Console manufacturer
Encyclopedia
A console manufacturer is a company that manufactures and distributes video game console
s. It is also known as a first-party video game publisher
. Historically, some of the most recognized console manufacturers include:
largely dominated the gaming market in the 1980s, their market share was challenged after the 16-bit era
, with Sega introducing their Mega Drive/Sega Genesis as a major competitor. Likewise, during the 32/64-bit era
, Sega’s market share plummeted with the Sega Saturn
, and Sony – a newcomer in the industry – became the market leader (Nintendo took second place with their Nintendo 64
). As of 2005, the most significant console manufacturers in the industry during the 128-bit era were Sony (PlayStation 2
), Nintendo (Nintendo GameCube
), and Microsoft (Xbox
). Of these three, Sony remained worldwide market leader with Nintendo and Microsoft roughly equal in second place, each dominating the competitor in its home territory. Two years into the seventh generation era, Microsoft has grabbed an early lead with the release of the Xbox 360 in North America
on November 22, 2005 and the continuation of its revolutionary Xbox LIVE
service. The release of the PlayStation 3
in Japan on November 11, 2006, and Wii
in North America on November 19, 2006, saw gamers snub the pricey PS3 in favor of the more accessible Wii, despite its inferior graphical capabilities compared to the other two. The Wii remains in high demand (outstripping supply in some areas) and has surpassed the Xbox 360 while PS3 lags behind with less than half the worldwide sales of either competitor. Industry analysts caution that it is too early to call for final standings, with all three consoles anticipating new titles from major franchises for the holiday season of 2007 and Spring of 2008. In addition, the inclusion of a Blu-ray Disc
player and the end of the hi-def format war has given the PS3 a recent boost, vaulting it past the Xbox 360 in the North American, European, and Japanese markets in monthly sales, although it has yet to catch the Wii's sales or either of the other two console's total sales numbers.
By contrast, in the related handheld console market, Nintendo has remained market leader since the establishment of its wildly successful Game Boy line
in 1989. In spite of its technological inferiority, the black-and-green Game Boy
easily staved off competitors, including color-display systems made by Atari and Sega of the above-mentioned manufacturers. With backward compatibility and a continued emphasis on battery life and quality games, the Game Boy Color
, though short lived, proved sufficient to maintain Nintendo’s lead and brand awareness until the release of the Game Boy Advance
, which had all the same features and more, and again brooked no competition, including the Nokia
’s phone/console hybid, the N-Gage
. The first significant challenge to Nintendo’s handheld gaming dominance arrived in 2004, in the form of Sony’s PlayStation Portable
(PSP). Despite superior graphics technology and a wide array of non-gaming capabilities, however, the PSP has failed to overcome Nintendo’s DS
system, which, with its addition of a second, touch-sensitive screen, remains the fastest-selling console worldwide and in most territories.
strategy, pricing their consoles lower than the production cost to increase the market for more profitable sales of related software. Competition between the two companies in 2002 has caused them to further reduce the prices of their consoles, the then prominent Xbox and PlayStation 2 respectively. The latest Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 consoles still use this strategy.
Nintendo's Wii console, despite being several hundred dollars cheaper than the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, generates profit from every sale because of its lower production cost compared to its counterparts.
has had much success making their Game Boy Advance
compatible with the regular Game Boy
and Game Boy Color
handhelds, as well as their new handheld Nintendo DS
which is compatible with games made specifically for the Game Boy Advance. Nintendo’s Wii
is compatible, after a fashion, with all four of its previous consoles, in that it can play games from its immediate predecessor, the Nintendo GameCube
, and users may download select games released on all of Nintendo’s older home systems (and those of some defunct competitors) using the Virtual Console
feature. Sony
employed the same making its PlayStation 2
backward-compatible with its PlayStation
, and continued with this strategy by making their PlayStation 3
backward-compatible with PlayStation 2 and PlayStation games, although many games had serious problems until a firmware upgrade 3 months after launch. The Xbox 360 is backwards compatible with 394 Xbox games as of the July 12, 2007, update; fewer titles are backward compatible in European markets (295), Japanese markets (101), and Australian markets.
