Retro Gaming 101
NES, SNES, N64 — if those letters mean nothing to you, you’re in the right place. This is a plain-language tour of the classic consoles, the words fans throw around, and how the whole era fits together.
The Hardware
8-bit · Nintendo · 1985
Nintendo Entertainment System
The console that revived home gaming after the 1983 crash. Its gray box and rectangular controller became the template for everything that followed.
It established Nintendo’s dominance and introduced Mario, Zelda, and Metroid — franchises still running today.
16-bit · Nintendo · 1991
Super Nintendo Entertainment System
Nintendo’s 16-bit follow-up, with far richer color, layered scrolling backgrounds, and a sound chip that gave games a fuller, moodier score.
It’s home to some of the most celebrated games ever made — Super Metroid, Chrono Trigger, and A Link to the Past.
16-bit · Sega · 1989
Sega Genesis / Mega Drive
Sega’s 16-bit machine — called Mega Drive outside North America — built a reputation on fast action and an edgier, arcade-first attitude.
Its “Genesis does what Nintendon’t” rivalry with the SNES defined the 16-bit console war, and it gave Sonic his start.
64-bit · Nintendo · 1996
Nintendo 64
Nintendo’s 64-bit console, among the first to bring smooth 3D worlds and an analog stick into living rooms.
Super Mario 64 and Ocarina of Time rewrote the rules for 3D platformers and adventure games.
32-bit · Nintendo · 2001
Game Boy Advance
A 32-bit handheld that squeezed near-SNES-quality games into your pocket, with a deep library of ports and originals.
It made portable gaming a serious platform and carried classics like Metroid Fusion and Fire Emblem.
Dual-screen handheld · Nintendo · 2004
Nintendo DS
The dual-screen handheld with a touch screen and stylus, opening games up to entirely new kinds of controls.
One of the best-selling systems of all time, it proved touch and experimentation could reach a huge new audience.
Coin-op · Various makers · 1970s–1990s
Coin-operated arcade cabinets
Not a home console at all — coin-operated cabinets built for public spaces like arcades and pizza parlors, each often running custom hardware tuned to a single game.
Arcades were where many genres were born, pushing graphics and sound years ahead of what home machines could do.
Speak the Language
Software that mimics old game hardware on a modern device, so a program written for a 1990 console can run on your laptop or phone.
Photo: Evan-Amos · Public domain
Short for “read-only memory” — a digital copy of a game originally stored on a cartridge or disc. Emulators load ROMs to play the game.
Photo: Evan-Amos · Public domain
A plastic housing holding a game’s chips that slots directly into a console — instant loading and durable, the standard before discs.
Photo: Evan-Amos · Public domain
Low-level start-up software built into a console. Some systems need a copy of their BIOS for an emulator to boot games accurately.
Photo: Award Software · Public domain
A rough shorthand for a console’s generation and power. More bits generally meant more colors, bigger worlds, and smoother motion — from 8-bit (NES) to 64-bit (N64) and beyond.
Photo: Kurt Kaiser (adapted) · CC0
A 2D image — a character, enemy, or object — drawn and moved around the screen. Classic 2D games are built almost entirely from sprites.
Photo: Kurt Kaiser · CC0
Older consoles were tied to regional TV standards: NTSC in North America and Japan, PAL across much of Europe. Games and hardware often didn’t cross over.
Photo: MrWeeble · CC BY-SA 3.0
How It Unfolded