FIRST GENERATION
HOME CONSOLES
The Magnavox Odyssey is the first commercial home video
game console. It was developed by a small team led by Ralph H.
Baer at Sanders Associates and released by Magnavox in the
United States in September 1972 and overseas the following
year. The Odyssey consists of a white, black, and brown box
which connects to a television set and two rectangular
controllers attached by wires. It is capable of displaying three
square dots on the screen in monochrome black and white, with
differing behavior for the dots depending on the game played,
and with no sound capabilities. Players place plastic overlays on
the screen to create visuals, and the one or two players for each
game control their dots with the three knobs and one button on
the controller in accordance with the rules given for the game.
The Odyssey console came packaged with dice, paper money,
and other board game paraphernalia to go along with the games,
and a peripheral controller—the first video game light gun—was
sold separately.
Magnavox Odyssey
SECOND GENERATION
HOME CONSOLES
The Atari 2600 is a home video game console by Atari, Inc.
Released on September 11, 1977, it is credited with
popularizing the use of microprocessor-based hardware and
ROM cartridges containing game code, a format first used with
the Fairchild Channel F video game console in 1976. This
format contrasts with the older model of having non-
microprocessor dedicated hardware, which could only play the
games that were physically built into the unit.
Atari

SECOND GENERATION
HAND HELD CONSOLES
The Microvision is the first handheld game console that used
interchangeable cartridges. It was released by the Milton
Bradley Company in November 1979. The Microvision was
designed by Jay Smith, the engineer who would later design the
Vectrex gaming console. The Microvision's combination of
portability and a cartridge-based system led to moderate
success, with Smith Engineering grossing $15 million in the
first year of the system's release. However, very few cartridges,
a small screen, and a lack of support from established home
video game companies led to its demise in 1981. According to
Satoru Okada, the former head of R&D1 Department stated that
the Microvision gave birth to Nintendo Game & Watch after
Nintendo designed around Microvision's limitations.
Microvision
THIRD GENERATION
HOME CONSOLES
The Nintendo Entertainment System is an 8-bit home video
game console that was developed and manufactured by
Nintendo. The best-selling gaming console of its time, the NES
helped revitalize the US video game industry following the
video game crash of 1983. With the NES, Nintendo introduced a
now-standard business model of licensing third-party
developers, authorizing them to produce and distribute titles for
Nintendo's platform.
Nintendo
The Sega Master System is a third-generation home video game
console that was manufactured by Sega. It was originally
released in 1985 as the Sega Mark III in Japan. After being
redesigned prior to its North American launch, the console was
renamed Master System and released in 1986 in North America,

1987 in Europe, and 1989 in Brazil. The Master System was
also released in Japan in 1987 with additional features over the
overseas models. Both the Mark III and the original Master
System models could play with both cartridges and the credit
card-sized Sega Cards, which retailed at lower prices than
cartridges but had lower storage capacity; the Master System II
and later models did not have the card slot. The Master System
also featured accessories such as a light gun and 3D glasses
which were designed to work with a range of specially coded
games.
Sega Master System
THIRD GENERATION
HAND HELD CONSOLES
The Game Boy is an 8-bit handheld video game device with
interchangeable cartridges developed and manufactured by
Nintendo, which was first released in Japan on April 21, 1989,
in North America on July 31, 1989 and in Europe on September
28, 1990. It is the first handheld console in the Game Boy line
and was created by Satoru Okada and Nintendo Research &
Development 1. This same team, led by Gunpei Yokoi at the
time, is credited with designing the Game & Watch series as
well as several popular games for the Nintendo Entertainment
System. Redesigned versions were released in 1996 and 1998 in
the form of Game Boy Pocket and Game Boy Light,
respectively.
Game Boy
The Nintendo DS or simply, DS, is a 32-bit dual-screen
handheld game console developed and released by Nintendo.
The device went on sale in North America on November 21,
2004. The DS, short for "Developers' System" or "Dual Screen",
introduced distinctive new features to handheld gaming: two
LCD screens working in tandem, a built-in microphone, and
support for wireless connectivity. Both screens are encompassed
within a clamshell design like the Game Boy Advance SP. The

