5	O
million	O
units	O
by	O
its	O
discontinuation	O
in	O
2017	O
,	O
which	O
drove	O
Nintendo	O
to	O
release	O
the	O
Nintendo	B-Application
Switch	I-Application
by	O
2017	O
,	O
its	O
design	O
and	O
marketing	O
accounting	O
for	O
several	O
of	O
the	O
faults	O
of	O
the	B-Operating_System
Wii	I-Operating_System
U	O
while	O
meeting	O
a	O
broad	O
range	O
of	O
global	O
demographics	O
and	O
possible	O
gaming	O
situations	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Later	O
,	O
Nintendo	O
released	O
the	O
Nintendo	B-Device
Switch	I-Device
Lite	I-Device
,	O
a	O
version	O
that	O
lacked	O
the	O
Switch	O
's	O
docking	O
capabilities	O
but	O
had	O
other	O
component	O
optimization	O
and	O
was	O
otherwise	O
compatible	O
with	O
all	O
games	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
By	O
December	O
2021	O
,	O
the	O
two	O
Switch	O
models	O
had	O
shipped	O
a	O
combined	O
103.54	O
million	O
units	O
,	O
outselling	O
the	B-Operating_System
Wii	I-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
Handheld	B-Application
consoles	I-Application
fought	O
against	O
increasing	O
pressure	O
of	O
mobile	B-Application
gaming	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Nintendo	B-Operating_System
3DS	I-Operating_System
and	O
2DS	B-Device
succeeded	O
the	O
now-discontinued	O
Nintendo	B-Device
DS	I-Device
line	O
,	O
while	O
the	O
PlayStation	B-Device
Vita	I-Device
was	O
the	O
successor	O
to	O
the	O
PlayStation	B-Operating_System
Portable	I-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
Combined	O
shipped	O
units	O
of	O
the	O
Nintendo	O
3DS/2DS	O
family	O
had	O
reached	O
75	O
million	O
by	O
September	O
2019	O
,	O
but	O
the	O
Vita	O
was	O
estimated	O
to	O
have	O
only	O
sold	O
about	O
10	O
million	O
by	O
the	O
end	O
of	O
2015	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Sony	O
discontinued	O
the	O
unit	O
in	O
2019	O
and	O
stated	O
it	O
had	O
no	O
present	O
plans	O
for	O
handheld	B-Application
systems	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Nintendo	O
discontinued	O
the	O
Nintendo	B-Operating_System
3DS	I-Operating_System
in	O
2020	O
,	O
effectively	O
ending	O
production	O
of	O
handheld	B-Application
consoles	I-Application
outside	O
of	O
the	O
Switch	O
and	O
Switch	B-Device
Lite	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
eighth-generation	O
console	O
market	O
was	O
also	O
influenced	O
by	O
the	O
lifting	O
of	O
China	O
's	O
ban	O
on	O
video	O
consoles	O
in	O
2015	O
,	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
the	O
growth	O
of	O
the	O
mobile	B-Application
gaming	I-Application
sector	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
number	O
of	O
retro	O
microconsoles	B-Device
were	O
also	O
released	O
during	O
this	O
period	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
November	O
2020	O
,	O
Sony	O
released	O
the	O
PlayStation	B-Device
5	I-Device
and	O
Microsoft	O
the	O
Xbox	B-Device
Series	I-Device
X	I-Device
and	I-Device
Series	I-Device
S	I-Device
.	O
Considered	O
to	O
be	O
their	O
highly	O
anticipated	O
next-generation	B-Device
systems	O
,	O
they	O
continue	O
the	O
trend	O
from	O
the	O
eighth	O
generation	O
with	O
overall	O
general	O
improved	O
computational	O
performance	O
,	O
graphical	O
output	O
,	O
and	O
strong	O
backward	B-General_Concept
compatibility	I-General_Concept
support	O
to	O
minimize	O
the	O
disruption	O
of	O
upgrading	O
to	O
the	O
new	O
platform	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
