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A video game console is a boxlike standardized computing device tailored for video gaming that requires a monitor or television set as an output. Handheld controllers are commonly used as input devices. Video game consoles may use one or more storage mediums like hard disk drives, optical discs, and memory cards for content. They weigh between 2 and 9 pounds on average and their compact size allows them to be easily used in a variety of locations with an electrical outlet. Each are usually developed by a single business organization. Dedicated consoles can only play built-in games. Gaming consoles in general are also described as "dedicated" in distinction from the more versatile personal computer and other consumer electronics.

A handheld game console is a lightweight device with a built-in screen, games controls, speakers, and has greater portability than a standard video game console. It is capable of playing multiple games unlike tabletop and handheld electronic game devices. Tabletop and handheld electronic game devices of the 1970s and 1980s are the precursors of handheld game consoles. Mattel introduced the first handheld electronic game with the 1977 release of Auto Race. Later, several companies—including Coleco and Milton Bradley—made their own single-game, lightweight tabletop or handheld electronic game devices. The oldest handheld game console with interchangeable cartridges is the Milton Bradley Microvision in 1979. Nintendo is credited with popularizing the handheld console concept with the Game Boy's release in 1989 and continues to dominate the handheld console market.

Game consoles

The following tables contain video game consoles and handheld game consoles that have sold at least 1 million units worldwide either through to consumers or inside retail channels. Dedicated consoles are marked with an asterisk (*) next to the platform's name. The years correspond to when the video game console or handheld game console was first released. Each year links to the corresponding "year in video gaming". Manufacturers with a brown, green, red, blue, or violet background and the name Atari, Microsoft, Nintendo, Sega, or Sony, respectively have more than two consoles listed; those with a white background do not.

 Atari   Microsoft   Nintendo   Sega   Sony   Other 

Home game consoles

Handheld game consoles

Best-selling game consoles by manufacturer

See also

• List of best-selling video games
• List of commercial failures in video gaming

Notes

1. ^ As of 2012, Sony stopped divulging individual platform sales in their fiscal reports. PlayStation 2: 138.8 million units sold as of Sony's fiscal quarter ending June 2009 (Q1 FY2009). Sony sold 16.2 million units from the second 2009 fiscal quarter (Q2 FY2009) until March 31, 2012. The PlayStation 2 was discontinued worldwide on January 4, 2013. PlayStation 3: A Sony press release reported 80 million sold as of November 2, 2013. PlayStation 4: Sales stand at 4.2 million as of December 28, 2013. PlayStation Portable: 52.9 million units sold as of Sony's fiscal quarter ending June 2009 (Q1 FY2009). Sony sold 23.4 million units from the second 2009 fiscal quarter (Q2 FY2009) until March 31, 2012. A November 27, 2013 article by Metro gives a rounded sales figure of 80 million. PlayStation Vita: 4 million reported by The Guardian on January 4, 2013.
2. ^ Sega sold approximately 40 million units worldwide. According to Man!ac magazine, the Sega Genesis sold 29 million units with 14 million of those in North America by the end of 1994. The 29 million figure was later published by other sources, including IGN and Wired. However, Sega continued to sell the Genesis worldwide through 1997. Reports of the Genesis reaching 20 million units sold in the United States started as early as 1998.
3. ^ 30 million according to the 2004 Video Game Price Guide and IGN's Levi Buchanan. Roberto Dillon's 2011 The Golden Age of Video Games: The Birth of a Multibillion Dollar Industry stated approximately 20 to 22 million units sold worldwide by the time it was discontinued (January 1, 1992), but exact figures are unknown since Atari never released them. Dillon suggested the 30 million figure is likely to include sales of the 5200, 7800, and XEGS.
4. ^ 13 million according to IGN's Levi Buchanan and Roberto Dillon's 2011 The Golden Age of Video Games: The Birth of a Multibillion Dollar Industry.
   Screen Digest wrote in a 1995 publication that the Master System's active installed user base in Western Europe peaked at 6.25 million in 1993. Those countries that peaked are France at 1.6 million, Germany at 700 thousand, the Netherlands at 200 thousand, Spain at 550 thousand, the United Kingdom at 1.35 million, and other Western European countries at 1.4 million. However, Belgium peaked in 1991 with 600 thousand, and Italy in 1992 with 400 thousand. Thus it is estimated approximately 6.8 million units were purchased in this part of Europe.
   1 million were sold in Japan as of 1986. 2 million were sold in the United States as of 1993. 5 million were sold by Tectoy in Brazil as of 2012.
5. ^ The ColecoVision reached 2 million units sold by the spring of 1984. By the beginning of 1984, console quarterly sales dramatically decreased, but it continued to sell modestly with most inventory gone by October 1985.
6. ^ WonderSwan Color sales as of March 31, 2001.
7. ^ Total amount of every console with at least 1 million units sold.

