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Fourth generation of video game consoles

Article Discussion

Template:Short description Template:Use mdy dates Template:VG history

In the history of video games, the fourth generation of video game consoles, more commonly referred to as the 16-bit era, began on October 30, 1987, with the Japanese release of NEC Home Electronics' PC Engine (known as the TurboGrafx-16 in North America). Though NEC released the first console of this era, sales were mostly dominated by the rivalry between Sega and Nintendo across most markets: the Sega Mega Drive (known as the Sega Genesis in North America) and the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (known as the Super Famicom in Japan). Cartridge-based handheld game consoles became prominent during this time, such as the Nintendo Game Boy, Atari Lynx, Sega Game Gear and TurboExpress.

Nintendo was able to capitalize on its success in the third generation, and managed to win the largest worldwide market share in the fourth generation as well. However, particularly in the lucrative North American market, there was a fierce console war that raged through the early 1990s, which eventually saw Sega taking a market share lead over Nintendo in North America by 1993. Sega's success in this era stemmed largely from its launch of its popular Sonic the Hedgehog franchise to compete with Nintendo's Super Mario series, as well as a very stylized marketing campaign aimed at American teenagers. Several other companies released consoles in this generation, but none of them were widely successful. Nevertheless, there were other companies that started to take notice of the maturing video game industry and begin making plans to release consoles of their own in the future. As with prior generations, game media still continued to be distributed primarily on ROM cartridges, though the first optical disc systems, such as the Philips CD-i, were released to limited success. There was additionally competition with home computer games on the Amiga and on DOS-based IBM clones, especially in markets like Europe. As games became more complex, concerns over video game violence, namely in titles such as Mortal Kombat and Night Trap, led to the eventual creation of the Entertainment Software Rating Board.

The emergence of fifth generation video game consoles, beginning around 1994, did not initially significantly diminish the popularity of fourth generation consoles. In 1996, however, there was a major drop in sales of hardware from this generation and a dwindling number of software publishers supporting its systems,<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> which together led to a drop in software sales in subsequent years.

Differences from third generation consolesEdit

Features that distinguish some fourth generation consoles from third generation consoles include:

Additionally, in specific cases, fourth generation hardware featured:

Home systemsEdit

TurboGrafx-16Edit

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File:TurboGrafx16-Console-Set.jpg
TurboGrafx-16

The PC Engine was the result of a collaboration between Hudson Soft and NEC and launched in Japan on October 30, 1987. It launched under the name TurboGrafx-16 in North America on August 29, 1989.

Initially, the PC Engine was quite successful in Japan, partly due to titles available on the then-new CD-ROM format. NEC released a CD add-on in 1990 and by 1992 had released a combination TurboGrafx and CD-ROM system known as the TurboDuo.

In the United States, NEC used Bonk, a head-banging caveman, as their mascot and featured him in most of the TurboGrafx advertising from 1990 to 1994. The platform was well received initially, especially in larger markets, but failed to make inroads into the smaller metropolitan areas where NEC did not have as many store representatives or as focused in-store promotion.

The TurboGrafx-16 failed to maintain its sales momentum or to make a strong impact in North America.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The TurboGrafx-16 and its CD combination system, the Turbo Duo, ceased manufacturing in North America by 1994, though a small amount of software continued to trickle out for the platform.

Mega Drive/GenesisEdit

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File:Sega-Genesis-Mk2-6button.jpg
Second version of the Sega Genesis

The Mega Drive was released in Japan on October 29, 1988.<ref name="ConsoleInfo">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The console was released in New York City and Los Angeles on August 14, 1989, under the name Sega Genesis, and in the rest of North America later that year.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> It was launched in Europe and Australia on November 30, 1990, under its original name.

