A video game console is an interactive entertainment computer or electronic device that manipulates the video display signal of a display device (a television, monitor, etc. Video games were introduced as a commercial entertainment medium in 1971, becoming the basis for an important entertainment industry in the late 1970s/early 1980s in the United The first generation of Video game consoles lasted from 1972 until 1977 In the history of computer and video games the second generation (sometimes referred to as the early 8 bit era) began in 1976 with the release of the Fairchild The North American video game crash of 1983 (sometimes known as the video game crash of 1984 because it was in that year that the full effects of the crash became apparent In the History of computer and video games, the third generation (the latter half of which is sometimes known as the 8 bit era) began in 1983 with the Japanese In the History of computer and video games, the fourth generation (more commonly referred to as the 16 bit era) began on October 30, 1987 The fifth-generation era (more commonly known as the 32 bit era and occasionally after the release of the Nintendo 64, the 64 bit era and more rarely The sixth-generation era (sometimes referred to as the 128-bit era; see "Number of bits" below refers to the computer and Video games In the History of video games, the seventh generation, which is also the current generation primarily focuses on the consoles released since by Nintendo, This article contains a timeline of notable events in the history of video arcade gaming 1971 - 1979;1971 The Galaxy Game, the earliest known coin-operated The Golden Age of Video Arcade Games was a peak era of video arcade game popularity innovation and earnings Game development is the process by which a Game is produced Today this term most commonly refers to the development of Video games Overview Development Composite video is the format of an Analog television (picture only signal before it is combined with a sound signal and modulated onto an RF ) to display a game. The term "video game console" is used to distinguish a machine designed for consumers to buy and use solely for playing video games from a personal computer, which has many other functions, or arcade machines, which are designed for businesses that buy and then charge others to play. A video game is a Game that involves interaction with a User interface to generate visual feedback on a video device. A personal computer ( PC) is any Computer whose original sales price size and capabilities make it useful for individuals and which is intended to be operated An arcade cabinet, also known as an arcade machine or coin-op, is the housing within which an Arcade game 's Hardware resides

Use of the term

The "video" in "video game console" traditionally refers to a raster display device. ^[1] However, with the popular use of the term "video game" the term now implies all display types and formats. A video game is a Game that involves interaction with a User interface to generate visual feedback on a video device. The term "console" is used in the user manuals of several early video game systems. Its use, however, is not synonymous with "video game system" or the same as its modern usage. It refers to a specific part of the video game system. The Atari 2600, NES, and other consoles from those decades were called "video game systems" at the time. The Atari 2600 is a Video game console released in October 1977 The Nintendo Entertainment System (often abbreviated as NES or simply Nintendo) is an 8-bit Video game console that was released by ^[2][3]

The first company to use the term "console" to officially refer to its video game system was Fairchild with the Video Entertainment System (VES) in 1976. The Fairchild Channel F is a game console released by Fairchild Semiconductor in August 1976 at the retail price of $169 ^[4] Since then, definition has widened to include entire systems, as well as to describe alternate platforms such as handheld game consoles, TV games, and multimedia devices. A handheld game console is a lightweight portable electronic machine for playing Video games Unlike Video game consoles the controls screen and speakers A TV game is an interactive entertainment device designed for use on a Television set that does not require the use of an actual Video game console for operation ^[5]

Common elements

• Controllers: Devices that allow the user to input information and interact with onscreen objects. A game controller is an Input device used to control a Video game.

• Power supply: a power supply converts 100-240 volt AC utility power into direct current (DC) at the voltages needed by the electronics. This article is about the common off-line switching power supplies used in desktop IBM PC compatible computers

• Console/Core Unit: The core unit in a video game console is the hub where the television, video game controllers, and game program connect. It usually contains a CPU, RAM, and an audiovisual coprocessor. A coprocessor is a Computer processor used to supplement the functions of the primary processor (the CPU

• Game Media: Most video game consoles have their programs stored on external media.

• Memory Card: Some video game consoles, like the PlayStation and the Nintendo GameCube have memory cards to save, load, and delete files. A memory card or flash memory card is a solid-state electronic Flash memory Data storage device used with Digital The PlayStation (abbreviated PS, PSone, PS1, or informally as PSX) is a 32-bit fifth generation Video game console The, often abbreviated as GCN, is Nintendo 's fourth home Video game console and is part of the sixth generation console era. Though recent consoles such as the Xbox, Xbox 360, PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3 and Wii all have – or can have installed – hard drives which save the data on the console itself. The Xbox is a sixth-generation Video game console produced by Microsoft Corporation. The Xbox 360 is the second Video game console produced by Microsoft, and was developed in cooperation with IBM, ATI, and SiS.