References

1. GameCentral staff (June 27, 2013). "Xbox 360 beats Wii as the UK's best-selling console". Metro. Retrieved October 31, 2013. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
2. ^ Lee, Robin (August 23, 2012). Peitz, Martin; Waldfogel, Joel (eds.). The Oxford Handbook of the Digital Economy. Oxford University Press. p. 84. ISBN 9780195397840. Retrieved December 29, 2013.
3. ^ Shelly, Gary; Misty, Vermaat (February 25, 2010). Discovering Computers 2011: Living in a Digital World, Complete. Shelly Cashman. Contributing authors: Quasney, Jeffrey; Sebok, Susan; Freund, Steven. Cengage Learning. p. 24. ISBN 9781439079263.
4. Retro Rogue. "2004 Holiday Gift Guide Review - Atari Flashback Console (Atari)". GameSpy. Retrieved December 30, 2013.
5. Chen, Brian (August 29, 2013). "New Device At Nintendo Is Cheaper, For Youths". The New York Times. p. B1. Retrieved December 30, 2013.
6. Kuchera, Ben (February 28, 2011). "It's unofficial: dedicated gaming devices may be losing out to phones". Ars Technica. Retrieved December 30, 2013.
7. Newman, Jared (November 11, 2013). "PC Game Streaming Is Going to Be Huge". Time. Retrieved December 30, 2013.
8. University of Maribor (April 24, 2007). "D 4.1 - Standards and technology monitoring report (revised version)" (PDF) (1.7 ed.). Sixth Framework Programme (European Community): 20. Retrieved December 29, 2013. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
9. ^ Steinbock, Dan (June 1, 2005). The Mobile Revolution. Kogan Page. p. 150. ISBN 9780749442965.
10. Loguidice, Bill; Barton, Matt (May 8, 2008). "A History of Gaming Platforms: Mattel Intellivision". Gamasutra. p. 1. Retrieved December 29, 2013.
11. Demaria, Rusel; Wilson, Johnny (December 18, 2003). High Score! The Illustrated History of Video games (2nd ed.). McGraw-Hill/Osborne Media. pp. 31–32. ISBN 9780072231724.
12. East, Tom (November 11, 2009). "History Of Nintendo: Game Boy". Official Nintendo Magazine. Retrieved December 29, 2013.
13. ^ Patsuris, Penelope (June 7, 2004). "Sony PSP Vs. Nintendo DS". Forbes. Retrieved November 4, 2013.
14. Hutsko, Joe (March 25, 2000). "88 Million and Counting; Nintendo Remains King of the Handheld Game Players". The New York Times. p. C1. Retrieved January 12, 2009.
15. ^ "Consolidated Sales Transition by Region" (PDF). Nintendo. October 29, 2013. Retrieved October 30, 2013.
16. "Business Development - Hardware". Sony Computer Entertainment. Retrieved October 28, 2013.
17. ^ "Slimmer, Lighter PlayStation 3, new PlayStation Network services, plenty of content and a great value price" (PDF) (Press release). Sony Computer Entertainment. August 18, 2009. p. 2. Retrieved February 24, 2013.
18. "PlayStation 2 Worldwide Hardware Unit Sales". Sony Computer Entertainment. Retrieved February 23, 2013.
19. ^ Stuart, Keith (January 4, 2013). "PlayStation 2 manufacture ends after 12 years". The Guardian. Retrieved November 22, 2013.
20. "PlayStation 3 Sales Reach 80 Million Units Worldwide" (Press release). Sony Computer Entertainment. November 6, 2013. Retrieved November 6, 2013.
21. Baker, Liana (January 8, 2014). "Sony bets on PlayStation-based cloud TV service". Reuters. Retrieved January 7, 2014.
22. "PSP (PlayStation Portable) Worldwide Hardware Unit Sales". Sony Computer Entertainment. Retrieved February 24, 2013.
23. Jenkins, David (November 27, 2013). "Xbox One v PlayStation 4: Who will win the next-gen console race?". Metro. Retrieved November 27, 2013. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
24. ^ "Hardware and Software Sales Units". Nintendo. Retrieved November 29, 2013.
25. ^ "PlayStation Cumulative Production Shipments of Hardware". Sony Computer Entertainment. Archived from the original on May 24, 2011. Retrieved October 31, 2013. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
26. ^ Moriarty, Colin (October 17, 2013). "Xbox 360: 80 Million Sold and Counting". IGN. Retrieved November 4, 2013.
