Generations of Computer Game System: Defying the Method we Specify Entertainment

Entertainment takes its brand-new kind. With the advancement of innovation and its combination to different elements of our lives, standard entertainment such as theatrical plays and cultural programs is replaced by so-called "electronic home entertainment". There you have various digital and animated films that you can enjoy on movie theater or on your home entertainment system, cable television service system (CTS), and the video game system, which is popular not simply to young and old gamers alike however likewise to game designers, simply because of the advancement of innovative technologies that they can use to improve existing game systems.

The computer game system is planned for playing computer game, though there are contemporary video game systems that enables you to have an access over other types of home entertainment utilizing such video game systems (like watching DVD films, listening to MP3 music files, or surfing the Web). Thus, it is typically described as "interactive entertainment computer system" to differentiate the game system from a maker that is utilized for various functions (such as personal computer and arcade games).

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The very first generation of video game system started when Magnavox (an electronics company which manufactures tvs, radios, and gramophones or record players) launched its first game news computer game system, which is the Magnavox Odyssey designed by Ralph Baer. Odyssey's appeal lasted up until the release of Atari's PONG computer game. Magnavox recognized that they can not take on the appeal of PONG video games, therefore in 1975 they developed the Odyssey 100 computer game system that will play Atari-produced PONG games.

The second generation of computer game system came a year after the release of Odyssey 100. In 1976, Fairchild released the FVES (Fairchild Video Entertainment System), which made use of a programmable microprocessor so that a game cartridge can hold a single ROM chip to conserve microprocessor instructions. Nevertheless, because of the "video game crash" in 1977, Fairchild abandoned the video game system industry. Magnavox and Atari stayed in the video game industry.

The renewal of the computer game system began when Atari launched the popular game Area Invaders. The market was all of a sudden restored, with lots of players made purchase of an Atari video game system just for Space Intruders. In other words, with the appeal of Area Invaders, Atari controlled the video game industry throughout the 80s.

Video game system's 3rd generation came into being after the release of Nintendo's Famicon in 1983. It supported full color, high resolution, and tiled background gaming system. It was initially launched in Japan and it was later given the United States in the form of Nintendo Home entertainment System (NES) in 1985. And just like Atari's Space Intruders, the release of Nintendo's famous Super Mario Brothers was a huge success, which totally revived the suffering video game system industry in the early months of 1983.

Sega planned to compete with Nintendo, but they stopped working to develop considerable market share. It was until 1988 when Sega released the Sega Genesis in Japan on October 29 of the exact same year and on September 1, 1989 in the United States and Europe territories. 2 years later, Nintendo launched the Super Nintendo Home Entertainment System (SNES) in 1990.

Atari returned with their brand-new computer game system, which is the Jaguar and 3DO. Both systems might show more onscreen colors and the latter made use of a CD instead of game cartridges, making it more powerful compared to Genesis and SNES. Nintendo, on the other hand, chose to release new video games such as Donkey Kong Nation instead of producing new computer game systems. Sega's Vectorman and Virtua Racing did the same. Several years later, Sony, Sega, and Nintendo launched the 5th generation of video game systems (PlayStation, Saturn, and N64, respectively).

The 6th generation of game systems followed, involving Sega (Dreamcast, which was their last video game system and the very first Internet-ready video game system), Sony (PlayStation 2), Nintendo (Game Cube which is their very first system to use video game CDs), and the beginner Microsoft (Xbox).

The latest generation of computer game systems is now gradually going into the game market. These are as follows:

- Microsoft's Xbox, which was released on November 22, 2005;

- Sony's PlayStation 3, which is schedule to be launched on November 11, 2006 (Japan), November 17 of the same year (The United States and Canada), and March 2007 (Europe); and

- Nintendo's Wii, which is set up to be launched on November 19, 2006 (The United States And Canada), December 2 of the same year (Japan), December 7 (Australia), and December 8 (Europe).

The development of video game system does not end here. There will be future generations of game system being developed as of this minute, which will defy the method we define "entertainment".