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History of video game consoles (second generation)
Encyclopedia
In the history of computer and video games, the second generation (sometimes referred to as the early 8 bit era) began in 1976 with the release of the Fairchild Channel F
and Radofin 1292 Advanced Programmable Video System
.
The early portion of this generation saw the release of several consoles as various companies decided to enter the market, and an occurrence of a later portion whose releases were in direct reaction to the earlier consoles. The Atari 2600
was the dominant console for much of the second generation, with other consoles such as the Intellivision
, Odyssey 2, and ColecoVision
also enjoying market share.
The second generation came to an abrupt end in 1984 amid the video game crash of 1983.
The earliest console, the Magnavox Odyssey
, had used removable cartridges that were nothing but glorified jumpers
to activate the games already wired in to the console. This method was soon replaced during the move to Pong
consoles, where the logic for one or more games was hardcoded into microchips using discrete logic, and no additional games could ever be added. By the mid-1970s cartridge
s had returned with the move to CPU based consoles. With games now consisting of microprocessor
based code, these games were burned onto ROM
chips that were mounted inside plastic cartridge casings that could be plugged into slots on the console. When the cartridges were plugged in, the general-purpose microprocessor
s in the consoles read the cartridge memory and ran whatever program was stored there. Rather than being confined to a small selection of games included in the box, consumers could now amass libraries of game cartridges.
The Fairchild VES was the world's first CPU based video game console, introducing the cartridge-based game code storage format. It was released by Fairchild Semiconductor in August 1976. When Atari released their VCS the next year, Fairchild quickly re-named it to the Fairchild Channel F
.
In 1977, Atari
released its CPU based console called the Video Computer System (VCS), later called Atari 2600
. Nine games were designed and released for the holiday season. It would quickly become by far the most popular of all the early consoles.
The Bally Astrocade
was originally referred to as the Bally Home Library Computer, and was released in 1977, but available only through mail order. Delays in the production meant none of the units actually shipped until 1978, and by this time the machine had been renamed the Bally Professional Arcade. In this form it sold mostly at computer stores and had little retail exposure (unlike the Atari VCS). In 1979 Bally grew less interested in the arcade market and decided to sell off their Consumer Products Division, including development and production of the game console. In 1981 they re-released the unit with the BASIC cartridge included for free, this time known as the Bally Computer System, and then changed the name again in 1982 to Astrocade. It sold under this name until the video game crash of 1983
, and then disappeared around 1985.
In 1978, Magnavox
released its CPU based console, the Odyssey 2, in the United States and Canada. Philips
Electronics released this same game console as the Philips G7000 in many European countries. Although it never became as popular as Atari, it managed to sell several million units through 1983. Philips had also designed the more powerful Interton VC 4000 console family (e.g. 1292 Advanced Programmable Video System
) before this.
In 1979, Activision
was created by disgruntled former Atari programmers. It was the first third-party developer
of video games. Many new developers would follow their lead in succeeding years.
The next major entry was Intellivision
, introduced by Mattel
in 1980. Though chronologically coming long before the "16-bit era", the Intellivision had a unique processor with instructions that were 10 bit
s wide (allowing more instruction variety and potential speed), and registers
16 bits wide. It also featured an advanced sound chip which could deliver output through three distinct sound channels. The system's initial production run sold out shortly after its national launch in 1980.
The Intellivision was the first system to pose a serious threat to Atari's dominance. A series of TV advertisements featuring George Plimpton
demonstrated the superiority of the Intellivision's graphics and sound to those of the Atari 2600 using side-by-side game comparisons. Nevertheless, Atari held exclusive rights to most of the popular arcade game
conversions of the day, and used this key segment to support their older hardware in the market. This game advantage and the difference in price between the machines meant that each year Atari sold more units than Intellivision, lengthening its lead despite inferior graphics. This need for price parity has influenced every console war
since.
1982 saw the introduction of four new consoles, the Emerson Arcadia 2001
, the Vectrex
, the ColecoVision
, and the Atari 5200
. The Vectrex was unique among home systems of the time in featuring vector graphics
and its own self-contained display. The Arcadia and ColecoVision were even more powerful machines.
The popularity of early consoles was strongly influenced by their ports
of arcade games. The Atari 2600 was the first with Space Invaders
, and the Colecovision bundled in Nintendo's Donkey Kong
.