History

Further information: History of video games

First generation

Main article: History of video game consoles (first generation)

Although the first computer games appeared in the 50s,^[6] they used vector displays, not video. Video games were introduced as a commercial entertainment medium in 1971, becoming the basis for an important entertainment industry in the late 1970s/early 1980s in the United The first generation of Video game consoles lasted from 1972 until 1977 A personal computer Game (also known as a computer game or simply PC game) is a Video game played on a Personal computer, rather Vector graphics is the use of geometrical primitives such as points lines, Curves and shapes or Polygon (s which are all based It was not until 1972 that Magnavox released the first home video game console, the Magnavox Odyssey, invented by Ralph H. Baer. Magnavox ( Latin for "great voice" is an American Electronics company founded by Edwin Pridham and Peter L The Magnavox Odyssey is the world's first Video game console. Ralph H Baer (born March 8, 1922) is a German -born American Inventor, noted for his many contributions to Games and the The Odyssey was initially only moderately successful, and it was not until Atari's arcade game Pong popularized video games, that the public began to take more notice of the emerging industry. Pong is a first generation Video game released originally as a Coin -operated Arcade game by Atari Inc By the autumn of 1975 Magnavox, bowing to the popularity of Pong, cancelled the Odyssey and released a scaled down console that only played Pong and hockey, the Odyssey 100. Pong is a first generation Video game released originally as a Coin -operated Arcade game by Atari Inc Pong is a first generation Video game released originally as a Coin -operated Arcade game by Atari Inc A second "higher end" console, the Odyssey 200, was released with the 100 and added onscreen scoring, up to 4 players, and a third game – Smash. The Odyssey 200 is a Video game console with 3 Variations of Pong. Almost simultaneously released with Atari's own home Pong console through Sears, these consoles jump-started the consumer market. Sears Roebuck and Company, commonly known as Sears, is an American mid-range chain of International Department stores founded by Richard As with the arcade market, the home market was soon flooded by dedicated consoles that played simple pong and pong-derived games. A dedicated console is a Video game console that is dedicated to a built in game or games and is not equipped for additional games via cartridges or other media

Second generation

Main article: History of video game consoles (second generation)

Atari 2600

Fairchild released the Fairchild Video Entertainment System (VES) in 1976. In the history of computer and video games the second generation (sometimes referred to as the early 8 bit era) began in 1976 with the release of the Fairchild The Fairchild Channel F is a game console released by Fairchild Semiconductor in August 1976 at the retail price of $169 While there had been previous game consoles that used cartridges, either the cartridges had no information and served the same function as flipping switches (the Odyssey) or the console itself was empty and the cartridge contained all of the game components. The VES, however, contained a programmable microprocessor so its cartridges only needed a single ROM chip to store microprocessor instructions.

RCA and Atari soon released their own cartridge-based consoles.

Video game crash of 1977

In 1977, manufacturers of older obsolete consoles sold their systems at a loss to clear stock, creating a glut in the market and causing Fairchild and RCA to abandon their game consoles. Only Atari and Magnavox stayed in the home console market.

Rebirth of the home console market

The VES continued to be sold at a profit after the 1977 crash, and both Bally (with their Home Library Computer in 1977) and Magnavox (with the Odyssey 2 in 1978) brought their own programmable cartridge-based consoles to the market. The Astrocade is an early video game console and simple computer system designed by a team at Midway, the Videogame division of Bally. The Magnavox Odyssey², known in Europe as the Philips Videopac G7000, in Brazil as the Philips Odyssey, in the United States However it wasn't until Atari released a conversion of the arcade hit Space Invaders in 1980 that the home console industry was completely revived. is an arcade Video game designed by Tomohiro Nishikado, and released in 1978 Many consumers bought an Atari just for Space Invaders. Space Invaders' unprecedented success started the trend of console manufacturers trying to get exclusive rights to arcade titles, and the trend of advertisements for game consoles claiming to bring the arcade experience home.

Throughout the early 1980s, other companies released video game consoles of their own. Many of the video game systems were technically superior to the Atari 2600, and marketed as improvements over the Atari 2600. However, Atari dominated the console market throughout the early 1980s.

Video game crash of 1983

Main article: Video game crash of 1983

E. The North American video game crash of 1983 (sometimes known as the video game crash of 1984 because it was in that year that the full effects of the crash became apparent T. The Extra Terrestrial for the Atari 2600 is often blamed for the video game crash of 1983.

In 1983, the video game business suffered a much more severe crash. A flood of consoles, of low quality video games by smaller companies (especially for the 2600), industry leader Atari hyping games such as E.T. that were poorly received, and a growing number of home computer users caused consumers and retailers to lose faith and interest in video game consoles. A home computer was a class of Personal computer entering the market in 1977 and becoming common during the 1980s Most video game companies filed for bankruptcy, or moved into other industries, abandoning their game consoles. Mattel Electronics sold the rights for their Intellivision system to the INTV Corporation, who continued to produce Intellivision consoles and develop new games for the Intellivision until 1991. Mattel Inc ( is the world's largest Toy importing company based on revenue The Intellivision is a Video game console released by Mattel in 1979. All other North American game consoles were discontinued by 1984.

