- January 21
- Columbia Pictures releases the film Are We There Yet? to theaters in the USA and Canada. The video game Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem is played. [934]
- January 25
- Take Two Interactive announces it has acquired Visual Concepts Entertainment and Kush Games for US$24 million. [597]
- January
- Take Two Interactive signs a semi-exclusive seven-year video game agreement with the Major League Baseball Players Association. [597] [671.20]
- January 27
- EA Games releases the Oddworld: Stranger's Wrath video game for the Xbox in the US. [631.B3] [645.121] [780.84] [1319.32] [1453.22]
- January (month)
- Top selling video game for the month in the US: Resident Evil 4 by Capcom for the GameCube. [674.128] [769.54]
- (month unknown)
- England awards Peter Molyneux with Officer rank in the Order of the British Empire for his contributions to the game industry. [666.74]
- Electronic Gaming Monthly presents a list of the ten best multiplayer video games since 1989. Number 1 is the Street Fighter II series. [666.77]
- Electronic Gaming Monthly magazine declares the Halo 2 video game Game of the Year (2004). [666.86]
- At the International Solid-State Circuits Conference 2005, IBM, Sony, and Toshiba announce the "Cell" processor. It features 4+ GHz operation, up to 256 billion calculations per second, 234 million transistors, one 64-bit PowerPC with eight processor elements under its control, 90-nanometre Sol fabrication, 221 mm2 die size, 234 million transistors, about 100 GBps bandwidth. First use of the processor is likely to be for Sony's PlayStation 3 video game system. [655.8,35]
- February 1
- Konami releases the Winning Eleven 8 video game for the Xbox and PlayStation 2 in the US. [631.B3] [1448.22]
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- Nintendo releases the Star Fox Assault video game for the GameCube in the US. Included is a full unlockable version of classic game Xevious. [562.36] [645.36] [666.55] [667.54] [1091.64]
- February 3
- The Madden Bowl video game contest is held, as the Xbox Live Madden Championship. [1448.22]
- February 6
- The Fox Broadcasting Company airs The Simpsons TV show in the US. The Super Mario character appears, performing his role in a live parody of the Donkey Kong video game, complete with authentic sound. A Super Bowl football half-time show includes the wedding of Pac-Man and Ms. Pac-Man, dancing with the four ghosts. [1047]
- February 7
- At the International Solid-State Circuits Conference in San Francisco, California, engineers from Sony, IBM, and Toshiba reveal specifications for the Cell processor. Sony will use the Cell in its next-generation PlayStation console. The Cell will have a 64-bit IBM Power processor and eight processing units capable of handling separate computing tasks. The processor is expected to run at speeds faster than 4GHz, process 256 billion calculations per second, incorporate 2.5 MB of on-chip memory and have the ability to transfer data to and from off-chip memory at speeds up to 100 gigabytes per second. The chip will incorporate 234 million transistors and be produced using advanced 90-nanometer chipmaking processes. [597]
- February 14
- Nintendo releases the WarioWare: Touched! video game for the Nintendo DS in the USA. [1149.59]
- The Fox Broadcasting Company airs The Fairly Oddparents TV show in the US. A character plays the home video game version of a TV show on a "V-CUBE" video game system, a reference to the Nintendo GameCube. [868]
- February 17
- Microsoft issues a recall of power cords on 14.1 million Xbox consoles worldwide, following 30 reports of failure of defective electrical components, causing minor injury or property damage. The recall covers consoles made before Jan. 13, 2004 in Europe, and consoles made before Oct. 23, 2003 everywhere else. [597]
- February 22
- Sony releases the Gran Turismo 4 video game for the PlayStation 2 in the US. [619.71] [631.B3] [644.190] [666.55] [701] [780.84]
- February 28
- EA Sports releases the Fight Night: Round 2 video game for the PlayStation 2, Xbox, and GameCube in the US. [780.84] [1454.22]
- Legislators in Illinois introduce a bill to ban sales of violent and sexually explicit games to anyone under age 18. [597]
- February (month)
- Top selling video game in the US for the month: Gran Turismo 4 for the PlayStation 2. [683.138] [675.104] [952.55]
- (month unknown)
- The ESRB creates a new video game rating category: "E 10+", for games that rate between "E" and "T", with some violence, language, and suggestive themes. [672.22]