Early cartridges were 2 KB ROM
s for Atari 2600 and 4 KB for Intellivision. This upper limit grew steadily from 1978 to 1983, up to 16 KB for Atari 5200 and Intellivision, 32 KB for ColecoVision. Bank switching
, a technique that allowed two different parts of the program to use the same memory address
es was required for the larger cartridges to work. In contrast, some Arcadia family members (e.g. Palladium VCG) supported up to 31 KB without any need for bank switching. In the game consoles, high RAM prices, especially during the early portion of the second generation, limited the RAM
(memory) capacity of the systems to a tiny amount, often less than 1 KB. Although the cartridge ROM size limit grew steadily, the RAM limit was part of the console itself and all games had to work within its constraints. In the case of the especially constrained Atari 2600, which had only 128 Bytes of RAM available in the console, a few late game cartridges contained a special combined RAM/ROM chip, thus adding another 256 bytes of RAM inside the cartridge itself.
By 1982 a glut of consoles, over-hyped game releases, and low-quality games from new third-party developers less well-prepared than Activision began to appear - overflowing the shelf capacity of toy stores. In part because of these oversupplies, the video game industry crashed, starting from Christmas 1983 and stretching through all of 1984 - almost no new games were released in 1984.
has sold 30 million units. As of 1990, the Intellivision had sold 3 million units.
with interchangeable cartridges was the Microvision
designed by Smith Engineering
, and distributed and sold by Milton-Bradley in 1979. Crippled by a small, fragile LCD display and a very narrow selection of games, it was discontinued two years later.
The Epoch Game Pocket Computer
was released in Japan in 1984. The Game Pocket Computer featured an LCD screen with 75 X 64 resolution, and could produce graphics at about the same level as early Atari 2600 games. The system sold poorly, and as a result only 5 games were made for it.
Nintendo's Game & Watch
series of dedicated game systems proved more successful. It helped to establish handheld gaming as popular and lasted until 1991. Many Game & Watch games would later be re-released on Nintendo's subsequent handheld systems.
Fairchild Channel F
The Fairchild Channel F is a game console released by Fairchild Semiconductor in August 1976 at the retail price of $169.95. It has the distinction of being the first programmable ROM cartridge-based video game console...
and Radofin 1292 Advanced Programmable Video System
1292 Advanced Programmable Video System
The 1292 Advanced Programmable Video System is a video game console released by European company Radofin in 1976. It is part of a group of software-compatible consoles which include the Interton VC-4000 and the Voltmace Database...
.
The early portion of this generation saw the release of several consoles as various companies decided to enter the market, and an occurrence of a later portion whose releases were in direct reaction to the earlier consoles. The Atari 2600
Atari 2600
The Atari 2600 is a video game console released in October 1977 by Atari, Inc. It is credited with popularizing the use of microprocessor-based hardware and cartridges containing game code, instead of having non-microprocessor dedicated hardware with all games built in...
was the dominant console for much of the second generation, with other consoles such as the Intellivision
Intellivision
The Intellivision is a video game console released by Mattel in 1979. Development of the console began in 1978, less than a year after the introduction of its main competitor, the Atari 2600. The word intellivision is a portmanteau of "intelligent television"...
, Odyssey 2, and ColecoVision
ColecoVision
The ColecoVision is Coleco Industries' second generation home video game console which was released in August 1982. The ColecoVision offered arcade-quality graphics and gaming style, and the means to expand the system's basic hardware...
also enjoying market share.
The second generation came to an abrupt end in 1984 amid the video game crash of 1983.
Early 8-bit home consoles (1976-1983)
Magnavox Odyssey
The Magnavox Odyssey is the world's first home video game console. It was first demonstrated on May 24, 1972 and released in August of that year, predating the Atari Pong home consoles by three years....