that certain console manufacturers experience can be a great boost, on the other hand is it a somewhat risky strategy. Though it may attract early adopters by providing an advanced alternative to current offering, this strategy leaves room for competitors to copy the hasty company’s successes and learn from its mistakes. While there have been cases of consoles becoming successful partly because they were the first ones released within a specific era (most notably Sega with their Mega Drive during the 16-bit era), success from being the “first-mover” is not always guaranteed. Sega tried once again but failed to reap benefits by being the first-mover during the 128-bit era with their Dreamcast. Unfortunately for Sega, many consumers decided that they would rather wait for the PlayStation 2 to be released instead. Other console manufacturers have also attempted this strategy, such as the 3DO and Jaguar, all failed miserably. Nearly every console manufacturer who released their console first to the market by a significant margin, permanently exited the race soon after. Despite this trend, in releasing the Xbox 360 before its competitors’ products were released, Microsoft hoped to benefit greatly from the first-mover advantage – and its gamble paid off, shipping around 6 million units before the others launched. As many gamers decided to buy a cheap, novel Wii, and only one of the expensive, high-end, traditional alternatives, Microsoft’s early launch allowed it to firmly trounce Sony in the first years of the seventh generation. However within a year of the Nintendo Wii launch
it had already beaten Xbox 360 sales which had been available for 2 years already.
, Mario
and Metroid
. In the current seventh generation, this is reversed: the PlayStation 3
is perhaps the most difficult (and the Wii
the easiest) to develop for.
On the other hand, third-party developers and publishers are themselves responsive to sales numbers, and the surprise success of the DS and Wii has prompted companies like Electronic Arts
and Square Enix
to shift more focus and resources toward Nintendo projects.
Video game console
A video game console is an interactive entertainment computer or customized computer system that produces a video display signal which can be used with a display device to display a video game...
s. It is also known as a first-party video game publisher
Video game publisher
A video game publisher is a company that publishes video games that they have either developed internally or have had developed by a video game developer....
. Historically, some of the most recognized console manufacturers include:
- AtariAtariAtari is a corporate and brand name owned by several entities since its inception in 1972. It is currently owned by Atari Interactive, a wholly owned subsidiary of the French publisher Atari, SA . The original Atari, Inc. was founded in 1972 by Nolan Bushnell and Ted Dabney. It was a pioneer in...
– first console market leader; now defunct. - MicrosoftMicrosoftMicrosoft Corporation is an American public multinational corporation headquartered in Redmond, Washington, USA that develops, manufactures, licenses, and supports a wide range of products and services predominantly related to computing through its various product divisions...
– the newest major player in the market, releasing the XboxXboxThe Xbox is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Microsoft. It was released on November 15, 2001 in North America, February 22, 2002 in Japan, and March 14, 2002 in Australia and Europe and is the predecessor to the Xbox 360. It was Microsoft's first foray into the gaming console...
and Xbox 360Xbox 360The Xbox 360 is the second video game console produced by Microsoft and the successor to the Xbox. The Xbox 360 competes with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
consoles. - NintendoNintendois a multinational corporation located in Kyoto, Japan. Founded on September 23, 1889 by Fusajiro Yamauchi, it produced handmade hanafuda cards. By 1963, the company had tried several small niche businesses, such as a cab company and a love hotel....
– historically the best known console manufacturer; also the longest running company in the market, and long-time dominant market leader of the handheld console market. - SegaSega, usually styled as SEGA, is a multinational video game software developer and an arcade software and hardware development company headquartered in Ōta, Tokyo, Japan, with various offices around the world...
– a significant manufacturer during the 16-bit era, now a third-party publisher. - Sony Computer EntertainmentSony Computer EntertainmentSony Computer Entertainment, Inc. is a major video game company specializing in a variety of areas in the video game industry, and is a wholly owned subsidiary and part of the Consumer Products & Services Group of Sony...
