The Early Three Generations of Video Game Consoles
Video games are one of the most popular modes of entertainment for kids these days. But kids today are not aware of the history of computer and video games which holds significance in the development of electronic technology around the globe. Here is brief on the history of video game consoles which started earlier than you would have ever thought.
First Generation
The origin of video game console
can be traced back to the 1950s, when computer games using vector displays, not video screens, came to the scene. But, it was Magnavox that released the first video game console, Magnavox Odyssey, which had a video display. Initially, the Odyssey was successful only to some extent, and it was Atari’s arcade game called Pong which loudly announced the entry of video games and took the public attention to the emerging industry. By 1975, Magnavox frantically suspended the sales of the Odyssey and released a new scaled down console, the Odyssey 100, that played only Pong and hockey. A higher end console called the Odyssey 200 was simultaneously released with the 100, and had added features like onscreen scoring, ability to support up to four players and had a third game – Smash. So, it was this year in which gaming consoles vigorously initiated this consumer market. This phase in the development of video game consoles is called the first generation.
Second Generation
In 1976, the Fairchild Video Entertainment System (VES) was released. This console made the first true use of the cartridge as game storage device. Previously there had been other consoles like the Odyssey that used cartridges, but had no data and served a function similar to flipping switches. The VES, on the other hand, had a programmable microprocessor and the cartridges only required a single chip (ROM) to store the processor’s instructions. Soon RCA and Atari introduced their own cartridge-based consoles.
Third Generation
In 1983, Japanese gaming giant Nintendo introduced the Family Computer, also known as Famicom in Japan. It supported high-resolution sprites and with more colored tiled backgrounds. This facilitated cheap game accessories
in Famicom to be longer and have higher graphics detailing. Famicom came over to the US in 1985 in the form of the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) and almost instantly gained immense popularity.
The information above is just the only small part of video game development. It still experienced another two generation in all. Therefore, if you have interest in learning more about it, you can just surf the internet to find more.
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