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| Part of a series on the |
| History of video games |
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The eighth generation of video game consoles began in 2012, and consists of four home video game consoles: the Wii U released in 2012, the PlayStation 4 family in 2013, the Xbox One family in 2013, and the Nintendo Switch family in 2017.
The generation offered few signature hardware innovations. Sony and Microsoft continued to produce new systems with similar designs and capabilities as their predecessors, but with improved performance (processing speed, higher-resolution graphics, and increased storage capacity) that further moved consoles into confluence with personal computers, and furthering support for digital distribution and games as a service. Motion-controlled games of the seventh generation had waned in popularity, but consoles were preparing for advancement of virtual reality (VR), with Sony introducing the PlayStation VR in 2016.[1][2] Sony focused heavily on its first-party developers and console exclusives as key selling points, while Microsoft expanded its gaming services, creating the Xbox Game Pass subscription service for Xbox and Windows computers, and its xCloud game streaming service. Microsoft and Sony consoles saw mid-generation refreshes, with high-end revisions PlayStation 4 Pro and the Xbox One X, and lower-cost PlayStation 4 Slim and Xbox One S models that lacked some features. As of September 2023, the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One families had sold an estimated 117 and 58 million units, respectively.
Nintendo remained on a separate path from Sony or Microsoft in its blue ocean strategy. The Wii U was designed to be a more robust Wii to appeal to dedicated gamers, but its means and purpose were lost in how it was marketed. The Wii U substantially undersold Nintendo's projections, selling only 13.5 million units by its discontinuation in 2017, which drove Nintendo to release the Nintendo Switch by 2017, its design and marketing accounting for several of the faults of the Wii U while meeting a broad range of global demographics and possible gaming situations. Later, Nintendo released the Nintendo Switch Lite, a version that lacked the Switch's docking capabilities but had other component optimization and was otherwise compatible with all games. By March 2023, all Switch models have shipped over 125 million units, outselling the Wii.
Handheld consoles fought against increasing pressure of mobile gaming. The Nintendo 3DS and 2DS succeeded the Nintendo DS line, while the PlayStation Vita was the successor to the PlayStation Portable. Combined shipped units of the Nintendo 3DS/2DS family had reached 75 million by September 2019, but the Vita was estimated to have only sold about 10 million by the end of 2015. Sony discontinued the unit in 2019 and stated it had no present plans for handheld systems. Nintendo discontinued the Nintendo 3DS in 2020, ending the Nintendo DS families of systems. The Switch Lite acts as its de facto handheld successor.
The eighth-generation console market was also influenced by the lifting of China's ban on video consoles in 2015, as well as the growth of the mobile gaming sector. A number of retro microconsoles were also released during this period.
In November 2020, Sony and Microsoft released the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X and Series S respectively. Considered to be their highly anticipated next-generation systems, they continue the trend from the eighth generation with overall general improved computational performance, graphical output, and strong backward compatibility support to minimize the disruption of upgrading to the new platform.
Background
This generation was predicted to face competition from smartphones, tablets, and smart TVs.[3][4][5][6][7][8] In 2013, gaming revenue on Android overtook portable game console revenue, while remaining a distant second to iOS gaming revenue.[9] In fiscal year (FY) 2013 (ending early 2013), Nintendo sold 23.7 million consoles,[10] while Apple sold 58.2 million iPads in FY 2012 (ending late 2012).[11] One particular threat to the traditional console game sales model has been the free-to-play model, wherein most users play free, and either a small number of dedicated players spend enough to cover the rest, or the game is supported by advertising.[12]
The PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Wii U all use AMD GPUs, and two of them (PS4 and XBO) also use AMD CPUs on an x86-64 architecture, similar to common personal computers (as opposed to the IBM PowerPC Architecture used in the previous generation). Microsoft, Nintendo, and Sony were not aware that they were all using AMD hardware until their consoles were announced.[13] This shift was considered to be beneficial for multi-platform development, due to the increased similarities between PC hardware and console hardware. It also provided a boost in market share for AMD (which had faced increased competition from Intel in the PC market).[14]
Various microconsoles (which are smaller and mostly Android-based) have been released since 2012, although they are seldom referred to as being part of the eighth (or any) generation of video game consoles. These microconsoles have included the Ouya, Nvidia Shield Console, Amazon Fire TV, PlayStation TV, MOJO, Razer Switchblade, GamePop, GameStick, and PC-based Steam Machine consoles.[15][16][17] A number of microconsoles that were modeled as scaled-down versions of consoles from previous generations, running a selection of games from that console, were also released. These included the NES Classic Edition, the SNES Classic Edition, the PlayStation Classic, and the Sega Genesis Mini.