– found worldwide success with its first console, the Sony PlayStationPlayStationThe is a 32-bit fifth-generation video game console first released by Sony Computer Entertainment in Japan on December 3, .The PlayStation was the first of the PlayStation series of consoles and handheld game devices. The PlayStation 2 was the console's successor in 2000...
, the PlayStation 2PlayStation 2The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony as part of the PlayStation series. Its development was announced in March 1999 and it was first released on March 4, 2000, in Japan...
(which holds the record for best selling home console to date), and the PlayStation 3PlayStation 3The is the third home video game console produced by Sony Computer Entertainment and the successor to the PlayStation 2 as part of the PlayStation series. The PlayStation 3 competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
.
Industry
The games console market is a volatile industry with changes of market leadership happening frequently as new consoles and games are released. For example, although the Nintendo NESNintendo Entertainment System
The Nintendo Entertainment System is an 8-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America during 1985, in Europe during 1986 and Australia in 1987...
largely dominated the gaming market in the 1980s, their market share was challenged after the 16-bit era
History of video game consoles (fourth generation)
In the history of computer and video games, the fourth generation began on October 30, 1987 with the Japanese release of Nippon Electric Company's PC Engine...
, with Sega introducing their Mega Drive/Sega Genesis as a major competitor. Likewise, during the 32/64-bit era
History of video game consoles (fifth generation)
The fifth-generation era refers to the computer and video games, video game consoles, and video game handhelds available at stores...
, Sega’s market share plummeted with the Sega Saturn
Sega Saturn
The is a 32-bit fifth-generation video game console that was first released by Sega on November 22, 1994 in Japan, May 11, 1995 in North America, and July 8, 1995 in Europe...
, and Sony – a newcomer in the industry – became the market leader (Nintendo took second place with their Nintendo 64
Nintendo 64
The , often referred to as N64, was Nintendo′s third home video game console for the international market. Named for its 64-bit CPU, it was released in June 1996 in Japan, September 1996 in North America, March 1997 in Europe and Australia, September 1997 in France and December 1997 in Brazil...
). As of 2005, the most significant console manufacturers in the industry during the 128-bit era were Sony (PlayStation 2
PlayStation 2
The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony as part of the PlayStation series. Its development was announced in March 1999 and it was first released on March 4, 2000, in Japan...
), Nintendo (Nintendo GameCube
Nintendo GameCube
The , officially abbreviated to NGC in Japan and GCN in other regions, is a sixth generation video game console released by Nintendo on September 15, 2001 in Japan, November 18, 2001 in North America, May 3, 2002 in Europe, and May 17, 2002 in Australia...
), and Microsoft (Xbox
Xbox
The Xbox is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Microsoft. It was released on November 15, 2001 in North America, February 22, 2002 in Japan, and March 14, 2002 in Australia and Europe and is the predecessor to the Xbox 360. It was Microsoft's first foray into the gaming console...
). Of these three, Sony remained worldwide market leader with Nintendo and Microsoft roughly equal in second place, each dominating the competitor in its home territory. Two years into the seventh generation era, Microsoft has grabbed an early lead with the release of the Xbox 360 in North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
on November 22, 2005 and the continuation of its revolutionary Xbox LIVE
Xbox Live
Xbox Live is an online multiplayer gaming and digital media delivery service created and operated by Microsoft Corporation. It is currently the only online gaming service on consoles that charges users a fee to play multiplayer gaming. It was first made available to the Xbox system in 2002...
service. The release of the PlayStation 3
PlayStation 3
The is the third home video game console produced by Sony Computer Entertainment and the successor to the PlayStation 2 as part of the PlayStation series. The PlayStation 3 competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
in Japan on November 11, 2006, and Wii
Wii
The Wii is a home video game console released by Nintendo on November 19, 2006. As a seventh-generation console, the Wii primarily competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Sony's PlayStation 3. Nintendo states that its console targets a broader demographic than that of the two others...
in North America on November 19, 2006, saw gamers snub the pricey PS3 in favor of the more accessible Wii, despite its inferior graphical capabilities compared to the other two. The Wii remains in high demand (outstripping supply in some areas) and has surpassed the Xbox 360 while PS3 lags behind with less than half the worldwide sales of either competitor. Industry analysts caution that it is too early to call for final standings, with all three consoles anticipating new titles from major franchises for the holiday season of 2007 and Spring of 2008. In addition, the inclusion of a Blu-ray Disc
Blu-ray Disc
Blu-ray Disc is an optical disc storage medium designed to supersede the DVD format. The plastic disc is 120 mm in diameter and 1.2 mm thick, the same size as DVDs and CDs. Blu-ray Discs contain 25 GB per layer, with dual layer discs being the norm for feature-length video discs...
player and the end of the hi-def format war has given the PS3 a recent boost, vaulting it past the Xbox 360 in the North American, European, and Japanese markets in monthly sales, although it has yet to catch the Wii's sales or either of the other two console's total sales numbers.
By contrast, in the related handheld console market, Nintendo has remained market leader since the establishment of its wildly successful Game Boy line
Game Boy line
The line is a line of battery-powered handheld game console sold by Nintendo. It is one of the world's best-selling game system lines with a combined 200+ million units sold worldwide....
in 1989. In spite of its technological inferiority, the black-and-green Game Boy
Game Boy
The , is an 8-bit handheld video game device developed and manufactured by Nintendo. It was released in Japan on , in North America in , and in Europe on...
easily staved off competitors, including color-display systems made by Atari and Sega of the above-mentioned manufacturers. With backward compatibility and a continued emphasis on battery life and quality games, the Game Boy Color
Game Boy Color
The is Nintendo's successor to the 8-bit Game Boy handheld game console, and was released on October 21, 1998 in Japan, November 19, 1998 in North America, November 23, 1998 in Europe and November 27, 1998 in the United Kingdom. It features a color screen and is slightly thicker and taller than...
, though short lived, proved sufficient to maintain Nintendo’s lead and brand awareness until the release of the Game Boy Advance
Game Boy Advance
The is a 32-bit handheld video game console developed, manufactured, and marketed by Nintendo. It is the successor to the Game Boy Color. It was released in Japan on March 21, 2001; in North America on June 11, 2001; in Australia and Europe on June 22, 2001; and in the People's Republic of China...
, which had all the same features and more, and again brooked no competition, including the Nokia
Nokia
Nokia Corporation is a Finnish multinational communications corporation that is headquartered in Keilaniemi, Espoo, a city neighbouring Finland's capital Helsinki...
’s phone/console hybid, the N-Gage
N-Gage
The N-Gage is a mobile telephone and handheld game system by Nokia, based on the Nokia Series 60 platform, released in October 2003. It began sales on October 7, 2003. The N-Gage QD replaced the original N-Gage in 2004....
. The first significant challenge to Nintendo’s handheld gaming dominance arrived in 2004, in the form of Sony’s PlayStation Portable
PlayStation Portable
The is a handheld game console manufactured and marketed by Sony Corporation Development of the console was announced during E3 2003, and it was unveiled on , 2004, at a Sony press conference before E3 2004...
(PSP). Despite superior graphics technology and a wide array of non-gaming capabilities, however, the PSP has failed to overcome Nintendo’s DS
Nintendo DS
The is a portable game console produced by Nintendo, first released on November 21, 2004. A distinctive feature of the system is the presence of two separate LCD screens, the lower of which is a touchscreen, encompassed within a clamshell design, similar to the Game Boy Advance SP...
system, which, with its addition of a second, touch-sensitive screen, remains the fastest-selling console worldwide and in most territories.
Pricing
Microsoft and Sony currently use a loss leaderLoss leader
A loss leader or leader is a product sold at a low price to stimulate other profitable sales. It is a kind of sales promotion, in other words marketing concentrating on a pricing strategy. A loss leader is often a popular article...
strategy, pricing their consoles lower than the production cost to increase the market for more profitable sales of related software. Competition between the two companies in 2002 has caused them to further reduce the prices of their consoles, the then prominent Xbox and PlayStation 2 respectively. The latest Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 consoles still use this strategy.
