Fraternity Manuals

Video game console

From Open Encyclopedia

A video game console is a dedicated electronic machine designed to play video games. Often the output device is a separate television or a computer monitor. The main input device is a controller.

There was a time when video game consoles were easily distinguishable from personal computers: consoles used a standard television for display, and did not support standard PC accessories such as keyboards or modems. However, as consoles have become more enhanced, the distinction has blurred: some consoles can have full Linux operating systems running with hard drives and keyboards (like the Sony PlayStation 2).

The console market has steadily developed from simple one-off games, such as PONG, to fully featured general purpose games systems.

Older game consoles and their software now live on in emulators as they are no longer supported by their manufacturers. However, console makers try to prevent their games from being played on emulators using copyright-like exclusive rights in mask works and a protection of encrypted media created by the United States' Digital Millennium Copyright Act and foreign counterparts.

Note that the advertised "bitness" of post-32-bit consoles were in large part created by the console makers' marketing departments and may have little to do with the actual architecture or processing power of the systems.

Video game consoles have created a whole self-supporting market for thousands of different video game accessory manufacturers who would otherwise not be able to produce their own video game consoles. These manufacturers have expanded upon the original uses for the game consoles and have even created entirely new ways to both play and use some of the most popular video game systems.

Contents

[edit]

Timeline

Note: This is an abridged timeline of video game consoles in North America.

<timeline> DateFormat=mm/dd/yyyy ImageSize= width:600 height:400 Period = from:01/01/1975 till:12/31/2008 TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal AlignBars = justify PlotArea = width:90% height:90% left:0 bottom:30

Colors = 

    id:console       value:rgb(0.9,0.3,0.3)
    id:consolealt    value:rgb(0.3,0.9,0.9)
    id:2ndgen        value:tan1
    id:8bit          value:coral
    id:16bit         value:skyblue
    id:32bit         value:drabgreen
    id:64bit         value:drabgreen
    id:6thgen        value:lightorange
    id:7thgen        value:lavender
    id:line          value:black
    id:liteline      value:rgb(0.3,0.3,0.3)
    id:bg            value:white
    id:projection    value:rgb(0.9,0.9,0.9)

PlotData= 

    width:23 textcolor:black align:center
 bar:Atari from:01/01/1977      till:01/01/1990 color:2ndgen text:"Atari 2600"
 bar:Atari from:01/01/1993      till:06/30/1996 color:64bit text:"Jaguar"
 bar:Atari2 from:01/01/1982 till:01/01/1984 color:2ndgen text:"Atari 5200"
 bar:Atari2 from:01/01/1986 till:01/01/1992 color:8bit text:"Atari 7800"
 bar:Nintendo1  from:01/01/1985 till:01/01/1995 color:8bit text:"NES"
 bar:Nintendo2 from:08/01/1982 till:03/01/1984 color:8bit text:"Colecovision"
 bar:Nintendo2 from:08/01/1991 till:01/01/1999 color:16bit text:"Super NES"
 bar:NEC1 from:01/01/1978 till:01/01/1984 color:2ndgen text:"Magnavox Odyssey 2"
 bar:NEC1 from:08/01/1989  till:08/01/1992 color:16bit text: "TurboGrafx-16"
 bar:NEC2 from:01/01/1980  till:01/01/1984 color:2ndgen text:"Intellivision"
 bar:NEC2 from:10/10/1992  till:01/01/1995 color:16bit text: "TurboDuo"
 bar:Nintendo1 from:09/29/1996 till:08/01/2001 color:64bit text:"N64"
 bar:Nintendo2  from:10/18/2001 till:05/01/2006 color:6thgen text:"GameCube" shift:(-20,0)
 bar:Nintendo2  from:05/01/2005 till:12/31/2006 color:projection text:"(proj.)"
 bar:Nintendo1  from:03/22/2006 till:12/31/2007 color:projection text:"Revolution (projection)"
 bar:SEGA1 from:01/01/1986 till:01/01/1992 color:8bit text:"Master System"
 bar:SEGA2  from:01/09/1989 till:12/31/1995 color:16bit text:"Genesis"
 bar:SEGA1  from:05/01/1995 till:03/01/1998 color:32bit text:"Saturn"
 bar:SEGA2  from:09/09/1999 till:01/01/2001 color:6thgen text:"Dreamcast"
 bar:Sony1  from:09/09/1995 till:01/01/2001 color:32bit text:"PlayStation"
 bar:Sony2  from:10/26/2000 till:01/01/2006 color:6thgen text:"PS2"
 bar:Sony2  from:01/01/2006 till:07/01/2006 color:projection text:"(proj.)"
 bar:Sony3  from:04/01/2006 till:12/31/2007 color:projection text:"PS3 (proj.)"
 bar:MS  from:11/15/2001 till:01/01/2006 color:6thgen text:"Xbox"
 bar:MS  from:01/01/2005 till:03/01/2006 color:projection text:"(proj.)"
 bar:MS2  from:11/22/2005 till:12/31/2007 color:projection text:"Xbox 360 (proj.)"