Sega built their marketing campaign around their new mascot Sonic the Hedgehog,<ref name="Kent_pp424_431">Template:Cite book</ref> pushing the Genesis as the "cooler" alternative to Nintendo's console<ref name="Kent_434_448_449">Template:Cite book</ref> and inventing the term "Blast Processing" to suggest that the Genesis was capable of handling games with faster motion than the SNES.<ref name="1up">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Their advertising was often directly adversarial, leading to commercials such as "Genesis does what Nintendon't" and no scream at all.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

When the arcade game Mortal Kombat was ported for home release on the Genesis and Super Nintendo Entertainment System, Nintendo decided to censor the game's gore, but Sega kept the content in the game, via a code entered at the start screen. Sega's version of Mortal Kombat received generally more favorable reviews in the gaming press and outsold the SNES version three to one. This also led to Congressional hearings to investigate the marketing of violent video games to children, and to the creation of the Interactive Digital Software Association and the Entertainment Software Rating Board.<ref name='Wired-kohler-chris-2009-07-29'>Template:Cite magazine</ref> Sega concluded that the superior sales of their version of Mortal Kombat were outweighed by the resulting loss in consumer trust, and cancelled the game's release in Spain to avoid further controversy.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> With the new ESRB rating system in place, Nintendo reconsidered its position for the release of Mortal Kombat II, and this time became the preferred version among reviewers.<ref name="Kent_MK">Template:Cite book</ref><ref name="1UP_MK">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The Toy Retail Sales Tracking Service reported that during the key shopping month of November 1994, 63% of all 16-bit video game consoles sold were Sega systems.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>

The console was never popular in Japan (being regularly outsold by the PC Engine), but still managed to sell 30.75 million units worldwide. By late 1995, Sega was supporting five different consoles and two add-ons, and Sega Enterprises chose to discontinue the Mega Drive in Japan to concentrate on the new Sega Saturn.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> While this made perfect sense for the Japanese market, it was disastrous in North America: the market for Genesis games was much larger than for the Saturn, but Sega was left without the inventory or software to meet demand.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

Super NESEdit

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File:Nintendo-Super-Famicom-Set-FL.jpg
The Japanese & PAL version of the Super NES (first model)

Nintendo's fourth-generation console, the Super Famicom, was released in Japan on November 21, 1990; Nintendo's initial shipment of 300,000 units sold out within hours.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The machine reached North America as the Super Nintendo Entertainment System on August 23, 1991,<ref group="cn" name="NAReleaseDateNote">According to Stephen Kent's The Ultimate History of Video Games, the official launch date was September 9.<ref name="KentReleaseDate">Kent (2001), p. 434. Kent states September 1 was planned but later rescheduled to September 9.</ref> Newspaper and magazine articles from late 1991 report that the first shipments were in stores in some regions on August 23,<ref>Template:Cite news Based on the publication date, the "Friday" mentioned would be August 23, 1991.</ref><ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> while it arrived in other regions at a later date.<ref>Template:Cite news Based on the publication date, the "Friday" mentioned would be August 23, 1991.</ref> Many modern online sources (circa 2005 and later) report August 13.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref></ref> and Europe and Australia in April 1992.

Despite stiff competition from the Mega Drive/Genesis console, the Super NES eventually took the top selling position, selling 49.10 million units worldwide,<ref name="consolidatedsales">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> and would remain popular well into the fifth generation of consoles.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> Nintendo's market position was defined by their machine's increased video and sound capabilities,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> including exclusive first-party franchise titles such as F-Zero, Super Mario World, Star Fox, Super Mario Kart, Donkey Kong Country, The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past and Super Metroid.

Compact Disc Interactive (CD-i)Edit

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File:Philips-CDi-220-wController-FL.jpg
Philips CD-i

The CD-i format was announced in the late 1980s, with the first machines compatible with the format being released in 1991. The Philips CD-i's main selling point was that it was more than a game machine and could be used for multimedia needs. Due to an agreement between Nintendo and Philips about an abortive CD add-on for the SNES (which eventually evolved into Sony's PlayStation), Philips also had rights to use some of Nintendo's franchises. The CD-i was a commercial failure and was discontinued in 1998,<ref name="gamepro2">Template:Cite magazine</ref> selling only 1 million units worldwide despite several partnerships and multiple versions of the device, some made by other manufacturers.

Neo GeoEdit

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File:Neo-Geo-AES-FL.jpg
Neo-Geo

Released by SNK in 1990, the Neo Geo was a home console version of the major arcade platform. Compared to its console competition, the Neo Geo had much better graphics and sound, however, the prohibitively expensive launch price of $649.99 and games often retailing at over $250 made the console only accessible to a niche market. A less expensive version, retailing for $399.99, did not include a memory card, pack-in game or extra joystick.