27. Retro Gamer staff (2013). "Sonic Boom: The Success Story of Sonic the Hedgehog". The Mega Drive/SNES Book. Imagine Publishing: 31. ASIN B00FRKX2F8. The game and its star became synonymous with Sega and helped propel the Mega Drive to sales of around 40 million, only 9 million short of the SNES—a minuscule gap compared to the 47 million that separated the Master System and NES.
28. Horowitz, Ken (February 7, 2013). "Interview: Joe Miller". Sega-16. Retrieved November 17, 2013.
29. "Videospiel-Algebra". Man!ac Magazine (in German). May 1995.
30. ^ Buchanan, Levi (March 20, 2009). "Genesis vs. SNES: By the Numbers". IGN. Retrieved October 31, 2013. Nintendo moved 49.1 million Super NES consoles over the course of the generation and beyond, far surpassing the Genesis, which sold a still impressive 29 million units. The Master System sold an anemic 13 million to the NES count of 62 million.
31. Greg Orlando (May 15, 2007). "Console Portraits: A 40-Year Pictorial History of Gaming". Wired. p. 21. Retrieved October 31, 2013.
32. "Sega tops holiday, yearly sales projections; Sega Saturn installed base reaches 1.6 million in U.S., 7 million worldwide". Business Wire. January 13, 1997. Retrieved October 13, 2013. Sega hit its projections on the mark, selling 1.1 million hardware units and 3 million Sega Genesis games. While the company recently announced it will dispose of all remaining 16-bit peripheral inventory, specifically the Genesis 32X and Sega CD products, it will continue to sell Genesis hardware and software in the coming years.
33. "Sega farms out Genesis". Consumer Electronics. March 2, 1998. p. 1. Archived from the original on July 9, 2012.
34. Strom, Stephanie (March 14, 1998). "Sega Enterprises Pulls Its Saturn Video Console From the U.S. Market". The New York Times. p. D2. Retrieved January 13, 2014. After the company sold some 20 million 16-bit Genesis consoles in the United States alone
35. Snider, Mike (September 8, 1999). "Sega shoots to be a player again Dreamcast gets jump to regain market". USA Today. p. 4D. Its 16-bit Genesis hit the market before the Super Nintendo; both systems eventually sold about 20 million units.
36. "Sega pulls back from consoles". Electronics Times: 14. March 23, 1998. ISSN 0142-3118. The Saturn only managed to sell two million units in the US compared with 20 million units of the Genesis 16bit version in the early 1990s.
37. "A Brief History of Game Console Warfare". Bloomberg Businessweek. p. 3. Retrieved October 30, 2013.
38. Buchanan, Levi (August 26, 2008). "Top 10 Best-Selling Atari 2600 Games". IGN. Retrieved November 26, 2013.
39. Dillon, Roberto (April 12, 2011). The Golden Age of Video Games: The Birth of a Multibillion Dollar Industry. Taylor & Francis. p. 30. ISBN 9781439873236. Retrieved November 26, 2013.
40. ^ "Gamers Catch Their Breath as Xbox 360 and Xbox Live Reinvent Next-Generation Gaming". Xbox.com. May 10, 2006. Archived from the original on July 9, 2007. Retrieved September 5, 2007. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
41. Dillon, Roberto (April 12, 2011). The Golden Age of Video Games: The Birth of a Multibillion Dollar Industry. Taylor & Francis. p. 98. ISBN 9781439873236. Retrieved November 26, 2013. While Nintendo's dominance on the North American and Japanese markets was practically impossible to challenge at this time, the Master System found fertile ground in other regions like Europe and South America where it was able to quickly gather a strong following that pushed most of its overall 13 million unit sales.
42. "Screen Digest". Screen Digest. 1995: 60. {{cite journal}}: |chapter= ignored (help); Cite journal requires |journal= (help); Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help) (cf. here , here , and here )
43. Nihon Kōgyō Shinbunsha (1986). "Amusement". Business Japan. 31 (7–12). Nihon Kogyo Shimbun: 89. Retrieved January 24, 2012.
44. Schilling, Melissa (July 10, 2005). Lampel, Joseph; Shamsie, Jamal; Lant, Theresa (eds.). The Business of Culture: Strategic Perspectives on Entertainment and Media. Psychology Press. p. 77. ISBN 9781410615565. Retrieved January 24, 2012.
