History of video game consoles (eighth generation)
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 microconsoles such as the NVIDIA Shield, Steam Box, Ouya and GameStick 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.