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#REDIRECT [[History of video game consoles#Console generations]]
{{Short description|Video game consoles released during the same period}}
{{Merge to|History of video game consoles |discuss=Talk:History of video game consoles#Merge from Home video game console generations |date=November 2023}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=November 2021}}
[[File:Sega-Saturn-Console-Set-Mk2.jpg|thumb|A US Sega Saturn console, shown with type 2 controller]]
In the [[video game industry]], the market for [[home video game console]]s has frequently been segmented into '''generations''', grouping consoles that are considered to have shared in a competitive marketspace. Since the first home consoles in 1972, there have been nine defined home console generations.

A new console generation typically has occurred approximately every five years, in keeping pace with [[Moore's law]] for technology, though more recent generations have had extended periods due to the use of console revisions rather than completely new designs. Not all home consoles are defined as part of these generations; only those considered to be significant competitive consoles are classed into generations, and systems such as [[microconsole]]s are often omitted from these generations.

==Background and origins==
Like most consumer electronics, home video game consoles are developed based on improving the features offered by an earlier product with advances made by newer technology. For video game consoles, these improvements typically occur every five years, following a [[Moore's law]] progression where a rough aggregate measure of processing power doubles every 18 months or increases ten-fold after five years.<ref>{{cite journal | title = The Impact Of Platform On Global Video Game Sales | first1 = Jeffry | last1= Babb | first2 =Neil | last2 = Terry | first3 = Kareem | last3 = Dana | journal = International Business & Economics Research Journal | volume = 12 | issue = 10 | pages = 1273–1288 | date = 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal | title = Use of a Game Over: Emulation and the Video Game Industry, A White Paper |first1 = James |last1= Conley | first2 = Ed | last2 = Andros | first3 = Priti | last3 = Chinai | first4 = Elise | last4 = Lipkowitz| first5 = David |last5= Perez | date =Spring 2004 | journal = Northwestern Journal of Technology and Intellectual Property | volume =2 | issue =2 | pages =261 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url = https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2013/11/does-the-power-of-todays-consoles-keep-up-with-historical-trends/ |title = Does the power of today's consoles keep up with historical trends? | first = Kyle | last = Orland | date = November 11, 2013 | accessdate = July 3, 2021 | work = [[Ars Technica]] }}</ref> This cyclic market has resulted in an industry-wide adoption of the [[razor and blades model|razorblade model]] in selling consoles at minimal profit margin while making revenue from the sale of games produced for that console, and then transitioning users to the next console model at the fifth year as the successor console enters the market. This approach incorporates [[planned obsolescence]] into the products to continue to bring consumers towards purchasing the newer models.<ref name="planned obsol">{{cite report | title = Competing with your own products: Endogenous planned obsolescence in the video game industry | first1 = Yifei | last1 = Ding | first2 = Daniel | last2 = Hicks | first3= Jiandong | last3 = Ju | date = July 2011 | publisher = [[University of Oklahoma]] }}</ref>

Because of the industry dynamics, many console manufacturers release their new consoles in roughly the same time period, with their consoles typically offering similar processing power and capabilities as their competitors. This systematic market has created the nature of console generations, categorizing the primary consoles into these segmented time periods that represent consoles with similar capabilities and which shared the same competitive space. Like consoles, these generations typically start five years after its prior one, though may have [[long tail]]s as popular consoles remain viable well beyond five years.<ref name="winner take some">{{cite report | url = https://www.pitt.edu/~ckemerer/Video%20Game%20Reexamination%2020170216-submitted.pdf | title = Winners-Take-Some Dynamics in Digital Platform Markets: A Reexamination of the Video Game Console Wars | first1 = Chris F. | last1 = Kemerer | first2 = Brian Kimball | last2 = Dunn | first3 = Shadi | last3= Janansefat | date = February 2017 | access-date = July 23, 2020 | publisher =[[University of Pittsburgh]] }}</ref><ref name="gen def"/>

The use of the generation label came after the start of the 21st century as console technology started to mature, with the terminology applied retroactively to earlier consoles. However, no exact definition and delineation of console generations was consistently developed in the industry or academic literature since that point. Some schemes have been based on direct market data (including a seminal work published in an [[IEEE]] journal in 2002),<ref name="ieee history"/> while others are based on technology shifts. Wikipedia itself has been noted for creating its own version of console generation definitions that differ from other academic sources, the definitions from Wikipedia has been adopted by other sources but without having any true rationale behind it.<ref name="winner take some"/> The discrepancies between how consoles are grouped into generations and how these generations are named have caused confusion when trying to compare shifts in the video game marketplace compared to other consumer markets.<ref name="winner take some"/> Kemerer ''et al.'' (2017)<ref name="winner take some"/> provide a comparative analysis of these different generations through systems released up to 2010 as shown below.

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bar:G10 text:"Gretz (2010)"
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# Consoles
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at:09/01/1972 text:"[[Magnavox Odyssey]]"
at:07/01/1975 text:"[[Pong|Pong (home)]]"
at:11/01/1976 text:"[[Fairchild Channel F]]"
at:09/11/1977 text:"[[Atari 2600]]"
at:12/03/1979 text:"[[Intellivision]]"
barset:break
at:08/01/1982 text:"[[ColecoVision]]"
at:10/01/1982 text:"[[Atari 5200]]"
at:07/15/1983 text:"[[Nintendo Entertainment System|NES]]"
at:10/20/1985 text:"[[Master System]]"
at:05/01/1986 text:"[[Atari 7800]]"
barset:break
at:10/30/1987 text:"[[TurboGrafx-16]]"
at:10/29/1988 text:"[[Sega Genesis]]"
at:11/21/1990 text:"[[Super Nintendo Entertainment System|SNES]]"
barset:break
at:10/04/1993 text:"[[3DO Interactive Multiplayer|3DO]]"
at:11/23/1993 text:"[[Atari Jaguar]]"
at:11/22/1994 text:"[[Sega Saturn]]"
at:12/03/1994 text:"[[PlayStation (console)|PlayStation]]"
at:06/23/1996 text:"[[Nintendo 64]]"
barset:break
at:11/27/1998 text:"[[Dreamcast]]"
at:03/04/2000 text:"[[PlayStation 2]]"
at:07/14/2001 text:"[[GameCube]]"
at:11/15/2001 text:"[[Xbox (console)|Xbox]]"
barset:break
at:11/22/2005 text:"[[Xbox 360]]"
at:11/11/2006 text:"[[PlayStation 3]]"
at:11/19/2006 text:"[[Wii]]"

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bar:GP02 from:07/01/1988 till:06/30/1992 color:Fourth
bar:GP02 from:07/01/1992 till:12/31/1999 color:Fifth
bar:GP02 from:01/01/2000 till:12/31/2004 color:Sixth
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bar:CL08 from:01/01/1992 till:12/31/1998 color:Fifth
bar:CL08 from:01/01/1999 till:12/31/2004 color:Sixth
bar:G10 from:01/01/1976 till:12/31/1984 color:First
bar:G10 from:01/01/1985 till:12/31/1990 color:Second
bar:G10 from:01/01/1991 till:12/31/1998 color:Third
bar:G10 from:01/01/1999 till:12/31/2004 color:Fourth
bar:G10a from:01/01/1976 till:12/31/1984 color:First
bar:G10a from:01/01/1985 till:06/30/1988 color:Second
bar:G10a from:07/01/1988 till:06/30/1992 color:Third
bar:G10a from:07/01/1992 till:12/31/1998 color:Fourth
bar:G10a from:01/01/1999 till:12/31/2004 color:Fifth
bar:G10a from:01/01/2005 till:12/31/2012 color:Sixth
bar:SV10 from:01/01/2000 till:12/31/2004 color:Sixth
bar:D11 from:01/01/2000 till:12/31/2004 color:Sixth
bar:Z11 from:07/01/1994 till:12/31/1998 color:Fifth
bar:Wiki from:09/01/1972 till:12/31/1975 color:First
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|caption = Comparative timeline of organization of video game console generations from various sources, based on year of console introduction, adapted from Kemerer ''et al.'' (2017).<ref name="winner take some"/> Dates given for console introductions are based on first release in any market (typically either Japan or North America). Cited references from Kemerer ''at al.'' are as follows: Gallagher and Park (2002);<ref name="ieee history"/> Hu and Prieger (2006);<ref>{{cite journal | title = An Empirical Analysis of Indirect Network Effects in the Home Video Game Market | first1 = James | last1= Prieger | first2 = Wei-Min |last2 = Hu | s2cid = 44033497 | date = November 2006 | journal= [[SSRN Electronic Journal]] | doi = 10.2139/ssrn.941223 | url = http://archive.nyu.edu/handle/2451/28473 }}</ref> Corts and Lederman (2008);<ref>{{cite journal | title = Software exclusivity and the scope of indirect network effects in the U.S. home video game market | first1 = Kenneth | last1 = Corts | first2 = Mara | last2 = Lenderman | journal = International Journal of Industrial Organization | volume = 27 |issue = 2 | date = March 2009 | pages = 121–136 | doi = 10.1016/j.ijindorg.2008.08.002 | url = http://archive.nyu.edu/handle/2451/28523 }}</ref> Gretz (2010);<ref>{{cite journal | title = Hardware quality vs. network size in the home video game industry | first = Richard | last = Gretz | journal = [[Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization]] | volume = 76 | issue = 2| date = November 2010 | pages = 168–183 | doi = 10.1016/j.jebo.2010.07.007 }}</ref> Gretz (2010a);<ref>{{cite journal | title = Console Price and Software Availability in the Home Video Game Industry | first = Richard | last = Gretz | s2cid = 153330061 | journal = Atlantic Economic Journal | volume = 38 | pages = 81–94 | date = 2010 | doi = 10.1007/s11293-009-9209-3 }}</ref> Srinivasan and Venkatraman (2010);<ref>{{cite journal | title= Indirect Network Effects and Platform Dominance in the Video Game Industry: A Network Perspective | first1 = Arati | last1 = Srinivasan | first2 = N. | last2 = Venkatraman | s2cid = 22380339 | journal = IEEE Transactions on Engineering Management | volume = 57 | issue = 4| pages =661–673 | date = November 2010| doi = 10.1109/TEM.2009.2037738}}</ref> Derdenger (2011);<ref>{{cite journal | title = Technological tying and the intensity of price competition: An empirical analysis of the video game industry | first = Timothy | last = Derdenger | s2cid = 13439320 | journal = Quantitative Marketing and Economics | volume = 12 | pages = 127–165 | date = 2014 | issue = 2 | doi = 10.1007/s11129-014-9143-9}}</ref> Zhou (2011)<ref>{{cite report | title = Bayesian estimation of a dynamic equilibrium model of pricing and entry in two-sided markets: application to video games | first = Yiyi | last = Zhou | citeseerx= 10.1.1.219.4966 | date = November 2011 }}</ref>}}

===Timeline===
For purposes of organization, the generations described here and subsequent pages maintain the Wikipedia breakdown of generation, generally breaking consoles apart by technology features whenever possible and with other consoles released in that same period incorporated within that same generation, and starting with the Odyssey and ''Pong''-style home consoles as the first generation, an approach that has generally been adopted and extended by video game journalism.<ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.bbc.co.uk/archive/the-8-generations-of-video-game-consoles/zvcjkty | title = The 8 Generations of Video Game Consoles | date = December 1, 2020 | access-date= December 1, 2020 | publisher = [[BBC]] }}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine | url = https://www.wired.com/story/evolution-of-game-console-design-america/ | title = The Evolution of Game Console Design—and American Gamers | first =Dia | last = Lacina | date = November 5, 2020 | access-date = December 1, 2020 | magazine = [[Wired (magazine)|Wired]] }}</ref> In this approach the generation "starts" with the release of the first console considered to have those features, and considered to end with the known last discontinuation of a console in that generation. For example, the third generation is considered to end in 2003 with the formal discontinuation of the Nintendo Entertainment System that year. This can create years with overlaps between multiple generations, as shown.

This approach uses the concepts of [[bit|"bits"]], or the size of individual [[word length]] handled by the [[processors]] on the console, for the earlier console generations. Longer word lengths generally led to improved gameplay concepts, graphics, and audio capabilities than shorter ones.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://m.ign.com/articles/2001/12/18/interview-ibm-details-gekko-part-ii|title=Interview: IBM GEKKO (part II)|date=December 18, 2001 |access-date=January 30, 2014}}</ref> The use of bits to market consoles to consumers started with the [[TurboGrafx 16]], a console that used an 8-bit central processing unit similar to the [[Nintendo Entertainment System]] (NES), but included a 16-bit graphical processing unit. [[NEC]], the console's manufacturer, took to market the console as a "16-bit" system over the NES' "8-bit" to establish it as a superior system. Other advertisers followed suit, creating a period known as the "bit wars" that lasted through the fifth generation, where console manufactures tried to outsell each other simply on the bit-count of their system.<ref name="Therrien">{{cite journal|last1=Therrien|first1=Carl|last2=Picard |first2=Martin |s2cid=19553739|date=April 29, 2015|title=Enter the bit wars: A study of video game marketing and platform crafting in the wake of the TurboGrafx-16 launch|journal=[[New Media & Society]] |volume=18|issue=10|pages=2323–2339 |doi=10.1177/1461444815584333}}</ref> Aside from some "128 Bit" advertising slogans at the beginning of the sixth generation, marketing with bits largely stopped after the fifth generation. Though the bit terminology was no longer used in newer generations, the use of bit-count helped to establish the idea of console generations, and the earlier generations gained alternate names based on the dominant bit-count of the major systems of that era, such as the third generation being the 8-bit era or generation.<ref name="Therrien"/>

Later console generations are based on groupings of release dates rather than common hardware as base hardware configurations between consoles have greatly diverged, generally following trends in generation definition given by video game and mainstream journalism. Handheld consoles and other gaming systems and innovations are frequently grouped within the release years associated with the home console generations; for example the growth of [[digital distribution]] is associated with the [[seventh generation of video game consoles|seventh generation]].<ref name="gen def">{{cite book |title=Video Games and Esports: The Growing World of Gamers |first=Mike |last=Maley |date=2019 |pages=20–22 |isbn=978-1534568211 |publisher=Greenhaven Publishing}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |title=Prolonging the Magic: The political economy of the 7th generation console game |first=David B. |last=Nieborg |date=2014 |volume=8 |issue=1| pages=47–63 |journal=Eludamos. Journal for Computer Game Culture|doi=10.7557/23.6155 |s2cid=61110165 |doi-access=free }}</ref>

<section begin="generations graph"/>
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|caption=Overview of the console generations, including generation overlaps. Major consoles of each generation are given for each.
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color:ninth from:11/10/2020 till:$now fontsize:M text:"Ninth (2020–present)"
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<section end="generations graph"/>

