<s>
In	O
the	O
history	B-Application
of	I-Application
video	I-Application
games	I-Application
,	O
the	O
sixth	B-Application
generation	I-Application
era	I-Application
(	O
sometimes	O
called	O
the	O
128-bit	B-Application
era	I-Application
;	O
see	O
"	O
bits	O
and	O
system	O
power	O
"	O
below	O
)	O
is	O
the	O
era	O
of	O
computer	O
and	O
video	O
games	O
,	O
video	B-Application
game	I-Application
consoles	I-Application
,	O
and	O
handheld	B-Application
gaming	I-Application
devices	I-Application
available	O
at	O
the	O
turn	O
of	O
the	O
21st	O
century	O
,	O
starting	O
on	O
November	O
27	O
,	O
1998	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Platforms	O
in	O
the	O
sixth	O
generation	O
include	O
consoles	O
from	O
four	O
companies	O
:	O
the	O
Sega	B-Operating_System
Dreamcast	I-Operating_System
(	O
DC	O
)	O
,	O
Sony	B-Device
PlayStation	I-Device
2	I-Device
(	O
PS2	B-Device
)	O
,	O
Nintendo	B-Application
GameCube	I-Application
(	O
GC	O
)	O
,	O
and	O
Microsoft	B-Application
Xbox	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
era	O
began	O
on	O
November	O
27	O
,	O
1998	O
,	O
with	O
the	O
Japanese	O
release	O
of	O
the	B-Operating_System
Dreamcast	I-Operating_System
,	O
which	O
was	O
joined	O
by	O
the	O
PlayStation	B-Device
2	I-Device
on	O
March	O
4	O
,	O
2000	O
,	O
the	O
GameCube	B-Application
was	O
later	O
joined	O
in	O
September	O
14	O
,	O
2001	O
and	O
the	O
Xbox	B-Application
on	O
November	O
15	O
,	O
2001	O
,	O
respectively	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
March	O
31	O
,	O
2001	O
,	O
the	B-Operating_System
Dreamcast	I-Operating_System
was	O
among	O
the	O
first	O
to	O
be	O
discontinued	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Xbox	B-Application
in	O
2006	O
,	O
GameCube	B-Application
in	O
2007	O
and	O
PlayStation	B-Device
2	I-Device
was	O
the	O
last	O
,	O
in	O
January	O
2013	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Meanwhile	O
,	O
the	O
seventh	B-Application
generation	I-Application
of	I-Application
consoles	I-Application
started	O
on	O
November	O
22	O
,	O
2005	O
,	O
with	O
the	O
launch	O
of	O
the	B-Operating_System
Xbox	I-Operating_System
360	I-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
major	O
innovation	O
of	O
this	O
generation	O
was	O
of	O
full	O
utilization	O
of	O
the	O
internet	O
to	O
allow	O
a	O
fully	O
online	B-Application
gaming	I-Application
experience	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
While	O
the	O
prior	O
generation	O
had	O
some	O
systems	O
with	O
internet	O
connectivity	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
the	O
Apple	B-Device
Pippin	I-Device
,	O
these	O
had	O
little	O
market	O
penetration	O
and	O
thus	O
had	O
limited	O
success	O
in	O
the	O
area	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Services	O
such	O
as	O
Microsoft	O
's	O
Xbox	B-Application
Live	I-Application
became	O
industry	O
standard	O
in	O
this	O
,	O
and	O
future	O
,	O
generations	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Another	O
innovation	O
of	O
the	O
Xbox	B-Application
was	O
the	O
first	O
system	O
to	O
utilize	O
an	O
internal	O
hard	B-Device
disk	I-Device
drive	I-Device
to	O
store	O
game	O
data	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
caused	O
many	O
improvements	O
to	O
the	O
gaming	O
experience	O
,	O
including	O
the	O
ability	O
to	O
store	O
program	O
data	O
(	O
rather	O
than	O
just	O
save	O
game	O
data	O
)	O
that	O
allowed	O
for	O
faster	O
load	O
times	O
,	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
the	O
ability	O
to	O
download	O
games	O
directly	O
from	O
the	O
internet	O
rather	O
than	O
to	O
purchase	O
physical	O
media	O
such	O
as	O
a	O
disk	O
or	O
cartridge	B-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
Soon	O
after	O
its	O
release	O
other	O
systems	O
,	O
like	O
the	O
Sony	B-Device
PlayStation	I-Device
2	I-Device
,	O
produced	O
peripheral	O
storage	O
devices	O
to	O
allow	O
similar	O
capabilities	O
,	O
and	O
by	O
the	O
next	O
generation	O
internal	O
storage	O
became	O
industry	O
standard	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
"	O
64-bit	B-Device
"	O
or	O
"	O
32-bit	O
"	O
for	O
the	O
previous	O
generation	O
)	O
for	O
most	O
consoles	O
largely	O
fell	O
by	O
the	O
wayside	O
during	O
this	O
era	O
,	O
with	O
the	O
notable	O
exceptions	O
being	O
promotions	O
for	O
the	B-Operating_System
Dreamcast	I-Operating_System
and	O
PS2	B-Device
that	O
advertised	O
"	O
128-bit	O
graphics	O
"	O
at	O
the	O
start	O
of	O
the	O
generation	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
number	O
of	O
"	O
bits	O
"	O
cited	O
in	O
this	O
way	O
in	O
console	O
names	O
refers	O
to	O
the	O
CPU	B-Device
word	O
size	O
,	O
and	O
had	O
been	O
used	O
by	O
hardware	O
marketing	O
departments	O
as	O
a	O
"	O
show	O
of	O
power	O
"	O
for	O
many	O
years	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
However	O
,	O
there	O
is	O
little	O
to	O
be	O
gained	O
from	O
increasing	O
the	O
word	O
size	O
much	O
beyond	O
32	O
or	O
64bits	B-Device
because	O
,	O
once	O
this	O
level	O
is	O
reached	O
,	O
performance	O
depends	O
on	O
more	O
varied	O
factors	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
processor	O
clock	O
speed	O
,	O
bandwidth	O
,	O
and	O
memory	B-General_Concept
size	I-General_Concept
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
sixth	O
generation	O
of	O
handhelds	B-Application
began	O
with	O
the	O
release	O
of	O
the	O
Bandai	O
's	O
WonderSwan	B-Operating_System
,	O
launched	O
in	O
Japan	O
in	O
1999	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Nintendo	O
maintained	O
its	O
dominant	O
share	O
of	O
the	O
handheld	B-Application
market	I-Application
with	O
the	O
release	O
in	O
2001	O
of	O
the	O
Game	B-Device
Boy	I-Device
Advance	I-Device
,	O
which	O
featured	O
many	O
upgrades	O
and	O
new	O
features	O
over	O
the	O
Game	B-Device
Boy	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Game	B-Device
Boy	I-Device
Advance	I-Device
was	O
discontinued	O
in	O
early	O
2010	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
next	O
generation	O
of	O
handheld	B-Application
consoles	I-Application
began	O
in	O
November	O
2004	O
,	O
with	O
the	O
North	O
American	O
introduction	O
of	O
the	O
Nintendo	B-Device
DS	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
last	O
official	O
Dreamcast	B-Operating_System
games	O
were	O
released	O
in	O
2002	O
(	O
North	O
America	O
and	O
Europe	O
)	O
and	O
2007	O
(	O
Japan	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
last	O
GameCube	B-Application
games	O
were	O
released	O
in	O
2006	O
(	O
Japan	O
)	O
and	O
2007	O
(	O
North	O
America	O
and	O
Europe	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
last	O
Xbox	B-Application
games	O
were	O
released	O
in	O
2007	O
(	O
Japan	O
)	O
and	O
2008	O
(	O
Europe	O
and	O
North	O
America	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Pro	B-Application
Evolution	I-Application
Soccer	I-Application
2014	I-Application
was	O
the	O
last	O
game	O
for	O
the	O
PlayStation	B-Device
2	I-Device
(	O
in	O
Europe	O
)	O