generation	O
was	O
predicted	O
to	O
face	O
competition	O
from	O
smartphones	B-Application
,	O
tablets	B-Device
,	O
and	O
smart	B-Device
TVs	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2013	O
,	O
gaming	O
revenue	O
on	O
Android	B-Application
overtook	O
portable	B-Application
game	I-Application
console	I-Application
revenue	O
,	O
while	O
remaining	O
a	O
distant	O
second	O
to	O
iOS	B-Application
gaming	O
revenue	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
fiscal	O
year	O
(	O
FY	O
)	O
2013	O
(	O
ending	O
early	O
2013	O
)	O
,	O
Nintendo	O
sold	O
23.7	O
million	O
consoles	O
,	O
while	O
Apple	O
sold	O
58.2	O
million	O
iPads	B-Device
in	O
FY	O
2012	O
(	O
ending	O
late	O
2012	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
One	O
particular	O
threat	O
to	O
the	O
traditional	O
console	O
game	O
sales	O
model	O
has	O
been	O
the	O
free-to-play	B-Device
model	O
,	O
wherein	O
most	O
users	O
play	O
free	O
,	O
and	O
either	O
a	O
small	O
number	O
of	O
dedicated	O
players	O
spend	O
enough	O
to	O
cover	O
the	O
rest	O
,	O
or	O
the	O
game	O
is	O
supported	O
by	O
advertising	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	B-Operating_System
PlayStation	I-Operating_System
4	I-Operating_System
,	O
Xbox	B-Device
One	I-Device
,	O
and	O
Wii	B-Device
U	I-Device
all	O
use	O
AMD	O
GPUs	B-Architecture
,	O
and	O
two	O
of	O
them	O
(	O
PS4	B-Operating_System
and	O
XBO	B-Device
)	O
also	O
use	O
AMD	O
CPUs	B-General_Concept
on	O
an	O
x86-64	B-Device
architecture	O
,	O
similar	O
to	O
common	O
personal	B-Device
computers	I-Device
(	O
as	O
opposed	O
to	O
the	O
IBM	B-Architecture
PowerPC	I-Architecture
Architecture	O
used	O
in	O
the	O
previous	O
generation	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
shift	O
was	O
considered	O
to	O
be	O
beneficial	O
for	O
multi-platform	B-Operating_System
development	O
,	O
due	O
to	O
the	O
increased	O
similarities	O
between	O
PC	O
hardware	O
and	O
console	O
hardware	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Various	O
microconsoles	B-Device
(	O
which	O
are	O
smaller	O
and	O
mostly	O
Android-based	O
)	O
have	O
been	O
released	O
since	O
2012	O
,	O
although	O
they	O
are	O
seldom	O
referred	O
to	O
as	O
being	O
part	O
of	O
the	O
eighth	O
(	O
or	O
any	O
)	O
generation	O
of	O
video	B-Application
game	I-Application
consoles	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
These	O
microconsoles	B-Device
have	O
included	O
the	O
Ouya	B-Application
,	O
Nvidia	B-Application
Shield	I-Application
Console	I-Application
,	O
Amazon	B-Application
Fire	I-Application
TV	I-Application
,	O
PlayStation	B-Device
TV	I-Device
,	O
MOJO	B-Application
,	O
Razer	B-Device
Switchblade	I-Device
,	O
GamePop	B-Application
,	O
GameStick	B-Application
,	O
and	O
PC-based	O
Steam	B-Device
Machine	I-Device
consoles	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
number	O
of	O
microconsoles	B-Device
that	O
were	O
modeled	O
as	O
scaled-down	O
versions	O
of	O
consoles	O
from	O
previous	O
generations	O
,	O
running	O
a	O
selection	O
of	O
games	O
from	O
that	O
console	O
,	O
were	O
also	O
released	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
These	O
included	O
the	O
NES	B-Application
Classic	I-Application
Edition	I-Application
,	O
the	O
SNES	B-Application
Classic	I-Application
Edition	I-Application
,	O
the	O
PlayStation	B-Device
Classic	I-Device
,	O
and	O
the	O
Sega	B-Application
Genesis	I-Application
