With what portable video game console did you play? Do you still have any of these relics at home?
The first videoconsola of the market was desktop, and was marketed in 1972. It was not until 1978 to attend the launch of the first portable video game console in history.
Mattel Electronics was the first to start marketing its Mattel Auto Race; the video game itself brought this game factory, with what was the only thing you could play
Already in the 80's and as the main representative of the second generation, the Game & Watch, (the famous machines) a line of 59 portable game consoles, each one of them, with a single game (Pinball, Donkey Kong, The Legend of Zelda, Mario Bros., Mickey Mouse and Balloon Fight) ... and they also had an LCD screen, a calculator and even a digital clock.
They expected that 40 million copies sold.
We went from generation to third, because in the late eighties and early 90s comes the first game boy.
The Game Boy was released on November 21, 1988 by Nintendo, and was a blow. The type of Game Boy console is currently the third most sold console in the world (that comes out the nintendo and we put a bronze medal) with no less than 200 million copies sold
At that time, the Mega Drive, desktop, is the console that dominates the market, but the fever of games such as Tetris drives laptops, and the Game Boy becomes a milestone. Their different versions begin to expand like foam (to put a lot of consoles appearing little by little one on top of the others with effective of sound).
Almost at the same time, in 1988, the Atari Lynx was born. Recall that Atari launched one of the first desktop consoles, in 1977. Although its sales are not even close to those of the Game Boy.
The 90s were the golden age of the Game Boy, like the Pocket or the Super Game Boy. We are already in the fourth generation.
In the 90s also appeared the Sega Game Gear, with the legendary Sonic, which reached just over 10 million units sold.
What was experienced strongly in the 90s was the fever of ... (the boy bands?). No, of virtual pets.
In 1996 it goes on sale what would be the real revolution: the tamagotchi ... A tamagotchi can be considered a portable video game console?
The fifth generation of portable consoles was in 1998 with an icon, the Game Boy Color, one of the most sold consoles in history with 118 million units. This type of console, with interchangeable game cartridges, allowed you to play some of the titles, in turn, best sellers in history. They are Red, Green and Blue Pokémon, which sold more than 31 million units, and Gold and Silver Pokémon, which sold more than 23 million units.
We also discovered the Super Mario Land, of which some 18 million units were sold.
In the same year, Nintendo released the Game Boy light, a similar model, but with light on the screen. And appeared, on the part of the SNK developer, the Neo Geo Pocket. In it we could play Sonic color, or King of Fighters R-1, to say some titles.
Already in the sixth generation, from 2001 to 2004, highlights the launch of the Game Boy Advance, (2001) with a new design with respect to Color, the addition of buttons L and R, more resolution and more memory.
Remember the Super Mario Wolrd 2, the Ruby Pokémon, Sapphire and Emerald, or the Metal Slug Advance?
The game boy advance SP, (of 2003) was a redesign of the Advance, and Game Park 32, a modest competitor of the giant Nintendo, also came onto the market.
In 2004, representing the seventh generation, the great Japanese giant gets a competitor. Sony arrives with its PSP models, which offered a much better screen resolution and improved memory; Nintendo counterattacked with its Nintendo DS, DS Lite and DSI models. As of 2015, some 80 million units of the PSP sold were counted.
Meanwhile, the South Korean company Gamepark was still trying to find a place in the market, launching the GP2X and GP2X Wiz.
It is considered that the eighth and last generation of portable consoles began in 2011, with the launch of the Nintendo 2DS and 3DS; and from Sony, the Play Station Vita.
The eighth generation is also considered a more recent release, but even more revolutionized: the Nintendo Switch, put on sale in 2017.