,	O
which	O
was	O
released	O
in	O
November	O
2013	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
last	O
PS2	B-Device
game	O
,	O
Final	B-Protocol
Fantasy	I-Protocol
XI	I-Protocol
:	I-Protocol
Rhapsodies	I-Protocol
of	I-Protocol
Vana'diel	I-Protocol
,	O
was	O
released	O
in	O
May	O
2015	O
,	O
marking	O
the	O
end	O
of	O
this	O
generation	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
achieved	O
sales	O
dominance	O
in	O
this	O
generation	O
,	O
becoming	O
the	O
best-selling	B-Application
console	I-Application
in	O
history	O
,	O
with	O
over	O
150	O
million	O
units	O
sold	O
as	O
of	O
February	O
2011	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Microsoft	B-Application
Xbox	I-Application
had	O
sold	O
over	O
24	O
million	O
units	O
as	O
of	O
May	O
2006	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
Nintendo	B-Application
GameCube	I-Application
had	O
sold	O
22	O
million	O
units	O
as	O
of	O
September	O
2010	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Sega	B-Operating_System
Dreamcast	I-Operating_System
,	O
which	O
arrived	O
prior	O
to	O
all	O
of	O
the	O
others	O
and	O
was	O
discontinued	O
in	O
2001	O
,	O
came	O
in	O
fourth	O
with	O
9.13	O
million	O
sold	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
sixth	O
generation	O
began	O
to	O
end	O
when	O
the	O
Xbox	B-Application
was	O
succeeded	O
by	O
the	B-Operating_System
Xbox	I-Operating_System
360	I-Operating_System
in	O
late	O
2005	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
GameCube	B-Application
hardware	O
was	O
still	O
being	O
produced	O
when	O
the	B-Operating_System
Wii	I-Operating_System
was	O
released	O
in	O
late	O
2006	O
,	O
but	O
as	O
of	O
June	O
2008	O
had	O
also	O
been	O
ceased	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
PlayStation	B-Device
2	I-Device
sales	O
continued	O
to	O
be	O
strong	O
through	O
to	O
the	O
end	O
of	O
2010	O
,	O
due	O
to	O
the	O
system	O
's	O
large	O
software	O
library	O
,	O
continuing	O
software	O
support	O
,	O
and	O
affordable	O
price	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
February	O
2008	O
,	O
the	O
PlayStation	B-Device
2	I-Device
outsold	O
both	O
the	O
PlayStation	B-Device
3	O
and	O
Xbox	B-Operating_System
360	I-Operating_System
in	O
the	O
United	O
States	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Games	O
were	O
still	O
being	O
produced	O
for	O
the	O
PlayStation	B-Device
2	I-Device
,	O
Xbox	B-Application
,	O
and	O
Nintendo	B-Application
GameCube	I-Application
as	O
of	O
2008	O
,	O
while	O
Dreamcast	B-Operating_System
games	O
were	O
officially	O
discontinued	O
in	O
2003	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
There	O
were	O
still	O
a	O
few	O
games	O
being	O
produced	O
for	O
the	B-Operating_System
Dreamcast	I-Operating_System
in	O
2004	O
,	O
but	O
they	O
are	O
essentially	O
NAOMI	B-Application
arcade	O
ports	O
released	O
only	O
in	O
Japan	O
,	O
with	O
small	O
print	O
runs	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
PlayStation	B-Device
2	I-Device
was	O
still	O
being	O
produced	O
after	O
the	O
launch	O
of	O
the	B-Operating_System
Wii	I-Operating_System
U	O
in	O
2012	O
,	O
making	O
the	O
sixth	O
generation	O
the	O
second	O
longest	O
generation	O
of	O
all	O
time	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Sega	O
's	O
Dreamcast	B-Operating_System
is	O
the	O
first	O
console	O
of	O
the	O
generation	O
and	O
had	O
several	O
features	O
to	O
show	O
an	O
advantage	O
from	O
the	O
competition	O
,	O
including	O
Internet	B-Application
gaming	I-Application
as	O
an	O
optional	O
feature	O
through	O
its	O
built-in	O
modem	B-Application
,	O
and	O
a	O
web	O
browser	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
console	O
is	O
credited	O
with	O
restoring	O
Sega	O
's	O
reputation	O
,	O
which	O
had	O
been	O
damaged	O
by	O
the	O
earlier	O
failures	O
of	O
the	O
Sega	B-Device
Saturn	I-Device
,	O
Sega	B-Device
32X	I-Device
,	O
Genesis	B-Device
Nomad	I-Device
and	O
Sega	B-Device
CD	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
Despite	O
this	O
,	O
the	B-Operating_System
Dreamcast	I-Operating_System
was	O
discontinued	O
prematurely	O
due	O
to	O
numerous	O
factors	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
impending	O
and	O
much-hyped	O
PlayStation	B-Device
2	I-Device
slowed	O
Dreamcast	B-Operating_System
sales	O
,	O
mostly	O
due	O
to	O
the	O
fact	O
that	O
the	O
PlayStation	B-Device
2	I-Device
had	O
a	O
built-in	O
DVD	O
player	O
and	O
a	O
huge	O
number	O
of	O
PS1	O
owners	O
looking	O
to	O
upgrade	O
to	O
the	O
new	O
,	O
backwards-compatible	B-General_Concept
console	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
addition	O
,	O
Sega	O
's	O
short-lived	O
support/success	O
of	O
its	O
post-Mega	O
Drive	O
products	O
the	O
Mega-CD	B-Device
,	O
32X	B-Device
and	O
Saturn	B-Device
had	O
left	O
developers	O
and	O
customers	O
skeptical	O
,	O
with	O
some	O
holding	O
out	O
to	O
see	O
whether	O
the	B-Operating_System
Dreamcast	I-Operating_System
or	O
PlayStation	B-Device
2	I-Device
would	O
come	O
out	O
on	O
top	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Sega	O
's	O
decision	O
to	O
implement	O
a	O
GD-ROM	B-Device
(	O
though	O
publicly	O
advertised	O
as	O
a	O
CD-ROM	B-Device
)	O
for	O
storage	O
medium	O
did	O
save	O
costs	O
but	O
it	O
did	O
not	O
compare	O
well	O
against	O
the	O
PS2	B-Device
's	O
much-touted	O
DVD	O
capabilities	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Sega	O
was	O
either	O
unable	O
or	O
unwilling	O
to	O
spend	O
the	O
advertising	O
money	O
necessary	O
to	O
compete	O
with	O
Sony	O
,	O
who	O
themselves	O
took	O
massive	O
losses	O
on	O
the	O
PlayStation	B-Device
2	I-Device
to	O
gain	O
market	O
share	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
With	O
the	O
announcements	O
of	O
the	O
Xbox	B-Application
and	O
GameCube	B-Application
in	O
late	O
2000	O
,	O
Sega	O
's	O
console	O
was	O
considered	O
by	O
some	O
to	O
be	O
outdated	O
only	O
two	O
years	O
after	O
its	O
release	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
previous	O
losses	O
from	O
the	O
Saturn	B-Device
,	O
32X	B-Device
,	O
and	O
Sega/Mega	O
-CD	O
,	O
stagnation	O
of	O
sales	O
due	O
to	O
the	O
PlayStation	B-Device
2	I-Device
,	O
and	O
impending	O
competition	O
from	O
Microsoft	O
and	O
Nintendo	O
caused	O
Sega	O
's	O
revenue	O
to	O
shrink	O
and	O
announce	O
their	O
intention	O
on	O
killing	O
the	O
system	O
in	O
early	O
2001	O
,	O
dropping	O
the	O
system	O
entirely	O
and	O
leaving	O
the	O
console	O
market	O
in	O
early	O
2004	O
in	O
Japan	O
and	O
much	O
earlier	O
in	O
other	O
countries	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Sega	O
also	O
announced	O
it	O
would	O
shut	O
down	O
SegaNet	O
,	O
an	O
online	B-Application
gaming	I-Application
community	O
that	O
supported	O
online-capable	O
Dreamcast	B-Operating_System
titles	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Since	O
the	B-Operating_System
Dreamcast	I-Operating_System
's	O
discontinuation	O
,	O
Sega	O
transitioned	O
to	O
software	O
developing	O
making	O
games	O
