History Timeline

Nutting Releases First Arcade Video Game
Nutting manufactures 1,500 Computer Space machines. The components are packaged with a 13-inch black-and-white TV set in a futuristic-looking cabinet. The first arcade video game is released, but the public finds it too difficult to play.

1972

Pong Is Born
Bushnell hires Al Alcorn to program games. Since Alcorn is inexperienced, Bushnell has him program a simple video tennis game as an exercise. They call the game Pong, for two reasons: first, "pong" is the sound the game makes when the ball hits a paddle or the side of the screen, and second, the name Ping-Pong is already copyrighted.

Magnavox Releases Home Video Game
Magnavox sells the Odyssey exclusively through its own stores. People are led to believe the console will only work with Magnavox televisions. Still, Magnavox manages to sell 100,000 units. Many people buy it because it is the closest thing they can get to a home version of Pong.

1977

Atari Introduces Programmable Console
Atari releases its first programmable (cartridge-based) game system, the Video Computer System (VCS--later known as the Atari 2600), in time for Christmas, for $249.

1985

Famicoming to America
Nintendo test-markets its Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) in New York. Retailers are so skeptical about video games that Nintendo has to agree to buy back all unpurchased inventory. Armed with a large number of Nintendo-developed original titles and arcade games, the NES is a hit in a limited market release.

1989

Nintendo Introduces Monochrome Game Boy
Nintendo releases its handheld Game Boy ($109). The system comes with Tetris, and despite a tiny monochrome screen, it begins to build a historic sales record. A Game Boy version of Super Mario (Super Mario Land), a Breakout clone (Alleyway), and a baseball game are quickly released.

Sega Releases 16-Bit Genesis
Sega releases the 16-bit Genesis in the United States after limited success in Japan. The $249 system is packed with a conversion of the arcade game Altered Beast. Early marketing efforts push the system as a true arcade experience that's substantially better than previous home game machines.

1991Nintendo Releases the SNES
Nintendo releases the Super Famicom in America and calls the $249 console the Super NES (SNES). Journalists begin to wonder aloud whether Mario will be enough to convince NES-dedicated parents to make the investment in a new machine.

1995

Sega Jumps the Gun
After announcing that the Saturn will be released in the United States on "Saturnday," September 2, Sega jumps the gun and actually releases the system in May for $399. Overall sales are very low, and very few titles are released, because third-party companies are taken completely off guard by the early debut. Sega and 3DO are ready to announce a joint hardware venture on 3DO M2 64-bit technology. Although the deal is broken off at the last minute, talks continue throughout the year. 3DO development slows dramatically in anticipation of a 64-bit announcement, and Panasonic ultimately acquires the M2 technology for use in home games and other devices. Panasonic reportedly pays $100 million for it.

American PlayStation Release
Sony releases the PlayStation in the United States for $299, $100 less than expected. Sales are strong, and a collection of good release titles receives praise from the media and consumers. Sales of the Atari Jaguar continue to decline, despite the release of a CD peripheral, which had raised Jaguar supporters' hopes but was most likely dead on arrival from the perspective of Atari executives.

1996 Release of the American N64
The N64 is released in United States. More than 1.7 million units are sold in three months, and once-doubtful third-party developers rush to embrace the cartridge medium they had previously questioned, if only to cash in on the immense media popularity of the new machine.

1998 New Sega Console
Although Sega officially acknowledges its new 128-bit system, the system's name continues to be elusive throughout most of the year. Originally code-named Dural and Black Belt, the system is officially named Katana in early 1998. At the same time Sega discloses that the new system will use a Microsoft Windows CE operating system, which will mean easier game conversions to and from the PC.

2000 Launch Frenzy
Lines begin forming outside of Sony's Metreon store in San Francisco roughly 28 hours before the PlayStation is set to go on sale in the United States on October 26. Eventually, more than 1,000 people line up. Nearly half of them go home empty-handed.

2001 Microsoft Officially Reveals the Xbox
As expected, Microsoft and Bill Gates use the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in January to unveil the production version of the Xbox. Furthermore, Microsoft reveals that 12 to 20 games will be available at launch, although the only confirmed titles are Munch's Oddysee and Malice. A game will not be included with the system. Microsoft does not announce a launch date or price for the Xbox.

2000 Dolphin out, GameCube In
Nintendo renames the Dolphin. First it becomes the Starcube, and then, thankfully, it becomes the GameCube. The console, which is shown to the press only during the first day of Space World, is literally a cube. Instead of using CDs or DVDs as the storage medium for GameCube games, Nintendo uses a proprietary optical disc based on Matsushita technology. Nintendo predicts that this medium will eventually be a standard, as its small size makes it attractive for future handhelds.