<s>
In	O
the	O
history	B-Application
of	I-Application
video	I-Application
games	I-Application
,	O
the	O
fourth	B-Application
generation	I-Application
of	I-Application
video	I-Application
game	I-Application
consoles	I-Application
,	O
more	O
commonly	O
referred	O
to	O
as	O
the	O
16-bit	B-Application
era	I-Application
,	O
began	O
on	O
October	O
30	O
,	O
1987	O
,	O
with	O
the	O
Japanese	O
release	O
of	O
NEC	O
Home	O
Electronics	O
 '	O
PC	B-General_Concept
Engine	I-General_Concept
(	O
known	O
as	O
the	O
TurboGrafx-16	B-General_Concept
in	O
North	O
America	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Though	O
NEC	O
released	O
the	O
first	O
console	O
of	O
this	O
era	O
,	O
sales	O
were	O
mostly	O
dominated	O
by	O
the	O
rivalry	O
between	O
Sega	O
and	O
Nintendo	O
across	O
most	O
markets	O
:	O
the	O
Sega	B-Operating_System
Mega	I-Operating_System
Drive	I-Operating_System
(	O
Sega	B-Operating_System
Genesis	I-Operating_System
in	O
North	O
America	O
)	O
and	O
the	O
Super	B-Application
Nintendo	I-Application
Entertainment	I-Application
System	I-Application
(	O
SNES	B-Application
;	O
Super	B-Application
Famicom	I-Application
in	O
Japan	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Cartridge-based	O
handheld	B-Application
consoles	I-Application
became	O
prominent	O
during	O
this	O
time	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
the	O
Nintendo	B-Device
Game	I-Device
Boy	I-Device
(	O
1989	O
)	O
,	O
Atari	B-General_Concept
Lynx	I-General_Concept
(	O
1989	O
)	O
,	O
Sega	O
Game	O
Gear	O
(	O
1990	O
)	O
and	O
TurboExpress	B-Application
(	O
1990	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Sega	O
,	O
however	O
,	O
was	O
extremely	O
successful	O
in	O
this	O
generation	O
and	O
began	O
a	O
new	O
franchise	B-Application
,	O
Sonic	B-Application
the	I-Application
Hedgehog	I-Application
,	O
to	O
compete	O
with	O
Nintendo	O
's	O
Super	O
Mario	O
series	O
of	O
games	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
While	O
as	O
with	O
prior	O
generations	O
,	O
game	O
media	O
still	O
continued	O
to	O
be	O
primarily	O
provided	O
on	O
ROM	B-Protocol
cartridges	I-Protocol
,	O
though	O
the	O
first	O
optical	B-Device
disk	I-Device
systems	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
the	O
Philips	B-Device
CD-i	I-Device
,	O
were	O
released	O
to	O
limited	O
success	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
games	O
became	O
more	O
complex	O
,	O
concerns	O
over	O
video	O
game	O
violence	O
,	O
namely	O
in	O
titles	O
such	O
as	O
Mortal	B-Application
Kombat	I-Application
and	O
Night	B-Application
Trap	I-Application
,	O
led	O
to	O
the	O
eventual	O
creation	O
of	O
the	O
Entertainment	O
Software	O
Rating	O
Board	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
emergence	O
of	O
fifth	B-Application
generation	I-Application
video	I-Application
game	I-Application
consoles	I-Application
,	O
circa	O
1994	O
,	O
did	O
not	O
significantly	O
diminish	O
the	O
popularity	O
of	O
fourth	B-Application
generation	I-Application
consoles	I-Application
for	O
a	O
few	O
years	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
generation	O
ended	O
with	O
the	O
discontinuation	O
of	O
the	O
Neo	B-Application
Geo	I-Application
in	O
2004	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Features	O
that	O
distinguish	O
some	O
fourth	B-Application
generation	I-Application
consoles	I-Application
from	O
third	B-Application
generation	I-Application
consoles	I-Application
include	O
:	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
PC	B-General_Concept
Engine	I-General_Concept
was	O
the	O
result	O
of	O
a	O
collaboration	O
between	O
Hudson	O
Soft	O
and	O
NEC	O
and	O
launched	O
in	O
Japan	O
on	O
October	O
30	O
,	O
1987	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
launched	O
under	O
the	O
name	O
TurboGrafx-16	B-General_Concept
in	O
North	O
America	O
on	O
August	O
29	O
,	O
1988	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Initially	O
,	O
the	O
PC	B-General_Concept
Engine	I-General_Concept
was	O
quite	O
successful	O
in	O
Japan	O
,	O
partly	O
due	O
to	O
titles	O
available	O
on	O
the	O
then-new	O
CD-ROM	B-Device
format	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
NEC	O
released	O
a	O
CD	O
add-on	O
in	O
1990	O
and	O
by	O
1992	O
had	O
released	O
a	O
combination	O
TurboGrafx	B-General_Concept
and	O
CD-ROM	B-Device
system	O