Cloud gaming options for the consoles also were developed in the eighth generation. PlayStation Now enables cloud gaming of PlayStation 2, 3, and 4 games to current PlayStation consoles and personal computers. Microsoft began developing a comparable service xCloud for Xbox and Windows games. Google released Stadia, a dedicated cloud gaming platform designed around reduced latency and advanced features not typical of these other cloud gaming options.
Transition
While earlier console generations generally lasted five to six years, the shift from seventh to eighth generation lasted about eight.[18] Unusually, the prior generation's best-selling unit, the Wii, was the first to be replaced in the eighth generation.[18] In 2011, Microsoft and Sony officials said they considered themselves only halfway through a ten-year lifecycle for their seventh-generation offerings.[19][20][21][22] The companies also said the addition of cameras and motion-based controllers like Xbox's Kinect and PlayStation Move extended these systems' lifetimes.[23] Nintendo president Satoru Iwata said that his company would release the Wii U due to declining sales of seventh-generation home consoles and that "the market is now waiting for a new proposal for home consoles".[24] Sony considered making its next console a digital download-only machine, but decided against it due to concerns about the inconsistency of internet speeds available globally, especially in developing countries.[25]
The introduction of the high-end PlayStation 4 Pro and Xbox One X in 2016 and 2017, respectively, led to some journalists to call these machines part of a "half generation" step within the 8th generation, new consoles that would continue to drive sales without introducing a significantly different line of hardware that would segment their consumer base.[26][27]
In 2020, Microsoft and Sony released their 9th-generation consoles: Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5. Both said they wanted a soft transition, meaning that the new hardware plays most or all of the platform's previous games.[28][29][30][31] Microsoft said Xbox Series X can play all Xbox One games, including games from the Xbox 360 and original Xbox console that are playable on the Xbox One, and introduced its Smart Delivery program to update some Xbox One games to enable play on the Xbox Series X. Sony has said the "overwhelming majority" of PlayStation 4 games play on the PlayStation 5, and that many run at higher frame rates and resolutions.[32]
Chinese market
The eighth generation of consoles also saw manufacturers re-enter the Chinese market. Since 2000, the Chinese government had banned the sale and distribution of video game consoles, citing concerns on their effect on youth. The ban led console gaming to a niche sector, including a black market for the purchase of these consoles, while also causing personal computing gaming to take off within China, including the spread of Internet cafes and PC bangs.[33] This ban lasted through January 2014, where the Chinese government first opened up to allow the sale of consoles in the Shanghai Free-Trade Zone (FTZ).[34] By July 2015, the ban on video game consoles was wholly lifted.[35] Access to the Chinese video game market is lucrative, having an estimated 500 million potential players[36] and representing over US$24 billion in revenues as of 2016.[37]
Microsoft and Sony quickly took advantage of the lifting of the ban, announcing sales of the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 platforms within the FTZ shortly after the 2014 announcement. Microsoft established a partnership with BesTV New Media Co, a subsidiary of the Shanghai Media Group, to sell Xbox One units in China,[38] with units first shipping by September 2014.[39] Sony worked with Shanghai Oriental Pearl Media in May 2014 to establish manufacturing in the FTZ,[36] with the PlayStation 4 and PlayStation Vita shipping into China by March 2015.[40] CEO of Sony Computer Entertainment Andrew House explained in September 2013 that the company intended to use the PlayStation Vita TV as a low-cost alternative for consumers in an attempt to penetrate the Chinese gaming market.[41]
Nintendo did not initially seek to bring the Wii U into China; Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aimé stated that China was of interest to the company after the ban was lifted, but considered that there were similar difficulties with establishing sales there as they had recently had with Brazil.[42] Later, Nintendo had teamed up with Tencent by April 2019 to help sell and distribute the Nintendo Switch as well as aid its games through the Chinese government approval process led by National Radio and Television Administration.[43][44]
Home consoles
Wii U
