Console: PlayStation 2
Manufacturer: Sony
Discontinued: Still going…
Sold based on the strengths of the original PlayStation, backwards-compatibility and built-in DVD player, the PS2 has pushed more than 127 million units worldwide as of last year - making it the highest-selling console of all time. As the most popular console of the last generation, the PS2 secured exclusive rights to giant franchise sequels, including: Final Fantasy X, Grand Theft Auto III, Metal Gear Solid 2, SOCOM and Gran Turismo 3. Not without faults, Sony made a weak effort to take gaming online. Still, the PS2 surpassed the Dreamcast and was one of the major players to drive a stake through Sega’s heart.

Console: PSone
Manufacturer: Sony
Discontinued: 2006
This newer, slimmer PS1 was released a few months before the PS2 hit shelves and still managed to outsell all other consoles that year, including its big brother. The only differences were the size (duh), the slightly different interface and the extra protection against modding the console. Also, it was easier to run the games, so we didn’t have to play the PSone upside down anymore.

Console: Xbox
Manufacturer: Microsoft
Discontinued: 2007
Microsoft’s first entry in the console market was met with equal parts doubt and cautious optimism. Many worried the Xbox would play nothing but PC ports and were scared that it was a glorified Windows console. After many delays, the Xbox released against Nintendo’s GameCube and not only improved upon online play (sorry Dreamcast), but came with a built-in hard drive. This eliminated the need for memory cards and let gamers to rip music and play custom soundtracks. The list of console exclusives was small, but included gems like Knights of the Old Republic and Ninja Gaiden. Oh, and if you’ve ever heard of Halo or Halo 2, then you’ll understand how the term ‘multiplayer’ is synonymous with Xbox.

Console: GameCube
Manufacturer: Nintendo
Discontinued: 2007
Released against the Xbox, the GameCube was Nintendo’s attempt to recapture the market lost by their last console, the N64. Sadly, it didn’t work. Nintendo trailed in third during last generation’s console war in terms of sales. This was partly attributed to Nintendo’s focus on family-friendly games, poor online support (their eventual modem didn’t do much) and very little third-party support. Even with spectacular first-party releases like Super Mario Sunshine, Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker, Metroid Prime, Animal Crossing, Pikmin, Smash Bros. Melee and third-party (then exclusive) Resident Evil 4, the GC was not the major contender everyone wished it could be.

Console: GameBoy Advance
Manufacturer: Nintendo
Discontinued: 2007
Described as a portable SNES (but with better hardware), the GBA was insanely popular and technologically superior to the GameBoy Color in everything from battery life to color palette. Since its release, the GBA (and GBA SP) have sold just over 81 million copies and proved that sprite-based games could still stand against the 3D powerhouse consoles available at the time. Was also popular due to the amount of old school love including the Super Mario Advance series, Metroid Fusion, Castlevania and many Mega Mans.

Console: Swan Crystal - Japan
Manufacturer: Bandai
Discontinued: Shortly thereafter
The Swan Crystal was practically the same as its predecessor, the WonderSwan Color. The major difference was that the LCD used in the Crystal is the same type found in many flat-paneled TVs and therefore provided sharper contrast ratios. In plain speak, the screen was more vibrant and looked better. It was backwards compatible with the previous two Swans and could be played for 15 hours on one AA battery. The GBA’s dominance would scare it into submission.

Console: GameBoy Advance SP
Manufacturer: Nintendo
Discontinued: 2007
Slightly more than half the size of the original GBA, this version folded in half like earlier Game & Watch units or - as we’ll see later - the DS. Interestingly, Nintendo opted to omit a headphone jack. So you either had to buy specific headphones or a special jack. Two years after its release, a newer model of the SP featured a backlit screen - perfect for nighttime playing. Also, the latest iterations of Pokemon - Ruby and Sapphire - hit Japan one month after the SP went on sale, bolstering sales.