Third generation

Main article: History of video game consoles (third generation)

The Robotic Operating Buddy that came packaged with the NES

In 1983, Nintendo released the Famicom in Japan. In the History of computer and video games, the third generation (the latter half of which is sometimes known as the 8 bit era) began in 1983 with the Japanese The Nintendo Entertainment System (often abbreviated as NES or simply Nintendo) is an 8-bit Video game console that was released by Like the ColecoVision, the Famicom supported high-resolution sprites and tiled backgrounds, but with more colors. The ColecoVision is Coleco Industries ' second generation home Video game console and was released in August. This allowed Famicom games to be longer and have more detailed graphics. Nintendo brought their Famicom over to the US in the form of the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) in 1985. The Nintendo Entertainment System (often abbreviated as NES or simply Nintendo) is an 8-bit Video game console that was released by In the US, video games were seen as a fad that had already passed. To distinguish its product from older video game consoles, Nintendo used a front-loading cartridge port similar to a VCR on the NES, packaged the NES with a Super Mario Brothers game and a light gun (the Zapper), and originally advertised it as a toy. A light gun is a Pointing device for Computers and a control device for arcade and video games. The plastic "robot" (R. ROB ( R obotic O perating B uddy) is an accessory for the Nintendo Entertainment System. O. B. ) was also sold as an individual purchase item and in some cases packaged with the NES system.

Nintendo also built a lockout chip into the NES. In a general sense a lock-out chip is a chip within an electronic device to prevent other manufacturers from using a company's device to perform certain functions This kept third parties from producing their own cartridges and forced all developers to go through Nintendo to get NES games published. This allowed Nintendo to do things like prevent developers from releasing low-quality games or games not suitable for children and limit developers to five titles a year.

Like Space Invaders for the 2600, Nintendo found its breakout hit game in Super Mario Bros. Nintendo's success revived the video game industry and new consoles were soon introduced in the following years to compete with the NES. is a Platform game developed by Nintendo in late 1985 and published for the Nintendo Entertainment System, a sequel to the 1983 game Mario

Sega's Master System was intended to compete with the NES, but never gained any significant market share in the US and was barely profitable. The Sega Master System is an 8-bit cartridge-based Video game console that was manufactured by Sega and was first released in 1986. It fared notably better in PAL territories, especially Brazil.

Fourth generation

Main article: History of video game consoles (fourth generation)

Sega regained market share by releasing their next-generation console, the Sega Mega Drive, which was released in Japan on October 29, 1988, in the US in August 1989 (renamed as the Sega Genesis) and in Europe in 1990, two years before Nintendo could release the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES). In the History of computer and video games, the fourth generation (more commonly referred to as the 16 bit era) began on October 30, 1987 The is a 16-bit Video game console released by Sega in Japan in 1988 North America in 1989 and the PAL region in 1990 Events 437 - Valentinian III, Western Roman Emperor, marries Licinia Eudoxia, daughter of his cousin Theodosius II Year 1988 ( MCMLXXXVIII) was a Leap year starting on Friday (link displays 1988 Gregorian calendar) The Super Nintendo Entertainment System or Super NES (also called SNES and Super Nintendo) is a 16-bit Video game console that was

Sega extended the Mega Drive with the Mega CD/Sega CD, to provide increased storage space for multimedia-based games that were then in vogue amongst the development community. The is an add-on device for the Sega Mega Drive that was released in Europe, Australia, New Zealand, Japan. Later, Sega released the 32X, which added some of the polygon-processing functionality common in fifth-generation machines. The Sega 32X ( Japanese: セガ スーパー32X codenamed Project Mars is an add-on for the Sega Mega Drive Video game console by Sega However, the peripheral was a commercial failure due to lack of software support, with developers more keen to concentrate on more powerful machines, with a wider user base, such as the Saturn that followed shortly after.

Other consoles included in the fourth generation are NEC's TurboGrafx-16 and SNK Playmore's Neo Geo. is a Japanese multinational IT company headquartered in Minato Tokyo, Japan. The, known as TurboGrafx-16 in the USA is a Video game console developed by the Nippon Electric Company (NEC and released in Japan on October The Neo Geo is a cartridge -based arcade and home Video game system released in 1990 by Japanese game company SNK.

Fifth generation

Main article: History of video game consoles (fifth generation)

Going from left to right, top to bottom: Iron Soldier (Atari Jaguar), Gex (3DO), Star Fox (SNES), Donkey Kong Country 3 (SNES), Virtua Racing (Genesis), Vectorman (Genesis). The fifth-generation era (more commonly known as the 32 bit era and occasionally after the release of the Nintendo 64, the 64 bit era and more rarely Gex is a Platformer Video game series developed by Crystal Dynamics, that details the adventures of a Gecko named Gex Star Fox may refer to one of two Video games Star Fox, a video game published by Mythicon for the Atari 2600 Donkey Kong Country 3 Dixie Kong's Double Trouble! is the final installment in the original Donkey Kong Country trilogy Virtua Racing or VR for short is a Formula 1 racing Arcade game, developed by Sega-AM2 and released in October Vectorman is a Platform game developed by BlueSky Software and published by Sega for the Sega Mega Drive/Genesis

