The Machines by Genration
All about the consoles and computers that power our gaming dreams, sorted by generation.
Generation 1
The age of Pong and very early arcades machines.
Apple II
The computer that launched Apple. More...
Arcade
Video gaming (though not computer gaming) begins and ends with the arcade. For many of us the arcades are the temples of our youth. More...
Generation 2
The age of the home computer revolution.
Atari 2600 VCS
The first major home console hit. More...
PC
Not much of a games machine at first but the old IBM compatible has flourished into the most advanced games machine money can buy. More...
Generation 3
Nintendo and Sega begin their epic battle for console supremacy.
Acorn BBC Micro
Built for Aunty by Acorn and beloved of schools across the UK, the BBC Micro is about as British as it gets. More...
Apple Macintosh
The PC's only true competitor, after a few Lazarus moments, is now stronger than ever. More...
Commodore 64
The best selling home computer model of all time, the Commodore 64 took the world by storm as a practical business machine and fantastic games machine. More...
Nintendo Entertainment System
Nintendo's first home console and the best selling games machine of it's time, the NES brought the games industry back from the brink following the 1983 crash. More...
Sega Master System
In the summer of '86 the Sega Master System or SMS was released into the path of the steamroller that was the Nintendo Entertainment System. More...
Sinclair ZX Spectrum
The ZX Spectrum was a phenomenon; a colour home computer for £100. This was unheard-of value in the home computer market. More...
Generation 4
The height of the console wars and a golden age for gaming. 16-bits made for the ultimate 2D gaming experience.
Acorn Archimedes
The super-advanced British RISC computer that arrived just too late to stem the flow towards the soulless PC. More...
Atari ST
Darling of the synth-music movement the Atari ST is a true legend. More...
Commodore Amiga
Never before had the public seen such beautiful graphics or heard such sound from a computer they could afford. More...
Nintendo Gameboy
Nintendo's Gameboy is grandaddy of the handheld console world and in its original, Pocket and Color versions has sold more than any other console, handheld or not. More...
Sega Genesis/Megadrive
"Genesis Does What Nintendon't" boasted Sega's ad campaign, and at its release in the summer of '89, it did. More...
SNK Neo-Geo
An arcade machine for home with a price to match. More...
Super Nintendo Entertainment System
Nintendo's SNES was a monster; far more powerful than the Genesis it held its own well into the 32-bit era. More...
Generation 5
3D goes mainstream at last and the Playstation rules the roost although the generation's defining games are nearly all on N64.
Atari Jaguar
Atari's swansong, the Jaguar was designed to be the first of the new generation following the golden age of the 16-bit consoles ruled by the SNES and MegaDrive. More...
Nintendo 64
This was meant to be the Playstation killer, it never managed it but it posed the greatest threat to Sony until the Wii. More...
Sega Saturn
The first casualty of the mighty Playstation, Sega’s Saturn was the beginning of that great pioneering company's end. More...
Sony Playstation
Sony's world beater, the Playstation, single-handedly revitalised the whole games industry but finished off some old giants along the way. More...
Generation 6
A lack of real innovation stagnates the industry leading to a surge in interest in retro-gaming and this very site!
Microsoft XBox
If anyone could break into the video game market, now so totally sewn up by Sony, it was Microsoft. More...
Nintendo Gameboy Advance
A fantastic upgrade for the aging Gameboy and with the SNES at its heart, how could it loose? More...
Nintendo Gamecube
Great graphics and that usual Nintendo magic but by the sixth generation we were all beginning to wonder when we'd get some real innovation. More...
Sega Dreamcast
Undoubtedly the most under-rated and console of them all. More...
Sony Playstation 2
The Sony Colossus continued to tower over the competition in the sixth generation with the PS2. More...