Console: N-Gage
Manufacturer: Nokia
Discontinued: The phone service continues
Although Nokia is immensely successful as a network communications brand (its the 5th most valuable global brand according to BusinessWeek), their venture into the gaming market has proved disastrous. Ugly for both a phone and a handheld, the N-Gage cost twice as much as the GBA SP and was three times as much of a joke. The most basic function of inserting a game was a chore: you had to pop off the phone’s plastic cover and the battery compartment just to slide the game card in. Somehow it managed to nab known franchises like Sonic, Tomb Raider and Tony Hawk. It still sucked, though.

Console: Zodiac
Manufacturer: Tapwave
Discontinued: 2005
Designed to run off an updated version of the Palm OS, the Zodiac received all kinds of awards from tech magazines for merging PDAs with gaming. However, due to pressure from its direct competitor, the DS, Tapwave decided to stop developing for it.

Console: PSP (PlayStation Portable) - Japan
Manufacturer: Sony
Discontinued: Still going strong
With Nintendo eating up the handheld market, it made sense for Sony to try and take back territory. It had the console market by the balls, so why shouldn’t it have a handheld? Enter the PSP - complete with wide widescreen, analog nubbin for 3D gameplay and multimedia capabilities never before seen on a handheld (stuff like internet, cross media bar, mp3 player, connectivity with other Sony products). The PSP also had the distinction of playing an optical disc - the UMD - which played not only games, but movies.

But even with stellar hits like Metal Gear Portable Ops, God of War: Chains of Olympus, Daxter, Crisis Core and a hell of a lot more, the PSP trails the Nintendo DS in sales even now. As of December 2007, it’s behind by about 34 million.

Console: PStwo
Manufacturer: Sony
Discontinued: Not yet
Released just before the launch of Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, the redesigned slimline PS2 was just that: smaller, thinner and quieter than the comparatively gargantuan original design. However, due to its new size, the PStwo lacks the expansion bay and thus, doesn’t support the internal hard drive used to play specific games like Final Fantasy XI. Also, there was no internal power source, hence the AC power brick that comes with the system. But even so, it was still way more attractive to display in homes. And in 2007, an even slimmer PS2 slim was released with a smaller motherboard.

Console: DS (Dual Screen - get it?)
Manufacturer: Nintendo
Discontinued: Probably never
Originally announced as the third pillar of Nintendo’s console line (has since replaced the GameBoy), the DS looks amazingly similar to the original Game & Watch’s. With two screens - the bottom of which is a touch pad that utilizes a stylus - the DS competes with the PSP in terms of innovation, not hardware. Since its release, the DS has been marketed to a broader audience - which is one reason why it’s sold over 70 million units (including the DS Lite). The DS is also compatible with GBA games, contains Wi-Fi service and is even known to have a large homebrew audience by playing SD cards that house emulated games.

Console: N-gage QD
Manufacturer: Nokia
Discontinued: Service still exists
Nokia’s second attempt at conquering the portable market corrected design flaws of the original, including the cartridge slot and earpiece issues. It’s still a joke.

Console: Xbox 360
Manufacturer: Microsoft
Discontinued: No way, Jose
As the first console and forerunner of the “next-generation” of hardware, the 360 launched with a much-improved Xbox Live online service and high-definition support (although games are encoded on regular DVDs). The 360 is also known for launching with different retail options - Elite, Core, Premium and Arcade - and some of the highest failure rates we’ve ever seen in a console. Microsoft’s “red ring of death” problem was so bad that the company took a pretax charge of $1 billion to up everyone’s warranty to three years.

Even with all those returns and refurbishes, the 360 is amazingly popular and coupled with some of the best games on the market today, including Halo 3, Gears of War, Mass Effect, Ninja Gaiden II and Project Gotham Racing 4.

Console: GameBoy Micro
Manufacturer: Nintendo
Discontinued: Still out there
As the GBA’s second redesign, the GBM was released for people who loved extremely small things. The Micro omitted compatibility with the original GameBoy and GB Color, but added the headphone jack back in the design. Since release, it’s sold about 2 1/2 million copies, but failed to meet expectations when going up against the newer, more powerful DS.