known	O
as	O
the	O
TurboDuo	B-General_Concept
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
the	O
United	O
States	O
,	O
NEC	O
used	O
Bonk	O
,	O
a	O
head-banging	O
caveman	O
,	O
as	O
their	O
mascot	O
and	O
featured	O
him	O
in	O
most	O
of	O
the	O
TurboGrafx	B-General_Concept
advertising	O
from	O
1990	O
to	O
1994	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
TurboGrafx-16	B-General_Concept
failed	O
to	O
maintain	O
its	O
sales	O
momentum	O
or	O
to	O
make	O
a	O
strong	O
impact	O
in	O
North	O
America	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
TurboGrafx-16	B-General_Concept
and	O
its	O
CD	O
combination	O
system	O
,	O
the	O
Turbo	B-General_Concept
Duo	I-General_Concept
,	O
ceased	O
manufacturing	O
in	O
North	O
America	O
by	O
1994	O
,	O
though	O
a	O
small	O
amount	O
of	O
software	O
continued	O
to	O
trickle	O
out	O
for	O
the	O
platform	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Mega	B-Operating_System
Drive	I-Operating_System
was	O
released	O
in	O
Japan	O
on	O
October	O
29	O
,	O
1988	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
console	O
was	O
released	O
in	O
New	O
York	O
City	O
and	O
Los	O
Angeles	O
on	O
August	O
14	O
,	O
1989	O
,	O
under	O
the	O
name	O
Sega	B-Operating_System
Genesis	I-Operating_System
,	O
and	O
in	O
the	O
rest	O
of	O
North	O
America	O
later	O
that	O
year	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Sega	O
built	O
their	O
marketing	O
campaign	O
around	O
their	O
new	O
mascot	O
Sonic	B-Application
the	I-Application
Hedgehog	I-Application
,	O
pushing	O
the	O
Genesis	B-Operating_System
as	O
the	O
"	O
cooler	O
"	O
alternative	O
to	O
Nintendo	O
's	O
console	O
and	O
inventing	O
the	O
term	O
"	O
Blast	O
Processing	O
"	O
to	O
suggest	O
that	O
the	O
Genesis	B-Operating_System
was	O
capable	O
of	O
handling	O
games	O
with	O
faster	O
motion	O
than	O
the	O
SNES	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Their	O
advertising	O
was	O
often	O
directly	O
adversarial	O
,	O
leading	O
to	O
commercials	O
such	O
as	O
"	O
Genesis	B-Operating_System
does	O
what	O
Nintendo	B-Operating_System
n't	I-Operating_System
"	O
and	O
no	O
scream	O
at	O
all	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
When	O
the	O
arcade	O
game	O
Mortal	B-Application
Kombat	I-Application
was	O
ported	O
for	O
home	O
release	O
on	O
the	O
Genesis	B-Operating_System
and	O
Super	B-Application
Nintendo	I-Application
Entertainment	I-Application
System	I-Application
,	O
Nintendo	O
decided	O
to	O
censor	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
gore	O
,	O
but	O
Sega	O
kept	O
the	O
content	O
in	O
the	O
game	O
,	O
via	O
a	O
code	O
entered	O
at	O
the	O
start	O
screen	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Sega	O
's	O
version	O
of	O
Mortal	B-Application
Kombat	I-Application
received	O
generally	O
more	O
favorable	O
reviews	O
in	O
the	O
gaming	O
press	O
and	O
outsold	O
the	O
SNES	B-Application
version	O
three	O
to	O
one	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Sega	O
concluded	O
that	O
the	O
superior	O
sales	O
of	O
their	O
version	O
of	O
Mortal	B-Application
Kombat	I-Application
were	O
outweighed	O
by	O
the	O
resulting	O
loss	O
in	O
consumer	O
trust	O
,	O
and	O
cancelled	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
release	O
in	O
Spain	O
to	O
avoid	O
further	O
controversy	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
With	O
the	O
new	O
ESRB	O
rating	O
system	O
in	O
place	O
,	O
Nintendo	O
reconsidered	O
its	O
position	O
for	O
the	O
release	O
of	O
Mortal	B-Application
Kombat	I-Application
II	I-Application
,	O
and	O
this	O
time	O
became	O
the	O
preferred	O
version	O
among	O
reviewers	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Toy	O
Retail	O
Sales	O
Tracking	O
Service	O
reported	O
that	O
during	O
the	O
key	O
shopping	O
month	O
of	O
November	O
1994	O
,	O
63%	O
of	O
all	O
16-bit	B-Device
video	B-Application
game	I-Application
consoles	I-Application
sold	O
were	O
Sega	O
systems	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
console	O
was	O
never	O
popular	O
in	O
Japan	O
(	O
being	O
regularly	O
outsold	O
by	O
the	O
PC	B-General_Concept
Engine	I-General_Concept
)	O
,	O
but	O
still	O
managed	O
to	O
sell	O
40	O
million	O
units	O
worldwide	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
By	O
late	O
1995	O
,	O
Sega	O
was	O
supporting	O
five	O
different	O
