Generation 1
The first generation of gaming platforms occurred from 1972-1980. In 1972 the company Magnavox released the first home console in the form of the 'Magnavox Odyssey'. Upon its release the Odyssey sold around 100000. Until then video games were rare and not popular. It wasn't until Atari came about with the infamous pong that video games started to become seen more in the public eye. After this the market saw many company's producing simple consoles all producing very similar products.
Generation 2
Generation 2 of gaming console occurred within the years 1976-1996. The biggest innovation of that generation was the change of cartridges used within the consoles. These consoles were empty with all the information being stored on the cartridge. The biggest selling console of the time was the Atari 2600 which sold 30000000 units.
Generation 3
The 3rd generation of consoles lasted from 1983-2003. The biggest changes came in 1983 with the release of the Famicom or NES. This console sold around 62 million units. The NES was all together a stronger console providing longer lasting games with higher resolution graphics providing more detail. In an attempt to differentiate itself from older consoles they moved the cartridge port to the front. This generation also started the feud between SEGA as they attempted to rival the NES in the market with the master system but only massed 13 million units.
Generation 4
The 4th generation showed itself to last from 1987-2004. This generation saw NEC release their first console the PC engine. This released first in 1987 to sell 10 million units. Then they were approached to create consoles with graphical displays twice the amount of the previous generation with this going on to be known as the 16 bit generation. Whilst that was happening the market rivalry continued with SEGA and Nintendo with the SEGA genesis releasing selling 40 million units closing the gap on the Nintendo. Despite this they were still unsuccessful in leading the market as the super NES selling 49 million units defining them as the biggest console sellers. What else backed up Nintendo financially as well as that was the biggest innovation so far in the form of the game boy. This showed itself to be an innovation of the 2nd generation hands held console microvision. This of course was the game boy which owned the market and the pop culture of the time.
Generation 5
Generation 5 took place between the years 1993-2005. The console industry continued to thrive due to their cheap prices. Whilst hand held consoles dominated the previous generation nothing could stop the release of SONY's PlayStation. This console defined the generation selling over 100 million units. It showed to be the best in the market. Its popularity entitled it to being the biggest computer entertainment platform. They were shown to have multiple uses as they could also play CD'S. Another key feature that defined the console was the controllers. These added hand grips for the player to hold whilst playing and shows to be different from the generic oblong shape.
Generation 6
The sixth generation occurred from 1998-2013. The handheld market continued to expand but still with Nintendo being the top dog of the market with the Game Boy advance. In terms of home consoles Sony refused to back down with the release of the PlayStation 2 which outsold the original on 155 million units. The biggest feature to entice customers was backwards comparability allowing those who own PlayStation games to play them on the PlayStation 2. This generation saw Microsoft introduce itself with its XBOX. Whilst it was marginally successful nothing at the time topped PlayStation.
Generation 7
The seventh generation lasted from 2005-2017. This showed itself to be very competitive with the 3 big companies emerging to be Microsoft, Sony and Nintendo. The industry was showing itself to be stronger than ever as in 2007 1/4 of the worlds computing power was from gaming consoles. The innovations of this generation showed consoles capable of playing Blu-ray discs as well as all consoles supporting wireless controllers. A 1.2 million unit difference showed a split race with Microsoft and SONY with the PlayStation being the victor of the two. Despite this the Nintendo Wii became the most sold home console. This may be down to it being seen as a family console as well as being able to exercise as well as play normally redesigning the classic oblong controller shape. In terms of handheld consoles Nintendo saw itself come out on top due to the success of the DS. This console was vastly changed from the game boy as it saw new features like the touch screen and wireless connection. This was shown to be a phenomenal success as it even outsold Wii.
Generation 8
The eighth generation began in 2011 and as it is stands it is still continuing. A big improvement shown was the graphical capacities of the consoles becoming all the outstanding. XBOX and PlayStation both showed interest into making them more social by making it easier to record and live stream games. Another improvement shown in both consoles is introducing more forms of media platforms as websites like Netflix had began to significantly rise.