Add-onsEdit

Nintendo, NEC and Sega also competed with hardware peripherals for their consoles in this generation. NEC was the first with the release of the TurboGrafx CD system in 1990. Retailing for $399.99 at release, the CD add-on was not a popular purchase, but was largely responsible for the platform's success in Japan.<ref name="Gamasutra">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The Sega CD was released with an unusually high price tag ($300 at its release) and a limited library of games. A unique add-on for the Sega console was Sega Channel, a subscription-based service (a form of online gaming delivery) hosted by local television providers. It required hardware that plugged into a cable line and the Genesis.

Nintendo also made two attempts with the Satellaview and the Super Game Boy. The Satellaview was a satellite service released only in Japan and the Super Game Boy was an adapter for the SNES that allowed Game Boy games to be displayed on a TV in color. Nintendo, working along with Sony, also had plans to create a CD-ROM drive for the SNES (plans that resulted in a prototype version of the Sony PlayStation), but eventually decided not to go through with that project, opting to team up with Philips in the development of the add-on instead (contrary to popular belief, the CD-i was largely unrelated to the project).

{{#invoke:Gallery|gallery}}

European importingEdit

File:PAL-NTSC-SECAM.svg
Template:Legend Template:Legend Template:Legend Template:Legend

The fourth generation was also the era when the act of buying imported US games became more established in Europe, and regular stores began to carry them. The PAL region has a refresh rate of 50 Hz (compared with 60 Hz for NTSC) and a vertical resolution of 625 interlaced lines (576 effective), compared with 525/480 for NTSC. Because the simulation speed of contemporary game systems was directly linked to the output frame rate, which was in turn synchronized with the TV's refresh rate, this meant that the game would run more slowly on a PAL television. The smaller number of vertical lines in the NTSC signal would also lead to black bars appearing on the top and bottom of a PAL television. Developers often had a hard time converting games designed for the American and Japanese NTSC standard to the European and Australian PAL standard.Template:Citation needed Companies such as Konami, with large budgets and a healthy following in Europe and Australia, readily optimized several games (such as the International Superstar Soccer series) for this audience, while most smaller developers did not.Template:Citation needed

Also, few RPGs were released in Europe because the market for the genre was not as large as in Japan or North America, and the increasing amount of time and money required for translation as RPGs became more text-heavy, in addition to the usual need to convert the games to the PAL standard, often made localizing the games to Europe a high-cost venture with little potential payoff.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref name=SSM19>Template:Cite magazine</ref> As a result, RPG releases in Europe were largely limited to games which had previously been localized for North America, thus reducing the amount of translation required.<ref name=SSM19/>

Popular US games imported at this time included Final Fantasy IV (known in the US as Final Fantasy II), Final Fantasy VI (known in the US as Final Fantasy III), Secret of Mana, Street Fighter II, Chrono Trigger, and Super Mario RPG. Secret of Mana and Street Fighter II would eventually receive official release in Europe, whilst Final Fantasy IV, Final Fantasy VI, Chrono Trigger and Super Mario RPG would be released in Europe years later on other consoles or formats outside of this generation.

ComparisonEdit

Comparison of fourth-generation video game home consoles
Name PC-Engine/TurboGrafx-16 Mega Drive/Genesis Super Famicom/Super NES Neo Geo
Manufacturer NEC Sega Nintendo SNK
Image(s) File:PC-Engine-Console-Set.jpg
File:TurboGrafx-16-Console.jpg 		File:Sega-Mega-Drive-JP-Mk1-Console-Set.jpg
File:Sega-Genesis-Mk2-6button.jpg 		File:Super-Famicom-Console-Set.jpg
File:SNES-Mod1-Console-Set.jpg 		File:Neo-Geo-AES-Console-Set.jpgFile:Neo-Geo-CD-TopLoader-wController-FL.jpg
Release date Template:Vgrelease Template:Vgrelease Template:Vgrelease Template:Vgrelease
Launch prices US$ US$199.99 (Template:Inflation) US$189.99 (Template:Inflation) US$199.99 (Template:Inflation) US$649.99 (Gold version) (Template:Inflation)

