Editing History of video games (section)

===High-definition graphics in video game hardware===
{{Main|Eighth generation of video game consoles}}
Cathode ray tube-based display units had begun to phase out in the 2000s, replaced by inexpensive [[flat-panel display|flat-screen]] televisions and monitors which had far higher screen resolution and refresh rates. Video game hardware began introducing support for the new [[HDMI|High-Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI)]] standard, allowing for resolutions up to [[4K resolution|4K]] (3840 × 2160 pixels), which itself stressed the need for more powerful GPU cards with faster processors and larger memory. Game engines such as Unreal, Unity, and DirectX have added support for improved texture mapping to support high-resolution textures to give photorealistic graphics in games.

[[File:Xbox-One-Kinect.jpg|thumb|right|The Xbox [[Kinect]]]]

Microsoft and Sony both released their next console generations, the [[Xbox One]] and [[PlayStation 4]], in 2013. Both expanded on features from their previous consoles with the added support for high-resolution graphics, and more support for digital distribution of content with additional storage space. The Xbox One had an initial flubbed launch, as Microsoft wanted to require users to be always connected to the Internet, along with persistent use of the Kinect motion sensor, which in turn would have given certain benefits to players. However, these decisions were met with negative feedback in the months prior to release over their privacy concerns, and Microsoft revamped their policies. The Kinect, though initially bundled with the Xbox One, was made optional, and a year after launch, Microsoft opted to end Kinect's production for the Xbox One.

Nintendo still kept to its own path. The company decided that the Wii may have lost a portion of its core gamers and developed the [[Wii U]] to draw this group back in. The Wii U, released in 2012, included a tablet-like [[Wii U GamePad]] that included controls and a touchscreen display that acted as a second screen during gameplay, along with support for Wii Remote controllers, and included backward compatibility with Wii games. The Wii U was a commercial failure for Nintendo following the Wii; while the Wii had sold more than 100 million units, the Wii U only sold about 13 million in its lifetime. Nintendo attributed this to both the marketing of the Wii U which failed to make clear the purpose of the GamePad and which made consumers believe it was just another tablet system, and to the lack of third-party support on the console which dropped off quickly once initial console sale numbers were obtained.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://twinfinite.net/2016/03/every-single-way-the-nintendo-wii-u-failed/|title=Every Single Way the Nintendo Wii U Failed|date=March 2, 2016}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://videogamesuncovered.com/features/why-the-wii-u-really-failed/|title=Why the Wii U Really Failed|first=Liam|last=Gittins|website=VGU|date=July 3, 2015 }}</ref> and marketing reasons.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.polygon.com/2014/8/5/5970787/wii-u-nintendo-bad-name|title=The Wii U name is still hurting Nintendo|first=Ben|last=Kuchera|website=[[Polygon (website)|Polygon]]|date=August 5, 2014}}</ref>

[[File:Nintendo-Switch-wJoyCons-BlRd-Standing-FL.jpg|thumb|right|The Nintendo Switch]]
Nintendo had already been working on its next console once the Wii U had been released, but pushed ahead as to get another console to release sooner to financially recover from the Wii U.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://mashable.com/2018/01/31/nintendo-switch-wii-u-failure-success/#KvMr7kP1Ziq3|title=Thank Nintendo's failed Wii U for the Switch's wild success|first=Peter Allen|last=Clark|website=mashable.com|date=January 31, 2018}}</ref> Again, staying with their past blue ocean strategy to focus on innovation rather than technical superiority of their competitors, Nintendo released the [[Nintendo Switch]] in 2017, one of the first hybrid consoles, with the ability to be played as a handheld device but also can be placed into a docking station connected to a television and played like a home console. The Switch uses a detachable [[Joy-Con]] which function as both regular controllers and as motion-sensing devices like the Wii Remote. Alongside the Switch, Nintendo sought out third-party support for the console from both triple-A studios and indie developers. The Switch proved to be very successful, as of 2022, it is Nintendo's best-selling home console, succeeding the Wii, and helped Nintendo regain position in the hardware market.

The handheld market began to wane in the 2010s as mobile gaming supplanted it. Nintendo continued to refine the DS line; it released the [[Nintendo 3DS]] in 2011, which included a screen with an [[autostereoscopic]] display as to create a 3D effect without the need for special glasses. Sony released the [[PlayStation Vita]] in 2012 as a successor to the PSP, which included a front touch screen and a back-facing touchpad in addition to existing control.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.gameinformer.com/b/news/archive/2011/09/13/playstation-vita-hits-japan-on-december-17.aspx |title=PlayStation Vita hit Japan on December 17 |author=Kollar, Phil |magazine=[[Game Informer]] |date=September 13, 2011 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111118013405/http://www.gameinformer.com/b/news/archive/2011/09/13/playstation-vita-hits-japan-on-december-17.aspx |archive-date=November 18, 2011 }}</ref> The Vita failed to gain significant market share, and after Sony discontinued the product, have stated they have no plans for further handheld systems. Nintendo, on the other hand, released a modified version of the Switch, the [[Nintendo Switch Lite]], in 2019. The Switch Lite is a lower-cost version that directly integrates the Joy-Con into the unit and removes other features, as to create a device that supports handheld gameplay directly, but is otherwise fully compatible with the existing Switch library.

In personal computers, the graphics card market centered on progress made by industry leaders NVidia and [[AMD]], who also supplied GPUs for the new consoles. Starting in the late 2010s, the power of these GPU cards were being used by [[cryptocurrency]] "miners", as they were lower cost than other computing hardware for the same purposes, and created a run on GPU cards that inflated prices and card shortages over extended periods.<ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.cnbc.com/2018/01/22/amd-nvidia-must-do-more-to-stop-cryptominers-from-causing-shortages.html | title = AMD, Nvidia must do more to stop cryptominers from causing PC gaming card shortages, price gouging | first = Tae | last = Kim | date = January 22, 2018 | access-date = March 16, 2021 | work = [[CNBC]] }}</ref> [[Solid-state drive]]s (SSDs), which had been used for [[flash cartridge|flash card]] storage for video game consoles in the past, had advanced far enough to become consumer options for large volume storage. Compared to the traditional [[hard disk drive]] (HDD) which used electromechanical parts, SSD drives have no mechanical componentry and are capable of much higher data throughput, which made them popular options for computers designed for video games.