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Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unverifiable material may be challenged and removed. | "Console 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 and numbers of the fans of the system's games. Image File history File links Gnome_globe_current_event. ...
Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ...
“Game console†redirects here. ...
Due to different manufacturers releasing consoles at different times, the wars described below are not exact definitions and do not necessarily have firm beginning and ending dates. Also, these wars had different years and combatants on different continents, since traditionally the 4 main markets—Europe, Japan, Australia and North America—have been treated as separate entities, with machines and games released at different times or even completely different games being released. This situation is not quite so apparent today; however, it is still there, particularly with regards to Japan vís-a-vís the other three markets.
In the mid-1980s, home computers from various manufacturers were used primarily for gaming purposes by consumers worldwide (in the absence of comparable consoles following the video game crash) and are included here as well. Children playing on a Amstrad CPC 464 in the 1980s. ...
ET for the Atari 2600 is considered by many to be emblematic of the crash along with the Atari 2600 version of Pac-Man. ...
In North America, the devotees of each system are referred to as fans or by linking to the platform name, as in PS2 owners. In the United Kingdom the term fanboy originated during the 1980s during console wars between many home computer systems, particularly the ZX Spectrum and Commodore 64. It should be noted, however, that the two terms have been used by people of the other countries. For example, the term fanboy is used quite often on US-based Video Game message boards. By any name, fanboys lock themselves into buying and using one console, one brand, or one company's line of console. The ZX Spectrum is a home computer released in the United Kingdom in 1982 by Sinclair Research Ltd. ...
C-64 redirects here. ...
General concepts found in system wars
Although a "console war" can be thought of as a battle between competing console manufacturers, much of the controversy and notoriety is associated with the supporters of each console, who often pledge loyalty to a console even before its release and engage in intense arguments over the merits of their chosen console.
This phenomenon is unusual in the world of consumables; there are, for example, hardly any "stereo system wars", where people care about what kind of stereo system others purchase. The only explanation usually put forth as to why there are console wars amongst gamers is based on the idea that the more popular a console is, the more games will eventually be developed for it. This is the positive network effect and is the underlying reason for a related phenomenon, the computer operating system OS Wars. A network effect is a characteristic that causes a good or service to have a value to a potential customer which depends on the number of other customers who own the good or are users of the service. ...
It has been suggested that Apple evangelist be merged into this article or section. ...
What makes these "fan wars" even more fierce is that often, the major controversies and debates occur before any of the systems are even released, based on what historically have often been dubious specifications released by the manufacturers.
Psychologically, debates amongst fans in a console war can be seen to be a way of dispelling buyer's remorse. This is because game consoles are often a significant outlay for a youth, and often a gamer feels they can only afford to choose one. Realizing as more games are released that one has chosen incorrectly can be a major ego bruise.
Early console wars In North America in the late 70s and early 80s (peaking between 1980 and 1984) an early sales battle between three companies which bears quite a resemblance to later console wars developed. The pyrrhic outcome and virtual bankruptcy of all the major combatants set the stage for Japanese dominance of video game console manufacturing by eliminating competition and discouraging American and European investment. When Nintendo brought console gaming back to North America in 1985, the discredited market segment held no American-based competition. A Pyrrhic victory is a victory with devastating cost to the victor. ...
Notice of closure stuck on the door of a computer store the day after its parent company, Granville Technology Group Ltd, declared bankruptcy (strictly, put into administration—see text) in the United Kingdom. ...
Nintendo Company, Limited (ä»»å¤©å ‚ or ニンテンドー NintendÅ; NASDAQ: NTDOY, TYO: 7974 usually referred to as simply Nintendo, or Big N ) is a multinational corporation founded on September 23, 1889[1] in Kyoto, Japan by Fusajiro Yamauchi to produce handmade hanafuda cards. ...
A Market segment is a subgroup of people or organizations sharing one or more characteristics that cause them to have similar product needs. ...