consoles	O
and	O
two	O
add-ons	O
,	O
and	O
Sega	O
Enterprises	O
chose	O
to	O
discontinue	O
the	O
Mega	B-Operating_System
Drive	I-Operating_System
in	O
Japan	O
to	O
concentrate	O
on	O
the	O
new	O
Sega	B-Device
Saturn	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
While	O
this	O
made	O
perfect	O
sense	O
for	O
the	O
Japanese	O
market	O
,	O
it	O
was	O
disastrous	O
in	O
North	O
America	O
:	O
the	O
market	O
for	O
Genesis	B-Operating_System
games	O
was	O
much	O
larger	O
than	O
for	O
the	O
Saturn	B-Device
,	O
but	O
Sega	O
was	O
left	O
without	O
the	O
inventory	O
or	O
software	O
to	O
meet	O
demand	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Nintendo	O
's	O
fourth-generation	O
console	O
,	O
the	O
Super	B-Application
Famicom	I-Application
,	O
was	O
released	O
in	O
Japan	O
on	O
November	O
21	O
,	O
1990	O
;	O
Nintendo	O
's	O
initial	O
shipment	O
of	O
300,000	O
units	B-Application
sold	I-Application
out	O
within	O
hours	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
machine	O
reached	O
North	O
America	O
as	O
the	O
Super	B-Application
Nintendo	I-Application
Entertainment	I-Application
System	I-Application
on	O
August	O
23	O
,	O
1991	O
,	O
and	O
Europe	O
and	O
Australia	O
in	O
April	O
1992	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Despite	O
stiff	O
competition	O
from	O
the	O
Mega	B-Operating_System
Drive/Genesis	I-Operating_System
console	O
,	O
the	O
Super	B-Application
NES	I-Application
eventually	O
took	O
the	O
top	O
selling	O
position	O
,	O
selling	O
49.10	O
million	O
units	O
worldwide	O
,	O
and	O
would	O
remain	O
popular	O
well	O
into	O
the	O
fifth	B-Application
generation	I-Application
of	I-Application
consoles	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Nintendo	O
's	O
market	O
position	O
was	O
defined	O
by	O
their	O
machine	O
's	O
increased	O
video	O
and	O
sound	O
capabilities	O
,	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
exclusive	O
first-party	O
franchise	B-Application
titles	O
such	O
as	O
F-Zero	B-Application
,	O
Starfox	B-Application
,	O
Donkey	B-Application
Kong	I-Application
Country	I-Application
,	O
Super	B-Application
Mario	I-Application
Kart	I-Application
,	O
Super	B-Application
Mario	I-Application
World	I-Application
,	O
The	B-Application
Legend	I-Application
of	I-Application
Zelda	I-Application
:	I-Application
A	I-Application
Link	I-Application
to	I-Application
the	I-Application
Past	I-Application
and	O
Super	B-Application
Metroid	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
CD-i	B-Device
format	O
was	O
announced	O
in	O
the	O
late	O
1980s	O
,	O
with	O
the	O
first	O
machines	O
compatible	O
with	O
the	O
format	O
being	O
released	O
in	O
1991	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Philips	B-Device
CD-i	I-Device
'	O
s	O
main	O
selling	O
point	O
was	O
that	O
it	O
was	O
more	O
than	O
a	O
game	O
machine	O
and	O
could	O
be	O
used	O
for	O
multimedia	O
needs	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Due	O
to	O
an	O
agreement	O
between	O
Nintendo	O
and	O
Philips	O
about	O
an	B-Device
abortive	I-Device
CD	I-Device
add-on	I-Device
for	I-Device
the	I-Device
SNES	I-Device
(	O
which	O
eventually	O
evolved	O
into	O
Sony	O
's	O
PlayStation	B-Device
)	O
,	O
Philips	O
also	O
had	O
rights	O
to	O
use	O
some	O
of	O
Nintendo	O
's	O
franchises	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
CD-i	B-Device
was	O
a	O
commercial	O
failure	O
and	O
was	O
discontinued	O
in	O
1998	O
,	O
selling	O
only	O
1	O
million	O
units	O
worldwide	O
despite	O
several	O
partnerships	O
and	O
multiple	O
versions	O
of	O
the	O
device	O
,	O
some	O
made	O
by	O
other	O
manufacturers	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Released	O
by	O
SNK	O
in	O
1990	O
,	O
the	O
Neo	B-Application
Geo	I-Application
was	O
a	O
home	O
console	O
version	O
of	O
the	O
major	O
arcade	O
platform	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Compared	O
to	O
its	O
console	O
competition	O
,	O
the	O
Neo	B-Application
Geo	I-Application
had	O
much	O
better	O
graphics	O
and	O
sound	O
,	O
however	O
the	O
prohibitively	O
expensive	O
launch	O
price	O
of	O
US	O
$649.99	O
and	O
games	O
often	O
retailing	O
at	O
over	O
$250	O
made	O
the	O
console	O
only	O
accessible	O
to	O
a	O
niche	O
market	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
NEC	O
was	O
the	O
first	O
with	O
the	O
release	O
of	O
the	O