Nintendo's Wii console, despite being several hundred dollars cheaper than the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, generates profit from every sale because of its lower production cost compared to its counterparts.
Backward compatibility
Recently console manufacturers have begun considering backward compatibility as an important feature in their consoles. NintendoNintendo
is a multinational corporation located in Kyoto, Japan. Founded on September 23, 1889 by Fusajiro Yamauchi, it produced handmade hanafuda cards. By 1963, the company had tried several small niche businesses, such as a cab company and a love hotel....
has had much success making their Game Boy Advance
Game Boy Advance
The is a 32-bit handheld video game console developed, manufactured, and marketed by Nintendo. It is the successor to the Game Boy Color. It was released in Japan on March 21, 2001; in North America on June 11, 2001; in Australia and Europe on June 22, 2001; and in the People's Republic of China...
compatible with the regular Game Boy
Game Boy
The , is an 8-bit handheld video game device developed and manufactured by Nintendo. It was released in Japan on , in North America in , and in Europe on...
and Game Boy Color
Game Boy Color
The is Nintendo's successor to the 8-bit Game Boy handheld game console, and was released on October 21, 1998 in Japan, November 19, 1998 in North America, November 23, 1998 in Europe and November 27, 1998 in the United Kingdom. It features a color screen and is slightly thicker and taller than...
handhelds, as well as their new handheld Nintendo DS
Nintendo DS
The is a portable game console produced by Nintendo, first released on November 21, 2004. A distinctive feature of the system is the presence of two separate LCD screens, the lower of which is a touchscreen, encompassed within a clamshell design, similar to the Game Boy Advance SP...
which is compatible with games made specifically for the Game Boy Advance. Nintendo’s Wii
Wii
The Wii is a home video game console released by Nintendo on November 19, 2006. As a seventh-generation console, the Wii primarily competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Sony's PlayStation 3. Nintendo states that its console targets a broader demographic than that of the two others...
is compatible, after a fashion, with all four of its previous consoles, in that it can play games from its immediate predecessor, the Nintendo GameCube
Nintendo GameCube
The , officially abbreviated to NGC in Japan and GCN in other regions, is a sixth generation video game console released by Nintendo on September 15, 2001 in Japan, November 18, 2001 in North America, May 3, 2002 in Europe, and May 17, 2002 in Australia...
, and users may download select games released on all of Nintendo’s older home systems (and those of some defunct competitors) using the Virtual Console
Virtual console
A virtual console – also known as a virtual terminal – is a conceptual combination of the keyboard and display for a computer user interface. It is a feature of some operating systems such as UnixWare, Linux, and BSD, in which the system console of the computer can be used to switch between...
feature. Sony
Sony
, commonly referred to as Sony, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan and the world's fifth largest media conglomerate measured by revenues....
employed the same making its PlayStation 2
PlayStation 2
The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony as part of the PlayStation series. Its development was announced in March 1999 and it was first released on March 4, 2000, in Japan...
backward-compatible with its PlayStation
PlayStation
The is a 32-bit fifth-generation video game console first released by Sony Computer Entertainment in Japan on December 3, .The PlayStation was the first of the PlayStation series of consoles and handheld game devices. The PlayStation 2 was the console's successor in 2000...
, and continued with this strategy by making their PlayStation 3
PlayStation 3
The is the third home video game console produced by Sony Computer Entertainment and the successor to the PlayStation 2 as part of the PlayStation series. The PlayStation 3 competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
backward-compatible with PlayStation 2 and PlayStation games, although many games had serious problems until a firmware upgrade 3 months after launch. The Xbox 360 is backwards compatible with 394 Xbox games as of the July 12, 2007, update; fewer titles are backward compatible in European markets (295), Japanese markets (101), and Australian markets.