The Atari VCS was introduced in 1977 at a price point of US$199, after two years of research and $100 million in investment. Its name was changed to the Atari 2600 in 1982 when Atari introduced the "next generation" Atari 5200. By 1980, sales were doubling annually and three million homes had Atari consoles. The Atari 2600, released in October 1977, is the video game console 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. ...
The Atari 5200 SuperSystem, or simply Atari 5200, is a video game console that was introduced in 1982 by Atari as a replacement for the famous Atari 2600. ...
Seeing this success, toy company Mattel began work in 1978 on their own console, the Intellivision, which debuted in 1980 with a price tag of $299 and a pack-in game, Las Vegas Poker & Blackjack. The system was an immediate success. Though not the first system to challenge Atari (systems from Fairchild Semiconductor, Bally, and Magnavox were already on the market), it was the first to pose a serious threat to Atari's dominance. A series of Intellivision TV ads featuring George Plimpton mercilessly attacked the Atari VCS's lesser capabilities with 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. Mattel Inc. ...
The Intellivision is a video game console released by Mattel in 1979. ...
This article is about a corporate game company. ...
Fairchild Semiconductor introduced the first commercially available integrated circuit (although at almost the same time as one from Texas Instruments), and would go on to become one of the major players in the evolution of Silicon Valley in the 1960s. ...
Bally Technologies logo Bally (with its distinctive Rolling Ball logo) Bally Technologies, Inc. ...
Magnavox (Latin for loud voice) is a consumer electronics company that is now part of Philips Consumer Electronics. ...
George Ames Plimpton (March 18, 1927 – September 25, 2003) was an American journalist, writer, editor, and actor. ...
Centipede by Atari is a typical example of a 1980s era arcade game. ...
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 in the quarter century since Atari and Intellivision faced off.
The ColecoVision was introduced by Coleco in 1982 and sold 500,000 units its first year, further dividing the marketplace. It was priced similarly to the Intellivision and had slightly greater technical power, and Coleco licensed several major coin-op games for its system as well. This article does not cite any references or sources. ...
Coleco (1932 - 1989) was a company founded in 1932 by Maurice Greenberg as Connecticut Leather Company. It became a highly successful toy company in the 1980s, known for its mass-produced version of Cabbage Patch Kids and, to a lesser extent, for its video game consoles Coleco Telstar and ColecoVision. ...
This 'first console war' ended with the Video game crash of 1983, when huge oversupplies of games and competition from personal computers caused game prices to drop precipitously. ET for the Atari 2600 is considered by many to be emblematic of the crash along with the Atari 2600 version of Pac-Man. ...
Personal computer wars Although these wars are grouped under one category here, there were many different minor wars between personal computer brands that ran from the mid 80s until the mid 90s. All of the computers involved had many upgraded versions released over their lifetimes, which usually included increased RAM and improved CPUs, but rarely a reduction in size due to their integrated keyboards. These wars mainly took place in the United Kingdom, which during the late 80s was the centre of the world computer game industry, having been unaffected by the crash that took place in Japan and the US. This period is also renowned for being the time of the 'bedroom programmer', and many companies formed by such people have lasted until the current day.
ZX Spectrum vs. Commodore 64 In the UK, the Atari vs. Intellivision war never reached the major scope and impact that it did in North America. Instead, the Spectrum vs. Commodore wars of the mid 1980s were the true originator of the console wars. This was due to the start of single format computer game magazines and the far greater entry into mainstream youth culture of these computers than the previous consoles. The Commodore 64 was generally far more technically advanced than the Spectrum, but it usually sold for double the price of the Spectrum and thus did not gain much support from the bedroom programmers. One aspect of this period was a 'class war' of the low-priced Spectrum and Commodore owned by average working-class children against the far higher cost of the BBC Micro. The ZX Spectrum is a home computer released in the United Kingdom in 1982 by Sinclair Research Ltd. ...
C-64 redirects here. ...
The BBC Microcomputer System was a series of microcomputers and associated peripherals designed and built by Acorn Computers Ltd for the BBC Computer Literacy Project operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation. ...
Amiga vs. Atari ST The Amiga vs. Atari ST wars took place in the late 1980s. In Britain where ST was relatively stronger compared to other areas the war lasted well into the early 1990s. Eventually Amiga clearly outsold ST also in Britain. Amiga had the best graphics and sound, and a in-built double-sided floppy disk drive from the start. The ST was cheaper and had built-in MIDI ports. Many early games were developed for the ST and simply ported to the Amiga (by using same code and graphics but music and sound had to be remade). This article is about the family of home computers. ...
The Atari ST is a home/personal computer that was commercially popular from 1985 to the early 1990s. ...
Musical Instrument Digital Interface, or MIDI, is a system designed to transmit information between electronic musical instruments. ...
8-bit era -
In what is known as the "8-bit era", the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) came out on top in North America and Japan (where it was known as the Nintendo Famicom), partially due to its earlier release, but mostly because Nintendo banned developers from releasing their games on other systems if their games were released on the NES.[1] This put a damper on third party support for the Master System and the rest of Nintendo's competition. In Europe and Brazil, the Master System did much better than in any other territory. Many more games were released in Europe and Brazil than in North America, and the Master System had a very long shelf-life in Brazil and Europe, finally "dying" in the mid-1990s. In the history of video games, the 8-bit era was the third generation of video game consoles, but the first after the video game crash of 1983 and considered by some to be the first modern era of console gaming. ...
“NES†redirects here. ...
North America North America is a continent[1] in the Earths northern hemisphere and (chiefly) western hemisphere. ...
The Sega Master System ) or SMS for short (1986 - 2000), is an 8-bit cartridge-based video game console that was manufactured by Sega. ...
For other uses, see Europe (disambiguation). ...
World wide sales figures “NES†redirects here. ...
The Sega Master System ) or SMS for short (1986 - 2000), is an 8-bit cartridge-based video game console that was manufactured by Sega. ...
Handheld wars In the handheld wars, Nintendo's Game Boy came out well on top and far outlived the Sega Game Gear and Atari Lynx, becoming one of the most successful consoles of all time. The Game Boy's victory is generally attributed to its greater battery life, cheaper price tag, and wider third party support over the Sega Game Gear, despite the Game Gear's color screen. However, Nintendo continued to research into improving the screen and first released the Game Boy Pocket, with a true black-and-white screen. Later, Nintendo created the Game Boy Color, with near-total backwards compatibility. A handheld game console is a lightweight, portable electronic machine for playing video games. ...
Nintendo Company, Limited (ä»»å¤©å ‚ or ニンテンドー NintendÅ; NASDAQ: NTDOY, TYO: 7974 usually referred to as simply Nintendo, or Big N ) is a multinational corporation founded on September 23, 1889[1] in Kyoto, Japan by Fusajiro Yamauchi to produce handmade hanafuda cards. ...
For the entire Game Boy series of handheld consoles, see Game Boy line. ...
The Sega Game Gear is a handheld game console which was Segas response to Nintendos Game Boy. ...
The Lynx was a handheld game console released by Atari in 1989. ...
The original Game Boys design set the standard for handheld gaming consoles. ...
The Game Boy Color , shortened to GBC) is Nintendos successor to the Game Boy and was released on October 21, 1998 in Japan and in November of 1998 in the United States and 1999 in Europe. ...
In technology (especially computing), backward compatibility has several related but differing meanings: A system is backward compatible if it is compatible with earlier versions of itself, or sometimes other earlier systems, particularly systems it intends to supplant. ...
The Game Boy had many ports of games from popular Nintendo franchises. It was also launched with the extraordinarily popular puzzle game Tetris as a pack-in. 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 (e. ...
Tetris (Russian: ) is a falling-blocks puzzle video game, released on a large spectrum of platforms. ...
Many other companies attempted to get in on the handheld market and they could also be added into this category. These included the Neo Geo Pocket and the WonderSwan (though the latter was in Japan only). Neo Geo Pocket (Monochrome) The Neo Geo Pocket was SNKs original hand held system. ...
WonderSwan is a handheld game console released in Japan by Bandai in 1999. ...
World wide sales figures - Nintendo Game Boy & Game Boy Color: 118.69 million as of March 31, 2005 (Japan: 32.47, The Americas: 44.06, Other Regions: 42.16)[2]
- Game Boy: 69.42 million as of December 2004 (Japan: 20.61, Other: 48.81)
- Game Boy Color: 49.27 million as of December 2004 (Japan: 11.86, Other: 37.41)
- Sega Game Gear: 8.65 million as of December 2004 (Japan: 1.78, Other: 6.87)
For the entire Game Boy series of handheld consoles, see Game Boy line. ...
The Game Boy Color , shortened to GBC) is Nintendos successor to the Game Boy and was released on October 21, 1998 in Japan and in November of 1998 in the United States and 1999 in Europe. ...
The Sega Game Gear is a handheld game console which was Segas response to Nintendos Game Boy. ...
16-bit era -
The "16-bit era" is mostly known for the rivalry between the Sega Mega Drive (known as the Sega Genesis in North America) and the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES) (known as the Super Famicom in Japan). The Sega Mega Drive/Genesis came out about two and a half years earlier than the SNES; however, its first few years were not very successful and it was not until the release of Sonic the Hedgehog that it started to sell well. The results of the war revealed that the Mega Drive outsold the SNES in Europe and North America (possible fallacy), though it was never able to secure a good position in Japan. In the history of video games, the 16-bit era was the fourth generation of video game consoles. ...
The Sega Mega Drive ) is a video game console released by Sega in Japan in 1988, North America in 1989, and the PAL region in 1990. ...
The Super Nintendo Entertainment System or Super NES (also called SNES and Super Nintendo) was a 16-bit video game console released by Nintendo in North America, Europe, Australasia, and Brazil between 1990 and 1993. ...
Sonic the Hedgehog is the platform game that launched the career of Sonic the Hedgehog and Sonic Team. ...
Even though Sega saw success in the 16-bit console war, the 32X and Mega-CD add-ons for the Mega Drive signaled the beginning of the end with their attempts to usher in the new generation needlessly ahead of time, while they were performing well in the current one. This, combined with Sega dropping virtually all support for the Mega Drive and its add-ons in favour of the upcoming Saturn upset loyal fans, and resulted in the Saturn getting off on the wrong foot. This article does not cite any references or sources. ...
The Sega Mega (Japanese: メガCD) is an add-on device for the Sega Mega Drive released in Europe, Australia and Japan. ...
It has been suggested that Arcade Racer Joystick be merged into this article or section. ...
A knock on effect of Sega's early ending of the console war and releasing the Saturn was that the SNES eventually went on to sell more than the Mega Drive in North America; however, this took place after the console war proper.
World wide sales figures The Super Nintendo Entertainment System or Super NES (also called SNES and Super Nintendo) was a 16-bit video game console released by Nintendo in North America, Europe, Australasia, and Brazil between 1990 and 1993. ...
The Sega Mega Drive was a 16-bit video game console released by Sega in Japan (1988), Europe (1990) and most of the rest of the world. ...
For information on the Japanese version of this console, see PC Engine The TurboGrafx 16 is a video game console released by NEC in 1989, for the North American market. ...
32-bit era -
In the "32-bit era," the Sega Saturn was released first, but suffered from limited third-party support. Sega's decision to use dual processors has been roundly criticized, and some believe the second CPU was added as a knee-jerk reaction to the PlayStation's specifications. It has been said that only Sega's first-party developers were ever able to utilize the second CPU effectively. The Sega Saturn was the more difficult console to program for with some titles being dropped during the development process (STI's Sonic X-treme for example), and therefore the 3-D graphics on its third party games often lacked the luster of the PlayStation or Nintendo 64 (N64), a severe disadvantage at the dawn of 3-D games. In the history of computer and video games, the 32-bit / 64-bit /3D era was the fifth generation of video game consoles. ...
