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Curated playlist

Backward-compatible video game consoles

  • PlayStation 3Sony lost more than US$240 on every PlayStation 3 it sold at launch.
  • GameCubeNintendo predicted 50 million GameCubes by 2005 but sold 21.74 million. The console was discontinued in February 2007.
  • PlayStation 5The PlayStation 5 beat the PS4's record launch within two weeks. Sony called it its largest launch ever.
  • WiiNintendo's Wii ended up in hospitals and nursing homes. It was built as a console for everyone, even grandparents.
  • Sega GenesisThe Sega Genesis reached 65% of the US 16-bit market by January 1992. It began as a gamble.
  • PlayStation 2In Japan's launch period, the PlayStation 2's best-selling title was a DVD of The Matrix, not a game.
  • Xbox 360Microsoft launched the Xbox 360 in 2005, just 69 days after production began. It sold out everywhere except Japan.
  • Xbox Series X and Series SMicrosoft built the Xbox Series X and Series S together so every game would run on both. Planning began around 2016.
  • Game Boy AdvanceThe Game Boy Advance sold 81,000 units in its first UK week, beating the PlayStation 2's record of 20,000.
  • Nintendo 3DSNintendo cut the 3DS price by nearly a third just months after launch. Early buyers got twenty free classic games.
  • Game Boy ColorThe Game Boy Color began as a shelved color prototype called Project Atlantis.
  • Nintendo DSNintendo called its own Nintendo DS an experimental "third pillar" before launch. It went on to sell 154 million units.
  • Master SystemThe Sega Master System lost in North America but kept selling in Brazil for decades.
  • Wii UThe Wii U sold just 13.56 million units, Nintendo's worst-selling home console.
  • Nintendo Switch 2Nintendo Switch 2 sold more than 3.5 million units within four days of its debut.

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