Click on one of the following to read about it:
Atari 5200, Colecovision, Atari 7800, Nintendo Entertainment System, Master System, Turbografx 16, Genesis.
The second Atari debuted on the market in 1982. It was the sequel to the 2600, but more like a stepping-stone to the 7800. Atari made a deal with Spectravision, a company that supplied many hotels with televisions, to let the 5200 be released on a limited basis in a select group of hotel rooms. The hotel version came with four or five games and allowed the joystick of the Atari to control the TV. This joystick used analog control sticks, which made it difficult to play the, at the time, popular maze-games. Upkeep of the system was only made worse by the foam-rubber keys that attracted dirt. The system was not as big of a hit as the 2600, but it helped in the developement of technology. |
 |
Coleco Colecovision
On the market in 1982, this system sold for one hundred and seventy-five dollars. This system was "made" to love by holding one of the most popular games around...Donkey Kong. By the next year, Coleco was on top in the business, selling over a million in one year and beating out Atari and Mattel. A total of six million were sold in just three years. It also had an "Expansion Module #1" which played Atari 2600 games. With this added feature it's no wonder why Coleco did so well. |
 |
Atari 7800
The third Atari was released to the public in 1984. It was the last attempt to restart the dieing video game industry. It perfectly translated the classic arcade games of old, but this is where Atari topped their hill. |
 |
Nintendo Entertainment System
The first Nintendo showed up on the market in 1985. In the few years that followed its introduction, the NES had surpassed the Atari 2800 in total consoles sold. Over nineteen million were sold in America alone. Not only did the system sell like hotcakes, but in 1989 when Super Mario Brothers 3 was released, only E.T. made more money in the entertainment business. The game went platinum eleven times. By 1990, Nintendo was the most successful company in Japan, surpassing Toyota. Not only did it surpass Toyota, it was found in more than one third of the homes in America. |
 |
Sega Master System
The first Sega system came out in 1985. This was a unique system because it had two cartride slots. One smaller than the other. The smaller games were cheaper, but they didn't have as much memory. However, both ports could be used at the same time with three dimentional glasses to create a "virtual-reality". |
 |
NEC Turbografx 16
Available in stores in 1989, it was the first 16-bit system and sold better than ice cream on a hot day leaving its counter parts in the dust the first month. However, the soon to be produced Sega would beat it with a stick once released. In its entire life as a game system, it didn't even sell one million consoles. |
 |
Sega Genesis
The second Sega system came out in 1989. It was the second 16-bit game on the market, opening 6 months after Turbografx 16. The main reason that it got to be so popular and beat out Turbografx is because of its games. It had losts of them. Sega easily took control of the market with this system that Nintendo had shoved to the side thinking that it wasn't a threat. They were only one hundred and eighty-nine dollars to purchase. When the SNES was finally released, in 1991, Nintendo was thought to take back the market. Due to the SNES's slow processing speed, Sega still held out. |
 |
Sources for this page:
http://www.geekcomix.com/vgh/main.shtml
http://www.classicgaming.com/museum/genesis/
http://www.dynamicdrive.com
All Rights Reserved. Copyright 2002.