iQue, Ltd. () is a Chinese

video game A video game or computer game is an electronic game that involves interaction with a user interface or input device (such as a joystick, game controller, controller, computer keyboard, keyboard, or motion sensing device) to generate visual fe ...

game localization Video game localization (or computer game localisation), is the process of preparing a video game for a market outside of where it was originally published. The game's name, art assets, packaging, manuals, and cultural and legal differences are ty ...

and support development company located in

Suzhou Suzhou is a major prefecture-level city in southern Jiangsu province, China. As part of the Yangtze Delta megalopolis, it is a major economic center and focal point of trade and commerce. Founded in 514 BC, Suzhou rapidly grew in size by the ...

. It was founded as a

joint venture A joint venture (JV) is a business entity created by two or more parties, generally characterized by shared ownership, shared returns and risks, and shared governance. Companies typically pursue joint ventures for one of four reasons: to acce ...

between

Wei Yen Wei Yen () is a Taiwanese-American technologist and entrepreneur known for his contributions to computer graphics and consumer electronics. He has founded or led several technology companies, including ArtX, iQue, and AiLive, and has held exe ...

and

Nintendo is a Japanese Multinational corporation, multinational video game company headquartered in Kyoto. It develops, publishes, and releases both video games and video game consoles. The history of Nintendo began when craftsman Fusajiro Yamauchi ...

in 2002 as a Chinese video game console manufacturing company. The following year, the company released the

iQue Player The iQue Player () is a handheld TV game version of the Nintendo 64 console manufactured by iQue and released exclusively in China. It was developed as a joint venture between Nintendo and Wei Yen following China's ban on the sale of home video ...

. The company had manufactured and distributed official Nintendo products for the mainland Chinese market under the iQue brand until 2018. iQue only released portable Nintendo games for 3DS XL, DS,

Game Boy Advance The (GBA) is a 32-bit handheld game console, manufactured by Nintendo, which was released in Japan on March 21, 2001, and to international markets that June. It was later released in mainland China in 2004, under the name iQue Game Boy Advanc ...

, and

Game Boy Advance SP The Game Boy Advance SP (SP stands for "Special") is a 32-bit handheld game console made by Nintendo. It was released in Japan on February 14, 2003, and to international markets in March. This model is an upgraded version of the Game Boy Advance ...

. The iQue Player is the only home console available from the company in China. There were plans to release the

Wii The Wii ( ) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Nintendo. It was released on November 19, 2006, in North America, and in December 2006 for most other regions of the world. It is Nintendo's fifth major home game console, f ...

in all of China but when

Satoru Iwata Satoru Iwata (; December6, 1959July11, 2015) was a Japanese businessman, video game programmer and producer. Beginning in 2002, he was the fourth president of Nintendo, as well as the chief executive officer (CEO) of Nintendo of America from ...

officially announced the release date for it on 20 September of 2007, he said it would only be available in

Hong Kong Hong Kong)., Legally Hong Kong, China in international treaties and organizations. is a special administrative region of China. With 7.5 million residents in a territory, Hong Kong is the fourth most densely populated region in the wor ...

under the Nintendo brand. The

Nintendo DSi The is a foldable dual-screen handheld game console released by Nintendo. The console launched in Japan on November 1, 2008, and worldwide beginning in April 2009. It is the third iteration of the Nintendo DS, and its primary market rival was ...

was released in China in December 2009 as iQue DSi. The

Nintendo 3DS XL The is a foldable dual-screen handheld game console produced by Nintendo. Announced in March 2010 as the successor to the Nintendo DS, the console was released originally on February 26, 2011 and went through various revisions in its lifetime, ...

was released in China as iQue 3DS XL in December 2012. By 2013, the company became a

wholly-owned subsidiary A subsidiary, subsidiary company, or daughter company is a company completely or partially owned or controlled by another company, called the parent company or holding company, which has legal and financial control over the subsidiary company. Unl ...

of Nintendo. The company worked on the emulators for NES and Game Boy on Virtual Console for 3DS and Nintendo 64 for the Wii U in the beginning of the 2010s, while on Nintendo Switch, the company was responsible for the Nintendo 64 emulator for Nintendo Switch Online. By 2018, Nintendo had ceased any official distribution of older game consoles into mainland China under the iQue brand. Nintendo partnered with

Tencent Tencent Holdings Ltd. ( zh, s=腾讯, p=Téngxùn) is a Chinese Multinational corporation, multinational technology Conglomerate (company), conglomerate and holding company headquartered in Shenzhen. It is one of the highest grossing multimed ...