, had used removable cartridges that were nothing but glorified jumpers
Jumper (computing)
In electronics and particularly computing, a jumper is a short length of conductor used to close a break in or bypass part of an electrical circuit...
to activate the games already wired in to the console. This method was soon replaced during the move to Pong
Pong
Pong is one of the earliest arcade video games, and is a tennis sports game featuring simple two-dimensional graphics. While other arcade video games such as Computer Space came before it, Pong was one of the first video games to reach mainstream popularity...
consoles, where the logic for one or more games was hardcoded into microchips using discrete logic, and no additional games could ever be added. By the mid-1970s cartridge
ROM cartridge
A ROM cartridge, sometimes referred to as a cart, is a removable enclosure containing read-only memory devices designed to be connected to a computer or games console....
s had returned with the move to CPU based consoles. With games now consisting of microprocessor
Microprocessor
A microprocessor incorporates the functions of a computer's central processing unit on a single integrated circuit, or at most a few integrated circuits. It is a multipurpose, programmable device that accepts digital data as input, processes it according to instructions stored in its memory, and...
based code, these games were burned onto ROM
Read-only memory
Read-only memory is a class of storage medium used in computers and other electronic devices. Data stored in ROM cannot be modified, or can be modified only slowly or with difficulty, so it is mainly used to distribute firmware .In its strictest sense, ROM refers only...
chips that were mounted inside plastic cartridge casings that could be plugged into slots on the console. When the cartridges were plugged in, the general-purpose microprocessor
Microprocessor
A microprocessor incorporates the functions of a computer's central processing unit on a single integrated circuit, or at most a few integrated circuits. It is a multipurpose, programmable device that accepts digital data as input, processes it according to instructions stored in its memory, and...
s in the consoles read the cartridge memory and ran whatever program was stored there. Rather than being confined to a small selection of games included in the box, consumers could now amass libraries of game cartridges.
The Fairchild VES was the world's first CPU based video game console, introducing the cartridge-based game code storage format. It was released by Fairchild Semiconductor in August 1976. When Atari released their VCS the next year, Fairchild quickly re-named it to the Fairchild Channel F
Fairchild Channel F
The Fairchild Channel F is a game console released by Fairchild Semiconductor in August 1976 at the retail price of $169.95. It has the distinction of being the first programmable ROM cartridge-based video game console...
.
In 1977, Atari
Atari
Atari is a corporate and brand name owned by several entities since its inception in 1972. It is currently owned by Atari Interactive, a wholly owned subsidiary of the French publisher Atari, SA . The original Atari, Inc. was founded in 1972 by Nolan Bushnell and Ted Dabney. It was a pioneer in...
released its CPU based console called the Video Computer System (VCS), later called Atari 2600
Atari 2600
The Atari 2600 is a video game console released in October 1977 by Atari, Inc. It is credited with popularizing the use of microprocessor-based hardware and cartridges containing game code, instead of having non-microprocessor dedicated hardware with all games built in...
. Nine games were designed and released for the holiday season. It would quickly become by far the most popular of all the early consoles.
The Bally Astrocade
Bally Astrocade
The Astrocade is an early video game console and simple computer system designed by a team at Midway, the videogame division of Bally. It was marketed only for a limited time before Bally decided to exit the market. The rights were later picked up by a third-party company, who re-released it and...
was originally referred to as the Bally Home Library Computer, and was released in 1977, but available only through mail order. Delays in the production meant none of the units actually shipped until 1978, and by this time the machine had been renamed the Bally Professional Arcade. In this form it sold mostly at computer stores and had little retail exposure (unlike the Atari VCS). In 1979 Bally grew less interested in the arcade market and decided to sell off their Consumer Products Division, including development and production of the game console. In 1981 they re-released the unit with the BASIC cartridge included for free, this time known as the Bally Computer System, and then changed the name again in 1982 to Astrocade. It sold under this name until the video game crash of 1983
Video game crash of 1983
The North American video game crash was a serious event that brought an abrupt end to what is considered the second generation of console video gaming in North America. Beginning in 1983, the crash almost destroyed the then-fledgling industry and led to the bankruptcy of several companies producing...
, and then disappeared around 1985.
In 1978, Magnavox
Magnavox
Magnavox is a US electronics company founded by Edwin Pridham and Peter L. Jensen, who invented the moving-coil loudspeaker in 1915 at their lab in Napa, California. They formed Magnavox in 1917 in order to market their inventions....
released its CPU based console, the Odyssey 2, in the United States and Canada. Philips
Philips
Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. , more commonly known as Philips, is a multinational Dutch electronics company....