US$399.99 (Silver version) (Template:Inflation)

GBP £189.99<ref name="CVG_106">Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref name="ACE_37">Template:Cite magazine</ref> (Template:Inflation) citation CitationClass=web

}}</ref> (Template:Inflation)

JP¥ Template:¥ ¥21,000 (Template:Inflation) ¥25,000 (Template:Inflation)
Media Type
Regional lockout Template:Partial<ref name="Hu-Cards">Hu-Cards are region locked. CDs aren't region locked.</ref> Template:No Template:No Template:Yes
Backward compatibility Template:N/A Template:Yes Template:Yes Template:N/A
Pack-in game Keith Courage in Alpha Zones Sonic the Hedgehog (15 million)<ref name="GameTap">Template:Cite video cf. Template:Cite magazine</ref> Super Mario World (20.6 million)<ref name="nintendohistory1">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation CitationClass=web

}}</ref>

Template:N/A
Best-selling games Bonk's Adventure<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation CitationClass=web

}}</ref>

Template:Plainlist Street Fighter II: The World Warrior (6.3 million)<ref name="capcomplatinum">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation CitationClass=web

}}</ref>

Samurai Shodown
Accessories (retail)
  • Mega CD/Sega CD (1991)
  • Sega CD Backup Ram carts (1992 JP) (1994 NA) <ref name="segaretro.org">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation
 CitationClass=web

}}Template:Dead link</ref>

  • Neo Geo Controller Pro (1995)
  • Neo Geo Memory Card (1990)
  • Neo Geo MVS to AES Converter (1998)
CPU Hudson Soft HuC6280A (based on 8-bit 65SC02)
1.79 MHz (0.77 MIPS) or 7.16 MHz (3.08 MIPS)<ref name="retro">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation 		CitationClass=web

}}</ref>

  • Motorola 68000 (16/32-bit CISC)
    7.67 MHz (7.61 MHz PAL) (1.4 MIPS) (12.5 MHz CD) (2.19 MIPS)<ref name="retro" />
  • Zilog Z80 (8/16-bit)
    3.58 MHz (0.52 MIPS)<ref group="cn">Mega Drive games use the Z80 as a sound controller. The Power Base Converter effectively turns the Mega Drive into a Master System, giving control to the Z80 and leaving the 68000 dormant.</ref><ref name="retro" />

32X add-on:

CitationClass=web

}}</ref>

SA-1 enhancement chip:

  • Nintendo custom 65C816
    10.74 MHz (4.5 MIPS)
GPU
  • Hudson Soft HuC6260 Video Color Encoder (16-bit)
  • Hudson Soft HuC6270A Video Display Controller (16-bit)
  • Yamaha YM7101 VDP (Video Display Processor)<ref name="genvdp">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation
 CitationClass=web

}}</ref>

Upgrades:

CitationClass=web

}}</ref> @ 23 MHz (25 MIPS)<ref name="road">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

CitationClass=web

}}</ref> (1994)

  • CD add-on: Sega ASIC coprocessor<ref name="progscd" />
  • 32X add-on: Sega 32x VDP (Sega Custom LSI) @ 23 MHz <ref name="segaretro">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation
 CitationClass=web

}}</ref>

Enhancement chips:

Template:Webarchive</ref> (1990)

  • Super FX: 10.5 MHz<ref name="road" /> (10 MIPS) (1993)
  • Capcom Cx4 (Hitachi HG51B169 DSP)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation
 CitationClass=web

}}</ref> (1994)

  • Super FX 2: 21.477 MHz (21 MIPS)<ref name="superfx">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation
 CitationClass=web

}}</ref> (1995)

  • SNK LSPC2-A2 (line sprite generator & VRAM interface)<ref name="mvstech">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation
 CitationClass=web

}}</ref>

  • SNK PRO-B0 (palette arbiter)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation
 CitationClass=web

}}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

CitationClass=web

}}</ref>

Sound chip(s) CitationClass=web

}}</ref>

Upgrades:

Sony APU (Audio Processing Unit)
  • S-SMP (8-bit Sony SPC700)
  • S-DSP (16-bit DSP)
 Yamaha YM2610
RAM

