Second Generation Games

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 asIntellivision, the Odyssey, and ColecoVision also enjoying
market share.
The second generation had a mixed legacy affected by the video game crash of 1983 two years before the
arrival of the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) in the United States. 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.
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.