==Overview==
The following table provides an overview of the major hardware technical specifications of the consoles of each major generations by central processor unit (CPU), graphics processor unit (GPU), memory, game media, and other features.<ref name="ieee history"/>

{| class=wikitable
! Generation !! Time period !! Primary consoles !! CPU !! GPU !! Memory !! Game media !! Other common features
|-
| [[First generation of video game consoles|First]] || 1972–1980 || {{ubil|[[Magnavox Odyssey|Odyssey]] || [[Pong#Home version|Atari Pong]] || [[Coleco Telstar series]] }} || {{ubil | Discrete |[[diode–transistor logic]]|[[transistor–transistor logic]]||}}|| {{n/a}} || {{n/a}} || custom [[printed circuit board]]s||
|-
| [[Second generation of video game consoles|Second]] || 1976–1992 || {{ubil|[[Fairchild Channel F|Channel F]] | [[Atari 2600]] | [[Magnavox Odyssey 2|Odyssey 2]] | [[Intellivision]] | [[ColecoVision]]}} || 8-bit, 1–2&nbsp;MHz, (Intellivision 16-bit)|| {{n/a}} || 2–16 KB || Game cartridges ||
|-
| [[Third generation of video game consoles|Third]]<br/>("8-bit generation") || 1983–2003 || {{ubil | [[Nintendo Entertainment System]] || [[Master System]] | [[Atari 7800]] }} || 8-bit, 2–4&nbsp;MHz || {{n/a}} || 3–24 KB || Game cartridges ||
|-
| [[Fourth generation of video game consoles|Fourth]]<br/>("16-bit generation") || 1987–2004 || {{ubil | [[TurboGrafx-16]] | [[Sega Genesis|Genesis]] | [[Neo Geo (system)|Neo Geo]] | [[Super Nintendo Entertainment System|Super NES]] }} || 8-bit and 16-bit, 4–8&nbsp;MHz || {{n/a}} || 8–128 KB || Game cartridges || CD-ROM add-ons
|-
| [[Fifth generation of video game consoles|Fifth]]<br/>("32-bit generation") || 1993–2006 || {{ubil | [[3DO Interactive Multiplayer|3DO]] | [[Atari Jaguar|Jaguar]] | [[Sega Saturn|Saturn]] | [[PlayStation (console)|PlayStation]] | [[Nintendo 64]] }} || 32 and 64-bit, 12–100&nbsp;MHz || {{n/a}} || 2–4.5 MB || Game cartridges, Optical media ||
|-
| [[Sixth generation of video game consoles|Sixth]] || 1998–2013 || {{ubil | [[Dreamcast]] | [[PlayStation 2]] | [[GameCube]] || [[Xbox (console)|Xbox]] }} || 32 and 64-bit, 200–733&nbsp;MHz || 100–233&nbsp;MHz || 16–64 MB || Optical media || Online connectivity<br/>Confluence with common personal computer hardware
|-
| [[Seventh generation of video game consoles|Seventh]] || 2005–2017 || {{ubil | [[Xbox 360]] | [[PlayStation 3]] | [[Wii]] }} || 32 and 64-bit, 729&nbsp;MHz–3.3&nbsp;GHz || 243–550&nbsp;MHz || 88–512 MB || Optical media, digital distribution || Internet services, wireless controllers, motion controls, [[High-definition television|HD resolutions]]
|-
| [[Eighth generation of video game consoles|Eighth]] || 2012–present || {{ubil | [[Wii U]] | [[PlayStation 4]] | [[Xbox One]] | [[Nintendo Switch]]}} || 32 and 64-bit, 1.0–2.3&nbsp;GHz || 307–1172&nbsp;MHz || 2–12 GB || Game cartridges, Optical media, digital distribution || Internet services, [[4K resolution]]
|-
| [[Ninth generation of video game consoles|Ninth]] || 2020–present || {{ubil | [[Xbox Series X and Series S]] | [[PlayStation 5]] }} || 64-bit, 3.5–3.8&nbsp;GHz || 1565–2233&nbsp;MHz || 10–16 GB || Optical media, digital distribution || Internet services, motion controls, 8K resolution, [[SSD]] internal memory caching
|}

==History==
The development of video game consoles primarily follows the history of video gaming in the North American and Japanese markets. Few other markets saw any significant console development on their own, such as in Europe where personal computers tended to be favored alongside imports of video game consoles. The [[video game clone|clones of video game consoles]] in less-developed markets like China and Russia are not considered here.

=== First generation (1972–1980) ===
{{main|First generation of video game consoles}}
{{see also|Early history of video games|List of first generation home video game consoles}}
[[File:Magnavox-Odyssey-Console-Set.jpg|thumb|right|The [[Magnavox Odyssey]] was the first video game console, released in 1972.]]
The first generation of home consoles were generally limited to [[dedicated consoles]] with just one or two games pre-built into the console hardware, with a limited means to alter gameplay factors. In the case of the Odyssey, while it did ship with "game cards", these did not have any programmed games on them but instead acted as [[Jumper (computing)|jumpers]] to alter the existing circuitry pathway, and did not extend the capabilities of the console.<ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/2020/02/27/how-black-engineer-forever-changed-video-game-consoles/4752682002/ | title = Before Nintendo and Atari: How a black engineer changed the video game industry forever | first = Mike | last= Snider | date = February 27, 2020 | access-date = July 29, 2020 | work = [[USA Today]] }}</ref> Unlike most other future console generations, the first generation of consoles were typically built in limited runs rather than as an ongoing product line.

The first home console was the [[Magnavox Odyssey]] in September 1972 based on Baer's "Brown Box" design.<ref name="ODYSSEY: 35 YEARS LATER">{{cite web|url=http://www.ign.com/articles/2007/06/01/odyssey-35-years-later|title=ODYSSEY: 35 YEARS LATER|last=Buchanan|first=Levi|date=May 31, 2007|website=IGN|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161201214452/http://www.ign.com/articles/2007/06/01/odyssey-35-years-later|archive-date=December 1, 2016|url-status=live}}Between 1970 and 1972, Magnavox and Baer work together to fully develop the Odyssey. The set release date: May 1972. The era of video games is about to explode.</ref> Originally built from [[solid-state circuit]]s, Magnavox transitioned to [[integrated circuit]] chips that were inexpensive, and developed a new line of consoles in the [[Odyssey series]] from 1975 to 1977. At the same, Atari had successfully launched ''Pong'' as an arcade game in 1972, and began work to make a home console version in late 1974, which they eventually partnered with [[Sears]] to the new home ''Pong'' console by the 1975 Christmas season. ''Pong'' offered several technological advantages over the Odyssey, including an internal sound chip and the ability to track score. Baer, who was struggling with Magnavox' management on how to market the console, gave his colleague [[Arnold Greenberg (Coleco)|Arnold Greenberg]] of [[Coleco]] a heads-up of a new low-cost chip ideal for home consoles, which led Coleco to develop the first [[Coleco Telstar series|Telstar]] console in 1976.<ref name="before crash">{{cite book | title = Before the Crash: Early Video Game History | editor-first = Mark J.P. | editor-last= Wolf | first = Leonard | last= Herman | chapter = Ball-and-Paddle Controllers | isbn = 978-0814337226 | year = 2012 | publisher = Wayne State University Press }}</ref>{{rp|53–59}} With Magnavox, Atari and Coleco all vying in the console space by 1976 and further cost reductions in key processing chips from [[General Instrument]]s, numerous third-party manufacturers entered the console market by 1977, most simply [[video game clone|cloning]] ''Pong'' or other games and of poor quality.<ref name=":8">{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=deBFx7QAwsQC|title=Encyclopedia of Video Games: A-L|last=Wolf|first=Mark J. P.|date=2012|publisher=ABC-CLIO|isbn=9780313379369|language=en}}</ref>{{Rp|147}}<ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.gamesradar.com/consoles-of-the-70s/ | title = Consoles of the '70s | first = Shane | last = Patterson | date = June 17, 2008 | access-date = July 29, 2020 | work = [[GamesRadar]] }}</ref> This led to market saturation by 1977, with several hundreds of consoles on the market,<ref name=pong-clones>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fU-fDwAAQBAJ|title=Vintage Games 2.0: An Insider Look at the Most Influential Games of All Time|last=Barton|first=Matt|date=May 8, 2019|publisher=CRC Press|isbn=9781000000924|pages=18|language=en}}</ref> and the industry's first [[recession|market crash]].<ref name="before crash" />{{rp|81–89}} Atari and Coleco attempted to make dedicated consoles with wholly new games to remain competitive, including Atari's [[Video Pinball series]] and Coleco's [[Coleco Telstar Arcade|Telstar Arcade]], but by this point, the first steps of the market's transition to the second generation of consoles had begun, making these units obsolete near release.<ref name="before crash"/>{{rp|53–59}}

The Japanese market for gaming consoles followed a similar path at this point. [[Nintendo]] had already been a business partner with Magnavox by 1971 and helped to design the early [[light gun]]s for the console. Dedicated home game consoles in Japan appeared in 1975 with [[Epoch Co.]]'s [[TV Tennis Electrotennis]], which it had made in partnership with Magnavox as well. As in the United States, numerous clones of these dedicated consoles began to appear, most made by the large television manufacturers like [[Toshiba]] and [[Sharp Corporation|Sharp]], and these games would be called ''TV geemu'' or ''terebi geemu'' (TV game) as the designation for "video games" in Japan.<ref name="geemu">{{cite journal|first=Martin|last=Picard|title=The Foundation of Geemu: A Brief History of Early Japanese video games|journal=International Journal of Computer Game Research|date=December 2013|volume=13|issue=2 |url=http://gamestudies.org/1302/articles/picard|access-date=November 19, 2016|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150624050100/http://gamestudies.org/1302/articles/picard |archive-date=June 24, 2015}}</ref> Nintendo became a major player when [[Mitsubishi]], having lost their manufacturer Systek due to bankruptcy, turned to the company to help continue to build their [[Color TV-Game]] line, which went on to sell about 1.5 million units across five different units between 1977 and 1980.<ref name="geemu"/><ref name="CTGsales">{{cite book |title=[[Game Over: How Nintendo Zapped an American Industry, Captured Your Dollars, and Enslaved Your Children]] |last1=Sheff |first1=David |last2=Eddy |first2=Andy |author-link=David Sheff |publisher=GamePress |year=1999 |page=[https://books.google.com/books?id=0dK2AAAAIAAJ&q=%22Color+TV+Game%22 27] |isbn=978-0-9669617-0-6|quote=Nintendo entered the home market in Japan with the dramatic unveiling of Color TV-Game 6, which played six versions of light tennis. It was followed by a more powerful sequel, Color TV-Game 15. A million units total were sold. The engineering team also came up with systems that played a more complex game, called "Blockbuster," as well as a racing game. Half a million units combined of these were sold.}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=High Score!: The Illustrated History of Electronic Games|last1=DeMaria|first1=Rusel |last2=Wilson|first2=Johnny L.|publisher=[[McGraw-Hill]]|edition=2nd|year=2003|isbn=978-0-07-223172-4|pages=[https://books.google.com/books?id=HJNvZLvpCEQC&pg=PT5&vq=%22color+tv+game%22 363], [https://books.google.com/books?id=HJNvZLvpCEQC&pg=PT20&vq=%22color+tv+game%22 378]}}</ref>

{|class="wikitable" style="margin: 1em auto 1em auto;"
!rowspan="2" | Console{{NoteTag|group="1stgen"|Only well-documented consoles of this generation are listed}}
!colspan="3" | Introduced
!rowspan="2" | Discontinued
!rowspan="2" | Units Sold
|-
!style="width:5em;" | Japan
!style="width:5em;" | North America
!style="width:5em;" | Europe
|- style="text-align: center;"
![[Magnavox Odyssey]]
|{{n/a}}
|1972
|{{n/a}}
|{{n/a}}
|{{wikidata|properties|references|Q744987|P2664}}
|- style="text-align: center;"
![[Home Pong series]]
|{{n/a}}
|1975
|{{n/a}}
|{{n/a}}
|{{wikidata|properties|references|Q6390435|P2664}}
|- style="text-align: center;"
![[TV Tennis Electrotennis]]
|1975
|{{n/a}}
|{{n/a}}
|{{n/a}}
|10,000
|- style="text-align: center;"
![[Coleco Telstar series|Coleco Telstar]]
|{{n/a}}
|1976
|{{n/a}}
|{{n/a}}
|1,000,000
|- style="text-align: center;"
![[Color TV-Game]]
|1977
|{{n/a}}
|{{n/a}}
|1980
|1,500,000{{NoteTag|group="1stgen"|Collective sales across four models}}
|-
|colspan="6" | {{NoteFoot|group="1stgen"}}
|}

=== Second generation (1976–1992) ===
{{main|Second generation of video game consoles}}

[[File:Atari-2600-Wood-4Sw-Set.jpg|thumb|right|The [[Atari 2600]] became the most popular game console of the second generation.]]
The second generation of home consoles was distinguished by the introduction of the [[ROM cartridge|game cartridge]], where the game's code is stored in [[read-only memory]] (ROM) within the cartridge. When the cartridge is slotted into the console, the electrical connections allow the main console's processors to read the game's code from the ROM. While ROM cartridges had been used in other computer applications prior, the ROM game cartridge was first implemented in the [[Fairchild Channel F|Fairchild Video Entertainment System]] (VES) in November 1976.<ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/14/technology/personaltech/14lawson.html | work=The New York Times | first=Bruce | last=Weber | title=Gerald A. Lawson, Video Game Pioneer, Dies at 70 | date=April 13, 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://thedoteaters.com/?bitstory=channel-f|title=Channel F {{!}} The Dot Eaters|website=thedoteaters.com|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131023161958/http://thedoteaters.com/?bitstory=channel-f|archive-date=October 23, 2013|url-status=live|access-date=November 30, 2016}}</ref> Additional consoles during this generation, all which used cartridge-based systems, included the [[Atari 2600]] (known as the Atari Video Computer System (VCS) at launch), the [[Magnavox Odyssey 2]], [[Mattel Electronics]]' [[Intellivision]], and the [[ColecoVision]]. In addition to consoles, newer processor technology allowed games to support up to 8 colors and up to 3-channel audio effects.<ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.lib.umich.edu/online-exhibits/exhibits/show/cvga-disassembled/gamegen2 |title = CVGA Disassembled - Second Generation (1976-1984) | access-date = July 20, 2020 | publisher = [[University of Michigan]] }}</ref>

With the introduction of cartridge-based consoles came the need to develop a wide array of games for them. Atari was one of the forefronts in development for its Atari 2600. Atari marketed the console across multiple regions including into Japan,<ref name="geemu"/> and retained control of all development aspects of the games. Game developments coincided with the [[Golden age of arcade video games]] that started in 1978–1979 with the releases of ''[[Space Invaders]]'' and ''[[Asteroids (video game)|Asteroids]]'', and home versions of these arcade games were ideal targets. The Atari 2600 version of ''Space Invaders'', released in 1980, was considered the [[killer app]] for home video game consoles, helping to quadruple the console's sales that year.<ref>{{cite book |title=[[Ultimate History of Video Games]] |first=Steven |last=Kent | authorlink = Steven L. Kent|page=190 |publisher=[[Three Rivers Press]] |isbn=0-7615-3643-4 |year=2001}}</ref> Similarly, Coleco had beaten Atari to a key licensing deal with Nintendo to bring ''[[Donkey Kong (arcade game)|Donkey Kong]]'' as a pack-in game for the Colecovision, helping to drive its sales.<ref name="ieee history"/>

{{main|Video game crash of 1983}}
[[File:Atari_E.T._Dig-_Alamogordo,_New_Mexico_(14036097792).jpg|thumb|right|Dug-up copies of ''E.T.'' and ''Centipede'' for the Atari 2600 from the [[Atari video game burial]] in New Mexico photographed in 2014. The Atari burial to dispose of unsold stock was created in September 1983 and seen as an iconic element of the 1983 video game crash.]]
At the same time, Atari has been acquired by [[Warner Communications]], and internal policies led to the departure of four key programmers [[David Crane (programmer)|David Crane]], [[Larry Kaplan]], [[Alan Miller (game designer)|Alan Miller]], and [[Bob Whitehead]], who went and formed [[Activision]]. Activision proceeded to develop their own Atari 2600 games as well as games for other systems. Atari attempted legal action to stop this practice but ended up settling out of court, with Activision agreeing to pay royalties but otherwise able to continue game development, making Activision the first third-party game developer.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.forbes.com/forbes/2009/0202/052.html#788254c31a16 |title=Activision's Unlikely Hero |first=Peter |last=Beller |date=January 15, 2009 |access-date=February 12, 2019 |work=[[Forbes (magazine)|Forbes]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170806105646/https://www.forbes.com/forbes/2009/0202/052.html#788254c31a16 |archive-date=August 6, 2017 |url-status=live}}</ref> Activision quickly found success with titles like ''[[Pitfall!]]'', and were able to generate {{USD|50 million}} in revenue from about {{USD|1 million}} in startup funds within 18 months.<ref name="ieee history"/> Numerous other companies saw Activision's success and jumped into game development to try to make fast money on the rapidly expanding North America video game market. This led to a loss of publishing control and dilution of the game market by the early 1980s.<ref name="mj19821226">{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=nwsdAAAAIBAJ&pg=3635%2C1989311 |title=Stream of video games is endless |work=Milwaukee Journal |date=December 26, 1982 |access-date=January 10, 2015 |pages=Business 1 |archive-date=March 12, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160312093025/https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=nwsdAAAAIBAJ&sjid=QX8EAAAAIBAJ&pg=3635%2C1989311 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Additionally, in following on the success of ''Space Invaders'', Atari and other companies had remained eager for licensed video game possibilities. Atari had banked heavily on commercial sales of ''[[E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (video game)|E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial]]'' in 1982, but it was rushed to market and poorly-received, and failed to make Atari's sales estimates. Along with competition from inexpensive home computers, the North American home console market crashed in 1983.<ref name="ieee history"/><ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.usgamer.net/articles/greatest-years-in-gaming-history-1983 | title = Greatest Years in Gaming History: 1983 | first= Jeremy | last =Parish | date = August 28, 2014 | access-date = September 13, 2019 | work = [[USGamer]] }}</ref>

For the most part, the 1983 crash signaled the end of this generation as Nintendo's introduction of the [[Nintendo Entertainment System|Famicom]] the same year brought the start of the third generation. When Nintendo brought the Famicom to North America under the name "Nintendo Entertainment System", it helped to revitalize the industry, and Atari, now owned by [[Jack Tramiel]], pushed on sales of the previously successful Atari 2600 under new branding to keep the company afloat for many more years while he transitioned the company more towards the personal computer market.<ref name="GPro92">{{cite magazine|title=The Life and Death of Atari |magazine=[[GamePro]] |issue=92 |publisher=[[International Data Group|IDG]]|date=May 1996|page=20}}</ref> The Atari 2600 stayed in production until 1992, marking the end of the second generation.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gamesradar.com/consoles-of-the-80s/4/|title=Consoles of the '80s|last=Patterson|first=Shane|date=June 18, 2008|publisher=[[GamesRadar]]|author2=Brett Elston|access-date=April 1, 2011}}</ref>

{|class="wikitable" style="margin: 1em auto 1em auto;"
!rowspan="2" | Console
!colspan="3" | Introduced
!rowspan="2" | Discontinued
!rowspan="2" | Units Sold
|-
!style="width:5em;" | Japan
!style="width:5em;" | North America
!style="width:5em;" | Europe
|- style="text-align: center;"
![[Fairchild Channel F]]
|1977
|1976
|{{n/a}}
|1983
|250,000
|- style="text-align: center;"
![[Atari 2600]]
|1983
|1977
|1978
|1992
|30,000,000
|- style="text-align: center;"
![[Magnavox Odyssey²]]
|1982
|1979
|1978
|1984
|2,000,000
|- style="text-align: center;"
![[Intellivision]]
|1982
|1980
|1982
|1990
|3,000,000
|- style="text-align: center;"
![[ColecoVision]]
|{{n/a}}
|1982
|1983
|1985
|2,000,000
|- style="text-align: center;"
![[Atari 5200]]
|{{n/a}}
|1982
|{{n/a}}
|1984
|1,400,000
|}

=== Third generation (1983–2003) ===
{{main|Third generation of video game consoles}}
[[File:NES-Console-Set.jpg|right|thumb|The [[Nintendo Entertainment System|NES]] made home console video games popular again in America after the 1983 crash.]]
Frequently called the "8-bit generation", the third generation's consoles used 8-bit processors, which allowed up to five bits of color (2<sup>5</sup> or 32 colors), five audio channels, and more advanced graphics capability including [[sprite (computer graphics)|sprites]] and [[Tile-based video game|tiles]] rather than block-based graphics of the second generation. Further, the third console saw the market dominance shift from the United States to Japan as a result of the 1983 crash.<ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.lib.umich.edu/online-exhibits/exhibits/show/cvga-disassembled/gamegen3 | title = CVGA Disassembled - Third Generation (1983-1990) | publisher = [[University of Michigan]] | access-date = July 20, 2020 }}</ref>

Both the [[Sega]] [[SG-1000]] and the Nintendo [[Nintendo Entertainment System|Famicom]] launched near simultaneously in Japan in 1983.<ref name="PC-Engine UK2">{{cite web|url=http://www.pc-engine.co.uk/?section=systems |title=PC-Engine |publisher=PC-Engine |access-date=January 9, 2018}}</ref> The Famicom, after some initial technical recalls, soon gained traction and became the best selling console in Japan by the end of 1984.<ref name="Ultimate History">{{cite book |last=Kent |first=Steven L. |author-link=Steven L. Kent |title=The Ultimate History of Video Games: The Story Behind the Craze that Touched our Lives and Changed the World |year=2001 |publisher=Prima Publishing |location=Roseville, California |isbn=0-7615-3643-4}}</ref> By that point Nintendo wanted to bring the console to North America but recognized the faults that the video game crash had caused. It took several steps to redesign the console to make it look less like a game console and rebranded it as the "Nintendo Entertainment System" (NES) for North America to avoid the "video game" label stigma.<ref>{{Cite episode |title=NES |url=http://g4tv.com/gamemakers/episodes/4844/NES.html |series=Icons |series-link=Icons (TV series) |network=[[G4 (U.S. TV channel)|G4]] |airdate=December 1, 2005 |season=4 |number=5010 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121016233741/http://www.g4tv.com/gamemakers/episodes/4844/NES.html |archive-date=October 16, 2012 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://archive.gamespy.com/articles/july03/25smartest/index22.shtml |title=25 Smartest Moments in Gaming |publisher=[[GameSpy]] |page=22 |date=July 21–25, 2003 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120902124439/http://archive.gamespy.com/articles/july03/25smartest/index22.shtml |archive-date=September 2, 2012 }}</ref> The company also wanted to avoid the loss of publishing control that had occurred both in North America as well as in Asia after the Famicom's release, and created a [[CIC (Nintendo)|lockout system]] that required all game cartridges to be manufactured by Nintendo to include a special chip. If this chip was not present, the console would fail to play the game. This further gave Nintendo direct control on the titles published for the system, rejecting those it felt were too mature.<ref name="lockout">{{cite news |title= The Games Played For Nintendo's Sales|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1989/12/21/business/the-games-played-for-nintendo-s-sales.html?pagewanted=all|access-date=June 28, 2010|date =December 21, 1989|work=[[The New York Times]] | first=Anthony | last=Ramirez}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url = https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2013/07/time-to-feel-old-inside-the-nes-on-its-30th-birthday/ | title = The NES turns 30: How it began, worked, and saved an industry | first= Andrew | last= Cunningham | date = July 15, 2013 | access-date = September 21, 2018 | work = [[Ars Technica]] }}</ref> The NES launched in North America in 1985, and helped to revitalize the video game market there.<ref name="cgw198806">{{cite magazine | title=The Nintendo Threat? | magazine=Computer Gaming World | date=June 1988 | page=50}}</ref>

Sega attempted to compete with the NES with its own [[Master System]], released later in 1985 in both the US and Japan, but did not gain traction to compete. Similarly, Atari's attempts to compete with the NES via the [[Atari 7800]] in 1987 failed to knock the NES from its dominant position.<ref>{{cite news| url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9E0CE3DD143EF935A25756C0A964958260 | work=[[The New York Times]] | title=COMPANY NEWS; Nintendo Suit by Atari Is Dismissed | date=May 16, 1992 | access-date=April 25, 2010}}</ref> The NES remained in production until 2003, when it was discontinued along with its successor, the Super Nintendo Entertainment System.<ref name="famicom">[https://web.archive.org/web/20140329053251/http://www.gamespot.com/articles/nintendo-to-end-famicom-and-super-famicom-production/1100-6029220/ Nintendo to end Famicom and Super Famicom production]. GameSpot.com (May 30, 2003). Retrieved on August 23, 2013.</ref>

{|class="wikitable" style="margin: 1em auto 1em auto;"
!rowspan="2" | Console
!colspan="3" | Introduced
!rowspan="2" | Discontinued
!rowspan="2" | Units Sold
|-
!style="width:5em;" | Japan
!style="width:5em;" | North America
!style="width:5em;" | Europe
|- style="text-align: center;"
![[Nintendo Entertainment System|Famicom/NES]]
|1983
|1985
|1986
|2003
|61,910,000
|- style="text-align: center;"
![[Master System|Mark III/Master System]]
|1985
|1986
|1987
|1996
|13,000,000
|- style="text-align: center;"
![[Atari 7800]]
|{{n/a}}
|1986
|1987
|1992
|3,770,000
|- style="text-align: center;"
![[Atari XEGS]]
|{{n/a}}
|1987
|1987
|1992
|100,000
|}

=== Fourth generation (1987–2004) ===
{{main|Fourth generation of video game consoles}}
[[File:Nintendo-Super-Famicom-Set-FL.jpg|thumb|Nintendo Super Famicom]]
The fourth generation of consoles, also known as the "16-bit generation", further advanced core console technology with 16-bit processors, improving the available graphics and audio capabilities of games.<ref name="umich cvga 4th">{{cite web | url = https://apps.lib.umich.edu/online-exhibits/exhibits/show/cvga-disassembled/gamegen4 | title = Fourth Generation (1988-1999) | publisher = [[University of Michigan]] | access-date = July 21, 2020 }}</ref>

[[NEC]]'s [[TurboGrafx-16]] (or PC Engine as released in Japan), first released in 1987,<ref name="PC-Engine UK">{{cite web|url=http://www.pc-engine.co.uk/?section=systems|title=PC-Engine|website=Pc-engine.co.uk|access-date=December 25, 2017}}</ref> is considered the first fourth generation console even though it still had an 8-bit CPU. The console's 16-bit graphics processor gave it capabilities comparable to the other fourth generation systems, and NEC's marketing had pushed the console being an advancement over the NES as a "16-bit" system.<ref name="Therrien"/><ref>{{cite web | url =https://www.theguardian.com/technology/gamesblog/2013/apr/02/turbografx-16-machine-that-time-forgot | title = TurboGrafx-16: the console that time forgot (and why it's worth re-discovering) | first = Paul | last= Sartori | date = April 2, 2013 | access-date = July 21, 2020 | work = [[The Guardian]] }}</ref> Both Sega and Nintendo entered the fourth generation with true 16-bit systems in the 1988 [[Sega Genesis]] (MegaDrive outside North America) and the 1990 [[Super Nintendo Entertainment System]] (SNES, Super Famicom in Japan). [[SNK]] also entered the competition with a modified version of their [[Neo Geo MVS]] arcade system into the [[Neo Geo (console)|Neo Geo]], released in 1990, which attempted to bridge the gap between arcade and home console systems with the shared use of common game cartridges and memory cards.<ref>{{cite journal | title = Bridging the Gap: The Neo Geo, the Media Imaginary, and the Domestication of Arcade Games | first = Benjamin | last = Nicoll | s2cid = 147981978 | journal = [[Games and Culture]] | volume = 12 | issue = 2 | date = 2017 | pages = 200–221 | doi = 10.1177/1555412015590048 }}</ref> This generation was notable for the so-called "console wars" between Nintendo and Sega primarily in North America. Sega, to try to challenge Nintendo's dominant position, created the [[video game mascot|mascot]] character [[Sonic the Hedgehog (character)|Sonic the Hedgehog]], who exhibited cool personality to appeal to the Western youth in contrast to Nintendo's [[Mario]], and bundled the Genesis with [[Sonic the Hedgehog (1991 video game)|the game of the same name]]. The strategy succeeded with Sega becoming the dominant player in North America until the mid-1990s.<ref name="kline console wars">{{cite book | title = Digital play: the interaction of technology, culture, and marketing | first1= Stephen |last1 =Kline | first2= Nick |last2= Dyer-Witheford | first3= Greig |last3 = de Peuter | isbn = 077357106X | publisher = McGill Queen University Press | year = 2003 | chapter = Mortal Kombats: Console Wars and Computer Revolutions 1990–1995| pages = 128–150 }}</ref>

