1990: Difference between revisions

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In 1990, the home [[computer]] market in the [[United States of America]] was dominated by [[IBM PC]] compatibles. These had an 84% market share, followed by [[Commodore 64]], [[Apple]] [[Macintosh]], [[Atari ST]], and [[Commodore]] [[Amiga]].
In 1990, the [[computer]]s and [[video game console]] markets continued to expand.


==Home computers==
The home [[computer]] market in the [[United States of America]] was dominated by [[IBM PC]] compatibles. These had an 84% market share, followed by [[Commodore 64]], [[Apple]] [[Macintosh]], [[Atari ST]], and [[Commodore]] [[Amiga]].
[[Intel]] released the [[i386|i386 SL]], a low-powered version of the [[i386|i386 DX]]. It also released an update to the [[i486|i486 DX]] which fixed a bug that could cause computers to hang.
Intel also filed a countersuit to [[AMD|AMD's]] 1987 arbitration over the loss of a contract to be a second-source manufacturer of Intel microchips. The countersuit sought to renegotiate the contract, which caused AMD to do a clean room design of their future chips without using any Intel microcode.
==Video game consoles==
The [[Nintendo Entertainment System]] still dominated the [[video game console]] market in most regions, but other 8-bit consoles were popular in other regions. The [[Sega Master System]] continued to dominate the market in Brazil.
The [[Nintendo Entertainment System]] still dominated the [[video game console]] market in most regions, but other 8-bit consoles were popular in other regions. The [[Sega Master System]] continued to dominate the market in Brazil.


The 16-bit console market was expanded. The [[NEC]] [[TurboGrafx-16|PC Engine]], which debuted in Japan in [[1987]] and in France, in the United Kingdom, and in North America as the [[TurboGrafx-16]] in [[1989]], was released in [[Spain]]. Likewise, the [[Sega]] [[Sega Genesis|Mega Drive]], which was released in [[1988]] in Japan and in North America as [[Sega Genesis]] in [[1989]], saw a worldwide expansion in 1990 with releases in [[Brazil]], Europe, Oceania, and [[South Korea]]. Additionally, [[Nintendo]] released the [[Super Entertainment System|Super Famicom]] in 1990 in Japan.
The 16-bit console market was expanded. The [[NEC]] [[TurboGrafx-16|PC Engine]], which debuted in Japan in [[1987]] and in France, in the United Kingdom, and in North America as the [[TurboGrafx-16]] in [[1989]], was released in [[Spain]]. Likewise, the [[Sega]] [[Sega Genesis|Mega Drive]], which was released in [[1988]] in Japan and in North America as [[Sega Genesis]] in [[1989]], saw a worldwide expansion in 1990 with releases in [[Brazil]], Europe, Oceania, and [[South Korea]]. Additionally, [[Nintendo]] released the [[Super Entertainment System|Super Famicom]] in 1990 in Japan.


==Arcade market==
[[Arcade]] games remained popular. To regulate the market, a law in Japan was passed that required that all arcade cabinets had to be shipped with a working game so that purchasers could plug it in and immediately test whether the cabinet was functional.  
[[Arcade]] games remained popular. To regulate the market, a law in Japan was passed that required that all arcade cabinets had to be shipped with a working game so that purchasers could plug it in and immediately test whether the cabinet was functional.  


Revision as of 20:56, 12 August 2023

In 1990, the computers and video game console markets continued to expand.

Home computers

The home computer market in the United States of America was dominated by IBM PC compatibles. These had an 84% market share, followed by Commodore 64, Apple Macintosh, Atari ST, and Commodore Amiga.

Intel released the i386 SL, a low-powered version of the i386 DX. It also released an update to the i486 DX which fixed a bug that could cause computers to hang.

Intel also filed a countersuit to AMD's 1987 arbitration over the loss of a contract to be a second-source manufacturer of Intel microchips. The countersuit sought to renegotiate the contract, which caused AMD to do a clean room design of their future chips without using any Intel microcode.

Video game consoles

The Nintendo Entertainment System still dominated the video game console market in most regions, but other 8-bit consoles were popular in other regions. The Sega Master System continued to dominate the market in Brazil.

The 16-bit console market was expanded. The NEC PC Engine, which debuted in Japan in 1987 and in France, in the United Kingdom, and in North America as the TurboGrafx-16 in 1989, was released in Spain. Likewise, the Sega Mega Drive, which was released in 1988 in Japan and in North America as Sega Genesis in 1989, saw a worldwide expansion in 1990 with releases in Brazil, Europe, Oceania, and South Korea. Additionally, Nintendo released the Super Famicom in 1990 in Japan.

Arcade market

Arcade games remained popular. To regulate the market, a law in Japan was passed that required that all arcade cabinets had to be shipped with a working game so that purchasers could plug it in and immediately test whether the cabinet was functional.

Thus, companies created simple games with cheap hardware that could be included and then disposed of by the purchaser. Sega created Dottori-kun as the game that was included with its Astro City arcade candy cabinets.

The following computer-related events occurred in 1990:

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