The first fifth generation consoles were the Atari Jaguar and the 3DO. The Atari Jaguar is a Video game console, released by Atari Corporation in. 3DO Interactive Multiplayer (often called simply 3DO) was a Video game console originally produced by Panasonic in. Both of these systems were much more powerful than the SNES or Mega Drive (known as Genesis in North America); they were better at rendering polygons, could display more onscreen colors, and the 3DO used CDs that contained far more information than cartridges and were cheaper to produce. A Compact Disc (also known as a CD) is an Optical disc used to store digital data, originally developed for storing digital audio Neither of these consoles were serious threats to Sega or Nintendo, though. is a multinational Video game Software and Hardware development company and a former Home computer is a Multinational corporation headquartered in Kyoto Japan founded on The 3DO cost more than the SNES and Genesis combined, and the Jaguar was extremely difficult to program for, leading to a lack of games that used its extra power. Both consoles would be discontinued in 1996.

Nintendo released games like Donkey Kong Country that could display a wide range of tones (something common in fifth generation games) by limiting the number of hues onscreen, and games like Star Fox that used an extra chip inside of the cartridge to display polygon graphics. Donkey Kong Country ( Super Donkey Kong in Japan is a Video game developed by Rare, featuring the popular arcade character Donkey Star Fox may refer to one of two Video games Star Fox, a video game published by Mythicon for the Atari 2600 Sega followed suit, releasing Vectorman and Virtua Racing (the latter of which used the Sega Virtua Processor). Vectorman is a Platform game developed by BlueSky Software and published by Sega for the Sega Mega Drive/Genesis Virtua Racing or VR for short is a Formula 1 racing Arcade game, developed by Sega-AM2 and released in October

It was not until Sega's Saturn, Sony's PlayStation, and the Nintendo 64 were released that fifth generation consoles started to become popular. The is a 32-bit Video game console that was first released on November 22 1994 in Japan, May 11 1995 in North America is a multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato Tokyo, Japan, and one of the world's largest Media conglomerates with The PlayStation (abbreviated PS, PSone, PS1, or informally as PSX) is a 32-bit fifth generation Video game console The, often abbreviated as N64, is Nintendo 's third home Video game console for the international market The Saturn and PlayStation used CDs to store games, while the N64 used cartridges. All three cost far less than the 3DO, and were easier to program than the Jaguar. The Saturn also had 2D sprite handling power on par with the Neo-Geo. In Computer graphics, a sprite (also known by other names see Synonyms below is a two-dimensional/three-dimensional Image or Animation that

• Atari's Jaguar was released to combat the dominance that Nintendo and Sega were fighting for. The Atari Jaguar is a Video game console, released by Atari Corporation in. Atari's hope was that by designing a more powerful console, they would be able to leapfrog all of the released systems of the day and give gamers a technologically superior system. The Jaguar eventually faded away due to a number of reasons. For example, it was difficult to program for the Jaguar, thus making it too problematic to have good third party support. Another of the Jaguar's pitfalls was the dominance of the previously popular systems. In 1995, the releases of the Sega Saturn and the Sony PlayStation brought the end for the Jaguar. The failure of the Jaguar put Atari into a poor financial situation and forced it to reverse merge with JTS Inc., a short-lived maker of hard disk drives, to form JTS Corporation. JT Storage (also known as JTS Corporation) was a maker of inexpensive IDE Hard drives for Personal computers based in San Jose California The merger effectively ended the company, which existed as a small department for minor support of the Jaguar and the selling off of Atari's intellectual properties.
• The 3DO was released in North America in October 1993. 3DO Interactive Multiplayer (often called simply 3DO) was a Video game console originally produced by Panasonic in. Although released to much fanfare, like the Jaguar, it faded out of the market with little popularity. The system was technically superior to all the consoles released at the time, but due to the oversaturated market and the hefty US$699. The United States dollar ( sign: $; code: USD) is the unit of Currency of the United States; it has also been 95 price tag, the system did not adopt well into the market. One unique aspect of the 3DO is that the rights to manufacturing the console itself were licensed to different manufacturers by the 3DO company, which only produced the specifications. These companies, in turn, released their own different styles of the same console.
• The Sega Saturn was the first independent Sega system to use a CD-ROM based media standard and used a special dual chip processor. The is a 32-bit Video game console that was first released on November 22 1994 in Japan, May 11 1995 in North America CD-ROM (an initialism of "Compact Disc Read-Only Memory " is a pre-pressed Compact Disc that contains data accessible to but not writable The difficulty to program for the two chips in parallel was a factor in the console's demise. The Saturn was a mild success, but was overshadowed by Sony and Nintendo's dominance of the market. The Saturn was discontinued in 1998 with the release of Sega's last console, the Sega Dreamcast.
• Sony's PlayStation was released in Japan on December 3, 1994. The PlayStation (abbreviated PS, PSone, PS1, or informally as PSX) is a 32-bit fifth generation Video game console Events 1800 - War of the Second Coalition: Battle of Hohenlinden, French Year 1994 ( MCMXCIV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display full 1994 Gregorian calendar) The PlayStation was the eventual result of a breakdown of a business partnership plan between Sony and Nintendo to create a CD add-on for the SNES. The Super Nintendo Entertainment System or Super NES (also called SNES and Super Nintendo) is a 16-bit Video game console that was Nintendo changed the deal and went to Philips; however, with the project nearing completion, Sony took what they had and marketed it off as a Sony-branded console. The PlayStation spawned a whole lineup of consoles from generation to generation and has earned Sony great respect as a video game company, becoming the first video game system to sell over 100 million consoles. Sony released a redesigned, smaller version of the PlayStation entitled the 'PSone' released July 7, 2000. Events 1456 - A retrial verdict acquits Joan of Arc of heresy 25 years after her death 2000 ( MM) was a Leap year that started on Saturday of the Common Era, in accordance with the Gregorian calendar.
• The Nintendo 64 was Nintendo's answer to the growing dominance of the PlayStation. The, often abbreviated as N64, is Nintendo 's third home Video game console for the international market It was a 64-bit console, the only one generally recognized in that class despite the 64 bit Atari Jaguar, which had actually been released earlier. Unlike the other companies' consoles of the generation, the N64 had continued to use ROM cartridges, which many saw as a hindrance to gameplay, as cartridges have much less memory space and are also more expensive than optical media; however, Nintendo's answer to this was that unlike CDs, cartridges cannot be damaged by a simple scratch to the surface, nor are load times much of an issue. A ROM cartridge is a removable cartridge that contains ROM devices and commonly Flash memory devices to allow some read-write capability Nevertheless, it is also possible that Nintendo did this for fear of then growing software piracy issues facing other consoles, such as the PlayStation. The Copyright infringement of Software (also known as software piracy) refers to several practices which involve the unauthorized copying of computer Thus Nintendo managed to make a bigger profit out of the Nintendo 64 than Sony made out of the PlayStation.