as	O
a	O
third-party	O
company	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
brand	O
Sony	O
had	O
established	O
with	O
the	O
original	B-Device
PlayStation	I-Device
was	O
a	O
major	O
factor	O
in	O
the	O
PlayStation	B-Device
2	I-Device
's	O
dominance	O
,	O
both	O
in	O
terms	O
of	O
securing	O
a	O
consumer	O
base	O
and	O
attracting	O
third-party	O
developers	O
,	O
with	O
the	O
gradual	O
increase	O
in	O
one	O
reinforcing	O
the	O
other	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
PlayStation	B-Device
2	I-Device
was	O
also	O
able	O
to	O
play	O
DVDs	O
and	O
was	O
backwards-compatible	B-General_Concept
with	O
PlayStation	B-Device
games	O
,	O
which	O
many	O
say	O
helped	O
the	O
former	O
's	O
sales	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Sony	O
Computer	O
Entertainment	O
secured	O
licensing	O
for	O
key	O
games	O
such	O
as	O
Final	B-Application
Fantasy	I-Application
X	O
,	O
Grand	B-Application
Theft	I-Application
Auto	I-Application
III	I-Application
,	O
and	O
Metal	B-Application
Gear	I-Application
Solid	I-Application
2	I-Application
:	I-Application
Sons	I-Application
of	I-Application
Liberty	I-Application
,	O
enabling	O
the	O
PS2	B-Device
to	O
outperform	O
its	O
competitors	O
 '	O
launches	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
console	O
ended	O
up	O
becoming	O
the	O
top-selling	O
console	O
of	O
this	O
generation	O
,	O
while	O
its	O
competing	O
consoles	O
,	O
the	O
Xbox	B-Application
and	O
the	O
GameCube	B-Application
,	O
went	O
on	O
to	O
be	O
modestly	O
successful	O
consoles	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Its	O
arsenal	O
of	O
franchises	O
and	O
history	O
in	O
the	O
industry	O
,	O
though	O
earning	O
it	O
a	O
loyal	O
fan	O
base	O
,	O
failed	O
to	O
give	O
it	O
an	O
advantage	O
against	O
the	O
Xbox	B-Application
and	O
PlayStation	B-Device
2	I-Device
which	O
captured	O
audiences	O
seeking	O
'	O
Mature	O
 '	O
titles	O
of	O
which	O
Nintendo	O
had	O
fewer	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Nintendo	O
also	O
made	O
little	O
headway	O
into	O
online	B-Application
gaming	I-Application
(	O
releasing	O
a	O
small	O
handful	O
of	O
online-capable	O
games	O
,	O
the	O
most	O
popular	O
of	O
which	O
was	O
Phantasy	B-Application
Star	I-Application
Online	I-Application
Episode	I-Application
I	I-Application
and	I-Application
II	I-Application
,	O
which	O
was	O
an	O
enhanced	O
port	O
of	O
the	B-Operating_System
Dreamcast	I-Operating_System
game	O
with	O
various	O
new	O
features	O
and	O
content	O
)	O
,	O
instead	O
emphasizing	O
Game	B-Device
Boy	I-Device
Advance	I-Device
connectivity	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
a	O
result	O
,	O
the	O
Nintendo	B-Application
GameCube	I-Application
failed	O
to	O
match	O
the	O
sales	O
of	O
its	O
predecessor	B-Application
,	O
the	O
Nintendo	B-Operating_System
64	I-Operating_System
,	O
but	O
the	O
console	O
was	O
n't	O
a	O
financial	O
failure	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
a	O
result	O
,	O
the	O
Nintendo	B-Application
GameCube	I-Application
had	O
more	O
first	O
and	O
second	O
party	O
releases	O
than	O
its	O
competitors	O
,	O
whose	O
most	O
successful	O
titles	O
were	O
mainly	O
products	O
of	O
third-party	O
developers	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Although	O
the	O
Xbox	B-Application
had	O
the	O
formidable	O
financial	O
backing	O
of	O
Microsoft	O
,	O
it	O
was	O
unable	O
to	O
significantly	O
threaten	O
the	O
dominance	O
of	O
the	O
PlayStation	B-Device
2	I-Device
as	O
market	O
leader	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
However	O
,	O
the	O
Xbox	B-Application
attracted	O
a	O
large	O
fanbase	O
and	O
strong	O
third-party	O
support	O
in	O
the	O
United	O
States	O
and	O
Europe	O
and	O
became	O
a	O
recognizable	O
brand	O
amongst	O
the	O
mainstream	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Xbox	B-Application
Live	I-Application
online	O
service	O
with	O
its	O
centralized	O
model	O
proved	O
particularly	O
successful	O
,	O
prompting	O
Sony	O
to	O
boost	O
the	O
online	O
capabilities	O
of	O
the	O
PlayStation	B-Device
2	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
Xbox	B-Application
Live	I-Application
also	O
gave	O
the	O
Xbox	B-Application
an	O
edge	O
over	O
the	O
GameCube	B-Application
,	O
which	O
had	O
a	O
near-total	O
lack	O
of	O
online	B-Application
games	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
flagship	O
of	O
Xbox	B-Application
Live	I-Application
was	O
the	O
game	O
Halo	B-Application
2	I-Application
,	O
which	O
was	O
the	O
best-selling	O
Xbox	B-Application
game	O
with	O
over	O
8	O
million	O
copies	O
sold	O
worldwide	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
However	O
,	O
the	O
Xbox	B-Application
failed	O
to	O
gain	O
a	O
following	O
in	O
Japan	O
,	O
with	O
reasons	O
cited	O
including	O
lack	O
of	O
brand	O
recognition	O
,	O
lack	O
of	O
commitment	O
to	O
the	O
console	O
from	O
Japanese	O
publishers	O
and	O
developers	O
,	O
failure	O
of	O
Microsoft	O
staff	O
to	O
fully	O
understand	O
important	O
cultural	O
differences	O
,	O
and	O
ethnocentric	O
preferences	O
of	O
the	O
Japanese	O
public	O
for	O
native	O
products	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
+	O
Comparison	O
of	O
sixth-generation	O
video	O
game	O
home	O
consoles	O
Name	O
Dreamcast	B-Operating_System
PlayStation	B-Device
2	I-Device
GameCube	B-Application
XboxLogo	O
frameless|center|150x150px	O
frameless|center|225x225px	O
frameless|center|225x225px	O
frameless|center|225x225px	O
Manufacturer	O
Sega	O
Sony	O
(	O
SCE	O
)	O
Nintendo	O
MicrosoftImage(s )	O
200px|An	O
NTSC-U	O
Sega	B-Operating_System
Dreamcast	I-Operating_System
Console	O
and	O
controller	O
with	O
VMU.190px	O
|Slimline	O
(	O
right	O
)	O
and	O
Original	O
(	O
left	O
)	O
PS2	B-Device
consoles200px|Indigo	O
GameCube	B-Application
and	O
controller240x240px|Xbox	O
console	O
with	O
"	O
Controller	O
S	O
"	O
An	O
NTSC-U	O
Dreamcast	B-Operating_System
console	O
,	O
controller	O
and	O
VMU	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
More	O
...	O
CPU200	O
MHz	O
SuperH	O
SH-4294	O
MHz	O
MIPS	B-Device
"	O
Emotion	B-Architecture
Engine	I-Architecture
"	O
299	O
MHz	O
later	O
models485	O
MHz	O
PowerPC	B-Architecture
"	O
Gekko	B-Device
"	O
733	O
MHz	O
x86	B-Operating_System
Intel	O
Celeron/Pentium	O
III	O
Custom	O
HybridGPU100	O
MHz	O
NEC/VideoLogic	O
PowerVR	B-Device
CLX2	O
"	O
Holly	O
"	O
147	O
MHz	O
"	O
Graphics	O
Synthesizer	O
"	O
162	O
MHz	O
ATI	O
"	O
Flipper	O
"	O
233	O
MHz	O
Custom	O
Nvidia	O
NV2ARAMMain	O
RAM	B-Architecture
16	O
MB	O
SDRAMVideo	O
RAM	B-Architecture
8	O
MBSound	O
RAM	B-Architecture
2	O
MBMain	O
RAM	B-Architecture
32	O
MB	O
dual-channel	B-Architecture
,	O
RDRAMVideo	O
RAM	B-Architecture
4	O
MB	O
eDRAMSound	O
RAM	B-Architecture
2	O
MBMain	O
RAM	B-Architecture
24	O
MB	O
1T-SRAM	O
,	O
16	O
MB	O
DRAMVideo	O
RAM	B-Architecture
3	O
MB	O
embedded	O
1T-SRAM64	O
MB	O
unified	O
DDR	O
SDRAMAudioStereo	O
audio	O
,	O
with	O
:	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Panasonic	B-Device