[[File:Sega-CD-Model1-Set.jpg|thumb|right|The [[Sega CD]] add-on, mounted below the Sega Genesis]]
During this generation, the technology costs of using [[optical disc]]s in the form of [[CD-ROM]]s has dropped sufficiently to make them desirable to be used for shipping computer software, including for video games for personal computers. CD-ROMs offered more storage space than game cartridges and could allow for [[full-motion video]] and other detailed audio-video works to be used in games.<ref name="ieee history">{{cite journal |title=Innovation and Competition in Standard-Based Industries: A Historical Analysis of the U.S. Home Video Game Market |first1=Scott |last1=Gallager |first2=Seung |last2=Ho Park |date=February 2002 |journal=IEEE Transactions on Engineering Management |volume=49 |issue=1 |pages=67–82 |doi=10.1109/17.985749}}</ref> Console manufacturers adapted by creating hardware add-ons to their consoles that could read and play CD-ROMs, including NEC's TurboGrafx-CD add-on (as well as the integrated [[TurboDuo]] system) in 1988, and the [[Sega CD]] add-on for the Genesis in 1991, and the [[Neo Geo CD]] in 1994. Costs of these add-ons were generally high, nearing the same price as the console itself, and with the introduction of disc-based consoles in the fifth generation starting in 1993, these fell by the wayside.<ref name="ieee history"/> Nintendo had initially worked with [[Sony]] to develop a similar add-on for the SNES, the [[Super NES CD-ROM]], but just before its introduction, business relationships between Nintendo and Sony broke down, and Sony would take its idea on to develop the fifth generation [[PlayStation (console)|PlayStation]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.videogameschronicle.com/features/psones-betrayal-and-revenge-story/ |title=The Road To PS5: PSOne's Betrayal And Revenge Story |first=Andy |last=Robinson |date=February 5, 2020 |access-date=February 6, 2020 |work=[[Video Games Chronicle]]}}</ref> Additionally, [[Philips]] attempted to enter the market with a dedicated CD-ROM format, the [[CD-i]], also released in 1990, that included other uses for the CD-ROM media beyond video games but the console never gained traction.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.computinghistory.org.uk/det/54682/Philips-CD-i-210-45/ |title=Philips CD-i 210/45 |access-date=July 22, 2020 |publisher=[[The Centre for Computing History]]}}</ref>

The fourth generation had a long tail that overlapped with the fifth generation, with the SNES's discontinuation in 2003 marking the end of the generation.<ref name="famicom"/> To keep their console competitive with the new fifth generation ones, Nintendo took to the use of [[coprocessor]]s manufactured into the game cartridges to enhance the capabilities of the SNES. This included the [[Super FX]] chip, which was first used in the game ''[[Star Fox (1993 video game)|Star Fox]]'' in 1993, generally considered one of the first games to use real-time polygon-based 3D rendering on consoles.<ref name="umich cvga 4th"/>

{|class="wikitable" style="margin: 1em auto 1em auto;"
!rowspan="2" | Console
!colspan="3" | Introduced
!rowspan="2" | Discontinued
!rowspan="2" | Units Sold
|-
!style="width:5em;" | Japan
!style="width:5em;" | North America
!style="width:5em;" | Europe
|- style="text-align: center;"
![[TurboGrafx-16|PC Engine/TurboGrafx-16]]
|1987
|1989
|1989
|1994
|5,800,000
|- style="text-align: center;"
![[Sega Genesis|Mega Drive/Genesis]]
|1988
|1989
|1990
|1997
|30,750,000
|- style="text-align: center;"
![[Neo Geo (system)|Neo Geo]]
|1990
|1991
|1994
|1997
|980,000
|- style="text-align: center;"
![[Super Nintendo Entertainment System|Super Famicom/Super NES]]
|1990
|1991
|1992
|2003
|49,100,000
|- style="text-align: center;"
![[Sega CD|Sega CD/Mega-CD]]
|1991
|1992
|1993
|1996
|2,240,000
|- style="text-align: center;"
![[Philips CD-i|CD-i]]
|1992
|1991
|1992
|1998
|1,000,000
|- style="text-align: center;"
![[Neo Geo CD]]
|1994
|1996
|1994
|1997
|570,000
|}

=== Fifth generation (1993–2006) ===
{{main|Fifth generation of video game consoles}}
[[File:PSX-Console-wController.jpg|thumb|The Sony [[PlayStation (console)|PlayStation]] became the most popular system of the fifth generation consoles, eventually selling over 100 million systems.]]
During this time home computers gained greater prominence as a way of playing video games. The video game console industry nonetheless continued to thrive alongside home computers, due to the advantages of much lower prices, easier portability, circuitry specifically dedicated towards video games, the ability to be played on a television set (which PCs of the time could not do in most cases), and intensive first party software support from manufacturers who were essentially banking their entire future on their consoles.<ref>{{cite magazine|title=PCs Versus Consoles |magazine=[[Next Generation (magazine)|Next Generation]]|issue=18|publisher=[[Imagine Media]]|date=June 1996|page=1}}</ref>

Besides the shift to 32-bit processors, the fifth generation of consoles also saw most companies excluding Nintendo shift to dedicated optical media formats instead of game cartridges, given their lower cost of production and higher storage capacity.<ref>{{cite web | url = https://apps.lib.umich.edu/online-exhibits/exhibits/show/cvga-disassembled/gamegen5 |title = CVGA Disassembled - Fifth Generation (1993-2001) | publisher = [[University of Michigan]] | access-date = July 22, 2020 }}</ref> Initial consoles of the fifth generation attempted to capitalize on the potential power of CD-ROMs, which included the [[Amiga CD32]], [[3DO Interactive Multiplayer|3DO]] and the [[Atari Jaguar]] in 1993.<ref name="NGen12">{{cite magazine|date=December 1995|title=Which Game System is the Best!?|magazine=[[Next Generation (magazine)|Next Generation]]|publisher=[[Imagine Media]]|issue=12|pages=36–85}}</ref> However, early in the cycle, these systems were far more expensive than existing fourth-generation models and has much smaller game libraries.<ref name="ieee history"/> Further, Nintendo's use of co-processors in late SNES games further kept the SNES as one of the best selling systems over new fifth generation ones.<ref name="ieee history"/>

Two of the key consoles of the fifth generation were introduced in 1995: the [[Sega Saturn]], and the Sony [[PlayStation (console)|PlayStation]], both which challenged the SNES' ongoing dominance. While the Saturn sold well, it did have a number of technical flaws, but established Sega for a number of key game series going forward.<ref name="IGNHistory_pg8">{{cite web|url=https://ign.com/articles/2009/04/21/ign-presents-the-history-of-sega?page=8|author=Fahs, Travis|title=IGN Presents the History of Sega|publisher=[[IGN]]|page=8|access-date=May 1, 2014|date=April 21, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151106173810/http://www.ign.com/articles/2009/04/21/ign-presents-the-history-of-sega?page=8|archive-date=November 6, 2015|url-status=live}}</ref> The PlayStation, in addition to using optical media, also introduced the use of [[memory card]]s as to save the state of a game. Though memories cards had been used by Neo Geo to allow players to transfer game information between home and arcade systems, the PlayStation's approach allowed games to have much longer gameplay and narrative elements, leading to highly-successful [[computer role-playing game|role-playing games]] like ''[[Final Fantasy VII]]''.<ref name="ieee history"/> By 1996, the PlayStation became the best-selling console over the SNES.<ref name="ieee history"/>

Nintendo released their next console, the [[Nintendo 64]] in late 1996. Unlike other fifth generation units, it still used game cartridges, as Nintendo believed the load-time advantages of cartridges over CD-ROMs was still essential, as well as their ability to continue to use lockout mechanisms to protect copyrights.<ref name="advantages">{{cite book |year=1994 |title=Nintendo Power August, 1994 – Pak Watch |page=108 |publisher=Nintendo}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|title=Nintendo Ultra 64: The Launch of the Decade?|journal=Maximum: The Video Game Magazine|issue=2 |publisher=[[Emap International Limited]]|date=November 1995|pages=107–8}}</ref> The system also included support for memory cards as well, and Nintendo developed a strong library of first-party titles for the game, including ''[[Super Mario 64]]'' and ''[[The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time]]'' that helped to drive its sales. While the Nintendo 64 did not match the PlayStation's sales, it kept Nintendo a key competitor in the home console market alongside Sony and Sega.<ref name="ieee history"/>

As with the transition from the fourth to fifth generation, the fifth generation has a long overlap with the sixth console generation, with the PlayStation remaining in production until 2005.<ref name="shipments">{{cite web|url=http://scei.co.jp/corporate/data/bizdataps_e.html|title=PlayStation Cumulative Production Shipments of Hardware|publisher=Sony Computer Entertainment|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110722094946/http://scei.co.jp/corporate/data/bizdataps_e.html|archive-date=July 22, 2011|access-date=December 12, 2012}}</ref>

{|class="wikitable" style="margin: 1em auto 1em auto;"
!rowspan="2" | Console
!colspan="3" | Introduced
!rowspan="2" | Discontinued
!rowspan="2" | Units Sold
|-
!style="width:5em;" | Japan
!style="width:5em;" | North America
!style="width:5em;" | Europe
|- style="text-align: center;"
![[FM Towns Marty]]
|1993
|{{n/a}}
|{{n/a}}
|1995
|45,000
|- style="text-align: center;"
![[Amiga CD32]]
|{{n/a}}
|1994
|1993
|1994
|100,000
|- style="text-align: center;"
![[Atari Jaguar]]
|1994
|1993
|1994
|1996
|250,000
|- style="text-align: center;"
![[3DO Interactive Multiplayer|3DO]]
|1994
|1993
|1994
|1996
|2,000,000
|- style="text-align: center;"
![[PC-FX]]
|1994
|{{n/a}}
|{{n/a}}
|1998
|400,000
|- style="text-align: center;"
![[32X|Sega 32X]]
|1994
|1994
|1995
|1996
|665,000
|- style="text-align: center;"
! [[Sega Saturn]]
|1994
|1995
|1995
|2000
|9,260,000
|- style="text-align: center;"
![[PlayStation (console)|PlayStation]]
|1994
|1995
|1995
|2005
|102,490,000
|- style="text-align: center;"
![[Nintendo 64]]
|1996
|1996
|1997
|2002
|32,930,000
|- style="text-align: center;"
![[Apple Bandai Pippin|Apple Pippin]]
|1996
|1996
|{{n/a}}
|1997
|42,000
|}

=== Sixth generation (1998–2013) ===
{{main|Sixth generation of video game consoles}}
[[File:PS2-Fat-Console-Set.jpg|thumb|upright|With more than 155 million units sold, the Sony [[PlayStation 2]] is the best selling video game console in history.]]
[[File:Dreamcast-Console-Set.jpg|thumb|The Dreamcast was the last system released by Sega, who became a third-party software publisher.]]
By the sixth generation, console technology began to catch up to performance of personal computers of the time, and the use of bits as their selling point fell by the wayside. The console manufactures focused on the individual strengths of their game libraries as marketing instead. The consoles of the sixth generation saw further adoption of optical media, expanding into the [[DVD]] format for even greater data storage capacity, additional internal storage solutions to function as memory cards, as well as adding support either directly or through add-ons to connect to the [[Internet]] for online gameplay.<ref>{{cite web | url = https://apps.lib.umich.edu/online-exhibits/exhibits/show/cvga-disassembled/gamegen6 | title = CVGA Disassembled - Sixth Generation (1998-2009) | publisher = [[University of Michigan]] | access-date = July 22, 2020 }}</ref> Consoles began to move towards a [[Technological convergence|convergence]] of features of other electronic living room devices and moving away from single-feature systems.<ref>{{cite conference | title = Console Games in the Age of Convergence | first = Mark | last = Finn | conference = Computer Games and Digital Cultures Conference Proceedings | location = Tampere, Finland | date = June 2–6, 2002 }}</ref>

By this point, there were only three major players in the market: Sega, Sony, and Nintendo. Sega got an early lead with the [[Dreamcast]] first released in Japan in 1998.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://o.canada.com/technology/gaming/segas-failed-dreamcast-actually-outsold-the-wii-u|title=Press Start: Sega's failed Dreamcast console has actually outsold Nintendo's Wii U (sort of)|last=Reserved.|first=. All Rights|date=April 17, 2014|newspaper=canada.com|language=en-US|access-date=November 30, 2016|archive-date=August 6, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200806184920/https://o.canada.com/technology/gaming/segas-failed-dreamcast-actually-outsold-the-wii-u|url-status=dead}}</ref> It was the first home console to include a [[modem]] to allow players to connect to the Sega network and play online games.<ref name="ieee history"/> However, Sega found several technical issues that had to be resolved before its Western launch in 1999.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.howtogeek.com/trivia/what-was-the-first-video-game-console-to-ship-with-a-modem-and-online-gaming-support/|title=What Was The First Video Game Console To Ship With A Modem And Online Gaming Support?|last=Fitzpatrick|first=Jason|website=How-To Geek|language=en-US|access-date=January 5, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.nintendolife.com/news/2015/04/hardware_classics_sega_dreamcast|title=Hardware Classics: Sega Dreamcast|date=April 16, 2015|website=Nintendo Life|language=en-GB|access-date=January 5, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{Citation|title=Dreamcast Launch Plans Unveiled - IGN|date=April 20, 1999 |url=https://www.ign.com/articles/1999/04/20/dreamcast-launch-plans-unveiled|language=en|access-date=January 5, 2020}}</ref> Though its Western release was more successful than in Japan,<ref>{{Citation|title=IGN Presents the History of Dreamcast - IGN|date=September 10, 2010 |url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2010/09/10/ign-presents-the-history-of-dreamcast|language=en|access-date=January 5, 2020}}</ref> the console was soon outperformed by Sony's [[PlayStation 2]] released in 2000. The PlayStation 2 was the first console to add support for DVD playback in addition to CD-ROM, as well as maintaining [[backward compatibility]] with games from the PlayStation library, which helped to draw consumers that remained on the long-tail of the PlayStation.<ref name="ieee history"/> While other consoles of the sixth generation had not anticipated this step, the PlayStation 2's introduction of backwards compatibility became a major design consideration of future generations.<ref>{{cite journal | title = Generational Transitions in Platform Markets— The Role of Backward Compatibility | first1 = Tobias | last1 = Kretschmer | first2 = Jörg | last2 = Claussen | journal = Strategy Science | volume = 1 | issue = 2 | pages = 90–104 | date = June 2016 | doi = 10.1287/stsc.2015.0009 | doi-access = free | hdl = 10398/542b2963-1b69-4890-9ab5-7a99fc8fe804 | hdl-access = free }}</ref> Along with a strong game library, the PlayStation 2 went on to sell 155 million units before it was discontinued in 2013,<ref name="Guardian end">{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2013/jan/04/playstation-2-manufacture-ends-years?INTCMP=SRCH|title=PlayStation 2 manufacture ends after 12 years|date=January 4, 2013|newspaper=The Guardian|access-date=January 4, 2013}}</ref> and {{As of|lc=y|2020}}, remains the best selling home console of all time.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/news/2018/12/top-10-best-selling-videogame-consoles-551938|title=Top 10 best-selling videogame consoles|date=December 21, 2018|website=Guinness World Records|language=en-GB|access-date=January 5, 2020}}</ref><ref name="SIE Business Development"/> Unable to compete with Sony, Sega discontinued the Dreamcast in 2001 and left the hardware market, instead focusing on its software properties.<ref name="ieee history"/> Nintendo's entry in the sixth generation was the [[GameCube]] in 2001, its first system to use optical discs based on the [[miniDVD]] format. A special [[Game Boy Player]] attachment allowed the GameCube to use any of the GameBoy cartridges as well, and adapters were available to allow the console to connect to the Internet via broadband or modem.

