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The Brown Box
In 1967, Ralph Baer and his colleagues at Sanders Associates, Inc. developed a prototype for the first multiplayer, multiprogram video game system. Since Sanders hoped to license the technology for a commercial venture, Baer understood that the games had to be fun or investors and consumers would not be interested. In an oral history interview (copies available in the Archives Center at the National Museum of American History), -
Magnavox Odyssey
The Magnavox Odyssey is the world's first commercial home video game console. It was first demonstrated in April 1972 and released in August of that year, predating the Atari Pong home consoles by three years. It is a digital video game console, though is often mistakenly believed to be analog, due to misunderstanding of its hardware design -
Atari Sears Tele-Games Pong System
The next significant part of Atari's history is their entrance in the home market. In 1973, Harold Lee suggested that a home version of PONG be made. Atari started the design of the Darlene project in 1974. Harold Lee, Alan Alcorn and Bob Brown designed the prototype. Because Magnavox Odyssey was already becoming obsolete and somehow left behind by customers, sellers were not attracted by Atari's new PONG game until Sears goes ahead and sells the system under their Tele-Games label for Christmas -
Atari 26000 VCS
The Atari 2600 is a home video game console released in September 1977 by Atari, Inc. 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 game console. This format contrasts with the older model of having non-microprocessor dedicated hardware, which could play only the few games which are physically built in to the unit. -
Intellivision
The Intellivision is a home video game console released by Mattel in 1979. Development of the console began in 1978, less than a year after the introduction of its main competitor, the Atari 2600. The word intellivision is a portmanteau of "intelligent television". Over 3 million Intellivision units were sold and a total of 125 games were released for the console.[1][2][3] -
Nintendo Entertainment System (NES)
The Nintendo Entertainment System (also abbreviated as NES) is an 8-bit home video game console that was developed and manufactured by Nintendo. It was initially released in Japan as the Family Computer on July 15, 1983, and was later released in North America during 1985, in Europe during 1986. -
Game Boy
The Game Boy is an 8-bit handheld video game device developed and manufactured by Nintendo. It was released in Japan on April 21, 1989, in North America in August 1989, and in Europe on September 28, 1990. It is the first handheld console in the Game Boy line, and was created by Gunpei Yokoi and Nintendo Research & Development —the same staff who had designed the Game & Watch series as well as several popular games for the Nintendo Entertainment System. -
NeoGeo
The Neo Geo is a cartridge-based arcade system board and home video game console released on January 31, 1990 by Japanese game company SNK. Although it is a member of the fourth generation of video game consoles, it is the first system in the Neo Geo family, which ran throughout the 1990s before being revived in December 2012 with the Neo Geo X handheld and home system. -
Super Nintendo Entertainment System
The Super Nintendo Entertainment System (also known as the Super NES, SNES or Super Nintendo) is a 16-bit home video game console developed by Nintendo that was released in 1990 in Japan, 1991 in North America, 1992 in Europe and 1993 in South America -
Playstation
PlayStation is a series of video game consoles created and developed by Sony Computer Entertainment. The brand was first introduced on December 3, 1994 in Japan with the launch of the original PlayStation console. The original console in the series, the PlayStation, was the first video game console to ship 100 million units, 9 years and 6 months after its initial launch. -
Nintendo 64
The Nintendo 64 stylized as NINTENDO64 and often referred to as N64, is Nintendo's third home video game console for the international market. Named for its 64-bit central processing unit, it was released in June 1996 in Japan, September 1996 in North America. -
PlayStation 2
The PlayStation 2 (PS2) is a home video game console that was manufactured by Sony Computer Entertainment. It is Sony's second installment in the PlayStation Series. It was released on March 4, 2000, in Japan followed by North America and Europe later the same year. The PlayStation 2 went on to become the best-selling video game console in history, selling over 155 million units. -
Xbox
The Xbox is the first installment in the Xbox series and a home video game console manufactured by Microsoft. It was released on November 15, 2001, in North America. In November 2002, Microsoft launched Xbox Live, a fee-based online gaming service that enabled subscribers to download new content and connect with other players through a broadband connection. Unlike other online services from Sega and Sony, Xbox Live had support in the original console design through an integrated Ethernet port. -
Gameboy Advance
The Game Boy Advance, often shortened to GBA, is a 32-bit handheld video game console developed, manufactured and marketed by Nintendo -
PlayStation Portable
The PlayStation Portable is a handheld game console made by Sony. The PlayStation Portable is the only handheld video game console to use an optical disc format. -
Nintendo DS
The Nintendo DS is a dual-screen handheld game console developed and released by Nintendo. -
Xbox 360
The Xbox 360 is a home video game console developed by Microsoft, and is the successor to the original Xbox, and it is the second console in the Xbox series. The Xbox 360 allows users to stream media from local PCs. Several peripherals have been released, including wireless controllers, expanded hard drive storage, and the Kinect motion sensing camera. -
PlayStation 3
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Wii
The Wii is a home video game console released by Nintendo on November 19, 2006. As of the first quarter of 2012, the Wii leads the generation over PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 in worldwide sales, having sold over 101 million units; in December 2009, the console broke the sales record for a single month in the United States. -
Wii U
The Wii U is a home video game console from Nintendo and the successor to the Wii. The Wii U is the first Nintendo console to support high-definition graphics. The Wii U's primary controller is the Wii U GamePad, which features an embedded touchscreen. -
PlayStation 4
The PlayStation 4 is a home video game console from Sony Computer Entertainment. -
Xbox One
Xbox One is a home video game console developed and marketed by Microsoft. Announced on May 21, 2013, it is the successor to the Xbox 360 and is the third console in the Xbox family. It directly competes with Sony's PlayStation 4 and Nintendo's Wii U as part of the eighth generation of video game consoles.
