A collection of home video game consoles, arranged in chronological order from bottom to top, at The Finnish Museum of Games, Tampere
Part of a series on the
History of video games
Early history
Early history of video games
Early mainframe games
Consoles
History of video game consoles
Console war
1st generation (1972–1983)
2nd generation (1976–1992)
Video game crash of 1983
3rd generation (1983–2003)
4th generation (1987–2004)
5th generation (1993–2005)
6th generation (1998–2013)
7th generation (2005–2017)
8th generation (2012–present)
9th generation (2020–present)
Impact of COVID-19 (2023-24 layoffs)
Arcade video games
History of arcade video games
Golden age of arcade video games
Timeline of arcade video game history
Personal computer
History of personal computer games
Mobile games
History of mobile games
Virtual reality
History of virtual reality games
Cloud gaming
History of cloud gaming
Other platforms
Browser game
Emulation
Genres
List of genres
History of East Asian role-playing video games
History of Western role-playing video games
History of online games
History of real-time strategy games
History of tactical role-playing games
History of single-player video games
History of multiplayer video games
History of massively multiplayer online games
Lists
List of video games in development
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A home video game console is a video game console that is designed to be connected to a display device, such as a television, and an external power source as to play video games. While initial consoles were dedicated units with only a few games fixed into the electronic circuits of the system, most consoles since support the use of swappable game media, either through game cartridges, optical discs, or through digital distribution to internal storage.
There have been numerous home video game consoles since the first commercial unit, the Magnavox Odyssey in 1972. Historically these consoles have been grouped into generations lasting each about six years based on common technical specifications. As of 2024, there have been nine console generations, with the current leading manufacturers being Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo, colloquially known as the "Big 3." Past console manufacturers have included Atari, Fairchild, Mattel, Coleco, Sega, NEC, 3DO, Fujitsu and SNK.
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A homevideogameconsole is a videogameconsole that is designed to be connected to a display device, such as a television, and an external power source...
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ninth generation of videogameconsoles began in November 2020 with the releases of Microsoft's Xbox Series X and Series S console family and Sony's PlayStation...
the history of video games, the first generation era refers to the video games, videogameconsoles, and handheld videogameconsoles available from 1972...
A videogameconsole is an electronic device that outputs a video signal or image to display a videogame that can be played with a game controller. These...
The history of videogameconsoles, both home and handheld, began in the 1970s. The first console that played games on a television set was the 1972 Magnavox...
has developed seven homevideogameconsoles and multiple portable consoles for use with external media, as well as dedicated consoles and other hardware...
company has produced homevideogameconsoles and handheld consoles since 1983; these systems were released from the third console generation to the sixth...
the game. Bushnell based the game's concept on an electronic ping-pong game included in the Magnavox Odyssey, the first homevideogameconsole. In response...
generation of videogameconsoles lasted from 1972 to 1983. The first console of this generation was the 1972 Magnavox Odyssey. The last new console release...
The Wii (/ˈwiː/, WEE) is a homevideogameconsole developed and marketed by Nintendo. It was released on November 19, 2006 in North America, and in December...
In the history of video games, the fourth generation of videogameconsoles, more commonly referred to as the 16-bit era, began on October 30, 1987, with...
The Magnavox Odyssey is the first commercial homevideogameconsole. The hardware was designed by a small team led by Ralph H. Baer at Sanders Associates...
In the history of video games, the third generation of videogameconsoles, commonly referred to as the 8-bit era, began on July 15, 1983, with the Japanese...
such games on a video display. The first consumer videogame hardware was released in the early 1970s. The first homevideogameconsole was the Magnavox...
a homevideogameconsole developed by Atari Corporation and released in North America in November 1993. Part of the fifth generation of videogame consoles...
dedicated videogameconsoles in chronological order. Only officially licensed dedicated consoles are listed in the retro style sections. Dedicated consoles are...
history of video games, the second-generation era refers to computer and video games, videogameconsoles, and handheld videogameconsoles available from...
shook a then-booming videogame industry and led to the bankruptcy of several companies producing home computers and videogameconsoles. Analysts of the...
The Nintendo Switch is a videogameconsole developed by Nintendo and released worldwide in most regions on March 3, 2017. Released in the middle of the...
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