Yeah, I know it's kind of a weird title, but bear with me here. Why? Because, this time, it will be mostly on game consoles -- the good, the "ok", and the downright iconic. Why now? Simply put, it seems that Sony has a big news on 20th February. What's the news? I have absolutely no idea, but rumor has it that a new Playstation is on the horizon. Truth be told, I'm just hoping for some great news. Are you hooked up now? If you do.....read on.
Before we do start things off, though, let me remind you. I'm not gonna dive in detail on some consoles, due to time restraints (Yeah, I got time problems too) and the fact that the info for the first and second generation consoles -here- mainly, are seriously scarce. Now then, first up, the granddaddy of them all:
1. Magnavox Odyssey (1972 - 1975).
Simply put, well - it's simple. Seriously, what do you expect? It is the first game console which can be connected to a TV set. It's only moderately successful during it's time, until the rise of Atari's arcade game (Pong), that everything truly started. Autumn 1975 marks the end of Odyssey when Magnavox, thanks to Pong's popularity at the time, launched Odyssey 100, a toned down version with only Pong and hockey as a playable game, as well as Odyssey 200 with added onscreen scoring, up to 4 players, and a third game called Smash. Alongside Atari's home Pong console, they jumpstarted the consumer market of their time.
If you wanted to see one, Youtube got lots of videos. Now, since the second generation never really was here, next up:
2. Nintendo's Famicom / NES (15 July 1983 - 25 September 2003) - JP
Family Computer (Famicom) in Japan or Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) in the States, this console, which was released back in 1983 was -to me- a saviour. Why? Back in 1983, the video game business suffered an extremely severe crash, leaving all North American consoles...... well, dead by 1984. Back to the topic, during their release time in the States, video games are seen as only a craze that had passed. To distinguish themselves, a front loading cartridge port is set on the NES, just like a VCR. (You still know what it is, right?) Just like Pong jumpstarts the Magnavox and Atari, Nintendo found their pot of gold in Super Mario Bros. Their success revived the industry and the rest, well, is history.
Thanks to NES, at a young age, I managed to get my hands on some great titles; from Super Mario Bros. to Rockman. Up next, a console that, in my opinion, starts a legacy of it's own:
3. Sony Playstation (3/12/1994 - 23/3/2006) - JP
Yeah, THE Playstation. It's hard for me to believe -even now- that this is the result of a business breakdown between Sony and Nintendo. I won't waste your time for the details, but this console is so popular, it became the beginning of a long line of consoles - and overshadowed Atari's Jaguar, Nintendo 64, the 3DO, and Sega Saturn during it's time. One of the reason for it's success? A game called Crash Bandicoot. Guess a great game helps a lot, eh?
Brings back lots of memories to me just by going on with this. Well, the next console is the one that I had the longest:
4. Sony Playstation 2 (4/3/2000 - 4/1/2013) - Worldwide
For more than a decade, kids (and adults) had enjoyed this particular console, mainly due to the backward (enabling Playstation games to be played) and the game list, although it's mediocre at first. Another reason that this console is the best selling home console to date is particularly, it's DVD playing ability. It's debut price, compared to a standalone DVD player, is the same, if not less than one. With it's growing number of titles over the years, I'm guessing that it played at least a small part in the end of Sega's Dreamcast while Nintendo ends Gamecube in 2007 for the release of Wii.
I suddenly realized one thing, is it just me, or game consoles evolve extremely quick? Blu-Ray disc, motion used as input, wireless controllers.... There's a lot of new technologies introduced, but my pick is:
5. Sony Playstation 3 (11/11/2006) JP
First of all, it looks great. It works: Perfection to my eyes. Able to play Blu-Ray disc games and movies, being the first video game console to support HDMI, giving out 1080 pixel of greatness. With recent updates, it can also play 3D Blu-Ray movies and games. Last time I take a look, there's only two types left: a "slim" 160GB and a "slim" 320GB HDD. Simply put, I'm gonna wait for 20th February for the big announcement. Just hoping it's for a new model.
Well, guess that's it. Just remember, it is just an opinion. So, let me know if there's any mistake anywhere. Considering it's really late, I'm signing out. Later.
-C.M.-
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