Second Generation Systems, 1977-1981
In the Second Generation we see a dramatic change in the desires of the video game consumer. Previously, systems with only a few games preprogrammed were all that was necessary to surfeit the consumer's cravings. The industry wide implementation of the microprocessor first invented at Fairchild paved the way for more complicated systems. These systems produced graphical and auditory effects unlike any that had ever been experience before. While this would be repeated again and again signaling the move from one generation to another, it has been speculated that this first change had the most dramatic effect on the consumer.
Continuing their success during the Pong era, and fueled by recent public enthusiasm about video games, Atari's VCS/2600 would dominate the second generation until the gaming market crash of 1982. |