Mini	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Cloud	B-Application
gaming	I-Application
options	O
for	O
the	O
consoles	O
also	O
were	O
developed	O
in	O
the	O
eighth	O
generation	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
PlayStation	B-General_Concept
Now	I-General_Concept
enables	O
cloud	B-Application
gaming	I-Application
of	O
PlayStation	B-Device
2	I-Device
,	O
3	O
,	O
and	O
4	O
games	O
to	O
current	O
PlayStation	B-Device
consoles	I-Device
and	O
personal	B-Device
computers	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
Microsoft	O
began	O
developing	O
a	O
comparable	O
service	O
xCloud	B-Application
for	O
Xbox	B-Protocol
and	O
Windows	O
games	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Google	B-Application
released	O
Stadia	B-Application
,	O
a	O
dedicated	O
cloud	B-Application
gaming	I-Application
platform	O
designed	O
around	O
reduced	O
latency	O
and	O
advanced	O
features	O
not	O
typical	O
of	O
these	O
other	O
cloud	B-Application
gaming	I-Application
options	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Unusually	O
,	O
the	O
prior	O
generation	O
's	O
best-selling	O
unit	O
,	O
the	B-Operating_System
Wii	I-Operating_System
,	O
was	O
the	O
first	O
to	O
be	O
replaced	O
in	O
the	O
eighth	O
generation	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
companies	O
also	O
said	O
the	O
addition	O
of	O
cameras	O
and	O
motion-based	B-Device
controllers	O
like	O
Xbox	B-Protocol
's	O
Kinect	B-Algorithm
and	O
PlayStation	B-Device
Move	I-Device
extended	O
these	O
systems	O
 '	O
lifetimes	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Nintendo	O
president	O
Satoru	O
Iwata	O
said	O
that	O
his	O
company	O
would	O
release	O
the	B-Operating_System
Wii	I-Operating_System
U	O
due	O
to	O
declining	O
sales	O
of	O
seventh-generation	O
home	B-Device
consoles	I-Device
and	O
that	O
"	O
the	O
market	O
is	O
now	O
waiting	O
for	O
a	O
new	O
proposal	O
for	O
home	B-Device
consoles	I-Device
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
introduction	O
of	O
the	O
high-end	O
PlayStation	B-Device
4	I-Device
Pro	I-Device
and	O
Xbox	B-Device
One	I-Device
X	O
in	O
2016	O
and	O
2017	O
,	O
respectively	O
,	O
led	O
to	O
some	O
journalists	O
to	O
call	O
these	O
machines	O
part	O
of	O
a	O
"	O
half	O
generation	O
"	O
step	O
within	O
the	O
8th	O
generation	O
,	O
new	O
consoles	O
that	O
would	O
continue	O
to	O
drive	O
sales	O
without	O
introducing	O
a	O
significantly	O
different	O
line	O
of	O
hardware	O
that	O
would	O
segment	O
their	O
consumer	O
base	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2020	O
,	O
Microsoft	O
and	O
Sony	O
released	O
their	O
9th-generation	O
consoles	O
:	O
Xbox	B-Device
Series	I-Device
X	I-Device
and	O
PlayStation	B-Device
5	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
Microsoft	O
said	O
Xbox	B-Device
Series	I-Device
X	I-Device
can	O
play	O
all	O
Xbox	B-Device
One	I-Device
games	I-Device
,	O
including	O
games	O
from	O
the	O
Xbox	B-Protocol
360	O
and	O
original	O
Xbox	B-Protocol
console	O
that	O
are	O
playable	O
on	O
the	B-Device
Xbox	I-Device
One	I-Device
,	O
and	O
introduced	O
its	O
Smart	O
Delivery	O
program	O
to	O
update	O
some	O
Xbox	B-Device
One	I-Device
games	I-Device
to	O
enable	O
play	O
on	O
the	O
Xbox	B-Device
Series	I-Device
X	I-Device
.	O
Sony	O
has	O
said	O
the	O
"	O
overwhelming	O
majority	O
"	O
of	O
PlayStation	B-Operating_System
4	I-Operating_System
games	O
play	O