Upgrades:

  • Super System Card: 64 KB DRAM, 192 KB SRAM
  • Arcade Duo Card: 2048 KB FPM DRAM, 192 KB SRAM<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation
 CitationClass=web

}}</ref>

  • Arcade Pro Card: 2240 KB+192 kB
  • 64 KB main PSRAM
  • 64 KB video DRAM<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation
 CitationClass=web

}}</ref>

  • 8 KB Z80/audio SRAM<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation
 CitationClass=web

}}</ref>

Upgrades:

  • SVP chip: 128 KB DRAM, 2 KB cache, 1 KB DSP RAM<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation
 CitationClass=web

}}</ref>

  • CD add-on: 512 KB main, 256 KB Video, 64 KB Audio, 16 KB cache, 8 KB Internal Back-up<ref name=":1" />
  • CD BackUp Ram Carts: 8 KB to 512 KB <ref name="segaretro.org" />
  • 32X add-on: 256 KB main RAM, 256 KB video RAM
  • 128 KB main DRAM
  • 64 KB video SRAM
  • 64 KB audio PSRAM

Enhancement chips:

  • SA-1: 2 KB RAM
  • Super FX: 32 to 128 KB SRAM<ref name="superfx" />
  • Super FX 2: 64 to 128 KB SRAM<ref name="superfx" />
  • 64 KB main SRAM
  • 74 KB video SRAM
  • 2 KB audio SRAM<ref name="mvstech" />
Video
  • Resolution: 256×224 to 565×242 (progressive), 256×448 to 565×484 (interlaced)
  • Sprites: 64 on screen, 16 per scanline, 16×16 to 32×64 sizes, 16 colors per sprite, sprite flipping<ref name="pcetech">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation
 CitationClass=web

}}</ref>

CitationClass=web

}}</ref>

CitationClass=web

}}</ref>

  • Resolution: 320×224, 256×224 (NTSC), 320×240, 256×240 (PAL) (progressive),<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation
 CitationClass=web

}}</ref> 320×448 to 320×480 (interlaced)

  • Sprites: 80 on screen, 20 per scanline, 8×8 to 32×32 sizes, 16 colors per sprite,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation
 CitationClass=web

}}</ref> integer sprite zoom,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

CitationClass=web

}}</ref> sprite flipping<ref name="sega_faq">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

CitationClass=web

}}</ref>

  • Tilemaps: 2 parallax scrolling planes with line & row scroll effects<ref name="pilgrimage" /> and tile flipping<ref name="sega_faq" />
  • Colors on screen: 64<ref name="genvdp" /> to 75<ref name="pilgrimage">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation
 CitationClass=web

}}</ref> (standard), 192 (shadow/highlight),<ref name="genvdp" /> 512 (160×224 resolution)<ref name="pilgrimage" />

  • Color palette: 512 (standard), 1536 (shadow/highlight)<ref name="genvdp" />

Upgrades:

  • SVP enhancement chip: 3,000 texture mapping polygons/sec, 20,000 flat shading polygons/sec<ref name="ReferenceA">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation
 CitationClass=web

}}</ref>

CitationClass=web

}}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

CitationClass=web

}}Template:Dead link</ref>

  • Resolution: 256×224 to 256×239 (progressive), 512×448 to 512×478 (interlaced)
  • Sprites: 128 on screen, 32 per scanline, 8×8 to 64×64 sizes, 16 colors per sprite, sprite flipping<ref name="snesdoc" />
  • Tilemaps: 2–4 parallax scrolling planes (lo-res), or 1–2 scrolling planes (hi-res), or 1 scaling/rotating plane (Mode 7)<ref name="snesdoc" />
  • Colors on screen: 256 (1–3 lo-res planes), 128 (4 planes), 128 to 160 (hi-res)<ref name="snesdoc">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation
 CitationClass=web

}}</ref>

Enhancement chips:

CitationClass=web

}}</ref>

  • Super FX 2: 4,000 flat shading polygons/sec, 2,000 texture mapping polygons/sec
  • Capcom Cx4: Sprite rotation/Calculations for wireframe effects
  • DSP-1: Advance Scaling and Rotation via Mode 7
  • DSP-2: Dynamic Scaling Capability and Transparency effects
  • DSP-3: Bitstream decompression, and bitplane conversion of graphics
  • DSP-4: Draw Distance
  • Resolution: 320×224 to 384×264<ref name="mvstech" /> (progressive)
  • Sprites: 380 on screen, 96 per scanline, double line buffering, 16×16 to 16×512 sizes, 16 colors per sprite, sprite scaling, sprite flipping<ref name="mvstech" />
  • Tilemaps: 1 static plane, and optional 1–3 parallax scrolling planes with scaling and line & column scroll effects<ref name="mvstech" /><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation
 CitationClass=web

}}</ref>

Audio Stereo audio with:

Template:Webarchive</ref> or FM on 2 channels

  • Optional streaming of samples through any channel

CD add on:

Stereo audio with: CitationClass=web

}}</ref>CD add on:

  • 8 PCM channels (16-bit, 32 kHz)<ref name="progscd" />
  • 2-channel stereo streaming CD-DA (16-bit, 44.1 kHz)

Upgrades:

Stereo audio with: Stereo audio with:
  • 4 FM synthesis channels/voices
  • 3 square wave channels/voices
  • 1 white noise generator
  • 6 ADPCM channels (12-bit) @ 18.5 kHz sampling rate<ref name="ym2610">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation
 CitationClass=web

}}</ref>

  • 1 ADPCM channel (16-bit) @ 1.8 to 55.5 kHz sampling rate<ref name="ym2610" />

Other consolesEdit

Name PC Engine SuperGrafx PC Engine Duo/TurboDuo CD-i Wondermega/X'Eye
Manufacturer NEC Philips Victor/JVC
Console File:SuperGrafx-Console-Set.jpg File:PC-Engine-Duo-Console-Set.jpg
File:NEC-TurboDuo-Console-wController-L.jpg 		File:CD-i-910-Console-Set.jpg
File:Philips-CDi-220-wController-FL.jpg 		File:Victor-WonderMega-RG-M2-Console-Set.jpg
Release date Template:Vgrelease Template:Vgrelease Template:Vgrelease Template:Vgrelease
Launch prices US$ US$299.99 (Template:Inflation) US$799 (Template:Inflation) US$500 (Template:Inflation)
JP¥ ¥59.800 (Template:Inflation)
Media Type HuCard HuCard, CD-ROM CD-ROM Cartridge, CD-ROM
Regional lockout Template:No Template:Partial<ref name="Hu-Cards" /> Template:Yes Template:No
Backward compatibility Template:Yes Template:Yes Template:No Template:Yes
GPU
  • Hudson Soft HuC6260 Video Color Encoder (16-bit)
  • Hudson Soft HuC6202 Video Priority Controller
  • Hudson Soft HuC6270A Video Display Controller (16-bit)
  • Hudson Soft HuC6260 Video Color Encoder (16-bit)
  • Hudson Soft HuC6270A Video Display Controller (16-bit)

Philips SCC66470, MCD 212

Sega ASIC coprocessor<ref name="progscd">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation CitationClass=web

}}</ref>

Sound chip(s)

Hudson Soft HuC6280A PSG with 6 Wavetable channels @111.87 kHz

MCD 221

Ricoh RF5c164
RAM
  • 32 KB main RAM
  • 128 KB video RAM
  • 64 KB main DRAM, 64 KB audio DRAM
  • 256 KB SRAM
  • 64 KB Video RAM
  • 8 KB Work Ram

1 MB RAM

  • 512 KB main
  • 256 KB Video
  • 64 KB Audio
  • 16 KB cache
  • 8 KB Internal Back-up<ref name=":1">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation
 CitationClass=web

}}</ref> CD BackUp Ram Carts:

  • 8 KB to 512 KB <ref name="segaretro.org" />
Video
Audio CitationClass=web

}}</ref> 32.088 kHz sampling rate<ref name="MSM5205">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

CitationClass=web

}}</ref>

Stereo audio with: Stereo audio with:
  • 8 ADPCM channels
 Stereo audio with:
  • 8 PCM channels (16-bit, 32 kHz)<ref name="progscd" />
  • 2-channel stereo streaming CD-DA (16-bit, 44.1 kHz)

