Video game console facts for kids

A video game console is an electronic device that shows video games on a screen, like a TV. You usually play these games using a game controller. There are different kinds of consoles:

• Home consoles stay in one place, connected to a TV, and you use a separate controller.
• Handheld consoles are portable. They have their own screen and controls built-in, so you can play them anywhere.
• Hybrid consoles combine features of both home and handheld systems.

Video game consoles are like special computers made just for playing games. They are designed to be easy to use and affordable for everyone. While they might not have as much power or customization as a regular computer, they make it simple to start playing games, often using game cartridges or discs. Modern consoles can also play movies and music, acting like a media player.

Consoles are usually released in cycles called "generations," which last about five to seven years. Consoles from the same generation have similar technical abilities. Companies often sell consoles at a low price, sometimes even at a loss, but they make money from selling game licenses. This encourages people to buy new consoles when a new generation comes out. Today, the main companies making consoles are Sony (with PlayStation), Microsoft (with Xbox), and Nintendo (with Switch 2 and Switch). Other companies like Sega and Atari made consoles in the past.

History of Video Game Consoles

A collection of various classic video game consoles at a game show in 2010

The very first video game consoles appeared in the early 1970s. A person named Ralph H. Baer came up with the idea of playing simple games on a TV screen in 1966. This idea led to the Magnavox Odyssey console in 1972.

Later, inspired by a table tennis game on the Odyssey, the creators of the popular arcade game Pong decided to make a home version. This home Pong console was released in 1975. These early consoles could only play a few games that were built right into them.

Then, in 1976, the Fairchild Channel F introduced consoles that could play different games using ROM cartridges that you could swap out. The Atari 2600, released in 1977, made this idea very popular.

Handheld consoles started to appear as technology improved. Early examples include the Microvision in 1979 and Game & Watch in 1980. The Game Boy in 1989 truly brought handheld gaming to everyone.

Over the years, both home and handheld consoles have become much more advanced. This is thanks to better computer chips, amazing 3D graphics, and new ways to connect online like the Internet and Bluetooth. Games can now be downloaded digitally instead of just bought on discs or cartridges.

Consoles are grouped into "generations" based on their technology, with each generation lasting about five years. Consoles in the same generation usually have similar features and power.

Types of Game Consoles

An example of a home console, the Microsoft Xbox 360

An example of a handheld console, the Sony PlayStation Portable (PSP)

The Nintendo Switch is a hybrid console with the ability to detach its Joy-Cons (left), and plug into its dock (right) for at home use.

Home Consoles

Home consoles are designed to connect to a TV or computer monitor. They need to be plugged into a wall outlet, so they usually stay in one spot, like your living room. You use separate controllers, which can be wired or wireless, to play games. Famous home consoles include the Atari 2600, Nintendo Entertainment System, Sega Genesis, and more recently, the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X.

Handheld Consoles

Handheld consoles are small, portable devices. They have a screen and game controls built right into them. They also have a rechargeable battery or use regular batteries. This means you can carry them around and play games almost anywhere. Examples are the Game Boy, PlayStation Portable, and Nintendo 3DS.

Hybrid Consoles

Hybrid consoles offer the best of both worlds! You can use them as a handheld device on the go, or connect them to a TV like a home console. They often have a docking station that lets you easily plug them into your TV. The Nintendo Switch is a great example of a hybrid console, with controllers called Joy-Cons that can be detached.

How Consoles Work: Features and Games

Most consoles today are "programmable," meaning you can switch between different games. In the past, this meant swapping out physical game cartridges or discs. Now, it's common to download games directly to the console's storage.

Dedicated Game Consoles

The Sega Genesis (Mega Drive) Mini dedicated console

Some consoles are called "dedicated consoles." This means the games are built into the console itself and you can't add new ones. You usually switch between these built-in games using buttons on the console or menus on the screen. Early consoles like the Magnavox Odyssey were dedicated. More recently, "retro style" consoles like the NES Classic Edition and Sega Genesis Mini are dedicated consoles that come with many classic games already installed.

Retro Style Consoles

These are special consoles that let you play many old, classic games. They often plug directly into your TV and are sometimes called "plug-and-play" consoles. Most are dedicated, meaning the games are already on them. While it's usually not possible for the average person to add new games, some tech-savvy users find ways to modify them. Examples include the Atari Flashback series and the Nintendo Game & Watch color screen series.