First-mover advantage
The first-mover advantageFirst-mover advantage
In marketing, first-mover advantage or FMA is the advantage gained by the initial significant occupant of a market segment. It may be referred to as Technological Leadership. This advantage may stem from the fact that the first entrant can gain control of resources that followers may not be able...
that certain console manufacturers experience can be a great boost, on the other hand is it a somewhat risky strategy. Though it may attract early adopters by providing an advanced alternative to current offering, this strategy leaves room for competitors to copy the hasty company’s successes and learn from its mistakes. While there have been cases of consoles becoming successful partly because they were the first ones released within a specific era (most notably Sega with their Mega Drive during the 16-bit era), success from being the “first-mover” is not always guaranteed. Sega tried once again but failed to reap benefits by being the first-mover during the 128-bit era with their Dreamcast. Unfortunately for Sega, many consumers decided that they would rather wait for the PlayStation 2 to be released instead. Other console manufacturers have also attempted this strategy, such as the 3DO and Jaguar, all failed miserably. Nearly every console manufacturer who released their console first to the market by a significant margin, permanently exited the race soon after. Despite this trend, in releasing the Xbox 360 before its competitors’ products were released, Microsoft hoped to benefit greatly from the first-mover advantage – and its gamble paid off, shipping around 6 million units before the others launched. As many gamers decided to buy a cheap, novel Wii, and only one of the expensive, high-end, traditional alternatives, Microsoft’s early launch allowed it to firmly trounce Sony in the first years of the seventh generation. However within a year of the Nintendo Wii launch
Wii launch
The Wii launch was the release of Nintendo's seventh generation video game console. This successor to the Nintendo GameCube was released in most territories in November and December 2006...
it had already beaten Xbox 360 sales which had been available for 2 years already.
Third-party support
It has often been said that when it comes to a console’s success: “It’s all about the games”, and this is certainly true. A console manufacturer needs to have ample third-party developer support in order to have a steady stream of quality video games being released throughout the year. Although brand loyalty, technical capabilities and price certainly plays their part, people tend to purchase the console that offers the games that they enjoy most. Without games, there is no reason to buy a console. It is the very reason why people doomed the Nokia N-Gage to failure before it was even released. Therefore console manufacturers need to establish good relationships with third-party developers, otherwise they risk losing the support that they need to another competitor. A lot of this revolves around management, business decisions and partnerships, as even Microsoft occasionally publishes games for Nintendo handhelds, having no handheld of its own at present or planned for the near future. However, a console manufacturer can also help promote third-party support by making their console easy to develop on. Part of the reason for the success of the PlayStation against the Sega Saturn was that the PlayStation was considered an easy platform to develop games, while the Sega Saturn, with its dual processors and overall complexity, frustrated developers instead. In the sixth generation, Nintendo was perceived to be comparatively lacking in 3rd-party support, and relied mainly on their own 1st-party games, a situation since the Nintendo 64, since at the time, many third party developers opted for the PlayStation due to the ease in making games for it. Many top-selling Nintendo games are critical franchises that are well recognized in the video game industry at large, like The Legend of ZeldaThe Legend of Zelda
The Legend of Zelda, originally released as in Japan, is a video game developed and published by Nintendo, and designed by Shigeru Miyamoto and Takashi Tezuka. Set in the fantasy land of Hyrule, the plot centers on a boy named Link, the playable protagonist, who aims to collect the eight fragments...
, Mario
Mario
is a fictional character in his video game series, created by Japanese video game designer Shigeru Miyamoto. Serving as Nintendo's mascot and the main protagonist of the series, Mario has appeared in over 200 video games since his creation...
and Metroid
Metroid
is an action-adventure video game, and the first entry in the Metroid series. It was co-developed by Nintendo's Research and Development 1 division and Intelligent Systems, and was released in Japan in August 1986, in North America in August 1987, and in Europe in January 1988...