Worldwide sales standingsEdit

Template:See also

Console Firm Units sold
Super Nintendo Entertainment System Nintendo citation CitationClass=web

}}</ref>

Sega Mega Drive/Genesis Sega 35.25 million<ref group="cn" name="genesis">30.75 million sold by Sega worldwide as of June 1996.<ref name="famitsu 306">Template:Cite journal</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref> 1.5 million projected by Majesco Entertainment of the Genesis 3 in 1998.<ref name="AllgameMajesco">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation CitationClass=web

}}</ref> 3 million sold by Tectoy in Brazil as of 2012.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

CitationClass=web

}}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

CitationClass=web

}}</ref></ref>

PC Engine/TurboGrafx-16 NEC 7.7 million
Sega CD Sega Template:Nowrap<ref name="SD">Template:Cite magazine</ref>
PC Engine CD-ROM² NEC Template:Nowrap<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>
Neo Geo AES SNK Template:Nowrap<ref group="cn">1 million in Japan.<ref name=":4">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation CitationClass=web

}}</ref> 180,000 overseas.<ref name=":0">Template:Cite magazine</ref></ref>

Philips CD-i Philips 1 million<ref>Consoles +, [2] Template:Webarchive</ref>
Sega 32X Sega 800,000<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
Neo Geo CD SNK 570,000<ref name=":0" />

Handheld systemsEdit

Template:See also

The first handheld game console released in the fourth generation was the Game Boy, on April 21, 1989. It went on to dominate handheld sales by an extremely large margin, despite featuring an 8-bit microprocessor and a low-contrast, unlit monochrome screen while all three of its leading competitors had color. Three major franchises made their debut on the Game Boy: Tetris, the Game Boy's killer application; Pokémon; and Kirby. With some design (Game Boy Pocket, Game Boy Light) and hardware (Game Boy Color) changes, it continued in production in some form until 2008, enjoying a better than 18-year run.

The Atari Lynx included hardware-accelerated color graphics, a backlight, and the ability to link up to sixteen units together in an early example of network play when its competitors could only link 2 or 4 consoles (or none at all),<ref name="The Atari Lynx">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> but its comparatively short battery life (approximately 4.5 hours on a set of alkaline cells, versus 35 hours for the Game Boy), high price, and weak games library made it one of the worst-selling handheld game systems of all time, with less than 500,000 units sold.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="handheld sales">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

The third major handheld of the fourth generation was the Game Gear. It featured graphics capabilities roughly comparable to the Master System (better colours, but lower resolution), a ready made games library by using the "Master-Gear" adaptor to play cartridges from the older console, and the opportunity to be converted into a portable TV using a cheap tuner adaptor, but it also suffered some of the same shortcomings as the Lynx. While it sold more than twenty times as many units as the Lynx, its bulky design – slightly larger than even the original Game Boy; relatively poor battery life – only a little better than the Lynx; and later arrival in the marketplace – competing for sales amongst the remaining buyers who did not already have a Game Boy – hampered its overall popularity despite being more closely competitive to the Nintendo in terms of price and breadth of software library.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Sega eventually retired the Game Gear in 1997, a year before Nintendo released the first examples of the Game Boy Color, to focus on the Nomad and non-portable console products.

Other handheld consoles released during the fourth generation included the TurboExpress, a handheld version of the TurboGrafx-16 released by NEC in 1990, and the Game Boy Pocket, an improved model of the Game Boy released about two years before the debut of the Game Boy Color. While the TurboExpress was another early pioneer of color handheld gaming technology and had the added benefit of using the same game cartridges or 'HuCards' as the TurboGrafx16, it had even worse battery life than the Lynx and Game Gear – about three hours on six contemporary AA batteries – selling only 1.5 million units.<ref name="handheld sales"/>

