The best video game systems of the 80's

A prodigious decade in every way, in all artistic and technological facets.

Video game consoles such as the original NES launched in Japan in 1983, only to land in the United States in 1985, when its rival, the Sega Master System, was released in Japan.

Microcomputers like the Sinclair ZX Spectrum and the Commodore 64, two of the most commercially successful computers were released in '82, Windows, the original operating system, saw the light of day in '85, just a year after Apple released the Macintosh, the first personal computer to use a mouse and a graphical interface.

Outside the home, in arcades, the arcade machines reached their peak, only to begin their decline in the following decade, just the opposite of the personal computers where it all began in the 80s.

RDI Halcyon

The RDI Halcyon was a short-lived laserdisc-based game platform. Only two games were properly released for the system. It was the most expensive video game console ever released, retailing at ,500.

FM Towns

A proprietary 32-bit computer from Fujitsu, released in 1989 only in Japan. The first computer with a standard CD-ROM drive, it had many CD enhanced versions of Eastern and Western games (including action, adventure and RPG titles) which are sought after to this day by collectors. Its console version, FM Towns Marty, released in 1993 as the first 5th-gen console.

BBC Micro

Designed and built by Acorn Computers in 1981 as part of the BBC's Computer Literacy Project, the BBC Microcomputer System was notable for its rugged build quality, expandability and feature set. Several notable British developers started out making games for this system.

NEC PC-9801

A 16/32-bit Japanese personal computer system launched by NEC in 1982. It was the most successful computer platform in Japan and one of the best-selling computer systems of the 20th century. It has a very large video game library with thousands of titles, the majority of which were never released outside Japan.

FM-7

The second in Fujitsu's FM line of computers, the FM-7 was intended more for the mass market, and received fair popularity in Japan.

NEC PC-6001

The first in NEC's PC-6000 line of computers.

SuperGrafx

This upgraded PC-Engine was released in Japan in 1989. Few exclusive titles for the system were ever released.

Acorn Archimedes

The Acorn Archimedes was a range of personal computers from Acorn Computers aimed at both educational and home use. It featured a 32-bit ARM processor and the RISC OS operating system.

Epoch Cassette Vision

A cartridge-based system released in Japan in 1981.

Sega SG-1000

Sega's first foray into home game consoles. Released in 1983 alongside its rival, the Famicom, the SG-1000 is an early third-generation home console and did not receive a worldwide release. It was later succeeded by the Sega Mark III, better known as the Sega Master System.