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Concept
Fifth generation of video game consoles
Summary
The fifth generation era (also known as the 32-bit era, the 64-bit era, or the 3D era) refers to computer and video games, video game consoles, and handheld gaming consoles dating from approximately October 4, 1993, to March 23, 2006. For home consoles, the best-selling console was the Sony PlayStation, followed by the Nintendo 64, and then the Sega Saturn. The PlayStation also had a redesigned version, the PSone, which was launched on July 7, 2000.
Some features that distinguished fifth generation consoles from previous fourth generation consoles include:
3D polygon graphics with texture mapping
3D graphics capabilities – lighting, Gouraud shading, anti-aliasing and texture filtering
Optical disc (CD-ROM) game storage, allowing much larger storage space (up to 650 MB) than ROM cartridges
CD quality audio recordings (music and speech) – PCM audio with 16-bit depth and 44.1 kHz sampling rate
Wide adoption of full motion video, displaying pre-rendered computer animation or live action footage
Analog controllers
Display resolutions from 480i/480p to 576i
Color depth up to 16,777,216 colors (24-bit true color)
This era is known for its pivotal role in the video game industry's leap from 2D to 3D computer graphics, as well as the shift in home console games from being stored on ROM cartridges to optical discs. This was also the first generation to feature internet connectivity: some systems had additional hardware which provided connectivity to an existing device, like the Sega Net Link for the Sega Saturn. The Apple Pippin, 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 Sega Nomad, had a lifespan of just two years, and the Nintendo Virtual Boy had a lifespan of less than one. Both of them were discontinued before the other handhelds made their debut. The Neo Geo Pocket was released on October 28, 1998, but was dropped by SNK in favor of the fully backwards-compatible Neo Geo Pocket Color just a year later.
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