Curated by Valerie Waldron, Computer & Video Game Archive Manager
This exhibit began as a celebration of our 5th anniversary in Fall 2013, and is maintained by the Computer & Video Game Archive (CVGA) in the Duderstadt Center. For more information about the CVGA, see the About This Exhibit section.
Game consoles have undergone many changes over the course of time. Each generation of game console brings new capabilities, greater potential for more powerful games, and an updated design. This exhibit will explore game consoles throughout the generations as we open them up and give you an inside look at how they have evolved.
We will begin with the first six generations of game consoles, and will look to expanding into the seventh and eighth generations at a later time.
The first generation of video game consoles lasted from 1972 to 1977, and the consoles follow some basic defining properties...
The second generation of video game consoles began in 1976 and lasted until 1984. This generation carried some distinct features..
The third generation of video game consoles, also referred to as the 8-bit era, began in 1983. The third generation..
Building upon the previous generation's unprecedented innovation, the fourth generation of gaming consoles brought marked improvements in performance, design and..
The fifth generation era of video game consoles lasted from about 1993 to 2001, and is also referred to as..
Coinciding with the turn of the 21st century, the sixth generation of video game consoles ceased the trend of defining..
This exhibit began as a celebration of our 5th anniversary in Fall 2013, and is maintained by the Computer &..