At this point [[Microsoft]] also entered the console market with its first [[Xbox (console)|Xbox]] system, released in 2001. Microsoft considered the PlayStation 2's success as a threat to the personal computer in the living room space, and had developed the Xbox to compete. As such, the Xbox was designed based more on Microsoft's experience from personal computers, using an operating system built out from its [[Microsoft Windows]] and [[DirectX]] features, utilizing a hard disk for save game store, built-in Ethernet functionality, and created the first console online service, [[Xbox Live]] to support multiplayer games.<ref name="VentureBeat">{{cite web |url=https://venturebeat.com/2011/11/14/making-of-the-xbox-1/ |title=The making of the Xbox: How Microsoft unleashed a video game revolution (part 1) |date=November 14, 2011 |website=VentureBeat |access-date=June 1, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190601215722/https://venturebeat.com/2011/11/14/making-of-the-xbox-1/ |archive-date=June 1, 2019 |url-status=live }}</ref>

{|class="wikitable" style="margin: 1em auto 1em auto;"
!rowspan="2" | Console
!colspan="3" | Introduced
!rowspan="2" | Discontinued
!rowspan="2" | Units Sold
|-
!style="width:5em;" | Japan
!style="width:5em;" | North America
!style="width:5em;" | Europe
|- style="text-align: center;"
![[Dreamcast]]
|1998
|1999
|1999
|2001
|9,130,000
|- style="text-align: center;"
![[PlayStation 2]]
|2000
|2000
|2000
|2013
|155,000,000
|- style="text-align: center;"
![[GameCube]]
|2001
|2001
|2002
|2007
|21,740,000
|- style="text-align: center;"
![[Xbox (console)|Xbox]]
|2002
|2001
|2002
|2009
|24,000,000
|}

=== Seventh generation (2005–2017) ===
{{main|Seventh generation of video game consoles}}
[[File:Wii console.png|thumb|With more than 101 million units sold, the [[Wii]] is the best-selling home video game console in the seventh generation.]]
[[File:Xbox-360-Pro-wController.jpg|thumb|upright|The release of the [[Xbox 360]] began the seventh generation.]]
Video game consoles had become an important part of the global [[IT infrastructure]] by the mid-2000s. It was estimated that video game consoles represented 25% of the world's general-purpose computational power in the year 2007.<ref name="HilbertLopez2011">{{cite journal |author1=Martin Hilbert |author2=Priscila López |s2cid=206531385 |date=April 1, 2011 |title=The World's Technological Capacity to Store, Communicate, and Compute Information |url=http://www.uvm.edu/~pdodds/files/papers/others/2011/hilbert2011a.pdf |journal=[[Science (journal)|Science]] |volume=332 |issue=6025 |pages=60–65 |doi=10.1126/science.1200970 |via=Peter Sheridan Dodds |pmid=21310967|bibcode=2011Sci...332...60H }}</ref>

By the seventh generation, Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo had all developed consoles designed to interface with the Internet, adding networking support for either wired and wireless connections, online services to support multiplayer games, digital storefronts for digital purchases of games, and both internal storage and support for external storage on the console for these games. These consoles also added support for digital television resolutions through [[HDMI]] interfaces, but as the generation occurred in the midst of the [[High-definition optical disc format war]] between [[Blu-ray]] and [[HD-DVD]], a standard for high-definition playback was yet to be fixed. A further innovation came by the use of [[motion controller]]s, either built into the console or offered as an add-on afterwards.

Microsoft entered the seventh generation first with the [[Xbox 360]] in 2005.<ref name="nalaunch">{{cite web | url=https://www.engadget.com/2005/09/15/xbox-360-launch-date-is-november-22/ | title=Xbox 360 launch date is November 22 | publisher=Engadget | date=September 15, 2005 | access-date=March 14, 2013 | author=Dybwad, Barb}}</ref> The Xbox 360 saw several hardware revisions over its lifetime which became a standard practice for Microsoft going forward; these revisions offered different features such as a larger internal hard drive or a fast processor{{Clarify|date=December 2022}} at a higher price point. As shipped, the Xbox 360 supported DVD discs and Microsoft had opted to support the [[HD-DVD]] format with an add-on for playback of HD-DVD films. However, this format ended up as deprecated compared to Blu-ray. The Xbox 360 was backward compatible with about half of the original Xbox library. Through its lifetime, the Xbox 360 was troubled by a consistent hardware fault known as "the [[Red Ring of Death]]" (RROD), and Microsoft spent over $1 billion correcting the problem.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Yin-Poole |first1=Wesley |url=https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2015-07-02-peter-moore-recounts-xbox-360-red-ring-of-death-saga |title=Peter Moore recounts $1.15bn Xbox 360 Red Ring of Death saga |website=Eurogamer.net |date=July 2, 2015 |publisher=Eurogamer.net |access-date=July 2, 2015 |language=en}}</ref>

Sony's [[PlayStation 3]] was released in 2006. The PlayStation 3 represented a shift of the internal hardware from Sony's [[Emotion Engine]] to a novel processor named [[CELL]] that would require use of new parallel processing programming paradigms to use efficiently. The CELL had a notoriety of being hard to develop for, which would cause issues with many multi-platform game released for the PS3.<ref>{{Citation |title=Skyrim Xbox 360/PS3 Frame-Rate Comparison |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QuOBSSabBU0 |language=en |access-date=2022-12-12}}</ref> Initial PlayStation 3 shipped with a special Emotion Engine daughterboard that allowed for backwards compatibility of PlayStation 2 games, but later revisions of the unit removed this, leaving software-based emulation for PlayStation games available. Sony banked on the Blu-ray format, which was included from the start. With the PlayStation 3, Sony introduced the [[PlayStation Network]] for its online services and storefront.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://playstation.custhelp.com/cgi-bin/playstation.cfg/php/enduser/std_adp.php?p_faqid=927&p_created=1199831554&p_sid=RAGiX8yj&p_accessibility=0&p_redirect=&p_lva=&p_sp=cF9zcmNoPTEmcF9zb3J0X2J5PSZwX2dyaWRzb3J0PSZwX3Jvd19jbnQ9NDAsNDAmcF9wcm9kcz00JnBfY2F0cz0mcF9wdj0xLjQmcF9jdj0mcF9zZWFyY2hfdHlwZT1hbnN3ZXJzLnNlYXJjaF9ubCZwX3BhZ2U9MSZwX3NlYXJjaF90ZXh0PW1lZGlhIGNhcmQgc3VwcG9ydA**&p_li=&p_topview=1 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120713163039/http://playstation.custhelp.com/cgi-bin/playstation.cfg/php/enduser/std_adp.php?p_faqid=927&p_created=1199831554&p_sid=RAGiX8yj&p_accessibility=0&p_redirect=&p_lva=&p_sp=cF9zcmNoPTEmcF9zb3J0X2J5PSZwX2dyaWRzb3J0PSZwX3Jvd19jbnQ9NDAsNDAmcF9wcm9kcz00JnBfY2F0cz0mcF9wdj0xLjQmcF9jdj0mcF9zZWFyY2hfdHlwZT1hbnN3ZXJzLnNlYXJjaF9ubCZwX3BhZ2U9MSZwX3NlYXJjaF90ZXh0PW1lZGlhIGNhcmQgc3VwcG9ydA**&p_li=&p_topview=1 |url-status=dead |archive-date=July 13, 2012 |title=What are the types of removable storage media is supported by the PlayStation 3 computer entertainment system? |publisher=Sony |access-date=July 3, 2009}}</ref>

Nintendo introduced the [[Wii]] in 2006 around the same time as the PlayStation 3. Nintendo lacked the same manufacturing capabilities and relationships with major hardware supplies as Sony and Microsoft,<ref>{{Cite web | url = https://www.fastcompany.com/3067343/innovation-agents/nintendo-switch | title = With Nintendo's Switch Game Console, New Ideas Create New Experiences | first = Kevin | last = Ohannessian | date = January 20, 2017 | access-date = January 20, 2017 | website = [[Fast Company (magazine)|Fast Company]] | url-status=live | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20170120150351/https://www.fastcompany.com/3067343/innovation-agents/nintendo-switch | archive-date = January 20, 2017 | df = mdy-all }}</ref> and to compete, diverged on a feature-for-feature approach and instead developed the Wii around the novel use of motion controls in the [[Wii Remote]]. This "[[Blue Ocean Strategy|blue ocean strategy]]", releasing a product where there was no competition, was considered part of the unit's success,<ref>{{Cite journal | title = The Blue Ocean that disappeared – the case of Nintendo Wii | first = Svend | last = Hollensen | journal = Journal of Business Strategy | volume = 34 | issue = 5| date = 2013 | pages =25–35 | doi = 10.1108/JBS-02-2013-0012}}</ref> and which drove Microsoft and Sony to develop their own motion control accessors to compete. Nintendo provided various online services that the Wii could connect to, including the [[Virtual Console]] where players could purchase emulated games from Nintendo's past consoles as well as games for the Wii. The Wii used regular sized DVDs for its game medium but also directly supported GameCube discs. The Wii was generally considered a surprising success that many developers had initially overlooked.<ref>{{cite web|last=Görig|first=Carsten|newspaper=[[Der Spiegel]]|title=Spieler verzweifelt gesucht|date=May 30, 2007|url= http://www.spiegel.de/netzwelt/spielzeug/0,1518,485385,00.html|language=de|access-date=June 18, 2007}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Seff|first=Micah|website=IGN|title=Take-Two Grows Hungry for Wii|date=April 10, 2007|url=http://wii.ign.com/articles/779/779642p1.html|access-date=June 18, 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070606151413/http://wii.ign.com/articles/779/779642p1.html|archive-date=June 6, 2007|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name="wii_next_gen">{{cite web| website=Guardian Unlimited|date=October 26, 2007|title=Q&A: Will Wright, creator of the Sims|author=Johnson, Bobbie|url= https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2007/oct/26/willwright|access-date=September 25, 2008 | location=London}}</ref> Based on the success of the Wii Remote controller, both Microsoft and Sony released similar motion detection controllers for their consoles. Microsoft introduced the [[Kinect]] motion controller device for the Xbox 360, which served as both a camera, microphone, and motion sensor for numerous games. Sony released the [[PlayStation Move]], a system consisting of a camera and lit handheld controllers, which worked with its PlayStation 3.

The seventh generation concluded with the discontinuation of the PlayStation 3 in 2017.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.cnet.com/news/at-long-last-end-of-the-line-for-the-sony-playstation-3/ |title=Sony PlayStation 3 ends shipments, fulfilling 10-year promise |last=Ackerman |first=Dan |date=May 30, 2017 |website=CNET |language=en |access-date=August 16, 2017}}</ref>

{|class="wikitable" style="margin: 1em auto 1em auto;"
!rowspan="2" | Console
!colspan="3" | Introduced
!rowspan="2" | Discontinued
!rowspan="2" | Units Sold
|-
!style="width:5em;" | Japan
!style="width:5em;" | North America
!style="width:5em;" | Europe
|- style="text-align: center;"
![[Xbox 360]]
|2005
|2005
|2005
|2016
|84,700,000
|- style="text-align: center;"
![[PlayStation 3]]
|2006
|2006
|2007
|2017
|87,400,000
|- style="text-align: center;"
![[Wii]]
|2006
|2006
|2006
|2017
|101,630,000
|}

=== Eighth generation (2012–present) ===
{{main|Eighth generation of video game consoles}}
[[File:Wii U Console and Gamepad.png|thumb|The [[Wii U]] was Nintendo's worst selling home console, selling around 13.56 million units before being discontinued, but some of Nintendo's first party games for the system have sold around half the install base of the system, telling that Nintendo has a very dedicated fanbase.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.statista.com/statistics/349078/nintendo-wii-and-wii-u-console-sales/|title=Wii U Sales|access-date=September 9, 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.trustedreviews.com/news/nintendo-has-revealed-the-best-selling-games-for-wii-u-and-3ds|title=Nintendo Best Selling First Party Wii U Games|access-date=September 10, 2016}}</ref>]]
[[File:Microsoft-Xbox-One-Console-Set-wKinect.jpg|thumb|
The original [[Xbox One]], Microsoft's eighth generation console, which has since been superseded by two upgraded models, the Xbox One S and the Xbox One X.
]]
Aside from the usual hardware enhancements, consoles of the eighth generation focus on further integration with other media and increased connectivity.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ign.com/blogs/flavi0/2013/02/24/next-gen-consoles-too-much-connectivity/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130921060012/http://www.ign.com/blogs/flavi0/2013/02/24/next-gen-consoles-too-much-connectivity/|url-status=dead|archive-date=September 21, 2013|title=Next Gen Consoles: Too much connectivity - Blog by flavi0 - IGN|website=IGN}}</ref> Hardware improvements pushed for higher [[frame rate]]s at up to [[4k resolution]]s.