Sixth generation

Main article: History of video game consoles (sixth generation)

This generation saw a move towards PC-like architectures in gaming consoles, as well as a shift towards using DVDs for game media. The sixth-generation era (sometimes referred to as the 128-bit era; see "Number of bits" below refers to the computer and Video games DVD (also known as " Digital Versatile Disc " or " Digital Video Disc " - see Etymology)is This brought games that were both longer and more visually appealing. Furthermore, this generation also saw experimentation with online console gaming and implementing both flash and hard drive storage for game data.

• Sega's Dreamcast was Sega's last video game console, and was the first of the generation's consoles to be discontinued. The is Sega 's most recent Video game console and the successor to the Sega Saturn. Sega implemented a special type of optical media called the GD-ROM. GD-ROM (an abbreviation of " giga disk Read-only memory " is the proprietary Optical disc format used by the Sega Dreamcast. These discs were created in order to prevent software piracy, which had been more easily done with consoles of the previous generation; however, this format was soon cracked as well. The Copyright infringement of Software (also known as software piracy) refers to several practices which involve the unauthorized copying of computer The Dreamcast has been seen as far ahead of its time in technology and features (including online play), however it was discontinued in 2001, and Sega transitioned to software developing/publishing only.
• Sony's PlayStation 2 was the follow-up to their highly successful PlayStation, and was also the first home game console to be able to play DVDs. DVD (also known as " Digital Versatile Disc " or " Digital Video Disc " - see Etymology)is As was done with the original PlayStation in 2000, Sony redesigned the console in 2004 into a smaller version. As of September 20, 2007, 120 million PlayStation 2 units have been shipped. Events 451 - The Battle of Chalons takes place in North Eastern France. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ^[7] This makes it the best selling console to date.
• The Nintendo GameCube was Nintendo's fourth home video game console and the first console by the company to use optical media instead of cartridges. The, often abbreviated as GCN, is Nintendo 's fourth home Video game console and is part of the sixth generation console era. The Nintendo GameCube did not play standard 12 cm DVDs, instead employing smaller 8 cm optical discs.
• Microsoft's Xbox was the company's first video game console. The Xbox is a sixth-generation Video game console produced by Microsoft Corporation. The first console to employ a hard drive right out of the box to save games, the Xbox blurred the line between PC and console gaming, as it had similar hardware specifications to a low-end desktop computer at the time of its release. Though criticized for its bulky size, which was easily twice that of the competition, as well as for the awkwardness of the original controller that shipped with it, it eventually gained popularity due in part to the success of the Halo franchise. Halo is a Science fiction Video game franchise created by Bungie and owned and published by Microsoft Game Studios.

Seventh generation

Main article: History of video game consoles (seventh generation)

The features introduced in this generation include using newer high-definition discs: Blu-ray Disc, utilized by the PlayStation 3, and HD DVD supported by the Xbox 360. In the History of video games, the seventh generation, which is also the current generation primarily focuses on the consoles released since by Nintendo, not insert the publicly disclosed HD DVD key into this article for the time being Another new technology is to use the motion of the controller as input (as demonstrated by the Wii and the PS3), and understanding where the controller is pointing on the screen (as implemented on the Wii).

