The seventh generation is a video game era in the history of computer and video games that began towards the end of 2005 with the release of the Xbox 360; however, the transition will be fully underway in 2006 with the release of new video game consoles from Nintendo and Sony.

Microsoft have marked this generation the "HD Era", in the same way the fifth generation was the "3D Era"

Video game systems

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Video game consoles

See also Comparison of seventh-generation game consoles

The seventh generation of video game consoles began with the Xbox 360, which was released November 22, 2005. The PlayStation 3 is scheduled to be released in Japan on November 11, 2006 and worldwide on November 17, 2006. No specific release date has been announced for Wii, with Nintendo committing only to a release in the fourth quarter of 2006 in North America and Japan, but Nintendo president Satoru Iwata had previously claimed that the console would be released before Thanksgiving (November 23) in North America.

Image:Xbox 360.jpg|Xbox 360 (Microsoft)
November 2005 Image:Wii at E3 1.jpg|Wii (Nintendo)
Q4 2006 Image:PS3s and controllers at E3 2006.jpg|PlayStation 3 (Sony)
November 2006 Note: First year of release is the first year of the system's worldwide availability.

Handheld game systems

For video game handhelds, the seventh generation began roughly with the release of Nintendo's Nintendo DS. This system was based on a design fundamentally different from the Game Boy and other video game systems. The Nintendo DS offered new modes of input over previous generations: A touch screen and a microphone. It was released in late 2004. Around the same time, Sony released their first handheld, the PlayStation Portable, in Japan. Although released around the same time, the PlayStation Portable was marketed to a different audience than the Nintendo DS. Also in 2005 was the release of the Gizmondo from Tiger Telematics.

2005 and 2006, respectively, saw the release of the GP2X from Gamepark Holdings and the formal announcement of the XGP from GamePark. Both handhelds follow a completely different market strategy than either the DS or the PlayStation Portable. They utilize a Linux-based operating system on an open-source architecture for emphasis on portable software emulation and homebrew games. The GP2X was a 2D handheld that focused on stored media content such as user-uploaded music and videos. The XGP will be a 3D handheld similar to the PlayStation Portable, designed for commercial games. It promises the same open-source Linux architecture, while also supporting Windows CE. The XGP will be a much more advanced handheld than the GP2X, offering the same stored-content features while integrating advanced live-content features such as T-DMB mobile television and Wi-Fi. The release of the XGP may spark renewed controversy over the two GamePark companies that split from the one mother company, GamePark, over disagreements about the successor to the GP32 handheld (which eventually became the two handhelds mentioned). The two handhelds mark Korea's official entry into the seventh generation handheld market.

Seventh generation video game handhelds include:

Image:Nintendo_ds.jpg|Nintendo DS
2004-present Image:Psp1.jpg|Sony PSP
2005–Present Image:Nintendo DS Lite.jpg|Nintendo DS Lite
2006–Present Image:Gizmondoblack.jpg|Tiger Telematics Gizmondo
2005–2006 Image:Gp2x_wiki.jpg|GamePark Holdings GP2X
2005–Present Image:ExtremeGamePlayer.jpg|GamePark XGP
Announced in 2006. Not yet released. Note: First year of release is the first year of the system's worldwide availability.

Video game franchises established

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• Alan Wake
• Assassin's Creed
• Blue Dragon
• Brain Age
• Day of Crisis
• Excite Truck
• Fatal inertia
• Feel the Magic
• Full Auto
• Gears of War
• Heavenly Sword
• Lost Magic
• Lumines
• Mass Effect
• Metal Gear Ac!d
• Meteos
• Nintendogs
• Polarium
• Project H.A.M.M.E.R.
• Ratchet and clank
• Red Steel
• Fall of man
• sonic the hedgehog
• Spore
• Too Human
• Under the Knife
• Untold Legends
• Warhawk
• Wii Sports
• Wii Music
• WipEout

External links

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• Waiting on a Revolution: a look ahead at the next-generation console wars - In-depth analysis and comparison of all next-generation hardware.

History of computer and video games

Histoire des consoles de jeu vidéo (septième génération) | Geschiedenis van de spelcomputer (zevende generatiesysteem)