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Tennis for two
Tennis for two was developed by William Higginbotham on a Oscilloscope. A simulation of a tennis match taken from a side on perspective.
Not many people played the game because it was kept in the laboratory and only brought out on " visitors day". It was basic but without pioneers like Higginbotham we wouldnt have the games we have today. -
Magnavox Odyssey (1st generation)
The Magnavox Odyssey was released by Ralph Baer. It was later released in Europe and Japan in 1975.For the first time people could play games at home in black and white. 330.000 units were sold according to wikipedia.It came with Table tennis or pong which was similar to Tennis for two except that it was viewed from above instead of the side. Still basic with no sound and powered by batteries the Magnavox was one more step closer. -
Telstar game console (1st generation)
Telstar (game console) was a series of consoles 14 in total that were released by Coleco. The first named Telsar was still in black and white and came with 3 game modes and speed settings. Telstar Pong with digital score board and sound plus Hockey and Handball. They sold for $50 and 1.000.000 units were sold in the first year and to cut on production costs sold them part assembled. -
Fairchild Channel F (2nd generation)
The Fairchild was the first console to have programmable Rom cartridges with games like Dodge it,Space wars and hangman. It was in colour and had slightly more advanced sound but for $169.95 for the console and $19.95 for a cartridge it was alot more expensive than the Telsar. After being brought out by Zircon International the Channel F system 2 at a cheaper price of $99 was released.Only 5 new cartridges were made for the system the last being Alien Invasion in 1979. -
Atari 2600 (2nd Generation)
The Atari 2600 or Atari VCS as it was first known made cartridges more popular as well as bringing games out on tape. The game released with the console was "Combat" before changing to "Pac-Man" which became the best selling game for the system. Over 30 Million units have been sold probably due to the amount of acessories you could have with it such as the Trackball and Keyboard plus educational games.The graphics were also more detailed in comparison to the Fairchild with games like "Pitfall". -
Atari 5200 (2nd Generation)
The 5200 boasted about having better graphics than other consoles like the "Colecovision" on games like "Pac-Man" for example. It was released with games like "Super breakout" and another arcade classic "Space Invaders". However the system suffered due to the lack of compatibility with the 2600 and two many consoles being availible at the time. -
North American video crash of 83
The crash was due to a over populated market with consoles from many companys.It lasted 2 years and people were considering whether computers and consoles were going to a viable market.Thankfully with the release and popularity of the NES in 1987 the market picked up and continued to improve. -
Sega SG-1000 (2nd Generation)
The first console for Sega. The SG-1000 was test marketed in Japan in 1981. It came with games like "Zippy racer" for example were you could see the speed of your car and fuel gauge on the side of the screen making the game seem more real. The console did quite well in Asia up untill 1985. -
NES (3rd Generation)
First released in Japan the Nintendo entertainment system or Famicom short for family computer was the best selling console for its time. Two years later it was avalible in the US being sold for upto $250. It helped the industry greatly during the crash of 1983 with games like Super mario brothers which alone sold over 40 million copies. -
Sega Master system (3rd Generation)
Known first in Japan as the "Sega MK3" the "Master system" was released to rival the "NES" unfortunatly it only sold 13 million units compared to the 40 million NES's sold. They later developed the "Master system 2" in 1990 which came with Alex Kidd "Miracale world" built into the unit. The last game for the series was "Sonic" released in 1991. -
Mega drive (4th Generation)
First out in Japan the "Genisis" as it was known is a 16-Bit console which sold 29 million units worldwide. The best selling game was "Sonic the hedgehog 2" which has sold over 6 million copies. The Mega drive came with 2 unique add ons one being the "Mega cd" which alowed players to play cd-rom games and audio discs. The second was the "Power base conductor" which let players play Master system games on their Mega drive unit. It later became the biggest rival to the Snes. -
16 Bit console war
The war was between 2 major companies of the time Nintendo and Sega between 1989 and 1994. Both had established characters Nintendo with Mario and Sonic the hedgehog for Sega.It all boiled down to who you prefer and the type of games you like.Alot of games were availible for both the Mega drive and the Snes. But with games like "Streets of rage" and "Golden Axe"only on Mega drive and "Mario kart" and "Zelda" only on the Snes it caused heated debate amongst gamers. -
Neo Geo (4th Generation)