It has been suggested that Arcade Racer Joystick be merged into this article or section. ...
“CPU†redirects here. ...
The Sony PlayStation ) is a video game console of the 32/64-bit era, first produced by Sony Computer Entertainment in the mid-1990s. ...
This article does not cite any references or sources. ...
This computer game has been incorrectly referred to or categorized with the PC game misnomer. ...
The Nintendo 64 ), often abbreviated as N64, was Nintendos third home video game console for the international market. ...
Sega was also hurt by the plan to have a surprise four month early US launch of their console [1]. This head start failed for several reasons. One of the major reasons being there were few software titles ready. The Sega Saturn was also US$100 more expensive than the PlayStation at its launch, and only available at four retailers.
Sony took an early advantage by initiating an expensive ad campaign and appealing to an older demographic who had grown up playing video games. The PlayStation was positioned as a necessity alongside the TV and VCR. The securing of this demographic is widely credited as the key to the system's success. Sega and particularly Nintendo's offerings were characterized as appealing more to children (both companies, for instance, featured mascots that appeared in Saturday morning cartoons). With Sony's greater hardware sales came greater third party support; ultimately the PlayStation won the era virtually unopposed. Sony carried this momentum over into the release of the PlayStation 2. The Saturn was discontinued in 1998, as Sega again tried to gain a head start over Sony with the Sega Dreamcast. Saturday morning cartoon is the colloquial term for the animated television programming which was typically scheduled on Saturday mornings on the major American television networks from the 1960s to the 1990s. ...
“PS2†redirects here. ...
The Dreamcast , code-named Dural, Dricas and Katana during development) is Segas fifth and final video game console and the successor to the Sega Saturn. ...
Although this era is known as the "32-bit era," also loosely grouped into this period is a secondary war between the PlayStation and the 64-bit Nintendo 64 which was released later than the other two consoles with which it was originally meant to compete directly. By the time of its release, Sony had already established their dominance and the Saturn was clearly nearing the end of its life. Its use of cartridge media rather than compact discs alienated developers and publishers due to the space limits and the relatively high cost involved (compare £2 (US$3.50) for an N64 cartridge to 20p (35¢) for a PS1 disc), though the Nintendo 64 had much faster load times because of its cartridge media. In addition, the initially high suggested retail price of the console may have driven potential customers away, and many early adopters of the system who had paid the initial cost were angered by Nintendo's decision to reduce the cost of the system within a few months of its initial release, although compensation was available to those who had claimed. Still, Nintendo managed to carve out a profitable niche in this era selling over 30 million consoles. Cartridge for the VIC 20 homecomputer In various types of electronic equipment, a cartridge can refer one method of adding different functionality or content (e. ...
A compact disc or CD is an optical disc used to store digital data, originally developed for storing digital audio. ...
The (manufacturers) suggested retail price (MSRP or SRP), list price or recommended retail price (RRP) (originally, Monroney suggested retail price) of a product is the price the manufacturer recommends that the retailer sell it for. ...
The Sony PlayStation was the first clear winner of a console war since the NES.
Worldwide sales figures - PlayStation: 102.49 million shipped as of March 31, 2005 (Japan: 21.59, USA: 40.78, Europe: 40.12)[3]
- Nintendo 64: 32.92 million as of March 31, 2005 (Japan: 5.54, The Americas: 20.63, Other Regions: 6.75)[2]
- Sega Saturn: 9.26 million as of December 2004 (Japan: 5.74, Other: 3.52)
The Sony PlayStation ) is a video game console of the 32/64-bit era, first produced by Sony Computer Entertainment in the mid-1990s. ...
The Nintendo 64 ), often abbreviated as N64, was Nintendos third home video game console for the international market. ...
It has been suggested that Arcade Racer Joystick be merged into this article or section. ...