- Eidos closes Ion Storm developer. [769.61]
- Electronic Arts signs a licensing deal with The Collegiate Licensing Company for exclusive video game rights to NCAA college football teams, stadiums, and schools for the next six years. [683.30]
- March 1
- Capcom releases the Devil May Cry 3: Dante's Awakening video game for the PlayStation 2 in the US. [701] [780.84]
- Ubisoft releases the Brothers in Arms: Road to Hill 30 video game for the Xbox and PlayStation 2 in the US. [645.36] [672.121] [1448.22]
- LucasArts releases the Star Wars: Republic Commando video game for the Xbox in the US. [645.105] [1454.22]
- March 3
- In Arkansas, Senator Shawn Womack introduces a bill that would require shops that rent or sell M-rated games to display them at a height of at least five feet from the floor. [597]
- March 9
- In San Francisco, California, the Game Developers Conference is held, over several days. The International Game Developers Association presents the fifth annual Game Developers Choice Awards. [597]
- March 10
- At the Game Developers Conference, Nintendo President Satoru Iwata shows footage of a new Legend of Zelda video game for the GameCube, and gives some details of Nintendo's next-generation console, code-name Revolution. The system will use free wireless play, touchscreen controllers, and play GameCube games. The system will include a DVD player, and a virtual console to play all prior Nintendo console games. The core processor is supplied by IBM, code named Broadway; the graphics chipset is supplied by ATI, code named Hollywood. Iwata also demonstrates Nintendogs and ElectroPlankton for the Nintendo DS. [597] [672.18] [796.16]
- March
- At the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco, Microsoft announces some details of its next video game system, Xbox 360. It will feature custom IBM PowerPC-base processor with three 3.2 GHz symmetrical cores, 512 MB of 700 MHz DDR RAM, two memory card slots, two USB 2.0 slots, detachable 20 GB hard drive, custom ATI 500 MHz graphics processor, 12X DVD drive, support for four wireless controllers, digital surround sound, high-definition 16:9 widescreen video output, an Xbox Guide operating system for tracking user reputation for player matching on Xbox Live, and in-game customizing like soundtrack and online Marketplace for game enhancements. [656.9] [672.18] [675.48] [683.19]
- In Japan, Sony announces two new models of the PSX entertainment system, models DESR-7700 and DESR-570. [597]
- In San Francisco, California, the Metreon entertainment center unveils the first six inductees in the Walk of Game. Lifetime Achievement awards are given to Nolan Bushnell and Shigeru Miyamoto. Inductees in the Games/Characters category are Halo, Link, Mario, and Sonic the Hedgehog. [672.12] [673] [952.38] [1494.236]
- March 15
- Electronic Arts releases the Medal of Honor: Dogs of War video game for the Xbox and PlayStation 2 in the US. [645.100]
- March
- Tiger Telematics releases the Gizmondo handheld video game system in England. It features Microsoft Windows CE operating system, MP3 audio and MPEG 4 video support, Global Positioning Sensor, digital camera, Bluetooth wireless, SecureDigital card slot, 2.8-inch TFT color screen, ARM 9 400 MHz processor, GeForce 3D 4500 Nvidia graphics accelerator. Price is about US$400. (Less than 5000 sell in Europe in the first three months.) [597] [683.38] [850.44] [912.47] [942.30]
- In Chicago, Illinois, the Museum of Science and Industry holds the exhibit "Game On: The History, Culture, and Future of Videogames", over eight months. The exhibit includes over 100 playable games. [769.42]
- March 20
- The Fox Broadcasting Company airs The Simpsons TV show in the US. The father tries to entice the children into staying with him by saying "I've got Game Boys and caramel apples!" [1048]
- March 21
- CBS Television airs the CSI: Miami TV show in the USA. The episode involves a video game studio developing a skate board game called Skate Park Extreme. A controller appears to be for a PlayStation 2 or Xbox. [909]
- Ubisoft releases the Cold Fear video game for the Xbox and PlayStation 2 in the US. [672.110] [1454.22]
- March 22
- Midway releases the NARC video game for the PlayStation 2 and Xbox in the US. [644.190] [672.112] [1454.22]
- Sony releases the God of War video game for the PlayStation 2 in the US. [701] [780.84] [1314.101]
