GAMING CONSOLES By Mark Jayson Centeno Gaming Console

GAMING CONSOLES By: Mark Jayson Centeno

Gaming Console � Game console is an interactive entertainment � Commonly referred to as video games. � System that produces a video display. � Used a variety of distribution media. � Consoles tend to load games faster.

History First generation � Although the first video games appeared in the 1950 s, they were played on vector displays connected to massive computers, not analog televisions. Ralph H. Baerconceived the idea a home video game in 1951. In the 1960 s he created a working video game console at Sanders Associates, but struggled for years to find a television manufacturer willing to produce the console.

Second generation � Fairchild released the Fairchild Video Entertainment System (VES) in 1976. While there had been previous game consoles that used cartridges, either the cartridges had no information and served the same function as flipping switches (the Odyssey) or the console itself was empty and the cartridge contained all of the game components at all time.

Video game crash of 1977 � In 1977, manufacturers of older, obsolete consoles and Pong clones sold their systems at a loss to clear stock, creating a glut in the market, and causing RCA and later Fairchild to abandon their game consoles. Only Atari and Magnavox remained in the home console market, despite suffering the losses in 1977 and 1978.

Rebirth of the home console market � Initially, VES continued to be sold at a profit after the 1977 crash, and both Bally (with their Home Library Computer in 1977) and Magnavox (with the Odyssey² 1978) brought their own programmable in cartridge-based consoles to the market. However, then it was not until Atari released a conversion of the arcade hit Space Invaders in 1980 that the home console industry was completely revived.

Video game crash of 1983 � In 1983, the video game business suffered a much more severe crash. A flood of consoles, low quality video games which by smaller companies (especially for the 2600), industry leader Atari hyping games such as E. T. and a 2600 Pac-man that were poorly received, and a growing number of home computer users caused consumers and retailers to lose faith and a interest in video game consoles.

Third generation � In 1983, Nintendo released the Family Computer (or Famicom) in Japan. Like the Coleco. Vision, the Famicom which is supported high-resolution a sprites and tiled backgrounds, but with more colors. � The NES was the highest selling console the history of North America and revitalized the video game market. Mario of Super Mario Bros became global icon from his NES games.

Fourth generation � Sega gained market share releasing its next-generation console, the Mega Drive 1988 in Japan, 1989 in US (where it was branded the Genesis), and 1990 in Europe, two years before Nintendo is released the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES) in those territories. While initially sales of next generation console were slow, Sega found its own must-have hit were is in Sonic the Hedgehog.

Fifth generation � The first fifth-generation consoles were the 3 DO and the Atari Jaguar. Both of these systems were much more powerful than the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES) or Mega Drive (known as Genesis in North America); they were better at rendering polygons, could display more onscreen colours, and the 3 DO used discs that contained far more information than cartridges and were cheaper to produce. Neither of these consoles were serious threats to Sega or Nintendo, though its not.