Sixth generation -
This era began with the launch of the Sega Dreamcast in November 1998 in Japan and September 1999 in the U.S. The impending and much-hyped PlayStation 2 competed with the Dreamcast before it was even released, which combined with Sega's tarnished reputation among Saturn owners and third party developers, limited its adoption. The release of the anticipated PlayStation 2 in March 2000 in Japan, and October 2000 in the U.S. meant that the Dreamcast no longer enjoyed its status as the sole next-generation console. The brand Sony had established with the original PlayStation was a major factor in their victory, both in terms of securing a consumer base and attracting third party developers; the gradual increase in one tending to reinforce the other. The PlayStation 2 was able to play DVDs and was backwards-compatible with PlayStation games, which many say helped the former's sales. Any user considering buying a DVD player or PlayStation could view the PlayStation 2 as a cost-effective alternative, and the system effectively had a back catalog available before it even went on sale. The Dreamcast competed with the PS2 for several months, however Sega's financial troubles left over from the Saturn's failure eventually began to show themselves, and the Dreamcast was discontinued by the time the console war properly began. The sixth-generation era (sometimes referred to as the 128-bit era; see Number of bits below) refers to the computer and video games, video game consoles, and video game handhelds available at the turn of the 21st century. ...
The Dreamcast , code-named Dural, Dricas and Katana during development) is Segas fifth and final video game console and the successor to the Sega Saturn. ...
“PS2†redirects here. ...
The Sony PlayStation ) is a video game console of the 32/64-bit era, first produced by Sony Computer Entertainment in the mid-1990s. ...
Size comparison: A 12 cm Sony DVD+RW and a 19 cm Dixon Ticonderoga pencil. ...
This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...
The Xbox, despite the formidable financial backing of Microsoft and despite being more powerful than the PlayStation 2, failed to significantly threaten the PlayStation 2's place as market leader, but has attracted a sizable fanbase in the United States and Europe and has become a recognizable brand amongst the mainstream. In Japan, its sales were far poorer, possibly due to the physical size of the console, and Microsoft's inability to acquire many major Japanese developers for their franchises as exclusives for the platform (contrast with Microsoft's multi-million dollar acquisition of UK developer Rare). A niche fanbase exists, particularly as the online services for the console, Xbox Live, offers more to users than the PS2's non-centralized online system and the Nintendo GameCube's near total lack of online games. The Xbox is a sixth generation era video game console produced by Microsoft Corporation. ...
Microsoft Corporation, (NASDAQ: MSFT, HKSE: 4338) is a multinational computer technology corporation with global annual revenue of US$44. ...
“PS2†redirects here. ...
Rare, Ltd is a United Kingdom-based video game development company. ...
Xbox Live is a subscription-based online gaming service for Microsofts Xbox and Xbox 360 video game consoles. ...
Nintendo struggled with their own brand image, particularly the family-friendly one cultivated during the 1990s. Nintendo's franchises and long history in the industry are failing to give them an advantage against the Xbox and PlayStation 2. However, the GameCube's low price point has kept it competitive. The GameCube is in second place in total console sales in Japan, and in a close third place in the United States and Europe. Nintendo Company, Limited (ä»»å¤©å ‚ or ニンテンドー NintendÅ; NASDAQ: NTDOY, TYO: 7974 usually referred to as simply Nintendo, or Big N ) is a multinational corporation founded on September 23, 1889[1] in Kyoto, Japan by Fusajiro Yamauchi to produce handmade hanafuda cards. ...
The Xbox is a sixth generation era video game console produced by Microsoft Corporation. ...
“PS2†redirects here. ...
World wide sales figures - PlayStation 2: 117.89 million shipped as of March 31, 2007 (Japan: 25.42, USA: 47.68, Europe: 44.79)[4]
- Xbox: more than 24 million as of May 10, 2006[5]
- Nintendo GameCube: 21.63 million as of June 31, 2007 (Japan: 4.03, The Americas: 12.84, Other: 4.76)[6]
- Sega Dreamcast: 10.6 million as of December 2004 (Japan: 2.30, Other: 8.30)
“PS2†redirects here. ...
The Xbox is a sixth generation era video game console produced by Microsoft Corporation. ...
The Nintendo GameCube , GCN) is Nintendos fourth home video game console, belonging to the sixth generation era. ...
