CGA Color Graphics Adapter (1981)
- resolution 640x200
- 16 Kilobytes of Video Memory
- 4-bit color (16 color palette)
- RGBI - Red, Green, Blue, Intensity
The earliest computers did not include a monitor as part of the computer package. Atari, Nintendo and Coleco computer games had to be hooked up to an existing monitor, usually the home television. Atari made 3.2 million dollars with it's PONG video coin game. It was sold by Sears as HomePong in 1971 .Atari designers, Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniac, built the first computer with built-in color graphics, the Apple II in 1976. According to Stan Veitt, in this anecdotal account of his introduction to the AppleI and the Apple II, the Apple computers stole the show in Atlantic City that year but they were unable to transfer that success to sales.
IBM introduced its PC-DOS to compete with the early game computers built by Atari. The sales slogan "Three Piecer" was the selling point that set the standard of an all-inclusive package for pc home sales (Fellon).
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CGA Color Graphics Adapter (1981)
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| IBM 5153 Color Monitor (1983) (Bellis) | "Castle Master" Example of CGA Display |
Over the next decade, video cards developed at breakneck speed to keep up with
demand for more realistic graphics
and faster download time.
| 1984 EGA -Enhanced Graphics Adapter | Resolution improved to640x350 with 16 color palette |
| 1987 VGA- Video Graphics Array |
Resolution improved to 640x480 with 16 color palette or a resolution of 320x200 with 256 colors. This Video Card is still being cloned and copied and is in use in many computers via backward compatibility |
| SVGA-Super Video Graphics Array |
There are many video cards that claim SVGA. It is necessary to look at each card's specs to see the resolution, palettes, color depth and refresh rates. Video Cards began to have a shelf life of 6 months and led to the establishment of Video Electronics Standards Association (VESA) in 1989 that established video interface standards.
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| UVGA- Ultra Video Graphics Array | Adds 1024x768 to the mix of resolutions. Now Video Cards require specific drivers to be written for each specific card. |
| 1990 XGA-Extended Graphics Array, and XGA2 | Faster and higher refresh rates |
| 1997 AGP-Accelerated Graphics Port (Intel) | Dedicated high-speed access between the chipset and the game controller. |