Console: Gizmondo
Manufacturer: Tiger Telematics
Discontinued: Might get a new release
This shitty handheld game came with GPS, mp3 player, prepaid text messages and in-system ads (booooo!). However, Gizmondo’s most interesting story deals with greed, the mafia and car wrecks. Apparently a number of Gizmondo employees, including noted criminal Stefan Eriksson, were dealing with the Swedish mob while extorting cash from the company. It’s a convoluted story, but we’ll let Next Gen finish this sordid tale…

“In February 2006 Stefan Eriksson, former executive at Gizmondo, taught his Ferrari Enzo how to fly on a stretch of the Pacific Coast Highway, slicing the million-dollar car neatly in half, and creating the world’s first performance art re-enactment of the rise and fall of a videogame company.

Of course, it wasn’t really Eriksson’s fault. As he told it, a mysterious German named Dietrich was driving the doomed sportscar when it crashed. Eriksson was just innocently sitting in the passenger seat of a flying Ferrari when it collided with a pole and blood flew off his lip and onto the driver-side airbag.”

Console: Wii
Manufacturer: Nintendo
Discontinued: Are you kidding?
Originally codenamed “Revolution,” the Wii is known for the Wii Remote - that remote-control looking doohickey that you swing around to play games. The sleek white console (possibly taking a cue from Apple) is notorious for reaching people who don’t normally play games and is populated mostly by third-party “casual” releases. This may account for the console having sold close to 25 million units worldwide, but you wouldn’t know it considering you can’t find the damn thing anywhere. Even though online play is proving to be dismal when compared to the 360 and PS3, the Wii store enables gamers to download older games from systems like the Genesis, NES, SNES, N64 and Turbo-Grafx. Amazing first-party games like Super Mario Galaxy, Metroid Prime 3, Twilight Princess and Smash Bros. Brawl are among the finest in its library.

Console: DS Lite
Manufacturer: Nintendo
Discontinued: Yeah, right
The redesigned DS is slimmer, has a brighter screen and the stylus storage is on the side of the system. Also, the power button is now a slider and the battery holds a longer charge. It’s sold about 52 million units worldwide and when combined with the original, that adds up to about 70 million. You just might have one of these.

Console: PlayStation 3
Manufacturer: Sony
Discontinued: Give it about ten more years
Announced at the ridiculous price point of $500/$600 before dropping to a much more affordable range, the PS3 was built to be essentially future-proof with its incredible graphical prowess and built-in Blu-ray player.

Even with all that muscle tech behind it, the PS3 lags in sales with an estimated 13 million units sold worldwide. This can be attributed to pompous marketing, a higher-than-competitive price point, lack of killer-apps (for now) and console ports that take longer to develop for. Not to mention a lawsuit that initially kept rumble from its controllers. Still, it’s one hell of a machine and seems to be hitting its stride with its Home service and hit games like Uncharted, Ratchet & Clank Future, Resistance and Metal Gear Solid 4.

Console: PSP Slim
Manufacturer: Sony
Discontinued: Nope
1/3 lighter and 19% slimmer, the new PSP accounted for a surge of sales. Even with a slimmer battery, a more efficient use keeps the runtime the same as the previous version. With a number of slight design and hardware changes, this newer model has met a fair bit of praise, including more tactile feedback in the buttons.

[source]

Console: Amstrad GX4000
Manufacturer: Amstrad
Discontinued in: ~1990
This epically unheard-of beasty came and went as quickly as you walk from your front door to the mailbox. It’s huge, played massive carts and kind of looks like it belongs in a hospital. Even with a version of RoboCop 2 in its library, kids happily ignored it in favor of the SNES and Genesis.

Console: NeoGeo AES
Manufacturer: SNK
Discontinued in: 2004
Think games are expensive now? Imagine shelling out $200 for games that are now readily available on Wii’s Virtual Console. The pricey carts kept it from mainstream success, but certain niches adored the system enough to warrant software support well into 2004. This makes NeoGeo one of the most long-lived systems of all time.