The Dreamcast , code-named Dural, Dricas and Katana during development) is Segas fifth and final video game console and the successor to the Sega Saturn. ...
Current generation -
"The report based on sales figures from Enterbrain in Japan, NPD Group in the US and GfK of Germany, which tracks European sales. Sales figures from each console's launch date through the end of July (and the end of August in Japan) were added up, with the Wii just barely edging out the 360: 9 million for the Wii, 8.9 million for the 360, and 3.7 million for the PlayStation 3. http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/technology/2007/09/13/wow_that_was_fast_wii_outsells_xbox_360.html While figures vary wildly from source to source, they agree PS3 sold less then half the amount of either Xbox 360 and Wii. All three consoles have had major shortages both at their launches and directly afterwards, with the Xbox 360's continuing for months after release and Wii's still continuing; the PlayStation 3 saw high demand for its first week of release, but it did not continue possibly due to a high price point and lack of software, being in stock at most major retailers shortly after release. In the history of computer and video games, the seventh generation began on November 21, 2004 with the United States release of the Nintendo DS. The beginning of the seventh generation for home consoles came on November 22, 2005 with the release of Microsofts Xbox 360 and continued a...
In Egyptian mythology, Month is an alternate spelling for Menthu. ...
June 2007 is the sixth month of that year. ...
Backwards compatibility The Xbox 360, Playstation 3 and Wii are currently available worldwide. This new generation for the first time has all of the major consoles focusing on online integration and wireless controllers. All of these new consoles are backwards compatible with their previous counterparts, though at different degrees: the European PlayStation 3's firmware is constantly being updated to give better backwards compatibility with both PlayStation and PlayStation 2 titles, but is available for download over the internet (via broadband connection) and may possibly be added onto a disk in the future. The PS3, "PS2 on a chip" solution used on the North American console has been taken out of the European release and is done through less-perfect but cheaper software emulation. The Xbox 360 uses software emulation for backwards compatibility via game-specific patches. However it has limited compatibility [2]. The Wii is fully backwards-compatible with the GameCube and has backwards-compatibility via the Virtual Console, which provides the ability to emulate various older gaming platforms, though each game has to be re-purchased and saved to the console's internal memory. This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ...
The term backwards compatible refers to the ability of a recent software or hardware components to be able to work with earlier versions of the same product. ...
The Sony PlayStation ) is a video game console of the 32/64-bit era, first produced by Sony Computer Entertainment in the mid-1990s. ...
“PS2†redirects here. ...
It has been suggested that Xbox 360 Elite be merged into this article or section. ...
This article is about emulation in computer science. ...
In computing, a patch is a small piece of software designed to update or fix problems with a computer program or its supporting data. ...
The Wii (pronounced as the pronoun we, IPA: ) is the fifth home video game console released by Nintendo. ...
The Nintendo GameCube , GCN) is Nintendos fourth home video game console, belonging to the sixth generation era. ...
This article is about Nintendos emulation feature and download service. ...
Handheld war Although Nintendo and Sony originally denied competing with each other with their handheld products, it was widely believed that a new handheld war had begun with the releases of the Nintendo DS and PlayStation Portable (PSP) in late 2004 and early 2005, respectively (the Nintendo DS Lite, a smaller and sleeker version of the Nintendo DS was released later on in 2006). As of the 2006 E3 press conference, however, Nintendo attacked Sony's handheld console, announcing that the Nintendo DS had been outselling the PSP. This could be taken as recognition of a new handheld war. “NDS†redirects here. ...
The PlayStation Portable , officially abbreviated as PSP) is a handheld game console released and currently manufactured by Sony Computer Entertainment. ...
The Nintendo DS Lite ) (sometimes abbreviated DSLite, or simply Lite, sold as the iQue DS Lite in China) is a dual-screen handheld game console developed and manufactured by Nintendo. ...
E³ logo The Electronic Entertainment Expo, commonly known as E³, was an annual trade show for the computer and video games industry presented by the Entertainment Software Association. ...
