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Cathode Ray Tube
It records and controls the quality of an electronic signal.
The strength of the electronic signals produced by the amusement device can be controlled by control knobs which influences the trajectory of the CRT's light beam.
The device is purely mechanical and does not use any memory device, computer, or programming. -
Magnavox Odyssey
World's first game console
Predating the Atari Pong home consoles by several years.
designed by Ralph Baer
prototype known as the "Brown Box“ is now at the Smithsonian Museum in Washington DC
340,000 units sold -
Gran Track 10
A single-player racing arcade by Atari
The player raced against the game clock, accumulating as many points as possible.
Early diode-based ROM was used to store the sprites for the car, score and game timer, and the race track.
The game's controls, steering wheel, four-position gear shifter, and accelerator and brake foot pedals were also all firsts for arcade games -
Fairchild Channel F
The world's second cartridge-based video game console, after the Magnavox Odyssey (although it was the first programmable cartridge system as the Odyssey cartridges only contained jumpers and not ROM information).
By Fairchild Semiconductor price of $169.95.
At this point it was known as the Video Entertainment System, or VES, but when Atari released their VCS the next year, Fairchild quickly renamed it. -
Coleco Telstar
Originally a Pong clone based on General Instrument's AY-3-8500 chip.
The chip played several Pong variants on a domestic television receiver, and became available to any manufacturer.
The circuit was intended to be battery powered and a minimum number of external components were required to complete the system. -
Atari 2600
Video game console credited with popularizing the use of a microprocessor and cartridges containing games.
Originally known as the Atari VCS—for Video Computer System—the machine's name was changed to "Atari 2600" in 1982, after the release of the more advanced Atari 5200.
It was wildly successful, and during the 1980s.
The 2600 was typically bundled with two joystick controllers, a conjoined pair of paddle controllers, and a cartridge game - initially Combat and subsequently Pac-Man. -
Space Invaders
Created in Japan, and was later licensed by the Midway in the US.
Shooting game where the players defeat waves of aliens with a laser cannon to earn as many points as possible.
So successful it caused a temporary shortage of 100-yen coins in Japan and grossed $2 billion worldwide by 1982.
Pixelated enemy alien has become a pop culture icon, often used as a symbol representing video games as a whole. -
Asteroids
Most popular and influential games selling 70,000 by Atari.
Used a vector display and a 2D view that wraps around in both screen axes.
Player controls a spaceship in an asteroid field which is periodically traversed by flying saucers.
Object of the game is to shoot and destroy asteroids and saucers while not colliding or being hit by the saucers' counter-fire. -
Intellivision
By Mattel Electronics.
Test marketed in California, with four games available, and nationwide in 1980 with a price tag of $299 and a pack-in game: Las Vegas Poker & Blackjack.
Though not the first system to challenge Atari, it was the first to pose a serious threat to Atari's dominance.
A series of ads were produced attacking the Atari 2600's lesser capabilities with side-by-side game comparisons.
By 1982 over two million Intellivision consoles had been sold, earning Mattel a $100,000,000 pr -
Pac Man
by Namco is considered among the most famous arcade games of all time.
Became a social phenomenon that sold related merchandise and inspired, an animated television series and a top-ten hit single.
Was appealing to both genders.
Generated more than $2.5 billion in quarters by the 1990s.
Highest brand awareness of any video game character. -
Frogger
By Konami, and licensed for worldwide distribution by Sega/Gremlin.
Player directs frogs to their homes by crossing a busy road and navigate a river full of hazards. Skillful players obtain bonuses.
The game is regarded as a classic and was noted for its novel gameplay and theme.
Example of a game using more than one CPU, as it used two Z80 processors.
By 2005, Frogger had sold 20 million copies worldwide, including 5 million in the United States. -
Mario's First Apperance
Mario first debuted as "Jumpman" in the arcade game Donkey Kong. -
Tetris
A tile-matching game originally designed and programmed in the Soviet Union.
Name is from the Greek numerical prefix tetra- (all of the game's pieces contain four segments)
First entertainment software exported from the USSR to the U.S. and published for Commodore 64 and IBM PC.
Electronic Gaming Monthly's 100th issue had Tetris in first place as "Greatest Game of All Time".
It has sold more than 70 million copies. In January 2010, it was announced that Tetris has sold more than 100 million co -
Nintendo Entertainment System
8-bit video game console released by Nintendo.