on	O
the	O
PlayStation	B-Device
5	I-Device
,	O
and	O
that	O
many	O
run	O
at	O
higher	O
frame	O
rates	O
and	O
resolutions	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Since	O
2000	O
,	O
the	O
Chinese	O
government	O
had	O
banned	O
the	O
sale	O
and	O
distribution	O
of	O
video	B-Application
game	I-Application
consoles	I-Application
,	O
citing	O
concerns	O
on	O
their	O
effect	O
on	O
youth	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
ban	O
led	O
console	O
gaming	O
to	O
a	O
niche	O
sector	O
,	O
including	O
a	O
black	O
market	O
for	O
the	O
purchase	O
of	O
these	O
consoles	O
,	O
while	O
also	O
causing	O
personal	B-Device
computing	I-Device
gaming	O
to	O
take	O
off	O
within	O
China	O
,	O
including	O
the	O
spread	O
of	O
Internet	O
cafes	O
and	O
PC	O
bangs	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
By	O
July	O
2015	O
,	O
the	O
ban	O
on	O
video	B-Application
game	I-Application
consoles	I-Application
was	O
wholly	O
lifted	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Microsoft	O
and	O
Sony	O
quickly	O
took	O
advantage	O
of	O
the	O
lifting	O
of	O
the	O
ban	O
,	O
announcing	O
sales	O
of	O
the	B-Device
Xbox	I-Device
One	I-Device
and	O
PlayStation	B-Operating_System
4	I-Operating_System
platforms	O
within	O
the	O
FTZ	O
shortly	O
after	O
the	O
2014	O
announcement	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Microsoft	O
established	O
a	O
partnership	O
with	O
BesTV	O
New	O
Media	B-General_Concept
Co	O
,	O
a	O
subsidiary	O
of	O
the	O
Shanghai	O
Media	B-General_Concept
Group	O
,	O
to	O
sell	O
Xbox	B-Device
One	I-Device
units	O
in	O
China	O
,	O
with	O
units	O
first	O
shipping	O
by	O
September	O
2014	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Sony	O
worked	O
with	O
Shanghai	O
Oriental	O
Pearl	O
Media	B-General_Concept
in	O
May	O
2014	O
to	O
establish	O
manufacturing	O
in	O
the	O
FTZ	O
,	O
with	O
the	B-Operating_System
PlayStation	I-Operating_System
4	I-Operating_System
and	O
PlayStation	B-Device
Vita	I-Device
shipping	O
into	O
China	O
by	O
March	O
2015	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
CEO	O
of	O
Sony	O
Computer	O
Entertainment	O
Andrew	O
House	O
explained	O
in	O
September	O
2013	O
that	O
the	O
company	O
intended	O
to	O
use	O
the	O
PlayStation	B-Device
Vita	I-Device
TV	I-Device
as	O
a	O
low-cost	O
alternative	O
for	O
consumers	O
in	O
an	O
attempt	O
to	O
penetrate	O
the	O
Chinese	O
gaming	O
market	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Nintendo	O
did	O
not	O
initially	O
seek	O
to	O
bring	O
the	B-Operating_System
Wii	I-Operating_System
U	O
into	O
China	O
;	O
Nintendo	O
of	O
America	O
president	O
Reggie	O
Fils-Aime	O
stated	O
that	O
China	O
was	O
of	O
interest	O
to	O
the	O
company	O
after	O
the	O
ban	O
was	O
lifted	O
,	O
but	O
considered	O
that	O
there	O
were	O
similar	O
difficulties	O
with	O
establishing	O
sales	O
there	O
as	O
they	O
had	O
recently	O
had	O
with	O
Brazil	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Later	O
,	O
Nintendo	O
had	O
teamed	O
up	O
with	O
Tencent	O
by	O
April	O
2019	O
to	O
help	O
sell	O
and	O
distribute	O
the	O
Nintendo	B-Application
Switch	I-Application
as	O
well	O
as	O
aid	O
its	O
games	O
through	O
the	O
Chinese	O
government	O
approval	O
process	B-Architecture
led	O
by	O
National	O
Radio	O
and	O
Television	O
Administration	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
November	O
2010	O
,	O
Nintendo	O
of	O
America	O
CEO	O
Reggie	O
Fils-Aime	O