M2	I-Device
was	O
a	O
sixth	B-Application
generation	I-Application
console	I-Application
developed	O
by	O
The	O
3DO	O
Company	O
and	O
sold	O
to	O
Panasonic	O
,	O
which	O
then	O
decided	O
to	O
not	O
release	O
the	O
console	O
in	O
1997	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Bit	O
ratings	O
for	O
consoles	O
largely	O
fell	O
by	O
the	O
wayside	O
after	O
the	O
fifth	B-Application
generation	I-Application
(	O
32/64	O
-bit	O
)	O
era	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
number	O
of	O
"	O
bits	O
"	O
cited	O
in	O
console	O
names	O
referred	O
to	O
the	O
CPU	B-Device
word	O
size	O
,	O
but	O
there	O
was	O
little	O
to	O
be	O
gained	O
from	O
increasing	O
the	O
word	O
size	O
much	O
beyond	O
32	O
bits	O
;	O
performance	O
depended	O
on	O
other	O
factors	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
central	B-General_Concept
processing	I-General_Concept
unit	I-General_Concept
speed	O
,	O
graphics	B-Architecture
processing	I-Architecture
unit	I-Architecture
speed	O
,	O
channel	O
capacity	O
,	O
data	B-General_Concept
storage	I-General_Concept
size	O
,	O
and	O
memory	O
speed	O
,	O
latency	B-General_Concept
,	O
and	O
size	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	B-Operating_System
Dreamcast	I-Operating_System
and	O
the	O
PlayStation	B-Device
2	I-Device
were	O
the	O
last	O
systems	O
to	O
use	O
the	O
term	O
"	O
128-bit	O
"	O
in	O
their	O
marketing	O
to	O
describe	O
their	O
capability	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Having	O
a	O
larger	O
CPU	B-Device
word	O
size	O
does	O
not	O
necessarily	O
make	O
one	O
console	O
more	O
powerful	O
than	O
another	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Likewise	O
,	O
the	O
operating	O
frequency	O
(	O
clock	O
rate	O
,	O
measured	O
in	O
terms	O
of	O
Hertz	O
)	O
of	O
a	O
system	O
's	O
CPU	B-Device
is	O
not	O
an	O
accurate	O
measure	O
of	O
performance	O
either	O
,	O
except	O
between	O
systems	O
of	O
the	O
same	O
or	O
similar	O
architecture	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Microsoft	B-Application
Xbox	I-Application
uses	O
a	O
32-bit	O
(	O
general	O
purpose	O
)	O
CISC	B-Architecture
x86	B-Operating_System
architecture	I-Operating_System
CPU	B-Device
,	O
with	O
an	O
instruction	O
set	O
equal	O
to	O
that	O
of	O
the	O
Coppermine	O
core	O
Mobile	B-Device
Celeron	I-Device
,	O
though	O
it	O
has	O
less	O
cache	O
(	O
128kB	O
)	O
than	O
the	O
PC	O
equivalent	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
has	O
64MB	O
RAM	B-Architecture
(	O
shared	O
)	O
and	O
runs	O
at	O
733MHz	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Because	O
the	O
Pentium	O
3	O
introduced	O
SSE	B-General_Concept
,	O
the	O
Xbox	B-Application
also	O
had	O
128-bit	O
SIMD	O
capabilities	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Its	O
NV2A	O
GPU	B-Architecture
,	O
which	O
is	O
very	O
similar	O
to	O
the	O
GeForce	O
3	O
Series	O
of	O
desktop	O
GPUs	B-Architecture
,	O
makes	O
it	O
the	O
only	O
console	O
in	O
its	O
time	O
with	O
traditional	O
vertex	O
and	O
pixel	O
shaders	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Nintendo	B-Application
GameCube	I-Application
's	O
IBM	O
Gekko	B-Device
PowerPC	B-Architecture
CPU	B-Device
runs	O
at	O
485MHz	O
,	O
while	O
its	O
"	O
Flipper	O
"	O
graphics	B-Architecture
processor	I-Architecture
is	O
comparable	O
to	O
the	O
original	O
ATI	O
Radeon	B-Device
,	O
and	O
it	O
has	O
43MB	O
of	O
non-unified	O
memory	O
(	O
24MB	O
of	O
1T-SRAM	O
,	O
3MB	O
embedded	O
1T-SRAM	O
,	O
and	O
16MB	O
DRAM	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
GameCube	B-Application
supports	O
Dolby	O
Pro	O
Logic	O
II	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
coupled	O
to	O
two	O
128	O
bit	O
Vector	O
Units	O
,	O
The	O
hybrid	O
R5900	O
CPU	B-Device
is	O
based	O
on	O
MIPS	B-Device
architecture	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
PS2	B-Device
also	O
has	O
an	O
internal	O
10	O
Channel	O
DMA	O
Bus	O
which	O
is	O
fully	O
128	O
bits	O
wide	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Paths	O
between	O
the	O
Emotion	B-Architecture
Engine	I-Architecture
,	O
RAM	B-Architecture
and	O
the	O
Graphics	O
Synthesizer	O
(	O
GS	O
)	O
are	O
also	O
128	O
bits	O
wide	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
PS2	B-Device
's	O
unique	O
hardware	O
arrangement	O
with	O
no	O
less	O
than	O
10	O
processing	O
units	O
were	O
difficult	O
to	O
come	O
to	O
grips	O
with	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
PS2	B-Device
's	O
Graphics	O
Synthesizer	O
(	O
GS	O
)	O
has	O
fast	O
dedicated	O
video	O
memory	O
,	O
though	O
it	O
is	O
limited	O
in	O
the	O
amount	O
of	O
data	O
it	O
can	O
hold	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Consequently	O
,	O
with	O
the	O
main	O
memory	O
being	O
limited	O
to	O
32MB	O
,	O
many	O
of	O
the	O
PS2	B-Device
's	O
games	O
have	O
reduced	O
textures	O
compared	O
with	O
versions	O
for	O
other	O
consoles	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
also	O
does	O
not	O
have	O
a	O
hardware	O
dedicated	O
transform	B-Algorithm
and	I-Algorithm
lighting	I-Algorithm
unit	O
like	O
the	O
ones	O
found	O
in	O
the	O
Xbox	B-Application
and	O
GameCube	B-Application
GPUs	B-Architecture
.	O
</s>
<s>
However	O
the	O
PS2	B-Device
's	O
design	O
allows	O
a	O
remarkable	O
degree	O
of	O
flexibility	O
and	O
choice	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
For	O
example	O
,	O
program	O
control	O
and	O
general	O
arithmetic	O
could	O
be	O
handled	O
by	O
the	O
CPU	B-Device
,	O
while	O
the	O
Vector	O
Units	O
0	O
and	O
1	O
,	O
could	O
provide	O
parallel	O
processing	O
of	O
physics	O
,	O
clipping	O
and	O
transform	B-Algorithm
and	I-Algorithm
lighting	I-Algorithm
to	O
the	O
scene	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Vector	O
units	O
were	O
noted	O
to	O
be	O
so	O
versatile	O
that	O
Shadow	B-Application
of	I-Application
The	I-Application
Colossus	I-Application
used	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
vector	O
units	O
to	O
do	O
full	O
Pixel	O
shading	O
for	O
the	O
fur	O
of	O
the	O
Collossi	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	B-Operating_System
Dreamcast	I-Operating_System
has	O
a	O
64-bit	B-Device
double-precision	O
superscalar	B-General_Concept
SuperH-4	O
RISC	B-Architecture
Central	B-General_Concept
processing	I-General_Concept
unit	I-General_Concept
core	O
with	O
a	O
32-bit	O
integer	O
unit	O
using	O
16-bit	B-Device
fixed-length	O
instructions	O
,	O
a	O
64-bit	B-Device
data	O
bus	O
allowing	O
a	O
variable	O
width	O
of	O
either	O
8	O
,	O
16	O
,	O
32	O
or	O
64-bits	B-Device
,	O
and	O
a	O
128-bit	O
floating-point	O
bus	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
PowerVR	B-Device
2DC	O
CLX2	O
chipset	O
uses	O
a	O
unique	O
method	O
of	O
rendering	O
a	O
3D	O
scene	O
called	O
Tile	O
Based	O
Deferred	O
Rendering	O
(	O
TBDR	O
)	O
:	O
while	O
storing	O
polygons	O
in	O
triangle	O
strip	O
format	O
in	O
memory	O
,	O
the	O
display	O
is	O
split	O
into	O
tiles	O
associated	O
with	O
a	O
list	O
of	O