TurboGrafx	B-General_Concept
CD	O
system	O
in	O
1990	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Sega	B-Device
CD	I-Device
was	O
released	O
with	O
an	O
unusually	O
high	O
price	O
tag	O
( $300	O
at	O
its	O
release	O
)	O
and	O
a	O
limited	O
library	O
of	O
games	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
unique	O
add-on	O
for	O
the	O
Sega	O
console	O
was	O
Sega	B-Application
Channel	I-Application
,	O
a	O
subscription-based	O
service	O
(	O
a	O
form	O
of	O
online	O
gaming	O
delivery	O
)	O
hosted	O
by	O
local	O
television	O
providers	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
required	O
hardware	O
that	O
plugged	O
into	O
a	O
cable	O
line	O
and	O
the	O
Genesis	B-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
Nintendo	O
also	O
made	O
two	O
attempts	O
with	O
the	O
Satellaview	B-Device
and	O
the	O
Super	B-Device
Game	I-Device
Boy	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Satellaview	B-Device
was	O
a	O
satellite	O
service	O
released	O
only	O
in	O
Japan	O
and	O
the	O
Super	B-Device
Game	I-Device
Boy	I-Device
was	O
an	O
adapter	O
for	O
the	O
SNES	B-Application
that	O
allowed	O
Game	B-Device
Boy	I-Device
games	O
to	O
be	O
displayed	O
on	O
a	O
TV	O
in	O
color	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Nintendo	O
,	O
working	O
along	O
with	O
Sony	O
,	O
also	O
had	O
plans	O
to	O
create	O
a	O
CD-ROM	B-Device
drive	O
for	O
the	O
SNES	B-Application
(	O
plans	O
that	O
resulted	O
in	O
a	O
prototype	O
version	O
of	O
the	O
Sony	B-Device
PlayStation	I-Device
)	O
,	O
but	O
eventually	O
decided	O
not	O
to	O
go	O
through	O
with	O
that	O
project	O
,	O
opting	O
to	O
team	O
up	O
with	O
Philips	O
in	O
the	O
development	O
of	O
the	O
add-on	O
instead	O
(	O
contrary	O
to	O
popular	O
belief	O
,	O
the	O
CD-i	B-Device
was	O
largely	O
unrelated	O
to	O
the	O
project	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
PAL	B-Language
region	O
has	O
a	O
refresh	O
rate	O
of	O
50Hz	O
(	O
compared	O
with	O
60Hz	O
for	O
NTSC	O
)	O
and	O
a	O
vertical	O
resolution	B-General_Concept
of	O
625	O
interlaced	O
lines	O
(	O
576	O
effective	O
)	O
,	O
compared	O
with	O
525/480	O
for	O
NTSC	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Because	O
the	O
simulation	O
speed	O
of	O
contemporary	O
game	O
systems	O
was	O
directly	O
linked	O
to	O
the	O
output	O
frame	O
rate	O
,	O
which	O
was	O
in	O
turn	O
synchronized	O
with	O
the	O
TV	O
's	O
refresh	O
rate	O
,	O
this	O
meant	O
that	O
the	O
game	O
would	O
run	O
more	O
slowly	O
on	O
a	O
PAL	B-Language
television	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
smaller	O
number	O
of	O
vertical	O
lines	O
in	O
the	O
NTSC	O
signal	O
would	O
also	O
lead	O
to	O
black	O
bars	O
appearing	O
on	O
the	O
top	O
and	O
bottom	O
of	O
a	O
PAL	B-Language
television	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Developers	O
often	O
had	O
a	O
hard	O
time	O
converting	O
games	O
designed	O
for	O
the	O
American	O
and	O
Japanese	O
NTSC	O
standard	O
to	O
the	O
European	O
and	O
Australian	O
PAL	B-Language
standard	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Companies	O
such	O
as	O
Konami	O
,	O
with	O
large	O
budgets	O
and	O
a	O
healthy	O
following	O
in	O
Europe	O
and	O
Australia	O
,	O
readily	O
optimized	O
several	O
games	O
(	O
such	O
as	O
the	O
International	B-Device
Superstar	I-Device
Soccer	I-Device
series	O
)	O
for	O
this	O
audience	O
,	O
while	O
most	O
smaller	O
developers	O
did	O
not	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Also	O
,	O
few	O
RPGs	O
were	O
released	O
in	O
Europe	O
because	O
the	O
market	O
for	O
the	O
genre	O
was	O
not	O
as	O
large	O
as	O
in	O
Japan	O
or	O
North	O
America	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
increasing	O
amount	O
of	O
time	O
and	O
money	O
required	O
for	O
translation	O
as	O
RPGs	O
became	O
more	O
text-heavy	O
,	O
in	O
addition	O
to	O
the	O
usual	O
need	O
to	O
convert	O
the	O
games	O
to	O
the	O
PAL	B-Language
standard	O
,	O
often	O
made	O
localizing	O
the	O
games	O
to	O
Europe	O
a	O
high-cost	O
venture	O
with	O
little	O
potential	O
payoff	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Popular	O
US	O
games	O
imported	O
at	O
this	O
time	O
included	O
Final	B-Application
Fantasy	I-Application
IV	I-Application
(	O
known	O
in	O
the	O
US	O
as	O
Final	B-Application
Fantasy	I-Application
II	I-Application
)	O
,	O
