History of video game consoles (third generation)

The third generation of video game consoles began on July 15, 1983. The third generation began with the release of the Nintendo Family Computer, or better known as the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) and Sega SG-1000.^[1] This generation helped end the North American video crash of 1983. This resulted in a shift from the United States to Japan as the leading country for home video games.^[2] In the third generation the displays changed from single-screen (or flip-screen) graphics to scrolling graphics.^[3]

The best-selling console of this generation was the NES/Famicom. This was followed by the Sega Master System and the Atari 7800. The NES/Famicom system remained the best-selling home console until the PlayStation in 1996. Some of the consoles in the third generation used 8-bit processors. However, systems like the Mega Drive/Genesis used 16-bit processors. The NES/Famicom system was the most popular video game console in the United States. Jack Ivan Booth was the founder of the Atari 7800. Due to inflation of the USD $ this is worth a lot more now.

Home systems

Comparison

Name	SG-1000	Family Computer/Nintendo Entertainment System	Mark III/Master System	Atari 7800
Manufacturer	Sega	Nintendo	Sega	Atari
Console
Launch prices	¥15,500	¥14,800 US$199.99 CA$240	¥24,200 US$199.99	US$140.00
Release date	^JP July 15, 1983^AUS 1983	^JP July 15, 1983^US October 18, 1985 ^US February 1, 1986 ^EU September 1, 1986^WW January 1, 1987	^JP October 20, 1985^US June 1, 1986 ^WW September 1, 1987	^US June 1, 1986 ^WW September 1, 1987
Media	Cartridge and Cassette (SG-3000)	Cartridge Floppy disk (Japan only)	Cartridge and data card	Cartridge
Top-selling games	N/A	Super Mario Bros. (pack-in), 40.23 million (as of 1999)^[4] Super Mario Bros. 3, 18 million (as of May 21, 2003)^[5]	Hang-On and Safari Hunt (Pack-In)	Pole Position II (pack-in)^[source?]
Backward compatibility	None	None	Sega SG-1000 (Japanese system only)	Atari 2600
Accessories (retail)	N/A	Famicom Disk System NES Advantage NES Satellite NES Zapper Mattel Power Glove NES Power Pad NES R.O.B. More...	Light Phaser Sega 3-D Glasses Sega Control Stick Sega Handle Controller Sega Paddle Control^[6] Sega Pro Action Replay Sega Remote Control System Sega Rapid-Fire Unit Sega SG Commander Sega Sports Pad	XG-1
CPU	NEC 780C (Zilog Z80 clone) 3.58 MHz for NTSC, 3.55 MHz for PAL	Ricoh 2A03 (based on MOS Technology 6502) 1.79 MHz (1.66 MHz PAL)	NEC 780C (Zilog Z80 clone) 3.57 MHz (3.54 MHz PAL)	Custom, 6502C (based on MOS Technology 6502) 1.79 MHz
Memory	2 kB Main RAM 16 kB video RAM	2 KB main RAM 2 KB video RAM 256 bytes sprite RAM 28 bytes palette RAM	8 KB main RAM 16 KB video RAM	4 KB main RAM
Video	256x192 resolution 32 sprites, maximum of 4 sprites per scanline 16 colors	64 sprites (8 per scanline) 256x240 resolution 25 simultaneous colors 53 color palette	256x240 resolution 64 sprites (8×8 or 8×16) 32 simultaneous colors 64 color palette	Unlimited sprites 320x200 resolution 25 simultaneous colors 256 color palette
Audio	Mono audio with: 3 voices noise/vibrato effect	Mono audio with: Two square waves One triangle wave One noise generator One DPCM channel One FM synthesizer (Famicom Disk system, Japan only)	Mono audio with: Three square waves One noise generator 9-channel, 2-operator FM synthesizer (Japan only)	Mono audio with: Two square waves

Sales comparison

Console	Units sold worldwide	Japan	Americas	Elsewhere
Nintendo Entertainment System	61.91 million (as of December 2009)^[7]^[8]	19.35 million (December 2009)^[7]	34 million (December 2009)^[7]	8.56 million (December 2009)^[7]
Sega Master System	11.8 million^[9]^[10]	1 million (1986)^[11]	United States: 2 million (1992)^[12] Brazil: 5 million (2012)^[13]	Western Europe: 6.8 million (1993)^[14]
Atari 7800	3.77 million (December 1990)^[15]	Unknown	United States: 2 million (June 1988)^[16]	Unknown

Handheld systems

Nintendo's Game & Watch was very popular in the third generation. It continued to do so until 1991, when it was discontinued.