stated	O
that	O
the	O
release	O
of	O
the	O
next	O
generation	O
of	O
Nintendo	O
would	O
be	O
determined	O
by	O
the	O
continued	O
success	O
of	O
the	B-Operating_System
Wii	I-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
Nintendo	O
announced	O
its	O
successor	O
to	O
the	B-Operating_System
Wii	I-Operating_System
,	O
the	B-Operating_System
Wii	I-Operating_System
U	O
,	O
at	O
the	O
Electronic	O
Entertainment	O
Expo	O
2011	O
on	O
June	O
7	O
,	O
2011	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
After	O
the	O
announcement	O
,	O
several	O
journalists	O
classified	O
the	O
system	O
as	O
the	O
first	O
eighth	O
generation	O
home	B-Device
console	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
However	O
,	O
prominent	O
sources	O
have	O
disputed	O
this	O
because	O
of	O
its	O
comparative	O
lack	O
of	O
power	O
and	O
older	O
disc	O
media	B-General_Concept
type	O
with	O
respect	O
to	O
the	O
announced	O
specifications	O
for	O
PlayStation	B-Operating_System
4	I-Operating_System
and	O
the	B-Device
Xbox	I-Device
One	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	B-Operating_System
Wii	I-Operating_System
U	O
's	O
main	O
controller	B-Device
,	O
the	B-Operating_System
Wii	I-Operating_System
U	O
GamePad	O
,	O
features	O
an	O
embedded	O
touchscreen	B-Device
that	O
can	O
work	O
as	O
an	O
auxiliary	O
interactive	O
screen	O
in	O
a	O
fashion	O
similar	O
to	O
the	O
Nintendo	O
DS/3DS	O
,	O
or	O
if	O
compatible	O
with	O
"	O
Off	B-Device
TV	I-Device
Play	I-Device
"	O
,	O
can	O
even	O
act	O
as	O
the	O
main	O
screen	O
itself	O
,	O
enabling	O
games	O
to	O
be	O
played	O
without	O
the	O
need	O
of	O
a	O
television	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	B-Operating_System
Wii	I-Operating_System
U	O
is	O
compatible	O
with	O
its	O
predecessor	O
's	O
peripherals	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
the	B-Operating_System
Wii	I-Operating_System
Remote	O
Plus	O
,	O
the	O
Nunchuk	O
,	O
and	O
the	B-Operating_System
Wii	I-Operating_System
Balance	O
Board	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	B-Operating_System
Wii	I-Operating_System
U	O
was	O
released	O
in	O
North	O
America	O
on	O
November	O
18	O
,	O
2012	O
,	O
in	O
Europe	O
on	O
November	O
30	O
,	O
2012	O
,	O
and	O
in	O
Japan	O
on	O
December	O
8	O
,	O
2012	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	B-Operating_System
Wii	I-Operating_System
U	O
had	O
lifetime	O
sales	O
of	O
about	O
13	O
million	O
,	O
in	O
sharp	O
contrast	O
with	O
the	B-Operating_System
Wii	I-Operating_System
,	O
which	O
had	O
over	O
100	O
million	O
over	O
its	O
life	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Nintendo	O
had	O
anticipated	O
the	B-Operating_System
Wii	I-Operating_System
U	O
would	O
sell	O
similarly	O
to	O
the	B-Operating_System
Wii	I-Operating_System
,	O
but	O
it	O
ended	O
up	O
selling	O
worse	O
than	O
the	O
GameCube	B-Application
and	O
became	O
Nintendo	O
's	O
least	O
successful	O
home	B-Device
console	I-Device
to	O
date	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Nintendo	O
officially	O
discontinued	O
the	B-Operating_System
Wii	I-Operating_System
U	O
on	O
January	O
31	O
,	O
2017	O
,	O
due	O
to	O
its	O
commercial	O
failure	O
to	O
make	O
way	O
for	O
its	O
second	O
competitor	O
,	O
the	O
Nintendo	B-Application
Switch	I-Application
,	O
released	O
one	O
month	O
later	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
February	O
20	O
,	O
2013	O
,	O