The [[Wii U]], introduced in 2012, was considered by Nintendo to be a successor to the Wii but geared to more serious players. The console supported backward compatibility with the Wii, including its motion controls, and introduced the [[Wii U GamePad]], a tablet/controller hybrid that acted as a second screen. Nintendo further refined its network offerings to develop the [[Nintendo Network]] service to combine storefront and online connectivity services. The Wii U did not sell as well as Nintendo had planned, as they found people mistook the GamePad to be a tablet they could take with them away from the console, and the console struggled to draw the third-party developers as the Wii had.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://venturebeat.com/2012/11/20/why-you-may-want-to-wait-on-a-wii-u/|title=Why you should wait on a Wii U (review) - GamesBeat - Games - by Rus McLaughlin|website=VentureBeat|date=November 20, 2012 }}</ref>

Both the [[PlayStation 4]] and [[Xbox One]] came out in 2013. Both were similar improvements over the previous generation's respective consoles, providing more computational power to support up to 60 frames per seconds at 1080p resolutions for some games. Each unit also saw a similar set of revisions and repackaging to develop high- and low-end cost versions. In the case of the Xbox One, the console's initially launch had included the Kinect device but this became highly controversial in terms of potential privacy violations and lack of developer support, and by its mid-generation refresh, the Kinect had been dropped and discontinued as a game device.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.denofgeek.us/games/xbox-720/103498/next-gen-xbox-reveal-confirmed-for-may-21 |title=Next Gen Xbox Reveal Confirmed for May 21 |publisher=Den of Geek! |date=April 24, 2013 |access-date=April 24, 2013}}</ref>

Later in the eighth generation, Nintendo released the [[Nintendo Switch]] in 2017.<ref>{{cite journal | title = Measuring Fun: A Case Study in Adapting to the Evolving Metrics of Player Experience | first1 = Brandon | last1 = Strubberg | first2 = Timothy | last2 = Elliott | first3 = Erin | last3 = Pumroy | first4 = Angela | last4 = Shaffer | journal = Loading | volume = 13 | issue = 21 | pages = 1–19 | doi = 10.7202/1071448ar| doi-access = free }}</ref> The Switch is considered the first hybrid game console. It uses a special CPU/GPU combination that can run at different clock frequencies depending on how it is used. It can be placed into a special docking unit that is hooked to a television and a permanent power supply, allowing faster clock frequencies to be used to be played at higher resolutions and frame rates, and thus more comparable to a home console. Alternatively, it can be removed and used either with the attached [[Joy-Con]] controllers as a handheld unit, or can be even played as a tablet-like system via its touchscreen. In these modes, the CPU/GPU run at lower clock speeds to conserve battery power, and the graphics are not as robust as in the docked version. A larger suite of online services was added through the [[Nintendo Switch Online]] subscription, including several free NES and SNES titles, replacing the past Virtual Console system. The Switch was designed to address many of the hardware and marketing faults around the Wii U's launch, and has become one of the company's fastest-selling consoles after the Wii.<ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/29/technology/nintendo-switch.html | title = Nintendo's Switch Brings Some Magic Back | first = Simon | last = Parkin | date = December 29, 2017 | access-date = July 30, 2020 | work = [[The New York Times]] }}</ref> Development of the Switch began early in the eighth generation once the Wii U was seen as a commercial failure, and thus was released midway through the eighth generation and considered then a competitor to the PS4 and Xbox One. Once the next-generation consoles were introduced in 2020, the Switch was also seen to be in competition with both. As such, the Switch is considered both an eighth and ninth generation console.<ref>{{Cite web |author1=Marshall HonorofContributions from Roland Moore-Colyer |date=2022-09-30 |title=PS5 vs. Xbox Series X vs. Nintendo Switch: Which console is right for you? |url=https://www.tomsguide.com/features/ps5-xbox-series-x-nintendo-switch-console-comparison |access-date=2023-09-23 |website=Tom's Guide |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Freeman-Mills |first=Max |date=2022-09-28 |title=PlayStation 5 vs Xbox Series X vs Nintendo Switch: Which console should you pick? |url=https://www.pocket-lint.com/ps5-playstation-5-vs-xbox-series-x-vs-nintendo-switch/ |access-date=2023-09-23 |website=Pocket-lint |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url = https://web.archive.org/web/20240102074514/https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-news/5-things-you-need-to-know-about-nintendos-new-switch-console-129151/| title= 5 Things You Need to Know About Nintendo’s New Switch Console | work = [[Glixel]] | date = October 20, 2016 | accessdate = January 18, 2024 }}</ref>

{|class="wikitable" style="margin: 1em auto 1em auto;"
!rowspan="2" | Console
!colspan="3" | Introduced
!rowspan="2" | Discontinued
!rowspan="2" | Units Sold
|-
!style="width:5em;" | Japan
!style="width:5em;" | North America
!style="width:5em;" | Europe
|- style="text-align: center;"
![[Wii U]]
|2012
|2012
|2012
|2017
|13,560,000
|- style="text-align: center;"
![[Nintendo Switch]]
|2017
|2017
|2017
|{{active}}
|139,360,000<ref name=":0">{{cite web |title=Dedicated Video Game Sales Units |url=https://www.nintendo.co.jp/ir/en/finance/hard_soft/index.html |access-date=3 March 2024}}</ref> <br> As of Dec. 31, 2023
|- style="text-align: center;"
![[PlayStation 4]]
|2014
|2013
|2013
|{{active}}
|117,200,000<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |last=Gaming |first=Comicbook |date=2022-08-10 |title=PS4 Reaches Final Sales Total |url=https://comicbook.com/gaming/news/ps4-playstation-sony-console-sales-total/ |access-date=2022-11-08 |website=Comicbook Gaming |language=en-GB}}</ref><br/>As of March. 31, 2022
|- style="text-align: center;"
![[Xbox One]]
|2014
|2013
|2013
|2020
|51,000,000<ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.gq-magazine.co.uk/culture/article/xbox-phil-spencer-todd-howard-interview | title = How Xbox outgrew the console: inside Phil Spencer's multi-billion dollar gamble | first = Same | last = White | date = November 15, 2021 | accessdate = November 15, 2021 | work = [[GQ (magazine)|GQ]] }}</ref>
|-
|colspan="6" | {{NoteFoot|group="8thgenhh"}}
|}

=== Ninth generation (2020–present) ===
{{main|Ninth generation of video game consoles}}
Both Microsoft and Sony released successors to their home consoles in November 2020. Both console families target [[4K resolution|4K]] and [[8K resolution]] televisions at high frame rates, support for real-time [[Ray tracing (graphics)|ray tracing]] rendering, and the use of high-performance [[solid-state drive]]s (SSD) as internal high-speed memory, the latter feature greatly decreasing loading times and allowing game content to be delivered much faster than when reading from optical disc or standard hard drives, thus making [[open world]] games, for example, appear seamless.

Microsoft released the fourth generation of Xbox with the [[Xbox Series X and Series S]] on November 10, 2020. The Series X has a base performance target of 60 frames per second at [[4K resolution]] to be four times as powerful as the Xbox One X. One of Microsoft's goals with both units was to assure backward compatibility with all games supported by the Xbox One, including those original Xbox and Xbox 360 titles that are backward compatible with the Xbox One, allowing the Xbox Series X and Series S to support four generations of games.<ref name="df fullspecs">{{cite web | url = https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/digitalfoundry-2020-inside-xbox-series-x-full-specs | title= Inside Xbox Series X: the full specs | first = Richard | last= Leadbetter | date = March 16, 2020 | access-date = March 16, 2020 | work = [[Eurogamer]] }}</ref><ref name="df fullspecs2">{{cite web | url = https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/digitalfoundry-2020-just-how-big-is-xbox-series-x-really | title = Xbox Series X: just how big is it - and how does it compare to Xbox One X? | first = Richard | last= Leadbetter | date = March 16, 2020 | access-date = March 16, 2020 | work = [[Eurogamer]] }}</ref>

Sony's [[PlayStation 5]] was released on November 12, 2020, and also is a similar performance boost over the PlayStation 4. The PlayStation 5 uses a custom SSD solution with much higher input/output rates comparable to RAM chip speeds, significantly improving rendering and data streaming speeds. The chip architecture is comparable to the PlayStation 4, allowing backwards compatible with most of the PlayStation 4 library while select games will need chip timing tweaking to make them compatible.<ref name="df_march2020">{{cite web | url = https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/digitalfoundry-2020-playstation-5-specs-and-tech-that-deliver-sonys-next-gen-vision | title = Inside PlayStation 5: the specs and the tech that deliver Sony's next-gen vision | first = Richard | last = Leadbetter | date = March 18, 2020 | access-date = March 18, 2020 | work = [[Eurogamer]] }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2020-03-20-sony-clarifies-overwhelming-majority-of-ps4-games-will-be-backward-compatible-on-ps5 | title = Sony clarifies "overwhelming majority" of PS4 games will be backward compatible on PS5 | first =Matt | last = Wales | date = March 20, 2020 | access-date = April 8, 2020 | work = [[Eurogamer]] }}</ref>

{|class="wikitable" style="margin: 1em auto 1em auto;"
!rowspan="2" | Console
!colspan="3" | Introduced
!rowspan="2" | Discontinued
!rowspan="2" | Units Sold
|-
!style="width:5em;" | Japan
!style="width:5em;" | North America
!style="width:5em;" | Europe
|- style="text-align: center;"
![[PlayStation 5]]
|2020
|2020
|2020
|{{active}}
|17,300,000<br/>As of Dec. 31, 2021
|- style="text-align: center;"
![[Xbox Series X and Series S]]
|2020
|2020
|2020
|{{active}}
|12,000,000 (est.)<br/>As of Dec. 31, 2021
|}

==Sales comparison==
<!-- +============================ PLEASE READ ============================+
| This timeline is meant to be a general overview of each period; |
| it is not meant to be a complete table of every console released |
| during a single generation. |
| |
| Adding manufacturers and consoles which never placed |
| within the top three best-selling home consoles of a generation |
| will be removed as per WP:MISC. |
| |
| Manufacturers with multiple consoles released in a single |
| generation should have the unit with the most sales in the table |
| with the other consoles listed as part of a note. |
| |
| When updating sales figures for current consoles, please ensure the |
| sources, shading and icon are also updated to reflect any changes |
| in position when it comes to sales. |
+============================ PLEASE READ ============================+ -->
{{Further|List of best-selling game consoles}}
Below is a timeline of each generation with the top three home video consoles of each generation based on worldwide sales. For a complete list of home video consoles released in each generation please see the respective article of each generation. For a comparable table for handheld consoles, see [[Handheld game console#Timeline|here]].

{|class="wikitable" style="font-size:100%;"
|+Table key
|-
| {{center|'''{{Hash-tag|alt=current generation consoles}}'''}} ||Current ||A current-generation console being manufactured and sold on the market.
|-
| bgcolor="#FC3" style="width:15px;" |{{center|†}} ||First place ||Home console with the highest sales of its generation.
|-
| bgcolor="silver" |{{center|‡}} ||Second place ||Home console with the second highest sales of its generation.
|-
| bgcolor="#C96" |{{center|◁}} ||Third place ||Home console with the third highest sales of its generation.
|-
| bgcolor="#F8F8F8" |{{center|}} ||Remaining places ||Manufacturer released a home console but it was not one of the top three best-selling home consoles of its generation.
|-
| bgcolor="#DCDCDC" |{{center|}} ||No entry ||Manufacturer did not release a home console.
|}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center; width:auto; line-height:13px;"
|-
! rowspan="2" scope="col" |Manufacturer
! colspan="9" scope="col" |Generation
! rowspan="2" scope="col" |{{abbr|Ref(s)|Reference(s)}}
|-
! scope="col" |[[First generation of video game consoles|First]]<br /><span style="font-size:70%;">(1972–1980)</span>
! scope="col" |[[Second generation of video game consoles|Second]]<br /><span style="font-size:70%;">(1976–1992)</span>
! scope="col" |[[Third generation of video game consoles|Third]]<br /><span style="font-size:70%;">(1983–2003)</span>
! scope="col" |[[Fourth generation of video game consoles|Fourth]]<br /><span style="font-size:70%;">(1987–2004)</span>
! scope="col" |[[Fifth generation of video game consoles|Fifth]]<br /><span style="font-size:70%;">(1993–2006)</span>
! scope="col" |[[Sixth generation of video game consoles|Sixth]]<br /><span style="font-size:70%;">(1998–2013)</span>
! scope="col" |[[Seventh generation of video game consoles|Seventh]]<br /><span style="font-size:70%;">(2005–2017)</span>
! scope="col" |[[Eighth generation of video game consoles|Eighth]]<br /><span style="font-size:70%;">(2012–present)</span>
! scope="col" |[[Ninth generation of video game consoles|Ninth]]<br /><span style="font-size:70%;">(2020–present)</span>
|-

! [[Atari]]
| bgcolor="#F8F8F8" |Home Pong<br /><small>(150,000)</small>
| bgcolor="#FC3" |Atari 2600 †<br /><small>(30&nbsp;million){{efn|group=note|name=Atari2|The Atari 2600 sold 30&nbsp;million units during its life-cycle. Atari also released a second home console during the second generation known as the [[Atari 5200]] which sold 1&nbsp;million units.}}</small>
| bgcolor="#C96" |Atari 7800 ◁<br /><small>(1&nbsp;million){{efn|group=note|name=Atari3|The Atari 7800 sold 1 million units. Atari also released the [[Atari XEGS]] during the third generation which sold 100,000 units.}}</small>
| bgcolor="#DCDCDC" style="border-bottom: 1px solid transparent;" |
| bgcolor="#F8F8F8" |Atari Jaguar<br /><small>(250,000)</small>
| bgcolor="#DCDCDC" colspan="4" style="border-bottom: 1px solid transparent;" |

| {{efn|group=note|name=Atari|'''Home Pong''' sold 150,000 units.<ref name="PriceGuide-2">{{cite book| title = Official Price Guide to Classic Video Games| first = David| last = Ellis| pages = [https://archive.org/details/officialpricegui00davi/page/33 33–36]| chapter = Dedicated Consoles| publisher = Random House| isbn = 0-375-72038-3| year = 2004| chapter-url-access = registration| chapter-url = https://archive.org/details/officialpricegui00davi/page/33}}</ref><ref name="Ultimate-Home3">{{cite book| title = Ultimate History of Video Games| first = Steven| last = Kent| pages = 94–95| chapter = Strange Bedfellows| publisher = Three Rivers Press| isbn = 0-7615-3643-4| year = 2001}}</ref> Atari 2600 sold 30 million,<ref name="atari2600 PR">{{cite press release | publisher=[[PR Newswire]] | title= AtGames to Launch Atari Flashback 4 to Celebrate Atari's 40th Anniversary! | date=November 12, 2012 |url=http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/atgames-to-launch-atari-flashback-4-to-celebrate-ataris-40th-anniversary-178903531.html|access-date=April 11, 2014|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121127175838/http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/atgames-to-launch-atari-flashback-4-to-celebrate-ataris-40th-anniversary-178903531.html| archive-date=November 27, 2012}}</ref> Atari 5200 and Atari 7800 sold 1 million units each<ref name="a5200">{{cite news | last=Schrage | first=Michael | newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] | title=Atari Introduces Game In Attempt for Survival | url=https://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/washingtonpost_historical/doc/138312072.html | access-date=July 29, 2009 | page=C3 | date=May 22, 1984 | issn=0190-8286 | quote=The company has stopped producing its 5200 SuperSystem games player, more than 1 million of which were sold. | url-access=subscription | archive-date=November 4, 2013 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131104140619/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/washingtonpost_historical/doc/138312072.html | url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>[http://atariage.com/forums/uploads/monthly_01_2008/post-9346-1201143700.jpg Axlon To Develop New Video Games For Atari] (Press Release), [[Atari]] (June 1, 1988)</ref> Atari XEGS sold 100,000 units,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.atarimagazines.com/v7n1/marketplace.html |title=Editorial: Ever-Changing Atari Marketplace |publisher=Atarimagazines.com |access-date=January 10, 2018}}</ref> and the Atari Jaguar sold 250,000 units.<ref>{{cite web
|url=https://www.wired.com/gaming/gamingreviews/multimedia/2007/05/gallery_game_history?slide=28&slideView=7
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081223161345/http://www.wired.com/gaming/gamingreviews/multimedia/2007/05/gallery_game_history?slide=28&slideView=7
|url-status=dead
|archive-date=December 23, 2008
|title=Console Portraits: A 40-Year Pictorial History of Gaming
|access-date=March 23, 2008
|first=Greg
|last=Orlando
|date=May 15, 2007
|work=[[Wired (website)|Wired News]]
|publisher=[[Condé Nast Publications]]
}}</ref>
}}
|-