ScaleMajor = gridcolor:line unit:year increment:4 start:01/01/1976 ScaleMinor = gridcolor:liteline unit:year increment:2 start:01/01/1978 </timeline>

Note: This is an abridged timeline of video game consoles in Japan.

<timeline> DateFormat=mm/dd/yyyy ImageSize= width:600 height:400 Period = from:01/01/1975 till:12/31/2008 TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal AlignBars = justify PlotArea = width:90% height:90% left:0 bottom:30

Colors = 

    id:console       value:rgb(0.9,0.3,0.3)
    id:consolealt    value:rgb(0.3,0.9,0.9)
    id:2ndgen        value:tan1
    id:8bit          value:coral
    id:16bit         value:skyblue
    id:32bit         value:drabgreen
    id:64bit         value:drabgreen
    id:6thgen        value:lightorange
    id:7thgen        value:lavender
    id:line          value:black
    id:liteline      value:rgb(0.3,0.3,0.3)
    id:bg            value:white
    id:projection    value:rgb(0.9,0.9,0.9)

PlotData= 

    width:23 textcolor:black align:center
 bar:Nintendo1  from:07/15/1983 till:01/01/2003 color:8bit text:"Famicom(NES)"
 bar:Nintendo2 from:11/21/1990 till:09/01/2003 color:16bit text:"Super Famicom(Super NES)"
 bar:NEC1 from:10/30/1987  till:01/01/1999 color:16bit text: "PC Engine(TurboGrafx-16)"
 bar:NEC2 from:01/01/1994  till:01/01/1998 color:16bit text: "PC FX"
 bar:Nintendo3 from:07/01/1983 till:01/01/1985 color:2ndgen text: "SG-1000"
 bar:Nintendo3 from:06/23/1996 till:01/01/2002 color:64bit text:"N64"
 bar:Nintendo4  from:09/14/2001 till:05/01/2005 color:6thgen text:"GameCube" shift:(-20,0)
 bar:Nintendo4  from:05/01/2005 till:12/31/2006 color:projection text:"(proj.)"
 bar:Nintendo1  from:07/01/2006 till:12/31/2007 color:projection text:"Revolution (projection)"
 bar:SEGA1 from:10/20/1985 till:02/04/1989 color:8bit text:"SG-1000_Mark_III(Master System)"
 bar:SEGA2  from:10/29/1988 till:12/31/1995 color:16bit text:"Mega Drive (Genesis)"
 bar:SEGA1  from:11/22/1994 till:01/01/1999 color:32bit text:"Saturn"
 bar:SEGA2  from:11/27/1998 till:02/24/2004 color:6thgen text:"Dreamcast"
 bar:Sony1  from:12/03/1994 till:01/01/2002 color:32bit text:"PlayStation"
 bar:Sony2  from:03/04/2000 till:01/05/2005 color:6thgen text:"PS2"
 bar:Sony2  from:01/05/2005 till:12/31/2006 color:projection text:"(proj.)"
 bar:Sony3  from:04/01/2006 till:12/31/2007 color:projection text:"PS3 (proj.)"
 bar:MS  from:02/22/2002 till:01/05/2005 color:6thgen text:"Xbox"
 bar:MS  from:01/05/2005 till:12/31/2006 color:projection text:"(proj.)"
 bar:MS2  from:11/10/2005 till:12/31/2007 color:projection text:"Xbox 360 (proj.)"

