A history of 1-upmanship

While there are other console systems that have come and gone over the years, there have been a handful that have shaped the gaming industry as we know it. They include...

Atari 2600

Often referred to as the gaming system responsible for starting the home video game industry. Released in September 1977 and went on to sell more than 30 million units.

Nintendo Entertainment System

The first gaming console to reach out to a broader mainstream audience, it introduced Super Mario, Legend of Zelda and Metroid to the world. The Nintendo Entertainment System was released in July 1983. It went on to sell more than 61.91 million units worldwide.

SEGA Master System

The only system that was a serious competitor to Nintendo’s dominance during the 1980s. Released in June 1986, it went on to sell as many as 14.8 million units globally.

SEGA Genesis

The world’s first 16-bit gaming console (previously consoles were eight-bit), it produced better graphics and colour and quickly began to steal market share from Nintendo. Remember Sonic the Hedgehog? The system was released in North America in August 1989 and went on to sell 40 million units worldwide.

Super Nintendo

Nintendo’s answer to SEGA’s beefed-up entrant was the Super Nintendo. The console was released in November 1990 and saw more than 49.1 million units sold.

PlayStation

Sony Corp.’s big foray into the world of video games was released in North America in September 1995. The console offered better graphics than competitors and sold 102.49 million units during its reign.

PlayStation 2

Sony released its smash success in March 2000. It could be used as a DVD player as well as game console, and sold more than 155 million units during its lifetime. No console has come close since.

Xbox

Not happy seeing Sony eat away at the market, which was beginning to merge gaming with entertainment, Microsoft released its own console, the Xbox, in November 2001. More than 24 million units were sold.

Xbox 360

Microsoft released the Xbox 360 in November 2005. It played games, but also focused on allowing owners to stream music, movies and photographs over a home network. It was Microsoft’s first serious salvo at owning a room outside of the home office. Microsoft has sold more than 78 million units.

Nintendo Wii

In a bid to get back into the main event of the console war tussle, Nintendo introduced Wii in November 2006. It delivered a new, more natural way to play games using real movements. Wii took off, selling more than 100 million units over the years.

PlayStation 3 (PS3)

Sony updated its popular PS2 gaming system in November 2006, debuting on store shelves at the same time as Nintendo’s Wii. PS3 was the first console to play Blu-ray discs, a standard backed by Sony. It also allowed for network streaming of multimedia files. More than 80 million units of the system have been sold to date.

Wii U

Released in November 2012, the the Wii U combines the popular gameplay of the Wii, which uses natural movements, with a touch screen controller that acts as a second screen. The console also allows for streaming video and media over a home network. It’s sold more than 3.91 million consoles worldwide so far.

PlayStation 4 (PS4)

Released last Friday, the device is the most technology-heavy kid on the block. Sony says its focus is on gaming. The console has a retail price for $399. Sony sold more than one million units in 24 hours.

Xbox One

Launches on Friday at a retail price of $499.