visibly	O
overlapping	O
triangles	O
onto	O
which	O
,	O
using	O
a	O
process	O
similar	O
to	O
ray	B-Algorithm
tracing	I-Algorithm
,	O
rays	O
are	O
cast	O
and	O
a	O
pixel	O
is	O
rendered	O
from	O
the	O
triangle	O
closest	O
to	O
the	O
camera	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
During	O
the	O
sixth	B-Application
generation	I-Application
era	I-Application
,	O
the	O
handheld	B-Application
game	I-Application
console	I-Application
market	O
expanded	O
with	O
the	O
introduction	O
of	O
new	O
devices	O
from	O
many	O
different	O
manufacturers	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Nintendo	O
maintained	O
its	O
dominant	O
share	O
of	O
the	O
handheld	B-Application
market	I-Application
with	O
the	O
release	O
in	O
2001	O
of	O
the	O
Game	B-Device
Boy	I-Device
Advance	I-Device
,	O
which	O
featured	O
many	O
upgrades	O
and	O
new	O
features	O
over	O
the	O
Game	B-Device
Boy	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
Two	O
redesigns	O
of	O
this	O
system	O
followed	O
,	O
the	O
Game	B-Device
Boy	I-Device
Advance	I-Device
SP	I-Device
in	O
2003	O
and	O
the	O
Game	B-Device
Boy	I-Device
Micro	I-Device
in	O
2005	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Also	O
introduced	O
was	O
the	O
Bandai	O
's	O
WonderSwan	B-Operating_System
,	O
launched	O
in	O
Japan	O
in	O
1999	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
South	O
Korean	O
company	O
Game	O
Park	O
introduced	O
its	O
GP32	B-Device
handheld	B-Application
in	O
2001	O
,	O
and	O
with	O
it	O
came	O
the	O
dawn	O
of	O
open	B-Application
source	I-Application
handheld	B-Application
consoles	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Game	B-Device
Boy	I-Device
Advance	I-Device
line	O
of	O
handhelds	B-Application
has	O
sold	O
81.51	O
million	O
units	O
worldwide	O
as	O
of	O
September	O
30	O
,	O
2010	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
major	O
new	O
addition	O
to	O
the	O
market	O
was	O
the	O
trend	O
for	O
corporations	O
to	O
include	O
a	O
large	O
number	O
of	O
"	O
non-gaming	O
"	O
features	O
into	O
their	O
handheld	B-Application
consoles	I-Application
,	O
including	O
cell	O
phones	O
,	O
MP3	O
players	O
,	O
portable	O
movie	O
players	O
,	O
and	O
PDA-like	O
features	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
handheld	B-Application
that	O
started	O
this	O
trend	O
was	O
Nokia	O
's	O
N-Gage	B-Device
,	O
which	O
was	O
released	O
in	O
2003	O
and	O
doubled	O
primarily	O
as	O
a	O
mobile	O
phone	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
went	O
through	O
a	O
redesign	O
in	O
2004	O
and	O
was	O
renamed	O
the	O
N-Gage	B-Application
QD	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
second	O
handheld	B-Application
,	O
the	O
Zodiac	B-Application
from	O
Tapwave	B-Application
,	O
was	O
released	O
in	O
2004	O
;	O
based	O
on	O
the	O
Palm	B-Operating_System
OS	I-Operating_System
,	O
it	O
offered	O
specialized	O
gaming-oriented	O
video	O
and	O
sound	O
capabilities	O
,	O
but	O
it	O
had	O
an	O
unwieldy	O
development	O
kit	O
due	O
to	O
the	O
underlying	O
Palm	B-Operating_System
OS	I-Operating_System
foundation	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
fairly	O
uncommon	O
handheld	B-Application
of	O
the	O
6th	O
generation	O
was	O
the	O
vtech	O
V.SMILE	O
Pocket	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
handheld	B-Application
version	O
of	O
their	O
V.SMILE	O
home	O
console	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
With	O
more	O
and	O
more	O
PDAs	B-Application
arriving	O
during	O
the	O
previous	O
generation	O
,	O
the	O
difference	O
between	O
consumer	O
electronics	O
and	O
traditional	O
computing	O
began	O
to	O
blur	O
and	O
cheap	O
console	O
technology	O
grew	O
as	O
a	O
result	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
said	O
of	O
PDAs	B-Application
that	O
they	O
were	O
"	O
the	O
computers	O
of	O
handheld	B-Application
gaming	I-Application
"	O
because	O
of	O
their	O
multi-purpose	O
capabilities	O
and	O
the	O
increasingly	O
powerful	O
computer	O
hardware	O
that	O
resided	O
within	O
them	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
capability	O
existed	O
to	O
move	O
gaming	O
beyond	O
the	O
last	O
generation	O
's	O
16-bit	B-Device
limitations	O
;	O
however	O
,	O
PDAs	B-Application
were	O
still	O
geared	O
towards	O
the	O
typical	O
businessman	O
,	O
and	O
lacked	O
new	O
,	O
affordable	O
software	O
franchises	O
to	O
compete	O
with	O
dedicated	O
handheld	B-Application
gaming	I-Application
consoles	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Name	O
WonderSwan	B-Operating_System
Game	B-Device
Boy	I-Device
Advance	I-Device
/	O
Game	B-Device
Boy	I-Device
Advance	I-Device
SP	I-Device
/	O
Game	B-Device
Boy	I-Device
Micro	I-Device
N-Gage	B-Device
/	O
N-Gage	B-Device
QDManufacturer	O
Bandai	O
Nintendo	O
NokiaConsole110x110px111x111px	O
111x111pxNintendo-Game-Boy-Advance-Purple-FL	O
|120px	O
100px	O
120px150px	O
150pxRelease	O
dates	O
WonderSwan	B-Operating_System
:	O
</s>
<s>
WonderSwan	B-Operating_System
Color	I-Operating_System
:	O
</s>
<s>
SwanCrystal	B-Operating_System
:	O
Game	B-Device
Boy	I-Device
Advance	I-Device
:	O
Game	B-Device
Boy	I-Device
Advance	I-Device
SP	I-Device
:	O
Game	B-Device
Boy	I-Device
Micro	I-Device
:	O
N-Gage	B-Device
:	O
October	O
7	O
,	O
2003N-Gage	O
QD	O
:	O
May	O
26	O
,	O
2004Discontinued	O
2003	O
2006Logo200px200px200pxLaunch	O
pricesWonderSwan	O
:	O
</s>
<s>
WonderSwan	B-Operating_System
Color	I-Operating_System
:	O
</s>
<s>
SwanCrystal	B-Operating_System
:	O
</s>
<s>
Japan	O
:	O
¥	O
7,800	O
GBA	B-Device
:	O
</s>
<s>
GBA	B-Device
SP	I-Device
:	O
</s>
<s>
Europe	O
:	O
€	O
?	O
N-Gage	B-Device
:	O
</s>
<s>
N-Gage	B-Application
QD	I-Application
:	O
</s>
<s>
GameCube	B-Device
–	I-Device
Game	I-Device
Boy	I-Device
Advance	I-Device
link	I-Device
cable	I-Device
:	O
</s>
<s>
More	O
...	O
OSSymbian	O
S60CPU	O
16-bit	B-Device
,	O
NEC	B-Device
V30	I-Device
MZ	I-Device
16.8	O
MHz	O
,	O
32-bit	O
,	O
ARM7TDMI	O
with	O
embedded	O
memory	O
104	O
MHz	O
,	O
32-bit	O
,	O
RISC	B-Architecture
based	O
on	O
ARM9	O
seriesMemory512	O
kbit	O
(	O
64	O
KB	O
)	O
RAM	B-Architecture
32	O
kilobyte	O
+	O
96	O
kilobyte	O
VRAM	O
(	O
internal	O
to	O
the	O
CPU	B-Device
)	O
,	O
256	O
kilobyte	O
WRAM	O
(	O
outside	O
the	O
CPU	B-Device
)	O
16	O
megabyte	O
RAM	B-Architecture
,	O
16	O
megabyte	O
ROM	O
(	O
3.4	O
MB	O
accessible	O
for	O
storage	O
)	O
Audio	O
4-bit	O
PCM	B-Algorithm
channels	O
Stereo	O
audio	O
,	O
with	O
:	O
</s>
<s>
Major	O
publishers	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
Activision	O
,	O
Electronic	O
Arts	O
,	O
and	O
Ubisoft	O
adopted	O
a	O
cross-platform	O
strategy	O
,	O
releasing	O
versions	O
of	O
their	O
games	O
for	O
PC	O
,	O
all	O
major	O
consoles	O
,	O
and	O
in	O
some	O
cases	O
,	O
handhelds	B-Application
as	O
well	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	B-Operating_System
Dreamcast	I-Operating_System
,	O
which	O
had	O
an	O
official	O
Windows	O
CE	O
Development	O
Kit	O
to	O
help	O
porting	O
games	O
from	O
PCs	O
to	O
Dreamcast	B-Operating_System
