Talk:Fourth generation of video game consoles

Move discussion in progress
There is a move discussion in progress on Talk:History of video game consoles (third generation) which affects this page. Please participate on that page and not in this talk page section. Thank you. —RMCD bot 01:59, 9 November 2015 (UTC)

Bad title
If this is "more commonly referred to as the 16-bit era", shouldn't that be the title of the page? To label this era as the "fourth" smells of original research to me - trying to apply your own chronology to something that does not have a distinct natural numbering system. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 172.91.92.28 (talk) 21:00, 20 August 2016 (UTC)
 * czar 21:45, 21 December 2020 (UTC)

Backwards compatibility of the SNES
The article list the SNES as backwards compatible with the Nintendo Entertainment System and Game Boy( through accesories Super 8 and Super Game Boy)

Both those periferal are systems on a chip. Both periferal are hardware clones of their own, and process the entire game while the SNES only provides joystick input, power, and in the case of the Super Game Boy, video pass through (Super 8 has its own video output, to further demonstrate that is not the SNES running the game )

In contrast, the Power Base Adapter for Sega Megadrive doesn't have any Master System Hardware, only adapts the cartdrige format, and the game runs on the Megadrive (the secondary procesor Z80 included in the Megadrive is the actual CPU of the Master System, and takes control when running Master System games, leaving the 68k main CPU idle)

There are remnants of actual initial attempts of NES backwards compatibility in the SNES hardware, if anyone is interested I could trace the source of it.

181.170.195.120 (talk) 18:55, 8 November 2016 (UTC)
 * I do not think this article really misrepresents anything, as it clearly notes accessories are required to use the console for these purposes. The related articles expand and provide the rest of the detail. -- ferret (talk) 19:09, 8 November 2016 (UTC)

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Mistake
Someone used the wrong link for the super multitap from genesis. Can someone just fix that mistake? Please, 2 deleted my topics, do not erase this one--173.215.232.156 (talk) 21:33, 31 January 2017 (UTC)                     Why you guys erase my topics?
 * ✅ -- ferret (talk) 12:45, 1 February 2017 (UTC)


 * I'm talking about only genesis, not SNES. SNES has an multitap--207.204.162.90 (talk) 21:58, 1 February 2017 (UTC)
 * So am I. The SNES link looks correct. I updated only the incorrect Genesis link. -- ferret (talk) 22:17, 1 February 2017 (UTC)

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Sega Pico
The Sega Pico is also a fourth generation console. It is not highlighted to my knowledge in article. Any reason for it being left out? I'm only asking as I am not finding it. Mr. C.C. Hey yo!I didn't do it! 05:58, 26 May 2017 (UTC)

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9th Generation starting with Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5 in 2020-2021
These consoles should be a part of the 9th generation of consoles not 8th in my opinion. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Jared L 9999 (talk • contribs) 21:07, 15 August 2020 (UTC)
 * This isn't the article to discuss that at, we don't go by editor opinions but usage within secondary reliable sources, and the concept of a "ninth generation" has yet to be used by sources yet, especially without them being released. -- ferret (talk) 21:53, 15 August 2020 (UTC)

They come out later this year during the holiday season Jared L 9999 (talk) 16:24, 16 August 2020 (UTC)
 * Yes, we know. -- ferret (talk) 16:27, 16 August 2020 (UTC)

No scream at all
What the hell does this mean? It's in the middle of the Sega Genesis section TheSOB (talk) 13:58, 25 February 2023 (UTC)

FM Towns Marty is an early fifth generation console, just like the Amiga CD32
The FM Towns Marty console was launched in 1993, based on the FM Towns II UX personal computer (91), with a 32-bit AMD 386SX 16MHz CPU, 2 MB of memory and CD-ROM media. It was a commercial failure and was discontinued in 1995. The Amiga CD32 console was launched in 1993, based on the Amiga 1200 personal computer (92), with the 32-bit Motorola 68EC020 14MHz CPU, 2 MB of memory and CD-ROM media. It was a commercial failure and discontinued in 1994. Both were clearly more powerful than the main fourth-generation consoles, but they lacked the 3D capabilities of the main fifth-generation consoles, meaning a transition between the former and the latter. Since the main fourth generation consoles were released between 87 and 90 and the main fifth generation consoles were released between 93 and 96, both FM Towns Marty and Amiga CD32 are better classified as fifth generation consoles, making no sense to place them in different generations from each other. 191.177.187.55 (talk) 02:58, 29 April 2024 (UTC)


