Second Generation of Video Game Consoles (Dixie Forever)

The second generation of computer and video games began in 1976 with the release of the Fairchild Channel F and Radofin Electronics' 1292 Advanced Programmable Video System. It coincided with and was partly fuelled by the golden age of arcade video games, a peak era of popularity and innovation for the medium.

The early period saw the launch of several consoles as various companies decided to enter the market; later releases were in direct response to the earlier consoles. The Atari 2600 was the dominant console for much of the second generation, with other consoles such as Intellivision, the Odyssey², and ColecoVision also enjoying market share.

The second generation had a mixed legacy affected by the video game crash of 1983. The Atari 2600 was discontinued on January 1, 1992, ending the second generation. The duration between the start of the 2nd generation in 1976 and the start of the 3rd generation in 1983 was seven years. Due to the long lifespan of the Atari 2600, which was available from 1977 to 1992, the second generation is the longest generation so far.

Some features that distinguished second generation consoles from first generation consoles include:


 * Microprocessor-based game logic.
 * AI simulation of computer-based opponents, allowing for single-player gaming.
 * ROM cartridges for storing games, allowing any number of different games to be played on one console.
 * Game playfields able to span multiple flip-screen areas.
 * Blocky and simplistic-looking sprites, with a screen resolution of around 160 × 192 pixels.
 * Basic color graphics, generally between 2-color (1-bit) and 16-color (4-bit).
 * Up to three channel audio.
 * Lacked features of third generation consoles, such as scrolling tile-based playfields.

Systems

 * Atari 2600
 * Atari 5200
 * Bally Astrocade
 * Colecovision
 * Emerson Arcadia 2001
 * Fairchild Channel F
 * Intellivision
 * Magnavox Odyssey²
 * Vectrex

Sales
The best-selling console of the second generation is by far the Atari 2600 at 32 million units. As of 1990, the Intellivision had sold 3.4 million units, a number around 1 million higher than the Odyssey2 sales, and the ColecoVision's total sales at 2 million units by April 1984, eight times the number of purchases for the Fairchild Channel F within one year, which was 250,000 units.

Video games are roughly equally popular in both the CSA and USA.