Nintendo DS also features the ability for multiple DS consoles
to directly interact with each other over Wi-Fi within a short
range without the need to connect to an existing wireless
network. Alternatively, they could interact online using the
now-closed Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection service. Its main
competitor was Sony's PlayStation Portable as part of the
seventh generation era.
Nintendo DS
FOURTH GENERATION
HOME CONSOLES
The Super Nintendo Entertainment System is a 16-bit home
video game console developed by Nintendo that was released in
1990 in Japan and South Korea, 1991 in North America, 1992 in
Europe and Australasia, and 1993 in South America. In Japan,
the system is called the Super Famicom, or SFC for short. In
South Korea, it is known as the Super Comboy and was
distributed by Hyundai Electronics. Although each version is
essentially the same, several forms of regional lockout prevent
the different versions from being compatible with one another.
It was released in Brazil on September 2, 1992, by Playtronic.
Super Nintendo Entertainment System
The Neo Geo, stylized as NEO・GEO, also written as NEOGEO,
is a cartridge-based arcade system board and fourth-generation
home video game console released on April 26, 1990, by
Japanese game company SNK Corporation. It was the first
system in SNK's Neo Geo family. The Neo Geo was marketed as
24-bit; its CPU is technically a parallel processing 16/32-bit
68000-based system with an 8/16-bit Z80 coprocessor much like
the Sega Genesis, while its GPU chipset has a 24-bit graphics
data bus.
Neo Geo
The Sega Genesis, known as the Mega Drive in most regions
outside of North America, is a 16-bit home video game console

which was developed and sold by Sega Enterprises, Ltd. The
Genesis was Sega's third console and the successor to the
Master System. Sega first released the console as the Mega
Drive in Japan in 1988, followed by a North American debut
under the Genesis moniker in 1989.
Sega Genesis
FOURTH GENERATION
HAND HELD CONSOLES
The Game Gear is an 8-bit handheld game console released by
Sega on October 6, 1990 in Japan, 1991 in North America and
Europe, and Australia in 1992. The Game Gear primarily
competed with Nintendo's Game Boy, the Atari Lynx and NEC's
TurboExpress. The handheld shares much of its hardware with
the Master System and is able to play its own titles as well as
those of the Master System, the latter being made possible by
the use of an adapter. Containing a full-color backlit screen
with a landscape format, Sega positioned the Game Gear as a
technologically superior handheld to the Game Boy.
Game Gear
FIFTH GENERATION
HOME CONSOLES
PlayStation is a gaming brand that consists of four home video
game consoles, as well as a media center, an online service, a
line of controllers, two handhelds and a phone, as well as
multiple magazines. It is created and owned by Sony Interactive
Entertainment since December 3, 1994, with the launch of the
original PlayStation in Japan.
PlayStation
The Atari Jaguar is a home video game console that was
developed by Atari Corporation. The console was the sixth and
last programmable console to be developed under the Atari
brand, originally released in North America in November 1993.
Controversially, Atari marketed the Jaguar as being the first 64-

