The Nintendo Game & Watch was a series of handheld electronic games released by Nintendo between 1980 and 1991. Each Game & Watch unit featured a single game and an LCD screen, which was quite innovative for its time. The games were simple and designed for quick, on-the-go play.

The original Game & Watch units used an LCD screen with a fixed number of segments that lit up to display the game's graphics. Players interacted with the game using a few buttons, and the games were often based on simple concepts like catching falling objects or avoiding obstacles.

Notably, the Game & Watch series included some iconic titles, such as "Ball," "Donkey Kong," and "Zelda." The Game & Watch  helped pave the way for future handheld gaming systems, including the Game Boy.

The Game Boy, released by Nintendo in 1989, was a groundbreaking handheld gaming console that became one of the most influential devices in video game history. It featured a monochrome LCD screen and was powered by four AA batteries, allowing for portable play on the go.

The Game Boy's design was relatively simple, but it was its extensive library of games and long battery life that made it a hit. Classic titles like "Tetris," "Pokémon Red and Blue," and "The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening" were among its standout games, contributing to its widespread popularity.

The Game Boy Pocket, released by Nintendo in 1996, was a slimmer, more compact version of the original Game Boy. It featured several improvements over its predecessor such being smaller and lighter, making it more portable and comfortable to hold. The Pocket model had a smaller, higher-contrast monochrome screen. While it retained the same basic display technology, the improved contrast made it easier to see the game graphics. It was fully compatible with the existing Game Boy game library, so players could use their old cartridges with the new model.

The Game Boy Color, released by Nintendo in 1998, was a significant upgrade from the earlier Game Boy models. The most notable enhancement was the introduction of a color LCD screen, which allowed games to be displayed in full color rather than the monochrome graphics of previous Game Boy models. This made for a more vibrant and engaging gaming experience. The Game Boy Color featured more advanced hardware compared to the original Game Boy and Game Boy Pocket. This included a faster CPU and more memory, which allowed for more complex and visually rich games. 

The Game Boy Advance, released by Nintendo in 2001, was a major leap forward in handheld gaming technology and design. 

The Game Boy Advance featured a 32-bit ARM7TDMI processor, which allowed for more sophisticated and visually impressive games compared to its predecessors. The screen was a 2.9-inch, backlit LCD display that offered better resolution and color depth.

 It had a new, more ergonomic design that was more comfortable to hold during extended play sessions. The unit was slightly larger than the Game Boy Color, but its design was well-received for its improved handling.

The Game Boy Advance SP, released by Nintendo in 2003, was an improved version of the Game Boy Advance.

One of the most significant changes was the adoption of a clamshell design, which allowed the system to fold shut, protecting the screen and making it more portable. This design also gave the unit a compact and sleek appearance.

The Game Boy Advance SP featured a frontlit LCD screen in the original model, but this was later upgraded in the AGS-101 revision (released in 2005) to a brighter, backlit screen. The backlight greatly improved visibility in low-light conditions and provided a more vibrant display.

The Nintendo DS, released in 2004, was a revolutionary handheld gaming console that introduced several new features and innovations to the gaming world. The most distinctive feature of the Nintendo DS was its dual-screen setup. The upper screen was a standard LCD display, while the lower screen was a touchscreen, allowing for new types of gameplay interactions. The lower screen was also used for various in-game functions, menus, and controls.

The Game Boy Micro, released by Nintendo in 2005, was a compact and sleek version of the Game Boy Advance. It was notable for its size and design, The Game Boy Micro was extremely small and lightweight, measuring just 4 inches wide, 2 inches high, and about half an inch thick. Its diminutive size made it one of the smallest handheld consoles ever made.

  The Game Boy Micro had a stylish and modern design, and it was available in various colors and limited edition designs. It also featured interchangeable faceplates, allowing users to customize the look of their device.

While the Game Boy Micro was praised for its innovative design and high-quality screen, it was not as commercially successful as other models in the Game Boy family. Its limited backward compatibility and the overall market environment contributed to its relatively modest sales compared to the more popular Game Boy Advance and DS lines.

The Nintendo DS Lite, released in 2006, was a refined version of the original Nintendo DS. It introduced several improvements and design changes that enhanced the handheld gaming experience. The DS Lite was sleeker and more compact than the original DS, with a more streamlined and elegant design. It was about 20% smaller and 30% lighter, making it more portable and comfortable to hold.

The DS Lite was fully compatible with the existing library of Nintendo DS games, as well as Game Boy Advance games, just like the original DS. This backward compatibility ensured a vast range of available titles.

The DSi is a handheld gaming console developed by Nintendo, released as a successor to the Nintendo DS in 2008. It was the third iteration in the DS family and introduced several upgrades and features over its predecessor.  The DSi had slightly bigger screens compared to the DS Lite.

The Nintendo 3DS is a handheld gaming console developed by Nintendo and released in 2011 as the successor to the Nintendo DS. Its standout feature was the ability to display stereoscopic 3D visuals without the need for special glasses. Compared to its predecessor, the 3DS offered better graphical capabilities, smoother animations, and more powerful hardware. The 3DS introduced an analog control stick (Circle Pad) in addition to the traditional D-pad, giving players more precise control in 3D environments.

The Nintendo Switch is a hybrid gaming console developed by Nintendo, first released in 2017. It can function as both a home console and a portable handheld device, the Switch is one of Nintendo's most successful consoles to date, known for its versatility, strong game library, and innovative design. 

  The console can be connected to a TV via the dock, allowing for traditional home console gaming. The console  has a built-in kickstand, and the controllers can be detached for play on the go. the detachable controllers can also be used separately for multiplayer gaming or combined into a traditional gamepad configuration.