- EA Games releases the TimeSplitters: Future Perfect video game for the PlayStation 2, Xbox, and GameCube in the US. [780.84] [1454.22]
- March 24
- Sony releases the PlayStation Portable handheld video game system in North America. It includes a 32MB Memory Stick Duo card, battery pack, and the film Spider-Man 2 on UMD. Price is US$249.99 in the US, CDN$299.99 in Canada. (500,000 units are sold in the first two days.) [620.76] [640.B9] [682.34] [701] [707.C6] [708.B8] [780.61] [1149.60] [1188.36] [1441.146]
- Sony CEA releases the Ape Escape: On the Loose video game for the PlayStation Portable in the US. [640.B9] [683.136] [1441.146]
- Ubisoft releases the Lumines video game for the PlayStation Portable in the USA. [672.130] [780.85] [1441.146]
- Konami releases the Metal Gear Acid video game for the PlayStation Portable in the US. [672.126] [1441.146]
- Sony Computer Entertainment America releases the MLB video game for the PlayStation Portable in the US. [1441.146]
- Namco releases the Ridge Racer video game for the PlayStation Portable in the US. [672.138] [1441.146]
- Sony Computer Entertainment America releases the Wipeout Pure video game for the PlayStation Portable in the USA. [1149.61] [1441.146]
- Nintendo releases the Nintendo DS video game system in two new colors, Graphite Black, and Pure White, in Japan. Price is about US$150. [672.36]
- March 28
- Ubisoft releases the Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory video game for the PlayStation 2 and Xbox in the US. [672.114] [780.85] [1454.22]
- March (month)
- Top selling video game in the US for the month: Gran Turismo 4 for the PlayStation 2. [675.104] [683.138]
- Top selling video game in Japan for the month: Tekken 5 for the PlayStation 2. [683.138]
- Total unit sales of Sony PlayStation Portable systems in the USA for the month: 620,000. [597]
- January-March
- Total sales of video games (hardware, software, accessories) in the USA during January to March: US$2.2 billion. [597]
- Total sales of portable video game systems in the USA during January to March: US$293 million. [597]
- April 2
- In New York City, the Design and Technology department of Parsons School of Design hosts "Retro Redux", a 24-hour competition of participants from five New York design schools to create a game to the same specifications used for the Atari 2600. Nine teams compete. The winning game, Ninja Garden, by Club Awesome, will be included in a future release of Atari's Flashback video game system. [683.144]
- April 3
- Activision releases the Doom 3 video game for the Xbox in the US. [597] [602.22] [666.55] [730.163] [746.142] [1448.22]
- The Fox Broadcasting Company airs The Simpsons TV show in the US. A prison inmate has a video game system. [1049]
- April 11
- Rockstar releases the Midnight Club 3: DUB Edition video game for the PlayStation 2 and Xbox in the US. [619.44] [631.B3] [672.106] [682.35] [780.85] [1453.22] [1465.20]
- April 12
- Microsoft releases the Jade Empire video game for the Xbox in the US. [672.118] [771.130] [780.85] [1465.20]
- April 19
- Buena Vista Games acquires Avalanche Software, located in Salt Lake City, Utah. [597]
- Nintendo announces that Broadcom has signed a contract to provide wireless technology for the company's next game console. [597]
- Midway releases the Unreal Championship 2 video game for the Xbox in the US. [667.120] [780.86] [1465.20]
- Gallery Nineteen Eighty Eight holds an art show called "I Am 8-Bit" of pre-1995 2D videogame art. [682.48] [683.40]
- Majesco releases the Phychonauts video game for the Xbox in the US. [672.120] [780.86] [1465.20]
- April 21
- Nintendo releases the Nintendo DS handheld video game system in Japan in two new case colors: Turquoise Black and Candy Pink. [597] [672.36]
- Nintendo releases the Nintendogs video game for the Nintendo DS in Japan. [597] [796.19]
- April 26
- Capcom releases the Resident Evil Outbreak File #2 video game for the PlayStation 2 in the US. [834.17]
- April 30
- In Seattle, Washington, Nintendo holds the final competitions of a month-long Pokémon Emerald contest, with top players from the US and Canada. Winner is Chris Darling. [796.104]
- April (month)
- Top selling video game in the US for the month: Doom 3 for the Xbox. [685.128] [731.96] [1461.46]
- Top selling video game in Japan for the month: Nintendogs for the Nintendo DS. [685.128]
- (month unknown)
