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First Generation
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Magnavox Odessy
The Magnavox Odessey Console was first unveiled at a California convention released later that same year. The console was created by Ralph H. Baer and a small team of developers. The console's reception was mixed especially when it came to the amount of conolses produced. -
Pong is released
Pong was created by Allan Alcorn and published by Atari in the fall of 1972. It is a sport game resembling table tennis. The goal of the game is to score as many points by getting the ball to pass your oppoents paddle. The game is known as the first commercially successful video game. -
Fairchild Channel F released
The Fairchild Channel F is a console released in late 1976 by Fairchild Semiconductor. It was desinged by Jerry Lawson. -
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Second Generation
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Video Game Crash of 1977
In order to clear stock, old video game companies began to sell their systems. Companies like Fairchild and RCA abandoned their gaming consloles, leaving Atari and Magnavox as the two major console companies. The crash ended in 19789 with the release of Space Invaders, and marked the end of the first generation of consoles. -
Atari 2600 released
The Atari 2600 was originally released in 1977 under the name Atari VCS until late 1982. The console is the first to have backward-compatability. -
Game Crash of 1983
With the release of so many new games the year before, stores were unable to carry any new games or consoles. This caused some companys to leave the business entirely. -
NES released
The Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) was released in Japan in 1983. It was the first commercially successful console released by Nintendo. -
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Third Generation
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SMS released
The Sega Master System was released in late 1986 in North America. The console was more popular in Europe than it was in Japan and North America. -
Atari 7800 released
The Atari 7800 is gaming console released in 1986 by Atari. It is almost completely backward-compatible, with the Atari 2600 being the first. -
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Fourth Generation
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TurboGrafx-16 released
The TurboGrafx-16 was released by NEC Home Electronics in 1987, beginning the fourth generation of video games. The became very succsessful in Japan, but failed to gain attraction in North America. -
Sega Genesis released
The Sega Genesis is the third video game console released by Sega in late 1988. Controversy sorrounding game like Mortal Kombat led the company to create the Videogame Rating council, which later became the ESRB. -
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Handheld Games
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Game Boy released
The Game Boy is a handheld gaming console developed by Nintendo and released in 1989. It combined features of the NES and Game & Watch console. -
Atari Lynx released
The Atari Lynx is a handheld console released by Atari in late 1989 in North America. It was the first handheld game with a color LCD. -
Game Gear released
The Game Gear was released in 1990. It passed the Atari Lynx in sales, but still fell short to Nintendo's Game Boy. -
SNES released
The Super Nintendo Entertainment System was released in late 1990. Its main rival was the Sega Genesis, which was released two years earlier. -
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Fifth Generation
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Sega Saturn released
The Sega Saturn was released by Sega in 1994. This and the Dreamcast would some of the last best-selling consoles the company would sell. -
PlayStation relesed
The PlayStation is the first gaming console released by Sony. Its CD format ushered in a new era of CD-based video games. -
N64 released
The Nintendo 64 was Nintendo's third video game console. It is the last console to use a cartridge as a primary storage format until the Switch. -
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Sixth Generation
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PlayStation 2 released
The PlayStation 2 is the second console of the same name released by Sony. The console provided backwards compatibility for the previous PlayStation's controllers and games. It is ranked as being the best-selling video game console of all time, selling over 155 million units worldwide. -
Game Cube released
The Game Cube was released in 2001. Its reception was mixed, falling short of Nintendo's 10 million sale goal, only selling 9.55 million. Its most popular game was Super Smash Bros. Melee. -
Xbox released
The Xbox was released in later 2001, becoming the first console released by an American company since Atari in the late 20th century. -
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Seventh Generation
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Xbox 360 released
The Xbox 360 is the successor to the Xbox released in 2005. It featured online connection with their Xbox Live feature. It also introduced the Kinect motion sensing camera in 2010. -
PlayStation 3 released
The PlayStation 3 was released during the seventh generation of consoles, competing with the Xbox 360 and Wii. It is the first Sony console to have a wireless controller and a Blu-ray Disc player. -
Wii released
The Nintendo Wii was released in 2006. It was named the best selling console of its generation selling over 100 million units worldwide. The remote that came with the console was considered to be revolutionary for the time because of the motion detection capabilities it had. -
Period: to
Eighth Generation
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PlayStation 4 released
The PS4 is the latest console released by Sony. The new controller contains a touch-pad, which can be pressed down as a button. -
Xbox One released
The Xbox One was released a week after the PS4. It was released to controversial feedback from its digital rights management and privacy practices. -
Nintendo Switch
The Nintendo Switch is the latest console released by the company. Its hybrid design allows the player to use it as a console and and handheld console. It is also the first Nintendo console to use a cartridge to store games since the N64.
