90's Concoles

History

The Super Nintendo Entertainment System ( also known as the Super NES, SNES or Super Nintendo ) is a 16-bit home video game console developed by Nintendo that was released in 1990 in Japan, 1991 in North America, 1992 in Europe and Australasia (Oceania), and 1993 in South America.

In Japan, the system is called the Super Famicom (officially adopting the abbreviated name of its predecessor, the Family Computer), or SFC for short.

In South Korea, it is known as the Super Comboy (Syupeo Keomboi) and was distributed by Hyundai Electronics. Although each version is essentially the same, several forms of regional lockout prevent the different versions from being compatible with one another.

The SNES is Nintendo's second home console, following the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES).

The console introduced advanced graphics and sound capabilities compared with other consoles at the time. Additionally, development of a variety of enhancement chips (which were integrated on game circuit boards) helped to keep it competitive in the marketplace.

The SNES was a global success, becoming the best-selling console of the 16-bit era despite its relatively late start and the fierce competition it faced in North America and Europe from Sega's Genesis/Mega Drive console. The SNES remained popular well into the 32-bit era, and continues to be popular among fans, collectors, retro gamers, and emulation enthusiasts, some of whom are still making homebrew ROM images.

Best Selling Games

Super Mario World (pack-in)
20.60 million

Donkey Kong Country (pack-in)
9 million

Super Mario Kart (pack-in)
8 million

Street Fighter II: The World Warrior (stand-alone)
6.3 million

History

The PlayStation ( officially abbreviated as PS and unofficially, but more commonly known as PS1 and PSX, not to be confused with the PlayStation X console ) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Sony Computer Entertainment.

The console was released in Japan on December 3, 1994,[1] and was released in North America and Europe in September 1995.

The PlayStation is the first of the PlayStation series of consoles and handheld game devices. As part of the fifth generation of gaming, it primarily competed with the Nintendo 64 and the Sega Saturn.

In 2000, a re-designed "slim" version called the PSone was released, replacing the original grey console and named appropriately to avoid confusion with its successor, the PlayStation 2.

The PlayStation is the first "computer entertainment platform" to ship 100 million units, which it had reached 9 years and 6 months after its initial launch.

Reactions to the console upon launch were favourable; critics praised the console for the quality of its 3-dimensional graphics. Then Microsoft chairman, Bill Gates, preferred Sony's console to the competition from Sega's Saturn, saying "our game designer likes the Sony machine".

The successor to the PlayStation is the PlayStation 2, which is backwards compatible with its predecessor in that it can play almost every PlayStation game. The last PSone units were sold in winter of 2004 before it was finally discontinued, for a total of 102 million units shipped since its launch 10 years earlier. Games for the PlayStation continued to sell until Sony ceased production of PlayStation games on March 23, 2006 – over 11 years after it had been released, and less than a year before the debut of the PlayStation 3.

Best Selling Games

Gran Turismo (pack-in)
10.85 million

Final Fantasy VII (pack-in)
9.72 million

Gran Turismo 2 (pack-in)
9.37 million

Resident Evil (stand-alone)
9 million

History

The Dreamcast is a home video game console that was released by Sega on November 27, 1998 in Japan, September 9, 1999 in North America, and October 14, 1999 in Europe.

It was the first entry in the sixth generation of video game consoles, preceding the PlayStation 2, GameCube and Xbox.

The Dreamcast is Sega's final home console, marking the end of the company's 18 years in the console market.

In contrast to the expensive hardware of the unsuccessful Sega Saturn, the Dreamcast was designed to reduce costs with "off the shelf" components, including a Hitachi SH-4 CPU and an NEC PowerVR2 GPU.

Initially released in Japan to a subdued reception, the Dreamcast enjoyed a highly successful U.S. launch backed by a large marketing campaign, but interest in the system steadily declined as Sony built hype for the upcoming PlayStation 2. Sales did not meet Sega's expectations despite several price cuts, and the company continued to incur significant financial losses. After a change in leadership, Sega discontinued the Dreamcast on March 31, 2001, withdrawing from the console business and restructuring itself as a third-party publisher. 10.6 million Dreamcast units were sold worldwide.

Although the system experienced a short lifespan and limited third-party support, reviewers have considered the Dreamcast ahead of its time. Its game library contains many titles considered creative and innovative, including Crazy Taxi, Jet Set Radio and Shenmue, as well as high-quality ports from Sega's NAOMI arcade system board. The Dreamcast was also the first console to include a built-in modem for Internet support and online play.

Best Selling Games

sonic (pack-in)
2.5 million

Soulcalibur (pack-in)
1.3 million

Crazy Taxy (pack-in)
1.2 million1 million in the U.S.

Shenmue (stand-alone)
1.2 million

History

The Nintendo 64 ( stylized as NINTENDO64 and often referred to as N64 ) is Nintendo's third home video game console for the international market. Named for its 64-bit central processing unit, it was released in June 1996 in Japan, September 1996 in North America, March 1997 in Europe and Australia, September 1997 in France and December 1997 in Brazil.

It is the industry's latest major home console to use the cartridge as its primary storage format, although current handheld systems (such as the PlayStation Vita and Nintendo 3DS) also use cartridges.

While the N64 was succeeded by Nintendo's MiniDVD-based GameCube in November 2001, N64 consoles remained available until the system was retired in late 2003.

Code named Ultra 64, the console's design was mostly finalized by mid-1995, though Nintendo 64's launch was delayed until 1996. As part of the fifth generation of gaming, the N64 competed primarily with the PlayStation and the Sega Saturn.

The Nintendo 64 was launched with three games: Super Mario 64 and Pilotwings 64, released worldwide; and Saikyō Habu Shōgi, released only in Japan. The Nintendo 64's suggested retail price at launch was US$199.99 and it was later marketed with the slogan "Get N, or get Out!".

The console was ultimately released in a range of different colors and designs, and an assortment of limited-edition controllers were sold or used as contest prizes during the N64's lifespan.

The N64 sold 32.93 million units worldwide, and in 2009, it was named the 9th greatest video game console by IGN.

Time Magazine named it their 1996 Machine of the Year.