Home computer

The home computer is a consumer-friendly word for the second generation of microcomputers (the technical term that was previously used), entering the market in 1977 and becoming common during the 1980s.

Notable game consoles

The list below includes the most popular and/or significant video game consoles of the home computer era. Though not general purpose computers, many consoles competed for consumer money in the same market as the more low-end home computers (and used similar hardware). This market was also flooded with several oddball or badly marketed systems that never achieved much success; accordingly, those systems are not mentioned here.

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(For a comprehensive overview of game consoles, i.e. not just the most notable ones given below, see the List of video game consoles, which includes most game consoles up to the present.)

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• Magnavox Odyssey (1972) (first home video game console, and the only one without sound; B/W graphics, analog circuitry)
• Fairchild Channel F (1976) (first microprocessor-based console, first one with sound, and color, first console to use cartridges)
• Atari 2600 (1977) (aka Atari VCS) (first very successful console, largest video game library)
• Magnavox Odyssey² (1978) (aka Philips Videopac G7000) (first with full QWERTY keyboard)
• Milton Bradley Microvision (1979) (first portable video game system)
• Mattel Intellivision (1980) (most direct competitor against Atari 2600; first 16-bit console)
• Vectrex (1982) (only console with built-in display screen, only one with real vector graphics)
• Atari 5200 (1982) (first video game console based upon a home computer)
• Colecovision (1982) (most popular 2nd-gen. 8-bit console, first with arcade-quality graphics)
• Nintendo Entertainment System (1985) (most popular 3rd-gen. 8-bit console in the U.S.)
• Sega Master System (1986) (outsold the Nintendo Entertainment System in parts of Europe and South America)
• Sega Mega Drive (1988) (aka Sega Genesis (1989)) (first successful 16-bit console)
• Nintendo Game Boy (1989) (first successful, and bestselling, handheld video game console)
• Super Nintendo (SNES) (1991) (arguably the most advanced 16-bit console, top U.S. 16-bit seller)