The 32-bit and 64-bit revolution arrived in the 1990s.
The so-called fourth generation of video game consoles in this decade of the 90s, a generation that took us to 1996 with some remarkable facts, will still live a few years.
As in 1990 appeared the first Nintendo portable, the Game Boy, a year later appeared the most exclusive console to date, the Neo Geo, a console that was designed for the wealthiest families because its price was clearly prohibitive.
The Neo Geo was a console directly inspired by the best arcade machines that inhabited the arcades and its graphics, sound and gameplay was far above what had been seen so far.
However, and although this is not something that concerns the hardware and therefore the consoles themselves, it failed to succeed beyond fighting games and space killers, or at least was not able to overshadow Nintendo and Sega who had taken some magnetic characters up their sleeves, such as Mario and Sonic respectively.
In 1993 and until 1999 the so-called fifth generation of consoles burst into the market, which represented a remarkable leap in the computing power of the consoles.
This extra power made possible the transition from two-dimensional games to three-dimensional games.
These consoles also incorporated CD reader units, which began to leave behind the limited concept of cartridges seen in previous consoles, but which in turn greatly facilitated the copying of games and the pirating of consoles when the first CD burners for computers came onto the market later on.
Some consoles of this fifth generation are mythical, such as the PlayStation, the first, the original, which was released in 1994, as well as the more unknown Sega Saturn, a console prized by collectors today.
We can not forget 1996 with the Nintendo 64 at the head, a console that still retained the cartridge format, and for which came out some titles and iconic characters that today still remain one of the most leading and best-selling franchises of Nintendo.
The Neo Geo Pocket Color is a 16 bit color handheld console from SNK.
Originally called "Project X", the Nuon started out as a concept for a stand alone console but instead became a built in 3D enhancement technology in a handful of DVD players. NUON technology fared abysmally and the platform only managed to get 8 titles.
Pioneer LaserActive was a failed modular laserdisc-based game console notable for its use of expansion modules as well as being the second highest priced console of all time.
The Satellaview was an add-on for the Super Famicom, released only in Japan. It downloaded games and news via satellite broadcast, and received live, streaming voice acting and hints for some games.
The Nintendo 64 Disk Drive was an expansion for the Nintendo 64 allowing the use of magnetic disks that offered greater storage capacity and the ability to be written to.
This short-lived multimedia device was designed by Apple and manufactured by Bandai. It is widely regarded as one of the worst video game consoles of all time.
The R-Zone was a heavily marketed, cartridge based LCD handheld that ultimately flopped. It marked Tiger's first attempt at a handheld game system.
Sega Pico is an educational video game system aimed at children. The system was also the first Sega system to carry Nintendo licensed games.
This Japan-only release was targeted at young girls and featured a built-in thermal printer to allow users to print their own puri-kura-style stickers. Only 10 games were released for the console.
The Bandai Playdia was an early nineties video game console released only in Japan.
