A lot of console and handheld anniversaries are being observed this year, such as the SEGA Genesis, the Dreamcast, and the Game Boy. But November seems to be the month to remember, as many a memorable platform celebrate can celebrate its launch going into the Winter holidays.

First and foremost, one cannot overlook the platforms of this very generation. Earlier this week, November 17th marked the third anniversary of the PlayStation 3's North American launch, while the Wii celebrated its own third just yesterday, November 19th. And at the start of next week, November 22nd, the Xbox 360 will also be able to celebrate, except this will be its fourth.

One generation prior, the GameCube was released on the 18th of November, 2001, a mere three days after the November 15th launch of the original Xbox. And in 2004, November 21st marked the first release anywhere in the world for the Nintendo DS, which no gets to celebrate a nice, round five years.

And, if you want to turn the dial back to the really oldschool, the Atari 5200 saw its release in November of 1982, day unknown.

Looking elsewhere, other platforms have found their way into other markets at this time, too. The Super NES, for example, was released in North America in August of 1991, but had a November 21st release in Japan the year prior as the Super Famicom.

In conclusion, if you're a fan of gaming, then November is definitely a month to take notice of. So this weekend, celebrate the system (or systems) of your choice and remember the good times, perhaps even play a little if you've still got them. Or, you could simply hang on until American Thanksgiving next week, when you can give thanks for a hobby that has brought so much joy to the world.

Of course, what celebration would be complete without a little music? If you prefer to think of these as anniversaries, then here's your tune:



Of course, if birthdays are more your thing, I've got you covered, too: