First Generation (1972-1979; mostly Pong clones)

Second Generation (1976-1984; Atari 2600, Magnavox Odyssey, Intellivision, Atari 5200, Vectrex, ColecoVision, SG-1000)

Third Generation (1983-1990; NES, Sega Master System, Sharp X68000)

Fourth Generation (1987-1996; TurboGrafx-16, Sega Genesis, Neo-Geo, SNES)

Fifth Generation (1994-2001; PlayStation, PC FX, Sega Saturn, Nintendo 64)

Sixth Generation (1998-2005; Dreamcast, PlayStation 2, Nintendo GameCube, Xbox)

Seventh Generation (2005-present; Xbox 360, Wii, PlayStation 3)