At-home gaming has changed a lot over time. The first home consoles were huge, bulky, and very expensive. Today, through the powers of technology, consoles have gotten so small you can take them with you anywhere you go.
Magnavox's Odyssey was marketed as the first home video console that could be hooked up to a television set. It was sold in 1972. The first versions had a switch that changed the current game to another already in the system. Later versions came with separate cartridges that contained games.
Nintendo's first series of home consoles were the Color TV-Games, and they were only released in Japan in 1977. The first four models are the best selling first generation consoles, selling a total of three million units. The first models contained a game much like Pong, but later models had games such as racing and Block Breaker.
The Game Boy, manufactured by Nintendo in 1989, is not the first handheld console. Its earliest predecessor, the Microvision, failed because of its small, fragile LED screen and poor game selection. The Game Boy went on to completely dominate the handheld market, and even today, Nintendo still has hold over that market. The Game Boy is succeeded by numerous upgraded systems, ranging from the Game Boy Color to the Nintendo 3DS.
The Sony Playstation is unlike any gaming console seen before. It was the first to use CD-ROMs instead of cartridges. Because of this, there was increased storage for better graphics and more game content, including cut-scenes and cinematics. It's 100 million units sold helped expand the game market even more.
The Atari 2600 was the most popular console of the second generation. It was cartridge based, meaning all its games were external. It was sold with two joystick controllers starting during 1977.
After the video game crash of 1983, a lot of video game companies filed for bankruptcy. Nintendo tried to make a comeback to the USA with this console by using unique marketing techniques. It later went on to become the best selling home console of its time, selling over 61 million copies since its debut in 1983.
The Sega Genesis, better know as the Sega Megadrive in certain parts of the world, was Sega's third home console. Its popularity was established through the Genesis-exclusive Sonic the Hedgehog series and aggressive marketing towards youth. It sold over 30 million units since its debut in 1988.
Like the Playstation, Xbox revolutionized gaming and completely turned the video game industry around. It was the first console to employ a hard drive to store games on, eliminating the need for discs or cartridges completely. It also came complete with an Ethernet port, allowing the console to be hooked up to the internet, thus starting a new generation of online gaming.