With the reveal of the Switch 2, Nintendo has, at last, finally confirmed the arrival of its latest console. With over 40 years of video game hardware under its belt, we’re very excited to see that it has up its sleeve this around, even if it does appear to be playing it on the safer side this time around on first impressions. If you are looking forward to this imminent future console, then we’ve delved deep into all of the Switch 2 trailer details here. However, right now, let's take a look back through history.
Nintendo has released eight home consoles (NES, Super NES, Virtual Boy, Nintendo 64, GameCube, Wii, Wii U, and the Switch) plus five handhelds (Game Boy, Game Boy Color, Game Boy Advance, DS, and 3DS) so far over the past five decades. But which comes out on top? I’ve had a go at ranking them via one of our IGN Tier Lists, taking into account both the innovation behind the hardware itself and the quality and legacy of each console’s games library. Take a look at my personal tier list here:
The NES was the first console I ever played and have deep-rooted memories of playing the original Super Mario Bros., Mega Man 2, and the unnecessarily challenging Hook platformer as a five-year-old so it’s hard for me not to put that in the S tier. And the hybrid design of the Switch is one of the most niftily put together pieces of hardware (stick drift aside) that I’ve laid hands on, as well as giving us some of Nintendo’s finest games in the form of The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom and Super Mario Odyssey means it joins the NES in the top bracket.
Don’t agree with me? Think that the Virtual Boy is actually better than the N64? Well, why not have a go at ranking all of the Nintendo consoles yourself in a tier list below where you can compare your own S, A, B, C, and D tiers with the whole of the IGN community.
Nintendo Consoles
Nintendo Consoles
We may have only seen two minutes in total of it so far, but where do you think the Nintendo Switch 2 will end up ranking when all is said and done? Let us know in the comments, as well as why you’ve ranked the consoles in the order you’ve chosen.
Simon Cardy desperately needs a new 3D Mario platformer in his life. Follow him on Bluesky at @cardy.bsky.social.