The Neo Geo was released bt SNK.The console was marketed as being 24-Bit with Arcade graphics and better sound than others of its generation the only draw back being the price $649 dollars! Triple the price of the "Snes" and "Mega drive".The most popular game was "King of fighters" but costing between $100 and $200 for each game the Neo Geo was only affordable to few.Some of the rarest games sell for over a $1000 today. -
SNES (4th Generation)
The "Super Nintendo" or "Super comboy" as it is known in South Korea was the best 16-Bit console selling nearly 50 million units.I think its because Nintendo had a more established character in Mario with "Super mario world" selling 20 million copies alone.You could also play against people in Japan with the use of the "Satellaview" it only broadcast for 5 years and was a add on which plugged into the Snes's expansion port.This was an early form of console gaming which is now very popular. -
Sega Saturn (5th Generation)
Using Cd-Roms as the main medium for games the "Saturn" despite doing well in Japan didnt go down well in Europe.The best game for the system was "Virtua fighter 2" selling nearly 2 million copies.It is disputed on how many consoles were sold according to "Invisible engines" a book in 2006 17 million were sold but a year later "GamePro" artical stated only 9.5 were sold.With a release price of $400 dollars $100 more than the Sony Playstation its no wonder it did so poorly. -
Sony Playstation (5th Generation)
The Ps or PSX was by far the best selling console of its generation and of all time with 102 million units sold. Best selling game for the system was "Gran Turismo" selling over 10 million but i think the best game was the "Resident Evil" series by far. A smaller version of the unit was availible 6 years later in 2000 called "Psone". No difference in the graphics except you could attach a LCD screen to the back and run it off your car battery for portable use. -
Nintendo 64 (5th generation)
The main competitor to the Ps1 the 64 sold just over 32 million units. Still using cartridges the games lacked the realism the Ps1 titles could produce. The Mario francise still sold well with games like "Mario 64" selling 12 million copies and "Mario kart" a personal favourite.The console came in various colours like blue,purple, and orange.And different designs like the "Pokemon" edition. -
Sony Playstation 2 (6th Generation)
With 140 million unit sold Sony was once again the best selling console for its era.The ability to play movies aswell as games using DVD's gave this system a great advantage.The best game was again from the Gran Turismo series "A-Spec 3" selling nearly 15 million worldwide.A slimer and quieter version was released in Sept 2004 and is still selling today. -
Nintendo Gamecube (6th Generation)
Third best selling console the Nintendo "Gamecube " used the Nintendo Gamecube game disc as a medium which was alot smaller in size compared to a DVD.You had 4 controller ports built into the system which was alot better than buying a multitap for the Ps2 for example. It was cheaper (dropping to $99) compared to others and a good console but with add ons like the "Dance Pad" and "DK Bongos" it was better suited to a younger audience.The most popular title was Super Smash Bros. Melee. -
Microsoft X Box (6th Generation)
The X box was the first to incorporate a hard disc drive for saving games and downloading new game content via X box live.Its the second best selling console in the 6th generation and sold 24 million units.The unit was twice the speed and had better graphics than its rival Ps2.Also like the Gamecube had 4 control points built in for multiplayer.It also made online gaming on consoles more popular with games like Halo 2 selling 8 million copies. -
X Box 360 (7th Generation)
The first of three consoles to be released the 360 with removable hard drives of up to 120GB and wireless controllers was a great improvment to the earlier X Box. Halo 3 being the best game so far selling 8 million copies to date. Online games are played alot more with games like Call of duty 4 and the new GTA being availible for play on the net. For the first time the 360 has beat Sony selling 20 million units worldwide. -
Sony Playstation 3
Selling less units than the 360(14 million) and at a dearer price the PS3 has similar attributes with removable hard drive and wireless control pads.Also it has been made compatible with the Platstation portable (PSP) were you can use it to watch free view TV via Play TV.Playing online games is just as popular on this system with the exeption that its free. A down side would be that there arent as many games as there are on the other consoles. -
Nintendo Wii ( 7th Generation)
Best selling console of its generation with 30 million sold to date the Wii has a brand new way of controlling the games you play. By using infared sensors you simulate the characters movement by doing the movements yourself, like shooting or perfoming a throw in games like FIFA 08.The console is aimed at families and the younger generation its alot cheaper but is not as good graphicly as the 360 or PS3.The most popular games are Wii sports and Wii play with 30 million copies between them.
