Fifth generation of video game consoles

The fifth generation era (also known as the 32-bit era, the 64-bit era, or the 3D era) refers to <a href="/facts/Computer_game/AEDr23gA">computer</a> and <a href="/facts/Video_game/vmTdNASJ">video games</a>, <a href="/facts/Home_video_game_console/zP1RTC84">video game consoles</a>, and <a href="/facts/Handheld_game_console/l1hmKVPx">handheld gaming consoles</a> dating from approximately October 4, 1993, to March 23, 2006. The <a href="/facts/List_of_best-selling_game_consoles/kuTLMx42">best-selling home console</a> was the <a href="/facts/PlayStation_(console)/z1vlbrvo">Sony PlayStation</a>, followed by the <a href="/facts/Nintendo_64/p1rI4VQ2">Nintendo 64</a> and the <a href="/facts/Sega_Saturn/x9fhrGgk">Sega Saturn</a>. The PlayStation also had a redesigned version, the <a href="/facts/PSone/vAKVc97R">PSone</a>, which was launched on July 7, 2000.
Some features that distinguished fifth generation consoles from previous <a href="/facts/History_of_video_game_consoles_(fourth_generation)/cB4oJnpS">fourth generation consoles</a> include:

<ul><li><a href="/facts/3D_computer_graphics/zlWW6eaF">3D polygon graphics</a> with <a href="/facts/Texture_mapping/9gDTsuXN">texture mapping</a></li>
<li>3D graphics capabilities – <a href="/facts/Computer_graphics_lighting/kHshvyKY">lighting</a>, <a href="/facts/Gouraud_shading/04Nz96F5">Gouraud shading</a>, <a href="/facts/Spatial_anti-aliasing/od0SgvLy">anti-aliasing</a> and <a href="/facts/Texture_filtering/XraFoapy">texture filtering</a></li>
<li><a href="/facts/Optical_disc/vjVDB1GH">Optical disc</a> (<a href="/facts/CD-ROM/JwuaYLJv">CD-ROM</a>) game storage, allowing much larger storage space (up to 650 <a href="/facts/Mebibyte/BNHUp9Qq">MB</a>) than <a href="/facts/ROM_cartridge/mWLcNez7">ROM cartridges</a></li>
<li><a href="/facts/CD/g51GRloc">CD</a> <a href="/facts/Sound_quality/YMdRK86Y">quality</a> audio recordings (music and speech) – <a href="/facts/PCM/5gdfjtH3">PCM</a> audio with <a href="/facts/Audio_bit_depth/24ccTeTT">16-bit depth</a> and 44.1 kHz <a href="/facts/Sampling_(signal_processing)/xxck7aLN">sampling</a> rate</li>
<li>Wide adoption of <a href="/facts/Full_motion_video/DGyQ52z7">full motion video</a>, displaying <a href="/facts/Pre-rendered/YtB5k4Jh">pre-rendered</a> <a href="/facts/Computer_animation/rPW63nm0">computer animation</a> or <a href="/facts/Live_action/rRJrwAH5">live action</a> footage</li>
<li><a href="/facts/Analog_Joystick/cY64dGpb">Analog controllers</a></li>
<li><a href="/facts/Display_resolution/8LQTWvl3">Display resolutions</a> from <a href="/facts/480i/NTPQFv9B">480i</a>/<a href="/facts/480p/V7H5EHWy">480p</a> to <a href="/facts/576i/KXywE4Ps">576i</a></li>
<li><a href="/facts/Color_depth/0X7zI9BP">Color depth</a> up to 16,777,216 colors (<a href="/facts/24-bit_color/0X7zI9BP">24-bit true color</a>)</li></ul>
This era is known for its pivotal role in the <a href="/facts/Video_game_industry/3hucMmbw">video game industry</a>'s leap from <a href="/facts/2D_computer_graphics/j6dBxDpX">2D</a> to <a href="/facts/3D_computer_graphics/zlWW6eaF">3D computer graphics</a>, as well as the shift in home console games from being stored on <a href="/facts/ROM_cartridge/mWLcNez7">ROM cartridges</a> to <a href="/facts/Optical_disc/vjVDB1GH">optical discs</a>. This was also the first generation to feature <a href="/facts/Internet/Xw1rVvJU">internet</a> connectivity: some systems had additional hardware which provided connectivity to an existing device, like the <a href="/facts/Sega_Net_Link/g3HojogD">Sega Net Link</a> for the Sega Saturn. The <a href="/facts/Apple_Pippin/88v0hPvf">Apple Pippin</a>, a commercial flop, was the first system to feature on-board internet capabilities.
For handhelds, this era was characterized by significant fragmentation, because the first handheld of the generation, the <a href="/facts/Sega_Nomad/4aavfc3U">Sega Nomad</a>, had a lifespan of just two years, and the <a href="/facts/Nintendo/dMrLpaHu">Nintendo</a> <a href="/facts/Virtual_Boy/thqpveuk">Virtual Boy</a> had a lifespan of less than one. Both of them were discontinued before the other handhelds made their debut. The <a href="/facts/Neo_Geo_Pocket/Gpt9lLR2">Neo Geo Pocket</a> was released on October 28, 1998, but was dropped by <a href="/facts/SNK/SJ95qGKk">SNK</a> in favor of the fully backward compatible <a href="/facts/Neo_Geo_Pocket_Color/IkPlCAlL">Neo Geo Pocket Color</a> just a year later. Nintendo's <a href="/facts/Game_Boy_Color/ewfPtCNQ">Game Boy Color</a> (1998) was the most successful handheld by a large margin. There were also two minor updates of the original <a href="/facts/Game_Boy/GlyN6e2W">Game Boy</a>: the <a href="/facts/Game_Boy_Light/GlyN6e2W">Game Boy Light</a> (released in Japan only) and the <a href="/facts/Game_Boy_Pocket/GlyN6e2W">Game Boy Pocket</a>.
There was considerable time overlap between this generation and the next, the <a href="/facts/Sixth_generation_of_video_game_consoles/I5wIYIyg">sixth generation of consoles</a>, which began with the launch of the <a href="/facts/Dreamcast/jdPb5uBX">Dreamcast</a> in Japan on November 27, 1998. The fifth generation ended with the discontinuation of the PlayStation (specifically its re-engineered form, the "PSOne") on March 23, 2006, a year after the launch of the seventh generation.

Fifth generation of video game consoles open-in-new

Fifth generation of video game consoles