For about 47 years, the video game industry has remained active and has many followers around the world . Well, this sector has had the ability to bring entertainment to hundreds of millions of homes, through the enjoyment of the various existing video game consoles, which emit all kinds of experiences.
For its part, there are many anecdotes and stories that keep these game consoles, to this day. Therefore, it is worth knowing certain aspects of interest around the chronicle of video games; specifically, to the most legendary game consoles and also to all the generations that have existed of these .
Reason why, in this post, we want to indicate how many and what are the generations of video consoles that are until 2019. Like, the 10 video game consoles most famous and influential in this sector , taking into account its year of launch and its quantities sold worldwide.
Index:
What have all the generations of game consoles been?
As we indicated, to understand a little about the history of video game consoles, it is necessary to know how many generations of them have existed, until today. To which, we note that there are eight generations of video consoles in total.
Next, we detail the most important characteristics of each of these:
First generation
Started in 1972, from the launch of the Magnavox Odyssey and concluded in 1977. It was characterized by displaying very simple and rudimentary machines of 4 bits , specifically. It should be noted that, the Magnavox Odyssey sold around 330 thousand units and the other most famous video game console was Nintendo Color TV Game that could distribute three million devices.
Second generation
It is the generation of game consoles that began from 1976 and 1977 , once the Fairchild Channel was launched. However, the Atari 2600 was ranked as the most important video game console of the second generation. Which was announced to the public in 1977 and sold more than 30 million units in the world. On the other hand, this generation culminated between 1980 and 1983 .
Third generation
Like the previous generation, it was characterized by presenting machines of 8 bits . Thus, the third generation was a phase in the history of video games that began from 1983 when the NES console was presented by the renowned Japanese company Nintendo. In addition to this, SEGA launched its first video game console in Japanese territory and was called “Sega Mark III” , but commercially, it was known as “Sega Master System” .
Fourth generation
At this point in the history of game consoles, the 16-bit machines are known, such as the Super Nintendo Mega Drive and Super Nintendo that, respectively, were published in the year 1988 and 1990 . It should be noted that, this generation started in 1987 and ended in 1993 .
On the other hand, during these years there was a period of intense commercial war between SEGA and Nintendo; why it is also called “The War of the Consoles” or “The War of the Bits” .
Fifth generation
It covered a period between 1993 and 1998 , that is to say, it was five years in which 32 bit machines were known and therefore it was also a generation identified as the “32-bit era” . In this sense, it is an era of video consoles that marked the transition from 2D environments to 3D three-dimensional ones and, mainly, unveiled a Fujitsu proposal called “FM Towns Marty” . In addition, the 64-bit consoles emerged.
Sixth generation
Between 1998 and 2005 , the video game consoles that emerged belonged to the sixth generation that is one of the most important, since it is in the late twentieth and early twenty-first. Thus, in 1998, they launched the famous Sega Dreamcast and the most successful of all , it was the one that appeared in 2000 as a Sony creation, known as “PlayStation 2” .
Seventh generation
It refers to the penultimate generation of video game consoles in the world, which remained between 2005 and 2012 . Thus, it is characterized by presenting different proposals by Nintendo, Sony and even Microsoft. One of the most important machines of the seventh generation, is based on the Xbox 360 launched in 2005, as well as the PlayStation 3 published in 2006 and the Wii that also emerged in that year.
Eighth generation
We finalize this list, with the eighth generation of video consoles that is in a period between 2012 and 2016 . During these four years, machines such as portable game units were included and some companies also debuted with a new video game console proposal. But, mainly, the present generation is distinguished by publishing the PlayStation 4, the Xbox One, the Nintendo Switch and the Wii U .
List of the best-selling video game consoles in the history of the industry
Now, if you want to know the most legendary video game consoles in all history from 1977 to 2016, you have reached the post section indicated.
Next, we detail 10 of the best-selling video game consoles in the industry:
PlayStation 2
Launching year: 2000. Number of units sold: 160 million
With 160 million units sold , this Sony console holds the largest number of units sold worldwide and for that reason, so far, no other has managed to overcome it. In that sense, the PlayStation 2 or PS2 had one of the most varied catalogs in history , so it managed to get the attention of so many users.
Thus, he offered different proposals to players of all kinds, based on memorable and unforgettable experiences. Reason why, even if it is discontinued, many users look for emulators to get the same gaming experience. It is valuable to distinguish that, the PS2 generated the sinking of the Nintendo company for a generation .
Nintendo DS
Launching year: 2004. Number of units sold: 154.02 million
In the second place of the list, we placed a video game console created, designed and published by Nintendo at the beginning of the 21st century . Being this, the second most sold video game machine in history, so far and especially, because it was a laptop that could easily revolutionize the video game industry.
