4th Generation Game Consoles 1987-1992
Heading into the fourth generation, the graphics were improving. All of the game consoles before had okay graphics, but it wasn't good enough to show things in great detail. This generation changed that once again with all new 16-bit graphics. This generation is known as the 16-bit era. Not only could the games be displayed in great detail, the first true 3D effects and games came in. Including the SNES Mode 7 which traded height for depth to create a 3-dimensional illusion. Other games like Star Fox were in complete 3D and used polygons. Some important games released at this time are Sonic the Hedgehog, Metroid II, Super Metroid, Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past, Star Fox, Megaman X, Dragon Quest V and VI, F-Zero, Final Fantasy IV and VI, Street Fighter II, and Phantasy Star.
TurboGrafx-16
TurboGrafx-16
The TurboGrafx-16 is a 16-bit console released in 1989 by the NEC Corporation. This was the first fourth generation console to be released. An add on called the TurboGrafx-16 CD was released in 1990, the first home console unit to play games on CDs. An update named the TurboDuo was released in 1992 which just combined the console and CD unit into one. Although it was the first 16-bit console, the CPU was still out of date, being 8-bit. At first it sold well in North America, but as soon as other new consoles were released, along with lack of third party support, it didn't do so well against the competition. However, it paved the way for new ideas.
Sega Genesis
Sega Genesis, Sega CD, and 32x
The Sega Genesis was released by Sega in 1989. Its real name is the Sega Mega Drive, but Sega couldn't get the rights to call it that in the United States. It was released to compete with the NES, and went on to compete with the SNES. It had good 16-bit graphics. This console is Sega's most successful console. It was the console that spawned Sonic the Hedgehog one of Sega's best franchises. The controllers had three buttons and a directional pad for control. It also had a start button. Later, Sega released two add-ons for the Sega Genesis to expand on their console.
Sega CD: The Sega CD came out in 1992 and was an add on for the Sega Genesis. It would play special Sega CD games that as you may have guessed, are on CD's. It offered a faster CPU, enhanced graphic capabilities, more memory, and a new sound chip. The Sega CD could do video in the games, and many of them used the video feature. Even though the add on plugged into the side of the Genesis, it still needs its own AC Power Adapter. The Sega CD spawned Sonic CD, one of the best Sonic games.
Sega 32x: The 32x came out in 1994 and was the second add on for the Sega Genesis. As said in its name, it had 32-bit graphics. Also, like the Sega CD, it also had its own AC Power Adapter. The games on it were incredibly detailed, and could even be in 3D sometimes. Also, believe it or not, Sega also released some Sega CD 32x games. These required both the Sega CD and 32x to play. It also had improved sound abilities, but most were left unused.
Sega CD: The Sega CD came out in 1992 and was an add on for the Sega Genesis. It would play special Sega CD games that as you may have guessed, are on CD's. It offered a faster CPU, enhanced graphic capabilities, more memory, and a new sound chip. The Sega CD could do video in the games, and many of them used the video feature. Even though the add on plugged into the side of the Genesis, it still needs its own AC Power Adapter. The Sega CD spawned Sonic CD, one of the best Sonic games.
Sega 32x: The 32x came out in 1994 and was the second add on for the Sega Genesis. As said in its name, it had 32-bit graphics. Also, like the Sega CD, it also had its own AC Power Adapter. The games on it were incredibly detailed, and could even be in 3D sometimes. Also, believe it or not, Sega also released some Sega CD 32x games. These required both the Sega CD and 32x to play. It also had improved sound abilities, but most were left unused.
Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES)
SNES
The SNES came out in 1991 by Nintendo. It had 16-bit graphics, double the graphics of the original NES. Similarly to the NES, which had its Japanese counterpart the Famicom, the SNES had it own Japanese counterpart, the Super Famicom, which came out in 1990. The SNES was packaged with the game Super Mario World. The controllers had four buttons, a directional pad, a start button, and a select button. Many popular game series were created on the SNES such as F-Zero, Star Fox, Pilotwings, Mario Kart, and Megaman X. An add on for the SNES called the Super Gameboy, allowed players to play Gameboy games on their SNES, and some Gameboy Color games. The Super Gameboy gave the ability to make a custom color palet that players can create for their originally black and white gameboy games. Some games are programmed with extra graphics only available on the Super Gameboy, and the Super Gameboy has many backgrounds for Gameboy games. This console by itself could only do 3D effects, but with the aid of a Super FX chip placed in some cartridges, it could do true 3D polygons graphics.
Neo Geo
Neo Geo
The Neo Geo was a 24-bit console and arcade released in 1991 by SNK Playmore. It was an arcade game machine that used cartridges. At first, they only made the arcade units for hotels and restaurants, but when they learned customers would actually want to buy one, they released a home console version. It was very expensive, costing $650. Technically, it is 24-bit because of the fact it uses two GPUs, one 16-bit and one 8-bit. The Neo Geo brought famous arcade games into the home. The cartridges are remembered for being huge. They measured 7.5 x 5.34 in dimension.
Philips CD-i
Philips CD-i
The Philips CD-i came out in 1991 by Philips. The story behind it, is when Nintendo was working on projects with Sony and Philips to make a CD based add on for the SNES. However, both projects failed. Sony went on to make the Playstation, and Philips created the Philips CD-i. The deal with Philips also gave them the rights to certain Nintendo franchises. Hotel Mario, Zelda: The Wand of Gamelon, Zelda: Link the Faces of Evil, and Zelda's Adventure were made. There were several versions of the CD-i too. This console didn't sell well, mainly because of the controllers.
Handhelds
Gameboy (GB)
Gameboy
The Gameboy was released in 1989 by Nintendo. It was 8-bit just like their NES console, and was packaged with the game Tetris. The Gameboy was a huge success despite the other handhelds at the time. Many games were released for the Gameboy. This handheld beat the Atari Lynx because of longer battery life, and lower price. Later a smaller version was released called the Gameboy Pocket, which was smaller. After that, the Gameboy Light, which had a back light for places with low amounts of light was released. Many popular games were released for the Gameboy like Donkey Kong Land, Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening, and Pokemon Red & Blue, which were the best selling games on the Gameboy.
Atari Lynx
Atari Lynx
The Atari Lynx was released in 1989 by Atari Inc. Even though this handheld had 16-bit graphics and a back-lit screen, it didn't do as well as the Gameboy. This handheld was the first one to be in color. Also, it could do 3D effects too. The console didn't do as well because it was hard to see the screen and it had a very short battery life.
Sega Game Gear (GG)
Sega Game Gear
The Sega Game Gear was released in 1990 by Sega. Basically, it was a handheld version of the Sega Master System, but had a lower resolution screen. The Sega Game Gear rivaled the Gameboy, and did well in the United States, but not Japan. An add on was released allowing it to play original SMS games on it. As with the SMS, the Sega Game Gear had 8-bit graphics.
TurboExpress
TurboExpress
The TurboExpress was a handheld console released in 1990 by the NEC Corporation. It was basically a handheld version of the TurboGrafx-16. Though it was more advanced than most handheld consoles, it had a lot of hardware problems. Problems such as sound failure, bad pixels on the screen, and dead capacitors. Even a newly bought system could have a dead capacitor, which would have to be replaced. Since it had no internal save memory, games that would save to the data on the TurboGrafx-16 couldn't be saved on a TurboExpress. It also had a small three hour battery life and took six AA batteries. Two players could play games together through the TurboLink cable, and you could even watch television on it with the TurboVision adapter.