 * The real question is, are there sources anyway for either console? The 4th Generation list is full of minor consoles that released in '93. -- ferret (talk) 13:21, 29 April 2024 (UTC)
 * Is there any source that classifies FM Towns Marty in the fourth generation of consoles?
 * Until March 11, 2024, this console was always listed on the Wikipedia page of the fifth generation of consoles, however it was removed from there not because any source indicated otherwise, but simply because “it is based on a computer from 1989”, which is not even correct, as the FM Towns is not a computer model, but a family of computers manufactured by Fujitsu between 1989 and 1997. The FM Towns Marty, as I said, has the same hardware as a 1991 model.
 * The point is: in March a change was accepted that was not based on reliable sources or consistent arguments and now sources are required to undo the change, even though arguments were presented about the high similarity between this console and a console that is accepted on Wikipedia as fifth generation, the Amiga CD32.
 * For the record, the other minor consoles released in 1993 and listed here aren´t comparable to the FM Towns Marty and I have made no arguments because that is not what is being discussed here. 191.177.187.55 (talk) 20:00, 29 April 2024 (UTC)
 * I'm literally asking you for a source either way. It's not about "a source is needed to fix a wrong". It's about making sure we get it right this time. -- ferret (talk) 22:03, 29 April 2024 (UTC)
 * That's an excerption from the book Phoenix IV - The History of the Videogame Industry (Herman, Leonard), pages 251-252:
 * “32-Bit CD Gaming Consoles
 * In September, one month before Panasonic released it’s 3DO console, Commodore began selling a new multimedia machine, which replaced the poorly received CDTV. The Amiga CD32 was a 32-bit, CD-based, multimedia game machine, but Commodore attempted to market it as a game console. The 14Mhz machine was capable of simultaneously displaying 256,000 colors from a palette of nearly 17 million. With an additional planned MPEG-1 cartridge, the unit could play full motion video and photo CDs in addition to the regular game discs and audio CDs. Like 3DO, Commodore claimed a slew of third-party developers. However, the Amiga CD32 already had a large amount of available software titles, because Commodore made the Amiga CD32 compatible with the CDTV multimedia system. The 3DO, which the Amiga CD32 had been designed to compete against, had virtually no software available when it came out. Another major selling point for the Amiga CD32 was its $400 price tag; $300 less than what Panasonic was selling its 3DO player for.
 * When the Amiga CD32 had initially been released, Commodore had marketed it as the "world's first 32-bit CD games console”. While it did indeed hold that title in the regions that it had been sold, a 32-bit CD game machine had actually been released in Japan seven months earlier, by a company called Fujitsu, which, in 1989, had released the FM Towns, a 32-bit computer system that was the first in the world to offer a built-in CD drive. Fujitsu decided to duplicate that approach when it entered the videogame market.
 * The FM Towns Marty was released on February 20. It was basically an FM Towns computer in videogame clothing. Software for the FM Towns Marty was completely compatible with the computer. Internally, the two systems were basically the same, although the FM Towns Marty had some additional custom components. In addition, so that it could completely emulate the computer that it had been based on, the FM Towns Marty had a built-in 3.5-inch floppy disk drive.
 * The FM Towns Marty was only released in Japan. At that time, Japanese computer systems and their corresponding software were very expensive. Since it was essentially a computer, the costs for the FM Towns Marty were also very high; the product retailed at approximately $800. People were unwilling to pay the extra money for a console that was basically a computer system that could only play games. And although it had a 32-bit operating system, gamers were willing to forego the FM Towns Marty and purchase the 16-bit Sega Mega Drive or Nintendo Super Famicom, which both cost much less.” 191.177.187.55 (talk) 00:42, 30 April 2024 (UTC)
 * This doesn't mention generation explicitly, but it puts the FM Towns Marty as competing against the Sega Mega Drive and Super Famicom.... both established 4th generation consoles, not 5th. Along with that you've already re-established that it was essentially a re-release of the 1991 model, which this correlates, further backdating it... -- ferret (talk) 00:51, 30 April 2024 (UTC)
 * No, Herman clearly places the three systems, 3DO, Amiga CD32 and FM Towns Marty, in the same class of "32-Bit CD Gaming Consoles". So, if they are comparable, both in terms of hardware and in terms of price, and were launched in exactly the same year, how can you place them in different generations?
 * And evidently the FM Towns Marty didn't compete with the Mega Drive and Super Famicom, as it cost four times as much and the latter are 16-bit systems launched in 88 and 90 in Japan! And are you suggesting that the FM Towns Marty should be classified as fourth generation just because the high-end computer on which it is based was released in 1991? And what do you say about the Amiga CD32, based on a computer from 1992 (Amiga 1200)?
 * You simply didn't put a single argument that supports your position, you just distorted my arguments. 191.177.187.55 (talk) 02:23, 30 April 2024 (UTC)
 * “1993: Fifth generation – enter the mainstream
 * The fifth generation of video games was arguably the most transformative era in gaming history, thanks to the widespread adoption of CD-Rom technology and a shift from sprite-based 2D games towards the polygonal 3D graphics that were already wowing PC and arcade gamers. It was also the generation that saw Sony enter the console market fray. A slew of competitors introduced new machines, eager to steal a march on Sega and Nintendo. Fujitsu's FM Towns Marty, NEC's PC-FX, the Amiga CD32 and the Atari Jaguar all launched early, but high costs and a dearth of truly great titles meant they lured few people away from Sega and Nintendo's 16-bit machines.”
 * www.bbc.co.uk/archive/the-8-generations-of-video-game-consoles/zvcjkty
 * ”25. 3DO (1993)
 * The second true 32-bit machine after the FM Towns Marty, the 3DO was available via a unique business model: the 3DO Company (formed by Electronic Arts founder Trip Hawkins) licensed its technical specifications to third-party manufacturers such as Sanyo and Panasonic, which then built their own versions.”
 * www.theguardian.com/games/2020/jul/16/the-25-greatest-video-game-consoles-ranked 191.177.187.55 (talk) 20:50, 30 April 2024 (UTC)
 * "Japanese PC manufacturer Fujitsu isn't a company you'd necessarily associate with innovation in the videogame industry, so it might come as some surprise to learn that this firm is responsible for launching the world´s first ever 32-bit console. That machine was the Marty, an off-shoot of Fujitsu's FM Towns personal computer range and one of the most sought-after pieces of Japanese gaming hardware in the world"
 * Retro Gamer Magazine nº86, Feb/11, page 62 191.177.187.55 (talk) 22:45, 30 April 2024 (UTC)
 * Y'know, rather than trying to make these gigantic replies for just one user, you should turn all of this information into citations to put with relevant info for this article. WP:DOIT. Carlinal (talk) 00:24, 1 May 2024 (UTC)
 * Y'know, rather than trying to make these gigantic replies for just one user, you should turn all of this information into citations to put with relevant info for this article. WP:DOIT. Carlinal (talk) 00:24, 1 May 2024 (UTC)