Final	B-Application
Fantasy	I-Application
VI	I-Application
(	O
known	O
in	O
the	O
US	O
as	O
Final	B-Application
Fantasy	I-Application
III	I-Application
)	O
,	O
Secret	B-Application
of	I-Application
Mana	I-Application
,	O
Street	B-Application
Fighter	I-Application
II	I-Application
,	O
Chrono	B-Application
Trigger	I-Application
,	O
and	O
Super	B-Application
Mario	I-Application
RPG	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Secret	B-Application
of	I-Application
Mana	I-Application
and	O
Street	B-Application
Fighter	I-Application
II	I-Application
would	O
eventually	O
receive	O
official	O
release	O
in	O
Europe	O
,	O
whilst	O
Final	B-Application
Fantasy	I-Application
IV	I-Application
,	O
Final	B-Application
Fantasy	I-Application
VI	I-Application
,	O
Chrono	B-Application
Trigger	I-Application
and	O
Super	B-Application
Mario	I-Application
RPG	I-Application
would	O
be	O
released	O
in	O
Europe	O
years	O
later	O
on	O
other	O
consoles	O
or	O
formats	O
outside	O
of	O
this	O
generation	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Zilog	B-General_Concept
Z80	I-General_Concept
(	O
8/16	O
-bit	O
)	O
3.58	O
MHz	O
(	O
0.52	O
MIPS	O
)	O
Mega	B-Operating_System
Drive	I-Operating_System
games	O
use	O
the	O
Z80	B-General_Concept
as	I-General_Concept
a	O
sound	O
controller	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Power	O
Base	O
Converter	O
effectively	O
turns	O
the	O
Mega	B-Operating_System
Drive	I-Operating_System
into	O
a	O
Master	O
System	O
,	O
giving	O
control	O
to	O
the	O
Z80	B-General_Concept
and	O
leaving	O
the	O
68000	B-Device
dormant	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
32X	B-Device
Add-on	O
:	O
</s>
<s>
SA-1	B-General_Concept
enhancement	I-General_Concept
chip	I-General_Concept
:	O
</s>
<s>
SuperGrafx	B-General_Concept
:	O
</s>
<s>
Enhancement	B-General_Concept
chips	I-General_Concept
:	O
</s>
<s>
32X	B-Device
Add-on	O
:	O
</s>
<s>
Enhancement	B-General_Concept
chips	I-General_Concept
:	O
</s>
<s>
Enhancement	B-General_Concept
chips	I-General_Concept
:	O
</s>
<s>
Color	O
palette	O
:	O
65,536	O
(	O
16-bit	B-Device
high	O
color	O
)	O
Audio	O
Stereo	O
audio	O
with	O
:	O
</s>
<s>
32X	B-Device
add-on	O
:	O
10-bit	O
PWM	B-Algorithm
,	O
surround	O
soundStereo	O
audio	O
with	O
:	O
</s>
<s>
Super	O
CD-ROM²	O
:	O
</s>
<s>
CD	O
BackUp	O
Ram	B-Architecture
Carts	O
:	O
</s>
<s>
1	O
streaming	O
CD-DA	O
channel	O
(	O
16-bit	B-Device
,	O
44.1	O
kHz	O
)	O
Stereo	O
audio	O
with	O
:	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
first	O
handheld	B-Application
game	I-Application
console	I-Application
released	O
in	O
the	O
fourth	O
generation	O
was	O
the	O
Game	B-Device
Boy	I-Device
,	O
on	O
April	O
21	O
,	O
1989	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
went	O
on	O
to	O
dominate	O
handheld	B-Application
sales	I-Application
by	O
an	O
extremely	O
large	O
margin	O
,	O
despite	O
featuring	O
an	O
8-bit	O
microprocessor	B-Architecture
and	O
a	O
low-contrast	O
,	O
unlit	O
monochrome	O
screen	O
while	O
all	O
three	O
of	O
its	O
leading	O
competitors	O
had	O
color	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Three	O
major	O
franchises	O
made	O
their	O
debut	O
on	O
the	O
Game	B-Device
Boy	I-Device
:	O
Tetris	B-Application
,	O
the	O
Game	B-Device
Boy	I-Device
's	O
killer	O
application	O
;	O
Pokémon	B-Application
;	O
and	O
Kirby	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
With	O
some	O
design	O
(	O
Game	B-Device
Boy	I-Device
Pocket	O
,	O
Game	B-Device
Boy	I-Device
Light	O
)	O
and	O
hardware	O
(	O
Game	B-Device
Boy	I-Device
Color	I-Device
)	O
changes	O
,	O
it	O
continued	O
in	O
production	O
in	O
some	O
form	O
until	O
2008	O
,	O
enjoying	O
a	O
better	O
than	O
18-year	O
run	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Atari	B-General_Concept
Lynx	I-General_Concept
included	O
hardware-accelerated	O
color	O
graphics	O
,	O
a	O
backlight	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
ability	O
to	O
link	O
up	O
to	O
sixteen	O
units	O
together	O
in	O
an	O
early	O
example	O
of	O
network	O
play	O
when	O
its	O
competitors	O
could	O
only	O
link	O
2	O
or	O
4	O
consoles	O
(	O
or	O
none	O
at	O
all	O
)	O
,	O
but	O
its	O
comparatively	O
short	O
battery	O
life	O
(	O
approximately	O
4.5	O
hours	O
on	O
a	O
set	O
of	O
alkaline	O
cells	O
,	O
versus	O
35	O
hours	O
for	O
the	O
Game	B-Device
Boy	I-Device
)	O
,	O
