A visual history of Nintendo consoles

Nintendo's future has arrived. It's called the Switch, and, true to its name, it blurs the line between home console and portable gaming machine.

We can't say how good the new device will be just yet, but on concept alone, it looks neat.

This is far from the first time we've said that about a Nintendo console. The Japanese giant has earned legendary status among gaming fans for making machines - and a whole lot of games - that aren't quite like their peers.

Some of those have brought massive success; others have led to total failure. Though we don't know where the Switch will land in that spectrum, it appears to continue the company's penchant for doing its own thing.

To show you what we mean, here's a quick look back at the hardware Nintendo has released over the years.