Retro computers and consoles: History from Atari to PlayStation

In short: From Pong and the Atari 2600 via NES, Mega Drive and C64 to the PlayStation the games industry arose within a few decades; each generation brought new technology and new ways of playing.

In more detail: An overview helps classify collectibles, games and technology. Years are approximate (market launch depending on region).

In Depth

The early years (1970s)

• Magnavox Odyssey (1972): first home console. Pong (Atari, 1972) in arcades and 1975 for home.
• Atari 2600 (1977): plug-in modules (cartridges), joystick; the 8-bit era begins. Arcade boom (Space Invaders, Pac-Man).
• Home computers: Apple II, Commodore PET, TRS-80 (1977).

1980s: home computers and the crash

• Video game crash of 1983 (oversupply, quality problems).
• Commodore 64 (1982): best-selling home computer, SID sound chip; ZX Spectrum (UK), Atari ST, Amiga (1985), Schneider CPC, MSX.
• NES/Famicom (Nintendo, 1983/85) revives the market: Super Mario Bros., Zelda. Sega Master System.
• Game Boy (1989): portable, Tetris.

1990s: 16-bit and the change to 3D

• Sega Mega Drive/Genesis (1988/89) and SNES (1990/91): 16-bit, Sonic vs. Mario.
• CD-ROM era: Sega CD, Philips CD-i, PC with Sound Blaster and VGA (DOS games: Doom 1993).
• PlayStation (Sony, 1994/95), Sega Saturn, Nintendo 64 (1996): 3D graphics, disc instead of module (PS1), analogue stick (N64).
• Dreamcast (1998) with online.

2000s and today

PlayStation 2 (2000, best-selling console), Xbox, GameCube, later Wii (motion control), Xbox 360/PS3 (HD, online), PS4/Xbox One, Switch (hybrid), PS5/Xbox Series. In parallel: PC games, smartphones, cloud gaming. Retro collecting: condition (case, manual, module = “CIB”), check authenticity (fakes for NES/GBA/Pokémon), store dry, batteries (save batteries in modules run down), prices fluctuate. See the articles on emulation, consoles, CD/DVD.

See also: Game consoles, Emulators and retro games, CD-ROM, PlayStation 1