! [[Coleco]]
| bgcolor="#F8F8F8" |Telstar <br /><small>(1&nbsp;million)</small>
| bgcolor="#C96" |ColecoVision ◁<br /><small>(2+ million)</small>
| bgcolor="#DCDCDC" colspan="6" style="border-right: 1px solid transparent;" |
| bgcolor="#DCDCDC" style="border-bottom: 1px solid transparent;" |

| {{efn|group=note|name=Coleco|
*'''Telestar''': Coleco launched Telstar in 1976 and sold a million. Production and delivery issues, and dedicated consoles being replaced by electronic handheld games dramatically reduced sales in 1977. Over a million Telstars were scrapped in 1978, and it cost Coleco $22.3 million that year<ref name="former self">{{cite news|last =Kleinfield|first = N. R.|title =Coleco Moves Out Of The Cabbage Patch|work = [[The New York Times]]|date =July 21, 1985 |page=F4 |url =https://www.nytimes.com/1985/07/21/business/coleco-moves-out-of-the-cabbage-patch.html?pagewanted=2|access-date =January 13, 2014|quote=Coleco is now debating whether to withdraw from electronics altogether. Colecovision still sells, but it is a shadow of its former self.}}</ref>—almost bankrupting the company.<ref name="near bankrupt">{{cite news|last =Mehegan|first =David|title =Putting Coleco Industries Back Together|work = [[The Boston Globe]]|date =May 8, 1988 |page=A1|url =http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-8061028.html|archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20150924200716/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-8061028.html|url-status =dead|archive-date =September 24, 2015|access-date =April 23, 2014|issn=0743-1791|quote=When the game [Telstar] crashed hard, earnings fell 50 percent in 1977 and the company lost $22 million in 1978, barely skirting bankruptcy after Handel -- then chief financial officer -- found new credit and mollified angry creditors after months of tough negotiation.|url-access=subscription }}</ref>
*'''ColecoVision''':The ColecoVision reached 2 million units sold by the spring of 1984. Console quarterly sales dramatically decreased at this time, but it continued to sell modestly<ref name="coleco report">{{cite press release | publisher=[[PR Newswire]] | title=Coleco Industries sales report | date=April 17, 1984|url=https://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/boston/doc/294244496.html|access-date=November 3, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131104144354/https://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/boston/doc/294244496.html| archive-date=November 4, 2013|url-status=live| quote='First quarter sales of ColecoVision were substantial, although much less {{sic|that}} those for the year ago quarter,' Greenberg said in a prepared statement. He said the company has sold 2 million ColecoVision games since its introduction in 1982.}}</ref><ref name="former self" /> with most inventory gone by October 1985.<ref name="Colecovision inventory">{{cite news|agency=Associated Press|title =Coleco's Net In Sharp Rise|work = [[The New York Times]]|date =October 19, 1985|page=45|url =https://www.nytimes.com/1985/10/19/business/coleco-s-net-in-sharp-rise.html|access-date =January 13, 2014|issn=0362-4331|quote=Thursday, Coleco said the entire inventory of its troubled Adam personal computer has been sold, along with much of its Colecovision inventory. The company's chairman, Arnold Greenberg, said Coleco expects no more charges against earnings from the two discontinued products.}}</ref>
}}
|-

! [[Nintendo]]
| bgcolor="#F8F8F8" |{{nowrap|Color TV-Game series}}<br /><small>(1.5&nbsp;million)</small>
| bgcolor="#DCDCDC" |
| bgcolor="#FC3" |NES †<br /><small>(61.91&nbsp;million)</small>
| bgcolor="#FC3" |Super NES †<br /><small>(49.1&nbsp;million)</small>
| bgcolor="silver" |Nintendo 64 ‡<br /><small>(32.93&nbsp;million)</small>
| bgcolor="#C96" |GameCube ◁<br /><small>(21.74&nbsp;million)</small>
| bgcolor="#FC3" |Wii †<br /><small>(101.63&nbsp;million)</small>
| bgcolor="#FC3" |Nintendo Switch †&nbsp;'''{{Hash-tag|alt=current generation consoles}}'''<br /><small>(122.55&nbsp;million)</small><ref name=":0" /><small>{{efn|group=note|name=Switch_Wii_U|As of December 2022 the Nintendo Switch has sold 122.55 million units.<ref name="Recent Nintendo sales" /> Nintendo also released the [[Wii U]] during the eighth generation which sold 13.56 million units during its lifecycle.<ref name="Recent Nintendo sales" />}}</small>
| bgcolor="#DCDCDC" style="border-bottom: 1px solid transparent;" |

| {{efn|group=note|name=Nintendo family|'''Color TV-Game series''' sold 3&nbsp;million units.<ref name="CTGsales"/> NES, Super NES, Nintendo 64, GameCube and Wii sales figures.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nintendo.co.jp/ir/finance/historical_data/xls/consolidated_sales_e1703.xlsx |title=Historical Data: Consolidated Sales Transition by Region |access-date=April 27, 2017|date=April 27, 2017|publisher=[[Nintendo]] |format=xlsx}}</ref> Wii U and Switch sales figures.<ref name="Recent Nintendo sales">{{cite web|url=https://www.nintendo.co.jp/ir/en/finance/hard_soft/index.html|title=Dedicated Video Game Sales Units|publisher=Nintendo |date=December 31, 2019|access-date=February 19, 2020}}</ref>
}}
|-

! [[Magnavox]]<span style="font-weight:normal">{{px2}}/</span><br />[[Philips]]
| bgcolor="#F8F8F8" |Odyssey <br /><small>(330,000)</small>
| bgcolor="#F8F8F8" |Odyssey²<br /><small>(2&nbsp;million)</small>
| bgcolor="#F8F8F8" |{{nowrap|Videopac + G7400}}<br /><small>(N/A)</small>
| bgcolor="#F8F8F8" |CD-i<br /><small>(570,000)</small>
| bgcolor="#DCDCDC" colspan="5" style="border-bottom: 1px solid transparent;" |

| {{efn|group=note|name=Magnavox| Magnavox Odyssey,<ref name="baerwinter">{{cite web|url=http://www.pong-story.com/odyssey.htm |title=Magnavox Odyssey, the first video game system |publisher=Pong-Story |date=June 27, 1972 |access-date=November 17, 2012}}</ref> Magnavox Odyssey²<ref name="Magnavox Odyssey2">{{cite web|url=http://www.ign.com/top-25-consoles/21.html |title=Top 25 Video Game Consoles of All Time (Magnavox Odyssey 2) |access-date=October 31, 2013 |website=IGN|archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20090908020557/http://www.ign.com/top-25-consoles/21.html|archive-date =September 8, 2009|url-status=live}}</ref> Philips CD-i<ref>{{cite magazine |url=http://www.gamepro.com/gamepro/domestic/games/features/111823.shtml |title=The 10 Worst-Selling Consoles of All Time |first=Blake |last=Snow |magazine=[[GamePro]] |date=July 30, 2007 |page=2 |access-date=October 25, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070508035815/http://www.gamepro.com/gamepro/domestic/games/features/111823.shtml|archive-date=May 8, 2007}}</ref>
}}
|-

! [[Mattel Electronics]]
| bgcolor="#DCDCDC" style="border-bottom: 1px solid transparent;" |
| bgcolor="silver" |Intellivision ‡<br /><small>(3+ million)</small>
| bgcolor="#DCDCDC" colspan="4" style="border-right: 1px solid transparent;" |
| bgcolor="#DCDCDC" colspan="3" style="border-bottom: 1px solid transparent;" |

| {{efn|group=note|name=Mattel Electronics|Intellivision sold 3&nbsp;million units.<ref name=intellivision2>{{cite web|url=http://classicgaming.gamespy.com/View.php?view=ConsoleMuseum.Detail&id=17&game=9 |title=Intellivision: Intelligent Television |publisher=[[GameSpy]] |access-date=October 31, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131023194011/http://classicgaming.gamespy.com/View.php?view=ConsoleMuseum.Detail&id=17&game=9 |archive-date=October 23, 2013 |url-status=dead }}</ref>}}
|-

! [[Sega]]
| bgcolor="#DCDCDC" colspan="2" style="border-bottom: 1px solid transparent;" |
| bgcolor="silver" |Master System ‡<br /><small>(10–13&nbsp;million){{efn|group=note|name=SegaGen3|The Sega Master System sold 10–13&nbsp;million units. Sega also released the [[SG-1000]] during the third generation which sold 160,000 units.}}</small>
| bgcolor="silver" |Sega Genesis ‡<br /><small>(33.75&nbsp;million)</small>
| bgcolor="#C96" |Sega Saturn ◁<br /><small>(9.26&nbsp;million)</small>
| bgcolor="#F8F8F8" |Dreamcast<br /><small>(9.13&nbsp;million)</small>
| bgcolor="#DCDCDC" style="border-bottom: 1px solid transparent; border-right: 1px solid transparent;" |
| bgcolor="#DCDCDC" colspan="2" style="border-bottom: 1px solid transparent;" |

| {{efn|group=note|name=Sega family|
*'''Master System''': 10–13 million, not including recent Brazil sales figures.<ref>{{cite web |last=Buchanan |first=Levi |url=http://www.ign.com/articles/2009/03/20/genesis-vs-snes-by-the-numbers |title=Genesis vs. SNES: By the Numbers | website = IGN | date = March 20, 2009 | access-date = October 31, 2013| quote=Nintendo moved 49.1 million Super NES consoles over the course of the generation and beyond, far surpassing the Genesis, which sold a still impressive 29 million units. [...] The Master System sold an anemic 13 million to the NES count of 62 million.}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|author=Forster, Winnie|title=The Encyclopedia of Game.Machines: Consoles, Handhelds, and Home Computers 1972–2005|publisher=Magdalena Gniatczynska|isbn=3-00-015359-4|year=2005|page=139}}</ref> [[Screen Digest]] wrote in a 1995 publication that the Master System's active [[Installed base|installed user base]] in Western Europe peaked at 6.25&nbsp;million in 1993. Those countries that peaked are France at 1.6&nbsp;million, Germany at 700&nbsp;thousand, the Netherlands at 200&nbsp;thousand, Spain at 550&nbsp;thousand, the United Kingdom at 1.35&nbsp;million, and other Western European countries at 1.4&nbsp;million. However, Belgium peaked in 1991 with 600&nbsp;thousand, and Italy in 1992 with 400&nbsp;thousand. Thus it is estimated approximately 6.8&nbsp;million units were purchased in this part of Europe.<ref>{{cite journal|title=Sega Consoles: Active installed base estimates|date=March 1995|journal=[[Screen Digest]] |page=60}} ([[cf.]] here [https://books.google.com/books?ei=L0UeT47oMouEhQeoldjNDQ&id=jFnvAAAAMAAJ&dq=sega+active+installed], here [https://books.google.com/books?ei=XjkeT5KCHImJhQe45eiBDg&id=jFnvAAAAMAAJ&dq=8-bit+16-bit+32-bit], and here [https://books.google.com/books?ei=L0UeT47oMouEhQeoldjNDQ&id=jFnvAAAAMAAJ&dq=%22UK+600+1.100%22&q=%22UK+600%22])</ref> 1&nbsp;million were sold in Japan as of 1986.<ref>{{cite journal|title=Amusement|journal=Business Japan|year=1986|volume=31 |issue=7–12|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tJcSAQAAMAAJ&q=%22Sega+is+estimated+to+have+sold%22 |access-date=January 24, 2012|author=Nihon Kōgyō Shinbunsha|page=89|publisher=Nihon Kogyo Shimbun}}</ref> 2&nbsp;million were sold in the United States.<ref>{{Citation |title=[[Game Over: How Nintendo Zapped an American Industry, Captured Your Dollars, and Enslaved Your Children|Game Over: How Nintendo Conquered the World]] |last1=Sheff |first1=David |last2=Eddy |first2=Andy |author-link=David Sheff |publisher=GamePress |year=1999 |page=[https://books.google.com/books?id=0dK2AAAAIAAJ&q=%22+million+Master+Systems%22 349] |isbn=978-0-9669617-0-6 |quote=Atari sold a handful of its 5200s and 7800s, and Sega sold a total of 2 million Master Systems.}}</ref> 8&nbsp;million were sold by [[Tectoy]] in Brazil as of 2016.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://jogos.uol.com.br/ultimas-noticias/2016/05/12/console-em-producao-ha-mais-tempo-master-system-ja-vendeu-8-mi-no-brasil.htm | title=Console em produção há mais tempo, Master System já vendeu 8 mi no Brasil|language=pt |access-date=May 13, 2016|publisher=[[Universo Online]]|first=Théo|last=Azevedo |quote=Comercializado no Brasil desde setembro de 1989, o saudoso Master System já vendeu mais de 8 milhões de unidades no país, segundo a Tectoy. |date=May 12, 2016}}</ref>
*'''Sega Genesis''': 30.75&nbsp;million sold by Sega worldwide as of March 1996,<ref>{{cite journal| date= June 21, 1996| title= Yearly market report| journal= [[Famitsu Weekly]]| issue= 392|page=8|language=ja}}</ref><ref name="Sega Stats">{{cite book|last=Ernkvist|first=Mirko|editor1-last=Zackariasson|editor1-first=Peter|editor2-last=Wilson|editor2-first=Timothy|title=The Video Game Industry: Formation, Present State, and Future|publisher=[[Routledge]]|date=August 21, 2012|isbn=978-1-136-25824-4|page=158 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=oQKFmX9m25sC&q=158|access-date=December 5, 2015}}</ref> not including third-party sales. In addition, [[Tec Toy]] sold 3&nbsp;million in Brazil,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://jogos.uol.com.br/ultimas-noticias/2012/07/30/vinte-anos-depois-master-system-e-mega-drive-vendem-150-mil-unidades-por-ano-no-brasil.htm |title=Vinte anos depois, Master System e Mega Drive vendem 150 mil unidades por ano no Brasil|language=pt|access-date=October 18, 2012|publisher=[[Universo Online|UOL]]|first=Théo|last=Azevedo|quote=Base instalada: 5 milhões de Master System; 3 milhões de Mega Drive |date=July 30, 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Sponsel|first=Sebastian|url=http://www.sega-16.com/2015/11/interview-stefano-arnhold-tectoy/|title=Interview: Stefano Arnhold (Tectoy)|work=Sega-16 |date=November 16, 2015|access-date=November 21, 2015}}</ref> and [[Majesco Entertainment]] projected it would sell 1.5&nbsp;million in the United States.<ref>{{cite web|title=Sega farms out Genesis |date=March 2, 1998 |url=http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m3169/is_n9_v38/ai_20456851/?tag=content;col1 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120709034422/http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m3169/is_n9_v38/ai_20456851/?tag=content;col1 |archive-date=July 9, 2012 |publisher=Consumer Electronics |url-status=dead}}</ref>
*'''Sega Saturn''': 9.26&nbsp;million units sold.<ref name="Sega Stats" />
*'''Dreamcast''': 9.13&nbsp;million units sold.<ref name="Sega Stats" /><ref name="sega Q4 FY2001">{{cite web|url=http://www.segasammy.co.jp/english/ir/library/pdf/printing_archive/2001/e_sega_annual_tuuki_2001.pdf|title=Sega Corporation Annual Report 2001|access-date=November 2, 2015|date=August 1, 2001|publisher=[[Sega Corporation]]|page=14|quote=A total of 3.39 million hardware units and 23.87 million software units were sold worldwide during fiscal 2001, for respective totals of 8.20 million units and 51.63 million units since Dreamcast was first brought to market.}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Revisions to Annual Results Forecasts |url=https://www.segasammy.co.jp/english/ir/release/pdf/past/sega/2002/20011030.pdf|access-date=November 2, 2015|date=October 23, 2001|publisher=[[Sega Corporation]]|page=4|quote=Regarding sales of Dreamcast hardware from inventory resulting from the withdrawal from Dreamcast production [...] the Company exceeded initial targets with domestic sales of 130,000 units and U.S. sales of 530,000 units for the first half. Consequently, at the end of the half, Dreamcast inventories totaled 40,000 units domestically and 230,000 units for the United States, and we anticipate being able to sell all remaining units by the holiday season as initially planned.|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150726015556/https://www.segasammy.co.jp/english/ir/release/pdf/past/sega/2002/20011030.pdf|archive-date=July 26, 2015|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.segasammy.co.jp/japanese/ir/library/pdf/printing_archive/2002/sega/sega_annual_tuuki_2002.pdf |title=Sega Corporation Annual Report 2002|access-date=November 2, 2015|date=July 1, 2002|publisher=[[Sega Corporation]] |page=6|quote=The year ended March 31, 2002 was a turning point for Sega. We exited the hardware business, ceasing production of Dreamcast and selling through the remaining inventory.}}</ref>
}}
|-