,	O
and	O
the	O
Xbox	B-Application
,	O
which	O
was	O
made	O
from	O
off-the-shelf	O
PC	O
parts	O
and	O
hosted	O
many	O
PC	O
ports	O
,	O
factored	O
into	O
this	O
also	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
most	O
famous	O
were	O
Rockstar	O
Games	O
 '	O
Manhunt	B-Application
and	O
Grand	B-Application
Theft	I-Application
Auto	I-Application
games	I-Application
(	O
Grand	B-Application
Theft	I-Application
Auto	I-Application
III	I-Application
and	O
Grand	B-Application
Theft	I-Application
Auto	I-Application
:	I-Application
Vice	I-Application
City	I-Application
)	O
facing	O
lawsuits	O
over	O
alleged	O
racial	O
slurs	O
and	O
influencing	O
minors	O
to	O
commit	O
crimes	O
,	O
while	O
Grand	B-Application
Theft	I-Application
Auto	I-Application
:	I-Application
San	I-Application
Andreas	I-Application
was	O
briefly	O
given	O
an	O
adult	O
rating	O
and	O
removed	O
from	O
most	O
stores	O
over	O
the	O
availability	O
of	O
an	O
abandoned	O
sex	O
mini-game	O
using	O
the	O
Hot	O
Coffee	O
mod	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Prior	O
to	O
its	O
release	O
,	O
Metal	B-Application
Gear	I-Application
Solid	I-Application
2	I-Application
:	I-Application
Sons	I-Application
of	I-Application
Liberty	I-Application
depicted	O
a	O
submersible	O
mobile	O
fortress	O
hijacked	O
by	O
terrorists	O
destroying	O
a	O
good	O
portion	O
of	O
Manhattan	O
in	O
view	O
of	O
the	O
twin	O
towers	O
(	O
this	O
can	O
be	O
found	O
in	O
the	O
"	O
Document	B-Application
of	I-Application
Metal	I-Application
Gear	I-Application
Solid	I-Application
2	I-Application
"	O
making-of	O
feature	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Similarly	O
,	O
several	O
undisclosed	O
modifications	O
were	O
made	O
in	O
Grand	B-Application
Theft	I-Application
Auto	I-Application
III	I-Application
,	O
such	O
as	O
a	O
change	O
to	O
the	O
police	O
cars	O
 '	O
color	O
scheme	O
(	O
the	O
old	O
scheme	O
resembled	O
that	O
of	O
NYPD	O
's	O
older	O
blue	O
and	O
white	O
design	O
)	O
and	O
altered	O
cover	O
art	O
(	O
the	O
European	O
release	O
featured	O
the	O
original	O
artwork	O
)	O
;	O
Rockstar	O
Games	O
estimates	O
that	O
the	O
changes	O
amounted	O
to	O
1%	O
in	O
changed	O
content	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	B-Operating_System
Dreamcast	I-Operating_System
game	O
Propeller	B-Application
Arena	I-Application
was	O
never	O
officially	O
released	O
,	O
possibly	O
due	O
to	O
a	O
certain	O
level	O
which	O
was	O
visually	O
very	O
similar	O
to	O
the	O
September	O
11	O
attacks	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Because	O
of	O
the	O
increased	O
computing	O
power	O
of	O
video	B-Application
game	I-Application
consoles	I-Application
and	O
the	O
widespread	O
usage	O
of	O
emulators	B-Application
,	O
the	O
sixth	O
generation	O
saw	O
the	O
rise	O
of	O
console	O
emulation	B-Application
and	O
retro	O
gaming	O
on	O
a	O
vast	O
scale	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Commonly	O
emulated	B-Application
games	O
included	O
those	O
released	O
for	O
the	O
Nintendo	O
Entertainment	O
System	O
,	O
the	O
Super	B-Application
Nintendo	I-Application
Entertainment	I-Application
System	I-Application
,	O
the	O
Mega	B-Operating_System
Drive/Genesis	I-Operating_System
,	O
the	O
PlayStation	B-Device
(	O
the	O
PS2	B-Device
can	O
play	O
PS1	O
games	O
natively	O
)	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
Nintendo	B-Operating_System
64	I-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
Also	O
during	O
this	O
generation	O
,	O
the	O
computing	O
power	O
of	O
handheld	B-Application
consoles	I-Application
became	O
capable	O
of	O
supporting	O
games	O
made	O
for	O
some	O
of	O
the	O
earliest	O
gaming	O
consoles	O
and	O
several	O
companies	O
released	O
remakes	O
of	O
classic	O
games	O
for	O
the	O
handhelds	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Nintendo	O
introduced	O
a	O
line	O
of	O
NES	O
and	O
SNES	B-Application
games	O
for	O
its	O
Game	B-Device
Boy	I-Device
Advance	I-Device
handheld	B-Application
,	O
including	O
remakes	O
such	O
as	O
Final	B-Application
Fantasy	I-Application
I	I-Application
&	I-Application
II	I-Application
:	I-Application
Dawn	I-Application
of	I-Application
Souls	I-Application
and	O
Nintendo	O
's	O
Metroid	B-Application
:	I-Application
Zero	I-Application
Mission	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Online	B-Application
gaming	I-Application
,	O
which	O
in	O
previous	O
generations	O
had	O
been	O
almost	O
an	O
exclusive	O
domain	O
of	O
PC	O
games	O
,	O
became	O
more	O
prominent	O
in	O
video	B-Application
game	I-Application
consoles	I-Application
during	O
this	O
generation	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	B-Operating_System
Dreamcast	I-Operating_System
initiated	O
this	O
change	O
with	O
its	O
built	O
in	O
modem	B-Application
,	O
internet	O
browsing	O
software	O
,	O
and	O
ability	O
to	O
play	O
certain	O
games	B-Application
online	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
PlayStation	B-Device
2	I-Device
,	O
Xbox	B-Application
and	O
GameCube	B-Application
also	O
offered	O
online	B-Application
gaming	I-Application
,	O
though	O
their	O
approaches	O
and	O
commitment	O
to	O
it	O
varied	O
greatly	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Xbox	B-Application
offered	O
an	O
integrated	O
service	O
called	O
Xbox	B-Application
Live	I-Application
that	O
cost	O
$50	O
per	O
year	O
and	O
was	O
only	O
compatible	O
with	O
a	O
broadband	B-General_Concept
internet	I-General_Concept
connection	I-General_Concept
.	O
</s>
<s>
Its	O
ability	O
to	O
connect	O
gamers	O
for	O
online	O
multi-player	O
matches	O
was	O
a	O
considerable	O
factor	O
in	O
allowing	O
the	O
Xbox	B-Application
to	O
gain	O
a	O
foothold	O
in	O
the	O
western	O
market	O
,	O
especially	O
in	O
the	O
first-person	O
shooter	O
genre	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
PlayStation	B-Device
2	I-Device
left	O
its	O
online	B-Application
gaming	I-Application
service	O
up	O
to	O
each	O
individual	O
game	O
publisher	O
,	O
and	O
though	O
it	O
was	O
free	O
to	O
use	O
,	O
it	O
was	O
not	O
always	O
an	O
ideal	O
experience	O
,	O
especially	O
with	O
games	O
published	O
by	O
small	O
developers	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
SOCOM	B-Application
series	O
was	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
most	O
popular	O
online	O
competitive	O
games	O
for	O
the	O
PS2	B-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
GameCube	B-Application
did	O
not	O
offer	O
online	B-Application
play	I-Application
for	O
any	O
of	O
its	O
first-party	O
titles	O
,	O
with	O
only	O
Sega	O
's	O
Phantasy	B-Application
Star	I-Application
Online	I-Application
series	O
and	O
Homeland	B-Application
making	O
official	O
use	O
of	O
the	O
console	O
's	O
online	O
capabilities	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
addition	O
,	O
online	O
capability	O
was	O
not	O
out-of-the-box	O
;	O
an	O
adapter	O
was	O
needed	O
to	O
hook	O
the	O
GameCube	B-Application
to	O
the	O