Electronics released this same game console as the Philips G7000 in many European countries. Although it never became as popular as Atari, it managed to sell several million units through 1983. Philips had also designed the more powerful Interton VC 4000 console family (e.g. 1292 Advanced Programmable Video System
1292 Advanced Programmable Video System
The 1292 Advanced Programmable Video System is a video game console released by European company Radofin in 1976. It is part of a group of software-compatible consoles which include the Interton VC-4000 and the Voltmace Database...
) before this.
In 1979, Activision
Activision
Activision is an American publisher, majority owned by French conglomerate Vivendi SA. Its current CEO is Robert Kotick. It was founded on October 1, 1979 and was the world's first independent developer and distributor of video games for gaming consoles...
was created by disgruntled former Atari programmers. It was the first third-party developer
Video game developer
A video game developer is a software developer that creates video games. A developer may specialize in a certain video game console, such as Nintendo's Wii, Microsoft's Xbox 360, Sony's PlayStation 3, or may develop for a variety of systems, including personal computers.Most developers also...
of video games. Many new developers would follow their lead in succeeding years.
The next major entry was Intellivision
Intellivision
The Intellivision is a video game console released by Mattel in 1979. Development of the console began in 1978, less than a year after the introduction of its main competitor, the Atari 2600. The word intellivision is a portmanteau of "intelligent television"...
, introduced by Mattel
Mattel
Mattel, Inc. is the world's largest toy company based on revenue. The products it produces include Fisher Price, Barbie dolls, Hot Wheels and Matchbox toys, Masters of the Universe, American Girl dolls, board games, and, in the early 1980s, video game consoles. The company's name is derived from...
in 1980. Though chronologically coming long before the "16-bit era", the Intellivision had a unique processor with instructions that were 10 bit
Bit
A bit is the basic unit of information in computing and telecommunications; it is the amount of information stored by a digital device or other physical system that exists in one of two possible distinct states...
s wide (allowing more instruction variety and potential speed), and registers
Processor register
In computer architecture, a processor register is a small amount of storage available as part of a CPU or other digital processor. Such registers are addressed by mechanisms other than main memory and can be accessed more quickly...
16 bits wide. It also featured an advanced sound chip which could deliver output through three distinct sound channels. The system's initial production run sold out shortly after its national launch in 1980.
The Intellivision was the first system to pose a serious threat to Atari's dominance. A series of TV advertisements featuring George Plimpton
George Plimpton
George Ames Plimpton was an American journalist, writer, editor, and actor. He is widely known for his sports writing and for helping to found The Paris Review.-Early life:...
demonstrated the superiority of the Intellivision's graphics and sound to those of the Atari 2600 using side-by-side game comparisons. Nevertheless, Atari held exclusive rights to most of the popular arcade game
Arcade game
An arcade game is a coin-operated entertainment machine, usually installed in public businesses such as restaurants, bars, and amusement arcades. Most arcade games are video games, pinball machines, electro-mechanical games, redemption games, and merchandisers...
conversions of the day, and used this key segment to support their older hardware in the market. This game advantage and the difference in price between the machines meant that each year Atari sold more units than Intellivision, lengthening its lead despite inferior graphics. This need for price parity has influenced every console war
Console wars
"Console wars", also known as "System wars" is a term used to refer to periods of intense competition for market share between video game console manufacturers. The winners of these "wars" may be debated based on different standards: market penetration and financial success, or the fierce loyalty...
since.
1982 saw the introduction of four new consoles, the Emerson Arcadia 2001
Arcadia 2001
The Arcadia 2001 is a second-generation 8-bit console released by Emerson Radio Corp. The game library was composed of 51 unique games and about 10 variations. The graphic quality is similar to that of the Intellivision and the Odyssey²....
, the Vectrex
Vectrex
The Vectrex is a vector display-based video game console that was developed by Western Technologies/Smith Engineering. It was licensed and distributed first by General Consumer Electric , and then by Milton Bradley Company after their purchase of GCE...
, the ColecoVision
ColecoVision
The ColecoVision is Coleco Industries' second generation home video game console which was released in August 1982. The ColecoVision offered arcade-quality graphics and gaming style, and the means to expand the system's basic hardware...
, and the Atari 5200
Atari 5200
The Atari 5200 SuperSystem, commonly known as the Atari 5200, is a video game console that was introduced in 1982 by Atari Inc. as a higher end complementary console for the popular Atari 2600...