Console: TurboGrafx-CD
Manufacturer: NEC
Discontinued in: ~1999
The TG-16 and its many additions (like this CD) never took off in the US or Europe, but the Japanese market was much more attentive to NEC’s multimedia plight. There are so many revisions and changes to this basic idea - CD-ROM games - that it’s no wonder the console failed to find a large audience. The variants also make it tough to pinpoint exactly when this console went belly up.

Console: TurboExpress
Manufacturer: NEC
Discontinued in: ~1999
A handheld TG-16 that was also famous for its TV Tuner, a device that in 1990 was freaking amazing. Watch TV anywhere? What sort of mad sorcery is this?

Console: Game Gear
Manufacturer: Sega
Discontinued in: 1997
Essentially a portable Master System, Game Gear tried to fend off Game Boy but ultimately faded into nothingness. Partly to blame for its demise were the six AA batteries needed for power that it guzzled like a stretch Hummer with stadium lighting. Strangely enough, it saw a brief resurgence post-2000 through Majesco. The re-issued unit allegedly had a better screen and higher-quality speakers.

Console: Master System II
Manufacturer: Sega
Discontinued in: 1992
A small re-issue of the original Master System, with no card slot or, oddly enough, reset button. Apparently included Alex Kidd in Miracle World as a pack-in game already programmed into the console. It didn’t reignite interest in the Master System, so Sega wisely put its efforts behind the Genesis/Mega Drive.

Console: Super Famicom
Manufacturer: Nintendo
Discontinued in: 2000
Easily one of the most revered and popular systems of all time, the SFC/SNES proved Nintendo could lead the market into the next generation and had massively popular games that are still heavily traded on eBay and other markets. While technically slower than the Genesis, its many other advantages (color palette, superior audio, graphics capabilities) helped propel it to an eventual victory.

Console: Intellivision
Manufacturer: Mattel Electronics
Discontinued: 1991
Known as the first console to pose a serious threat to Atari’s 2600, the Intellivision sold 175,000 consoles in its first year and started a TV smear campaign against its rival. Interestingly, Mattel rolled out a voice synthesis peripheral in 1982 called the Intellivoice, which made speech integral to gameplay. Intellivision was also known as the first 16-bit console, even though you’d never recognize it as such.

Console: Game & Watch - Japan
Manufacturer: Nintendo
Discontinued: 1991
These LCD electronic games came in different models - all of which have resembled an iteration of the Game Boy or DS at one point. The Game & Watch pioneered left-handed directional control with the d-pad, seen on every console and handheld in the modern age. Designed by Gunpei Yokoi, who’d later create the GameBoy.

Console: VIC-20
Manufacturer: Commodore
Discontinued: 1985
As the first microcomputer to sell a million units, the VIC-20 was designed to be way more economical than the PET - a PC Commodore released three years prior. The VIC-20 played games on cartridge and tape and was the first computer to be sold at a K-Mart. Hell, William Shatner was even the spokesman at one point. The VIC-20 also held the distinction of introducing many software developers to basic programming skills.

Console: IBM PC (model 5150)
Manufacturer: IBM
Discontinued: 1987
Even though the IBM PC appeared in 1975, the price was deemed way too high to compete with cheaper alternatives. The newest model was the first computer to be legally reverse engineered by other manufacturers to create PC or IBM clones - hence that old term “IBM compatible.” Yeah, rivals were able steal the BIOS through backdoor shenanigans.

Console: Sinclair ZX81 - UK
Manufacturer: Sinclair
Discontinued: 1983
An upgrade to the ZX80, the newer Sinclair model used ordinary audio cassettes for saving and loading programs. This model was known for various oddities, including no sound capability and strangely giving the square root of .25 as 1.359. Sinclair eventually replaced this model with the more popular Spectrum.

