gaming's version of dog years, except the dog gets 4K graphics and worse backward compatibility.
means a roughly 5-7 year cycle where hardware makers reset the industry with new boxes, forcing everyone to rebuy their favorite games slightly shinier.
from the term comes from tracking home video game hardware waves since the 1970s, retroactively organized by historians and marketers into numbered eras once the industry realized nostalgia sells.
nintendo entertainment system — 1985, revived a crashed us games market single-handedly
playstation 2 — 2000-2013, best selling console ever, 155 million units
sega dreamcast — 1999-2001, died fast, still beloved cult classic today
xbox series x — 2020, launched mid-pandemic alongside chip shortages everywhere