high	O
price	O
,	O
and	O
weak	O
games	O
library	O
made	O
it	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
worst-selling	O
handheld	B-Application
game	I-Application
systems	I-Application
of	O
all	O
time	O
,	O
with	O
less	O
than	O
500,000	O
units	B-Application
sold	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
third	O
major	O
handheld	B-Application
of	O
the	O
fourth	O
generation	O
was	O
the	O
Game	O
Gear	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
featured	O
graphics	O
capabilities	O
roughly	O
comparable	O
to	O
the	O
Master	O
System	O
(	O
better	O
colours	O
,	O
but	O
lower	O
resolution	B-General_Concept
)	O
,	O
a	O
ready	O
made	O
games	O
library	O
by	O
using	O
the	O
"	O
Master-Gear	O
"	O
adaptor	O
to	O
play	O
cartridges	B-Protocol
from	O
the	O
older	O
console	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
opportunity	O
to	O
be	O
converted	O
into	O
a	O
portable	O
TV	O
using	O
a	O
cheap	O
tuner	O
adaptor	O
,	O
but	O
it	O
also	O
suffered	O
some	O
of	O
the	O
same	O
shortcomings	O
as	O
the	O
Lynx	B-General_Concept
.	O
</s>
<s>
While	O
it	O
sold	O
more	O
than	O
twenty	O
times	O
as	O
many	O
units	O
as	O
the	O
Lynx	B-General_Concept
,	O
its	O
bulky	O
design	O
–	O
slightly	O
larger	O
than	O
even	O
the	O
original	B-Device
Game	I-Device
Boy	I-Device
;	O
relatively	O
poor	O
battery	O
life	O
–	O
only	O
a	O
little	O
better	O
than	O
the	O
Lynx	B-General_Concept
;	O
and	O
later	O
arrival	O
in	O
the	O
marketplace	O
–	O
competing	O
for	O
sales	O
amongst	O
the	O
remaining	O
buyers	O
who	O
did	O
not	O
already	O
have	O
a	O
Game	B-Device
Boy	I-Device
–	O
hampered	O
its	O
overall	O
popularity	O
despite	O
being	O
more	O
closely	O
competitive	O
to	O
the	O
Nintendo	O
in	O
terms	O
of	O
price	O
and	O
breadth	O
of	O
software	O
library	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Sega	O
eventually	O
retired	O
the	O
Game	O
Gear	O
in	O
1997	O
,	O
a	O
year	O
before	O
Nintendo	O
released	O
the	O
first	O
examples	O
of	O
the	O
Game	B-Device
Boy	I-Device
Color	I-Device
,	O
to	O
focus	O
on	O
the	O
Nomad	B-Device
and	O
non-portable	O
console	O
products	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Other	O
handheld	B-Application
consoles	I-Application
released	O
during	O
the	O
fourth	O
generation	O
included	O
the	O
TurboExpress	B-Application
,	O
a	O
handheld	B-Application
version	O
of	O
the	O
TurboGrafx-16	B-General_Concept
released	O
by	O
NEC	O
in	O
1990	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
Game	B-Device
Boy	I-Device
Pocket	O
,	O
an	O
improved	O
model	O
of	O
the	O
Game	B-Device
Boy	I-Device
released	O
about	O
two	O
years	O
before	O
the	O
debut	O
of	O
the	O
Game	B-Device
Boy	I-Device
Color	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
While	O
the	O
TurboExpress	B-Application
was	O
another	O
early	O
pioneer	O
of	O
color	O
handheld	B-Application
gaming	I-Application
technology	O
and	O
had	O
the	O
added	O
benefit	O
of	O
using	O
the	O
same	O
game	B-Protocol
cartridges	I-Protocol
or	O
'	O
HuCards	B-Device
 '	O
as	O
the	O
TurboGrafx16	B-General_Concept
,	O
it	O
had	O
even	O
worse	O
battery	O
life	O
than	O
the	O
Lynx	B-General_Concept
and	O
Game	O
Gear	O
–	O
about	O
three	O
hours	O
on	O
six	O
contemporary	O
AA	O
batteries	O
–	O
selling	O
only	O
1.5	O
million	O
units	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Console	O
Game	B-Device
Boy	I-Device
/	O
Game	B-Device
Boy	I-Device
Pocket	O
/	O
Game	B-Device
Boy	I-Device
Light	O
Atari	B-General_Concept
Lynx	I-General_Concept
Game	O
Gear	O
TurboExpress	B-Application
Manufacturer	O
Nintendo	O
Atari	O
Sega	O
NECImage100px	O
100px	O
100px160px	O
160px150px100pxLaunch	O
priceUS	O
$189.99	O
(	O
equivalent	O
to	O
$	O
in	O
)	O
US	O
$299.99	O
(	O
equivalent	O
to	O
$	O
in	O
)	O
Release	O
dateUnits	O
sold118.69	O
million	O
,	O
including	O
Game	B-Device
Boy	I-Device
Color	I-Device
units500	O
,	O
00011	O
million1.5	O
millionMediaCartridgeCartridgeCartridgeDatacardBest-selling	O
gamesRoadBlastersSonic	O
the	O
Hedgehog	O
2Bonk	O
's	O
AdventureBackward	O
compatibility	O
(	O
Original	O
cartridges	B-Protocol
compatible	O
with	O
later	O
models	O
)	O
Master	O
System	O
(	O
using	O
Cartridge	B-Protocol
Adapter	O
)	O
TurboGrafx-16	B-General_Concept
(	O
HuCard	B-Device
only	O
)	O
CPU	B-General_Concept
Sharp	O
LR359024.19	O
MHz	O
Zilog	O
Z803.5	O
MHz	O
HuC6280A	B-General_Concept