Sony	O
announced	O
the	B-Operating_System
PlayStation	I-Operating_System
4	I-Operating_System
during	O
a	O
press	O
conference	O
in	O
New	O
York	O
City	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Gameplay	O
videos	O
can	O
be	O
shared	O
via	O
the	O
PlayStation	B-Device
Network	I-Device
and	O
other	O
services	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
DualShock	O
4	O
is	O
similar	O
to	O
the	O
previous	O
DualShock	O
3	O
controller	B-Device
with	O
the	O
addition	O
of	O
a	O
touchpad	B-Application
and	O
a	O
"	O
Share	O
"	O
button	O
along	O
with	O
a	O
Light-emitting	O
diode	O
bar	O
on	O
the	O
front	O
to	O
allow	O
motion	O
tracking	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
PlayStation	B-Algorithm
Camera	I-Algorithm
camera	O
accessory	O
is	O
offered	O
for	O
the	O
system	O
,	O
with	O
stereo	B-Algorithm
camera	I-Algorithm
lenses	O
up	O
to	O
1280×800px	O
resolution	O
with	O
support	O
for	O
depth	O
sensing	O
similar	O
to	O
Microsoft	O
's	O
Kinect	B-Algorithm
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
also	O
remains	O
compatible	O
with	O
the	O
PlayStation	B-Device
Move	I-Device
peripherals	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Second	O
screen	O
capabilities	O
are	O
available	O
through	O
mobile	B-Application
apps	I-Application
and	O
the	O
PlayStation	B-Device
Vita	I-Device
,	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
cloud	B-Application
gaming	I-Application
streaming	O
through	O
the	O
Gaikai	O
service	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	B-Operating_System
PlayStation	I-Operating_System
4	I-Operating_System
was	O
released	O
on	O
November	O
15	O
,	O
2013	O
,	O
in	O
North	O
America	O
and	O
November	O
29	O
,	O
2013	O
,	O
in	O
Australia	O
and	O
Europe	O
at	O
US	O
$399.99	O
,	O
A$549	O
and	O
€399	O
respectively	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
May	O
21	O
,	O
2013	O
,	O
Microsoft	O
announced	O
the	B-Device
Xbox	I-Device
One	I-Device
at	O
an	O
event	O
in	O
Redmond	O
,	O
Washington	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
console	O
focuses	O
on	O
entertainment	O
,	O
including	O
the	O
ability	O
to	O
pass	O
television	O
programming	O
from	O
a	O
set-top	O
box	O
over	O
HDMI	B-Protocol
and	O
use	O
a	O
built-in	O
electronic	B-Device
program	I-Device
guide	I-Device
,	O
and	O
the	O
ability	O
for	O
computer	B-Operating_System
multitasking	I-Operating_System
by	O
snapping	O
applications	O
(	O
such	O
as	O
Skype	B-Application
and	O
Internet	B-Application
Explorer	I-Application
)	O
to	O
the	O
side	O
of	O
the	O
screen	O
,	O
similarly	O
to	O
Windows	B-Application
8	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
controller	B-Device
has	O
"	O
Impulse	O
Triggers	O
"	O
that	O
provide	O
Haptic	B-Device
technology	I-Device
feedback	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
ability	O
to	O
automatically	O
record	O
and	O
save	O
highlights	O
from	O
gameplay	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
An	O
updated	O
version	O
of	O
Kinect	B-Algorithm
was	O
developed	O
with	O
a	O
1080p	O
camera	O
and	O
expanded	O
voice	O
controls	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	B-Device
Xbox	I-Device
One	I-Device
was	O
released	O
in	O
North	O
America	O
,	O
Europe	O
,	O
and	O
Australia	O
on	O
November	O
22	O
,	O
2013	O
,	O
at	O
a	O
launch	O
price	O
of	O
US	O
$499.99	O
,	O
€499	O
and	O
A$599	O
respectively	O
with	O
Japan	O
,	O
and	O
was	O