Future of gaming
Whilst VR is something that is recently being sought out after many developers are looking into the new tomorrow of augmented reality. This unlike VR will allow users to interact in real time with your simulated surroundings. Another thing developers aim to achieve soon is the idea of cloud gaming. This is where all information is stored within the cloud making downloading them far easier as all that is required is a stable internet connection.
Generation 3
The 3rd generation of consoles lasted from 1983-2003. The biggest changes came in 1983 with the release of the Famicom or NES. This console sold around 62 million units. The NES was all together a stronger console providing longer lasting games with higher resolution graphics providing more detail. In an attempt to differentiate itself from older consoles they moved the cartridge port to the front. This generation also started the feud between SEGA as they attempted to rival the NES in the market with the master system but only massed 13 million units.
Generation 4
The 4th generation showed itself to last from 1987-2004. This generation saw NEC release their first console the PC engine. This released first in 1987 to sell 10 million units. Then they were approached to create consoles with graphical displays twice the amount of the previous generation with this going on to be known as the 16 bit generation. Whilst that was happening the market rivalry continued with SEGA and Nintendo with the SEGA genesis releasing selling 40 million units closing the gap on the Nintendo. Despite this they were still unsuccessful in leading the market as the super NES selling 49 million units defining them as the biggest console sellers. What else backed up Nintendo financially as well as that was the biggest innovation so far in the form of the game boy. This showed itself to be an innovation of the 2nd generation hands held console microvision. This of course was the game boy which owned the market and the pop culture of the time.
Generation 5
Generation 5 took place between the years 1993-2005. The console industry continued to thrive due to their cheap prices. Whilst hand held consoles dominated the previous generation nothing could stop the release of SONY's PlayStation. This console defined the generation selling over 100 million units. It showed to be the best in the market. Its popularity entitled it to being the biggest computer entertainment platform. They were shown to have multiple uses as they could also play CD'S. Another key feature that defined the console was the controllers. These added hand grips for the player to hold whilst playing and shows to be different from the generic oblong shape.
Generation 6
The sixth generation occurred from 1998-2013. The handheld market continued to expand but still with Nintendo being the top dog of the market with the Game Boy advance. In terms of home consoles Sony refused to back down with the release of the PlayStation 2 which outsold the original on 155 million units. The biggest feature to entice customers was backwards comparability allowing those who own PlayStation games to play them on the PlayStation 2. This generation saw Microsoft introduce itself with its XBOX. Whilst it was marginally successful nothing at the time topped PlayStation.
Generation 7
The seventh generation lasted from 2005-2017. This showed itself to be very competitive with the 3 big companies emerging to be Microsoft, Sony and Nintendo. The industry was showing itself to be stronger than ever as in 2007 1/4 of the worlds computing power was from gaming consoles. The innovations of this generation showed consoles capable of playing Blu-ray discs as well as all consoles supporting wireless controllers. A 1.2 million unit difference showed a split race with Microsoft and SONY with the PlayStation being the victor of the two. Despite this the Nintendo Wii became the most sold home console. This may be down to it being seen as a family console as well as being able to exercise as well as play normally redesigning the classic oblong controller shape. In terms of handheld consoles Nintendo saw itself come out on top due to the success of the DS. This console was vastly changed from the game boy as it saw new features like the touch screen and wireless connection. This was shown to be a phenomenal success as it even outsold Wii.
Generation 8
The eighth generation began in 2011 and as it is stands it is still continuing. A big improvement shown was the graphical capacities of the consoles becoming all the outstanding. XBOX and PlayStation both showed interest into making them more social by making it easier to record and live stream games. Another improvement shown in both consoles is introducing more forms of media platforms as websites like Netflix had began to significantly rise.
Future of gaming
Whilst VR is something that is recently being sought out after many developers are looking into the new tomorrow of augmented reality. This unlike VR will allow users to interact in real time with your simulated surroundings. Another thing developers aim to achieve soon is the idea of cloud gaming. This is where all information is stored within the cloud making downloading them far easier as all that is required is a stable internet connection.
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