. The Vectrex was unique among home systems of the time in featuring vector graphics
Vector graphics
Vector graphics is the use of geometrical primitives such as points, lines, curves, and shapes or polygon, which are all based on mathematical expressions, to represent images in computer graphics...
and its own self-contained display. The Arcadia and ColecoVision were even more powerful machines.
The popularity of early consoles was strongly influenced by their ports
Porting
In computer science, porting is the process of adapting software so that an executable program can be created for a computing environment that is different from the one for which it was originally designed...
of arcade games. The Atari 2600 was the first with Space Invaders
Space Invaders
is an arcade video game designed by Tomohiro Nishikado, and released in 1978. It was originally manufactured and sold by Taito in Japan, and was later licensed for production in the United States by the Midway division of Bally. Space Invaders is one of the earliest shooting games and the aim is to...
, and the Colecovision bundled in Nintendo's Donkey Kong
Donkey Kong (video game)
is an arcade game released by Nintendo in 1981. It is an early example of the platform game genre, as the gameplay focuses on maneuvering the main character across a series of platforms while dodging and jumping over obstacles. In the game, Jumpman must rescue a damsel in distress, Lady, from a...
.
Early cartridges were 2 KB ROM
ROM cartridge
A ROM cartridge, sometimes referred to as a cart, is a removable enclosure containing read-only memory devices designed to be connected to a computer or games console....
s for Atari 2600 and 4 KB for Intellivision. This upper limit grew steadily from 1978 to 1983, up to 16 KB for Atari 5200 and Intellivision, 32 KB for ColecoVision. Bank switching
Bank switching
Bank switching is a technique to increase the amount of usable memory beyond the amount directly addressable by the processor. It can be used to configure a system differently at different times; for example, a ROM required to start a system from diskette could be switched out when no longer...
, a technique that allowed two different parts of the program to use the same memory address
Memory address
A digital computer's memory, more specifically main memory, consists of many memory locations, each having a memory address, a number, analogous to a street address, at which computer programs store and retrieve, machine code or data. Most application programs do not directly read and write to...
es was required for the larger cartridges to work. In contrast, some Arcadia family members (e.g. Palladium VCG) supported up to 31 KB without any need for bank switching. In the game consoles, high RAM prices, especially during the early portion of the second generation, limited the RAM
Ram
-Animals:*Ram, an uncastrated male sheep*Ram cichlid, a species of freshwater fish endemic to Colombia and Venezuela-Military:*Battering ram*Ramming, a military tactic in which one vehicle runs into another...
(memory) capacity of the systems to a tiny amount, often less than 1 KB. Although the cartridge ROM size limit grew steadily, the RAM limit was part of the console itself and all games had to work within its constraints. In the case of the especially constrained Atari 2600, which had only 128 Bytes of RAM available in the console, a few late game cartridges contained a special combined RAM/ROM chip, thus adding another 256 bytes of RAM inside the cartridge itself.
By 1982 a glut of consoles, over-hyped game releases, and low-quality games from new third-party developers less well-prepared than Activision began to appear - overflowing the shelf capacity of toy stores. In part because of these oversupplies, the video game industry crashed, starting from Christmas 1983 and stretching through all of 1984 - almost no new games were released in 1984.
Sales
As of 2004, the Atari 2600Atari 2600
The Atari 2600 is a video game console released in October 1977 by Atari, Inc. It is credited with popularizing the use of microprocessor-based hardware and cartridges containing game code, instead of having non-microprocessor dedicated hardware with all games built in...
has sold 30 million units. As of 1990, the Intellivision had sold 3 million units.