to bring the

Nintendo Switch The is a video game console developed by Nintendo and released worldwide in most regions on March 3, 2017. Released in the middle of the Eighth generation of video game consoles, eighth generation of home consoles, the Switch succeeded the ...

into the Chinese market at the end of 2019. Since 2017, iQue continues operations by offering consumer support for any previously released products, and translating and localizing new games released worldwide by Nintendo into simplified Chinese, while Nintendo Hong Kong does traditional Chinese. In 2019, iQue began to hire developers, along with programmers and testers, indicating that the company was transitioning into development to support game projects for

Nintendo EPD abbreviated Nintendo EPD, is the largest division within the Japanese video game company Nintendo. The division focuses on developing and producing video games, mobile apps, and other related entertainment software for the company. Nintendo EPD ...

iQue Player

The iQue Player is a micro variant of a home video game console by iQue that plays ports of Nintendo 64 games. It was uniquely designed to bypass China's ban on home console products placed at the time. 14 games came out for the console. '' The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask'' and a

Traditional Chinese A tradition is a system of beliefs or behaviors (folk custom) passed down within a group of people or society with symbolic meaning or special significance with origins in the past. A component of cultural expressions and folklore, common examp ...

translation of ''

Ocarina of Time is a 1998 action-adventure game developed and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo 64. The game was the first in the '' Legend of Zelda'' series with 3D graphics. It was released in Japan and North America in November 1998 and in PAL regi ...

'' were completed, but not released by iQue.

iQue Game Boy Advance

The iQue GBA is the Chinese version of the Game Boy Advance. It was released on 8 June 2004. 8 games have been released for the console. 12 more games were planned, but cancelled after high piracy of the system.

Cancelled Games

iQue Game Boy SP

The iQue Game Boy SP is the Chinese version of the Game Boy Advance SP. It is the same as a regular Game Boy Advance SP but has an "iQue" logo on the top of the casing instead of "Nintendo". It plays Game Boy, Game Boy Color and Game Boy Advance games and has a rechargeable battery. It was released in October 2004.

iQue Game Boy Micro

The iQue Micro is the Chinese version of the Game Boy Micro, and the smallest of the iQue family. It plays Game Boy Advance games. It was released in October 2005.

iQue DS

The iQue DS is the Chinese version of the Nintendo DS. It was released on 23 July 2005. 6 games have been released for the console. It is the only version of the Nintendo DS to have a regional lockout, so iQue DS games cannot be played on Nintendo DS systems from other regions. A Chinese version of Big Brain Academy was also planned, but cancelled. It appeared on the official iQue DS Lite trailer.

iQue DS Lite

The iQue DS Lite is the Chinese version of the Nintendo DS Lite. It plays Nintendo DS games and it is smaller than the original DS and it has a brighter screen than the original DS. It was released in June 2006.

iQue DSi

The iQue DSi is the Chinese version of the Nintendo DSi. It has a camera and it plays both DS and DSiWare games. It also comes with Nintendogs pre-installed in the system. It was released in December 2009.

iQue 3DS XL

The iQue 3DS XL is the Chinese Version of the Nintendo 3DS XL. It was the only version of the 3DS offered by iQue. Unlike the Nintendo 3DS XL from other regions, the iQue 3DS XL doesn't have a

Nintendo eShop The is a digital distribution service for the Nintendo Switch and the Nintendo Switch 2, and formerly available via the Nintendo Network for the Wii U and Nintendo 3DS. Launched in June 2011 on the Nintendo 3DS, the Nintendo eShop served ...

, save data can't be transferred from an iQue DSi to an iQue 3DS XL or between systems and iQue DSiWare can't be played on an iQue 3DS XL. Only 2 games have been released for the console and they were both preinstalled on every console made. No physical game cards were ever made. Due to the regional lockout, only games that provide simplified Chinese interface language can be used in iQue 3DS XL. Besides the two games listed above which were released by iQue, the following 14 games released by Nintendo Hong Kong and Nintendo Taiwan can also be used on this console and include a simplified Chinese interface language:

Comparison

References

External links

* {{Electronics industry in China Companies based in Suzhou Video game companies established in 2002 Chinese companies established in 2002 Manufacturing companies of China First-party video game developers Nintendo divisions and subsidiaries Privately held companies of China Video game companies of China Video game development companies Chinese brands Chinese subsidiaries of foreign companies