1990-1993

1990 saw the release of the Super Nintendo. It was cutting edge 16-Bit technology, compared to the 8-Bit consoles of the 80s.

8-Bit games looked like this:

16-Bit games looked like this!!

To modern eyeballs, the difference might seem minimal. But at the time, it was big upgrade! The color palette was tripled, the sound chip was better, and there was more storage available in cartridges which allowed for more complex games. 

Sega had released their follow-up to the Master System in 1989, the Sega Genesis. They had beaten Nintendo to the punch with the first 16-Bit console, but the Super Nintendo quickly closed the gap and was immediately a must-buy. Everyone had to have one!

Nintendo and Sega were now the biggest names in video games, and were in direct competition. Stakes were high! Sega played dirty with their ads and commercials, but it worked. The Super Nintendo was a huge success, but Nintendo no longer had a monopoly on video games.

An example of a Sega Genesis ad:

The beginning of the decade

At the end of the 80s, the most popular video game company was Nintendo. The Nintendo Entertainment System, their first home console, was released in 1985 and was a huge success. By 1989, it was practically as common of a household item as a VCR!

The Nintendo Entertainment System

There were a lot of video game companies at the time trying to create their own successful console, but Sega was Nintendo's closest competitor, with the Sega Master System released in the US in 1986. It was a minor success, but it couldn't come close to the NES in terms of popularity and brand recognition.

The Sega Master System

Some American video game companies, such as Atari, had successes in the early 80s with arcade games and home consoles. By the end of the decade, the most popular game companies and video game developers were Japanese. This trend, and the competition between Nintendo and Sega, would continue and grow even bigger into the 1990s.

Hello!

Welcome to my blog! My name is Jacob Hopper, and this blog is all about the history video games in the 1990s. How they developed and grew over time, and what they're all about.