History MediaNotes / TheEighthGenerationOfConsoleVideoGames

* ''VideoGame/WarioWare'':

** ''[=WarioWare=] Gold''

2016 and 2017 would bring an interesting change in the form of an "8½ Generation", marked by two things: upgraded higher-spec versions of Sony and Microsoft's consoles and a new Nintendo console. The [=PlayStation 4 Pro=], released in November 2016, had enhanced performance and 4K resolution support, with the [=Xbox One X=] boasting similar upgrades the following November. In-between, in March 2017, Nintendo released the UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch as a "take two" for the generation. The Switch was a successor to the Wii U ''and'' Nintendo 3DS, being a "hybrid" game system that can function as a home console, a dedicated handheld, or both depending on how one feels like using it. Learning from their mistakes with the Wii U, the marketing was laser-focused, the system was easier to develop for, and (most importantly) it had games. Though its only major game at launch was the [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaBreathOfTheWild latest entry]] in ''Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda'' franchise, it had a new first-party KillerApp for every month of its launch year, setting the stage for a console that would not only outsell its predecessor before the year was over, but also manage to shoot past the Xbox One by the end of the generation to take second place. Well, if you judge the end of the generation by the launch of the competition's successor systems, anyway. While Sony and Microsoft launched their ninth generation systems in 2021, Nintendo continued to ride the Nintendo Switch and its two variants -- the handheld-only "Lite" variant released in late 2019 and a more premium "OLED" model in late 2021 -- for a few more years before even announcing a successor. And by the time they did, the Nintendo Switch had firmly cemented itself as the third best-selling console of all time.

* UsefulNotes/GoogleStadia
* UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch
* UsefulNotes/PlayStation4
* UsefulNotes/WiiU
* UsefulNotes/XboxOne

* UsefulNotes/Nintendo3DS
* UsefulNotes/PlayStationVita
* UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch Lite
* UsefulNotes/{{Evercade}}

2016 and 2017 would bring an interesting change in the form of an "8½ Generation", marked by two things: upgraded higher-spec versions of Sony and Microsoft's consoles and a new Nintendo console. The [=PlayStation 4 Pro=], released in November 2016, had enhanced performance and 4K resolution support, with the [=Xbox One X=] boasting similar upgrades the following November. In-between, in March 2017, Nintendo released the UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch as a "take two" for the generation. The Switch was a successor to the Wii U ''and'' Nintendo 3DS, being a "hybrid" game system that can function as a home console, a dedicated handheld, or both depending on how one feels like using it. Learning from their mistakes with the Wii U, the marketing was laser-focused, the system was easier to develop for, and (most importantly) it had games. Though its only major game at launch was the [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaBreathOfTheWild latest entry]] in ''Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda'' franchise, it had a new first-party KillerApp for every month of its launch year, setting the stage for a console that would not only outsell its predecessor before the year was over, but also manage to shoot past the Xbox One by the end of the generation to take second place. Nintendo would later release a handheld-only "Lite" variant in late 2019.

** ''VideoGame/NeedForSpeedMostWanted U''[[note]]Wii U port of Creator/CriterionGames' ''Need for Speed: Most Wanted''[[/note]]
** ''Need for Speed Rivals''
** ''Need for Speed'' (2015)

** ''Game and Wario''

** ''VideoGame/Disgaea7''

* ''VideoGame/FiveNightsAtFreddys''

** ''Silver Falls: Undertakers''

The main event began in earnest when Nintendo released the UsefulNotes/WiiU near the tail-end of 2012; the follow-up to the UsefulNotes/{{Wii}}, its gimmick was a large controller with a built-in 6.2" LCD screen. Unfortunately for Nintendo, whereas the Wii had been a breakthrough hit thanks to its easy-to-understand motion controls, the benefits of the Wii U [=GamePad=] were much harder to communicate. This wasn't helped by marketing which struggled to make it clear that the Wii U was even a new game console, and not just an add-on to the Wii. The console also had weak hardware specifications that were awkward to develop for, meaning many third-party developers outright refused to support the console. The Wii U languished in sales, leading to Nintendo's first financial loss since entering the video game business. Eventually, the company decided to cut their losses and quietly discontinue the console at the start of 2017, with the Wii U exiting the stage as Nintendo's worst-selling home console at under 14 million systems sold.

The main event began in earnest when Nintendo released the UsefulNotes/WiiU near the tail-end of 2012; the follow-up to the UsefulNotes/{{Wii}}, its gimmick was a large controller with a built-in 6.2" LCD screen. Unfortunately for Nintendo, whereas the Wii had been a breakthrough hit thanks to its easy-to-understand motion controls, the benefits of the Wii U [=GamePad=] were much harder to communicate. This wasn't helped by marketing which struggled to make it clear that the Wii U was even a new game console, and not just an add-on to the Wii. The console's also had weak hardware specifications that were awkward to develop for, meaning many third-party developers outright refused to support the console. The Wii U languished in sales, leading to Nintendo's first financial loss since entering the video game business. Eventually, the company decided to cut their losses and quietly discontinue the console at the start of 2017, with the Wii U exiting the stage as Nintendo's worst-selling home console at under 14 million systems sold.

** ''Silver Falls: Ghoul Busters''

** ''Silver Falls: 3 Down Stars''

*** ''Super Mario Party''

*** ''Mario Party: The Top 100''

* ''VideoGame/CallOfCthulhuTheOfficialVideoGame''

*** ''Mario Party 10''
*** ''Mario Party: Star Rush''

*** ''Mario Party: Island Tour''

* ''[[LightNovel/IsItWrongToTryToPickUpGirlsInADungeon Danmachi]]''

** ''Etrian Mystery Nexus''

** ''Etrian Odyssey Untold: The Millennium Girl''
** ''Etrian Odyssey 2 Untold: The Knight of Fafnir''

** ''Etrian Odyssey V: Beyond the Myth''