First Generation
Following the success huge of arcade games Inventor Ralph H. Baer began work on a machine that would connect with television sets and allow families to play games. In 1967 Baer had the "Brown Box" a prototype games console that was was never released publicly. In 1972 Baer Demonstrated his machine to the company Magnavox which quickly lead the them licensing the technology and after reworking the design and a name change "The Magnavox Odyssey" was released as the world first home games console. Over the next 5 years a wealth of different compaines began to capitalize on on the success of the Odyssey by releasing their own home consoles, however most of them amounted to nothing more than pong clones. notable consoles included the Fairchild Channel F the first programable home console and the RCA Studio III |
Second GenerationThe second generation of games consoles began in 1977 with Atari's release of the the VCS - Video Computer System also known as the Atari 2600. Despite its very limited 8bit graphics capability the Atari managed to stay on the market all the way into the 1990's due to its large selection of games.
During the second generation magnavox followed up it original console with the Odyssey2, however the updated hardware wasn't enough to help it keep up with the sales of Atari. Atari's first competitor arrived in 1977 when Bally launched its Professional Arcade. The Bally Professional Arcade failed to stay in the market however as despite it's superior graphics it was priced too high for most audiences. Atari's main competitor was the Mattel Intellivison. Released in 1980 the intellivision had far superior graphics to the Atari and was the first console to use a 16-bit microprocessor however the intellivision suffered from a lack of third party developers. |
Third GenerationIn 1983 Nintendo kick started the third console generation with the release of the Family Computer or Famicom, which was re-reached in America as the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) during 1984. Nintendo Quickly began to dominate the market despite their restrictive licencing agreement for third party developers, they managed to stay in the game by porting popular arcade games and developing their own original titles creating some of the most iconic franchises in video game history.
In 1989 Sega entered the market with the Master System. Despite being Nintendo's main competitor Sega struggled to keep up during the initial release. Due to Nintendo's strict licencing any publishers partnered with Nintendo where not allowed to publish for any other console, this left Sega struggling for titles, the only thing the kept them in the game was their lower price tag and superior technology. Atari also returned in the third generation with the Atari 7800. Originally planned to be released in 1984 the 7800 was delayed by Atari due the the recent video game crash and instead was released in 1986 however the far inferior technology could not keep up the NES or the Master System and was quickly left behind. |
Fourth GenerationThe forth generation of consoles was notable for its technical advancements. It started in 1989 with NEC's release of the TurboGrafx-16 the first console to include a CD player attachment however suffered heavily from a lack of games.
Saga followed up the the Saga Genesis the first console to feature true 16bit graphics, its also the console that saw the birth of Sonic the Hedgehog Sega's iconic mascot. Also in 1989 SNK released the MVS and programmable game system for arcades, in 1990 this was ported this to home consoles dubbed the NEO GEO which used both 8 and 16bit graphics unfortunate the hardware was grossly overpriced and the system suffered heavily. Nintendo also released their own 16bit Console the Super NES in an effort to actively compete with Sage Genesis giving birth to the console wars a tradition in the industry still kept today. In 1991 Philips tried to break into the market with with the CDi a multimedia system that would play a veriety of different CD formats, the concept confused audiences so it was re branded as a games console however it continuesd to be unsuccessful due to its high price. |
Fifth GenerationIn 1995 Sega kickstarted the fifth generation of consoles with the release of their CD-ROM based console the Sega Saturn. The Saturn Used tow 32-bit microprocessors to get higher graphics quallity.
Unfortunately for Sega a year after the release of the Saturn, Nintendo released the first 64bit console the Nintendo 64. Due to its superior graphics and lower price tag the N64 easy out sold the Saturn. The biggest event of the fifth generation was the unexpected release of the PlayStation by Sony. Although it was priced higher than the N64 and only came equip with a single 32-bit microprocessor, the PlayStation massive ad campaign and huge list of third party developers Sony swept the market and out sold both Nintendo and Sega. |
Sixth GenerationThe sixth generation of consoles saw a major shift in the market Sega released it last games console the Dreamcast. The Dreamcast held strong sales until Sony released the PlayStation 2.
for the first time since the early 80s the "console wars" was no longer a fude between Nintendo and Sega, as Sega had left the market and Nintendo's latest console the GameCube slipped by almost un-noticed in comparison to the PlayStation 2 which offed DVD compatibility and the latest contender, Microsoft's Xbox with its focus on online competitive gaming. Although Sony still held the best selling console it was clear that they would have to step up their game if they where to compete with Microsoft. |
Seventh GenerationThe seventh Generation of consoles was started when Microsoft released their follow up console The Xbox 360 in 2005, building uppon what they learned form the Xbox. microsoft focused almost solely on online gaming marking towards the competive nature of gaming.
Sony on the other hand continued to push for better more varied technology, providing users with blu-ray compatibility as well as learning from their competitors and providing built in online capibilitys from the get-go unlike the PS2 that had online functonality as an after thought. Nintendo determined to stay in the game let loose the Wii a motion control orientated system and although they out sold the Playstation 3 and the Xbox 360 nintendos biggest draw back was their reluctance to work with third partie developers resulting in a fairly lacluster games libary. |
Bibliography:
Miller, M. (2005). A History of Home Video Game Consoles. Available: http://www.informit.com/articles/article.aspx?p=378141. Last accessed 11th Jan 2016.
Poh, M. (2011). Evolution of Home Video Game Consoles: 1967 – 2011.Available: http://www.hongkiat.com/blog/evolution-of-home-video-game-consoles-1967-2011/. Last accessed 11th Jan 2016.
Nole, B. (2015 ). Third Generation Game Console 1983-1992.Available: http://retrogameandcomputer.com/third-generation-game-console.php. Last accessed 11th Jan 2016.
Miller, M. (2005). A History of Home Video Game Consoles. Available: http://www.informit.com/articles/article.aspx?p=378141. Last accessed 11th Jan 2016.
Poh, M. (2011). Evolution of Home Video Game Consoles: 1967 – 2011.Available: http://www.hongkiat.com/blog/evolution-of-home-video-game-consoles-1967-2011/. Last accessed 11th Jan 2016.
Nole, B. (2015 ). Third Generation Game Console 1983-1992.Available: http://retrogameandcomputer.com/third-generation-game-console.php. Last accessed 11th Jan 2016.