. In the current seventh generation, this is reversed: the PlayStation 3
PlayStation 3
The is the third home video game console produced by Sony Computer Entertainment and the successor to the PlayStation 2 as part of the PlayStation series. The PlayStation 3 competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
is perhaps the most difficult (and the Wii
Wii
The Wii is a home video game console released by Nintendo on November 19, 2006. As a seventh-generation console, the Wii primarily competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Sony's PlayStation 3. Nintendo states that its console targets a broader demographic than that of the two others...
the easiest) to develop for.
On the other hand, third-party developers and publishers are themselves responsive to sales numbers, and the surprise success of the DS and Wii has prompted companies like Electronic Arts
Electronic Arts
Electronic Arts, Inc. is a major American developer, marketer, publisher and distributor of video games. Founded and incorporated on May 28, 1982 by Trip Hawkins, the company was a pioneer of the early home computer games industry and was notable for promoting the designers and programmers...
and Square Enix
Square Enix
is a Japanese video game and publishing company best known for its console role-playing game franchises, which include the Final Fantasy series, the Dragon Quest series, and the action-RPG Kingdom Hearts series...
to shift more focus and resources toward Nintendo projects.
Former console manufacturers
- AtariAtariAtari is a corporate and brand name owned by several entities since its inception in 1972. It is currently owned by Atari Interactive, a wholly owned subsidiary of the French publisher Atari, SA . The original Atari, Inc. was founded in 1972 by Nolan Bushnell and Ted Dabney. It was a pioneer in...
– revived by InfogramesInfogramesInfogrames Entertainment SA was an international French holding company headquartered in Paris, France. It was the owner of Atari, Inc., headquartered in New York City, U.S. and Atari Europe. It was founded in 1983 by Bruno Bonnell and Christophe Sapet using the proceeds from an introductory...
and now a third-party game publisher - BandaiBandaiis a Japanese toy making and video game company, as well as the producer of a large number of plastic model kits. It is the world's third-largest producer of toys . Some ex-Bandai group companies produce anime and tokusatsu programs...
- ColecoColecoColeco is an American company founded in 1932 by Maurice Greenberg as "Connecticut Leather Company". It became a highly successful toy company in the 1980s, known for its mass-produced version of Cabbage Patch Kids dolls and its video game consoles, the Coleco Telstar and...
– defunct - CommodoreCommodore InternationalCommodore is the commonly used name for Commodore Business Machines , the U.S.-based home computer manufacturer and electronics manufacturer headquartered in West Chester, Pennsylvania, which also housed Commodore's corporate parent company, Commodore International Limited...
– revived and now Commodore Gaming - Emerson
- MagnavoxMagnavoxMagnavox is a US electronics company founded by Edwin Pridham and Peter L. Jensen, who invented the moving-coil loudspeaker in 1915 at their lab in Napa, California. They formed Magnavox in 1917 in order to market their inventions....
- MattelMattelMattel, Inc. is the world's largest toy company based on revenue. The products it produces include Fisher Price, Barbie dolls, Hot Wheels and Matchbox toys, Masters of the Universe, American Girl dolls, board games, and, in the early 1980s, video game consoles. The company's name is derived from...
- Milton Bradley CompanyMilton Bradley CompanyThe Milton Bradley Company is an American game company established by Milton Bradley in Springfield, Massachusetts, in 1860. In 1920, it absorbed the game production of McLoughlin Brothers, formerly the largest game manufacturer in the United States, and in 1987, it purchased Selchow and Righter,...
- NEC
- NokiaNokiaNokia Corporation is a Finnish multinational communications corporation that is headquartered in Keilaniemi, Espoo, a city neighbouring Finland's capital Helsinki...
- PhilipsPhilipsKoninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. , more commonly known as Philips, is a multinational Dutch electronics company....
– designed and built the Philips CDiCDI- Science and technology :* Capacitive deionization, a water desalination technology based on the use of electrical field effects* Carbonyldiimidazole, a peptide coupling agent... - RCARCARCA Corporation, founded as the Radio Corporation of America, was an American electronics company in existence from 1919 to 1986. The RCA trademark is currently owned by the French conglomerate Technicolor SA through RCA Trademark Management S.A., a company owned by Technicolor...