later	O
released	O
in	O
26	O
other	O
markets	O
in	O
2014	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
had	O
two	O
mid-generation	O
upgrades	O
,	O
one	O
cheaper	O
option	O
released	O
in	O
2016	O
called	O
the	B-Device
Xbox	I-Device
One	I-Device
S	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
other	O
called	O
the	B-Device
Xbox	I-Device
One	I-Device
X	O
which	O
added	O
4K	B-Architecture
gaming	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Microsoft	O
claimed	O
that	O
the	B-Device
Xbox	I-Device
One	I-Device
X	O
was	O
the	O
"	O
World	O
's	O
most	O
powerful	O
console	O
"	O
and	O
40%	O
more	O
powerful	O
than	O
any	O
other	O
console	O
at	O
the	O
time	O
of	O
its	O
release	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Production	O
of	O
the	B-Device
Xbox	I-Device
One	I-Device
family	O
of	O
consoles	O
were	O
discontinued	O
shortly	O
after	O
the	O
launch	O
of	O
their	O
successor	O
,	O
the	O
Xbox	B-Device
Series	I-Device
X	I-Device
and	I-Device
S	I-Device
,	O
at	O
the	O
end	O
of	O
2020	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Due	O
to	O
the	O
commercial	O
failure	O
of	O
the	B-Operating_System
Wii	I-Operating_System
U	O
,	O
along	O
with	O
competition	O
from	O
mobile	B-Application
gaming	I-Application
,	O
then-president	O
Satoru	O
Iwata	O
sought	O
to	O
revitalize	O
the	O
company	O
by	O
creating	O
a	O
new	O
strategy	O
for	O
Nintendo	O
that	O
included	O
embracing	B-Application
mobile	I-Application
gaming	I-Application
,	O
and	O
developing	O
new	O
hardware	O
that	O
would	O
be	O
attractive	O
to	O
a	O
wider	O
range	O
of	O
audiences	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
hardware	O
product	O
was	O
announced	O
under	O
the	O
codename	O
NX	O
in	O
a	O
press	O
conference	O
held	O
with	O
DeNA	O
on	O
March	O
17	O
,	O
2015	O
,	O
and	O
fully	O
revealed	O
as	O
the	O
Nintendo	B-Application
Switch	I-Application
on	O
October	O
20	O
,	O
2016	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
released	O
worldwide	O
on	O
March	O
3	O
,	O
2017	O
,	O
competing	O
with	O
the	B-Device
Xbox	I-Device
One	I-Device
and	O
PlayStation	B-Operating_System
4	I-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Switch	O
is	O
considered	O
by	O
Nintendo	O
a	O
home	B-Device
console	I-Device
that	O
has	O
multiple	O
ways	O
to	O
play	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
main	O
unit	O
,	O
the	O
Console	O
,	O
is	O
a	O
tablet-sized	O
device	O
with	O
a	O
touch-sensitive	B-Device
screen	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
can	O
be	O
inserted	O
into	O
a	O
Docking	O
Station	O
which	O
allows	O
games	O
to	O
be	O
played	O
on	O
a	O
connected	B-Device
television	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
Alternatively	O
,	O
two	O
Joy-Con	B-General_Concept
,	O
motion-sensitive	O
controllers	O
comparable	O
to	O
the	B-Operating_System
Wii	I-Operating_System
Remotes	O
,	O
can	O
be	O
slotted	O
onto	O
the	O
sides	O
of	O
the	O
Console	O
so	O
the	O
unit	O
can	O
be	O
played	O
as	O
a	O
handheld	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Further	O
,	O
the	O
Console	O
can	O
be	O
set	O
on	O
a	O
kickstand	O
,	O
allowing	O
multiple	O
players	O
to	O
see	O
the	O
screen	O
and	O
play	O
games	O
with	O
separate	O
Joy-Con	B-General_Concept
.	O
</s>
<s>
Nintendo	O
had	O
anticipated	O
selling	O
about	O
10	O
million	O
Switches	O
in	O
the	O
first	O
year	O
of	O
release	O
but	O
ended	O
up	O
exceeding	O
this	O
projection	O
