History of video game consoles (seventh generation) Facts for Kids

The seventh generation of video game consoles started in 2005. This time was also known as the first era of motion gaming. It began on November 22, 2005, when the Xbox 360 was released. The PlayStation 3 came out on November 11, 2006. Then, the Wii was released on November 19, 2006. Each of these new consoles brought exciting new technology.

The Xbox 360 allowed games to be played in HD quality. The PlayStation 3 could play games in even higher quality, called FHD. It also played HD movies and had a built-in Blu-ray disc player. The Wii's controllers were special because they had movement sensors. This meant you could play games by moving your body!

Later, Sony released the PlayStation Move in September 2010. This was their answer to Nintendo's motion controllers. Microsoft then released the Kinect. The Kinect was amazing because it didn't use any controllers at all! You became the "controller" just by moving your body. The Kinect sold 8 million units in its first 60 days. This earned it a Guinness World Record for being the "fastest selling consumer electronic device." Both the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 controllers could be used with wires or wirelessly. The first popular handheld game console of this generation was the Nintendo DS.

Main Video Game Consoles
- Comparing the Big Three
  - How Many Consoles Were Sold?
Handheld Game Systems
- Comparing Handhelds
Other Gaming Systems
- Other Handhelds
Popular Games of This Era
Images for kids
See also

Main Video Game Consoles

Comparing the Big Three

Here's a quick look at the main consoles from this generation:

Name	Xbox 360	PlayStation 3	Wii
Logo
Made by	Microsoft	Sony	Nintendo
Picture
Release Dates	^NA 16 November 2005 ^EU 2 December 2005 ^JP 10 December 2005 ^AUS 23 March 2006	^JP 11 November 2006 ^NA 17 November 2006 ^PAL 23 March 2007	^NA 19 November 2006 ^JP 2 December 2006 ^AUS 7 December 2006 ^EU 8 December 2006
Best-selling game	Kinect Adventures (came with Kinect), 24 million copies. Non-bundled best-seller: Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, 14.23 million.	Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, 12.04 million copies.	Wii Sports (came with console, except in Japan), 76.76 million copies. Non-bundled best-seller: Mario Kart Wii (28.23 million).
Main Controller	Xbox 360 controller (wired or wireless), Kinect motion sensor.	Sixaxis/DualShock 3 wireless controller, PlayStation Move motion controller.	Wii Remote with motion sensors, Wii MotionPlus attachment, Nunchuk attachment.
Online Services	Xbox Live, Xbox Live Marketplace, Internet Explorer.	PlayStation Network, PlayStation Store, Internet browser, PlayStation Home.	Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection, WiiConnect24, Internet Channel, Wii Shop Channel.
Backward Compatibility	Could play 465 selected original Xbox games.	Early models could play PS1 and PS2 games. Later models could not.	Could play all Nintendo GameCube games and most accessories. Later "Family Edition" models could not.
3D TV Support	Yes	Yes	No

How Many Consoles Were Sold?

Here's how many of these consoles were sold around the world:

Console	Units sold worldwide	Units sold in Australia	Units sold in Canada	Units sold in Japan	Units sold in the US	Units sold in Europe
Wii	99.84 million (as of March 31, 2013)	2 million (as of October 2010)	2 million (as of December 16, 2009)	12.71 million (as of March 31, 2013)	39 million (as of February 28, 2011)	25 million (as of December 2010)
PlayStation 3	70 million	1.2 million (as of December 31, 2010)	1.5 million (as of October 6, 2010)	10 million (as of April 11, 2010)	15.4 million (as of December 2010)	14.7 million (as of December 2010)
Xbox 360	75.9 million (as of December 31, 2012)	1 million (as of April 20, 2010, includes New Zealand)	870,000 (as of July 31, 2008)	1.5 million (as of February 28, 2010)	25.4 million (as of December 2010)	13.7 million (as of December 2010)
Total	237.4 million	4.2 million	4.4 million	24.0 million	79.8 million	53.4 million

Handheld Game Systems

Comparing Handhelds

This generation also had popular handheld consoles you could take anywhere:

Name

Nintendo DS / DS Lite / DSi / DSi XL

PSP-1000 series / PSP-2000 Series / PSP-3000 Series / PSP Go / PSP-E1000 series

Made by

Nintendo

Sony

Console

From left to right: Nintendo DS, Nintendo DS Lite, Nintendo DSi, Nintendo DSi XL

From left to right: PSP-1000 series, PSP-2000 series, PSP-3000 series, PSP Go

Release Dates

Nintendo DS:

^NA 21 November 2004

^JP 2 December 2004

^AUS 24 February 2005

^EU 11 March 2005

Nintendo DS Lite:

^JP 21 March 2006

^AUS 1 June 2006

^NA 11 June 2006

^EU 23 June 2006

Nintendo DSi:

^JP 1 November 2008

^AUS 2 April 2009

^EU 3 April 2009

^NA 5 April 2009

Nintendo DSi XL:

^JP 21 November 2009

^EU 5 March 2010

^NA 28 March 2010

^AUS 15 April 2010

PSP:

^JP 12 December 2004

^NA 24 March 2005

^PAL 1 September 2005

PSP Go:

^NA/EU October 1, 2009

^JP November 1, 2009

Logos

Best-selling game

New Super Mario Bros., 29.09 million copies.

Nintendogs, 23.64 million copies.

Monster Hunter Portable 2nd G, 2.7 million copies.

Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories, 2.7 million copies.

Online service

Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection, DSi Shop (DSi only), Internet browser (DSi only).

PlayStation Network, PlayStation Store, Internet browser.

Backward Compatibility

Could play Game Boy Advance games (DS, DS Lite only).

Could play downloadable PS1 games.

Units Sold (all models)

Worldwide: 153.87 million (as of March 31, 2013)

Worldwide: 71.4 million (as of September 13, 2011)

Other Gaming Systems

Besides the big names, some other consoles were released during this time:

HyperScan (2006)
Zeebo (2009)

Name	Manufacturer	Release date	Notes
EVO Smart Console	Envizions	2006	Could also work as a home computer.
Zeebo	Zeebo Inc.	2009	Only sold in Mexico, Brazil, and India.
HyperScan	Mattel	2006	Made especially for children.
Game Wave Family Entertainment System	ZAPiT Games	2005	Came with family-friendly games already built-in.

Other Handhelds

Here are some other handheld systems from this generation:

Gizmondo (2005)
CAANOO (2010)
GP2X Wiz (2009)
Pandora (2010)

Name	Manufacturer	Release date	Notes
CAANOO	GamePark Holdings	August 16, 2010	Could run game emulators.
Fusion: 30-In-1 Portable Arcade	Jungle Soft	2010?	Had many games built into it.
GP2X Wiz	GamePark Holdings	May 12, 2009
Leapster2	LeapFrog Enterprises, Inc.	2008	Focused on educational games.
Mi2 / PDC Touch	Planet Interactive/Conny Technology/Videojet	November 2009	Came with many built-in games.
Pandora	OpenPandora	May 2010	Ran on Linux and was designed for custom software.
Pelican VG Pocket	Pelican Accessories	August 2006