Page 12 - Games
P. 12
THE TIMES ®
AUSTRALIA
PART THREE
WARP SPEED
Fourth Generation
By now, the video game industry was picking up speed. The 1983-1984 crash that put the industry on
its knees was fast becoming a distant memory. As their popularity returned, consoles no longer felt the
need to market themselves as ‘toys’. They could once again return to their rightful place in living rooms
around the world.
Advances in technology this generation included 16-bit graphics, multi-button controllers, stereo audio
and multi-layered backgrounds. Nintendo and Sega found themselves in the midst of a battle for market
control, with Nintendo the reigning champions thanks to the NES.
Could Sega regain some ground this generation?
image source:
PC ENGINE/TURBO GRAFX-16 Wikimedia Commons
Released: 1987 (JP), 1989 (US), 1990 (EU)
Price: $199.99
Sales: approx. 10 million units
A joint venture between Hudson Soft and NEC
culminated in the Turbo Grafx-16. NEC
was incredibly hyped about entering
the video game console industry
after failed attempts to sell Nintendo
graphic chips for their console. This
console heralded the fourth generation
of consoles thanks to its 16-bit graphics,
and still maintains the record for the smallest game console ever made. It was also the frst con-
sole to utilise CD-ROMs as a storage system for video games.
The Turbo Grafx-16 was originally designed as a direct competitor to Nintendo’s NES, which was
refected in their marketing campaigns at the time. It was also in direct competition with Sega’s
Genesis, who mocked the console in their ad campaigns. In Japan, the console outsold the Sega
console, while it failed to make a dent in the Nintendo/Sega rivalry in North America and Europe.
12 Independent Media Inspiring Minds
AUSTRALIA
PART THREE
WARP SPEED
Fourth Generation
By now, the video game industry was picking up speed. The 1983-1984 crash that put the industry on
its knees was fast becoming a distant memory. As their popularity returned, consoles no longer felt the
need to market themselves as ‘toys’. They could once again return to their rightful place in living rooms
around the world.
Advances in technology this generation included 16-bit graphics, multi-button controllers, stereo audio
and multi-layered backgrounds. Nintendo and Sega found themselves in the midst of a battle for market
control, with Nintendo the reigning champions thanks to the NES.
Could Sega regain some ground this generation?
image source:
PC ENGINE/TURBO GRAFX-16 Wikimedia Commons
Released: 1987 (JP), 1989 (US), 1990 (EU)
Price: $199.99
Sales: approx. 10 million units
A joint venture between Hudson Soft and NEC
culminated in the Turbo Grafx-16. NEC
was incredibly hyped about entering
the video game console industry
after failed attempts to sell Nintendo
graphic chips for their console. This
console heralded the fourth generation
of consoles thanks to its 16-bit graphics,
and still maintains the record for the smallest game console ever made. It was also the frst con-
sole to utilise CD-ROMs as a storage system for video games.
The Turbo Grafx-16 was originally designed as a direct competitor to Nintendo’s NES, which was
refected in their marketing campaigns at the time. It was also in direct competition with Sega’s
Genesis, who mocked the console in their ad campaigns. In Japan, the console outsold the Sega
console, while it failed to make a dent in the Nintendo/Sega rivalry in North America and Europe.
12 Independent Media Inspiring Minds
