History of video game consoles (second generation)

The second generation of video game consoles began in 1976. The second generation began with the release of the Fairchild Channel F and Radofin Electronics' 1292 Advanced Programmable Video System. This generation is sometimes called the "early 8-bit era". Many consoles were released in the second generation. The Atari 2600 was the most popular video game console for much of the second generation. Other consoles such as Intellivision, the Odyssey 2, and ColecoVision were also popular.
The second generation ended in 1984. This was because of the video game crash of 1983. As of 2004, the Atari 2600 has sold 30 million units. As of 1990, the Intellivision had sold 3 million units. As of April 1984, the ColecoVision had sold 2 million units. As of 1977, the Fairchild Channel F had sold 250,000 units.
Handheld systems.
The first handheld game console was the Microvision designed by Smith Engineering. It was distributed and sold by Milton-Bradley in 1979. It was the first handheld game console that could use different game cartridges. The Microvision had a small LCD display. There were only a few games that could be played with this system. It was discontinued two years later.
The Epoch Game Pocket Computer was released in Japan in 1984. The game system did not sell very well. Because of this, only five games were made for it. Nintendo's Game &amp; Watch was more successful. It was very popular until it was discontinued in 1991.