• Microsoft's Xbox 360 was released on November 22, 2005. Microsoft Corporation is an American multinational Computer technology Corporation, which rose to dominate the Home computer The Xbox 360 is the second Video game console produced by Microsoft, and was developed in cooperation with IBM, ATI, and SiS. Events 498 - Kofi Aseidu- After the death of Anastasius II, Symmachus is elected Pope in the Lateran Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. An HD DVD drive was once available as an accessory; however, with the termination of the HD DVD format,^[8] this accessory has now had its production ceased by Microsoft. not insert the publicly disclosed HD DVD key into this article for the time being The Xbox 360 was the first console with the ability to use wireless controllers out of the box. The Xbox Live service is the hallmark of the system, and the console can connect to the service via the Internet through a built-in ethernet port or a wireless accessory. Xbox Live (trademarked as Xbox LIVE) is an online multiplayer gaming and digital media delivery service created and operated by Microsoft Corporation Ethernet is a family of frame -based Computer networking technologies for Local area networks (LANs The Xbox 360 is available in four versions, an "Arcade" version for $279, a "Premium" Version for $349, an "Elite" edition for $449, and a Halo 3 limited edition, $399. The biggest difference between these versions was the addition of a 20 GB hard drive in the "Premium" edition, along with a standard wireless controller, a 120 GB hard drive and HDMI in the 'Elite' edition, and the use of HDMI with a 120 GB hard drive. The Xbox 360 is capable of out putting full 1080p with its HDMI port, and with a 2006 update, it is able to output 1080p over component cables as well. ^[9]
• Sony's PlayStation 3 was released, in Japan on November 11, 2006, in North America on November 17, 2006 and in Europe on March 23, 2007. is a multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato Tokyo, Japan, and one of the world's largest Media conglomerates with Events 308 - The Congress of Carnuntum: Attempting to keep peace within the Roman Empire, the leaders of the Tetrarchy declare Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Events 284 - Diocletian is proclaimed emperor by his soldiers Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Events 1174 - Jocelin, Abbot of Melrose, is elected Bishop of Glasgow. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. All PlayStation 3s come with a hard drive and are ready to play Blu-ray Disc movies and games out of the box. The PlayStation 3 was the first video game console to support HDMI out of the box, utilizing full 1080p. Controllers connect to the console through Bluetooth (up to 7) and have tilt-sensing capabilities. Bluetooth is a wireless protocol utilizing short-range communications technology facilitating data transmission over short distances from fixed and/or mobile devices creating wireless Four versions of the PS3 currently exist; a 20 GB HDD version for US$399 (discontinued in North America and Japan, and was never released in PAL territories), a 60 GB HDD version for €599. 99/US$499 (formerly US$599) (Discontinued in North America, Japan and PAL terriotries), a 40 GB HDD version for €399. 99/US$399 and an 80 GB HDD version which retails for US$499 (only in some NTSC territories).
• Nintendo's Wii was released in North America on November 19, 2006, in Japan on December 2, 2006, in Australia on December 7, 2006, and in Europe on December 8, 2006. is a Multinational corporation headquartered in Kyoto Japan founded on Events 1095 - The Council of Clermont, called by Pope Urban II to discuss sending the First Crusade to the Holy Land Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Events 1409 - The University of Leipzig opens 1755 - The second Eddystone Lighthouse is destroyed by fire Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Events 43 BC - Marcus Tullius Cicero assassinated 1696 - Connecticut Route 108, one of the oldest highways Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Events 1609 - Biblioteca Ambrosiana opens its reading room the second public library of Europe. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. It is bundled with Wii Sports in all regions except for Japan. Wii Sports is a Sports game developed and produced by Nintendo as a Launch title for the Wii Video game console. The Wii retails for approximately $250. Unlike the other systems of this generation, the Wii does not have an internal hard drive, but instead uses 512 MB of internal Flash memory and includes support for removable SD card storage. Secure Digital ( SD) is a non-volatile Memory card format developed by Matsushita, SanDisk, and Toshiba for use in It also has a maximum graphics output of 480p, making it the only seventh generation console not utilizing High Definition. Along with its low price point, the Wii is renowned for its completely redesigned controller, Wii Remote, which resembles a TV remote. The Wii Remote, sometimes Nicknamed " Wiimote " is the primary controller for Nintendo 's The system utilizes a "sensor bar" that gives off infrared light which is captured by an infrared camera in the Wii remote to determine orientation relative to the source of said light. It is also the first Nintendo console to be backwards compatible with previous Nintendo consoles, where it can play all GameCube games and supports up to four GameCube controllers and two memory cards, along with Virtual Console which supports games from older systems, including those of former competitors. Virtual Console, sometimes abbreviated as VC, is a specialized section of the Wii Shop Channel, an online service that allows players to purchase and download

Bits

Each new generation of console hardware made use of the rapid development of processing technology. Newer machines could output a greater range of colors, more sprites, and introduced graphical technologies such as scaling, and vector graphics. In Computer graphics, a sprite (also known by other names see Synonyms below is a two-dimensional/three-dimensional Image or Animation that Vector graphics is the use of geometrical primitives such as points lines, Curves and shapes or Polygon (s which are all based One way this increase in processing power was conveyed to consumers was through the measurement of "bits". A bit is a binary digit, taking a value of either 0 or 1 Binary digits are a basic unit of Information storage and communication The TurboGrafx-16, Sega Genesis, and SNES were among the first consoles to advertise the fact that they contained 16-bit processors. The, known as TurboGrafx-16 in the USA is a Video game console developed by the Nippon Electric Company (NEC and released in Japan on October This fourth generation of console hardware was often referred to as the 16-bit era, and the previous generation as the 8-bit.