Comparison
| Name | Fairchild Channel F Fairchild Channel F The Fairchild Channel F is a game console released by Fairchild Semiconductor in August 1976 at the retail price of $169.95. It has the distinction of being the first programmable ROM cartridge-based video game console... |
Atari 2600 Atari 2600 The Atari 2600 is a video game console released in October 1977 by Atari, Inc. It is credited with popularizing the use of microprocessor-based hardware and cartridges containing game code, instead of having non-microprocessor dedicated hardware with all games built in... |
Magnavox Odyssey² Magnavox Odyssey² The Magnavox Odyssey², known in Europe as the Philips Videopac G7000, in Brazil as the Philips Odyssey, in the United States as the Magnavox Odyssey² and the Philips Odyssey², and also by many other names, is a video game console released in 1978.In the early 1970s, Magnavox was an innovator in the... |
Intellivision Intellivision The Intellivision is a video game console released by Mattel in 1979. Development of the console began in 1978, less than a year after the introduction of its main competitor, the Atari 2600. The word intellivision is a portmanteau of "intelligent television"... |
Atari 5200 Atari 5200 The Atari 5200 SuperSystem, commonly known as the Atari 5200, is a video game console that was introduced in 1982 by Atari Inc. as a higher end complementary console for the popular Atari 2600... |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Console |  |
 |
 |
||
| Launch prices | US$169.95 | US$199 | US$200 ¥49,800 |
US$299 | US$270 |
| Release date | |||||
| Media | Cartridge | Cartridge and Cassette, available via special 3rd party attachment) | Cartridge | Cartridge | Cartridge |
| Top-selling games | N/A | Pac-Man Pac-Man (Atari 2600) In 1982, Atari Inc. released a port of Namco's hit arcade game Pac-Man for its Atari 2600 video game console. Like the original arcade version, the player controls the titular character with a joystick... , 7 million (as of September 1, 2006) |
N/A | Astrosmash Astrosmash Astrosmash is a video game for the Intellivision videogame console written by John Sohl and published by Mattel in 1981. In this game, the player takes control of a laser cannon that is protecting the earth from falling asteroids and other threats... (1 million) |
N/A |
| Backward compatibility Backward compatibility In the context of telecommunications and computing, a device or technology is said to be backward or downward compatible if it can work with input generated by an older device... |
N/A | N/A | None | Atari 2600 games through the System Changer module | Atari 2600 games through the 2600 cartridge adapter |
| Accessories (retail) | N/A |
|
|
|
|
| CPU | Fairchild F8 Fairchild F8 The Fairchild F8 was an 8-bit microprocessor created by Fairchild Semiconductor. It was introduced in 1975 and was "the world´s leading microprocessor in terms of CPU sales" in 1977.-Features:... 1.79 MHz (PAL 2.00 MHz) |
MOS Technology 6507 MOS Technology 6507 The 6507 is an 8-bit microprocessor from MOS Technology, Inc.It is essentially a 6502 chip in a smaller, cheaper 28-pin package. To do this, A15 to A13 and some other signals such as the interrupt lines are not accessible... 1.19 MHz |
Intel 8048 Intel 8048 The MCS-48 microcontroller series, Intel's first microcontroller, was originally released in 1976. Its first members were 8048, 8035 and 8748.... 8-bit microcontroller Microcontroller A microcontroller is a small computer on a single integrated circuit containing a processor core, memory, and programmable input/output peripherals. Program memory in the form of NOR flash or OTP ROM is also often included on chip, as well as a typically small amount of RAM... 1.79 MHz |
General Instrument CP1610 General Instrument CP1600 The CP1600 was a 16-bit microprocessor created in a partnership between General Instrument and Honeywell in the 1970s. The CP1600's design was based on the PDP-11, whose design also formed the basis of the Western Digital MCP-1600 and influenced others... 894.886 kHz |
Custom MOS 6502C MOS Technology 6502 The MOS Technology 6502 is an 8-bit microprocessor that was designed by Chuck Peddle and Bill Mensch for MOS Technology in 1975. When it was introduced, it was the least expensive full-featured microprocessor on the market by a considerable margin, costing less than one-sixth the price of... 1.79 MHz (not a 65c02) |
| Memory | 64 bytes, 2 kB VRAM (2×128×64 bits) | (within a MOS Technology RIOT MOS Technology 6532 The 6532 RAM-I/O-Timer was an integrated circuit made by MOS Technology, as well as second sources such as Rockwell. It incorporated 128 bytes of static RAM, two bidirectional 8-bit digital I/O ports, and a programmable timer. This high degree of integration made it quite popular in the late 1970s... chip): 128 bytes (additional RAM may be included in the game cartridges) |
CPU-internal RAM: 64 bytes Audio/video RAM: 128 bytes |
1456 bytes main RAM | 16 kB main RAM |
| Video |
|
|
|
Sprite (computer graphics) In computer graphics, a sprite is a two-dimensional image or animation that is integrated into a larger scene... s. |
|
| Audio | Mono audio with:
|