Nintendo Game & Watch (Released 1980-1991)

Popular games

History Of Video Game Consoles (third Generation) Media

Sega SG-1000 II model with gamepad
A North American Nintendo Entertainment System, model NES-101, shown with redesigned "bone" controller.
Sega Mark III
A Sega Master System II game console.
The European version of the Atari 7800 video game console, which features slightly different styling than the American version. The console is also shown with the joypad-style controller that was included as standard with the console.

References

↑ Mark J. P. Wolf (2008), The video game explosion: a history from PONG to Playstation and beyond, ABC-CLIO, p. 115, ISBN 978-0-313-33868-7, retrieved 2011-04-19
↑ Arnie Katz; Bill Kunkel; Joyce Worley (August 1988), "Video Gaming World", Computer Gaming World, p. 44, I'm sure you've noticed that I've made no reference to the Nintendo craze that has repeated the Atari and Mattel Phenomenon of 8 years ago. That's because for American game designers, the Nintendo is a non-event: virtually all the work to date has been done in Japan. Only the future will tell if the design process ever crosses the Pacific as efficiently as the container ships and the letters of credit now do.
↑ Travis Fahs. "IGN Presents the History of SEGA: Coming Home". IGN. p. 2. Archived from the original on 2012-03-14. Retrieved 2011-03-27.
↑ "Best-Selling Video Games". Guinness World Records. Archived from the original on 2006-03-17. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
↑ "All Time Top 20 Best Selling Games". 2003-05-21. Archived from the original on 2006-02-21. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
↑ "-Sega Emulation Overview - another overview". retrocopy.com. Retrieved 2010-04-30.
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↑ "Getting That "Resort Feel"". Iwata Asks: Wii Sports Resort. Nintendo. p. 4. As it's sold bundled with the Wii console outside Japan, I'm not quite sure if calling it "World Number One" is exactly the right way to describe it, but in any case it's surpassed the record set by Super Mario Bros., which was unbroken for over twenty years.

[1] Mark J. P. Wolf (2008), The video game explosion: a history from PONG to Playstation and beyond, ABC-CLIO, p. 115, ISBN 978-0-313-33868-7, retrieved 2011-04-19

[cgw_50-2] Arnie Katz; Bill Kunkel; Joyce Worley (August 1988), "Video Gaming World", Computer Gaming World, p. 44, I'm sure you've noticed that I've made no reference to the Nintendo craze that has repeated the Atari and Mattel Phenomenon of 8 years ago. That's because for American game designers, the Nintendo is a non-event: virtually all the work to date has been done in Japan. Only the future will tell if the design process ever crosses the Pacific as efficiently as the container ships and the letters of credit now do.

[IGN-Sega-3] Travis Fahs. "IGN Presents the History of SEGA: Coming Home". IGN. p. 2. Archived from the original on 2012-03-14. Retrieved 2011-03-27.

[4] "Best-Selling Video Games". Guinness World Records. Archived from the original on 2006-03-17. Retrieved 2008-01-31.

[5] "All Time Top 20 Best Selling Games". 2003-05-21. Archived from the original on 2006-02-21. Retrieved 2008-01-31.

[6] "-Sega Emulation Overview - another overview". retrocopy.com. Retrieved 2010-04-30.

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[17] "Getting That "Resort Feel"". Iwata Asks: Wii Sports Resort. Nintendo. p. 4. As it's sold bundled with the Wii console outside Japan, I'm not quite sure if calling it "World Number One" is exactly the right way to describe it, but in any case it's surpassed the record set by Super Mario Bros., which was unbroken for over twenty years.

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