45. Azevedo, Théo (July 30, 2012). "Vinte anos depois, Master System e Mega Drive vendem 150 mil unidades por ano no Brasil" (in Portuguese). UOL. Retrieved October 18, 2012. Base instalada: 5 milhões de Master System; 3 milhões de Mega Drive Cite error: The named reference "MDB" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
46. ^ Snow, Blake (July 30, 2007). "The 10 Worst-Selling Handhelds of All Time". GamePro. p. 1. Archived from the original on October 12, 2007. Retrieved July 5, 2008. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
47. ^ Snow, Blake (May 4, 2007). "The 10 Worst-Selling Consoles of All Time". GamePro. p. 1. Archived from the original on May 8, 2007. Retrieved January 10, 2009.
48. ^ Goldfarb, Andrew (December 13, 2013). "Nintendo Has To Sell 2 Million Wii Us Per Month To Reach Its Goal". IGN. Retrieved December 13, 2013.
49. ^ "Retrospection: Atari 7800". Retro Gamer (78): 53. ISSN 1742-3155. the 7800 had sold 3,772,751 units in the US alone during its lifetime.
50. ^ Dillon, Roberto (April 12, 2011). The Golden Age of Video Games: The Birth of a Multibillion Dollar Industry. Taylor & Francis. p. 22-23. ISBN 9781439873236. Retrieved November 26, 2013.
51. ^ Sheff, David; Eddy, Andy (April 15, 1999). Game Over: Press Start to Continue - The Maturing of Mario. Cyberactive Media Group/GamePress. pp. 27–28. ISBN 9780966961706. Nintendo entered the home market in Japan with the dramatic unveiling of Color TV Game 6, which played six versions of light tennis. It was followed by a more powerful sequel, Color TV Game 15. A million units of each were sold. The engineering team also came up with systems that played a more complex game, called "Blockbuster," as well as a racing game. Half a million units of these were sold.
52. ^ "Intellivision: Intelligent Television". GameSpy. Retrieved October 31, 2013.
53. ^ Mehdi, Yusuf (January 6, 2014). "Thank You for an Epic 2013". Xbox Wire. Retrieved January 6, 2014.
54. "Coleco Industries sales report" (Press release). PR Newswire. April 17, 1984. Retrieved November 3, 2013. 'First quarter sales of ColecoVision were substantial, although much less that [sic] those for the year ago quarter,' Greenberg said in a prepared statement. He said the company has sold 2 million ColecoVision games since its introduction in 1982.
55. Kleinfield, N. R. (July 21, 1985). "Coleco Moves Out Of The Cabbage Patch". The New York Times. p. F4. Retrieved January 13, 2014. Coleco is now debating whether to withdraw from electronics altogether. Colecovision still sells, but it is a shadow of its former self.
56. Associated Press (October 19, 1985). "Coleco's Net In Sharp Rise". The New York Times. p. 45. Retrieved January 13, 2014. Thursday, Coleco said the entire inventory of its troubled Adam personal computer has been sold, along with much of its Colecovision inventory. The company's chairman, Arnold Greenberg, said Coleco expects no more charges against earnings from the two discontinued products.
57. ^ "Top 25 Video Game Consoles of All Time (Magnavox Odyssey 2)". IGN. Retrieved October 31, 2013.
58. "Financial Statements (Consolidated) For the year ended March 31, 2001" (PDF). Bandai. May 10, 2001. p. 14. Retrieved January 9, 2014.
59. ^ Schrage, Michael (May 22, 1984). "Atari Introduces Game In Attempt for Survival". The Washington Post (subscription required): C3. Retrieved July 29, 2009. The company has stopped producing its 5200 SuperSystem games player, more than 1 million of which were sold.
60. ^ Snow, Blake (July 30, 2007). "The 10 Worst-Selling Handhelds of All Time". GamePro. p. 2. Archived from the original on October 31, 2007. Retrieved July 5, 2008. {{cite web}}: |archive-date= / |archive-url= timestamp mismatch; October 13, 2007 suggested (help)
61. ^ Herman, Leonard (1997). Phoenix: The Fall & Rise of Videogames (2nd ed.). Rolenta Press. p. 20. ISBN 9780964384828. Retrieved February 16, 2012. Like Pong, Telstar could only play video tennis but it retailed at an inexpensive $50 that made it attractive to most families that were on a budget. Coleco managed to sell over a million units that year.

• Video game lists
• Lists of bestsellers
• Handheld game consoles