with	O
total	O
first-year	O
sales	O
of	O
over	O
17	O
million	O
units	O
,	O
exceeding	O
the	B-Operating_System
Wii	I-Operating_System
U	O
's	O
lifetime	O
sales	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
late	O
2017	O
,	O
the	O
Nintendo	B-Application
Switch	I-Application
was	O
the	O
fastest	O
selling	O
console	O
in	O
US	O
history	O
,	O
and	O
in	O
November	O
2018	O
it	O
was	O
the	O
fastest	O
selling	O
of	O
all	O
the	O
8th	B-Application
generation	I-Application
consoles	I-Application
in	O
the	O
US	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
hardware	O
revision	O
,	O
the	O
Switch	B-Device
Lite	I-Device
,	O
was	O
announced	O
on	O
July	O
10	O
,	O
2019	O
,	O
and	O
was	O
released	O
on	O
September	O
20	O
,	O
2019	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
unit	O
integrates	O
the	O
Joy-Con	B-General_Concept
onto	O
the	O
main	O
console	O
with	O
a	O
smaller	O
form-factor	O
,	O
making	O
the	O
unit	O
strictly	O
handheld	B-Application
rather	O
than	O
a	O
hybrid	O
system	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Further	O
details	O
are	O
described	O
below	O
under	O
Handhelds	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
An	O
enhanced	O
model	O
was	O
announced	O
on	O
July	O
7	O
,	O
2021	O
,	O
and	O
was	O
released	O
on	O
October	O
8	O
,	O
2021	O
,	O
featuring	O
a	O
4K-ready	O
dock	O
,	O
a	O
7-inch	O
OLED	B-Device
screen	I-Device
,	O
a	O
wider	O
and	O
adjustable	O
stand	O
,	O
enhanced	O
audio	O
,	O
a	O
wired	O
LAN	O
port	O
built	O
into	O
the	O
dock	O
,	O
and	O
64GB	O
of	O
internal	O
storage	B-General_Concept
.	O
</s>
<s>
|	O
-	O
Clock	O
speed	O
L1	O
cache	O
192kB	O
576kB	O
512kB	O
512kB	O
L2	O
cache	O
3MB	O
2.5MB	O
4MB	O
4MB	O
L3	O
cache	O
32MB	O
eDRAM	O
@	O
550MHz	O
rowspan	O
=	O
"	O
2	O
"	O
colspan	O
=	O
"	O
2	O
"	O
rowspan	O
=	O
"	O
2	O
"	O
colspan	O
="3	O
"	O
32MB	O
eSRAM	O
@	O
853MHz	O
32MB	O
eSRAM	O
@	O
914MHz	O
rowspan	O
=	O
"	O
2	O
"	O
3MB	O
eSRAM	O
Process	B-Architecture
45nm	B-Algorithm
20nm16nm28nm	O
16nm	O
28nm	O
16nm	O
Secondary	O
ARM9	O
processor	O
colspan	O
=	O
"	O
2	O
"	O
ARM	B-Architecture
processor	I-Architecture
GPU	B-Architecture
Type	O
AMD	O
Radeon-based	O
"	B-General_Concept
Latte	I-General_Concept
"	I-General_Concept
Nvidia	O
GM20B	O
Maxwell-based	O
AMD	O
Radeon-based	O
"	O
Liverpool	O
"	O
AMD	O
Radeon-based	O
"	O
Neo	O
"	O
AMD	O
Radeon-based	O
"	O
Durango	O
"	O
AMD	O
Radeon-based	O
"	O
Scorpio	O
Engine	O
"	O
Clock	O
speed	O
Stream	B-Application
processors	I-Application
320	O
256	O
1152	O
2304	O
768	O
2560	O
TFLOP/s	O
0.352	O
0.157-0.393	O
1.843	O
4.198	O
1.310	O
1.404	O
6.001	O
TMUs	B-General_Concept
161672	O
14448	O
160	O
Texture	O
rate	O
8.8GTexel/s	O
4.9-12.3GTexel/s	O
57.6GTexel/s	O
131.2GTexel/s	O
40.9GTexel/s	O
43.8GTexel/s	O
187.5GTexel/s	O
ROPs	B-General_Concept
8	O
16	O
32	O
64	O
16	O
32	O
Pixel	B-Algorithm
rate	O
4.4GPixel/s	O
4.9-12.3GPixel/s	O
25.6GPixel/s	O
58.30GPixel/s	O
13.6GPixel/s	O
14.6GPixel/s	O
37.5GPixel/s	O
Compute	B-Architecture
units	I-Architecture
5	O
2	O
18	O
36	O
12	O
40	O
Process	B-Architecture
40nm	O
20nm	O
28nm	O
16nm	O
28nm	O
16nm	O
MemoryMain	O
2GB	O
DDR3	O
SDRAM	O
4GB	O
LPDDR4	O
SDRAM	O
8GB	O
GDDR5	O
SDRAM	O
8GB	O
GDDR5	O
SDRAM	O
8GB	O
DDR3	O
SDRAM	O
12GB	O
GDDR5	O
SDRAMClock	O
speed800MHz	O
1600MHz	O
1700MHz	O
1375MHz	O
1700MHz	O
1066.5MHz	O
1700MHz	O
Bandwidth12.8GB/s25.6GB/s176.0GB/s217.6GB/s68.3GB/s326.4GB/s	O
1GBWii	O
U	O
Tech	O
Specs	O
.	O
</s>