internet	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Dead	B-Application
or	I-Application
Alive	I-Application
2	I-Application
(	O
Arcade	O
,	O
DC	O
,	O
PS2	B-Device
)	O
by	O
Team	O
Ninja	O
received	O
universal	O
acclaim	O
with	O
a	O
Metacritic	O
score	O
of	O
91/100	O
and	O
is	O
considered	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
greatest	O
fighting	O
games	O
of	O
all	O
time	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Dead	B-Application
or	I-Application
Alive	I-Application
3	I-Application
(	O
Xbox	B-Application
)	O
was	O
a	O
bestseller	O
with	O
over	O
2	O
million	O
copies	O
sold	O
worldwide	O
and	O
was	O
notable	O
for	O
improving	O
and	O
expanding	O
on	O
what	O
the	O
previous	O
game	O
offered	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Final	B-Application
Fantasy	I-Application
X	O
(	O
PS2	B-Device
)	O
by	O
Square	O
(	O
now	O
Square	O
Enix	O
)	O
refined	O
many	O
elements	O
found	O
in	O
its	O
predecessors	O
,	O
adding	O
a	O
completely	O
different	O
battle	O
system	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Forza	B-Application
Motorsport	I-Application
(	O
Xbox	B-Application
)	O
by	O
Turn	O
10	O
Studios	O
and	O
Microsoft	O
Studios	O
received	O
universal	O
critical	O
acclaim	O
and	O
is	O
considered	O
to	O
have	O
set	O
a	O
new	O
standard	O
for	O
the	O
racing	O
genre	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
game	O
received	O
universal	O
acclaim	O
according	O
to	O
the	O
review	B-Application
aggregation	I-Application
website	O
Metacritic	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
God	B-Application
of	I-Application
War	I-Application
and	O
God	B-Application
of	I-Application
War	I-Application
II	I-Application
(	O
PS2	B-Device
)	O
by	O
Santa	O
Monica	O
Studio	O
and	O
Sony	O
Computer	O
Entertainment	O
(	O
SCE	O
)	O
were	O
both	O
released	O
to	O
universal	O
acclaim	O
from	O
critics	O
for	O
their	O
gameplay	O
,	O
graphics	O
and	O
story	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Grand	B-Application
Theft	I-Application
Auto	I-Application
III	I-Application
,	O
Vice	B-Application
City	I-Application
,	O
and	O
Grand	B-Application
Theft	I-Application
Auto	I-Application
:	I-Application
San	I-Application
Andreas	I-Application
(	O
PS2	B-Device
,	O
Xbox	B-Application
,	O
PC	O
)	O
by	O
Rockstar	O
popularized	O
"	O
sandbox	O
"	O
style	O
gameplay	O
in	O
an	O
urban	O
crime	O
setting	O
,	O
which	O
has	O
since	O
been	O
widely	O
imitated	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Half-Life	B-Application
2	I-Application
(	O
PC	O
,	O
Xbox	B-Application
)	O
by	O
Valve	O
was	O
praised	O
for	O
its	O
advanced	O
physics	O
,	O
animation	O
,	O
sound	O
,	O
AI	O
,	O
graphics	O
,	O
gameplay	O
,	O
and	O
narrative	O
,	O
and	O
was	O
named	O
Game	O
of	O
the	O
Decade	O
at	O
the	O
Spike	O
Video	O
Game	O
Awards	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Halo	O
:	O
Combat	O
Evolved	O
(	O
Xbox	B-Application
,	O
PC	O
)	O
by	O
Bungie	O
and	O
Microsoft	O
Studios	O
was	O
by	O
far	O
the	O
most	O
successful	O
launch	O
title	O
for	O
the	O
Xbox	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Halo	B-Application
2	I-Application
set	O
records	O
as	O
the	O
fastest	O
grossing	O
release	O
in	O
entertainment	O
history	O
and	O
was	O
still	O
very	O
successful	O
on	O
the	O
Xbox	B-Application
Live	I-Application
online	B-Application
gaming	I-Application
service	O
until	O
support	O
was	O
dropped	O
in	O
April	O
2010	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Jet	B-Application
Set	I-Application
Radio	I-Application
(	O
DC	O
)	O
by	O
Smilebit	O
and	O
Sega	O
received	O
universal	O
acclaim	O
for	O
its	O
arcade-style	O
gameplay	O
,	O
up-tempo	O
music	O
and	O
cel-shaded	O
visuals	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Jet	B-Application
Set	I-Application
Radio	I-Application
Future	I-Application
(	O
Xbox	B-Application
)	O
improved	O
and	O
expanded	O
on	O
what	O
the	O
original	O
game	O
offered	O
,	O
also	O
receiving	O
critical	O
acclaim	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	B-Application
Legend	I-Application
of	I-Application
Zelda	I-Application
:	I-Application
The	I-Application
Wind	I-Application
Waker	I-Application
(	O
GC	O
)	O
by	O
Nintendo	O
EAD	O
and	O
Nintendo	O
remains	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
most	O
critically	O
acclaimed	O
games	O
of	O
the	O
generation	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Likewise	O
,	O
The	B-Application
Legend	I-Application
of	I-Application
Zelda	I-Application
:	I-Application
Twilight	I-Application
Princess	I-Application
(	O
GC	O
)	O
proved	O
to	O
be	O
another	O
important	O
title	O
in	O
the	O
series	O
released	O
this	O
generation	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Likewise	O
,	O
it	O
was	O
seen	O
as	O
a	O
transitional	O
title	O
being	O
released	O
on	O
both	O
the	O
Gamecube	B-Application
and	O
Wii	B-Operating_System
–	O
which	O
resulted	O
in	O
it	O
being	O
the	O
best-selling	O
title	O
in	O
the	O
series	O
since	O
Ocarina	O
of	O
Time	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Metal	B-Application
Gear	I-Application
Solid	I-Application
2	I-Application
:	I-Application
Sons	I-Application
of	I-Application
Liberty	I-Application
(	O
PS2	B-Device
,	O
Xbox	B-Application
,	O
PC	O
)	O
and	O
Metal	B-Application
Gear	I-Application
Solid	I-Application
3	I-Application
:	I-Application
Snake	I-Application
Eater	I-Application
(	O
PS2	B-Device
)	O
by	O
Konami	O
Computer	O
Entertainment	O
Japan	O
and	O
Konami	O
improved	O
upon	O
the	O
stealth	O
genre	O
by	O
adding	O
many	O
new	O
abilities	O
,	O
and	O
for	O
the	O
first	O
time	O
in	O
its	O
respective	O
genre	O
made	O
the	O
surroundings	O
nearly	O
completely	O
interactive	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Both	O
games	O
achieved	O
widespread	O
critical	O
acclaim	O
,	O
as	O
they	O
improved	O
many	O
elements	O
from	O
their	O
predecessor	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Metroid	B-Device
Prime	I-Device
(	O
GC	O
)	O
by	O
Retro	O
Studios	O
and	O
Nintendo	O
is	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
generation	O
's	O
highest-rated	O
titles	O
,	O
with	O
a	O
score	O
of	O
96.3	O
on	O
GameRankings	O
and	O
a	O
97	O
on	O
Metacritic	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
also	O
the	O
eighth	O
best-selling	O
GameCube	B-Application
game	O
in	O
Australia	O
,	O
and	O
more	O
than	O
78,000	O
copies	O
were	O
sold	O
in	O
Japan	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
NFL	O
2K1	O
(	O
DC	O
)	O
by	O
Visual	O
Concepts	O
and	O
Sega	O
was	O
the	O
first	O
football	O
game	O
to	O
feature	O
online	B-Application
play	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Phantasy	B-Application
Star	I-Application
Online	I-Application
(	O
DC	O
,	O
GC	O
,	O
Xbox	B-Application
,	O
PC	O
)	O
by	O
Sonic	B-Application
Team	O
and	O
Sega	O
,	O
the	O
first	O
console	O
MMORPG	B-Protocol
,	O
has	O
been	O
cited	O
as	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
most	O
groundbreaking	O
and	O
influential	O
