History of video game consoles (fourth generation)

The fourth generation of video game consoles began on October 30, 1987. The fourth generation (also called the 16-bit generation) began with the release of Nippon Electric Company's (NEC) PC Engine. Although NEC released the first fourth-generation console, this generation was dominated by Nintendo and Sega. Nintendo became the largest worldwide market share in the fourth generation. Sega was also successful in this generation. It began a new franchise, Sonic the Hedgehog. This was done so Sega could compete with Nintendo's Mario series of games. Many other companies released consoles in this generation. However, none of them were successful, except for Neo Geo from SNK.

The first handheld game console released in the fourth generation was the Game Boy, on April 21, 1989. The Game Boy became the most popular handheld game console. The Game Boy's screen had no color. However, many of its leading competitors did. Three major franchises were introduced for the Game Boy. These include: Tetris, Pokemon and Kirby. Many of the popular games in this generation originally started in the 8-bit generations. These titles include Mario, Metroid, Zelda, Star Fox, Kirby, Dragon Quest, Final Fantasy, Seiken Densetsu (Secret of Mana), Sonic the Hedgehog, Donkey Kong, Street Fighter, Mortal Kombat and Mega Man X.

The next generation would be the one that changed everything.

 Home video game consoles 
 Comparison 
 Name PC-Engine/TurboGrafx-16 Mega Drive/Genesis Super Famicom/Super Nintendo Entertainment System Neo Geo AES Manufacturer NEC/Hudson Soft Sega Nintendo SNKConsole200px200px|200px200px|200px|230pxLaunch prices (USD)US$199.99US$189.99US$199.99US$649.99 (Gold version)
US$399.99 (Silver version)Release date   MediaHuCard (card-shaped cartridge) 
CD-ROM (Turbo CD add-on)Cartridge 
CD-ROM (Mega-CD add-on)  
Data card (Power Base Converter add-on)Cartridge  
Magnetic disc (Japan only)Cartridge
Data card (Europe/Japan)Best-selling games Bonk's AdventureSonic the Hedgehog  (15 million)Super Mario World, 20 million (as of June 25, 2007)Samurai ShodownBackward compatibility Sega Master System (using Power Base Converter)Game Boy (using Super Game Boy) Accessories (retail) TurboGrafx-CD
 TurboTap
 TurboStick
 Super System Card
 TurboBooster
 TurboBooster Plus Sega Mega-CD
 Sega 32X
 Mouse
 Menacer
 Power Base Converter
 Sega Activator
 Multitap Super Scope
 Multitap
 Super Game Boy
 SNES Mouse
 Super Advantage Neo Geo Controller Pro
 Neo Geo Memory CardCPUHuC6280A (modified 65SC02)1.79 or 7.16 MHzMotorola 680007.67 MHz (7.61 MHz PAL)Zilog Z803.58 MHzNintendo-custom 5A22(based on 65C816)3.58 MHz (3.55 MHz PAL)Motorola 6800012 MHzZilog Z804 MHzMemory8 KiB work RAM64 KiB video RAM64 KiB main RAM64 KiB video RAM8 KiB audio RAM128 KiB main RAM64 KiB video RAM64 KiB audio RAM64 KiB main RAM74 KiB video RAM2 KiB audio RAM

Other

 Worldwide sales 
 Console  Units sold Super Famicom/Super Nintendo Entertainment System  49.10 million Sega Mega Drive/Sega Genesis 40 million  PC Engine/TurboGrafx-16  10 million CD-i  570,000

 List of handheld consoles 
 Console Game Boy Atari Lynx Sega Game Gear TurboExpress Manufacturer Nintendo Atari Sega NECImage75px160px150px80pxLaunch price¥12,500US$89.95US$189.99¥14,500US$149.99A$155US$299.99Release date April 21, 1989 August 1989 1990 September 1989 1990 October 6, 1990 April 26, 1991 April 26, 1991 1992 November 16, 1990 1991Units sold118.69 million (as of December 31, 2009), including Game Boy Color units5 million (as of July 30, 2007)15 million (as of July 30, 2007)1.5 millionMediaCartridgeCartridgeCartridgeDatacardBest-selling gamesTetris, 35 million (pack-in / separately).
Pokémon Red, Blue, and Green, approximately 20.08 million combined (in Japan and the US) (details).UnknownSonic the Hedgehog 2Bonk's AdventureBackward compatibility (Original Cartridges compatible with later models) Sega Master System (using Cartridge Adapter) 

Other

 Popular games 
 Sonic the Hedgehog
 Metroid II
 The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past
 Dragon Quest V and VI
 Star Fox 
 Final Fantasy V 
 Secret of Mana
 Street Fighter II
 Phantasy Star
 Thunder Force II, III and IV 
 Super Metroid 

 Notes 

 References 

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Category:History of video game consoles