In November 2010, Nintendo of America CEO Reggie Fils-Aimé stated that the release of the next generation of Nintendo would be determined by the continued success of the Wii.[45] Nintendo announced its successor to the Wii, the Wii U, at the Electronic Entertainment Expo 2011 on June 7, 2011.[46] After the announcement, several journalists classified the system as the first eighth generation home console.[18][47][48] However, prominent sources have disputed this because of its comparative lack of power and older disc media type with respect to the announced specifications for PlayStation 4 and the Xbox One.[49][50]
The Wii U's main controller, the Wii U GamePad, features an embedded touchscreen that can work as an auxiliary interactive screen in a fashion similar to the Nintendo DS/3DS, or if compatible with "Off TV Play", can even act as the main screen itself, enabling games to be played without the need of a television. The Wii U is compatible with its predecessor's peripherals, such as the Wii Remote Plus, the Nunchuk, and the Wii Balance Board.[51]
The Wii U was released in North America on November 18, 2012, in Europe on November 30, 2012, and in Japan on December 8, 2012. It came in two versions, the Basic Model and the Deluxe/Premium Model, at the price of $300 and $349 US Dollars, respectively. On August 28, 2013, Nintendo announced the production of the Basic model has ended and expected supplies to be exhausted by September 20, 2013. On October 4, 2013, the Deluxe/Premium model was price cut from US$349 to US$300.[52]
The Wii U was initially expected to have lifetime sales of about over 100 million, comparable to the Wii.[53] However, it had lifetime sales of about only 13 million, in sharp contrast with the Wii. This financially hurt Nintendo, with several financial quarters running at a loss through 2014. Nintendo had anticipated the Wii U would sell similarly to the Wii, but it ended up selling worse than the GameCube and became Nintendo's least successful home console to date.[54] Nintendo officially discontinued the Wii U on January 31, 2017, due to its commercial failure, to make way for its second competitor, the Nintendo Switch, released one month later.[55]
PlayStation 4
On February 20, 2013, Sony announced the PlayStation 4 during a press conference in New York City. The console places an emphasis on features surrounding social interaction. Gameplay videos can be shared via the PlayStation Network and other services. Users can stream games being played by themselves or others (either through the console, or directly to Twitch). The DualShock 4 is similar to the previous DualShock 3 controller with the addition of a touchpad and a "Share" button along with a Light-emitting diode bar on the front to allow motion tracking. The PlayStation Camera camera accessory is offered for the system, with stereo camera lenses up to 1280×800px resolution with support for depth sensing similar to Microsoft's Kinect. It also remains compatible with the PlayStation Move peripherals. Second screen capabilities are available through mobile apps and the PlayStation Vita, as well as cloud gaming streaming through the Gaikai service.[56][57]
The PlayStation 4 was released on November 15, 2013, in North America and November 29, 2013, in Australia and Europe at US$399.99, A$549 and €399 respectively.
Xbox One
On May 21, 2013, Microsoft announced the Xbox One at an event in Redmond, Washington. The console focuses on entertainment, including the ability to pass television programming from a set-top box over HDMI and use a built-in electronic program guide, and the ability for computer multitasking by snapping applications (such as Skype and Internet Explorer) to the side of the screen, similarly to Windows 8. The controller has "Impulse Triggers" that provide Haptic technology feedback, and the ability to automatically record and save highlights from gameplay. An updated version of Kinect was developed with a 1080p camera and expanded voice controls. Originally bundled with the console it has since been excluded.[58][59]
The Xbox One was released in North America, Europe, and Australia on November 22, 2013, at a launch price of US$499.99, €499 and A$599 respectively with Japan, and was later released in 26 other markets in 2014. It had two mid-generation upgrades, one cheaper option released in 2016 called the Xbox One S, and the other called the Xbox One X which added 4K gaming. Microsoft claimed that the Xbox One X was the "World's most powerful console" and 40% more powerful than any other console at the time of its release.
Production of the Xbox One family of consoles were discontinued shortly after the launch of their successor, the Xbox Series X and S, at the end of 2020.[60]
Nintendo Switch
Due to the commercial failure of the Wii U, along with competition from mobile gaming, then-president Satoru Iwata sought to revitalize the company by creating a new strategy for Nintendo that included embracing mobile gaming, and developing new hardware that would be attractive to a wider range of audiences.[61] The hardware product was announced under the codename NX in a press conference held with DeNA on March 17, 2015,[62] and fully revealed as the Nintendo Switch on October 20, 2016. It was released worldwide on March 3, 2017, competing with the Xbox One and PlayStation 4.