- SegaSega, usually styled as SEGA, is a multinational video game software developer and an arcade software and hardware development company headquartered in Ōta, Tokyo, Japan, with various offices around the world...
– abandoned console manufacturing and is now a third-party software publisher - SNKSNK PlaymoreSNK Playmore Corporation is a Japanese video game hardware and software company. SNK is an acronym of , which was SNK's original name. The company's legal and trading name became SNK in 1986....
– revived by Playmore and now a third-party game publisher
Notable former licensed console manufacturers
- AiwaAiwawas a Japanese consumer electronics company, founded in 1951.It produced audio and video equipment from the 1970s until the early 2000s.-History:The Aiwa Corporation slid towards bankruptcy until it was purchased by competitor Sony Corporation. As of October 1, 2002, Aiwa ceased to be a separate...
– licensee of Sega - BandaiBandaiis a Japanese toy making and video game company, as well as the producer of a large number of plastic model kits. It is the world's third-largest producer of toys . Some ex-Bandai group companies produce anime and tokusatsu programs...
– licensee of Apple ComputerApple ComputerApple Inc. is an American multinational corporation that designs and markets consumer electronics, computer software, and personal computers. The company's best-known hardware products include the Macintosh line of computers, the iPod, the iPhone and the iPad...
(PippinApple PippinThe Pippin, known in Japan as , and marketed as Pipp!n, is a multimedia platform designed by Apple Computer and produced by Bandai in 1995...
) - GradienteGradienteGradiente is a Brazilian consumer electronics company based in São Paulo. The company designs and markets many product lines, including video , audio, home theater, high end acoustics, office and mobile stereo, and wireless. The company was founded in 1964...
– licensee of NintendoNintendois a multinational corporation located in Kyoto, Japan. Founded on September 23, 1889 by Fusajiro Yamauchi, it produced handmade hanafuda cards. By 1963, the company had tried several small niche businesses, such as a cab company and a love hotel....
in Brazil - HitachiHitachi, Ltd.is a Japanese multinational conglomerate headquartered in Marunouchi 1-chome, Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan. The company is the parent of the Hitachi Group as part of the larger DKB Group companies...
– licensee of Sega - JVCJVC, usually referred to as JVC, is a Japanese international consumer and professional electronics corporation based in Yokohama, Japan which was founded in 1927...
– licensee of Sega - LG ElectronicsLG ElectronicsLG Electronics is a global electronics and telecommunications company headquartered in Yeouido, Seoul, South Korea. The company operates its business through five divisions: mobile communications, home entertainment, home appliance, air conditioning and business solution...
(fka GoldstarGoldstarGoldstar may refer to:* Goldstar Events, an online discount ticket retailer for entertainment events* Goldstar , the name of several fictional characters from DC Comics...
) – licensee of 3DOThe 3DO CompanyThe 3DO Company , also known as 3DO , was a video game company... - PanasonicPanasonicPanasonic is an international brand name for Japanese electric products manufacturer Panasonic Corporation, which was formerly known as Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd...
– licensee of 3DO and Nintendo - SanyoSanyois a major electronics company and member of the Fortune 500 whose headquarters is located in Moriguchi, Osaka prefecture, Japan. Sanyo targets the middle of the market and has over 230 Subsidiaries and Affiliates....
– licensee of 3DO (Japan only) - Sharp CorporationSharp Corporationis a Japanese multinational corporation that designs and manufactures electronic products. Headquartered in Abeno-ku, Osaka, Japan, Sharp employs more than 55,580 people worldwide as of June 2011. The company was founded in September 1912 and takes its name from one of its founder's first...
– licensee of Nintendo - TecToy – licensee of SegaSega, usually styled as SEGA, is a multinational video game software developer and an arcade software and hardware development company headquartered in Ōta, Tokyo, Japan, with various offices around the world...
in Brazil