Honestly, if you ask a casual fan how many Nintendo consoles are there, they’ll probably start counting on their fingers. NES, SNES, N64... maybe they’ll remember the GameCube or the Wii. If they’re really into it, they might shout "Switch!" and think they've nailed the quiz.
But they're wrong. Not even close, actually.
The real history of Nintendo hardware is a messy, beautiful, and sometimes confusing labyrinth of Japan-only releases, weird experimental handhelds, and enough hardware revisions to make your head spin. As of 2026, we aren't just looking at a handful of grey boxes. Between the legendary home consoles, the dominant handheld line, and the hybrid era currently led by the record-shattering Nintendo Switch 2, the actual number is closer to 33 distinct console systems if you count major hardware families and significant revisions.
Let's break down the madness.
The Forgotten Prequels: Before the NES
Most people think Nintendo's hardware journey started in 1983 with the Famicom (or 1985 for the NES in the States). That's a massive misconception. Before Mario even had a name, Nintendo was already experimenting with "dedicated" consoles.
We're talking about the Color TV-Game series.
Released between 1977 and 1980, these weren't consoles in the modern sense because they didn't take cartridges. You bought the box, and you got whatever games were hardwired into the circuitry. There were five of them in total:
💡 You might also like: Finding the High On Life Skate Park: A Guide to the Game's Weirdest Secret
- Color TV-Game 6: Six versions of "Light Tennis" (basically Pong).
- Color TV-Game 15: More variations and better controllers.
- Color TV-Game Racing 112: A top-down racing game that actually featured a steering wheel.
- Color TV-Game Block Breaker: A Breakout clone.
- Computer TV-Game: A port of the arcade game Computer Othello.
The Racing 112 model is actually historic because it was the first project Shigeru Miyamoto ever worked on for the company. Without these weird, orange-and-white plastic bricks, we probably wouldn't have the NES.
The "Main" Home Consoles
When people ask about how many Nintendo consoles are there, they usually mean the heavy hitters. These are the "generations" that defined living rooms for decades.
- Nintendo Entertainment System (NES): The 1985 savior of the North American gaming industry.
- Super Nintendo (SNES): The 16-bit king of the early 90s.
- Nintendo 64: 1996 brought us three dimensions and those weird three-pronged controllers.
- GameCube: Released in 2001, it was a literal purple lunchbox with a handle. It's a cult classic now, but it struggled against the PS2.
- Wii: 2006 changed everything. Motion controls. Grandma playing bowling. 101 million units sold.
- Wii U: The 2012 "oops" moment. It sold poorly (only about 13.5 million units), but it paved the way for the Switch.
Handhelds: The True Money-Makers
If you really want to know how many Nintendo consoles are there, you have to look at the portable side. This is where Nintendo has historically been untouchable.
The Game & Watch series started it all in 1980. There were 60 different models of these things! If you count every single Game & Watch as a console, the "official" count skyrockets into the hundreds, but most historians group them as one platform family.
Then came the Game Boy in 1989. It survived for nearly a decade before the Game Boy Color arrived in 1998. Some argue the Color is just a revision, but since it had its own exclusive games (that wouldn't run on the original), it counts as a distinct generational step.
🔗 Read more: Why the Mortal Kombat 2 Wikipedia Page is Still a Battlefield for Retro Fans
The Game Boy Advance (GBA) took over in 2001, followed by the Nintendo DS in 2004. The DS is still legendary—it’s the best-selling handheld ever, shifting 154 million units. Its successor, the Nintendo 3DS, kept the dual-screen dream alive in 2011, even adding glasses-free 3D that half of us turned off after ten minutes.
The Hybrid Revolution and the "Switch 2"
In 2017, Nintendo stopped trying to manage two separate hardware lines (home and handheld) and merged them into the Nintendo Switch. It was a gamble. It paid off.
As of early 2026, the original Switch is the second best-selling console in history, only just behind the PlayStation 2. But the big news lately is the Nintendo Switch 2, which launched in June 2025.
It’s been a monster success.
Reports from early 2026 show the Switch 2 has already moved over 19 million units globally. It’s significantly more powerful than the original, finally bringing 4K support when docked and featuring a massive 8-inch screen. More importantly, it’s fully backward compatible, which is basically the only reason some of us were willing to upgrade.
Defining the "Official" Count
So, what's the final tally? It depends on how you define "console."
If we look at major platform families—including dedicated consoles, home systems, handhelds, and the new hybrids—the list looks like this:
- Color TV-Game Series (1977)
- Game & Watch Series (1980)
- NES / Famicom (1983)
- Game Boy (1989)
- SNES (1990)
- Virtual Boy (1995) — The red-tinted headache machine.
- Nintendo 64 (1996)
- Game Boy Color (1998)
- Game Boy Advance (2001)
- GameCube (2001)
- Pokémon Mini (2001) — Yes, this tiny thing was technically a console with its own cartridges!
- Nintendo DS (2004)
- Wii (2006)
- Nintendo 3DS (2011)
- Wii U (2012)
- Nintendo Switch (2017)
- Nintendo Switch 2 (2025)
That's 17 distinct platform families.
However, if you start counting major hardware revisions like the Game Boy Advance SP, DS Lite, New Nintendo 3DS, or the Switch OLED, that number jumps to 33.
And honestly? If you’re a hardcore collector, you might even include the Panasonic Q (a GameCube that plays DVDs) or the iQue Player (a controller that plugs into a TV and plays N64 games in China).
🔗 Read more: Male Custom Content Sims 4: Why Your Sims Still Look Like Random Townies
Why This Matters for Your Collection
Knowing how many Nintendo consoles are there isn't just trivia; it’s a roadmap for collectors. Prices for "oddity" consoles like the Virtual Boy or the Pokémon Mini have skyrocketed lately.
If you're looking to start a collection, don't just aim for the big names. The real history is in the failures and the weird side-steps. The Wii U, once mocked, is now a sought-after piece of tech because so few were made compared to the Switch.
Actionable Next Steps:
- Check Your Attic: If you find an old Game Boy, check the model number. Revisions like the "Game Boy Light" (released only in Japan) are worth a fortune today.
- Monitor the Switch 2 Market: If you’re a fan of physical media, the Switch 2 is the current gold standard. Early 2026 sales figures suggest that while hardware is becoming easier to find, "Launch Edition" bundles are starting to disappear from retail shelves.
- Diversify Your Play: Don't sleep on the Nintendo Switch Online service. It’s currently the most legal way to play games from nearly 10 of the consoles listed above without spending thousands on eBay.
Nintendo has never been a company that follows the rules. They didn't care about the "console wars" in the way Sony and Microsoft did; they just wanted to make toys that people liked. Whether it's a 1977 Pong clone or a 2026 4K hybrid, the count keeps growing because the philosophy stays the same: fun first, specs second.