From First to the Latest Video Game Systems: The Evolution of Video Game Consoles
Playing with video game systems is one of the most popular forms of entertainment. With the advancement in graphics and sound technology, you will see that video games today can really take you inside the game itself and makes you feel as if you were actually the character you are playing.
However, before all the state-of-the-art and realistic graphics and sound effects that you see in today’s latest video game systems, it all started out with simple graphics and sound that were in its time, state-of-the-art.
You should realize that the evolution of video game systems only took more or less 30 years to get where it is now. Thanks to the advancement in communications, graphics, and also sound technology, many video games today offers first class entertainment.
The very first video games system that appeared in the market was created by Nutting Associates. This video game is the first coin-operated arcade video game called Computer Space. This video game was invented in 1970 and is considered to be the beginning of the evolution of video games.
The next company to release a video game is Magnavox in 1972. The company named it Odyssey 100 video game systems. Unlike the Computer Space arcade video game, Odyssey 100 video game system is a video game that can be attached to a standard television. This feature allowed everyone to play video games right at the comforts of their own home. Because of this feature, almost 100,000 units of the system were sold for 100 dollars each.
During the same year that Magnavox released Odyssey 100 video game systems, Atari also released Pong coin-operated arcade video game system.
In 1976 Atari released the Breakout arcade video game. During its lifetime, 15,000 units of this arcade video game were sold. In this same year, Fairchild Camera and Instrument of California introduced Channel F home video game system. This is the very first system that used plug-in cartridges for games. Another feature of this game is that has color and sound through a TV connection.
In 1977, Atari releases the Atari Video Computer System (VCS) that was later named Atari 2600. This video game system developed by Atari uses plug-in cartridges, has color graphics and sound through a TV connection.
In 1978, Taito introduces the Space Invaders arcade video game in Japan. This arcade video game sold over 350,000 units world-wide throughout its lifetime.
In 1981 Nintendo released the Donkey Kong arcade video game in the US. And, in 1985 Nintendo released their version of home video game console called the Nintendo Entertainment System. This video game console is considered to be the best selling video game console of all time.
During this time, Nintendo slowly resurrected the video game industry and it produced a video game craze.
Between 1985 and 1995, a lot of video game systems were released. Between these years, Nintendo Game Boy video game systems, Sega Genesis, NEC Home Entertainment TurboGrafx, Lynx, Super Family Computer, Panasonic REAL 3DO, Sega Saturn, Super Nintendo, and Sony PlayStation was released.
As you can see, the video game industry have evolved very fast and graphics technology were becoming more and more real that violence, blood and gore are integrated with some of the games. This is why the ESRB was created to rate the games that was being released.
Because of the competitioFrom the First to the Latest Video Game Systems: The Evolution of Video Game Consoles
Playing with video game systems is one of the most popular forms of entertainment. With the advancement in graphics and sound technology, you will see that video games today can really take you inside the game itself and make you feel as if you were actually the character you are playing.
However, before all the state-of-the-art and realistic graphics and sound effects that you see in today’s latest video game systems, it all started out with simple graphics and sound that were in its time, state-of-the-art.
You should realize that the evolution of video game systems only took more or less 30 years to get where it is now. Thanks to the advancement in communications, graphics, and also sound technology, many video games today offers first class entertainment.
The very first video games system that appeared in the market was created by Nutting Associates. This video game is the first coin-operated arcade video game called Computer Space. This video game was invented in 1970 and is considered to be the beginning of the evolution of video games.
The next company to release a video game is Magnavox in 1972. The company named it Odyssey 100 video game systems. Unlike the Computer Space arcade video game, Odyssey 100 video game system is a video game that can be attached to a standard television. This feature allowed everyone to play video games right at the comforts of their own home. Because of this feature, almost 100,000 units of the system were sold for 100 dollars each.
During the same year that Magnavox released Odyssey 100 video game systems, Atari also released Pong coin-operated arcade video game system.
In 1976 Atari released the Breakout arcade video game. During its lifetime, 15,000 units of this arcade video game were sold. In this same year, Fairchild Camera and Instrument of California introduced Channel F home video game system. This is the very first system that used plug-in cartridges for games. Another feature of this game is that has color and sound through a TV connection.
In 1977, Atari released the Atari Video Computer System (VCS) that was later named Atari 2600. This video game system developed by Atari used plug-in cartridges, has color graphics and sound through a TV connection.
In 1978, Taito introduces the Space Invaders arcade video game in Japan. This arcade video game sold over 350,000 units world-wide throughout its lifetime.
In 1981 Nintendo released the Donkey Kong arcade video game in the US. And, in 1985 Nintendo released their version of home video game console called the Nintendo Entertainment System. This video game console is considered to be the best selling video game console of all time.
