Sony Dominates the 3D Era

This chapter reviews the arcade industry in the mid-1990s with games such as Daytona USA (Sega, 1993), Tekken (Namco, 1994), and Area 51 (Mesa Logic/Atari 1995), followed by in-depth coverage of the 3D era video game consoles including the 3DO Interactive Multiplayer, Atari Jaguar, Sega Saturn, 32X, Sony PlayStation (PSone), and Nintendo 64 (N64). Portable/handheld systems covered include the Nintendo Virtual Boy and Game Boy Color. Key game titles for all main consoles (such as Resident Evil , Final Fantasy VII , Tomb Raider , Metal Gear Solid , and Tekken 3 ) are highlighted, as well as console tech specs, launch titles, key people (like Bernie Stolar, Dave Needle, David Rosen, Gunpei Yokoi, Hayao Nakayama, Hideki Sato, Jay Miner, Joe Miller, John Mathieson, Ken Kutaragi, Phil Harrison, Tom Kalinske, Yuji Naka, and a Pro File on Trip Hawkins), marketing, advertisement, and accessories, console comparisons, and head-to-head game recommendations for comparing game systems. Encapsulating the rich history, technology, and business-related events of this generation, this chapter concludes with a look at the less-popular fifth-generation consoles released outside of the U.S., fifth-generation market summary, activity on failed game consoles, fifth-generation breakthroughs, trends, and a quiz.