games	O
of	O
the	O
generation	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Pokémon	B-Application
Ruby	I-Application
and	I-Application
Sapphire	I-Application
(	O
GBA	B-Device
)	O
Despite	O
the	O
fact	O
that	O
the	O
games	O
received	O
some	O
backlash	O
due	O
to	O
connectivity	O
issues	O
with	O
the	O
older	O
games	O
,	O
which	O
was	O
resolved	O
with	O
the	O
release	O
of	O
future	O
games	O
,	O
these	O
games	O
still	O
received	O
positive	O
reception	O
from	O
critics	O
and	O
a	O
loyal	O
fanbase	O
for	O
adding	O
much	O
more	O
innovation	O
to	O
the	O
Pokémon	O
series	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
They	O
eventually	O
became	O
the	O
best-selling	O
games	O
for	O
the	O
Game	B-Device
Boy	I-Device
Advance	I-Device
,	O
selling	O
roughly	O
over	O
16.22	O
million	O
copies	O
worldwide	O
as	O
of	O
October	O
2013	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Resident	B-Application
Evil	I-Application
4	I-Application
(	O
GC	O
,	O
PS2	B-Device
,	O
PC	O
)	O
by	O
Capcom	O
Production	O
Studio	O
4	O
and	O
Capcom	O
revamped	O
the	O
franchise	O
in	O
a	O
new	O
,	O
more	O
action-oriented	O
direction	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Rez	B-Application
(	O
DC	O
,	O
PS2	B-Device
)	O
by	O
United	O
Game	O
Artists	O
and	O
Sega	O
received	O
significant	O
critical	O
acclaim	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Shadow	B-Application
of	I-Application
the	I-Application
Colossus	I-Application
(	O
PS2	B-Device
)	O
by	O
Team	O
Ico	O
and	O
SCE	O
has	O
been	O
frequently	O
cited	O
as	O
an	O
example	O
of	O
video	O
games	O
as	O
art	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Shenmue	B-Application
(	O
DC	O
)	O
by	O
Sega	O
AM2	O
and	O
Sega	O
is	O
regarded	O
as	O
a	O
major	O
step	O
forward	O
for	O
3D	O
open-world	O
gameplay	O
,	O
introduced	O
the	O
quick	O
time	O
event	O
mechanic	O
in	O
its	O
modern	O
form	O
,	O
and	O
has	O
been	O
widely	O
cited	O
as	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
best	O
and	O
most	O
influential	O
games	O
ever	O
made	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Sonic	B-Application
Adventure	I-Application
(	O
DC	O
,	O
GC	O
,	O
PC	O
)	O
by	O
Sonic	B-Application
Team	O
was	O
the	O
first	O
main	O
Sonic	B-Application
the	I-Application
Hedgehog	I-Application
game	O
to	O
feature	O
3D	O
gameplay	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Soulcalibur	B-Application
(	O
Arcade	O
,	O
DC	O
)	O
by	O
Project	O
Soul	O
and	O
Namco	O
is	O
the	O
first	O
fighting	O
game	O
on	O
any	O
platform	O
to	O
have	O
ever	O
received	O
a	O
perfect	O
10.0	O
rating	O
from	O
IGN	O
and	O
GameSpot	O
and	O
also	O
a	O
perfect	O
40/40	O
(	O
second	O
of	O
only	O
fifteen	O
games	O
)	O
from	O
Japanese	O
gaming	O
magazine	O
Famitsu	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Soul	B-Application
Calibur	I-Application
II	I-Application
(	O
Arcade	O
,	O
PS2	B-Device
,	O
GC	O
,	O
Xbox	B-Application
)	O
was	O
a	O
bestseller	O
for	O
all	O
three	O
home	O
consoles	O
on	O
which	O
it	O
was	O
released	O
and	O
was	O
notable	O
for	O
featuring	O
exclusive	O
characters	O
for	O
every	O
version	O
released	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Star	B-Application
Wars	I-Application
:	I-Application
Knights	I-Application
of	I-Application
the	I-Application
Old	I-Application
Republic	I-Application
(	O
PC	O
,	O
Xbox	B-Application
)	O
by	O
BioWare	O
and	O
LucasArts	O
has	O
been	O
cited	O
as	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
best	O
games	O
of	O
the	O
generation	O
and	O
greatest	O
games	O
of	O
all	O
time	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Its	O
sequel	O
,	O
Star	B-Application
Wars	I-Application
Knights	I-Application
of	I-Application
the	I-Application
Old	I-Application
Republic	I-Application
II	I-Application
:	I-Application
The	I-Application
Sith	I-Application
Lords	I-Application
,	O
also	O
garnered	O
critical	O
acclaim	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Super	B-Application
Mario	I-Application
Sunshine	I-Application
(	O
GC	O
)	O
by	O
Nintendo	O
Entertainment	O
Analysis	O
&	O
Development	O
(	O
Nintendo	O
EAD	O
)	O
and	O
Nintendo	O
is	O
the	O
highest-rated	O
3D	O
platformer	O
of	O
the	O
generation	O
with	O
a	O
Metacritic	O
score	O
of	O
92/100	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
feature	O
reappeared	O
in	O
Super	B-Application
Mario	I-Application
Galaxy	I-Application
2	I-Application
where	O
the	O
Twisty	O
Trials	O
Galaxy	O
in	O
World	O
S	O
is	O
another	O
recurring	O
theme	O
from	O
Super	B-Application
Mario	I-Application
Sunshine	I-Application
,	O
based	O
on	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
missions	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Super	B-Application
Smash	I-Application
Bros	I-Application
.	I-Application
Melee	I-Application
(	O
GC	O
)	O
by	O
Hal	O
Laboratory	O
and	O
Nintendo	O
went	O
on	O
to	O
become	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
most	O
popular	O
and	O
most	O
played	O
games	O
on	O
the	O
GameCube	B-Application
console	O
which	O
is	O
a	O
widely	O
played	O
competitive	O
video	O
game	O
and	O
has	O
been	O
featured	O
in	O
several	O
high-profile	O
tournaments	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Tekken	B-Application
Tag	I-Application
Tournament	I-Application
(	O
PS2	B-Device
)	O
was	O
a	O
launch	O
title	O
for	O
the	O
PlayStation	B-Device
2	I-Device
,	O
and	O
is	O
regarded	O
as	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
best	O
PS2	B-Device
titles	O
ever	O
,	O
and	O
is	O
also	O
considered	O
one	O
of	O
if	O
not	O
the	O
most	O
significant	O
entry	O
to	O
the	O
Tekken	B-Application
series	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Throughout	O
the	O
sixth	O
generation	O
,	O
Tekken	B-Application
Tag	I-Application
was	O
the	O
fighting	O
game	O
of	O
choice	O
for	O
many	O
tournaments	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
was	O
also	O
praised	O
for	O
its	O
graphical	O
leap	O
from	O
the	O
arcade	O
on	O
to	O
the	O
then	O
,	O
new	O
generation	O
of	O
consoles	O
,	O
on	O
the	O
PlayStation	B-Device
2	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
Virtua	B-Application
Fighter	I-Application
4	I-Application
(	O
Arcade	O
,	O
PS2	B-Device
)	O
by	O
Sega	O
AM2	O
and	O
Sega	O
received	O
universal	O
critical	O
acclaim	O
,	O
with	O
a	O
Metacritic	O
score	O
of	O
94/100	O
,	O
and	O
is	O
considered	O
to	O
have	O
set	O
a	O
new	O
standard	O
for	O
3D	O
fighting	O
games	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
Japan	O
,	O
the	O
PlayStation	B-Device
2	I-Device
version	O
sold	O
356,897	O
during	O
its	O
first	O
week	O
on	O
sale	O
in	O
early	O
2002	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Worldwide	O
sales	O
of	O
the	O
PS2	B-Device
port	O
exceeded	O
1.5	O
million	O
by	O
June	O
2002	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
release	O
,	O
Famitsu	O
magazine	O
scored	O
the	O
PlayStation	B-Device
2	I-Device
version	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
a	O
37	O
out	O
of	O
40	O
.	O
</s>
