In addition to the arcade game activity, Nintendo was testing the consumer handheld video game waters with the Game & Watch. The Game & Watch or G&W is a line of handheld electronic games produced by Nintendo from 1980 to 1991. Created by game designer Gunpei Yokoi, each Game & Watch features a single game to be played on an LCD screen in addition to a clock and/or an alarm. It was the earliest Nintendo product to garner major success, with 43.4 million units sold worldwide.

In July 1983, Nintendo released the Famicom (Family Computer) system in Japan, which was its first attempt at a cartridge-based video game console. The system sold over 500,000 units within two months at a price around $100 USD. In 1985, Nintendo announced that they were releasing the Famicom worldwide with a different design under the name the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES). Also in 1985, Super Mario Bros. was released for the Famicom in Japan and became a large success.

In 1989, Nintendo (which had seen a large amount of success from the Game & Watch) released the Game Boy (both created by Gunpei Yokoi), along with the accompanying game Tetris. Due to the price, the game and its durability (unlike the prior Microvision from Milton Bradley Company, which was prone to static and screen rot), the Game Boy line sold extremely well, eventually amassing sales of 118 million units.

The Super Famicom was released in Japan on November 21, 1990. The system's launch was successful selling 1.6 million units by June 1991. In August 1991, the Super Famicom was launched in the US under the name "Super Nintendo Entertainment System". The controller of the SNES had also improved over that of the NES, as it now had rounded edges and four new buttons, a standard which is evident on many modern controllers today.

On June 23, 1996, the Nintendo 64 (N64) was released in Japan, selling over 500,000 units on the first day of its release.[20] On September 29, 1996, Nintendo released the Nintendo 64 in North America, selling out the initial shipment of 350,000.[20] Many feel that the advertising onslaught by Sony at this time did not truly begin to take effect until many of the consumers who held out for the N64 became frustrated at the lack of software following the first few months after the system's release.

On October 13, 1998, the Game Boy Color was released in Japan, with releases in North America and Europe a month later. It was like the Game Boy, but it had color.

Nintendo released the Game Boy Advance in Japan on March 21, 2001, followed by the North American launch on June 11 and the European launch on June 22.

Nintendo released the Game Boy Advance in Japan on March 21, 2001, followed by the North American launch on June 11 and the European launch on June 22.

In May 2004, Nintendo announced plans to release a new brand of handheld, unrelated to the Game Boy, featuring two screens, one of which was touch-sensitive. The Nintendo DS, released on November 21, 2004, received over three million pre-orders. In addition to the touch screen, the DS can also create three-dimensional graphics, similar to those of the Nintendo 64, although its lack of hardware support for texture filtering results in more pixelated graphics than on the Nintendo 64.

The Nintendo Wii was first released on November 19, 2006 in the US, followed by the Japanese launch on December 2, the Australian launch on December 6, and the European launch on December 8. The console sold fast and was a big breakthrough for Nintendo. While at the time most competitors were focusing on more adult and fan-based games, Nintendo decided to release a console for a larger demographic, one including casual gamers, children and those who wouldn't ordinarily play video games.

Project Cafe was announced in 2011, and soon revealed later as the Wii U, an HD console with a now controller, the GamePad. Unfortunstely, confusing marketing and a lack of third-party support led to a very slow consumer adoption. Thus Nintendo quickly gained declining revenues throughout the mid-2010s. The Wii U was discontinued in 2017 as the lowest-selling Nintendo home console.

The same year, Nintendo released the 3DS, the first Nintendo handheld with stereoscopic 3D. Nintendo continued to be successful in the handheld market, and through its decade-long run, the 3DS sold 75 million units.

In October 2016, Nintendo revealed a new system called the Nintendo Switch, which was released on March 3, 2017. It is a hybrid video game console, capable of being played both at home on a television while docked, or as a portable system played on its built-in screen with the controllers, known as Joy-Cons directly attached to the sides of the unit