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Magnavox Odyssey
The Magnavox Odyssey was the first video game console released for home use. It featured the game Pong, which was a tennis-style game. Reference -
Atari 2600
The Atari 2600 was a video game console considered to be the beginning of the home gaming industry. On this console were classic games such as Space Invaders, an arcade-style game where the player shot down spaceships. Reference -
Nintendo Entertainment System (NES)
The Nintendo Entertainment System was released in 1985 to directly compete with other consoles such as the Atari 2600. It introduced better graphics to home gaming, and featured series such as Super Mario Bros. Reference -
Sega Genesis / Sega Mega Drive
The Sega Genesis (known as the Mega Drive in Australia) was the most popular home gaming console produced by Sega. It directly competed with Nintendo in its marketing, offering 16-bits which was a considerable jump from the common 8-bit systems at the time. This console feautred iconic games such as the Sonic the Hedgehog series. Reference -
Game Boy
The Game Boy was one of the first hand-held gaming consoles released. It was considered revolutionary at the time, with an eight-way control pad and two buttons. It featured a greyscale screen, and introduced Tetris to a wide audience. Text Reference |
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PlayStation One
The PlayStation was a gaming console by Sony. It was a popular console, which featured around 1000 games. It was a 32-bit system, a considerable improvement at the time. Games on the first PlayStation included Spyro and Tekken. Text Reference | Image Reference -
Nintendo 64
The Nintendo 64 was a gaming console released in 1996. It was a widely popular console, selling over 32,900,000 units worldwide. It had improved graphics, and featured games such as Super Mario 64 and Mario Kart. Reference: Guinness World Records Limited 2008, Guiness World Records Gamers Edition 2008, Mohn Media Mohndruck GmbH, Gutersloh, Germany |
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PlayStation 2
The PlayStation 2 was the next generation of Sony's games consoles. Released in 2000, it is considered as the best-selling game console to date, featuring series such as SingStar and Guitar Hero. It was also one of the first consoles that could play DVDs. Text Reference | Image Refererence -
Xbox
The Xbox was Microsoft's first games console. It was the first console to feature an internal hard drive, unlike other consoles at the time which relied on memory cards and saving on the game cartridge itself. Popular games on Xbox included Halo. Text Reference | Image Reference -
Xbox 360
The Xbox 360 was the second games console released by Microsoft. It featured wireless controllers, which could be connected to the console itself through USB ports. Over 15 million Xbox 360s have been sold, proving its popularity. Reference: Guinness World Records Limited 2008, Guiness World Records Gamers Edition 2008, Mohn Media Mohndruck GmbH, Gutersloh, Germany | Image Reference -
PlayStation 3
The PlayStation 3 was Sony's third games console. It was the first console to use Blu-Ray technology, which allowed more data to be put on game discs, allowing for bigger names. It had wireless controllers, and featured games such as Call of Duty. Reference: Guinness World Records Limited 2008, Guiness World Records Gamers Edition 2008, Mohn Media Mohndruck GmbH, Gutersloh, Germany | Image Reference -
Nintendo Wii
The Wii was a games console released in 2006. It was considered to be revolutionary at the time, as it included hardware which required players to move around in games such as Wii Sports, using the controller to play tennis and other games. Reference: Guinness World Records Limited 2008, Guiness World Records Gamers Edition 2008, Mohn Media Mohndruck GmbH, Gutersloh, Germany | Image Reference -
PlayStation 4
The PlayStation 4 is Sony's fourth games console, and is one of the most recent machines. It features games such as Grand Theft Auto V. It is able to play games in High Definition, and like the PS3, its controllers are motion sensitive. Image Reference | Text Reference