bit video game console, while competing with the existing 16-
bit consoles and the 32-bit 3DO Interactive Multiplayer
platform.
Atari Jaguar
The 3DO Interactive Multiplayer, often called simply the 3DO,
is a home video game console platform developed by The 3DO
Company. Conceived by entrepreneur and Electronic Arts
founder Trip Hawkins, the 3DO was not a console manufactured
by the company itself, but a series of specifications, originally
designed by Dave Needle and R. J. Mical of New Technologies
Group, that could be licensed by third parties. Panasonic
produced the first models in 1993, and further renditions of the
hardware were released in 1994 by Sanyo and GoldStar.
The 3DO
FIFTH GENERATION
HAND HELD CONSOLES
The Game Boy Color, referred to as GBC, is a handheld game
console manufactured by Nintendo, which was released on
October 21, 1998 in Japan and was released in November of the
same year in international markets. It is the successor of the
Game Boy.
The Game Boy Color was a response to pressure from game
developers for a more sophisticated handheld platform, as they
felt that the Game Boy, even in its latest incarnation, the Game
Boy Pocket, was insufficient. The resultant product was
backward compatible, a first for a handheld system, and
leveraged the large library of games and installed base of the
predecessor system. This became a major feature of the Game
Boy line, since it allowed each new launch to begin with a
significantly larger library than any of its competitors.
Game Boy Color

The Neo Geo Pocket Color, is a 16-bit color handheld video
game console manufactured by SNK. It is a successor to SNK's
monochrome Neo Geo Pocket handheld which debuted in 1998
in Japan, with the Color being fully backward compatible. The
Neo Geo Pocket Color was released on March 16, 1999 in
Japan, August 6, 1999 in North America, and on October 1,
1999 in Europe, entering markets all dominated by Nintendo.
Neo Geo Pocket Color
SIXTH GENERATION
HOME CONSOLES
The PlayStation 2 is a home video game console that was
developed by Sony Computer Entertainment. It is the successor
to the PlayStation, and is the second installment in the
PlayStation lineup of consoles. It was released on March 4,
2000 in Japan, October 26, 2000 in North America, November
24, 2000 in Europe, and November 17, 2000 in Australia. It
competed with Sega's Dreamcast, Microsoft's Xbox, and
Nintendo's GameCube in the sixth generation of video game
consoles.
PlayStation 2
The Dreamcast is a home video game console released by Sega
on November 27, 1998 in Japan, September 9, 1999 in North
America, and October 14, 1999 in Europe. It was the first in the
sixth generation of video game consoles, preceding Sony's
PlayStation 2, Nintendo's GameCube and Microsoft's Xbox. The
Dreamcast was Sega's final home console, marking the end of
the company's 18 years in the console market.
Sega Dreamcast
The GameCube is a home video game console released by
Nintendo in Japan on September 14, 2001; in North America on
November 18, 2001; in Europe on May 3, 2002; and in Australia
on May 17, 2002. The sixth-generation console is the successor
to the Nintendo 64 and competed with Sony Computer

Entertainment's PlayStation 2 and Microsoft's Xbox.
GameCube
Xbox is a video gaming brand created and owned by Microsoft.
It represents a series of video game consoles developed by
Microsoft, with three consoles released in the sixth, seventh,
and eighth generations respectively. The brand also represents
applications, streaming services, and an online service by the
name of Xbox Live. The brand was first introduced on
November 15, 2001 in the United States, with the launch of the
original Xbox console.
Xbox
SIXTH GENERATION
HAND HELD CONSOLES
The Game Boy Advance SP, released in February 2003, is an
upgraded version of Nintendo's Game Boy Advance. The "SP"
in the name stands for "Special". The SP is accompanied by the
Nintendo DS and the Game Boy Micro.
Game Boy Advance
SEVENTH GENERATION
HOME CONSOLES
The Xbox 360 is a home video game console developed by
Microsoft. As the successor to the original Xbox, it is the
second console in the Xbox series. The Xbox 360 competed
with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the
seventh generation of video game consoles. The Xbox 360 was
officially unveiled on MTV on May 12, 2005, with detailed
launch and game information announced later that month at the
Electronic Entertainment Expo.
Xbox 360
The PlayStation 3 is a home video game console developed by
Sony Interactive Entertainment. It is the successor to
PlayStation 2, and is part of the PlayStation brand of consoles.