- JAKKS releases the Ms. Pac-Man TV Games video game system. It features wireless controller with 4- and 8-way control plus twist control steering, plugs directly into television, and includes Ms. Pac-Man, Pole Position, Xevious, New Rally-X, Galaga, Mappy, Bosconian. [674.30]
- Atari announces the Atari Flashback 2.0 video game system. It is styled like the original Atari 2600 system, and includes forty games, including Pong, Asteroids, Centipede, Millipede, Lunar Lander, Breakout, Missile Command, Combat. Price is US$29.99. [685.53]
- Rolenta Press releases the book Videogames: In the Beginning, by Ralph Baer. Price is US$29.99. [685.53]
- JAKKS releases the Batman TV Games video game system. It features 25 original game episodes based on the Batman animated TV series, various gameplay styles, and battles versus key Batman villains. [674.30]
- May 1
- Nintendo releases the Pokémon Emerald video game for the Game Boy Advance in the USA. (Total sales: 6 million units.) [685.126] [1425.54]
- May 3
- Microsoft Game Studios releases the Forza Motorsport video game for the Xbox in the US. [631.B3] [672.41] [683.130] [702] [1448.22] [1465.96]
- Sony releases the Hot Shots Golf: Open Tee video game for the PlayStation Portable in the US. [685.127] [780.86]
- May 4
- The Public Broadcasting Service airs the Maya & Miguel TV show in the USA. A bet is made to see if a child can stop playing video games for a week. [1043]
- May 8
- The Fox Broadcasting Company airs The Simpsons TV show in the US. A mom asks her son "Do you want to go to the video arcade?". [1050]
- The Fox Broadcasting Company airs The Simpsons TV show in the US. A child plays a Game Boy while getting his hair cut. [1051]
- May 9
- Nintendo releases the Donkey Konga 2 video game for the GameCube in the US. [672.41] [685.121]
- The Fox Broadcasting Company airs The Fairly Oddparents TV show in the US. The characters go to a videogame arcade and play "CATFIGHTER". [891]
- The Fox Broadcasting Company airs The Fairly Oddparents TV show in the US. One scene takes place in a party restaurant, with several arcade video games. [892]
- May 10
- SNK releases the Metal Slug 4&5 video game for the PlayStation 2 and Xbox in the US. [672.41] [683.127]
- May 11
- Sony releases firmware version 1.51 for the PlayStation Portable in Japan. [597]
- May 12
- The Fox Broadcasting Company airs The Fairly Oddparents TV show in the US. A video arcade is shown in a castle. [893]
- In a televised special on the MTV network in the US, Microsoft reveals the Xbox 360 video game system. [685.28] [817.22] [1117.40]
- May 13
- The Fox Broadcasting Company airs The Fairly Oddparents TV show in the US. A character tells another to clean up the garbage, and "... if you need me, I'll be in my room playing video games.". [894]
- The Fox Broadcasting Company airs The Fairly Oddparents TV show in the US. Three children play a video game called "Battle for Uranus" on a "V CUBE" video game system. [895]
- May 14
- Nintendo opens Nintendo World in Manhattan's Rockefeller Center in New York City. [796.19]
- May 15
- The Fox Broadcasting Company airs The Simpsons TV show in the US. In the lobby of a movie theater, a boy says "Instead of video games, they have weird free newspapers". [1052]
- The Fox Broadcasting Company airs The Simpsons TV show in the US. A teacher says "... since the middle ages had no compact discs or Super Mario men...". A child plays a Game Boy in private school, and the teacher smashes it on the desk. [1053]
- May
- Hackers discover a security hole in PlayStation Portable firmware version 1.00 and 1.5, allowing the operating system to run code from a Memory Stick. (This allows games copied from UMD discs to be run from the Memory Stick, and for videogame emulators to run programs made for other computer and video game systems.) [827.64]
- Bandai of Japan acquires Namco for US$1.6 billion. [685.46] [780.66]
- May 16
- At Sony Pictures Studios in Culver City, Sony unveils a prototype PlayStation 3 video game system. It features 3.2 GHz Cell processor delivering up to 218 gigaflops of performance, 550 MHz Nvidia RSX graphics processor, wireless Bluetooth 2.0 for up to seven controllers, Blu-Ray disc player, Internet browser, detachable hard drive, Wi-Fi connectivity to the PlayStation Portable, 512 KB Level 2 cache, 3.2 GHz 256 MB XDR main RAM, 700 MHz 256 MB GDDR3 video RAM,six USB 2.0 ports, Memory Stick port, SecureDigital port, Compact Flash Type I, II port, Ethernet port, screen size up to 1080 lines, two HDMI video out ports for 32:9 aspect on two HD monitors. Total system floating-point performance peak: 2 teraflops. Estimated release date is in Spring 2006. [597] [685.18]