ScaleMajor = gridcolor:line unit:year increment:4 start:01/01/1976 ScaleMinor = gridcolor:liteline unit:year increment:2 start:01/01/1978 </timeline>

Note: This is an abridged timeline of video game consoles in Europe.

<timeline> DateFormat=mm/dd/yyyy ImageSize= width:600 height:400 Period = from:01/01/1975 till:12/31/2008 TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal AlignBars = justify PlotArea = width:90% height:90% left:0 bottom:30

Colors = 

    id:console       value:rgb(0.9,0.3,0.3)
    id:consolealt    value:rgb(0.3,0.9,0.9)
    id:2ndgen        value:tan1
    id:8bit          value:coral
    id:16bit         value:skyblue
    id:32bit         value:drabgreen
    id:64bit         value:drabgreen
    id:6thgen        value:lightorange
    id:7thgen        value:lavender
    id:line          value:black
    id:liteline      value:rgb(0.3,0.3,0.3)
    id:bg            value:white
    id:projection    value:rgb(0.9,0.9,0.9)

PlotData= 

    width:23 textcolor:black align:center
 bar:Nintendo1 from:03/01/1997 till:11/16/2001 color:64bit text:"N64"
 bar:Nintendo1  from:07/01/2006 till:12/31/2007 color:projection text:"Revolution (projection)"
 bar:Nintendo2 from:04/01/1992 till:01/01/1999 color:16bit text:"Super NES"
 bar:Nintendo2  from:05/03/2002 till:05/01/2005 color:6thgen text:"GameCube" shift:(-20,0)
 bar:Nintendo2  from:05/01/2005 till:12/31/2006 color:projection text:"(proj.)"
 bar:SEGA2  from:11/30/1990 till:12/31/1995 color:16bit text:"Genesis"
 bar:SEGA2  from:10/14/1999 till:01/01/2001 color:6thgen text:"Dreamcast"
 bar:Sony1  from:09/29/1995 till:01/01/2001 color:32bit text:"PlayStation"
 bar:Sony3  from:04/01/2006 till:12/31/2007 color:projection text:"PS3 (proj.)"
 bar:MS  from:04/26/2002 till:01/05/2005 color:6thgen text:"Xbox"
 bar:MS  from:01/05/2005 till:12/31/2006 color:projection text:"(proj.)"
 bar:MS2  from:11/10/2005 till:12/31/2007 color:projection text:"Xbox 360 (proj.)"

ScaleMajor = gridcolor:line unit:year increment:4 start:01/01/1976 ScaleMinor = gridcolor:liteline unit:year increment:2 start:01/01/1978 </timeline>


[edit]

Seventh Generation Consoles


[edit]

Sixth Generation Consoles

  • Dreamcast Sega's last console.
  • Gamecube Nintendo's sixth generation videogame console.
  • PlayStation 2 The sequal to the PlayStation.
  • Xbox Microsoft's first videogame console.
[edit]

See also

Major video game consoles
First generation
Magnavox Odyssey | Coleco Telstar | Pong
Second generation
Atari 2600 | Magnavox Odyssey² | SG-1000 | Intellivision | Colecovision | 5200
8-bit era
NES | Master System | 7800
16-bit era
SNES | Mega Drive/Genesis | Neo-Geo | TurboGrafx 16/PC Engine
32-bit / 64-bit era
Jaguar | Nintendo 64 | PlayStation | Saturn | 3DO
Sixth generation era
Dreamcast | GameCube | PS2 | Xbox
Seventh generation era
PlayStation 3 | Revolution | Xbox 360
[edit]

Books

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 |test={{{URL|}}}
 |then=[{{{URL}}} The Encyclopedia of Game Machines - Consoles, handheld & home computers 1972-2005]
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[edit]

External links

de:Spielkonsole es:Videoconsola fr:Console de jeux vidéo hr:Igraća konzola is:Leikjatölva it:Consolle he:קונסולת משחקים nl:Spelcomputer ja:ゲーム機 pl:Konsola gier wideo pt:Videogame fi:Pelikonsoli sv:Spelkonsol zh:游戏机

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