The Switch is considered by Nintendo a home console that has multiple ways to play. The main unit, the Console, is a tablet-sized device with a touch-sensitive screen. It can be inserted into a Docking Station which allows games to be played on a connected television. Alternatively, two Joy-Con, motion-sensitive controllers comparable to the Wii Remotes, can be slotted onto the sides of the Console so the unit can be played as a handheld. Further, the Console can be set on a kickstand, allowing multiple players to see the screen and play games with separate Joy-Con. Additionally, Nintendo built the Switch on standard industry components, allowing for ease of porting games onto the system using standard software libraries and game engines rather than Nintendo's usual proprietary approaches. This enabled them to bring several third-party and independent game developers on board prior to launch to assure some third-party games in their software library.
Despite the Switch being significantly weaker in terms of processing power than its competitors, it was met with critical praise and commercial success. Nintendo had anticipated selling about 10 million Switches in the first year of release but ended up exceeding this projection with total first-year sales of over 17 million units, exceeding the Wii U's lifetime sales. In late 2017, the Nintendo Switch was the fastest selling console in US history, and in November 2018 it was the fastest selling of all the 8th generation consoles in the US.[63]
A hardware revision, the Switch Lite, was announced on July 10, 2019, and was released on September 20, 2019. The unit integrates the Joy-Con onto the main console with a smaller form-factor, making the unit strictly handheld rather than a hybrid system. Further details are described below under Handhelds. An enhanced model was announced on July 7, 2021, and was released on October 8, 2021, featuring a 4K-ready dock, a 7-inch OLED screen, a wider and adjustable stand, enhanced audio, a wired LAN port built into the dock, and 64 GB of internal storage.[64]
Comparison
| Product | Wii U | Nintendo Switch | Nintendo Switch (OLED) | PlayStation 4 | PlayStation 4 Slim | PlayStation 4 Pro | Xbox One | Xbox One S | Xbox One X | |
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| Manufacturer | Nintendo | Sony Interactive | Microsoft | |||||||
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(all digital edition)
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| Launch prices | US$ | US$299.99 (equivalent to $400 in 2023)[a] | US$299.99 (equivalent to $370 in 2023)[65] | US$349.99 (equivalent to $390 in 2023) | US$399.99 (equivalent to $520 in 2023)[71] | US$299.00 (equivalent to $380 in 2023) | US$399.00 (equivalent to $510 in 2023)[67] | US$499.99 (equivalent to $650 in 2023) | US$299.00 (equivalent to $380 in 2023) | US$499.99 (equivalent to $620 in 2023) |
| € | Set by retailers | €320 (equivalent to €400 in 2023) | €349 (equivalent to €420 in 2023) | €399.00 (equivalent to €490 in 2023)[71] | €299.99 (equivalent to €370 in 2023)[72] | €399.99 (equivalent to €490 in 2023)[72] | €499 (equivalent to €620 in 2023) | €299 (equivalent to €370 in 2023)[73] | €499.99 (equivalent to €610 in 2023)[74] | |
| GBP | Set by retailers | £279.99 (equivalent to £370 in 2023)[65] | £309.99 (equivalent to £370 in 2023) | £349.00 (equivalent to £510 in 2023)[71] | £345.00 (equivalent to £470 in 2023)[67] | £429.00 (equivalent to £620 in 2023) | £249 (equivalent to £340 in 2023)[73] | |||
| A$ | A$348.00 (equivalent to $440 in 2022) | A$469.95 (equivalent to $540 in 2022)[65] | A$540.00 (equivalent to $580 in 2022) | A$549.00 (equivalent to $680 in 2022)[71] | A$560.00 (equivalent to $650 in 2022)[67] | A$599.00 (equivalent to $740 in 2022) | ||||