The bit-value of a console referred to the word length of a console's processor (although the value was sometimes misused, for example the TurboGrafx 16 had only an 8-bit CPU, and the Genesis/Mega Drive had the 16/32 bit Motorola 68000, but both had a 16-bit dedicated graphics processor). In Computing, " word " is a term for the natural unit of data used by a particular computer design The Motorola 68000 is a 16/32-bit CISC Microprocessor core designed and marketed by Freescale Semiconductor (formerly Motorola Semiconductor As the graphical performance of console hardware is dependent on many factors, using bits was a crude way to gauge a console's overall ability, but served better to distinguish between generations.

Media

Cartridges

Standard game cartridges for several popular consoles. From front to back: Game Boy Color, Sega Genesis, and Atari 2600. The is Nintendo 's successor to the Game Boy and was released on October 21, 1998 in Japan and in November 19, 1998 The is a 16-bit Video game console released by Sega in Japan in 1988 North America in 1989 and the PAL region in 1990 The Atari 2600 is a Video game console released in October 1977

Game cartridges consist of a printed circuit board housed inside of a plastic casing, with a connector allowing the device to interface with the console. A printed circuit board, or PCB, is used to mechanically support and electrically connect Electronic components using conductive pathways or traces The circuit board can contain a wide variety of components. All cartridge games contain at the minimum, read only memory with the software written on it. Many cartridges also carry components that increase the original console's power, such as extra RAM or a coprocessor. Components can also be added to extend the original hardware's functionality^[10] (such as gyroscopes, rumble packs, tilt-sensors, light sensors, etc. WarioWare Twisted!, known in Japan as is a Video game for Game Boy Advance by Nintendo. Kirby Tilt 'n' Tumble is an action puzzle Video game published and developed by Nintendo for the Game Boy Color handheld ); this is more common on handheld consoles where the user does not interact with the game through a separate video game controller. ^[11]

Cartridges were the first external media to be used with home consoles and remained the most common until 1995 continued improvements in capacity (Nintendo 64 being the last mainstream game console to use cartridges). ^[12] Nevertheless, the relatively high manufacturing costs saw them completely replaced by optical media for home consoles by the early 21st century. Although, they are still in use in some handheld video game consoles.

Due to the aforementioned capabilities of cartridges such as more memory and coprocessors, those factors make it harder to reverse engineer consoles to be used on emulators.

Cards

Further information: Smart Card

Several consoles such as the Sega Master System and the TurboGrafx-16 have used different types of smart cards as an external medium. A smart card, chip card, or Integrated circuit card ( ICC) is any pocket-sized card with embedded integrated The Sega Master System is an 8-bit cartridge-based Video game console that was manufactured by Sega and was first released in 1986. The, known as TurboGrafx-16 in the USA is a Video game console developed by the Nippon Electric Company (NEC and released in Japan on October A smart card, chip card, or Integrated circuit card ( ICC) is any pocket-sized card with embedded integrated These cards function similar to simple cartridges. Information is stored on a chip that is housed in plastic. Cards are more compact and simpler than cartridges, though. This makes them cheaper to produce and smaller, but limits what can be done with them. Cards cannot hold extra components, and common cartridge techniques like bank switching (a technique used create very large games) were impossible to miniaturize into a card in the late 1980s. Bank switching (also known as "paging" but only loosely related to the ordinary meaning of " Paging " in computing was a technique common in 8-bit ^[13][14]

Compact Discs reduced much of the need for cards. Optical Discs can hold more information than cards, and are cheaper to produce. Many modern systems use writable memory cards for storage, but the Nintendo DS is the only modern system to use cards for game distribution. A memory card or flash memory card is a solid-state electronic Flash memory Data storage device used with Digital The is a dual-screen Handheld game console developed and manufactured by Nintendo. Nintendo has long used cartridges with their Game Boy line of hand held consoles because of their durability, small size and low battery consumption. Nintendo switched to cards for the DS, because advances in memory technology made putting extra memory on the cartridge unnecessary. ^[15]

Magnetic media

Two common forms of magnetic media. From front to back: Cassette and 3½-inch floppy disk. The Compact Cassette, often referred to as audio cassette, cassette tape, cassette, or simply tape, is a Magnetic tape sound A floppy disk is an increasingly Obsolete data storage medium that is composed of a disk of thin flexible ("floppy" Magnetic storage medium encased