Thus, the Nintendo DS presents the concept of double screen and thanks to that, with its motto “Touch Generation” , it obtained a real success in hundreds of countries of the world.
Taking into account that, additionally, it provided various games suitable for all tastes; It contained everything from classic sagas to video games adapted to their tactile capabilities.
Game Boy / Game Boy Color
Year of release: 1989/1998, respectively. Number of units sold: 118.69 million
It consists of the third best-selling video game console in history and another of the best hits of the company Nintendo . Taking into account that, the Game Boy was the first proposal with which Nintendo managed to exceed 100 million consoles sold and had a great acceptance by the public of all ages.
In addition, the Game Boy also offered an extensive catalog of games and one of the most famous of these, without a doubt, was the series The Legend of Zelda (such as: Pokémon and Super Mario Land). In short, it was one of the first laptops with better deliveries and more memories left for users of Nintendo video consoles.
PlayStation 4
Launching year: 2013. Number of units sold: 102.80 million
The PS4 is one of the newest game consoles in the video game industry, since belongs to the eighth and last generation . Being this, a proposal from Sony that also revolutionized the market and because of that, it was the torment of the rivals of this company, especially for Microsoft. Taking into account that, this could not beat the PlayStation 4 with its Xbox One and in the case of Nintendo, showed competition with its Nintendo Switch , but also failed to surpass the PS4.
Currently, this game console has not been discontinued and therefore, it is estimated that the number of units sold may increase significantly in the remainder of the year 2019 and throughout 2022. Because, many users were delighted with this machine that offers very varied and updated catalogs , compared to other alternatives.
PSOne
Launching year: 1994. Number of units sold: 102.49 million
It is considered another of the proposals launched by Sony with greater success and with more units sold, being this the fifth most distributed video console around the world . Which is also known as “PlayStation” and emerged after an attempt by Sony and Nintendo as a whole that was completely frustrated.
So, only Sony took a step forward and published this machine that was the first stone for the hegemony of that company in the entertainment and videogames sector.
Among other details, the game console has exclusive games that have been developed by the same Sony studios and as one of the most iconic, is Gran Turismo . On the other hand, the PSOne provided a very striking catalog that is made up of works of interest such as Final Fantasy, for example.
Wii
Launching year: 2006. Number of units sold: 101.63 million
From this console, Nintendo opted for a business model in which there was no direct competition, because it decided to take a completely different course to attract new audiences and take the lead with respect to Sony Reason why, the Wii presents the particularity of a motion control and a groundbreaking command , which had not been seen on any other machine before.
Added to that, Nintendo noticed bet on the playability with Wii , instead of accessing the graphics. In this way, this video game console started a new contemporary system and managed to obtain many customers worldwide, so the company managed to sell more than 101 million units during its life cycle, obtaining an immediate success at the level hardware, peripherals and title catalog .
PlayStation 3
Launching year: 2006. Number of units sold: 87.40 million
It is a Sony game console that is also called “PS3” and is considered the seventh console of the best-selling list of all time. Being a proposal presented to the public in order to demolish the new Nintendo machines at that time and also in order to overcome a great sales decline that occurred in the company Sony .
That is why, the PlayStation 3 managed to star in a remarkable comeback and with this, in its generation, it was able to find the second place among all the machines launched during the time. So, only Wii was the one who could overcome it. Among its best features, we find that Sony studios designed an exclusive and powerful catalog of games for this console .
Xbox 360
Launching year: 2005. Number of units sold: 85.50 million
It’s a Microsoft native video game console that we place in eighth place based on the best-selling machines in history, to this day. Among its main details, we note that it was classified as an excellent bet to create an attractive system from all its parameters, that is, around to the exclusivity of its games , its easy development and even an online system of quality.
From the beginning and with its great recognition, Xbox 360 did not decline at any time, until its generation ended. In addition to this, had the ability to compete successfully against the Sony system , despite the fact that most of the titles were related to the consoles of the company and it seemed almost impossible to knock them off the podium.
PlayStation Portable
Launching year: 2004. Number of units sold: 82 million
Se considera una de las videoconsolas de Sony más tradicionales de todas, siendo así la novena consola más vendida a nivel mundial. La cual, en su época, logró establecerse rápidamente y de la mejor manera, en el sector de los videojuegos. Sobre todo, porque dejo a un lado las propuestas de las máquinas de sobremesa y aposto por el campo de las portátiles, con lo que pudo montarle la competencia a Nintendo.