Mono | Mono audio with:
|
Mono audio with:
|
Mono audio with:
|
| Name | Vectrex Vectrex The Vectrex is a vector display-based video game console that was developed by Western Technologies/Smith Engineering. It was licensed and distributed first by General Consumer Electric , and then by Milton Bradley Company after their purchase of GCE... |
Emerson Arcadia 2001 Arcadia 2001 The Arcadia 2001 is a second-generation 8-bit console released by Emerson Radio Corp. The game library was composed of 51 unique games and about 10 variations. The graphic quality is similar to that of the Intellivision and the Odyssey².... |
ColecoVision ColecoVision The ColecoVision is Coleco Industries' second generation home video game console which was released in August 1982. The ColecoVision offered arcade-quality graphics and gaming style, and the means to expand the system's basic hardware... |
Bally Astrocade Bally Astrocade The Astrocade is an early video game console and simple computer system designed by a team at Midway, the videogame division of Bally. It was marketed only for a limited time before Bally decided to exit the market. The rights were later picked up by a third-party company, who re-released it and... |
Sega SG-1000 SG-1000 The SC-3000 was the computer equivalent of the SG-1000.The SC-3000 sold for ¥29,800 in 1983 and was marketed as a computer for beginners... |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Console |  |
 |
 |
||
| Launch prices | US$199 | N/A | N/A | N/A | ¥15,000(JP) |
| Release date | |||||
| Media | Cartridge | Cartridge | Cartridge and Cassette, available with Expansion #3 | Cartridge and cassette/Floppy, available with ZGRASS unit | Cartridge and Cassette (SG-3000) |
| Top-selling games | N/A | N/A | Donkey Kong Donkey Kong (video game) is an arcade game released by Nintendo in 1981. It is an early example of the platform game genre, as the gameplay focuses on maneuvering the main character across a series of platforms while dodging and jumping over obstacles. In the game, Jumpman must rescue a damsel in distress, Lady, from a... (pack-in Pack-in game - Characteristics :Pack-in games are intended to be system-selling games that make good use of the positive features of a given system. Sometimes a pack-in game will be changed to a more popular game, or another game will be added, along with the original pack-in, if it is perceived that a newer... ) |
N/A | N/A |
| Backward compatibility Backward compatibility In the context of telecommunications and computing, a device or technology is said to be backward or downward compatible if it can work with input generated by an older device... |
N/A | N/A | Compatible with Atari 2600 Via Expansion #1 | N/A | N/A |
| Accessories (retail) |
|
N/A |
|
|
N/A |
| CPU | Motorola 68A09 Motorola 6809 The Motorola 6809 is an 8-bit microprocessor CPU from Motorola, designed by Terry Ritter and Joel Boney and introduced 1978... 1.5 MHz |
Signetics 2650 Signetics 2650 The Signetics 2650, was a very early 8-bit microprocessor. According to Adam Osborne's classic book An Introduction to Microprocessors Vol 2: Some Real Products, it was "the most minicomputer-like" of the microprocessors available at the time.... CPU 3.58 MHz |
Zilog Zilog Zilog, Inc., previously known as ZiLOG , is a manufacturer of 8-bit and 24-bit microcontrollers, and is most famous for its Intel 8080-compatible Z80 series.-History:... Z80A Zilog Z80 The Zilog Z80 is an 8-bit microprocessor designed by Zilog and sold from July 1976 onwards. It was widely used both in desktop and embedded computer designs as well as for military purposes... 3.58 MHz |
Zilog Zilog Zilog, Inc., previously known as ZiLOG , is a manufacturer of 8-bit and 24-bit microcontrollers, and is most famous for its Intel 8080-compatible Z80 series.-History:... Z80 Zilog Z80 The Zilog Z80 is an 8-bit microprocessor designed by Zilog and sold from July 1976 onwards. It was widely used both in desktop and embedded computer designs as well as for military purposes... 1.789 MHz |
NEC 780C (clone of Zilog Z80 Zilog Z80 The Zilog Z80 is an 8-bit microprocessor designed by Zilog and sold from July 1976 onwards. It was widely used both in desktop and embedded computer designs as well as for military purposes... ) 3.58 MHz for NTSC, 3.55 MHz for PAL |
| Memory | 1 kB main RAM | 512 bytes | 8 kB main RAM 16 kB VRAM |
4k (up to 64k with external modules in the expansion port) | 16 kB Main RAM 16 kB VRAM |
| Video | Built in vector CRT |
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| Audio | Mono (built in speaker) | Mono audio with:
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Mono audio with:
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Mono audio with:
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Mono Audio with
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Early handheld game consoles
The first handheld game consoleHandheld game console
A handheld game console is a lightweight, portable electronic device with a built-in screen, game controls and speakers. Handheld game consoles are run on machines of small size allowing people to carry them and play them at any time or place...