It was first released on November 11, 2006, in Japan, November
17, 2006, in North America, and March 23, 2007, in Europe and
Australia. The PlayStation 3 mainly competes against consoles
such as Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the
seventh generation of video game consoles.
PlayStation 3
The Wii is a home video game console released by Nintendo on
November 19, 2006. As a seventh-generation console, the Wii
competed with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Sony's PlayStation 3.
Nintendo states that its console targets a broader demographic
than that of the two others. As of the first quarter of 2012, the
Wii leads its generation over PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 in
worldwide sales, with more than 101 million units sold; in
December 2009, the console broke the sales record for a single
month in the United States.
Wii
SEVENTH GENERATION
HAND HELD CONSOLES
The Nintendo DS or simply, DS, is a 32-bit dual-screen
handheld game console developed and released by Nintendo.
The device went on sale in North America on November 21,
2004. The DS, short for "Developers' System" or "Dual Screen",
introduced distinctive new features to handheld gaming: two
LCD screens working in tandem, a built-in microphone, and
support for wireless connectivity. Both screens are encompassed
within a clamshell design similar to the Game Boy Advance SP.
The Nintendo DS also features the ability for multiple DS
consoles to directly interact with each other over Wi-Fi within a
short range without the need to connect to an existing wireless
network. Alternatively, they could interact online using the
now-closed Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection service. Its main
competitor was Sony's PlayStation Portable as part of the
seventh generation era.
Nintendo DS

The PlayStation Portable is a handheld game console developed
by Sony. Development of the handheld was announced during
E3 2003, and it was unveiled on May 11, 2004, at a Sony press
conference before E3 2004. The system was released in Japan
on December 12, 2004, in North America on March 24, 2005,
and in the PAL region on September 1, 2005. It primarily
competed with the Nintendo DS, as part of the seventh
generation of video games consoles.
PlayStation Portable
EIGHTH GENERATION
HOME CONSOLES
The Wii U is a home video game console developed by
Nintendo, and the successor to the Wii. The console was
released in November 2012 and was the first eighth-generation
video game console, as it competes with Sony's PlayStation 4
and Microsoft's Xbox One.
Wii U
PlayStation 4 is a line of home video game consoles developed
by Sony Interactive Entertainment. Announced as the successor
to the PlayStation 3 during a press conference on February 20,
2013, it was launched on November 15 in North America,
November 29 in Europe, South America and Australia; and
February 22, 2014, in Japan. It competes with Nintendo's Wii U
and Microsoft's Xbox One, as part of the eighth generation of
video game consoles.
PlayStation 4
Xbox One is a line of home video game consoles developed by
Microsoft. Announced in May 2013, it is the successor to Xbox
360 and the third console in the Xbox family. It was first
released in North America, parts of Europe, Australia, and
Brazil in November 2013, and in Japan, China, and other
European countries in September 2014. It is the first Xbox game

console to be released in China, specifically in the Shanghai
Free-Trade Zone. Microsoft marketed the device as an "all-in-
one entertainment system". The Xbox One line mainly competes
against consoles such as Sony's PlayStation 4 and Nintendo's
Wii U as part of the eighth generation of video game consoles.
Xbox One
EIGHTH GENERATION
HAND HELD CONSOLES
The Nintendo 3DS, abbreviated to 3DS, is a portable game
console produced by Nintendo. It is capable of displaying
stereoscopic 3D effects without the use of 3D glasses or
additional accessories. Nintendo announced the device in March
2010 and officially unveiled it at E3 2010 on June 15, 2010.
The console succeeds the Nintendo DS, featuring backward
compatibility with older Nintendo DS and Nintendo DSi video
games. Its primary competitor is the PlayStation Vita from
Sony.
Nintendo 3DS
The PlayStation Vita is a handheld game console developed and
released by Sony Interactive Entertainment. It is the successor
to the PlayStation Portable as part of the PlayStation brand of
gaming devices. It was released in Japan on December 17, 2011,
with releases in North America, Europe, and other worldwide
regions starting on February 22, 2012. It primarily competes
with the Nintendo 3DS as part of the eighth generation of video
game consoles.
PlayStation Vita