video game console

a.k.a. game console, video games

A computer device that outputs a video signal or visual image to display a video game that one or more people can play. The term "video game console" is used to distinguish a console machine designed for consumers to play video games, in contrast to arcade machines or home computer games.

Video game consoles use proprietary formats which compete with each other for market share (as opposed to music and movie players which use industry-wide standards). This means there are many different types of video game consoles, including:
  • Home video game consoles
  • Handheld game consoles
  • Microconsoles
  • Dedicated consoles
Historical perspective: Ralph Baer built working video game consoles by 1966, but it wasn't until Pong hit the market in 1972 that video games became regular features in people's living rooms. The evolution during the 1990s and 2000s expanded game consoles include CD players, DVD players, Blu-ray disc players, web browsers, set-top boxes and more. 

The first company to use the term was Sony when the PlayStation launched in Japan on December 3, 1994. The popularity of gaming continues to increase. By 2010, more than 132 million next-generation game consoles, like Microsoft's Xbox and the PlayStation, dominated screen time.

See also : Blu-ray  CD  DVD  episodic games  gaming  
NetLingo Classification: Net Hardware

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