| JP¥ | ¥26,250 (equivalent to ¥27,670 in 2019) | ¥29,980 (equivalent to ¥30,440 in 2019)[65] | ¥52,500 | ¥41,979 (equivalent to ¥43,860 in 2019) | ||||||
| Current prices | Discontinued | Same as launch prices | Discontinued | Same as launch prices | Discontinued | |||||
| Discontinued | January 31, 2017[75] | In production | September 15, 2016 | In production | Japan: January 5, 2021[76] | August 25, 2017[77] | Q4 2020 (All-Digital version discontinued July 16, 2020)[60] |
July 16, 2020[78] | ||
| Sales | Shipped | 13.56 million (as of December 31, 2018[update])[79] | 141.32 million (all models)[b] (as of March 31, 2024[update])[80] | 117.2 million (as of March 31, 2022[update])[81] | 58 million (as of June 30, 2023[update])[82] | |||||
| Sold | Not reported | Not reported | 106 million (as of December 31, 2019[update])[83] | |||||||
| Best-selling game | Mario Kart 8, 8.46 million (as of March 31, 2022[update])[84] | Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, 48.41 million (as of September 30, 2022[update])[85] | God of War (2018), 19.50 million (as of February 3, 2022[update])[86] | PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds, 8.00 million (as of July 2018[update])[87] | ||||||
| List of best-selling Wii U video games | List of best-selling Nintendo Switch video games | List of best-selling PlayStation 4 video games | List of best-selling Xbox One video games | |||||||
| Media | Game media |
|
Nintendo Switch game card (1-64 GB)[89] | Blu-ray (25/50 GB) (6x CAV)[90] | Blu-ray (25/50/66/100 GB) | |||||
| Other | Wii Optical Disc (4.7/8.5 GB) (6x CAV) | — | Blu-ray, DVD | Blu-ray, DVD, CD | Ultra HD Blu-ray, Blu-ray, DVD, CD[91]
| |||||
| Regional lockout | Region locked[92] | Unrestricted | Almost fully[93] Only DLC is region locked[94] |
Unrestricted[95][96] | ||||||
| Backward compatibility | Wii[c] | Partial[d] | Partial[e] | Partial[f] | ||||||
| CPU | Type | Tri-Core IBM PowerPC Espresso[101] | Quad-core ARM Cortex-A57, quad-core ARM Cortex-A53[g][102] | Octa-core AMD Jaguar-based[g][103] | Octa-core AMD Jaguar-based[g] | Octa-core AMD Jaguar-based[g][104] | Octa-core AMD Jaguar-based[g][105] | |||
| ISA | PowerPC | ARMv8-A | x86-64 | |||||||
| Clock speed | 1.24 GHz | 1.02 GHz | 1.60 GHz | 2.13 GHz | 1.75 GHz | 2.30 GHz | ||||
| L1 cache | 192 kB[h] | 576 kB[i] | 512 kB[h] | 512 kB[h] | ||||||
| L2 cache | 3 MB eDRAM @ 1.24GHz (CPU)
(159.1 GB/s)[j] |
2.5 MB[k] | 4 MB[l][106] | 4 MB[l][107] | ||||||
| L3 cache | 32 MB eDRAM @ 550 MHz (70.4 GB/s)[m][108] | — | — | 32 MB eSRAM @ 853 MHz (204 GB/s)[n][109] | 32 MB eSRAM @ 914 MHz (219 GB/s)[n][109] | —[110] | ||||
| 3 MB eSRAM[o] | ||||||||||
| Process | 45 nm | 20 nm[p] | 16 nm | 28 nm | 16 nm[111][112] | 28 nm | 16 nm | |||
| Secondary | ARM9 processor (for background tasks) | — | ARM processor (for background tasks)[113] | — | — | |||||
| GPU | Type | AMD Radeon-based "Latte"[114][115] | Nvidia GM20B Maxwell-based[116][117] | AMD Radeon-based "Liverpool" | AMD Radeon-based "Neo"[118] | AMD Radeon-based "Durango" | AMD Radeon-based "Scorpio Engine" | |||
| Clock speed | 550 MHz[115] | 307.2-768 MHz[q][119] | 800 MHz | 911 MHz[118] | 853 MHz | 914 MHz | 1,172 MHz[120] | |||
| Stream processors | 320[50][115] | 256[117] | 1152 | 2304[118] | 768[121][122] | 2560[123][120] | ||||
| TFLOP/s | 0.352[115] | 0.157-0.393[q][119] | 1.843 | 4.198[118] | 1.310 | 1.404 | 6.001[120] | |||
| TMUs | 16[115] | 16[117] | 72 | 144[118] | 48 | 160[120] | ||||
| Texture rate | 8.8 GTexel/s[115] | 4.9-12.3 GTexel/s | 57.6 GTexel/s | 131.2 GTexel/s[118] | 40.9 GTexel/s[124] | 43.8 GTexel/s | 187.5 GTexel/s[120] | |||
| ROPs | 8[115] | 16[117] | 32 | 64[118] | Zdroj:https://en.wikipedia.org?pojem=History_of_video_game_consoles_(eighth_generation)||||||