Home computers have long used magnetic storage devices. Magnetic storage and magnetic recording are terms from Engineering referring to the storage of Data on a Magnetized medium Both tape drives and floppy disk drives were common on early microcomputers. A tape drive, which is also known as a streamer, is a data storage device that reads and writes data stored on a magnetic tape. A floppy disk is an increasingly Obsolete data storage medium that is composed of a disk of thin flexible ("floppy" Magnetic storage medium encased microcomputer is a Computer with a Microprocessor as its Central processing unit. Their popularity is in large part because a tape drive or disk drive can write to any material it can read. However, magnetic media is volatile and can be more easily damaged than game cartridges or optical discs. ^[16]

Among the first consoles to use magnetic media were the Bally Astrocade and APF-M1000, both of which could use cassette tapes through expansions. The Astrocade is an early video game console and simple computer system designed by a team at Midway, the Videogame division of Bally. In Bally's case, this allowed the console to see new game development even after Bally dropped support for it. While magnetic media remained limited in use as a primary form of distribution, two popular subsequent consoles also had expansions available to allow them to use this format. The Starpath Supercharger can load Atari 2600 games from audio cassettes; Starpath used it to cheaply distribute their own games from 1982 to 1984 and today it is used by many programmers to test, distribute, and play homebrew software. The Starpath Supercharger was an add-on module created by Starpath to expand the game capabilities of the Atari 2600 Video game console. The Famicom Disk System was released by Nintendo in 1985 for the Japanese market. The was released on February 21, 1986 by Nintendo as a peripheral for the Family Computer ("Famicom" console in Japan. Nintendo sold the disks cheaply and sold vending machines where customers could have new games written to their disks up to 500 times. ^[17]

Optical media

The most widely used forms of optical media are DVDs and compact discs. DVD (also known as " Digital Versatile Disc " or " Digital Video Disc " - see Etymology)is A Compact Disc (also known as a CD) is an Optical disc used to store digital data, originally developed for storing digital audio Shown is a CD-ROM (left) and a game in Nintendo's proprietary optical disc format. is a Multinational corporation headquartered in Kyoto Japan founded on Nintendo optical discs refer to the Optical disc format used to distribute Video games released by Nintendo.

In the mid-1990s, various manufacturers shifted to optical media, specifically CD-ROM, for games. Although they were slower at loading game data than the cartridges available at that time, they were significantly cheaper to manufacture and had a larger capacity than the existing cartridge technology. By the early 21st century, all of the major home consoles used optical media, usually DVD-ROM or similar disks, which are widely replacing CD-ROM for data storage. The PlayStation 3 system uses even higher-capacity Blu-ray optical discs for games and movies while the Xbox 360 formerly used HD DVDs in the form of an external USB player add-on for movies, before it was discontinued. not insert the publicly disclosed HD DVD key into this article for the time being Microsoft still however, supports those who bought the accessory.

Internet distribution

All three seventh generation consoles (the PlayStation 3, Wii, and Xbox 360) offer some kind of Internet games distribution service, allowing users to download games for a fee onto some form of non-volatile storage, typically a hard disk or flash memory. Recently the console manufacturers have been taking full advantage of internet distribution with arcade games, television shows and film trailers being available.

• Microsoft's Xbox Live service includes the Xbox Live Arcade and Xbox Live Marketplace, featuring digital distribution of classic and original titles. Xbox Live (trademarked as Xbox LIVE) is an online multiplayer gaming and digital media delivery service created and operated by Microsoft Corporation These include arcade classics, original titles, and games originally released on other consoles. The Xbox Live Marketplace also includes many different hit movies and trailers in high definition, and is accessible with a free Xbox Live Silver Membership.
• Sony's online game distribution is known as the PlayStation Network (PSN). It offers free online gaming, downloadable content such as classic PlayStation games, high definition game and movie trailers, and original games such as flOw and Everyday Shooter as well as some games that also release on Blu-ray Disc such as Warhawk and Gran Turismo 5: Prologue. Everyday Shooter is a downloadable Shoot 'em up Video game. It was released on the U A networking service, dubbed PlayStation Home, is due for release in Fall 2008. PlayStation Home (also marketed and referred to simply as Home) is a community-based service for the PlayStation Network which has been in development since early They have also announced a video/movie service and music service for some time in 2008.
• Nintendo 64, Sega Genesis/Mega Drive, NES/Famicom, TurboGrafx-16, SNES/Super Famicom, and Neo Geo (and in Japan Sega Master System and Game Gear) games are currently being emulated on the Wii console through Nintendo's Virtual Console service. Virtual Console, sometimes abbreviated as VC, is a specialized section of the Wii Shop Channel, an online service that allows players to purchase and download Nintendo also plans to have original content available for download in the future through their WiiWare service. WiiWare are downloadable games and applications specifically designed and developed for the Wii video game console made by Nintendo.

See also

• List of video game consoles
• Console manufacturer
• History of computer and video games
• Handheld game consoles
• Dedicated console
• Unlockable games

References

Further reading

• Forster, Winnie (2005). The Encyclopedia of Game Machines - Consoles, handheld & home computers 1972-2005. Gameplan. ISBN 3-00-015359-4.  

External links

• The Planet X (Gaming)
• Console platforms at the Open Directory Project