Inside a Game Console: Key Parts

A game console is packed with amazing technology! Here are some of the most important parts:

Console Unit Components

• Central Processing Unit (CPU): This is like the brain of the console. It does most of the calculations and tells everything else what to do. CPUs are measured by their "word size" (like 8-bit or 64-bit) and how fast they run (clock speed). Bigger numbers usually mean more power!
• Graphical Processing Unit (GPU): This part is responsible for creating all the amazing images you see on your screen. In older consoles, GPUs handled simple graphics. Today, modern GPUs are super powerful and can create realistic 3D worlds in real-time.
• Random-Access Memory (RAM): Think of RAM as the console's short-term memory. It stores lots of game data that needs to be accessed very quickly while you're playing. When you turn off the console, the RAM usually clears.
• Internal Storage: Newer consoles have built-in storage like flash memory, hard disk drives (HDD), or super-fast solid-state drives (SSD). This is where you save your game progress, download new games, and store updates.
• Power Supply: This component takes electricity from your wall outlet and changes it into the right kind of power for the console. Some consoles have it built-in, while others use an external "power brick."
• Cooling Systems: Powerful consoles generate heat. Cooling systems, like fans and cooling fins, help keep the console from getting too hot so it can run smoothly.
• Media Reader: Many consoles have a slot for game cartridges or a drive for optical media (like CDs, DVDs, or Blu-rays) to play physical games. Some newer consoles offer versions without a disc drive, relying only on downloaded games.
• Case: This is the outer shell that protects all the delicate electronic parts inside and helps with cooling.
• Input/Output Ports: These are the places where you plug in cables for power, controllers, your TV, external storage, and Internet connections.

Game Controllers

The Magnavox Odyssey dual-paddle controller

The Atari CX40 joystick

The Nintendo Entertainment System gamepad with a single D-pad and four buttons

A modern controller, the DualSense for the Sony PlayStation 5, with multiple directional controls and buttons

All game consoles need a game controller so players can tell the game what to do. Controllers let you move characters, jump, or interact with the game world. While controllers have become more advanced, they still offer a different way to play compared to a computer mouse and keyboard.

Here are some common types of controllers:

• Paddle: An early type of controller with a single knob or dial and a button. You'd turn the knob to move something on screen, like a paddle in a tennis game.
• Joystick: A stick that you can push in different directions, often with buttons. Joysticks let you move in two directions at once.
• Gamepad: This is the most common type today. Gamepads have many buttons, triggers, and directional controls like D-pads or analog sticks. Modern gamepads are designed to be comfortable and offer many ways to control games.

Other controllers include those with motion controls, touchscreens (on handhelds), racing wheels for car games, and even musical instrument controllers for rhythm games. Some consoles also let you use a computer mouse and computer keyboard. Controllers can be wired or wireless, and they need power either from the console or from batteries.

How Games Get to Your Console

The way we get games has changed a lot over time!

Game Media

• Game Cartridge: The ROM cartridge was one of the first ways to store games separately from the console. These are plastic cases with a circuit board inside that plugs into the console. Older cartridges could even have extra chips to make games run better. Today, Nintendo still uses flash memory cartridges for its Switch and 3DS systems.
• Optical Media: Discs like CD-ROMs, DVDs, and Blu-rays became popular in the 1990s. They were cheaper to make and could hold much more data, allowing for bigger games and even videos. Most consoles from the 1990s onwards used discs.
• Digital Distribution: Since the 2000s, most consoles can connect to the Internet. This lets players buy and download new games directly to their console's storage without needing a physical disc or cartridge. Companies like Nintendo, Sony, and Microsoft have online stores for this.
• Cloud Gaming: With faster Internet, cloud gaming is becoming more popular. Instead of downloading a game, you play it directly from a powerful server over the Internet. Your console sends your button presses, and the server sends back the video and audio of the game.

External Storage

A PlayStation memory card

Besides built-in storage, many consoles let you add more storage. Early consoles used small memory cards to save game data. Today, consoles often support USB external hard drives or SD cards to store more games and files.

Online Services

With Internet-connected consoles, manufacturers offer online services. Some are free, like creating a user profile and accessing the online store. Paid subscriptions let you play games online with friends, use cloud saves (saving your game progress online), and sometimes get free games. Examples include Xbox network, PlayStation Network, and Nintendo Switch Online.

Console Accessories

There are many cool accessories you can get for your console!

• Video Camera: These can be used for chatting with friends or for games that use motion sensing or augmented reality, like the Kinect for Xbox or EyeToy for PlayStation.
• Headsets: A headset combines headphones and a microphone. They are great for talking to other players online without disturbing others in the room.
• Virtual Reality (VR) Headsets: These headsets let you experience games in a fully immersive 3D world. As of early 2026, the PlayStation VR2 offers direct VR support on consoles.
• Docking Station: For handheld or hybrid consoles like the Nintendo Switch, a docking station makes it easy to charge the device and connect it to a TV.

Kinect for Xbox One

Virtual reality headset PlayStation VR

Docking station for Nintendo Switch

How Games Are Made for Consoles

Making a console game is similar to making other games, but developers have to think about the specific console they are making it for. Console makers usually give special "development kits" to game creators. These kits help them test their games easily.