with interchangeable cartridges was the Microvision
Microvision
The Microvision was the very first handheld game console that used interchangeable cartridges. It was released by the Milton Bradley Company in November . The Microvision was designed by Jay Smith, the engineer who would later design the Vectrex gaming console...
designed by Smith Engineering
Smith Engineering
Smith Engineering/Western Technologies was a videogame company started by Jay Smith, an engineer who was previously an employee at Mattel. The company proposed and developed the Vectrex gaming system for GCE, which was subsequently purchased by Milton Bradley...
, and distributed and sold by Milton-Bradley in 1979. Crippled by a small, fragile LCD display and a very narrow selection of games, it was discontinued two years later.
The Epoch Game Pocket Computer
Epoch Game Pocket Computer
The Epoch Game Pocket Computer is a handheld game console released by Epoch in Japan in 1984. It was one of the very few truly handheld systems to be released in the early 1980s, preceding the Game Boy by 5 years. The Game Pocket Computer used an LCD screen with a 75 × 64 resolution, and could...
was released in Japan in 1984. The Game Pocket Computer featured an LCD screen with 75 X 64 resolution, and could produce graphics at about the same level as early Atari 2600 games. The system sold poorly, and as a result only 5 games were made for it.
Nintendo's Game & Watch
Game & Watch
is a line of handheld electronic games produced by Nintendo from to . Created by game designer Gunpei Yokoi, each Game & Watch features a single game to be played on an LCD screen in addition to a clock and an alarm ....
series of dedicated game systems proved more successful. It helped to establish handheld gaming as popular and lasted until 1991. Many Game & Watch games would later be re-released on Nintendo's subsequent handheld systems.
Video game franchises established during second generation
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Mr. Do series The Mr. Do series were a series of arcade games that revolved around a fictional clown, Mr. Do. The two most popular Mr. Do games were Mr. Do! and Mr. Do's Castle. The other two games, Mr. Do's Wild Ride and Do! Run Run were not as popular.... Pac-Man is an arcade game developed by Namco and licensed for distribution in the United States by Midway, first released in Japan on May 22, 1980. Immensely popular from its original release to the present day, Pac-Man is considered one of the classics of the medium, virtually synonymous with video games,... Pitfall! Pitfall! is a video game released by Activision for the Atari 2600 in 1982. It is the second best selling game made for the Atari 2600, with over 4 million copies sold.-Gameplay:... Space Invaders is an arcade video game designed by Tomohiro Nishikado, and released in 1978. It was originally manufactured and sold by Taito in Japan, and was later licensed for production in the United States by the Midway division of Bally. Space Invaders is one of the earliest shooting games and the aim is to... Spy Hunter Spy Hunter is a 1983 arcade game developed and released by Bally Midway. It has also been ported to various home computers and video game systems.... Galaxian is an arcade game developed by Namco in 1979. It was published by Namco in Japan and was imported to North America by Midway in 1980. A fixed shooter-style game in which the player controls a spaceship at the bottom of the screen and shoots enemies descending in various directions, it was designed... Galaga is a fixed shooter arcade game developed and published by Namco in Japan and published by Midway in North America in 1981. It is the sequel to Galaxian, released in 1979. The gameplay of Galaga puts the player in control of a space ship which is situated on the bottom of the screen... Mappy is a 1983 arcade game by Namco. In the United States, it was manufactured and distributed by Bally/Midway. Mappy is a side-scrolling platformer that features cartoon-like characters, primarily cats and mice. The game's main character itself is a mouse. Mappy runs on Namco Super Pac-Man hardware,... |