Console: Cassette Vision - Japan
Manufacturer: Epoch
Discontinued: 1984
Ignore the console name, because this thing played cartridges. And did you know the CV was the first ever programmable console to be made in Japan? The graphics were a little iffy for its time (following the Atari 2600) and controls were located directly on the console (two knobs per player!). Not incredibly successful, but did manage to spawn two spinoff consoles.

Console: Philips Videopac G7200 - UK
Manufacturer: Philips
Discontinued: Mid 80s
Because Philips was the parent company to Magnavox, Philips released the Odyssey 2 in foreign countries under its own name. This console is the exact same as the O2, except it came with a built-in B&W monitor. Fancy and rare.

Console: Atari 5200 Super System
Manufacturer: Atari
Discontinued: 1984
Created as a powerful successor to the 2600, the 5200 competed with the Intellivision and ColecoVision once it hit the market. Unfortunately, Atari spent more attention on the oversaturated (and far more popular) 2600 rather than their new console. Also, Atari underestimated the value of backwards compatibility - at least until they released an adapter the following year. Generally considered a failure, the newer controller also featured a pause button which has since been seen everywhere in the world of gaming.

Console: Coleco ColecoVision
Manufacturer: Coleco Coleco
Discontinued: 1984
Was this a Pong system? Hell no, Coleco came packaged with arcade-hit Donkey Kong, which certainly helped boost its popularity. The ColecoVision was powerful enough to display arcade-quality graphics and even contained the ability to play Atari 2600 games - a nice jab indeed. The detachable controllers included a keypad, smaller buttons and a tiny joystick. Even including the crash of ’83, the CV sold around six million units.

Console: Coleco Gemini
Manufacturer: Coleco
Discontinued: 1984
Taking their nefarious ways a step further, Coleco built and sold this 2600 clone. The consoles were pretty much the same, except in controller design (the joystick and paddles were switched around). Atari made some noise (as well they should’ve), but a judge ruled that because Coleco used off-the-shelf materials for their specific design, they weren’t infringing on any Atari patents.

Console: Commodore 64
Manufacturer: Commodore
Discontinued: 1994
The C64 entered the home PC market with 8-bits and a higher color resolution and better sound abilities than the Apple II and IBM PC - its direct competitors. Its success helped muscle Texas Instruments out of the PC market just in time for the industry crash. Even when the Master System and NES appeared on the scene quite a few years later, the C64 exhibited a healthy challenge. And nowadays, you can download some of the games on the Wii Virtual Console.

Console: Arcadia 2001
Manufacturer: Emmerson
Discontinued: Soon thereafter
Designed to wage war against the 2600, it was released just as the Atari 5200 and ColecoVision came out. The Arcadia 2001 was created to be portable, so if you were one of several people who owned a portable TV in 1982, then you were golden. It died quickly amongst its more recognizable and way more powerful competitors.

Console: ZX Spectrum - UK
Manufacturer: Sinclair
Discontinued: 1990
Aptly titled Spectrum (color graphics), the latest ZX model led to a boom in the UK videogame market and had a positive impact on the companies producing software for it. Many enthusiasts made illegal copies of games through tape duplication, leading to increasingly complex prevention techniques. The rubber keyboard was surprisingly comfortable. And it has a rainbow on it!

Console: Intellivision II
Manufacturer: Mattel Electronics
Discontinued: About the same year
A redesigned (and smaller) model of the Intellivision was ordered after the first installment started losing ground to the ColecoVision and the 5200. This version contained detachable controllers and a sleeker case. Because the Intellivision had way more games than the ColecoVision before 2600 compatibility, Mattel designed a “System Changer,” which was an adapter that played 2600 games.

Console: Adam Family Computer
Manufacturer: Coleco
Discontinued: 1985
This stunningly lousy system by Coleco elicited an electromagnetic charge upon boot-up, ultimately erasing any media left inside (e.g. games). With an exceptionally high price in 1983 ($725), poor sales and the fact that the computer came packaged with a magnet bomb, the system was kind of a failure and Coleco filed for bankruptcy in 1988. They should’ve made more Pong systems.

