Systems
This is a list of home video game consoles in chronological order, which includes all known home video game consoles after the first generation, from the first console, Magnavox Odyssey, to the first ever ROM cartridge-based console Fairchild Channel F, ranging from the major video game companies such as Magnavox, Atari, Fairchild, Intellivision Entertainment, Coleco, Nintendo, Sega, NEC, 3DO, SNK, Sony, and Microsoft to modern market consoles.
This list is divided into eras which are named based on the dominant console type of the era, though not all consoles of those eras are of the same type. Some eras are referred to based on how many bits a major console could process. The "128-bit era" (sixth generation) was the final era in which this practice was widespread.
This list does not include other types of video game consoles such as handheld game consoles, which are usually of lower computational power than home consoles due to their smaller size, microconsoles, which are usually low-cost Android-based devices that rely on downloading, or dedicated consoles past the first generation, which have games built in and do not use any form of physical media. Consoles have been redesigned from time to time to improve their market appeal. Redesigned models are not listed on their own.
There are a total of 96 video game platforms released since the second generation, and 10 canceled platforms.
This list only counts the first iteration of each console's hardware, because several systems have had slim, enhanced or other hardware revisions, but they aren't individually listed here. The list also includes unreleased systems. If a series of home video game consoles begins in a generation and lasts to another generation, it is listed in the generation the series began. This list does not claim to be complete.*
1st Generation: 1972 - 1984
2nd Generation: 1976 - 1992
3rd Generation: 1983 - 2003
4th Generation: 1987 - 2004
5th Generation: 1993 - 2005
6th Generation: 1998 - 2013
7th Generation: 2005 - 2017
8th Generation: 2012 - Present
9th Generation: 2020???
Select from the List of Generations below to Discover more.
*source: wikipedia