List of handheld consolesEdit

Console Game Boy
Game Boy Pocket
Game Boy Light 		Atari Lynx Game Gear PC Engine GT
TurboExpress
PC Engine LT
Manufacturer Nintendo Atari Sega NEC
Image File:Game-Boy-FL.jpg File:Game-Boy-Pocket-FL.jpg File:Game-Boy-Light-FL.jpg File:Atari-Lynx-I-Handheld.jpg File:Atari-Lynx-II-Handheld-Angled.jpg File:Game-Gear-Handheld.jpg File:NEC-TurboExpress-Upright-FL.jpg File:PC Engine LT cutout.jpg
Release date Template:Ubl Template:Vgrelease Template:Vgrelease Template:Ubl
Launch price US$ US$89.95<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> (Template:Inflation) US$189.99 (Template:Inflation) US$149.99 (Template:Inflation) citation CitationClass=web

}}</ref> (Template:Inflation)

GBP Template:GBP<ref name="UKLaunchPrice">Template:Cite magazine</ref> (Template:Inflation)
A$ A$155 (Template:Inflation)
JP¥ Template:¥<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation CitationClass=web

}}</ref> (Template:Inflation)

Template:¥ (Template:Inflation)
Units sold 118.69 million, including Game Boy Color<ref name="consolidatednintendosales">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation CitationClass=web

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500,000<ref name="handheld sales"/> 11 million<ref name="handheld sales"/> 1.5 million<ref name="handheld sales"/>
Media Type Cartridge Cartridge Cartridge Datacard
Regional lockout Template:Yes Template:Yes Template:Yes Template:No
Backward compatibility Template:N/a Template:N/a Template:Yes Template:Yes
Best-selling games Pokémon Red, Blue, and Yellow RoadBlasters Sonic the Hedgehog 2 Bonk's Adventure
CPU Sharp SM83 @ 4.2 MHz MOS 65SC02 @ 4 MHz Zilog Z80 @ 3.5 MHz HuC6280A @ 1.79 / 7.16 MHz
Memory 8 KB work RAM, 8 KB video RAM 64 KB RAM 8 KB work RAM, 16 KB video RAM 8 KB work RAM, 64 KB video RAM
Video Template:Ubl Template:Ubl Template:Ubl Template:Ubl
Audio Stereo audio (using headphones), with:
  • Two square wave channels
  • One programmable waveform channel
  • One white noise generator
 Stereo audio with:
  • Four square wave channels
  • A built-in DAC for each channel
 Stereo audio (using headphones), with:
  • Three square wave channels
  • One white noise generator
 Stereo audio (using headphones), with:
  • Six programmable waveform channels
  • White noise generation
  • Optional streaming of samples

Other handheld game consolesEdit

Milestone titlesEdit

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  • Garou: Mark of the Wolves (Arcade, Neo Geo AES) by SNK is considered one of the best fighting games, as well as the "swan song" of the generation. receiving praise for its hand-drawn graphics, and the game's tight and streamlined control scheme.<ref name="bestworst2001">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

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  • Gunstar Heroes (Genesis) by Treasure and Sega is considered one of the best action games of the generation.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

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  • Sonic the Hedgehog (Genesis) by Sonic Team and Sega was Sega's bid to compete head-to head with Nintendo's Mario franchise, played a critical role in the success of the Genesis, and received widespread critical acclaim as one of the greatest games ever made, kickstarting a successful franchise.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
  • Street Fighter II (Arcade, Genesis, SNES, TurboGrafx) by Capcom was the second game in the series to produce a lasting fanbase and set many of the trends seen in fighting games today, most notably its colorful selection of playable fighters from different countries across the globe.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> As of 2008, it is Capcom's best-selling consumer game of all time.<ref name="platinum">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

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  • Super Monaco GP (Arcade, Genesis) by Sega set a new standard for realism in console racing games.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

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|CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="greatest">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> It was one of the few action-adventures to be released early in the SNES's lifecycle. Zelda II on the NES had been mostly action-based and was side-scrolling, while A Link to the Past drew more inspiration from the original Zelda game with its top-down adventure format.<ref name="link to the past">Template:Cite video game</ref><ref name="four swords">Template:Cite video game</ref><ref name="player's guide">Template:Cite book</ref><ref name="official guide">Template:Cite book</ref>

See alsoEdit

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NotesEdit

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ReferencesEdit

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Template:Fourth generation game consoles Template:History of Video Games

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