Console: Aquarius
Manufacturer: Mattel Electronics
Discontinued: 1989
It’s a great sign that once the Aquarius was released, the Aquarius II was announced. Internally dubbed “the system of the 70s,” the Aquarius was a weak PC compared to the TI-99/4A and Commodore’s VIC-20. It used cassette tapes as a secondary storage unit and was on the tip of no one’s tongue.

Console: Apple IIe
Manufacturer: Apple
Discontinued: 1993
The ‘e’ stands for ‘enhanced.’ No, really. It does. The third model in Apple’s insanely popular II series and the longest-lived in computer in Apple’s history, the IIe added a full ASCII character set and keyboard. Also, the ever popular Delete and Tab keys were introduced. Low production costs coupled with an attractive feature set caused a number of these things to be snatched up at retail.

Console: Nintendo Family Computer (Famicom) - Japan
Manufacturer: Nintendo
Discontinued: 1995
After a disastrous release including a product recall, the Famicom bounced back and became the best-selling console in Japan. This is mostly due to the success of console-specific games like Super Mario Bros. and The Legend of Zelda (as opposed to the multi-platform Pac-Man of times past) and to a new business model of software licensing agreements with third-party developers. Even greater success would be found in America’s launch of the system.

Console: Sega SG-1000 - Japan
Manufacturer: Sega
Discontinued: 1984
The SG-1000 marked Sega’s first entry into the console market. It was quietly released and sold moderately. Basically, the SG-1000 was a test ground for the Master System.

Console: Philips Videopac+G7400 - UK
Manufacturer: Philips
Discontinued: 1983
While the G7400 was the UK equivalent of the Magnavox Odyssey 2, the +G7400 was released only in Europe with very limited quantities. RAM and ROM were bumped to 16 KB, meaning specific high-res games could be played in addition to normal G700 games. It kinda looks like a typewriter.

Console: Sony MSX - Japan
Manufacturer: Sony
Discontinued: 1995
Sony’s MSX was a Microsoft of Japan-led attempt to create some unified standards among hardware developers. The console was a success overseas, selling about five million units and was even the major Japanese platform to develop for (until the Famicom was released). Back in those days, Konami and Hudson Soft originally developed for the MSX. In fact, the first-ever Metal Gear was developed specifically for the MSX2, a revision of the hardware.

Console: Apple Macintosh
Manufacturer: Apple
Discontinued: 1987 with the Mac II
The original Mac was the first commercially successful computer ever to feature not only a mouse, but a graphical user interface (desktop) and not a command-based one. In fact, the bundled software - MacWrite and MacPaint - were designed to show off its GUI. Its ease of use led many to complain that it was nothing more than a toy, a common argument heard today. Also known for that 1984-esque commercial that aired only once during the Super Bowl.

Console: Sega SG-1000 II
Manufacturer: Sega
Discontinued: 1986
Pretty much identical to the original SG-1000, numero dos merely redesigned the console and switched where the keyboard port was. Yup.

Console: Super Cassette Vision - UK
Manufacturer: Epoch
Discontinued: A short time later
As if Epoch didn’t get the hint, they released the Super CV a short time after their original baby didn’t catch on. This time the hardware was improved just slightly. It sold very little in Europe. Besides the Cassette Vision Jr., they didn’t release another console again. Shame.

Console: Amstrad CPC 464/CPC664 - UK
Manufacturer: Amstrad
Discontinued: The whole line was discontinued by 1990
Amstrad build these PCs as direct competitors to the ZX Spectrum and Commodore 64. The CPC 454 was packaged with its own monitor (still pretty rare at the time) and a built-in cassette deck. The 664 contained a built-in floppy disk drive instead of the tape deck. However, later in ’85, they replaced their hardware yet again. The strategy here is: if one computer don’t get ‘em, a few dozen more might.

