First Gen (jan 1, 1972 – dec 18, 1977)

Description:

The first generation of video games started when the first console, the Magnavox Odyssey was released, though were also inspired by games and demos produced on early mainframe computers and arcade cabinets. First generation consoles are very primitive in design, using descrite analogue circuits made up of transistors rather than digital chips which became the norm. Unlike later generations loads of first generation consoles were created, as media such as removable game cartridges were not mainstream by this point. Most of these consoles were Pong clones or variants, with the later ones offering different game modes and some attempting to create different genres of game with similar restrictions. There was no clear "winner" in this generation, as companies were essentially marketing the same thing, often releasing newer revisions of the hardware as development costs lessened.

(http://segaretro.org/Genarations_of_video_games)