! [[NEC]]
| bgcolor="#DCDCDC" colspan="3" style="border-bottom: 1px solid transparent;" |
| bgcolor="#C96" |TurboGrafx-16 ◁<br /><small>(10&nbsp;million)</small>
| bgcolor="#F8F8F8" |PC-FX<br /><small>(100,000)</small>
| bgcolor="#DCDCDC" style="border-right: 1px solid transparent;" |
| bgcolor="#DCDCDC" colspan="3" style="border-top: 1px solid transparent;" |

| {{efn|group=note|name=NEC family|The '''TurboGrafx-16''' was designed by Hudson and manufactured and marketed by NEC.<ref name="NEC and HS">{{cite web|url=http://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/225466/stalled_engine_the_turbografx16_.php?print=1|title=Stalled engine: The TurboGrafx-16 turns 25|access-date=August 13, 2016|first= Christian|last=Nutt |website=[[Gamasutra]]|archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20160101061244/http://gamasutra.com/view/feature/225466/stalled_engine_the_turbografx16_.php|archive-date =January 1, 2016|url-status=live}}</ref> The TurboGrafx-16 managed to sell 10 million units.<ref name="turbo eurogamer">{{cite web|url=http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2012-04-11-snes-celebrates-20th-birthday-in-uk|title= SNES celebrates 20th birthday in UK|access-date=April 2, 2014|first=Tom|last=Phillips|website=[[Eurogamer]]|date=April 11, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120413151550/http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2012-04-11-snes-celebrates-20th-birthday-in-uk|archive-date=April 13, 2012|url-status=live}}</ref> The '''PC-FX''' sold less than 100,000 after a year on sale.<ref name="PC-FX">{{Cite web |url=http://www.nintendolife.com/news/2015/05/feature_what_nec_and_hudson_did_next_the_disasterous_story_of_the_pc-fx |title=Feature: What NEC And Hudson Did Next: The {{sic|Disast|erous|nolink=y}} Story Of The PC-FX |last=McFerran |first=Damien |date=May 9, 2015 |website=Nintendo Life |language=en-GB |access-date=May 14, 2019}}</ref>
}}
|-

! [[Sony Interactive Entertainment|Sony]]
| bgcolor="#DCDCDC" colspan="4" style="border-bottom: 1px solid transparent;" |
| bgcolor="#FC3" |PlayStation †<br /><small>(102.49&nbsp;million)</small>
| bgcolor="#FC3" |PlayStation 2 †<br /><small>({{ref |Greater|>}}155&nbsp;million)</small>
| bgcolor="silver" |PlayStation 3 ‡<br /><small>({{ref |Greater|>}}87.4&nbsp;million)</small>
| bgcolor="silver" |PlayStation 4 ‡&nbsp;'''{{Hash-tag|alt=current generation consoles}}'''<br /><small>(117.2&nbsp;million)</small>
| bgcolor="#FC3" |PlayStation 5 †&nbsp;'''{{Hash-tag|alt=current generation consoles}}'''<br /><small>(17.3&nbsp;million)</small>

| {{efn|group=note|name=PlayStation family|'''PlayStation''': Sony corporate data reports 102.49&nbsp;million units sold as of March 31, 2007.<ref name="ps1">{{cite web|url=http://www.scei.co.jp/corporate/data/bizdataps_e.html|title=PlayStation Cumulative Production Shipments of Hardware|access-date=October 31, 2013|publisher=[[Sony Computer Entertainment]]|url-status=dead|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110524023857/http://www.scei.co.jp/corporate/data/bizdataps_e.html|archive-date = May 24, 2011}}</ref> Sony stopped divulging individual platform sales starting with 2012 fiscal reports,<ref name="sony combined">{{cite web|url=http://www.scei.co.jp/corporate/data/bizdata_hardware_e.html |title=Business Development: Hardware |access-date=October 28, 2013|publisher=[[Sony Computer Entertainment]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130630080935/http://www.scei.co.jp/corporate/data/bizdata_hardware_e.html |archive-date=June 30, 2013|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name="sony stop combined">{{cite web |url=http://www.scei.co.jp/corporate/data/hardware_sale_e.html |title=Business Development: Unit Sales of Hardware(FY2013-) |access-date=April 30, 2015 |publisher=[[Sony Computer Entertainment]] |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150424092348/http://scei.co.jp/corporate/data/hardware_sale_e.html |archive-date=April 24, 2015 }}</ref> and continues to sporadically.<ref name="reporting style">{{cite web|url=http://www.gamespot.com/articles/ps4-helps-sony-s-game-division-rise-but-ps3-sales-see-significant-decrease/1100-6417559/|title=PS4 helps Sony's game division rise, but PS3 sales see "significant decrease" |access-date=December 13, 2015|first=Eddie|last=Makuch|website=[[GameSpot]]|date=February 6, 2014}}</ref> '''PlayStation 2''': 155&nbsp;million units sold as of March 31, 2012.<ref name="SIE Business Development">{{cite web|url=https://www.sie.com/en/corporate/data.html |title=SIE Business Development |access-date=February 18, 2021 |publisher=[[Sony Computer Entertainment]]| date =December 31, 2020}}</ref> It was discontinued worldwide on January 4, 2013.<ref name=PSVita>{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2013/jan/04/playstation-2-manufacture-ends-years|title=PlayStation 2 manufacture ends after 12 years|date=January 4, 2013|first= Keith|last=Stuart|work=[[The Guardian]]|access-date=November 22, 2013}}</ref> '''PlayStation 3''': Sony corporate data reports 87.4&nbsp;million sold as of March 31, 2017.<ref name="SIE Business Development"/> PS3 shipments to Japanese retailers, the last country Sony was selling units to, ceased by May.<ref name="PS3 last shipments">{{cite web|first=Dan|last=Ackerman|title=At long last, end of the line for the Sony PlayStation 3|url=https://www.cnet.com/news/at-long-last-end-of-the-line-for-the-sony-playstation-3/|date=May 30, 2017|access-date=April 26, 2019|website=[[CNET]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190312115023/https://www.cnet.com/news/at-long-last-end-of-the-line-for-the-sony-playstation-3/|archive-date=March 12, 2019|url-status=live}}</ref> '''PlayStation 4''': Sony corporate data reports 114.9&nbsp;million units sold as of December 31, 2020.<ref name="SIE Business Development"/> '''PlayStation 5''': Sony corporate data reports 4.5&nbsp;million units sold as of December 31, 2020.<ref name="SIE Business Development"/>
}}
|-

! [[Microsoft]]
| bgcolor="#DCDCDC" colspan="5" |
| bgcolor="silver" |Xbox ‡<br /><small>({{ref |Greater|>}}24&nbsp;million)</small>
| bgcolor="#C96" |Xbox 360 ◁<br /><small>({{ref |Greater|>}}84&nbsp;million)</small>
| bgcolor="#C96" |Xbox One ◁&nbsp;'''{{Hash-tag|alt=current generation consoles}}'''<br /><small>({{nowrap|{{estimation}} 46.9&nbsp;million}})</small>
| bgcolor="silver" |Xbox Series X/S ‡&nbsp;'''{{Hash-tag|alt=current generation consoles}}'''<br /><small>(est. 12 million)</small>

| {{efn|group=note|name=Xbox family|'''Xbox''': More than 24 million units sold as of May 10, 2006.<ref name="xbox">{{cite web|url= http://www.xbox.com/zh-SG/community/news/2006/20060510.htm|title=Gamers Catch Their Breath as Xbox 360 and Xbox Live Reinvent Next-Generation Gaming|access-date=September 5, 2007|publisher=Xbox.com|date=May 10, 2006|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070709062832/http://www.xbox.com/zh-SG/community/news/2006/20060510.htm |archive-date = July 9, 2007|url-status=dead}}</ref></small>
'''Xbox 360''': Sold 84&nbsp;million as of June 2014.<ref name="xbox e3">{{cite web|url=http://www.gamespot.com/articles/e3-2014-399-xbox-one-out-now-xbox-360-sales-rise-to-84-million/1100-6420231/ |title=E3 2014: $399 Xbox One Out Now, Xbox 360 Sales Rise to 84 million |access-date=August 12, 2014 |first=Eddie |last=Makuch |website=[[GameSpot]] |date=June 9, 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141013194652/http://www.gamespot.com/articles/e3-2014-399-xbox-one-out-now-xbox-360-sales-rise-to-84-million/1100-6420231/ |archive-date=October 13, 2014}}</ref> Production ended in 2016.<ref name="360 EoL">{{cite web|url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2016/04/20/xbox-360-production-has-ended |title=Xbox 360 Production Has Ended |access-date=August 12, 2014 |first= Matt |last=Porter |website=[[IGN]] |date=April 20, 2016 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180322210434/https://www.ign.com/articles/2016/04/20/xbox-360-production-has-ended |archive-date=March 22, 2018}}</ref>
'''Xbox One''': Microsoft CEO [[Satya Nadella]] unveiled at a December 3, 2014, shareholder presentation that 10&nbsp;million units were sold.<ref name="Xbone 10">{{cite web |url=http://www.microsoft.com/investor/Events/Presentations/2014/ShareholderMeeting2014.aspx?eventid=151407&Search=true&SearchType=0 |title=Microsoft Annual Meeting of Shareholders |access-date=January 31, 2015 |date=December 3, 2014 |publisher=[[Microsoft]] |quote=Finally, our gaming business is thriving with the Xbox One hitting 10 million units sold. I am thrilled to welcome Mojang and Minecraft community to Microsoft. |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161130042326/http://www.microsoft.com/investor/Events/Presentations/2014/ShareholderMeeting2014.aspx?eventid=151407&Search=true&SearchType=0 |archive-date=November 30, 2016 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Microsoft announced in October 2015 that individual platform sales in their fiscal reports will no longer be disclosed.
The company shifted focus to the amount of active users on [[Xbox Live]] as its "primary metric of success".<ref name="Shipments and Live">{{Cite magazine|url=http://www.gameinformer.com/b/news/archive/2015/10/22/xbox-hardware-sales-down-xbox-live-user-up-to-39-million.aspx|title=[Update] Microsoft Will Focus Primarily On Xbox Live Usership, Not Console Shipments| date =October 22, 2015|last=Futter|first=Mike |magazine=[[Game Informer]]|access-date=October 22, 2015}}</ref> International Data Corporation estimated 46.9&nbsp;million sold worldwide through the second quarter of 2019.<ref name="xbox1 Q2 estimate">{{cite web |url=https://www.cnbc.com/2019/10/08/why-microsoft-xbox-isnt-as-popular-in-japan-as-sonys-playstation.html |title=Why Japanese gamers don't buy Xbox |access-date=November 1, 2019 |first=Marilyn |last=Haigh |publisher=[[CNBC]] |date=October 8, 2019 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191031143327/https://www.cnbc.com/2019/10/08/why-microsoft-xbox-isnt-as-popular-in-japan-as-sonys-playstation.html |archive-date=October 31, 2019 }}</ref>
'''Xbox Series X/S''': Ampere Anylytics estimated about 2.8 million units sold as of the end of 2020.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Nunneley |first1=Stephany |title=Xbox Series X/S, PS5 sales about the same at launch as Xbox One and PS4 so far - report |url=https://www.vg247.com/2021/02/11/xbox-series-x-s-ps5-sales-launch-xbox-one-ps4-far/ |website=VG247 |access-date=February 18, 2021 |date=February 11, 2021}}</ref>
}}
|}
{{Refbegin}}
{{note label|Greater|>||&nbsp;Final sales are greater than the reported figure. [[#Notes|See notes.]]}}
{{Refend}}

==Notes==
{{reflist|group=note}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{Home video game consoles}}
{{video game consoles}}


[[Category:Lists of video game consoles|*]]
[[Category:Lists of video game consoles|*]]

Latest revision as of 16:51, 9 September 2024

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