Console: Nintendo Entertainment System
Manufacturer: Nintendo
Discontinued: 1993ish
North America’s Famicom counterpart, the NES ruled the console roost up until its successor, the SNES, came along in 1991. Debut franchise series on this system include Mario, Zelda, Metroid, Mega Man, Castlevania, Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest. The incredible sales in North America, combined with Japanese popularity helped cement the NES as one of the highest-selling consoles of all time (estimated 62 million units sold) and evolved Nintendo into a serious gaming publisher whose popularity still exists today.

Console: Atari ST
Manufacturer: Atari
Discontinued: 1993
Atari’s commercially popular PC was based on Motorola hardware and was the first computer to come with a fully bit-mapped graphical interface. Even though the ST competed with the Apple Mac and Commodore Amiga, the ST was cheaper and ideal for business use.

Console: Commodore Amiga
Manufacturer: Commodore
Discontinued: 1987
Cheaper than the Apple Mac and IBM PC, the Amiga was especially popular with professions relating to video production. As a 16-bit (and later 32-bit) machine, the Amiga was popular enough to warrant a new design every year or so. The company stopped producing Amigas in 1996.

Console: Intv System III
Manufacturer: INTV Corp.
Discontinued: 1987
Intellivison changed their name to INTV Corp and released the INTV System III (or Intellivision III). Priced at $60, it went on to reach $6 million in sales worldwide. New games like Super Pro Football and Pole Position went head to head against Sega’s Master System and the NES.

Console: Sega SG-1000 Mark III - Japan
Manufacturer: Sega
Discontinued: 1992
Released as a direct competitor to the Famicom/NES, the Mark III was backwards-compatible with the other SG-1000s and used “Sega Cards” (additional slot for games) along with its cartridge system. Video hardware and an increased amount of RAM did wonders for the system as it made minor waves when it was renamed the Master System a few short months later.

Console: Sinclair ZX Spectrum + - UK
Manufacturer: Sinclair
Discontinued: 1985
Same as the original Spectrum, but included a new reset button and injection-molded keyboard.

Console: Amstrad CPC 6128
Manufacturer: Amstrad
Discontinued: 1990
Replaced the CPC 664 released only just a few months beforehand. Came with the new built-in floppy drive and 128KB of memory. Hot diggity damn!

Console: Atari 2600 Junior
Manufacturer: Atari
Discontinued: 1992
Right before the Atari 7800 launched, Atari made a push to revitalize interest in their (at that point) technologically inferior 2600. Hence the Jr. edition. Retailed for $50 and wasn’t that great compared to Nintendo or Sega’s worst efforts.

Console: Sega Master System
Manufacturer: Sega
Discontinued: 1990
Known as the SG-1000 Mark III in Japan, the Master System was a direct threat to Nintendo’s entertainment system, but it didn’t really matter since the NES held 95% of the North American gaming market. No matter - after dismal sales Sega bounced back with a vengeance.

Console: Atari 7800
Manufacturer: Atari
Discontinued: 1992
Because the 5200 was so abysmal, the 7800 was created to reestablish market dominance (that didn’t happen). But the 7800 fixed everything wrong with the 5200 - simple joysticks, fully backwards compatible and was completely affordable at $140. However, the number of titles developed specifically for the 7800 were the lowest of any Atari console up until that point. Profitable due to low investments, yet nowhere near as popular as the NES.

Console: Famicom Disk System - Japan
Manufacturer: Nintendo
Discontinued: 1992
A system designed to use floppy disks for data storage; you hooked it up to the Famicom and enabled temporary program storage for larger games and save states. The Legend of Zelda, Metroid and Kid Icarus were some of the first games released to utilize this feature, even though they were subsequently ported as cartridges. Never made it to the States.

Console: Sharp Twin Famicom - Japan
Manufacturer: Sharp
Discontinued: 1992
Sharp released a combined console of both Famicom and the disk system under a licensed agreement. La-dee-da.

Console: Sinclair ZX Spectrum +2 - UK
Manufacturer: Amstrad
Discontinued: 1990
After Amstrad bought the Sinclair range, they released the Spectrum +2 under their Sinclair banner. This new console was pretty much the same as the last one, except it had dual joystick ports and a built-in cassette recorder. That’s it.

