As audiences and analysts continue to speculate on the next era of video game hardware, many have been reminiscing over previous consoles, including the era that gave fans the PlayStation 3, the Xbox 360, and the Nintendo Wii U. Retailer GameStop unexpectedly joined in, though not in the way that many players would have hoped for, as the gaming shop boldly declared that the PS3, Xbox 360, and Wii U are now “officially” retro consoles. A number of fans no doubt remember when these systems first launched and had many happy memories playing on the hardware, but the GameStop announcement to formally categorize the PS3, Xbox 360, and Wii U as retro video game systems has sent some players spiraling through an existential crisis of realizing just how old those systems, and the fans themselves, now are.
For a quick rundown of gaming history, the Xbox 360 debuted in 2005, with the PlayStation 3 following up with a release in 2006. The Wii U is a bit of a surprise inclusion, as it did not release until 2012, five years after the original Nintendo Wii, which was oddly missing from GameStop’s lineup of newly recognized retro hardware. While there is no fully fixed criteria for what makes a video game console retro, many have used the 20-years-2-generations method. If either 20 years have passed since a system first released or two console generations have been launched since the system in question, then that would make the hardware retro. The Xbox360 and PS3 are now both 20 years past their original launch date, and the two consoles sit alongside the Wii U in having seen two more hardware generations released since they each debuted.
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GameStop Declares the PS3, Xbox 360, and Wii U as Retro Hardware
GameStop announced that it will now categorize the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and Nintendo Wii U, as well as any games for these systems, as retro. The announcement shared held a humorous tone, with the company making it clear that while the gaming systems are dated, the players who owned them at launch are “absolutely not old.” Audiences recognized the tongue-in-cheek line and quickly responded with a slew of jokes to show just how “not old” the newly declared retro gamers are feeling. Fellow retailer Meccha Japan chimed in with a “how do you do fellow kids” meme while players themselves shared a variety of GIFs showing their youth suddenly vanishing. Some teased that they were spared by the lack of the original Nintendo Wii console being included in the lineup, and there has been no official word from GameStop on the reason for that system’s absence from the list.
Rearrange the covers into the correct US release order.
Rearrange the covers into the correct US release order.
Easy (5)Medium (7)Hard (10)
Funnily enough, the actual age of the Wii U may have normally kept it from meeting the 20-years-2-generations retro criteria, but the release of the Nintendo Switch 2 does make the Wii U officially two console generations old. Of course, the PS3 and Xbox 360 were already hit with the retro status with the release of the PS5 and Xbox Series X|S, respectively, and the anticipation for the next console generation to arrive has left many reeling with the realization that the consoles they grew up with truly are old. It is worth noting that the sheer number of games originally released on these systems that have been getting remasters, remakes, and re-releases was already a reasonable indicator of how old these consoles were becoming, but seeing a major company like GameStop making a formal announcement on the matter has certainly been a shock dose of reality.
Video game hardware continues to evolve at a rapid pace, with early speculation on the PlayStation 6 and the next Xbox gaming console keeping many players focused on the future. It will only be a matter of time (literally) before the current generation of video game consoles are also declared to be retro, at which point they officially will join the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and Nintendo Wii U in the halls of gaming history.