(	O
modified	O
65SC02	B-General_Concept
)	O
1.79	O
or	O
7.16	O
MHzMemory	O
64	O
KB	O
DRAM	O
Video	O
AudioStereo	O
audio	O
(	O
using	O
headphones	O
)	O
,	O
with	O
:	O
</s>
<s>
Optional	O
sampling	B-Algorithm
through	O
the	O
WS	O
channelStereo	O
audio	O
with	O
:	O
</s>
<s>
Chrono	B-Application
Trigger	I-Application
(	O
SNES	B-Application
)	O
by	O
Square	O
is	O
frequently	O
listed	O
among	O
the	O
greatest	O
video	O
games	O
of	O
all	O
time	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Dragon	B-Application
Quest	I-Application
V	I-Application
and	O
VI	B-Application
(	O
SFC	O
)	O
by	O
Chunsoft	O
,	O
Heartbeat	B-Application
,	O
and	O
Enix	O
were	O
released	O
on	O
the	O
Japanese	O
Super	B-Application
Famicom	I-Application
,	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
remakes	O
of	O
the	O
first	O
three	O
games	O
originally	O
released	O
for	O
the	O
NES	O
and	O
a	O
dungeon	O
crawler	O
spin-off	O
:	O
Torneko	B-Application
's	I-Application
Great	I-Application
Adventure	I-Application
,	O
which	O
started	O
Chun	O
Soft	O
's	O
popular	O
Fushigi	O
no	O
Dungeon	O
series	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Donkey	B-Application
Kong	I-Application
Country	I-Application
(	O
SNES	B-Application
)	O
by	O
Rare	O
and	O
Nintendo	O
turned	O
the	O
tide	O
of	O
the	O
console	O
war	O
in	O
favor	O
of	O
Nintendo	O
and	O
became	O
the	O
best-selling	O
game	O
since	O
Super	B-Application
Mario	I-Application
Bros	I-Application
.	I-Application
3	I-Application
,	O
largely	O
due	O
to	O
its	O
impressive	O
graphics	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
FIFA	B-Application
International	I-Application
Soccer	I-Application
(	O
Genesis	B-Operating_System
,	O
SNES	B-Application
)	O
by	O
Extended	O
Play	O
Productions	O
and	O
EA	O
Sports	O
has	O
been	O
described	O
as	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
most	O
influential	O
sports	O
games	O
ever	O
made	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Garou	B-Application
:	I-Application
Mark	I-Application
of	I-Application
the	I-Application
Wolves	I-Application
(	O
Arcade	O
,	O
Neo	B-Application
Geo	I-Application
AES	I-Application
)	O
by	O
SNK	O
is	O
considered	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
best	O
fighting	O
games	O
,	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
the	O
"	O
swan	O
song	O
"	O
of	O
the	O
generation	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Gunstar	B-Application
Heroes	I-Application
(	O
Genesis	B-Operating_System
)	O
by	O
Treasure	O
and	O
Sega	O
is	O
considered	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
best	O
action	O
games	O
of	O
the	O
generation	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
John	B-Application
Madden	I-Application
Football	I-Application
(	O
1990	O
)	O
(	O
Genesis	B-Operating_System
,	O
SNES	B-Application
)	O
by	O
Park	O
Place	O
Productions	O
and	O
EA	O
Sports	O
played	O
an	O
important	O
role	O
in	O
the	O
early	O
success	O
of	O
both	O
the	O
Genesis	B-Operating_System
console	O
and	O
Electronic	O
Arts	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Super	B-Application
Metroid	I-Application
(	O
SNES	B-Application
)	O
by	O
Nintendo	O
Research	O
&	O
Development	O
1	O
and	O
Nintendo	O
is	O
still	O
regarded	O
by	O
many	O
gaming	O
organizations	O
as	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
"	O
best	O
games	O
of	O
all	O
time.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
Mortal	B-Application
Kombat	I-Application
(	O
Arcade	O
,	O
Genesis	B-Operating_System
,	O
SNES	B-Application
)	O
by	O
Midway	O
Games	O
garnered	O
heated	O
controversy	O
over	O
its	O
violent	O
themes	O
,	O
with	O
the	O
uncensored	O
Genesis	B-Operating_System
version	O
outselling	O
the	O
SNES	B-Application
version	O
by	O
nearly	O
three-to-one	O
,	O
ultimately	O
leading	O
to	O
a	O
U.S.	O
Congressional	O
hearing	O
and	O
the	O
creation	O
of	O
the	O
Entertainment	O
Software	O
Rating	O
Board	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
NHLPA	B-Application
Hockey	I-Application
'	I-Application
93	I-Application
(	O
Genesis	B-Operating_System
,	O
SNES	B-Application
)	O
by	O
Park	O
Place	O
Productions	O
and	O
EA	O
Sports	O
is	O
considered	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
most	O
outstanding	O
sports	O
games	O
ever	O
made	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Phantasy	B-Application