During this time, Nintendo slowly resurrected the video game industry and it produced a video game craze.
Between 1985 and 1995, a lot of video game systems were released. Between these years, Nintendo Game Boy video game system, Sega Genesis, NEC Home Entertainment TurboGrafx, Lynx, Super Family Computer, Panasonic REAL 3DO, Sega Saturn, Super Nintendo, and Sony PlayStation were released.
As you can see, the video game industry have evolved very fast and graphics technology were becoming more and more real that violence, blood and gore are integrated with some of the games. This is why the ESRB was created to rate the games that was being released.
Because of the competition, only 3 major video game companies have survived in the video game industry today. These were Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo. These 3 companies are still developing the latest video game systems.
Starting out with crude and simple graphics and sounds, people have developed amazing video games in just a short period of time. If you try and imagine the future, you will see that the video game systems that you play with today will just even get better and better.
Video games today are even equipped with modems to let them connect to the internet and play with other people from all over the world. So, the next time you buy another latest video game system, try to imagine what it was like during the first release of the video game systems.
As you can see, what started out with crude and simple graphics and sounds, people have developed amazing video games for only a short period of time. If you try and imagine the future, you will see that the video game systems that you play with today will just even get better and better.
Video games today are even equipped with modems to let them connect to the internet and play with other people from all over the world. So, the next time you buy another latest video game system, try to imagine what it was like during the first release of the video game systems.
------------------------------------------o0o-------------------------------------------------
First Video Game Systems to the Latest in Gaming Consoles
The history of video games has come a long way. Today, you will see video game consoles integrated with state-of-the-art graphics technology and amazing sound quality that can rival your home entertainment systems. There are even gaming consoles that has different features that can rival your home PC.
For example, you will find that some gaming consoles available today have realistic graphics and Hollywood-like acting. Computer generated 3D characters even contains facial expressions and body movements almost similar to the real thing.
If you play with these consoles, you will see that the characters in it move very much like real people. But, in fact, these characters are the product of the latest 3D technology available. Not only that, characters in these games even have human like features. Some even have beards, different eye colors, and some even have hairs that moves just like the real thing.
Other integrated features that you will see in some gaming consoles available in the market today are the memory cards, where you can save your game progress, joysticks and steering wheels to add a little more realism to driving and flight simulation games, simulated guns to add realism to shooting games, and even vibration feedback to controls.
There are even gaming consoles available in the market today that can be connected to the internet. With these feature, you can join multiplayer games in the internet and play with other people from all over the world. So, if you get bored fighting AI (artificial intelligence) from regular games, you can buy a game that is available for massively multiplayer online role playing games or MMORPG.
However, before you go out and buy the real thing, you should know where all these games started. Just like any other invention, gaming consoles or gaming systems started out as having rough graphics, simple sounds and very simple game play.
In the early years of video game systems, you will find that it all started out in a simple game that was called “Tennis for Two”. This particular video game was introduced back in 1958 and was consisted of two horizontal lines across the screen, and a short perpendicular line that represented the net.
This particular game was the root of all video games and from here, video game developers started competing and producing different games and came to the point of having great graphics and sound quality.
In the mid 70s, a company called Atari came out with a video game system that revolutionized the world of video games. It was called the Video Computer System or VCS. This system became one of the hottest selling gaming systems in its day. As you see today’s latest gaming system, you will find it hard to believe that people even bought these things.
However, you have to consider the fact that in the past, because of the early technology in graphics and sounds, and 3D graphics were virtually non existent, these video gaming systems were considered as state-of-the-art. And, many people enjoyed playing with it. If you were born in this era, and played with these video game systems, you know how much fun it is to play with.
Integrated with simple graphics, simple sound effects and simple game play, it was relatively easy to play with. The whole family can really spend hours on end to play with video game systems in the past. Everyone can play with these simple machines, even children.
Today, since game developers are taking games to another level, adding realistic graphics and realistic sounds, each game are now rated by the ESRB or the Entertainment Software Rating Board. You will see that each of the gaming title will contain letters, such as E, T, M, and AO. These letters represent on who can play the game. E represents Everyone, T represents Teens only, M for Mature gamers, and AO represents Adults Only.
More and more games today are integrated with realism of violence and gore where it can really affect your child’s psychology. This is why it is important for you to check the ESRB rating before buying a particular game.
There are even games available today that can recreate the battlefield in World War II. You can even see bodies around the simulated Normandy beach that are either decapitated or a realistic person spurting blood calling out for a medic.
You can easily see how long video game systems have come in terms of graphics and sound quality.
|