Console: Atari XE
Manufacturer: Atari
Discontinued: Relatively quickly
Now that Nintendo was raking in cash, Atari was throwing out computers and game consoles left and right trying to snag some of that market. The XE was a repackaged 65XE (part of their home computer line) and came bundled with a keyboard, joystick and light gun. Too bad they couldn’t really market the damn thing and didn’t end up selling very many units.

Console: Commodore Amiga A500
Manufacturer: Commodore
Discontinued: 1991
Commodore’s best-selling model in the Amiga line, the A500 was the first low-end Amiga PC. The A500 was extremely popular for its use as a gaming machine and not as another boring computer.

Console: Sinclair ZX Spectrum +3 - UK
Manufacturer: Amstrad
Discontinued: 1990
Looking remarkably similar to the +2, the +3 had a black case and featured a built-in floppy disk drive. Also, a bunch of small hardware changes were made that enabled you to do slightly better things. Like most hardware upgrades.

Console: PC Engine
Manufacturer: NEC
Discontinued in: 1999
NEC’s popular-in-Japan console that actually fended off the Famicom but was a non-issue in the US and Europe. Technically superior and later enhanced by a CD-ROM drive, the PC Engine hit US shelves as the TurboGrafx-16. It used game cards (called HuCards) instead of carts, and ended up being remodeled and tinkered with so many times that we’re kind of glad it never took off over here. At least the TurboDuo had some quality games…

Console: Mega Drive
Manufacturer: Sega
Discontinued in: 1998
Sega’s first big success actually flailed for a while in Japan before soaring to great popularity elsewhere after Sonic the Hedgehog dethroned Mario. Far and away Sega’s most popular console, it was known in the US as the Genesis, presumably due to a trademark dispute with Mega Drive Systems, Inc. Fascinating!

Console: Genesis
Manufacturer: Sega
Discontinued in: 1998
The US Mega Drive. At one point it was so successful it actually had Nintendo on the defense with a constant 50/50 handle on the market. This was achieved via savvy marketing (Genesis Does What Nintendon’t), near arcade perfect games (Altered Beast, Space Harrier) and deals with celebrities (Michael Jackson, Joe Montana, Buster Douglass). It all made Sega seem like the cool console and Nintendo the kiddie system.

This is where the term “console war” really got going - people would get in actual fights (including some then-children GR editors) over this stuff. It wasn’t until Sega went batshit insane with the near-simultaneous releases of Sega CD, 32X and Saturn that it started to lose control of the market, eventually ceding to the SNES.

Console: Lynx
Manufacturer: Atari
Discontinued in: 1994
Interesting, this one. Lynx came out roughly the same time as the Game Boy, had a color screen and superior visuals, yet failed miserably, with less than a million units sold to date. Goes to show that all the hardware in the world can’t make up for lack of games, something both Game Boy and Game Gear had in abundance. Cat names would eventually spell the end of Atari, as both Lynx and Jaguar are little more than humorous footnotes, even with fairly active homebrew audiences.

Console: Game Boy
Manufacturer: Nintendo
Discontinued in: 1999
You’re looking at one of the most successful, popular and long-lived gaming machines of all time. In addition to the backwards-compatible Game Boy Color, it’s sold nearly 120 million units since its 1989 release, with several colors and limited-edition variants spicing thing up in between. Yes, it had fugly, blurry green graphics that looked kinda crappy even then, but its battery life and software support were so impressive you couldn’t not own one. This little machine also supported multiplayer via link cable, spawned the very first Pokemon game in 1996 and was initially bundled with Tetris - perhaps the smartest move Nintendo has ever made.

Console: SuperGrafx
Manufacturer: NEC
Discontinued in: 1990
The first of many, many bizarre revisions to the TG-16, this one had mildly altered innards and never left Japan. There were only seven games developed specifically for it (it also played older PC Engine and CD games) and it quickly faded away. Bring on the TurboDuo!

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