The Nintendo DS's power is comparable to that of Nintendo 64. It is notable in its use of two screens, one of them being a touch screen. It also sports a microphone input. It has shown considerable early success, particularly in branching out from the usual core demographic of video game players due to the intuitiveness of the touch screen control system. The DS is the less expensive of the two systems, and has longer battery life. The DS is backwards compatible with Game Boy Advance games, but not with games for prior Game Boy systems. The GBA slot is also used for DS Option Paks. The Nintendo 64 ), often abbreviated as N64, was Nintendos third home video game console for the international market. ...
“GBA†redirects here. ...
For the entire Game Boy series of handheld consoles, see Game Boy line. ...
A DS Option Pak is a cartridge that plugs into the Game Boy Advance port on a Nintendo DS. These provide additional hardware functionality to the DS. The paks are both sold with games that support the hardware and separately. ...
Sony's PSP is more powerful than the Nintendo DS, with graphical power comparable to the levels of Sega Dreamcast and the PlayStation 2. It is advertised as a portable multimedia system, as well as a handheld console (much in the same way as the PS2). Numerous movies have been released on the PSP's UMD format, and the system can play video and audio from the Memory Stick PRO DUO port. The PSP also supports a large high-resolution display, an analog stick, as well as standard controller buttons. The Dreamcast , code-named Dural, Dricas and Katana during development) is Segas fifth and final video game console and the successor to the Sega Saturn. ...
“PS2†redirects here. ...
A UMD The Universal Media Disc (UMD) is an optical disc medium developed by Sony for use on the PlayStation Portable. ...
A 2GB Sony High Speed Memory Stick PRO Duo with MagicGate support. ...
Both the DS and PSP support Wi-Fi networking, and have free online systems. The PSP has had online games since its launch in December 2004 in Japan, and the DS has had online games since mid-November 2005. Nintendo has also worked with McDonald's and Hilton Hotels to set up Wi-Fi access points across the USA and Europe. IEEE 802. ...
Current system sales figures - Game Boy Advance: 80.02 million as of June 30, 2007 (Japan: 16.68, The Americas: 41.42, Other: 21.91)[6]
- including Game Boy Advance SP: 42.43 million as of June 30, 2007 (Japan: 6.50, The Americas: 23.78, Other: 12.14)[6]
- and Game Boy Micro: 2.42 million as of March 31, 2007 (Japan: 0.61, The Americas: 0.95, Other: 0.87)[6]
- Nintendo DS: 47.27 million as of June 30, 2007 (Japan: 18.11, The Americas: 14.14, Other: 15.03)[6]
- including Nintendo DS Lite: 28.69 million as of June 30, 2007 (Japan: 11.56, The Americas: 8.81, Other: 8.32)[6]
- PlayStation Portable: 25.39 million units shipped as of March 31, 2007 (Japan: 6.92 million/ USA: 9.58 million/ Europe: 8.89 million)[7]
“GBA†redirects here. ...
The Game Boy Advance SP ), released in February 2003, is an upgraded version of Nintendos Game Boy Advance. ...
Game Boy Micro , trademarked Game Boy micro) is a handheld game console developed and manufactured by Nintendo. ...
“NDS†redirects here. ...
The Nintendo DS Lite ) (sometimes abbreviated DSLite, or simply Lite, sold as the iQue DS Lite in China) is a dual-screen handheld game console developed and manufactured by Nintendo. ...
The PlayStation Portable , officially abbreviated as PSP) is a handheld game console released and currently manufactured by Sony Computer Entertainment. ...
References is the 7th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ...
Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...
Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...
is the 146th day of the year (147th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...
Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...
is the 226th day of the year (227th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...
Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...
is the 181st day of the year (182nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...
Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...
is the 226th day of the year (227th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...
Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...
is the 299th day of the year (300th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...
Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...
is the 299th day of the year (300th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...
Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...
is the 226th day of the year (227th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...
Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...
is the 299th day of the year (300th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...
Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...
is the 299th day of the year (300th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...
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