Video game console

A dedicated electronic device designed to run video games, typically connected to a display and controlled with game controllers. Consoles combine hardware and software into a platform for playing games.

Central processing unit: The processor that executes program instructions and coordinates a computer’s operations. It runs game logic and manages the console’s other hardware.
Tennis for Two: A 1958 electronic tennis game displayed on an oscilloscope at Brookhaven National Laboratory. It demonstrated interactive electronic play before home consoles existed.
Personal computer: A general-purpose computer designed for use by one person at a time. Personal computers run games but are not dedicated to gaming in the same way.
Video game: An electronic game in which players interact with images or events generated by a computer. Video games are the main software consoles are designed to run.
Video game industry: The businesses that develop, publish, distribute, and sell video games and related products. Console makers and game publishers form a major part of this industry.
Graphics processing unit: A processor specialized for producing and manipulating images. It renders the images that consoles send to displays.
Magnavox Odyssey: A home video game system released in 1972, widely recognized as the first commercial console. It established the home console as a commercial product.
Arcade game: A video game designed for play on coin-operated or publicly operated machines. Arcade games place dedicated gaming hardware in shared public venues.
Online gaming: Playing video games with other people over a network connection. Network services let consoles support multiplayer play beyond a single room.
Console generation: A period in which competing consoles share broadly similar hardware capabilities and market timing. Generational cycles organize console upgrades and competition between platform makers.

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