- May 17
- Nintendo holds a press conference at the Electronic Entertainment Expo. The company reports that two billion software titles have been sold since Nintendo entered the video game industry. Nintendo announces its online strategy for the Nintendo DS: Wi-Fi Internet connectivity with partner GameSpy. The Game Boy Micro is unveiled, with lighted color display; size is 2 x 4 x 0.7 inches, weight is 2.8 ounces; this is the smallest cartridge-based video game system ever. Some details of the Revolution video game system: it features proprietary DVD-size disc and GameCube disc play, 512 MB flash memory, SecureDigital slot, wireless controllers, virtual console play of NES, SNES and Nintendo 64 games by download; a Wi-Fi network is planned. [597] [685.32]
- May 18
- In Los Angeles, California, the Electronic Entertainment Expo is held, over three days. [672.41] [674.28] [769.121] [952.43]
- May 23
- Nintendo releases the Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones video game for the Game Boy Advance in the US. [672.41] [685.126] [780.88] [796.24]
- May (month)
- Top selling video game in the US for the month: Pokémon Emerald by Nintendo for the Game Boy Advance. [693.110] [732.96] [770.44]
- Top selling video game in Japan for the month: Tear Ring Saga Series: Berwick Saga for the PlayStation 2. [693.110]
- June 1
- In Yokohama, Japan, Namco celebrates its 50th anniversary. David Hawksett, science and technology editor at Guinness World Records, presents an official Guinness plaque to Namco founder Masaya Nakamura and "Pac-Man" creator Toru Iwatani. The game was recently listed in the record book as the "most successful coin operated game" in history. [597]
- June 7
- THQ releases the Juiced video game for the PlayStation 2 and Xbox in the US. [598.36] [672.41] [683.44] [685.116] [746.129]
- June 8
- Sony releases a PlayStation Portable firmware 1.52 upgrade in Japan. [597]
- June 9
- Rockstar Games releases the Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas video game for the Xbox in the US. [645.25] [683.44,110] [693.98]
- June 10
- The Fox Broadcasting Company airs The Fairly Oddparents TV show in the US. A handheld video game system appears, like the Nintendo Game Boy, but called "FUN BOY". An arcade video game machine appears, as an example of "fun". A video game arcade building appears. [896]
- June 13
- EA releases the Batman Begins video game for the PlayStation 2, Xbox, Game Boy Advance, and GameCube in the US. [683.44] [685.5] [693.97]
- Nintendo releases the Kirby: Canvas Curse video game for the Nintendo DS in the US. [683.44] [693.108] [780.88] [796.18]
- June 14
- Capcom releases the Killer 7 video game for the PlayStation 2 and GameCube in the US. [683.44] [685.115] [796.24]
- June 21
- THQ releases the Destroy All Humans video game for the PlayStation 2 and Xbox in the US. [672.41] [683.44] [685.7,114]
- June 22
- Buena Vista Pictures releases the film Herbie Fully Loaded to theaters in the US. A newspaper shows a car playing a video game in an arcade. [899]
- June 27
- MTV and Midway announce a collaboration for three upcoming games. The two companies will jointly market the games and work on in-game advertising on a royalty-sharing basis. [597]
- June (month)
- Top selling video game title for the month in the US: Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas by Rockstar Games for the Xbox. [729.116] [733.110] [771.50]
- Top selling video game title for the month in Japan: Sakura Taisen V for the PlayStation 2. [729.116]
- (month unknown)
- Microsoft hosts Xbox Summit 2005 in Japan for developers. [729.21]
- Techno Source releases the TV Play Power Intellivision. Price is US$14.99. It includes ten games from the original Intellivision video game system, including: Astrosmash, Football, Space Armada, Star Strike. [732.25]
- Abdner Ashman sets a new high score record on the Ms. Pac-Man arcade game: 921,360. [866.141]
- Christopher Knight of Oregon sets a new time record for completing the Metroid video game on the Nintendo Entertainment System: 17 minutes 22 seconds. [866.140]
- Donald Hayes sets a world record in Frogger: 589,350. [953.21]
- Square Enix acquires Taito Corporation. [1482.37]
- The Rare Witch Project group cracks the code to the Nintendo 64 game GoldenEye 007, and finds character models for Roger Moore, Timothy Dalton, and Sean Connery. [1504.16]
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