History of video game consoles (sixth generation) facts for kids

The sixth generation of video game consoles was a super exciting time for gaming! It started on November 27, 1998, when the Dreamcast was first released in Japan. This era is sometimes called the "128-bit generation" because of how powerful these consoles were.

This generation brought us some truly famous game systems. The main ones were the Dreamcast, PlayStation 2, Nintendo GameCube, and Microsoft Xbox. These consoles offered amazing graphics and new ways to play.

The Dreamcast stopped being made in 2001, but its games were still sold until 2007. The GameCube was discontinued in 2007. The Xbox stopped selling games in 2008 and was fully discontinued in 2009. The PlayStation 2 was the last to go, stopping production in 2013. This officially ended the sixth generation of consoles.

Awesome Game Systems

From left: Dreamcast, PlayStation 2, Nintendo GameCube, Xbox.

Let's take a closer look at the main consoles from this generation. Each one brought something special to the world of gaming!

Comparing the Consoles

Here's a quick comparison of the main consoles from the sixth generation.

Name	Dreamcast	PlayStation 2	GameCube	Xbox
Logo
Made by	Sega	Sony Computer Entertainment	Nintendo	Microsoft
Images
A Dreamcast console, controller, and VMU.	Left: An original PlayStation 2. Right: A slim PlayStation 2.	An indigo GameCube and controller.	An Xbox console and "Type-S" controller.
Launch Price	US$199.99	US$299.99	US$199.99	US$299.99
Best-Selling Game	Sonic Adventure (2.5 million copies)	Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas (19 million copies)	Super Smash Bros. Melee (7.09 million copies)	Halo 2 (8 million copies)
Release Date	JP 19981127November 27, 1998 NA 19990909September 9, 1999 EU 19991014October 14, 1999		JP 20010914September 14, 2001 NA 20011118November 18, 2001 EU 20020503May 3, 2002	NA 20011115November 15, 2001 JP 20020222February 22, 2002 EU 20020314March 14, 2002
Discontinued	March 30, 2003		JP 20071028October 28, 2007 EU 20080517May 17, 2008 NA 20090615June 15, 2009	JP 20060604June 4, 2006 EU 20070311March 11, 2007 NA 20090302March 2, 2009
Cool Accessories	VMU (memory card with a screen) Dreamcast mouse and keyboard Fishing Rod controller Microphone Light gun	Hard drive (for some models) Network adapter (for online play) EyeToy (camera for games) DVD remote control Guitar controllers	WaveBird (wireless controller) GameCube-GBA cable (to connect to a Game Boy Advance) Game Boy Player (to play Game Boy games) DK Bongos (drum controllers)	Xbox Live Starter Kit (for online gaming) DVD Playback Kit Memory Unit (8 MB) Wireless Controller
Game Discs	CD, 1.2 GB GD-ROM	DVD, CD	GameCube game disc	DVD, CD
Online Gaming	Sega Net (2000–2002), Dreamarena (2000-2003)	Online service (2002–present)	Online service (2003-2009)	Xbox Live (2002–now)
Can Play Older Games?	No	Yes, PlayStation games	Yes, Game Boy, Game Boy Color, Game Boy Advance games (with Game Boy Player)	No

Worldwide Sales

Here's how many units each console sold around the world:

Handheld Game Consoles

The sixth generation wasn't just about home consoles! There were also some cool handheld devices that let you play games on the go.

Name	Game Boy Advance / Advance SP / Micro	N-Gage / QD
Logos
Made by	Nintendo	Nokia
Images
Left to right: Game Boy Advance, Game Boy Advance SP, Game Boy Micro	Left to right: N-Gage, N-Gage QD
Release Dates	Game Boy Advance: JP March 21, 2001 Game Boy Advance SP: JP February 14, 2003 Game Boy Micro: JP September 13, 2005	N-Gage: October 7, 2003 N-Gage QD: May 26, 2004
Discontinued	Game Boy Advance: 2007-2008	N-Gage: 2006
Launch Prices	GBA: US$99.99 GBA SP: US$99.99 GB Micro: US$99.99	N-Gage: US$299.99 N-Gage QD: US$179.99
Game Media	Game Boy Advance cartridge	MultiMediaCard (MMC)
Best-Selling Game	Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire (13 million combined)	?
Battery Life	GBA: 15 hours GBA SP: 10-18 hours GB Micro: 5-8 hours	N-Gage: 2 hours N-Gage QD: 4 hours
Units Sold	Worldwide: 81.51 million	Worldwide: 3 million

Other Handhelds

There were a few other handhelds during this time, though they weren't as widely known:

• Tapwave Zodiac (2003)
• Neo Geo Pocket Color (1999)

Handheld Sales

Here's a look at how many of these handhelds were sold:

Popular Games

The sixth generation brought us many classic and popular games that are still loved today! Here are some of them:

• Final Fantasy X
• Grand Theft Auto III, Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, and Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
• Halo: Combat Evolved
• Halo 2
• Kingdom Hearts
• Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty and Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater
• Metroid Prime
• Resident Evil 4
• Shenmue
• SoulCalibur

Images for kids

• 

  The PlayStation 2 was the best-selling system of the sixth generation, selling over 150 million systems, also making it the best-selling console of all time.

• 

  The Game Boy Advance was the best-selling handheld system.

• 

  VMU (1998) Created by Sega as a memory card for the Dreamcast

• 

  Neo Geo Pocket Color (1999)

• 

  Pokémon Mini (2001)

• 

  SwanCrystal (2002)

See also

In Spanish: Videoconsolas de sexta generación para niños