Star	I-Application
II	I-Application
(	O
Genesis	B-Operating_System
)	O
by	O
Sega	O
Consumer	O
Development	O
Division	O
2	O
and	O
Sega	O
has	O
been	O
cited	O
as	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
best	O
and	O
most	O
influential	O
console	O
RPGs	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Secret	B-Application
of	I-Application
Mana	I-Application
(	O
SNES	B-Application
)	O
by	O
Square	O
reintroduced	O
the	O
Seiken	O
Densetsu	O
series	O
,	O
originally	O
conceived	O
as	O
a	O
Final	O
Fantasy	O
spin-off	O
,	O
to	O
Europe	O
and	O
North	O
America	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Sonic	B-Application
the	I-Application
Hedgehog	I-Application
(	O
Genesis	B-Operating_System
)	O
by	O
Sonic	B-Application
Team	O
and	O
Sega	O
was	O
Sega	O
's	O
bid	O
to	O
compete	O
head-to	O
head	O
with	O
Nintendo	O
's	O
Mario	O
franchise	B-Application
,	O
played	O
a	O
critical	O
role	O
in	O
the	O
success	O
of	O
the	O
Genesis	B-Operating_System
,	O
and	O
received	O
widespread	O
critical	O
acclaim	O
as	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
greatest	O
games	O
ever	O
made	O
,	O
kickstarting	O
a	O
successful	O
franchise	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Street	B-Application
Fighter	I-Application
II	I-Application
(	O
Arcade	O
,	O
Genesis	B-Operating_System
,	O
SNES	B-Application
)	O
by	O
Capcom	O
was	O
the	O
second	O
game	O
in	O
the	O
series	O
to	O
produce	O
a	O
lasting	O
fanbase	O
and	O
set	O
many	O
of	O
the	O
trends	O
seen	O
in	O
fighting	O
games	O
today	O
,	O
most	O
notably	O
its	O
colorful	O
selection	O
of	O
playable	O
fighters	O
from	O
different	O
countries	O
across	O
the	O
globe	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Streets	B-Application
of	I-Application
Rage	I-Application
2	I-Application
(	O
Genesis	B-Operating_System
)	O
by	O
Sega	O
AM7	O
and	O
Sega	O
is	O
considered	O
the	O
best	O
beat	B-Application
'	I-Application
em	I-Application
up	I-Application
of	O
the	O
generation	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Super	B-Application
Monaco	I-Application
GP	I-Application
(	O
Arcade	O
,	O
Genesis	B-Operating_System
)	O
by	O
Sega	O
set	O
a	O
new	O
standard	O
for	O
realism	O
in	O
console	O
racing	O
games	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Super	B-Device
Mario	I-Device
World	I-Device
2	I-Device
:	I-Device
Yoshi	I-Device
's	I-Device
Island	I-Device
(	O
SNES	B-Application
)	O
by	O
Nintendo	O
Entertainment	O
Analysis	O
&	O
Development	O
(	O
Nintendo	O
EAD	O
)	O
and	O
Nintendo	O
is	O
considered	O
perhaps	O
the	O
finest	O
2D	O
platformer	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	B-Application
Legend	I-Application
of	I-Application
Zelda	I-Application
:	I-Application
A	I-Application
Link	I-Application
to	I-Application
the	I-Application
Past	I-Application
(	O
SNES	B-Application
)	O
by	O
Nintendo	O
EAD	O
and	O
Nintendo	O
courted	O
popularity	O
that	O
was	O
larger	O
than	O
that	O
of	O
its	O
predecessors	O
on	O
the	O
NES	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
few	O
action-adventures	O
to	O
be	O
released	O
early	O
in	O
the	O
SNES	B-Application
's	O
lifecycle	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Zelda	B-Application
II	I-Application
on	O
the	O
NES	O
had	O
been	O
mostly	O
action-based	O
and	O
was	O
side-scrolling	O
,	O
while	O
A	B-Application
Link	I-Application
to	I-Application
the	I-Application
Past	I-Application
drew	O
more	O
inspiration	O
from	O
the	O
original	O
Zelda	O
game	O
with	O
its	O
top-down	O
adventure	O
format	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Thunder	O
Force	O
IV	O
(	O
Genesis	B-Operating_System
)	O
by	O
Technosoft	O
is	O
considered	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
best	O
shooters	O
on	O
the	O
Genesis	B-Operating_System
,	O
receiving	O
praise	O
for	O
its	O
graphics	O
,	O
including	O
the	O
vertical	O
and	O
parallax	O
scrolling	O
for	O
illustrating	O
the	O
immense	O
environments	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Ys	B-Application
Book	I-Application
I	I-Application
&	I-Application
II	I-Application
(	O
TurboGrafx	B-General_Concept
)	O
by	O
Nihon	O
Falcom	O
was	O
among	O
the	O
first	O
video	O
games	O
mass	O
released	O
on	O
CD-ROM	B-Device
,	O
when	O
released	O
in	O
Japan	O
in	O
1989	O
and	O
in	O
North	O
America	O
in	O
1990	O
.	O
</s>
