The Sega Genesis, called the Mega Drive in regions outside North America, is a 16-bit fourth-generation home video game console made and sold by Sega. It was Sega’s third console and followed the Master System. Sega introduced it in Japan as the Mega Drive in October 1988 and in North America as the Genesis in August 1989.
The TurboGrafx-16, also called the PC Engine in Japan, is a home video game console created by Hudson Soft and made by NEC. It was first sold in Japan in 1987 and in North America in 1989. As the first console of the fourth generation, it was introduced in Japan to compete with Nintendo’s Family Computer.
The Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) is a home video game console created and sold by Nintendo. It was first released in Japan as the Family Computer (Famicom) on July 15, 1983. In the United States, it was introduced in test markets on October 18, 1985, and later launched nationwide on September 27, 1986.
The RCA Studio II is a home video game console created by RCA and released in January 1977. The games on the Studio II had black-and-white graphics that looked similar to those from earlier Pong consoles and their copies. The console did not include joysticks or other game controllers.
The Arcadia 2001 was a second-generation 8-bit home video game console made by Emerson Radio. It was released in May 1982 for $99, several months before the ColecoVision came out. The console was stopped from being sold after 18 months.
The Bally Astrocade, also called Bally Arcade and originally named Bally ABA-1000, is a home video game console and basic computer system created by a team at Midway, which was the video game division of Bally at that time. It was first announced in October 1977 as the “Bally Home Library Computer” and became available for mail order in December 1977. Because of delays in production, the console was first sold in stores in April 1978, and its name was changed to “Bally Professional Arcade.” It was sold for only a short time before Bally decided to stop selling it.
The Vectrex is a home video game console that uses a special type of screen called a vector display. It is the only one ever made for home use. Smith Engineering created it, and General Consumer Electronics built and sold it.
The ColecoVision is a second-generation home video game console created by Coleco. It was first sold in North America in August 1982 and later released in Europe in July 1983 by CBS Electronics as the CBS ColecoVision. The ColecoVision provided a gaming experience similar to powerful arcade machines, which was better than other consoles like the Atari 2600 and Intellivision.
The Intellivision, a name made by combining “intelligent” and “television,” is a home video game console introduced by Mattel Electronics in 1979. It was different from other consoles because it offered more realistic sports and strategy games. By 1981, Mattel Electronics had nearly 20% of the domestic video game market, selling over 3.75 million consoles and 20 million cartridges by 1983.
The Fairchild Channel F, short for “Channel Fun,” was the first home video game console based on a microprocessor. It used ROM cartridges, called “Videocarts,” instead of having games built into the system. Fairchild Camera and Instrument released the console in November 1976 across North America at a retail price of US$169.95, which is equal to $960 in 2025.