In the past, one person could make a simple game. Now, games are much more complex, and hundreds of people might work on a single game! Developers also use different computer languages to create games.

Unlike computer games, console games are made for a fixed set of hardware. This means developers know exactly what the console can do. This is great when a console is new and powerful, but as it gets older, developers have to work with older technology until the next console comes out.

Game Licensing

Since the Nintendo Entertainment System, most console makers have rules about which games can be made for their system. Game developers and publishers usually pay a fee to the console maker for each game sold. This fee helps the console company make money and also allows them to check games to make sure they are appropriate for their system.

With digital games, the console maker runs the online store. They still get a share of each game sale and can review games before they are offered to players.

For smaller, independent game developers, console companies have created programs that make it easier and cheaper to publish games on their systems.

Playing Older Games: Emulation and Compatibility

Consoles don't last forever, but people still love playing old games!

Emulation

Computer programmers have created "emulators" that can pretend to be an old console's hardware. This lets you play games from older consoles on a computer or even a newer console. While making emulators is generally allowed, there are rules about copying game software. Nintendo, for example, is very protective of its older games and systems.

Backward Compatibility

To help players enjoy their old games on new systems, console makers started adding "backward compatibility." This means a new console can play games from an older console in the same family. The PlayStation 2 was one of the first home consoles to do this, playing original PlayStation games.

Today, backward compatibility can mean directly playing old discs, downloading emulated versions of classic games (like Nintendo's Virtual Console), or using cloud gaming services for older titles (like PlayStation Now).

The Console Market

Console Distribution

Visualization of the Best-Selling game consoles from 1977 to 2024

Consoles are sold in different ways. A basic package usually includes the console and one controller, sometimes with a game included. Companies might also offer special bundles with extra controllers, accessories, or unique console designs based on a popular game. These included games are often made by the console company itself and feature their famous characters, like Mario for Nintendo.

Over time, console makers often release updated versions of their consoles. These might have slightly different parts to make them cheaper to produce or more efficient. Sometimes, these updates create different versions of the same console, like a more powerful "Pro" version or a "Digital Edition" without a disc drive, offered at different prices.

Console Pricing

When consoles first came out in the 1970s and 1980s, they cost about $200-$300. Games were around $30-$40. Today, new consoles usually launch for $400-$500, and games cost about $60. There was a time in the early 1990s when some consoles were very expensive, over $400, and even up to $700. These expensive consoles didn't sell very well.

If you adjust for inflation (how much money is worth over time), consoles have actually become more affordable. They used to be like $800-$1,000 in today's money, but now they are closer to $500-$600. This is because technology gets better and cheaper to make over time.

Since the Nintendo Entertainment System, console companies often sell their consoles for little to no profit. They make their money from the fees they charge game developers for each game sold, and from online services. Sometimes, they even sell consoles at a loss when they first come out, hoping to make up the money later. Consoles are usually designed to last about five years, but newer ones might last seven to ten years.

Console Competition

The video game console market is very competitive! Many companies have tried to make consoles, but only a few have become very successful.

In the early days, too many companies made similar consoles, and the market became messy. This led to a tough time for video games in 1983. Nintendo helped fix this by creating rules for games made for its Nintendo Entertainment System. They also made sure developers couldn't release the same game on a different console too quickly. This helped games become special to one console.

Nintendo also made Mario a famous character to represent their console. This idea of a "video game mascot" became very popular. Other companies, like Sega with Sonic, also used mascots to promote their systems. The rivalry between Mario and Sonic was a big part of the "console wars" in the 1990s. Today, console makers still use their main characters and exclusive games to attract buyers.

Another way companies competed was by talking about "bits," which referred to the power of their console's main computer chip. Consoles would advertise themselves as "16-bit" or "32-bit." This "bit wars" marketing was big in the 1990s. Eventually, this stopped as computer chips found other ways to get more powerful.

Retail demo kiosk for a Dreamcast, the last console from Sega, at the Finnish Museum of Games in Tampere, Finland in 2017

Having more consoles usually means more choices for players. However, when games were only available on one console, it made choosing a console a big decision. As more consoles came out, game developers started focusing on the best-selling systems. This led to some companies, like Sega, stopping making consoles and focusing on making games instead. Now, there are usually two or three main console companies in each generation.

Today, the console market is mainly led by Nintendo, Sony, and Microsoft. These three companies use a mix of their own exclusive games and special deals with other game developers to make games unique to their consoles. They also work with chip makers to create special hardware for their consoles. All these efforts help them compete and attract more players to their systems.

Microsoft and Sony often try to be first with new console technology. Nintendo, on the other hand, often tries a different approach, creating unique consoles like the Nintendo DS and Wii that offer new ways to play games.

See also

In Spanish: Videoconsola para niños

• Game consoles sales
• Unlockable game
• Video game clone