In most of Asia, it was released as the Family Computer.
The most successful gaming console of its time -sold over 60 million NES units worldwide.
Nintendo helped revitalize the US video game industry following the video game crash of 1984, and set the standard for consoles and controller layout.
First console to play and openly court third-party game developers.
The slogan for the NES in North America is "Now You're Playing With Power!" -
Sega Master System
8-bit cartridge-based video game console that was manufactured by Sega.
In the European market, this console launched Sega onto a competitive level comparable to Nintendo, due to its wider availability, but failed to put a dent in the North American and Japanese markets.
The Master System was released as a direct competitor to the NES/Famicom.
The system ultimately failed to topple its Nintendo competitor, but enjoyed over a decade of life in secondary markets. -
Nintendo's Game Boy
A handheld game console by Nintendo, for $89.95.
The first successful handheld console, and was the predecessor of all other iterations of the Game Boy line.
The Game Boy was originally bundled with the puzzle game Tetris, since Nintendo thought that an addictive puzzle game would get consumers' attention. -
Atari Lynx
The Lynx holds the distinction of being the world's first handheld electronic game with a color LCD display. By Atari
Notable for its forward-looking features, advanced graphics, and ambidextrous layout.
The Lynx was released in the same year as Nintendo's (monochromatic) Game Boy. However, the Lynx failed to achieve the critical mass required to attract quality third party developers, and was eventually abandoned. -
Sega Game Gear
A handheld game console which was Sega's response to Nintendo's Game Boy.
The third commercially available color handheld console, after the Atari Lynx and the Turbo Express.
Work began on the console in 1989 under the codename "Project Mercury", as per Sega's policy at the time of codenaming their systems after planets.
The price was $149.99.
Sega dropped support for the Game Gear in early 1997. -
NEC TurboGrafx 16
A collaborative effort between Japanese software maker Hudson Soft and NEC.
Hudson wanted financial backing for a game console, and NEC wanted to get into the lucrative game market.
A small video game console, due to an efficient three-chip architecture and its use of HuCards exclusively.
It was the first console to have an optional CD module, allowing the standard benefits of the CD medium: more storage, cheaper media costs, and redbook audio which gave it a very wide variety of software. -
Sony PlayStation
A 32-bit video game console by Sony.
The original PlayStation was the first of a series of consoles and hand-held game devices, which included successor consoles and upgrades including the Net Yaroze, PSOne , PocketStation, PlayStation 2, PS2, PlayStation Portable, DVR and DVD recorder based on the PS2, and PlayStation 3.
By March 2005, the PlayStation/PS one had shipped a total of 102.49 million units, becoming the first home console to ever reach the 100 million mark. -
Sega Saturn
A powerful machine for the time, but its design, with two CPUs and 6 other processors, made harnessing power difficult.
Many of the ancillary chips in the system were "off of the shelf". This increased the complexity of the design since less custom hardware was used.
The original design may have called for a single central processor, but a second processor added later to increase performance.
Biggest disadvantage -both processors shared the same bus and had problems accessing the main system R -
Nintendo 64
N64, was Nintendo's third home video game console for the international market.
Named for its 64-bit processor
It was released with two launch games (Super Mario 64 and Pilotwings 64).
The N64's suggested retail price was $199 at its launch and it was marketed with the slogan: "Get N, or get Out!" -
Sega Dreamcast
Sega's final video game console and the successor to the Sega Saturn.
Designed to supersede the PlayStation and Nintendo 64.
Released 16 months before the PlayStation 2 (PS2), and 3 years before the Nintendo GameCube and the Xbox.
Dreamcast was hailed as ahead of its time, and is still held in high regard for pioneering online console gaming.
It failed to gather momentum before the release of the PlayStation 2, and Sega decided to discontinue it
The company will continue to sell Dreamcast to -
Xbox 360
By Microsoft, developed in cooperation with IBM, ATI, and SiS.
Xbox Live service allows players to compete online and download arcade games and content such as demos, trailers, TV shows, music videos, or rented movies.
Successor to Xbox, and competes with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii.
1st console to provide near-simultaneous launch across the three major regions, and to provide wireless controller support at launch.
Sold out completely at release and, as of September 12, 2007, has -
God of War
God of War is a third person action-adventure video game. It is set in Ancient Greece with vengeance as its central motif. The player controls the protagonist Kratos, a Spartan warrior who serves the Olympian Gods.
