History of video game consoles (eighth generation)

The eighth generation of video game consoles began in 2012. The eighth generation began with the release of Wii U. The PlayStation 4 was announced on February 20, 2013. It was released worldwide on November 15, 2013. Microsoft announced the Xbox One on May 21, 2013. It had its first regional release on November 22, 2013. For handheld game consoles, the generation began in February 2011. The first handheld was the Nintendo 3DS. The PlayStation Vita was released in December 2011 in Japan. It was available for the Western countries in February 2012.
It is believed by the video game media that the eighth generation home consoles compete with the smartphone, tablet, and Smart TV gaming markets. Because of this, some analysts incorrectly believed the eight generation would be the last generation of home consoles. Other such as the , , and are attempting to compete in this market. Nintendo officially discontinued the Wii U on January 31, 2017 in anticipation of the March 3, 2017 worldwide release of the Nintendo Switch. The Switch is a "hybrid" console that acts as both a home console and handheld device, and it is unclear if it is a late entry to the eighth generation or the beginning of a ninth generation of home consoles.