retrospective

The Magnavox »Odyssey« was the first video game console ever released. The prototype was developed by Ralph H. Baer back in 1968.

»Hockey Pong« is one of many Pong consoles, which flooded the market in the 1970s.

The »Las Vegas ES 2218« is a Pong-console with eight game modes. In contrast to the ES 2207 it is able to represent color.

The »Travermünde« is a Pong-console. It is not able to represent color and sound and was advertised as a game for the small purse.

With about 30 million sold devices, the Atari VCS is the most successful game console of its time and shaped this generation.

The »Videoplay« is a licensed replica of the Fairchild Channel F, the first console with changeable ROM cartridges.

The »Intellivision« is the first 16-bit console, including an online service.  However, Mattel was not able to compete with Atari.

»Microvision« is the first handheld console with changeable game ROM cartridges.

Nintendo's »Game & Watch« series served as a template for the Game Boy, which was launched in 1989.

The »Bildschirmspiel 01« is the only console fo the GDR and a replica of an Pong console.

The »Vectrex« is a console with an integrated vector screen. The games where displayed with an overlay for the screen.

The LCD game is a simplified version of the arcade classic »Defender« (1981)

The »Nintendo Entertainment System« is a 8-bit videogame console. It was initially released in Japan in 1983 as the Family Computer (Famicom).

The »Master System« competed with the Nintendo Entertainment System. Despite better hardware it could not assert itself on the market.

The 16-bit console was famous for it’s mascot Sonic. The first gameI if the Sonic the Hedgehog  series was released 1991.

The Lynx system is the world's first handheld console with a color LCD screen. It was originally developed by Epyx under the name »Handy Game«. 

The »Game Boy« was the world's most successful console until the release of the »Nintendo DS« in 2004. It was sold bundled with the game Tetris. 

The handheld console was Sega's answer to the »Game Boy«. However, it was twice as expensive, a shorter battery life, and offered fewer games. 

The hardware of the »Neo Geo AES« was extremly powerful and iis dentical to the arcade machines by SNK.

The »SNES« was Nintendo's answer to Sega's »Mega Drive«.  It allowed for the display of 3D effects.

The »Mega CD-II« was an CD drive addon to the »Mega Drive II«.

The »Jaguar« is the last console of the once famouse Atari company.

The »Saturn« was a very powerful 32-bit console. However, the multicore architecture proved to be extremely difficult to code for.

The PlayStation origins date back to 1988 to an originally a joint project between Nintendo and Sony.

The »N64« is the last console with ROM cartridges as storage medium. The gamepad was formative for navigating in 3D games.

The »Dreamcast« marked the beginning of the sixth console generation and the end of Sega as a console manufacturer.

With over 155 million units sold, »Playstation 2« is the best-selling video game console of all time.

»GameCube« runs a MiniDVD like format.It had more storage capacity than ROM cartridges and also worked as a physical copy protection.

The »Xbox« was Microsofts entry to the console market. In contrast to other consoles the »Xbox« was based on conventional PC hardware