Gen9

Gen9 is a label used to denote the ninth generation of a product line across different domains. It is not tied to a single technology, and its meaning depends on the context in which it is used, often signaling a successor generation with updated features and capabilities.

In popular culture, Gen9 refers to Generation IX of the Pokémon series, exemplified by Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Violet for the Nintendo Switch, released in 2022. This generation introduces the Paldea region and embraces a more open-world design. It features three principal story paths, a new gameplay mechanic called Terastal, which can change a Pokémon’s type during battles, and a broad roster of new and regional Pokémon. The generation emphasizes exploration and interactivity, while some players noted performance and technical issues at launch.

In computing hardware, Gen9 designates Intel’s ninth generation of integrated graphics architectures, used across several Core processors beginning in the mid-2010s and continuing through subsequent generations. The Gen9 family provided improvements in shader performance, enhanced media decoding and encoding capabilities, and overall power efficiency relative to earlier generations. It supported modern graphics APIs and formed the baseline for a wide range of laptops and desktops that relied on integrated graphics for everyday and multimedia workloads, until gradually being superseded by newer generations.

Other uses of Gen9 appear in different product families and industries, where the term simply marks a ninth generation. Because the designation is not standardized across domains, its exact features and scope vary by manufacturer and context.