01
April 2006
Nintendo reveals the Wii name, and the internet reacts loudly.
A period-context note for the month, written cautiously where the evidence is broader than one exact day.
release calendar card
Gaming History, One Month at a Time
GTM-2006-04
April 2006
April 2006: Nintendo reveals the Wii name, and the internet reacts loudly.
WiiPS3 delayedXbox 360DS Lite
Timeline archive
Select a year
2006 month drawer
Installed months are active; empty drawers are held for future exhibits.
Gallery 01
News
Five researched month markers or context notes.
02
April 2006
Tomb Raider: Legend gives Lara Croft a cleaner comeback.
A period-context note for the month, written cautiously where the evidence is broader than one exact day.
platform notice
03
April 2006
The idea of motion control still sounds risky rather than inevitable.
A period-context note for the month, written cautiously where the evidence is broader than one exact day.
shop-window label
04
Across 2006
Xbox 360 spends its first full year proving what HD console gaming might mean.
A year-level context marker included to frame the month without claiming a new event happened on a specific day.
community clipping
05
Across 2006
Wii reframes hardware around gesture, spectators and family-room demonstrations.
A year-level context marker included to frame the month without claiming a new event happened on a specific day.
context plaque
Gallery 02
Releases
Eight notable releases, led by month-specific anchors where evidence supports them.
April 2006Multi-platform
action adventure
Tomb Raider: Legend
Lara Croft returns in a cleaner, more cinematic form.
March 2006PC / Xbox 360
open-world RPG
The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion
Bethesda makes the new generation feel like a landscape you can walk into.
March/September 2006PlayStation 2
action RPG
Kingdom Hearts II
Square and Disney's sequel carries PS2 players through the new-console noise.
May 2006Nintendo DS
platformer
New Super Mario Bros.
A side-scrolling Mario returns as handheld comfort food.
September 2006PlayStation 2
action adventure
Okami
Clover turns brushwork into one of the PS2's most beautiful late works.
October 2006PlayStation 2
open-world action
Bully
Rockstar takes open-world mischief back to school.
November 2006Xbox 360
cover shooter
Gears of War
Epic gives the 360 its first defining cover-shooter monster.
November/December 2006Wii / GameCube
adventure
The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
Nintendo bridges GameCube twilight and Wii dawn with one Hyrule.
Gallery 03
Hardware
Platform, buying and industry context for the month and its wider year.
Wii launches in Europe
Nintendo's motion-control console reaches Europe on December 8 and immediately turns spectators into players.
PS3 misses Europe in 2006
Sony's console launches in Japan and North America, but Europe waits until March 2007.
Xbox 360 finds its identity
Gears of War, Xbox Live and high-definition marketing help Microsoft's console feel established.
DS Lite strengthens Nintendo handheld momentum
The lighter, brighter DS redesign helps make touch-screen play fashionable.
Gallery 04
Magazine Covers
Reconstructed shelf markers for print, demo discs and late high-street culture.
2006
Edge
A reconstructed marker for Wii disruption, PS3 delay and Xbox 360's first full year.
2006
Official Xbox Magazine UK
An Xbox marker for Gears of War, Live and the 360 proving itself before Sony reached Europe.
2006
Official PlayStation 2 Magazine UK
A PS2 marker for a machine still packed with games while PS3 waited offstage.
2006
GamesMaster
A UK multi-format marker for Wii queues, DS Lite envy and Christmas hardware arguments.
Gallery 05
Online Life
How the network felt around the edges of play.
Services and servers
Online life means Xbox Live friends lists, PSN's beginning, Wii friend codes, forums, GameFAQs and videos that load just slowly enough to feel precious.
Friends and parties
Gears of War makes Xbox Live co-op and competitive play feel like a reason to own the box.
Downloads and stores
DS Wi-Fi and Animal Crossing/Mario Kart habits keep handheld online slightly awkward but charming.
Everyday connection
Broadband is increasingly normal in UK gaming households, but downloads are still planned rather than invisible.
Gallery 06
What It Felt Like
A curator's narrative sketch of the month as lived culture.
01
The room
It felt like the future had three personalities: Xbox 360's expensive gloss, Wii's living-room magic trick and PS3's delayed promise.
02
The shelf
The Wii was less a normal console than something you demonstrated to relatives.
03
The conversation
For UK players, Sony's absence in Christmas 2006 gave the season a strange shape: Nintendo had surprise, Microsoft had momentum, PS2 still had comfort.
04
The afterimage
Games were becoming more social in the room and more connected through the wire, but neither change felt settled yet.